Kiffmeister’s #Fintech Daily Digest (20230907)*

CBDCTracker.org released another update to its central bank digital currency (CBDC) database. [Check it out at CBDCTracker.org and read Atakan Kavuklu’s  summary of the key updates on Medium]

FSB and IMF outline comprehensive approach to identify and respond to macroeconomic and financial stability risks associated with crypto-assets

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the IMF published a report outlining a comprehensive policy and regulatory response to crypto-asset activities to address the risks of crypto-assets to macroeconomic and financial stability. To address macroeconomic risks, it says jurisdictions should safeguard monetary sovereignty and strengthen monetary policy frameworks, guard against excessive capital flow volatility and adopt unambiguous tax treatment of crypto-assets. Some authorities might consider bans but they should not substitute for robust macroeconomic policies, credible institutional and monetary policy frameworks, and comprehensive regulation and oversight. [Read more at the FSB

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas selects technology for CBDC project

​The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has selected Hyperledger Fabric as the distributed ledger technology (DLT) for its Project Agila (formerly known as Project CBDCPh) wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) sandbox tests. Project Agila aims to orient the BSP and participating financial institutions on CBDC technology solutions that have the potential to enhance the country’s large-value payment system. By the end of Project Agila, the participants are expected to have a clearer understanding of CBDC technology and assess the capability of wholesale CBDCs to foster advancements in the large-value payment system.  [Read more at the BSP]

Palau to freeze USD-backed stablecoin after proof-of-concept launch in July

Palau is wrapping up the first of its US dollar stablecoin (PSC) proof-of-concept (PoC) experiments on September 8, 2023, just over a month after the launch in July 2023 that was slated to run for three months. Following the distribution halt, PSC will also be frozen after September 15, becoming unavailable for spending by users. The government will send a survey to PoC participants, the results of which will be critical to deciding whether to move forward with the next phase of the stablecoin program. [Read more on X]

IMF reports on Saudi Arabia’s CBDC exploration

The IMF in its Saudi Arabia 2023 Article IV staff report reported on the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) central bank digital currency (CBDC) explorations. Through Project Aber, SAMA was one of the first central banks to experiment with domestic and cross-border wholesale CBDC. Leveraging the lessons of the experiment, SAMA is continuing to explore wholesale CBDC use cases. SAMA is undertaking a three-phased approach (evaluation, testing, implementation), allowing for ongoing assessment at each stage, against which the future roadmap will continue to evolve. [Read more at the IMF

FASB says crypto-assets should be marked at current values

The U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has moved to insist companies use “fair-value” accounting to report their crypto holdings. The accounting rules will be mandatory for all companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. However, companies will be allowed to adopt the rules once FASB formally publishes them later in 2023. The crypto assets have to be currently classified as intangible assets, as defined by US accounting rules, and fungible. Stablecoins and wrapped tokens aren’t covered. [Read more at FASB]


*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 (20230204)

Kazakhstan’s digital currency in PoC stage, per Binance, National Bank joint report

The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) will be conducting central bank digital currency (CBDC) proof-of-concept (PoC) work in 2023. This is according to a report published jointly by the central bank and Binance on digital asset regulation, the digital asset industry and decentralized finance (DeFi) in Central Asia. However, it mentioned that in 2023, the NBK is planning to build several PoC scenarios of integration between the experimental Digital Tenge platform and BnB chain in 2023 to explore opportunities of DeFi and TradFi industry players’ cooperation under central bank supervision. [Read more at Binance and download the report here]

Update on Zimbabwe’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project

The [Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s (RBZ’s)] CBDC Project continued to progress steadily in line with the envisaged CBDC Road Map. In this regard, in November 2022, the Bank rolled out a consumer survey that intends to solicit opinions on the design and nature of the CBDC and its overall acceptance/acceptability by stakeholders. As at January 23, 2023, the survey had received 2,286 responses. [Read more at the RBZ]

Tornado Cash and Blockchain Privacy: A Primer for Economists and Policymakers

The St. Louis Fed published an article that explores non-custodial crypto asset mixers such as Tornado Cash. It analyzes what types of mixers exist and how they work, and discusses opportunities and risks and offer an approach, based on voluntary disclosure, that would allow financial market regulators to combat money laundering and illicit activities, while allowing honest users to interact with privacy-enhancing protocols. The article explains how crypto asset mixers play an important role on public blockchains and that privacy may be difficult to attain without them. [Read more at the St. Louis Fed]

Euro stablecoin launched in Finland, claims to be first approved in the EU

Finland-based Membrane Finance has released a fully-reserved stablecoin backed by the euro. The company is licensed by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (Fin-FSA) and claims that the new ”EUROe” coin is “the first and only … crypto stablecoin.regulated by an EU-based financial authority. [Read more at Membrane]

Accounting for Digital Currencies

A Research in International Business and Finance paper has found that current accounting standards do not precisely cover the treatment of digital currencies. It identifies a need for an accounting standard to provide guidance on the identification, classification, measurement, and presentation of digital currencies, but in the interim, existing standards can be amended to incorporate them to avoid inconsistent global accounting approaches. [Read the paper here]

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 (20220917)

Ether’s New ‘Staking’ Model Could Draw SEC Attention

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler reportedly has said that staked crypto-assets may be subject to federal securities regulations, in the wake of Ethereum’s transition from a proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol. He reportedly said that PoS crypto-assets pass the Howey test under which an asset is considered an “investment contract” if investors pledge their money to a common enterprise with an expectation of a profit to be derived from the efforts of others. Adam Levitin runs through the Howey test logic that would deem Ethereum to now be a security for SEC purposes. [Read more at the WSJ]

Some U.S. banks pause crypto custody because of SEC approach to custody accounting

In April 2022, the U.S. SEC published guidance about how corporations should account for the custody of crypto-assets on behalf of clients. The SEC says these crypto-assets should appear as both an asset and a liability, whereas the custody of conventional assets does not touch a balance sheet. Although the Basel Framework considers custody outside its scope, if banking regulators concur with the SEC’s position, crypto custody could become expensive for banks. In fact, Reuters is now reporting that some U.S. banks are rethinking plans to offer crypto custody services. [Read more at Ledger Insights]

Thai SEC Proposes Banning Crypto Businesses From Staking and Lending Activities

The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking public comments on a proposal to prohibit businesses from crypto staking and lending activities. More specifically, businesses cannot accept “deposits of digital assets from the customers and lend, invest, stake or employ such digital assets.” Moreover, they are prohibited from “providing support to third parties that undertake crypto saving and lending services, including marketing.” [Read more at Bitcoin.com]

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.