Blockchain Consultants

Blockchain Transformations Done Here

CBDC

Chris Giancarlo: U.S. risks becoming ‘backwater’ without central bank digital currency

by

One of the few high-profile public officials to have served under both the Obama and Trump administrations, Chris Giancarlo is a former Wall Street executive-turn-regulator who is widely-respected by nearly all parties on Capitol Hill. As the former Chairman of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, however, his latest venture, the Digital Dollar Foundation, might well test his soft touch with politicians.

The former regulator is now leading the Foundation towards five pilot programs set to launch this year, part of a broader effort to help the United States regain the lead in a race against China towards a functioning CBDC.

According to Giancarlo, however, the US’s priorities when it comes to a CBDC shouldn’t merely be jingoistic:

“What’s very clear, [is] that China intends their digital yuan to be an instrument of state surveillance. […] And this is why it’s one of the reasons why the digital dollar project, we’re so animated, because we feel that our new mission is to make sure central banks wake up to this and the US Fed wakes up to this, that these social values that got us here, the rule of law, a free capital markets, free enterprise, zones of individual economic privacy, are ingrained in a new digital future of the US dollar, and that we don’t allow ourselves to be taken in by what China’s doing and match that state surveillance approach.”

However, the race to a CBDC isn’t merely about maintaining current US values, but also potnetially about unlocking new forms of smart contract-based value for the wider population. 

“The notion of a digital currency, whether it be sovereign and non-sovereign, tied to smart contracts, allows money to solve the old problem of being able to move it in place, i.e. moving around the globe as easily as you could send a text message, but also move it in time. Heretofore, money was a temporal thing, but with a smart contract you can say, I want to program my money today to go to my one grandchild in the future once they graduate college and all of those contingencies can be programmed in. […] With a programmable digital currency, you can program it today to move around the globe in space, but move around the globe in time. And that is such, I think, such a powerful construct.”

Ultimately, this work is part of an effort to ensure that America maintains technological supremacy. 

“You can’t stop the march of technology in time, and if you do, you become a backwater. We in the United States have always been open to innovation and we must be open to this innovation as well. In a prudent way, in a way that’s in correspondence with our society that expects investor protections and a role for government. […] And it’s one that I’m very excited to be involved in.”

Watch the full interview here:

[embedded content]

Chris Giancarlo: U.S. risks becoming \’backwater\’ without central bank digital currency

Source

US Financial Watchdogs Moving Towards Robust Regulatory Framework

by

Financial watchdogs around the world have been making great efforts to identify loopholes in the crypto market, with the aim of developing a robust regulatory framework. The US authorities have also been brainstorming on the best strategies that can be adopted to protect investors and make the crypto sector safe for everyone.

The US Federal Reserve Chief, Jerome Powell, recently made remarks about how cryptocurrencies were posing a risk to financial stability. To curb this, more regulations needed to be implemented especially in the light of this year’s frenzied popularity of cryptocurrencies.

In addition, the US Treasury also expressed concerns about wealthy individuals turning to cryptocurrencies to avoid taxation. To address this, the Treasury has proposed that crypto exchange firms in the US report large transfers to the relevant regulators.

Speaking to the Financial Times this week Michael Hsu, the acting comptroller of the currency, said that he was hopefully expecting US officials from the various regulatory bodies to come together to create what he described as a “regulatory perimeter” for crypto.

Critical Time for Regulations

The regulatory proposals come at a time when Bitcoin is experiencing wild price movements. The currency lost nearly 50% of its value in May when the token crashed to almost $30,000 after hitting an ATH of $63,500 in April.

Jerome Powell relayed his concerns about cryptocurrencies and the threat they posed to financial stability. He also expressed guarded support in the Federal Reserve exploring the launch of its own digital fiat, that might mark a significant step in the US creating a central bank digital currency. Powell also expressed worry about how crypto innovations were risky to both investors and the entire financial sector.

The remarks by Powell show that the Federal Reserve has been looking at ways they can deal with the popularity of cryptocurrencies and their affect on traditional financial models. Creating a comprehensive framework for the crypto industry would lay the ground for launching the CBDC.

Bitcoin Chart 1 June

Not Actual Assets

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury have been considering how to regulate crypto for some time but have been moving slowly. Now they appear to be worrying that the industry could get too big for them to regulate properly unless they start to get serious.

The question of whether to regulate crypto is a different one to whether crypto has intrinsic value. However, even after the market cap of cryptocurrencies reached $2.6 trillion in May, the two agencies remain unconvinced that cryptocurrencies have a great value. The authorities still view the tokens as art, gold, and other assets solely used for speculation.

However, the Federal Reserve believes that a CBDC is a safer tool as a holder has a claim to the central bank, which is similar to paper currencies. Powell also stated that regulators would release a discussion paper within the summer talking about digital currencies as well as the benefits and risks that these tokens have. The relevant stakeholders would also seek public participation in the matter.

With the tough regulatory framework looming in the US crypto sector, it means that cryptocurrencies should be ready for substantial change, although there may be lengthy deliberations before the rules are definitively put in place. While the change may be difficult at first, it will ultimately be beneficial for the market in ending uncertainty and setting up clear rules of the road for all market and ecosystem participants.

Get Free Crypto Signals – 82% Win Rate!

3 Free Crypto Signals Every Week – Full Technical Analysis

US Financial Watchdogs Moving Towards Robust Regulatory Framework

Source

Bank of England and UK Parliament get ‘Bitcoin fixes this’ treatment

by

One crypto user is seemingly taking exception to current monetary policy from the Bank of England, or BoE, and expressing their frustration with a laser projector.

Reported by Twitter user Dominic Frisby, an unknown person projected “Bitcoin fixes this” and other messages on the exterior walls of both the BoE and the Parliament of the United Kingdom on Saturday. The message appeared underneath Big Ben as well as the front of the central bank surrounded by a red box with the artist’s hallmark, and the photo has already been turned into a nonfungible token.

Many financial institutions around the world have struggled to adapt amid restrictions and economic uncertainty brought on by the pandemic since March 2020. The BoE has since purchased billions in government bonds and corporate debt.

It’s unclear why the anonymous Bitcoiner chose to project the message at this particular time. The BoE recently listed seven job postings related to a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, and will be establishing a task force to study its rollout in the U.K. market in collaboration with parliament. However, it seems that at least one person is dissatisfied with the direction of monetary policy in the United Kingdom.

Bank of England and UK Parliament get \’Bitcoin fixes this\’ treatment

Source

PayPal CEO Speculates Its Crypto Commerce Will Reach $200M In Months

by

Bitcoin’s price is reaching brand new all-time highs, and major corporations that already boast existing crypto offerings are starting to make grander plans for the future of their crypto space.

Talking About How Today’s Financial System Needs Updating

Dan Schulman stands as the CEO of PayPal and has recently hinted that PayPal’s crypto offering will see future developments. This was done  at Forbes’ online event that occurred on the 13th of April, 2021, dubbed the “2021 Blockchain 50 Symposium: Crypto Goes Corporate”

In this event, Schulman held a fireside chat with the associate editor of Forbes, one Michael Del Castillo. In this chat, Schulman promised that the financial system will see more changes within the next five years than it had seen within the past 30 years, making note that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin will stand as the trailblazers in this new innovation. Schulman further speculated that credit card and cash transactions will be severely reduced within the next five to ten years, as well.

Crypto Possible Financial Solution For The World

In his statement, he asserted that the era of digital currencies is looming ever closer, hammering home the tremendous potential that these digital currencies hold. He stated that digital currencies will increase the utility of payments, be it cryptocurrency or central bank digital currency (CBDC), reducing the expenses and increasing the inclusion of the world’s financial system.

Schulman is convinced that today’s society’s largest challenges stem from the fact that the financial systems of this day and age exclude millions of people from it across the globe. Schulman stated that this was particularly apparent within the US, as millions of underbanked or even unbanked US citizens need to wait for a long time in order to get the latest round of stimulus checks through the mail. However, the Americans that already boast a bank account had instantly received these deposits.

Promises From PayPal To Improve The System

With this as an example, Schulman hammered home the overall inefficiencies of the financial system of today, noting the amount of time it takes to receive money, in particular. This becomes an even more challenging facet of life when you looking at low-income individuals that need the money as quickly as they can get it.

Schulman explained that the crypto offering of PayPal, which went live in November of 2021, will eventually allow users to do far more than just sell, buy and otherwise hold various cryptocurrencies. This comes in a bid to solve the issues mentioned above, as PayPal revealed back at the end of March that the platform will soon see its merchants accept crypto payments, as well.

PayPal CEO Speculates Its Crypto Commerce Will Reach $200M In Months

Source

Payment Network Visa Now Uses USDC as Settlement Currency

by

US credit card-issuing company Visa announced on Monday its intention of facilitating crypto payments through its network.

Visa Completes First Crypto Pilot Test

Visa strategic partner Crypto.com did a pilot transaction with the crypto firm settling a portion of its debts in US Dollar Coin (USDC), a “stablecoin” pegged to the US Dollar 1 to 1. 

The transaction was completed over the Ethereum network- a decentralized blockchain offering that has nurtured decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). 

Visa is fast-tracking its plans to enable more of its strategic partners to enjoy this feature later on in the year.

The move, which is described as an industry-first merge of digital and fiat-focused institutions, is riding on the back of an upsurge in cryptocurrencies worldwide. 

Wider adoption has seen legacy banks like the Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon, investment company BlackRock Inc. and the fellow US credit card company MasterCard embracing digital currencies in the past month.

This rise in institutional demand for crypto-assets has been fostered mainly by the foremost cryptocurrency Bitcoin, which has made significant rallies in the past year. In a show of faith and growing acceptance, Tesla placed $1.5 billion worth of investments into Bitcoin in early February.

In a subsequent announcement, Tesla boss Elon Musk said BTC will now be accepted in exchange for Tesla’s all-electric autonomous sedans. This move has seen BTC make new ATHs climaxing at $61,000 last week.

Visa’s latest move sees it address a significant problem plaguing crypto’s adoption. Usually, if a crypto owner pays for purchases from his crypto wallet, the digital asset needs to be converted to fiat at the end of the day.

This would lead to additional costs at the point of conversion. With this latest offering, Visa would enable its partners to settle their financial obligations using USDC, making it far easier for funds to be moved between entities.

The US payments giant has been making digital headway into the crypto-economy for some months now. In a new partnership with the first federally chartered digital bank Anchorage, Visa received its USDC funds in the company’s Ethereum address with the crypto company serving as the custodian.

Visa Eyes CBDCs Use On Its Platform

This pilot test is significant for the US payments firm as it leads to the adoption of digital assets for daily transactions. The company is also looking to benefit from the frenzy surrounding central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The digital assets sanctioned by the host country’s apex bank draw much interest from financial bodies globally.

In a recently published report, the Bank of International Settlements noted that over 80% of global central banks actively explored a digital version of their national currency. With this growing interest, Visa published a whitepaper in which it proposed a CBDC facility where transactions can be executed without the need for an internet connection.

According to the San Francisco firm, the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies is forcing them to ask many questions, and CBDCs could be a way they can provide the needed answers.

Payment Network Visa Now Uses USDC as Settlement Currency

Source

China’s Central Bank Addresses Digital Yuan Privacy Concerns

by

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) deputy director Mu Changchun has addressed privacy and anonymity concerns over its upcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC) project.

Changchun spoke at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

Limited Anonymity Of CBDC

According to Changchun, it would be difficult for the digital currency to be fully anonymous. He said that the Central Bank needs to balance privacy for users with international consensus in risk control.

He elaborated the use of digital yuan not only as a payment method but also as a high-level financial surveillance tool.

The Central bank head said that the digital Yuan would provide privacy, but it would be limited. He said that the CBDC would have even more privacy than commercial payment products like bank cards, WeChat, or Alipay, tied more closely to the banking system.

China Cracking Down On Crypto Crimes

While giving reasons to why the digital Yuan would not be fully anonymous, Changchun said too much emphasis on anonymity would raise the cost of fighting crime and could bring severe consequences.

On the flip side, if the apex bank controls anonymity, it would mean that it will observe and monitor transactions taking place while the transacting parties would remain private. This way, PBoC still has the chance to analyze transactions to monitor crimes.

“A completely anonymous central bank digital currency is not feasible as it would violate anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, and anti-tax evasion regulations,” Changchun said.

China has shown its commitment to tackling crimes, especially when it comes to the use of crypto to launder money. Beijing’s extensive crackdown on internet crimes has seen several young people sentenced to prison for laundering  Bitcoin using platforms like Kucoin.

The country was said to have convicted almost 100 people since November 2020 for knowingly using USDT to launder over $30 million through OTC desks.

Meanwhile, China continues to lead major countries in developing and piloting a central bank digital currency (CBDC). However, the project has raised concerns around the amount of insight it would give authorities into users’ financial data and behavior.

In January, 100,000 Chinese received $31 million digital yuan via lottery for free in the Shenzhen region. Residents in the region can now use ATMs to convert digital yuan to cash on a test basis. The Postal Savings Bank of China is also developing physical wallet cards on which to store digital yuan.

China’s Central Bank Addresses Digital Yuan Privacy Concerns

Source