Category: PaymentSystems

Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20240724)

~ kiffmeister

Central Bank of Papua New Guinea launches CBDC proof-of-concept (Soramitsu)

The Central Bank of Papua New Guinea (CBPNG) is working with Soramitsu on a central bank digital currency (CBDC) proof-of-concept (POC) aimed at building a common payment platform across the Pacific Island region. Also, some areas of Papua New Guinea are plagued by instability, violence, and frequent occurrences of robberies and muggings, so the POC will explore digital technologies that will allow recovery of funds after such incidents. The project is being funded by the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s 2023 supplementary budget “Subsidy for Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Projects (Indirect Subsidy Project Related to the Survey on the Overseas Deployment of Infrastructure by Japanese Companies).” [Read more at Soramitsu]

Bank of Israel selects 14 teams to present use cases for digital shekel (Finextra)

The Bank of Israel (BOI) has chosen 14 teams from the private and public sectors, and academia to study potential digital shekel use cases selected by the BOI. They deal with a variety of functions: connectivity between the digital shekel, other payment systems, and cash; use of the advanced functionalities offered by the digital shekel, such as subwallets, conditional payments, and split payments; and the implementation of various technologies while using the digital shekel as a means of payment. Participant proposals will be tested in a digital sandbox in August 2024, with products developed to be showcased at a concluding conference at the end of October 2024. [Read more at the BOI]

FCA finalizes access to cash rules (Finextra)

Under new rules from the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), banks and building societies will need to weigh up if local communities lack access to cash services, like branches and ATMs, and plug significant gaps. Under the new rules banks will need to respond to local residents and community organizations when closing branches and ATMs and provide an assessment of whether there are gaps in local cash access. Where significant gaps are found, banks will be obliged to retain branches and ATMs until alternative solutions are found. [Read more at the FCA]

UAE central bank introduces new stablecoin regulations (Coin Journal)

The UAE Central Bank (CBUAE) approved a framework for stablecoin regulation on June 14, 2024, which allows only dirham-backed stablecoins to be used for payments. Other crypto-assets will be restricted to trading, investment, and corporate treasury purposes while foreign stablecoins will only be permitted for purchasing specific virtual assets like non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The new law mandates that no entity can issue a payment token without submitting a white paper to the central bank for approval. Banks are not directly permitted to issue payment tokens but can do so through subsidiaries or affiliates, provided they meet licensing and regulatory requirements. The new framework is set to commence in June 2025. [Read more at the CBUAE]

UEMOA launches interoperable instant payment system pilot (BCEAO)

The Central Bank of the States of West Africa (BCEAO) has launched the pilot phase of the interoperable instant payment system (IPS) of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). 25 financial institutions across four countries met the criteria required to participate. A second group will join on August 12, 2024.The new interoperable 24/7 IPS infrastructure is capable of processing transactions of any kind, regardless of the account type. [Read more at the BCEAO]

Philippines hits target of digitalizing 50 percent of retail payments (BSP)

The share of digital payment transactions to total monthly retail payments in the Philippines grew from 42.1% in 2022 to 52.8% in 2023, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This indicates that the central bank has surpassed its target of digitalizing 50% of digital payments volume in the country under its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap 2018-2023. In terms of value, the latest e-payments measurement also showed that the share of monthly digital payments to total transactions increased to 55.3% in 2023 from 40.1% in 2022. The main contributors to the rise in e-payments were merchant payments which accounted for 64.9% of monthly digital payments volume, person-to-person transfers at 19.3%, and business-to-business supplier payments at 6.1%. [Read more at the BSP]

Reserve Bank of India joins Project Nexus (RBI)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) joined Project Nexus, a multilateral international initiative to enable instant cross-border retail payments by interlinking domestic fast payment systems (FPSs). Nexus, conceptualized by the BIS Innovation Hub aims to connect the FPSs of four ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand); and now India. Indonesia, which has been involved from the early stages, continues to be involved as a special observer. The platform is expected to go live by 2026. Once functional, Nexus will play an important role in making retail cross-border payments efficient, faster, and more cost effective. [Read more at the RBI]

    Upcoming Speaking Engagements:

    • CBDC Conference, Istanbul, September 10-12. The conference will offer representatives of central banks, commercial banks, technology providers, policy makers and academics the perfect platform to learn about the latest CBDC developments, exchange ideas with experts and peers. [Find out more and register here][Central bank delegates may be eligible for free registration (email registration@cbdc-conference.com to find out more)]
    • Digital Currency Conference, London, September 23-24. The conference will bring together policymakers, regulators, and technology and innovation experts to network and discuss all aspects of digital currencies. And enter the KiffmeisterDCC code at registration to get a 20% discount! [Find out more and register here]

    And 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 john@kiffmeister.com.

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230919)*

    ~ kiffmeister

    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 (20230720)*

    ~ kiffmeister

    Bank of Korea publishes update on its CBDC experiments

    The Bank of Korea (BOK) provided updates on its central bank digital currency (CBDC) proof-of-concept work in its 2022 Payment and Settlement Systems Report. This included investigating smart contracts, near-field communications (NFC) based offline payments and cross-border payments. Also, the BOK connected 14 banks with its simulated CBDC system to verify its functioning. It handled 2,000 transactions per second but slowed down as it reached capacity, so further improvements are needed. The bank also tested a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) protocol to improve privacy, but it slowed the processing speed markedly. [Read more at the BOK]

    The FedNow instant payments system is now live

    The US Federal Reserve (FRB) announced that its new system for instant payments, the FedNow® Service, is now live. Banks and credit unions can sign up and use this tool to instantly transfer money 24/7 for their customers. To start, 35 early-adopting banks and credit unions, as well as the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, are ready with instant payments capabilities via the FedNow Service. In addition, 16 service providers are ready to support payment processing for banks and credit unions. [Read more at the FRB]

    China’s digital yuan transactions seeing strong momentum

    Transactions using China’s digital yuan hit 1.8 trillion yuan ($250 billion) at end-June, according to People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Yi Gang, marking a jump from over 100 billion yuan as of August last year. However, e-CNY in circulation accounted for only 0.16% of China’s M0 money supply, or cash in circulation, Yi pointed out that, although the balance is small, its transaction velocity is higher and more efficient than cash. [See video on LinkedIn]

    *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 lecturing at the Digital Euro Association (DEA) Digital Money Academy on July 27, 2023. [Register here]

    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 (20230623)*

    ~ kiffmeister

    The Bank of Israel to allow fintechs to connect to supervised payment systems

    The Bank of Israel published a “Payment Systems Access Guide” that aims to provide information to nonbank entities, including fintechs, interested in participating in the core supervised payment systems alongside traditional banks. Its purpose is to present these entities with a comprehensive overview of the various options available for operating within the payment systems in Israel, along with the associated conditions and requirements. The guide seeks to facilitate the decision-making process and the joining procedures for these entities. [Read more at the Bank of Israel]

    Central Bank of Nigeria approves CBDC use for remittances

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced the eNaira as a payment option for inbound remittances in an effort to help increase the adoption of the central bank digital currency (CBDC). It’s part of the CBN’s efforts to liberalize the payout of diaspora remittances and promote the adoption of the eNaira.  International money transfer operators (IMTOs) will need to apply for a one-time “no-objection” and open Merchant Wallets through the central bank to offer customers the possibility of using the eNaira for cross-border remittances. [Read more at the CBN]

    ADB wraps up PoC for cross-border bond settlement using blockchain

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) completed its Project Tridecagon proof-of-concept (PoC) probing into the viability of cross-border delivery-versus-payment (DVP) bond settlements using blockchain technology. It connected key market infrastructures: central banks’ real-time gross settlement systems (RTGS) and central securities depositories’ (CSD) book-entry systems, but did not use central bank digital currency (CBDC). The settlement of cross-border securities transactions was proven in principle and across different vendor solutions, but full application may depend on necessary changes to legal and regulatory prescriptions which could take years. [Read more at the ADB]

    JP Morgan rolls out JPM Coin blockchain payments in euro

    JPM Coin, which JP Morgan launched in 2019 to move dollars, has gone live with euro transactions. Germany’s Siemens AG conducted the first euro payment on the platform. JPM Coin can only move money between JPM branches or to other JP Morgan clients. Hence the bank refers to the solution as blockchain-based bank accounts. JPM Coin is a tiny part of JPMorgan’s payments business. The bank has used it to process about $300 billion of transactions since its launch, versus the nearly $10 trillion of payments it processes overall on a daily basis. [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.

    Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:

    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]

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230419)

    ~ kiffmeister

    The BIS and Bank of England successfully test DLT in linking financial settlement systems

    The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Bank of England have concluded Project Meridian, a prototype demonstration of how a distributed ledger technology (DLT) network could connect to conventional real-time gross settlement (RTGS) platforms using open-standard application programming interfaces (APIs). The prototype was based on the ISO 20022 message standard and ran on an R3 Corda (permissioned) platform. The project tested scenarios where funds were transferred from buyer to seller only if a corresponding asset on a real estate registry moved simultaneously in the opposite direction. But the prototype can be applied other registries and other assets, including equities and bonds, according to the report. [Read more at the BIS] 

    Global mobile money transactions hit a record high in 2022

    Mobile money transactions hit a record high of $1.26 trillion in 2022 (versus $1 trillion in 2021), according to a new GSMA report. The number of registered mobile money accounts increased by 13% year-on-year to 1.6 billion, and the volume of mobile money-enabled international remittances increased by 28% to $22 billion. However, there is a wide gender gap, with mobile phone ownership remaining the main cause of this gap, although cultural norms also prevent women from adopting mobile money. “Women in low- and middle-income countries are 28% less likely than men to own a mobile money account,” the report found. [Read more at the GSMA]

    Tether’s market share expands to 61%, a two-year high

    Tether’s USDT opened the year at a market cap of $66.2 billion, but has grown 22% to $81 billion. Circle’s USDC has moved the opposite way, losing 21% of its market cap. USDT’s share of the stablecoin space is up to 61.5%, its highest mark in two years. The collapse of TerraUSD in May 2022 and shutdown of BinanceUSD (BUSD) in February have increased concentration in the stablecoin market. USDC is struggling amid regulatory concerns in the United States and fallout from banking chaos, when Circle revealed it had 8.25% of its USDC reserves in Silicon Valley Bank. Meanwhile, concerns persist exist around USDT over its underlying reserves. [Read more at Coin Journal] 

    Considerations for a US central bank digital currency

    U.S. Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Governor Michelle Bowman” gave a speech on her thoughts regarding U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC). The whole speech is worth a read, but here is her key takeaways” “A potential U.S. CBDC, must be viewed through the lens of whether and how the payment system would be improved beyond what instant payment services will achieve. We should ask what current frictions exist or may emerge in the payment system that only a CBDC can solve, or that a CBDC can solve most efficiently? …There could be some promise for wholesale CBDCs in the future for settlement of certain financial market transactions and processing international payments. When it comes to some of the broader design and policy issues, particularly those around consumer privacy and impacts on the banking system, it is difficult to imagine a world where the tradeoffs between benefits and unintended consequences could justify a direct access CBDC for uses beyond interbank and wholesale transactions.” [Read more at the FRB] 

    Financial intermediation and new technology: theoretical and regulatory implications from digital financial markets

    Banca D’Italia published a paper that outlines the consequences of technological innovation as regards the financial sector and discusses the possible regulatory implications. The analysis shows that the existing regulatory perimeters could be usefully widened to address the risks stemming from the activities of these new providers of financial services. The availability of tools to monitor these operators and the definition of common rules at the international level in the use of clients’ data increase the possibility to ensure the correct functioning, competition and efficiency of the overall financial system. In the new market context, it takes on greater importance the cooperation also with the competition and data protection authorities at the domestic and global levels. [Read more at the Banca D’Italia] 

    Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:

    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]

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230401)

    ~ kiffmeister

    I’ve updated my tabulation of retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) explorers. There are still 93 central banks that have recently issued, piloted, experimented with and/or researched retail CBDC, but some of the links have been updated and categorizations shuffled. [Click here]

    Ghana: e-Cedi launch delay due to economic challenges – BoG

    The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is delaying the launch of its e-Cedi central bank digital currency (CBDC) due to the impact of economic dislocation caused in 2022. The pilot phase has been completed, with selected consumers at Sefwi Asafo in the Western North Region using the currency to buy items, goods, food and services, including when users were offline. “At a certain point, [the BoG] will go back to the e-Cedi project and decide on the launch date.” [Listen to Governor Dr. Ernest Addison’s speech on Facebook starting at the 50:00 mark]

    National Bank of Denmark Governor says low cash usage doesn’t justify retail CBDC

    National Bank of Denmark (DNB) Governor, Signe Krogstrup, delivered a speech on March 9, 2023 arguing that the decline in the use of cash in Denmark does not necessarily justify the issuance of a retail CBDC. He does not believe that the decline in cash per se is a substantial risk to monetary and financial stability, and doesn’t reflect the sort of erosion of trust that would warrant a retail CBDC. He argued that commercial banks still have to hold central bank reserves, so central bank money is still at the core of the financial system. [Read more at the DNB]

    Stacking up the benefits: lessons from India’s digital journey

    The IMF published a paper on India’s foundational digital public infrastructure (DPI), consisting of unique digital identification, payments system and data exchange layers, It has been harnessed to foster innovation and competition, expand markets, close gaps in financial inclusion, boost government revenue collection and improve public expenditure efficiency. In the paper’s view, India’s journey in developing a world-class DPI highlights powerful lessons for other countries embarking on their own digital transformation, in particular a design approach that focuses on shared building blocks and supporting innovation across the ecosystem. [Read more at the IMF]

    Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:

    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]

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230316)

    ~ kiffmeister

    Federal Reserve announces July launch for the FedNow Service

    The US Federal Reserve (FRB) announced that the FedNow Service will start operating in July 2023 and provided details on preparations for launch. FedNow will facilitate around the clock nationwide reach of instant payment services by US depository institutions — regardless of size or geographic location. Businesses and individuals will be able to send and receive instant payments at any time of day, and recipients will have full access to funds immediately, giving them greater flexibility to manage their money and make time-sensitive payments. [Read more at the FRB]

    From the FedNow FAQ: “As with current Federal Reserve Bank services, the FedNow Service will be available to depository institutions eligible to hold accounts at the Reserve Banks under applicable federal statutes and Federal Reserve rules, policies, and procedures. Participants will be able to designate a service provider or agent to submit or receive payment instructions on their behalf. Participants will also be able to settle payments in the account of a correspondent, if they choose to do so. Merchants, consumers, or non-bank payment service providers can access the service through depository institutions as they do today with other payment systems. [Read more at the FRB]

    In Ukraine, crypto finds a purpose

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Stellar Development Foundation, USDC stablecoin issuer Circle, and cross-border money transfer company MoneyGram have rigged up a system for sending aid directly to Ukrainian refugees using crypto-assets. The UNHCR delivers USDC hosted on the Stellar network, to a digital wallet that can be accessed via smartphone, even to people without bank accounts. The recipient then exchanges their USDC for local currency at any MoneyGram facility. Because the USDC is hosted on decentralized infrastructure and in the custody of individual wallet owners, funds cannot be withheld. [Read more at WIRED]

    The cash-use cycle in Australia

    The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) published a paper on Australians’ cash usage. It finds that the use of cash for day-to-day transactions continues to decline. Although the acceptance of cash by merchants remains at a high level, it is a little lower than prior to the pandemic. Nevertheless, some communities, particularly in rural areas, are increasingly susceptible to a decline in cash access if there were to be further removal of cash access points. Furthermore, many merchants indicated plans to discourage cash payments at some point in the future.  [Read more at the RBA]

    Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:

    • I’ll be on a “public finance and the digital future” panel at the March 23-25 Willamette College of Law “Our Money, Our Future” (Hybrid) Conference in Salem, Oregon on March 24. [Register here]
    • I’ll be moderating the “CBDCs, Stablecoins, Commercial Bank Money Tokens – What is the Future of Money?” panel discussion at the Digital Euro Association (DEA) Digital Euro Conference on March 31 in Frankfurt. [Register with this link and the DECKIFFMEISTER20 code and get a 20% discount]
    • I’ll be moderating a panel on “what happens when the lights go out…different schemes for offline functionality” at the in-person Digital Currency Conference (DCC) in Mexico City on May 18. [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]

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230215)

    ~ kiffmeister

    Bank of England roadmap for the RTGS service beyond 2024

    The Bank of England (BoE) published its roadmap for the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) service beyond 2024 that was informed by public responses to the consultation paper published in April 2022. The objective of modernizing the RTGS service is to offer a more accessible, functional and resilient platform for digital settlement in central bank money. The roadmap pushes back on the idea of putting wholesale payments on distributed ledger technology (DLT) (e.g., via “wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC)”) rails. It points out that the RTGS Renewal Programme will realize a number of benefits commonly associated with such platforms more quickly than it would be possible to launch an entirely new wholesale settlement platform and achieve scale in its usage. [Read more at the BoE]

    I particularly liked the fact that the report debunked the idea that wholesale CBDC is something new:

    The Bank has been actively exploring the case for issuing a new form of money in the form of a retail CBDC… Some market participants have called for a wholesale version (wCBDC), which would not be a new form of digital money (at present, the Bank enables digital wholesale settlement through CHAPS and its RTGS service) but instead would represent the application of new technologies to improve wholesale settlement in central bank money…

    Reserve Bank of India’s global hackathon targets CBDC, blockchain scalability

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the HaRBInger 2023 hackathon that includes retail CBDC use cases. These include the disbursal of social benefits, and offline usage where the wallets must be able to independently verify the authenticity of transactions without communicating with the server during the transactions, while mitigating the risk of double spending. Registration runs from February 22, with proposals due by March 24. The first prize is Rupees 4 million ($48,000), with winners to be announced mid-August. [Read more here]

    Crypto-assets: a new standard for banks

    The European Central Bank (ECB) published a summary of its thinking on the regulatory aspects of commercial bank holdings of crypto-assets.  It supports the recently finalized Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s (BCBS) standard on the prudential treatment of banks’ crypto-asset exposures as a complement to the forthcoming regulation of the crypto-asset sector through the Markets in Crypto-Asset (MICA) regulation. The next step is for the European Union to transpose the Basel standard into its legislation by the January 1, 2025 deadline. [Read more at the ECB]

    European Commission launches European Regulatory Sandbox for Blockchain

    The European Commission (EC) launched the European Regulatory Sandbox for Blockchain to provide legal certainty for decentralized technology solutions including blockchain by identifying obstacles to their deployment from a legal and regulatory perspective and providing legal advice, regulatory experience and guidance in a safe and confidential environment. It should also allow regulators and supervisors to enhance their knowledge of cutting-edge blockchain technologies and share best practices through dialogues. [Read more at the EC]

    Stablecoins and the financing of the real economy

    The Banque de France (BdF) published a paper that examines the impact of stablecoin issuer investment practices on the financing of the real economy. The largest stablecoins manage their peg with the US dollar (USD) by holding short-term safe assets, including USD-denominated commercial paper (CP). The analysis shows that CP issuers catered to the additional demand from stablecoins by issuing more, illustrating the implications of stablecoins for financial stability and the financing of the real economy. [Read more at the BdF]

    Upcoming conferences, webinars and speaking engagements:

    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]

    Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20221119)

    ~ kiffmeister

    FSB outlines framework for monitoring progress toward the G20 cross-border payments targets

    The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its report to the G20 on the framework for monitoring progress toward meeting the targets for the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments, to achieve cheaper, faster, more transparent, and more accessible payments. The framework includes key performance indicators defined across the 11 targets for the three market segments – wholesale, retail, and remittances. Notably, the definitions of the wholesale and retail market segments have been adjusted to more clearly separate the differing use cases and end-user experiences and better align the definitions with those most typically used by the payments industry and end-users.

    Wholesale transactions were defined as those between financial institutions, and retail transactions as those that were neither between financial institution end-users nor in the third market segment – remittances. Going forward, the wholesale market segment will include all payments with a value equal to or exceeding a specified threshold regardless of whether the end-users are financial institutions. The threshold will be set at a level that captures the use cases in this market segment, such as high-value corporate business-to-business. Relatedly, retail payments will be payments with a value less than the specified threshold, not including remittances. [Read more at the FSB]

    Instant Payments: Regulatory Innovation and Payment Substitution Across Countries

    The IMF published a paper that makes the case for instant payment systems as an alternative to retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). Instant, or fast, payments are credit transfers completed and settled within seconds or minutes. They have low costs, reduce payment risk, and have significantly replaced the use of cash, cards, or check and direct debit payments. The authors of the report note the role played by regulators in promoting instant payments and identify instances of significant payment instrument substitution across 12 advanced and emerging market economies. This substitution reflects the realized demand for attributes offered by instant payments. As these attributes are quite similar to those for CBDC, the demand for retail CBDC (if issued) may be less compelling. [Read more at the IMF]

    State of Instant and Inclusive Payment Systems in Africa

    The State of Instant and Inclusive Payment Systems in Africa report is an AfricaNenda’s initiative together with the World Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The report aims to inform payment actors in Africa and beyond about the developments in the instant retail payment system ecosystem on the continent. This first edition highlights the current landscape of instant payment systems, including an assessment of the inclusivity of such systems, through their accessibility to all end-users, their capacity to ensure fair access and design input opportunities for all licensed payment providers. The report also dives into end users’ experiences pointing to the fact that IPS are still far from meeting all consumers’ payment needs. [Read more at AfricaNenda]

    Crypto-assets: evolution and policy response

    De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) published a paper intended underpin the central bank’s crypto-asset policy position. The study aims to: (i) deepen understanding of the functioning of crypto-assets and their attractiveness; (ii) revisit their main opportunities and risks, and (iii) summarize views on ongoing efforts regarding regulation, supervision and enforcement. [Read more at the DNB]

    Digital Euro Association Digital Money Academy

    I will be discussing global central bank digital currency (CBDC) developments at the Digital Euro Association’s Digital Money Academy on November 29. If you want to get into CBDCs, register for the Academy 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.

    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 (20220926)

    ~ kiffmeister

    Australian CBDC Pilot for Digital Finance Innovation

    The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) published a white paper that explains in detail the objectives and approach of their eAUD central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. They also invited interested industry participants to make submissions on CBDC use cases, and offered participants the chance to express interest in operating their use case in a pilot (or proof of concept?) project to test and demonstrate the value proposition. The DFCRC will develop and install the eAUD platform as a private, permissioned Ethereum (Quorum) implementation, and the eAUD ledger will operate as a centralised platform, under the management and oversight of the RBA. [Read more at the RBA]

    Nomura invests in Fnality institutional blockchain payments platform

    Nomura is investing in Fnality, the interbank payment and settlement platform that uses “synthetic” wholesale CBDC to settle transactions on distributed ledger technology (DLT) based financial market infrastructures (FMIs). (A “synthetic CBDC” is essentially a stablecoin backed by central bank deposits.) Fnality reportedly says it will launch its first such synthetic CBDC in October 2022, pegged to the British Pound (GBP) and backed by deposits at the Bank of England. [Read more at Ledger Insights]

    Demystifying wholesale central bank digital currency

    According to European Central Bank (ECB) executive board member Fabio Panetta, the ECB is looking at the potential of DLT in improving the efficiency of interbank settlements. However, after listing the many benefits of DLT, Panetta highlighted some drawbacks, and made a case for a system that builds on the ECB’s existing infrastructure for wholesale settlements, instead of building a new one based entirely on DLT. [Read more at the ECB]

    DTCC’s DLT stock settlement system live in parallel production

    In August the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) DLT-based Project Ion platform for stock settlement went into production. The R3 Corda-based platform runs in parallel with the DTC’s classic settlement system, which remains the definitive record. At this stage, Project Ion is designed to only deal with bilateral equity transactions but is already processing an average of 100,000 transactions per day. [Read more at DTCC]

    Tickets available for CBDC Think Tank masterclass

    The CBDC Think Tank, in partnership with the IMF and George Washington University, is hosting a full-day in-person CBDC Masterclass on October 12 in Washington DC for “official sector” staff and academics active in the CBDC / digital currency space only. The sessions are designed as instructional deep dives with full presentations and Q&A components.  Tickets are $99. [Register here]

    Also, the CBDC Think Tank, in partnership with Georgetown University and the DC FinTech Week, is hosting a FREE (also in-person) Digital Currency Lecture Series, a set of digital currency lightning talks delivered by subject matter experts, on October 14 in Washington DC. [Request an invite 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.