The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has argued that network effects could spark the blaze for the mass adoption of new digital money. In a fresh report published on July 15, the IMF aims to create a conceptual framework for categorizing new digital money such as Facebook’s Libra and stablecoins as well to think through the implications of their emergence for central bank policy. In its analysis of e-money— including but not limited to blockchain-based assets — the IMF identifies six factors that could drive their rapid growth for payments: convenience, ubiquity, complementarity, low transaction costs, trust and network effects. The …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) believes that central banks may issue digital currencies in the future, according to a report by the IMF on June 27 According to the full paper, the IMF and World Bank conducted a survey on fintech that solicited answers from financial institutions within all member countries, and has based its conclusions in part upon the 96 received responses. According to the paper, several central banks in different countries are considering implementing some form of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Uruguay has reportedly launched a CBDC pilot program already, while the Bahamas, China, Eastern Caribbean Currency …

The biggest cryptocurrency, bitcoin (BTC), has hit an all-time high versus the Argentine peso amid the ongoing decline of the currency, Financial Times (FT) reports on May 27. According to the report, the bitcoin price has soared to as high as 394,000 pesos ($8,762.95 at press time) per coin, exceeding prices versus the Argentine peso not seen since the bubble in late 2017. Bitcoin price against Argentine peso since 2017. Source: BitcoinAverage The new all-time high of bitcoin versus the peso takes place amid a crypto bull market this year, along with the ongoing depreciation of the Argentine peso against …

Many economists argue that the root causes of the 2008 global financial crisis have yet to be addressed comprehensively, or that measures taken have been exhausted, such as the extent to which quantitative easing was used, which has been put forward by the deputy director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Some argue that the efforts to address the causes of the crisis have actually made the system more — rather than less — susceptible to a catastrophic collapse. On the heels of the recent yield curve inversion, finding new solutions that address the causes of the 2008 crisis are …

The custodians of global financial order have been prominent in crypto news recently. The weekend kicked off with the announcement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) joining forces with the World Bank to launch a private blockchain coupled with a “quasi-cryptocurrency” for training purposes, then continued with the Spring Meetings of the two organizations’ Boards of Governors in Washington, D.C., which ran throughout the whole week. Although it would be an overstatement to claim that distributed ledgers were particularly conspicuous on the forum’s overall agenda, the program included a series of fintech workshops, as well as at least a couple …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have jointly launched a private blockchain and a so-dubbed quasi-cryptocurrency, the Financial Times (FT) reports on April 12. According to the newspaper, the asset called “Learning Coin” will be accessible only within the IMF and World Bank. The coin has no money value and thus is not a real cryptocurrency, the FT underlines. As the FT has learned, “Learning Coin” was launched in order to better understand the technologies that underlie crypto assets. Its app will serve as a hub where blogs, research, videos and presentations are stored. During the test, …

The crypto and blockchain industry is about a fundamental redesign of the basics of how civic society will ultimately function, according to Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire. The CEO provided his stance at a recent panel within the 2019 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C. on April 10. Allaire discussed both the potential and the issues associated with crypto and blockchain-related developments in a panel dubbed “Money and Payments in the Digital Age.” Moderated by the IMF’s managing director Christine Lagarde, the CFO of Consumer & Community Banking at JPMorgan Sarah …

International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde has said that blockchain innovators are shaking the traditional financial world and having a clear impact on incumbent players. Lagarde made her comments in an interview with CNBC on April 10, following a panel devoted to “Money and Payments in the Digital Age,” as part of the 2019 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF in Washington, D.C. Contributors to the preceding panel, which Lagarde moderated, were co-founder and CEO of crypto finance firm Circle Jeremy Allaire, Sarah Youngwood — chief financial officer of Consumer & Community Banking at …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has critical gaps in its supervision for anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), and is recommending “urgent action.” The news was reported by local news outlet the Times of Malta on Feb. 28. A Financial System Stability Assessment Report was purportedly issued by the IMF on Thursday, Feb. 28, and represents an assessment of Malta’s financial system, the quality of the regulatory and supervisory framework, as well as the country’s ability to cope with financial crises. Per the report, the IMF stated …

Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) claimed that the growth of blockchain in Malta has created major risks of money laundering and terrorism financing in the island’s economy, as per the local media. Malta is renowned for its crypto-friendly politics, whose efforts in the field have earned it the moniker of “blockchain island.” However, its push for becoming the international crypto hub has attracted criticism from both global watchdogs and local opposition. Crypto-friendliness is one of the main priorities for the Maltese government On Jan. 24, the Times of Malta reported on preliminary findings that the IMF allegedly presented …

A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has judged that the growth of blockchain in Malta has created significant risks of money laundering and terrorism financing in the island’s economy. The news was reported in local English-language daily the Times of Malta on Jan. 24. According to the article, the IMF announced its findings following a visit to the island, and isolated blockchain — alongside financial and remote gaming sectors and the government’s citizenship-by-investment scheme — as being high in their list of concerns regarding possible anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance violations. As reported, the Maltese parliament has passed three blockchain- …

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Swiss Crypto Firm X8 AG Receives Islamic Finance Certification for Sharia-Compliant Stablecoin Swiss-based fintech firm X8 AG has received a certification from the Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB) for its Ethereum-based stablecoin. According to the X8 director and co-founder, the ETH-based crypto asset is backed by a basket of eight fiat currencies and gold, …