Payments
Agustín Carstens on BIS strategic priorities, innovation and central bank policy
The BIS general manager speaks about policy trade-offs at critical time, tackling NBFIs and the dearth of ‘green’ assets, tech collaboration, and why he favours Biden’s $3.5trn infrastructure bill
PBoC’s digital yuan on track for 2022 Winter Olympic debut
Preparations for e-yuan to be used in the winter games are at a final stage, says deputy governor
PBoC tells payment firms to cut ties to other business lines
Governor’s speech follows reported crackdown on China’s Ant Group
Canadians ditched cash during pandemic, research shows
Central bank data shows cash withdrawals fell in comparison to debit card transactions
Thailand and Malaysia invite banks to operate across borders
Banks can operate in host country with greater access and flexibility under Asean initiative
Book notes: Robert Triffin, by Ivo Maes with Ilaria Pasotti
Triffin’s story is well told by Maes, whose extensive personal and academic research shines through on page after page
MAS and RBI to link up payment systems
New linkage will allow for automation of capital controls, say authorities
Do central banks have enough resources to meet tech challenge?
Accelerating technological evolution, difficulties accessing and retaining technical staff, and limited resources will present growing challenges for central banks in the future
Cœuré issues urgent call for CBDC development
Central banks have no time to waste, says BIS official, as crypto and stablecoins threaten disruption
BoE permits cloud usage to support ISO 20022 migration
Cloud usage must be “controlled” and not risk wider payments ecosystem, BoE report says
Payments Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Insights into staffing, mandates, oversight and RTGS management
Bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador
Observers warn move could further destabilise the fragile Salvadoran economy
Payments Canada launches new wholesale payments system
Bank of Canada governor says new system is important to keep system secure and efficient
Pandemic increased US demand for faster payments, says Fed paper
Vast majority of business expect to be using speedier options by 2023, survey finds
Brazil delays integrating payments into ‘open banking’ project
Phase three of project delayed to October after technical difficulties emerge
BIS to work on cross-border CBDC test with four central banks
Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia will help create shared DLT platforms
Kuwait launches new interbank payment system
Transactions will be instantaneous and payment data encrypted, governor says
Bank of Ghana wins legal case against ‘corrupt’ firm
Central bank says it uncovered bribery and a corrupt tender process during investigation
Management failings caused Australian equity trading platform outage
Responsibility for upgrade project was unclear, IBM review finds
Rwandan central bank scraps e-wallet transfer fees
Customers can now move money between mobile and bank accounts without charge
Payments Benchmarks 2021 report – looking forward to a digital future
Benchmarking data offer insights on mandates, staffing structure, oversight of payment services, and RTGS design and management
Digital yuan project should rethink anonymity, paper urges
Scholars argue CBDC “wallets” ought to be under full control of retail users
Majority of retail payment systems lack real-time processing and settlement
Over half of RPSs in emerging market economies were owned by central banks, but in advanced economies this fell to less than a quarter
Book notes: Fintech regulation in China, by Robin Hui Huang
The book includes meticulous exploration of detailed regulations across the Chinese fintech sector, but risks missing some of the bigger picture due to China’s on/off oversight