DFC

5287 bookmarks
Custom sorting
House passes bill barring Federal Reserve from issuing digital dollar
House passes bill barring Federal Reserve from issuing digital dollar
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act (H.R. 5403) that requires the Federal Reserve to obtain congressional approval before issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The bill seeks to amend the Federal Reserve Act, barring the Fed from providing direct consumer services or leveraging CBDCs for monetary policy (i.e., remunerating a CBDC) without Congress’s explicit consent. As pointed out by Ledger Insights, the drafting is very sloppy, particularly by blurring the lines between retail and wholesale CBDC, and full enactment could have unintended consequences. For example, the sloppy drafting could prohibit the current practice of using remuneration on commercial bank reserves held at the Fed as a policy tool. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-118hr5403rh/pdf/BILLS-118hr5403rh.pdf
#Fintech#CBDC#UnitedStates#DFC
·thehill.com·
House passes bill barring Federal Reserve from issuing digital dollar
The flaws in the CBDC Anti-Surveillance Bill
The flaws in the CBDC Anti-Surveillance Bill
According to Ledger Insights, the wording of the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act (H.R. 5403) recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives is too broad and will have unintended consequences. The bill will require the Federal Reserve to obtain congressional approval before issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). However, the wording is very sloppy, particularly by blurring the lines between retail and wholesale CBDC. For example, it could prohibit the current practice of using remuneration on commercial bank reserves held at the Fed as a policy tool, by not recognizing that those reserve balances are already wholesale CBDCs, albeit not on a distributed ledger. However, hopefully that can be sorted out as it moves through Congress.
#Fintech#CBDC#UnitedStates#DFC
·ledgerinsights.com·
The flaws in the CBDC Anti-Surveillance Bill
Central Bank Digital Currency and Monetary Policy
Central Bank Digital Currency and Monetary Policy
The IMF's Dong He published an update on ongoing work being undertaken by the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department on the implications of central bank digital currency (CBDC) for monetary policy. He argued that universally convertible and interoperable CBDC could bolster the role of central bank money as both the ultimate settlement asset and the unit of account, and preserve the central bank's capacity to implement monetary policy effectively in the digital age. An important challenge will be to figure out how the demand for reserves would be affected by the introduction of CBDC. The operational framework may need to be reconfigured to deal with increased volatility in the demand for reserves, and central bank capital buffers may also need to be revisited if balance sheet materially increases in size and in financial risks because of CBDC adoption. An interest-bearing CBDC could amplify the passthrough from policy interest rates to broader monetary conditions, albeit at the risk of disintermediating banks if the interest rate is set too high. But even a non-interest-bearing CBDC could enhance the channels of monetary policy transmission, although the magnitude of this effect is anticipated to be modest and heavily reliant on country characteristics, such as the capacity of CBDC to advance financial inclusion or diminish the appeal of currency substitution.
#Fintech#CBDC#IMF#DFC
·researchgate.net·
Central Bank Digital Currency and Monetary Policy
Drex pilot postponed to improve privacy and will have a new phase in 2025
Drex pilot postponed to improve privacy and will have a new phase in 2025
Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) has has extended the Drex project timeline into 2025 because the technological solutions tested in the first phase "did not present the necessary maturity to guarantee compliance with all requirements legal issues related to the preservation of citizens’ privacy”. The BCB decided that it would be inappropriate to advance testing to a pilot phase (where real users are involved) until there is "certainty about the ability to meet privacy requirements". The next phase will seek to incorporate new functionalities, such as the implementation of smart contracts within the platform, so that the private institutions participating in the project will be able to create services and business models on the network, without being limited to those designed by the BCB itself. https://normativos.bcb.gov.br/Votos/BCB/202466/Voto_do_BC_66_2024.pdf
#Fintech#CBDC#Brazil#DFC
·valor.globo.com·
Drex pilot postponed to improve privacy and will have a new phase in 2025
Bank of Israel launches the Digital Shekel Challenge
Bank of Israel launches the Digital Shekel Challenge
The Bank of Israel (BOI) is inviting anyone (from Israel or abroad) interested in studying or experimenting with the use of a digital shekel to submit a request to join the Digital Shekel Challenge. Preference will be given to uses with innovative characteristics in the payments market, whether they are improvements to existing applications, or completely new applications. Contestants will be asked to technologically develop various use cases for the digital shekel, by using the application programming interface (API) layer at the center of the proposed two-tier central bank digital currency (CBDC) model. The API layer provides functionalities that enable service providers to connect to the digital shekel system and offer end users among the public a wide and innovative range of services, while maintaining end users’ privacy and the security and reliability of the payment system.
#Fintech#CBDC#Israel#DFC
·boi.org.il·
Bank of Israel launches the Digital Shekel Challenge
Spain’s central bank launches second wholesale CBDC trial
Spain’s central bank launches second wholesale CBDC trial
Banco de España has launched a second wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) trial, this time to test the settlement of natively digital bond transactions, and make coupon and redemption payments. The first trial, announced in January, included developing a tokenized deposit solution for interbank payments, and settling tokenized securities (i.e., not natively digital) transactions. https://boe.gob.es/boe/dias/2024/05/06/pdfs/BOE-A-2024-9112.pdf
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#Eurozone#Spain#Tokenization#Settlement#DFC
·europapress.es·
Spain’s central bank launches second wholesale CBDC trial
CBDC Initiatives of the Bank of Japan (7th CBDC Forum)
CBDC Initiatives of the Bank of Japan (7th CBDC Forum)
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) held its seventh “CBDC Forum” and published the secretariat’s presentation, which Norbert Gehrke kindly summarized in English. The presentation outlines the BOJ’s stance on CBDC, delves into the specifics of the proof-of-concept work currently underway, and elaborates on the structure and activities of the CBDC Forum, which involves private sector stakeholders. https://www.boj.or.jp/paym/digital/dig240529b.pdf
#Fintech#CBDC#Japan#DFC
·medium.com·
CBDC Initiatives of the Bank of Japan (7th CBDC Forum)
Privacy considerations in CBDC systems
Privacy considerations in CBDC systems
Crunchfish has recently implemented and patented a novel approach with balance reconciliation. Private transactions are encrypted and sent to the backend, but where the keys used for the transaction are wallet keys, in contrast to prior art using public keys controlled by either the issuer or an escrow agent. In this way the payer is in full control of the privacy of their transactions even if all private transactions are sent to the online ledger encrypted. In this innovative way, regulatory requirements for transactional traceability are balanced with requirements for privacy where the payer is in full control of the encrypted transactional data for amounts below defined thresholds, defined by the issuer and the regulator. If the issuer suspects an attack by the payer, the issuer can contact the payer for permission to decrypt the data. In case the payer is not willing to grant access, the issuer may decide to lock the wallet or disallow any more private transactions.
#Fintech#CBDC#Privacy#Crunchfish#DFC
·crunchfish.com·
Privacy considerations in CBDC systems
India's retail and wholesale CBDC pilots show tiny figures
India's retail and wholesale CBDC pilots show tiny figures
According to the latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, there was just 800,000 rupees (less than $10,000) wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) outstanding at end-March 2024. The RBI has been piloting wholesale CBDC since November 2022, including for settling government bond secondary market transactions, and interbank lending in call money markets. However, the small numbers could be attributable to banks converting CBDC to central bank reserves to earn interest, or the central bank may be automatically converting them at the end of the day, which is what the Swiss National Bank (SNB) did in the earlier phases of its Project Helvetia experiments. The digital rupee retail CBDC isn't catching fire either, with only 2.34 billion rupees ($28 million) outstanding at end-March 2024, versus 34,778.05 billion rupees of banknotes in circulation. https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/AnnualReportPublications.aspx?year=2024
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#India#DFC
·ledgerinsights.com·
India's retail and wholesale CBDC pilots show tiny figures
Qatar Central Bank launching a digital currency project
Qatar Central Bank launching a digital currency project
The Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has completed the development of the infrastructure for its wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. In the next phase which will extend to October 2024, the central bank will test and develop selected applications of distributed ledger technology (DLT) based wholesale CBDC to settle large payments with a group of local and international banks in a trial environment. The project will focus on applications that increase access to capital markets for operating banks in the country, enhance domestic settlement, and improve the efficiency of securities transactions.
#Fintech#CBDC#Qatar#wCBDC#DFC
·x.com·
Qatar Central Bank launching a digital currency project
China's digital yuan app drops 'pilot' label, but no announcement
China's digital yuan app drops 'pilot' label, but no announcement
Chinese news outlets have reported that the digital yuan app no longer carries the ‘pilot’ label. It dismissed the reason as an administrative one, saying the pilot mode persists. However, even if the digital renminbi is still in pilot mode, we believe this may indicate the central bank digital currency (CBDC) might be nearing the end of its pilot phase and starting preparation for production.
#Fintech#CBDC#China#DFC
·ledgerinsights.com·
China's digital yuan app drops 'pilot' label, but no announcement
Central banks to test FX settlement in wCBDC
Central banks to test FX settlement in wCBDC
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will collaborate with several central banks to explore how instant cross-border payments could be improved using a modular foreign exchange component combined with settlement in wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Project Rialto will explore a new automatic FX settlement layer using wholesale CBDC as a safe settlement asset that could be deployed for interlinked instant payment systems or digital asset systems. Project Rialto is named after the famous bridge in Venice which connects two sides of the Grand Canal.
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#mCBDC#BIS#DFC
·bis.org·
Central banks to test FX settlement in wCBDC
Rwanda mulls a central bank digital currency in two years
Rwanda mulls a central bank digital currency in two years
The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) is looking to develop its CBDC in the next two years, as part of efforts to streamline the financial system and position Rwanda as an important player in the future global economy. The central bank launched a public consultation in early May 2024 that closes at the end of June 2024, after which about six months of proof of concept work will commence. It looks to have "everything on the table within the next two years". The NBR's preferred option is to have a retail CBDC distributed through banks, but it is also looking at indirect (or "synthetic") CBDC, although the central bank is mindful of the potential bank disintermediation risk under the latter option. https://www.bnr.rw/documents/CBDC_Research_Paper_Engl_Updated.pdf
#Fintech#CBDC#Rwanda#DFC
·newtimes.co.rw·
Rwanda mulls a central bank digital currency in two years
Project mBridge reaches minimum viable product stage
Project mBridge reaches minimum viable product stage
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Project mBridge is accepting value added products and new use cases as it reaches minimum viable product stage (MVP). The project aims to explore multi-central bank digital currency (CBDC) platform shared among participating central banks and commercial banks, built on distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enable instant cross-border payments and settlement. The project was launched in 2021 by the BIS Innovation Hub, in collaboration with the Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the People's Bank of China and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The Saudi Central Bank is now joining mBridge as a full participant. There are also now more than 26 observing members.
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#mCBDC#CrossBorder#Payments#BIS#SaudiArabia#DFC
·bis.org·
Project mBridge reaches minimum viable product stage
SAMA Joins mBridge Project as MVP Platform Participant
SAMA Joins mBridge Project as MVP Platform Participant
"As part of the Saudi Central Bank’s (SAMA) pursuit to build a robust and innovative cross-border payments infrastructure in collaboration with various international financial institutions and central banks, SAMA has joined the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) mBridge project as a participant in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) platform."
#Fintech#CrossBorder#CBDC#wCBDC#mCBDC#BIS#SaudiArabia#DFC
·sama.gov.sa·
SAMA Joins mBridge Project as MVP Platform Participant
Central Bank Digital Currency, Real Effect and Welfare
Central Bank Digital Currency, Real Effect and Welfare
The Bank of Korea (BOK) published a paper on the macroeconomic impact of introducing retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). What sets this paper apart from the many other papers that focus on the same question is that it pays more attention to the precise bank-issued instruments that the CBDC competes with - non-interest-bearing demand deposits and interest-bearing savings and term deposits. CBDC directly competes with physical cash and debit, but only indirectly with demand deposits. According to the paper's theoretical model, CBDC introduction can lead to significant negative impact on demand deposit holdings, but this is accompanied by offsetting increases in holdings of interest-bearing deposits. This implies that the efficacy of CBDC on output and welfare, if any, is quantitatively only marginal, relative to the findings in the previous studies with only one type of deposit.
#Fintech#CBDC#Macrofinancial#DFC
·bok.or.kr·
Central Bank Digital Currency, Real Effect and Welfare
Worldline Central Bank Digital Currency White Paper
Worldline Central Bank Digital Currency White Paper
Worldline has published a white paper to serve as a resource to guide stakeholders through the multifaceted CBDC landscape. It provides insights and guidance to navigate the complexities and opportunities of this transformative financial technology.
#Fintech#CBDC#Worldline#DFC
·worldline.com·
Worldline Central Bank Digital Currency White Paper
Italian banks publish Leonidas wholesale CBDC project report
Italian banks publish Leonidas wholesale CBDC project report
The Italian Banking Association (ABI) published the results of its Project Leonidas (Liquidation Effective ONchaIn Dlt Asset on Check) distributed ledger technology (DLT) based wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) proof of concept (POC) work. The project, which concluded at the end of 2023, was carried out under the Banca d'Italia Milano Hub innovation center. It investigated the benefits of using DLT-based wholesale CBDC for interbank transactions, so that the capacity, efficiency and robustness requirements of central bank systems are met. See also: https://www.ledgerinsights.com/italian-banking-association-trials-two-styles-of-wholesale-cbdc/ https://cbdc.onlineexpo.com/blog/2024-november/project-leonidas-abis-exploration-of-wcbdc-settlement-through-distributed-ledger-technology/
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#Italy#DFC
·abilab.it·
Italian banks publish Leonidas wholesale CBDC project report
The external financial spillovers of CBDCs
The external financial spillovers of CBDCs
Banca d'Italia published a paper in July 2003 that uses a theoretical model to study how the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by a systemic economy can affect the choices of residents in a small open economy. It finds that an increase in the preference for the foreign CBDC induces a banking crisis and has a negative impact on GDP, the greater the more the foreign CBDC is perceived as deposit-like. Public authorities can mitigate these effects with multiple tools: by taxing the CBDC, by easing macroprudential requirements, or through FX interventions. A higher stock of foreign CBDC held by households can shield the small economy from an increase in the interest rate on external debt, if the remuneration of the CBDC remains constant.
#Fintech#CBDC#Italy#FinancialStability#CrossBorder#DFC
·bancaditalia.it·
The external financial spillovers of CBDCs
Interim report on the design outline of a Japanese CBDC
Interim report on the design outline of a Japanese CBDC
The English version of the Interim Report on Japan's "Design Outline of central bank digital currency (CBDC)", initially published in Japanese only in April 2024, has been published. The joint work by the Bank of Japan (BoJ), Ministry of Finance (MoF) and other relevant ministries identifies the basic considerations on main design issues and possible options for CBDC introduction. The report does not prejudge whether or not to introduce CBDC in Japan, but this preparation will help Japan introduce CBDC in the future without delay if the decision were made after discussions with the Japanese public.
#CBDC#Japan#Fintech#DFC
·mof.go.jp·
Interim report on the design outline of a Japanese CBDC
Digital euro safeguards – protecting banking sector liquidity
Digital euro safeguards – protecting banking sector liquidity
In April 2024 the European Central Bank (ECB) published a paper that shows the usefulness of digital euro safeguards, such as holding limits, that would limit the impact of the introduction of a digital euro on banks’ liquidity and on their reliance on central bank funding. To this end, it assesses how banks might respond to the introduction of a digital euro while seeking to maximize profitability and manage their risks for a range of holding limit scenarios. The results of the simulated impact on key liquidity metrics show that, with safeguards in place and on aggregate, the liquidity metrics of euro area banks would decline but remain well above regulatory minimums. In addition, the central bank funding ratios of euro area banks would not increase materially on aggregate and would remain contained overall.
#Fintech#CBDC#FinancialStability#Eurozone#DFC
·ecb.europa.eu·
Digital euro safeguards – protecting banking sector liquidity
Making the digital euro truly private
Making the digital euro truly private
The European Central Bank (ECB) published a blog post that explains what degrees of payments privacy future users of a digital euro can expect. It claims that it will promise better privacy and data protection than other current electronic means of payment, but not the same degree of privacy as cash although paying with an “offline digital euro” comes pretty close. Online digital euro payments will not be so private, because the commercial banks that run the user-facing parts of the platform will have full access to user identity and transaction information, just like they currently do on their own platforms. However, digital euro holder identities will be separated from the payment data, and the banks will pseudonymize user data so they are not visible to the Eurosystem.
#Fintech#CBDC#Privacy#Eurozone#ECB#DFC
·ecb.europa.eu·
Making the digital euro truly private
Do wholesale CBDCs compete with bank services?
Do wholesale CBDCs compete with bank services?
"Wholesale CBDCs were considered useful for banks. However, some institutions are keener than others, often depending on the application of the wholesale CBDC. Executives in the securities services sector are usually the most enthusiastic. On the payments side, JP Morgan’s Umar Farooq appeared to have reservations during last month’s Consensus event... However, at a big picture level, the objective of wholesale CBDC is to reduce risk. Instant settlement in central bank money for a wider range of applications could take a significant amount of risk out of the banking and capital markets system. If banks are subject to less risk, it might allow them to be more expansive in other areas.
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#DFC
·ledgerinsights.com·
Do wholesale CBDCs compete with bank services?
Berlin Group working paper on digital central bank money
Berlin Group working paper on digital central bank money
The International Working Group on Data Protection in Technology (the "Berlin Group"), chaired by the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), published a working paper on central bank digital currency (CBDC) privacy-related risk factors. For example, the paper points out that the ECB must take a privacy and data protection by design and by default approach. In addition, it argues that a distributed ledger technology (DLT) architecture does not necessary entail a more privacy friendly solution, because data is immediately visible to all nodes in the network and immutability means that data can never be deleted or rectified (a right that is guaranteed in Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Also, some programmable features imply privacy and civil rights risks that may outweigh the potential benefits, due to legal and ethical concerns (for example automated decision-making without possibility of appeal and/or risk of censorship).
#Fintech#CBDC#Privacy#Programmability#DLT#Eurozone#DFC
·bfdi.bund.de·
Berlin Group working paper on digital central bank money
Ethiopia Paves the Way for Central Bank Digital Currency
Ethiopia Paves the Way for Central Bank Digital Currency
The Ethiopian government's Council of Ministers approved a draft proclamation that would establish a legal framework for the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The proposed National Bank of Ethiopia Establishment Proclamation revisions will soon be referred to the House of People’s Representatives for review, comment, and final ratification. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7207410991230320641/
#Fintech#CBDC#Ethiopia#DFC
·shega.co·
Ethiopia Paves the Way for Central Bank Digital Currency
Reimagining the future of money: freedom-bearing, human-centric
Reimagining the future of money: freedom-bearing, human-centric
Central banks need to realise that it is impossible to prevent distribution of counterfeit coins that are transacted in an offline mode when a cryptographic dialogue is carried out between payer and payee. This vulnerability relates to most known secure elements/devices, stored-value cards, universal access devices and Tamper Resistant Elements (TRE), such as smart cards, SIM cards, embedded secure elements and so on, that are already being tested for offline clearing and final settlement capabilities. It derives from realizing that any cryptographic dialogue that convinces a payee offline may be emulated by a resourceful counterfeiter. If you wish to execute payments between two parties in offline mode when there is no internet connection, with no risk of counterfeit money to be distributed by adversaries, you need to have a physical procedure (not cryptographic) that enables a fast, instant, simple and secure (up to being quantum-safe) validation process and payment transaction, with finality of payment.
#Fintech#CBDC#Offline#Quantum#CyberRisk#BitMint#DFC
·fintechfutures.com·
Reimagining the future of money: freedom-bearing, human-centric
Fnality, HQLAᵡ aim to launch blockchain intraday repo this year
Fnality, HQLAᵡ aim to launch blockchain intraday repo this year
Fnality and HQLAᵡ have completed end-to-end testing to enable intraday sterling repo settlement on the Eurex Repo F7 platform via their two blockchain networks. They plan to go live in Q4 2024 subject to UK regulatory approvals. Fnality is a UK-regulated systemic payment system and HQLAᵡ operates a digital collateral registry to enable intraday collateral movement. Fnality's settlement instrument is effectively a "synthetic" wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) - i..e., a sterling-denominated stablecoin backed by deposits in a Bank of England omnibus account. In conventional repo transactions, the collateral settlement takes two days, but on the Fnality/HQLAᵡ platform, trades can be settled on a atomically intra-day delivery-versus-payment (DvP) basis. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eurex_eurex-repo-dlt-activity-7208755407740137472-g29d/
#Fintech#CBDC#sCBDC#wCBDC#Fnality#HQLAX#UnitedKingdom#DFC
·ledgerinsights.com·
Fnality, HQLAᵡ aim to launch blockchain intraday repo this year
Iran’s central bank to pilot CBDC pilot on Kish Island
Iran’s central bank to pilot CBDC pilot on Kish Island
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) will launch a pilot its digital rial central bank digital currency (CBDC) in July 2024. It will allow banking customers and tourists on Kish Island to make purchases and transfer funds using digital wallets and QR codes. The CBI has been developing its CBDC since 2022, and started proof-of-concept work in June 2023. The digital rial has been targeted solely for use in Iran and to facilitate domestic micro payments operations. The overarching goal of the project is to modernize and simplify domestic transactions.
#Fintech#CBDC#Iran#DFC
·cbi.ir·
Iran’s central bank to pilot CBDC pilot on Kish Island
Swiss WCBDC trial with SDX extended by two years
Swiss WCBDC trial with SDX extended by two years
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) will continue its Project Helvetia pilot focusing on tokenized securities settlement on SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) in Swiss franc wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) for at least two more years. This will come after the successful completion of Project Helvetia III, which will run until the end of June 2024. This included the SNB becoming the world's first central bank to carry out a monetary policy operation in a live production environment using distributed ledger technology (DLT) when it issued CHF 64 billion in SNB one-week bills on the SDX platform in early June. The next stage of the pilot aims at expanding the scope with the intention to gradually include additional financial institutions and to serve a broader range of financial market transactions. https://www.snb.ch/en/publications/communication/speeches-restricted/pre_20240620_tjnmslanmar
#Fintech#CBDC#wCBDC#Settlement#Switzerland#DFC
·sdx.com·
Swiss WCBDC trial with SDX extended by two years
CBDC Use Case: The e-Cedi Hackathon Pilot
CBDC Use Case: The e-Cedi Hackathon Pilot
In December 2023, EMTECH successfully delivered a CBDC Hackathon as a strategic pilot for the Bank of Ghana’s e-Cedi project. After receiving 88 applications, the Bank of Ghana ultimately selected 10 participants who onboarded a dedicated hackathon platform, and received Institutional Wallets and 1,000 BYDC-eCedi tokens from the central bank to prototype various solutions. They were then granted access to pre-built BYDC-eCedi APIs which eased the technical integration, as well as standardized how and who can create wallets for end users or how to transact with the tokens. All transactions were performed using Hedera’s token and public ledger services using an ERC-20 token standard. This delivered transparency in transactions, plus the benefit of protecting user information.
#Fintech#CBDC#Ghana#Emtech#DFC
·emtech.com·
CBDC Use Case: The e-Cedi Hackathon Pilot