Circle receives digital token license in Singapore
Circle’s Singapore affiliate received its Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Major Payment Institution (MPI) license for digital payment token services in Singapore, after having obtained in-principle approval last November. It allows Circle Singapore to offer digital payment token services, cross-border money transfer services and domestic money transfer services in the city-state. Circle is the issuer of USDC stablecoin. [Read more at Circle]
SWIFT explores blockchain interoperability
SWIFT and Chainlink will be collaborating with dozens of financial institutions to test how they can use Swift’s infrastructure to instruct the transfer of tokenized assets across blockchains. This builds on a series of successful trials in 2022, and also will explore how the industry could address potential operational and regulatory pitfalls facing financial institutions when operating in blockchain environment. [Read more at SWIFT]
The digital euro: A precautionary device, not a deus ex machina
The Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE published a paper that weighs the pros and cons of a possible digital euro. It concludes that, if the decision on adoption had to be taken today, the arguments against would outweigh those in favor. However, a reasonable case can be made that having in place digital payment infrastructures at the central bank, potentially accessible by a very large user base, may help overcome adverse contingencies. The related operational and legal infrastructures require a long preparatory phase. Preparing in advance can therefore be useful, even though the eventual use may appear uncertain or even unlikely. [Read more at SAFE]
BIS Project Dynamo develops smart contract prototype for SME finance
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub announced the development of a prototype developed as part of Project Dynamo that explored how institutional investors can be encouraged to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the programmability and transferability of digital trade tokens on a public blockchain. The prototype makes use of non-fungible tokens and smart contracts for SME finance. [Read more at the BIS]
The BIS published a paper that develops the concept of a “crypto multiplier,” which measures the response of a cryptocurrency’s market capitalization to the aggregate inflows and outflows of investors’ funds. It takes high values when a large share of a cryptocurrency’s coins is held as an investment rather than being used as a means of payment. Empirical evidence shows that the number of coins held for the purpose of making payments is rather small for major cryptocurrencies suggesting large crypto multipliers. The analysis explains why announcements by large investors, celebrity endorsements or financial crises can result in substantial price movements. [Read more at the BIS]
*For those interested in intra-day updates, check out my searchable Diigo Fintech developments database, which is also a good place to go to query for past developments: https://www.diigo.com/user/kiffmeister/ART.
Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:
- I’ll be participating in Currency Research’s in-person Central Bank Payments Conference and Global Payments Summit in Cape Town from June 26 to 30. [Register here and here respectively]
- I’ll be lecturing at the Digital Euro Association (DEA) Digital Money Academy on July 27, 2023. [Register here]
Kiffmeister’s global central bank digital currency monthly monitor
Just a reminder that I produce a monthly digest of central bank digital currency (CBDC) developments exclusively for the official sector. So for any of you out there who work for a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution who would like to receive it by email on the first business day of every month, please DM me on LinkedIn or email me at chronicles@kiffmeister.com.
The Sovereign Official Digital Association (SODA) is a technology-agnostic firm offering advisory services at the intersection of central banking, digital finance and the web3 industry, aiming to make public digital money a reality. SODA believes institutions in the existing financial ecosystem should have access to the tools and resources they need to move from discussion to action. SODA offers ‘real life’ use cases to help test digital money and drive adoption as central banks and other public institutions explore the future of a more financially inclusive world powered by interoperable blockchain-based networks. SODA would love you to join us on this journey – please get in touch (chris@sodapublicmoney.org).
Satoshi Capital Advisors is a New York-based, global advisory firm that works with central banks, governments, and the private sector to architect, implement, and operate varying initiatives. Satoshi Capital Advisors’ central bank work revolves around CBDC architecture and implementation, providing advisory services from research phase through to growth phase. Utilizing a product-market fit and technology agnostic approach to CBDC architecture and implementation enables Satoshi Capital Advisors to build tailored solutions, bespoke to local financial system nuances. Satoshi Capital Advisors welcomes requests from central bank officials for virtual and in-person CBDC workshops. [Click here for more information]
WhisperCash offers the first fully offline digital currency platform that has the same properties as physical cash. It can perform secure consecutive offline payments without compromising on security, privacy or accessibility. WhisperCash allows direct person to person offline payments without any server infrastructure or internet connectivity. It comes in various form factors including the self-contained credit card-sized “Pro” that sports an eInk screen and capacitive keyboard, and lasts for two weeks between recharges assuming a few transactions per day. [Click here for more information]