Author: kiffmeister

The Kiffmeister is a former Senior Financial Sector Expert at the International Monetary Fund.

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230922)*

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Tether resumes USDT loans, insists it maintains excess reserves

Tether has resumed USDT lending to clients, nearly a year after the company had announced that it would discontinue offering collateralized loans in 2023. As of June 30, 2023, the latest quarterly attestation showed assets that included $5.5 billion in loans, up from $5.3 billion in the previous quarter. A Tether spokesperson said the company’s aim is to prevent any significant depletion of its customers’ liquidity or the need for them to sell their collateral at potentially unfavorable prices, which could result in fire sale losses. [Read more at Decrypt and Bloomberg]

Tokenization: Overview and financial stability implications

The U.S. Federal Reserve published a paper that discusses the potential benefits and financial stability implications of tokenization. Among the benefits of tokenization, are lowering barriers to entry into otherwise inaccessible markets and improving the liquidity of such markets. However, it concludes that tokenization creates interconnections between the digital asset ecosystem and the traditional financial system. At sufficient scale, tokenized assets could transmit volatility from crypto-asset markets to the markets for the tokens’ reference assets. [Read more at the the Fed]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230921)*

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Emmer’s CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act passes Financial Services Committee

The US House Financial Services Committee considered Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act. The bill was passed out of the Committee and reported favorably to the House floor during the markup session, an important step toward passing this legislation through Congress. The Act would prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to individuals or maintaining accounts on behalf of individuals. It would also prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from directing the Federal Reserve to issue a CBDC and clarifies that a CBDC can only be issued pursuant to congressional authorization. [Read more on Emmer’s website]

Interestingly, Emmer’s bill does leave the door open for a privacy-preserving digital currency: “this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall not apply to any dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency.” That could leave the door open for House Representative Stephen Lynch’s ECASH Act that would direct the Secretary of the Treasury (not the Federal Reserve) to develop and pilot digital dollar technologies that replicate the privacy-respecting features of physical cash. [Read the ECASH Act here and the FAQ here]

JP Morgan is part of Regulated Liability Network digital currency project

JP Morgan is participating in the Regulated Liability Network (RLN). Earlier in September 2023, the UK arm of the RLN shared the findings of its latest work without mentioning the participants. The network aims to bring together banks and central banks to support different types of digital currency on the same network. That includes CBDCs, deposit tokens and regulated stablecoins. In July the US RLN published a report involving several other U.S. banks, the New York Federal Reserve’s innovation arm and Mastercard. The premise that underpins the RLN is interoperability so that banks don’t need to use the same type of blockchain to transfer tokens between them. [Read more at Ledger Insights]

R3 lays off a fifth of its employees

R3 has laid off a fifth of its employees as part of cost-cutting drive, blaming tough economic conditions that it says have led the company to shift its focus and business model. According to Bloomberg, the company had laid off just over a fifth of its headcount, affecting the company’s operations globally and across different functions. R3 is based in New York but operates an office in the United Kingdom. While enterprise blockchain technology has gained traction over the years, it remains a slow-moving industry where projects take years. However, these projects have moved slowly while others have been abandoned, leading to lost revenue for R3. [Read more at R3]

PayPal USD (PYUSD) is now available on Venmo

PayPal’s PYUSD dollar-denominated stablecoin is now available on Venmo to select users and will be rolling out fully in the coming weeks. Transfers between PayPal and Venmo users are fast and free, and individuals using compatible external wallets, and merchants accepting payments in PYUSD, will also be able to receive transfers from Venmo users (blockchain network fees apply). Also, PYUSD has been greenlisted by the New York State Department of Financial Services, making it easier for virtual currency entities licensed in New York to support PYUSD. [Read more at PayPal]

BIS and IADB join forces to foster LATAM innovation and financial inclusion

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are joining forces to explore and develop technology that can help to modernize Latin American and the Caribbean financial systems . The first collaboration will be on Project FuSSE (Fully Scalable Settlement Engine) aiming to design and test backend functionality that can be adapted to multiple types of infrastructures, allowing them to process a growing number of transactions and participants across various types of assets and the number of participants. The technology could support payment systems, security settlement systems or even CBDCs. [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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230919)*

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Erratum: In yesterday’s Digest I gave the wrong URL for the IMF paper on retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) design choices and capital flow measures (CFMs). It should be: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fintech-notes/Issues/2023/09/15/Capital-Flow-Management-Measures-in-the-Digital-Age-2-Design-Choices-for-Central-Bank-538509

Kazakhstan digital tenge phase one implementation plan

The National Bank of Kazakhstan announced the next steps in its digital tenge (DT) project. Initially it has focused on developing a retail CBDC, but has now sprouted several sub-projects and initiatives covering wholesale applications and usage, including securities settlement, stablecoin-related initiatives, and cross-border and social payments. In this regard, two separate environments of the DT platform, industrial and experimental (R&D), are planned for 2023. The industrial environment will implement the DT’s main functionality of the DT and its subsequent operation, and the R&D environment will test several use-case scenarios. [Read more at the NBK] 

Examining CBDC and wholesale payments

The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) published a paper that explores whether distributed ledger technology (DLT) based wholesale CBDC is essential for new platforms that process wholesale payment transactions. Central bank money currently exists for wholesale transactions in the form of depository institution balances at the Fed. Examining the key technological characteristics and potential arrangements of tokenized distributed platforms and comparing them with existing settlement assets, transfer mechanisms, and balance sheet entries, the paper argues that DLT-based wholesale CBDC is not essential for a tokenized wholesale payment system. [Read more at the Fed] 

Third meeting of the ECB New Technologies for Wholesale Settlement Contact Group

In September 2023, the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) New Technologies for Wholesale Settlement Contact Group (NTW-CG) met for the third time to discuss business cases in the payments, securities, and collateral management domains where DLT could make a difference compared to non-DLT settlement systems. [Read the meeting summary at the ECB; See the slide decks presented at the meeting here and here] 

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230918)*

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Implications of retail CBDCs for monetary policy transmission

The IMF published a paper that analyzes the impact of retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) on financial conditions and monetary policy transmission. In general, it finds that the impacts are expected to be relatively small in normal times but can be more significant in a low interest rates environment and when there is financial market stress. CBDC could lead to increased financial inclusion which could loosen financial conditions and strengthen monetary policy transmission. On the other hand, increased competition for bank deposit funding, increased wholesale funding, and lower bank profits would tighten financial conditions. Of course, in jurisdictions with currencies that are pegged to another jurisdiction’s, there is little to no ability to conduct independent monetary policy, so the impact of retail CBDC issuance is expected to be minimal. [Read more at the IMF]

CBDC design choices and capital flow management measures

The IMF published a paper that looks at how capital flow measures (CFMs) could be implemented with CBDC, and what benefits, risks and complexities could arise. There are several implications of the analysis. First, CBDC ecosystems should generally be designed such that they can accommodate the introduction of CFMs. Second, thanks to the programmability of the payment infrastructure given by the new digital technologies, certain CFMs could likely be implemented more efficiently and effectively with CBDC compared to the traditional system. Third, implementing CFMs requires central banks to collaborate on practices and standards. Finally, CFMs on CBDC need to operate alongside traditional CFMs. [Read more at the IMF]

Citi unveils tokenized deposits for institutional trade, cash

Citibank launched two “Citi Token Services” digital asset solutions that target institutions. One is a pilot for blockchain-based tokenized deposits, enabling organizations to move money between Citi branches worldwide and 24/7. The other is a trade application that uses smart contracts to trigger instant payments using tokenized deposits. Citi Token Services is separate, but complements, the Citibank-founded Regulated Liability Network (RLN), a multi bank collaboration for digital assets, tokenized deposits and CBDCs. [Read more at Ledger Insights]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230915)*

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Reserve Bank of India CBDC enhancements aim to boost adoption

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is reportedly planning to introduce new features to popularize the e-rupee retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), with transaction volumes running  way short of the RBI’s end-2023 target (18,000/day versus a one million/day. The features include allowing digital rupee transactions when a customer is offline and linking the e-rupee to India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). In fact, many banks have already gone live with QR code-based e-rupee UPI interoperability, so this doesn’t seem to be new news. Also, HDFC Bank is reportedly already working with IDEMIA to build an offline e-rupee platform for feature phones. [Read more at Reuters]

Minutes of the July 2023 Bank of England CBDC Technology Forum

At the July 26, 2023 meeting of the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) CBDC Technology Forum Tom Mutton (Chair) explained that they were now at the start of the design phase of the digital pound roadmap, during which they would conduct experiments and proofs of concept, and develop a detailed blueprint. He noted that the design phase was expected to last for 2-3 years, after which a decision would be made on whether or not to proceed to the build phase, during which the Technology Forum is expected to provide ideas and expert analysis that could inform and challenge the Bank of England’s experiments and the eventual digital pound blueprint. [Read more at the BoE]

HSBC and HKUST to conduct one week hypothetical e-HKD trial

HSBC and the School of Business and Management of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST Business School) will run a one-week hypothetical e-HKD proof of concept. The bank will use distributed ledger technology (DLT) to simulate programmable money and instant settlement for retail payments. Around 200 HKUST Business School staff will receive hypothetical e-HKD to spend at five campus merchants, such as cafes. They can also receive rewards as a digital token. I’m not certain about this, but it may be running as part of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) e-HKD Pilot Programme announced in May 2023. [Read more at HSBC]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230914)*

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Franklin Templeton files for Bitcoin ETF

Asset manager Franklin Templeton, which is one of the world’s largest asset managers, filed an application for a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 12, 2023. The product would be called “The Franklin Bitcoin ETF” and its shares would be listed and traded on the CBOE BZX Exchange. Coinbase would be the fund’s custodian and surveillance-sharing partner. [Read more at Decrypt]

Fintech funding in Europe stumbles 70% YoY

According to Finch Capital’s 8th Annual State of European Fintech Report, European fintech companies secured only EUR 4.6 billion in funding in H1 2023, versus the EUR 15.8 billion raised during the same period in 2022. The deal count in H1 2023 dropped 48% to 463. The massive drop was mainly driven by a decreased number of mega rounds, a retreat in activity from American investors, and a return to investment fundamentals. [Read more at Finch Capital]

Vanuatu launches VANKLIA, a new national payment system

The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu launched a new national digital payment platform, VANKLIA, to strengthen its digital economy and promote financial inclusion. The VANKLIA system is comprised of a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) component and an automated clearing house (ACH) component which facilitates the clearing of low value, high volume electronic fund transfers for batch payments. [Read more at the International Finance Corporation]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230913)*

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SWIFT begins beta tests of CBDC connector

SWIFT is working with three central banks and 30 financial institutions on beta tests of an experimental method for interlinking central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) with existing fiat infrastructures. In addition, SWIFT has started a second phase of sandbox testing, with commercial banks, central banks and financial market infrastructures exploring uses such as trigger-based payments for digital trade platforms, foreign exchange models, delivery vs. payment and liquidity saving mechanisms. [Read more at SWIFT]

Telegram integrates TON-based crypto wallet for its 800 million users

Telegram Messenger has reportedly integrated The Open Network-based self-custodial (TON Space) crypto wallet for its over 800 million monthly active users. All Telegram Wallet users can now access TON Space. Telegram Wallet is a bot that allows users to buy and sell crypto. Then, beginning in November 2023, all global Telegram users will be able to access the self-custodial wallet — excluding the U.S. and some other countries. In 2020, Telegram abandoned TON after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Telegram for raising $1.7 billion through an initial coin offering (ICO) which they claimed was an unregistered security. [Read more at The Block]

World Bank study reveals key Fintech growth enabling factors

The World Bank published a paper that found that countries with less developed and less competitive banking systems exhibit higher levels of Fintech activity, in part explained by lower barriers to entry and more opportunities for digital financial services in such countries. It also found that Fintech activity is positively correlated with capital market development that may reflect a more favorable investment climate that fosters the emergence of fintech companies by providing the funding they need to develop. [Read more at the World Bank]

BCG Global Payments Report 2023

The Boston Consulting group (BCG) published its 2023 Global Payments Report, that takes deep dives into four payments industry subsectors: acquirers, issuers, wholesale transaction banks, and payments infrastructure providers. Total payments revenues grew at an annual rate of 8.3% from 2017 to 2022, taking the revenue pool to $1.6 trillion at the end of 2022. However, revenue growth is expected to slow as the retail payments mix shifts from cards to account-to-account transactions, and card margins shrink in some markets. [Read more at BCG]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230912)*

~ kiffmeister ~ Leave a comment

BIS and Israel and HK central banks examine security, privacy and accessibility in CBDC design

Project Sela, a joint experiment conducted by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Israeli and Hong Kong central banks, showed that a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) ecosystem can combine accessibility, competition and preventative cyber security, while retaining key advantages of physical cash. In Sela, the retail CBDC ledger is operated by the central bank without compromising end user privacy as personal identifiers are obfuscated. Retail payments are therefore settled directly on the central bank’s balance sheet in a privacy-preserving manner, meaning instant finality for transactions. [Read more at the BIS]

PayPal introduces on and off ramps for Web3 payments

U.S.-based PayPal users can now seamlessly convert their crypto into USD with its new off-ramp service. The company had already been operating an on-ramp service for its customers, allowing them to purchase crypto-assets. Currently, the new service is available to decentralized applications (dApps), wallets, and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces and is also available to users on MetaMask. Also Web3 merchants can integrate the new off-ramp service and connect to robust security controls and tools for fraud management, disputes, and chargebacks. [Read more at PayPal]

There are now two types of PayPal dollars, and one is better than the other

Interestingly, JP Koning shows that of the two types of US dollar digital currencies now offered by Pay Pal, its PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoins are actually safer than its the traditional account offering. Better quality assets back PYUSD, they are ranked more senior to other creditors if PayPal goes kaput in most states, and they are disclosed more transparently. Notably, PayPal’s regular accounts are regulated piecemeal under each U.S. states’ own peculiar version of a money transmitter license, that can almost always be legally backed by riskier assets, and typically do not require that they be held in trust solely for the benefit of customers. [Read more at Moneyness and the Cornell Law Review]

NIST stablecoin report highlights security and stability concerns

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a report on stablecoin security considerations. These include unauthorized or arbitrary minting; vulnerability in smart contract codes leading to the theft of the stablecoin’s on-blockchain reserves, the malicious hacking or updating of smart contract codes, denial-of-service attacks on the data oracles that provide the smart contracts with off-blockchain information, and attacks on the underlying blockchain. The stability and trust issues the report identifies vary based upon the stablecoin use case, as well as the kind of marketplace that the stablecoins are traded upon. [Read more at NIST]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230911)*

~ kiffmeister ~ Leave a comment

India’s central bank digital currency has 1.5M users, 300K merchants, says RBI chief

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reportedly provided an update on its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot that started in the wholesale segment in November 2022, followed by a pilot in the retail segment in December. The trial has been rolled out to approximately 1.5 million users, and is is being operated through 13 banks in 26 cities, and over 300,000 merchants as of end-August 2023. The RBI has enabled full interoperability with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) QR codes. Moreover, the RBI is likely to launch a CBDC pilot for transactions for interbank borrowing or call money market by October 2023. [Read more at Bitcoin.com]

Digital euro conspiracy theories and privacy concerns put EU central bankers in the hot seat

“Proponents of a digital euro are facing political opposition to their plans for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) – and technocratic central bankers aren’t sure how to respond… That opposition can start with legitimate concerns over privacy and the limits of government power – but can also venture into conspiracy theories that paint CBDCs as part of a much wider, orchestrated program of state control. ‘We can assure people you are not traced and we can prove it with audits and whatever, but if outside of the system people start talking about this and convincing each other on social media … then that is a big blow.”'” [Read more on CoinDesk]

Hungary for fintech: an interview with the Central Bank of Hungary’s Anikó Szombati

Global Government Fintech published an interview with Magyar Nemzeti Bank’s (MNB’s)  Anikó Szombati on the central bank’s financial innovation agenda. She made particular mention of the MNB’s private blockchain-based non-fungible token (NFT) issuance and the associated mobile application platform.  The first series of NFTs were based on six collector versions of a five forint coin. Users obtain the NFTs by solving quizzes. By collecting NFTs containing all six letters of the word ‘forint’, users were able to participate in a prize game in which they could win special physical coin sets. The MNB is now working with SODA (Sovereign Official Digital Association) on a bridging operation between the current private blockchain and a public blockchain. [Read more at Global Government Fintech]

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230910)*

~ kiffmeister ~ Leave a comment

SEC vs. Ripple: Commission urges court To grant appeal request in latest filing

In a new filing submitted on September 8 the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) urged the US District Court for the Southern District of New York to certify its motion for interlocutory appeal of the court’s judgment in the lawsuit against Ripple and “stay further proceedings until the resolution of that appeal.” This comes week after the payment technology platform argued that the court should not certify the commission’s interlocutory appeal. [Read more at the CourtListener]

The Palau stablecoin proof of concept reporting mess

On September 7, 2023 I reported that the Palau was wrapping up the first of its US dollar stablecoin (PSC) proof-of-concept (PoC) experiments on September 8, 2023. This was based on an X (formerly Twitter) post by Jay Hunter Anson, Digital Residency Office Director at the Palau Ministry of Finance. Some crypto publications took this to mean that Palau was entirely shutting down the PSC research project so Mr. Anson came back on X to make it clear that the PoC, originally scheduled for 60 days, was actually extended for another 30 days to test some additional use cases discovered along the way, and allow more people to participate.

We can blame the crypto press for not doing proper fact checking, but the Palau government could also do a better job of coordinating its communication. You have to link various X and Facebook posts to get the whole story. For example, an end-July post on the government’s Facebook page said that the PoC was originally scheduled for 90 days starting at the end of July, which would put the 60 day inflection point at the end of September, making the original September 7 post on X sound a bit fishy. Later on the 7th, Mr. Anson filled in the blanks to imply that the 90-day PoC had three phases. The August phase was apparently for live field testing, the September phase will see the completion of retailer redemption, freezing of the August batch of PSC and then the minting of new PSC for another live test in the October phase.

However, the confusion doesn’t end there. There was another post on the government’s Facebook page on September 7 that said that the PoC terminates at the end of September, contradicting the end-July announcement of a 90-day PoC.

All of this is why most governments have dedicated communications staff to coordinate such messages.

*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.

Kiffmeister’s 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 (only) if you work at a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution (e.g., the BIS, IMF, OECD, World Bank) and 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]