A former European Central Bank board member will chair a new arm of the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) focusing on digital currencies and financial innovation. In a press release on Nov. 11, the BIS confirmed Benoît Cœuré would begin chairing the Innovation Hub from January 15, 2020. BIS eyes impact of “critical trends” “The Hub's mandate is to identify, and develop in-depth insights into critical trends in technology affecting central banking; develop public goods in the technology space geared towards improving the functioning of the global financial system; and serve as a focal point for a network of central …

Bitcoin (BTC) lacks the characteristics of a currency and is purely speculative, according to the European Central Bank’s former president Jean-Claude Trichet. Chinese news outlet South China Morning Post reported on Nov. 10 that Trichet made remarks at Caixin’s conference in Beijing. “I am strongly against Bitcoin” During the event, Trichet also expressed doubt that cryptocurrencies could ever become the future of money. He said that Bitcoin lacks the characteristics of a real currency: “I am strongly against Bitcoin, and I think we are a little complacent. [...] The currency itself is not real, with the characteristics that a currency …

Back in the early days, when Bitcoin (BTC) was but a niche experiment for cypherpunks and basement-dwelling hobbyists, the process of its creation required little more than a budget CPU. Since that time, however, an entire industry has sprung forth and a quasi-gold rush rivaling that of the 1850s has taken the world by storm. As a direct result of both the increasing difficulty of Bitcoin mining and the decreasing profitability of mining solo, the current mining industry has become dominated by huge conglomerates. Ostensibly known as Bitcoin’s industrial revolution, the rise of mining collaborations changed the game for everyone. …

Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB) shares his views on stablecoins, the future of crypto assets, and possible digital form of the Euro. Monitoring developments in crypto On Sept. 27, in a letter addressed to European parliament member Eva Kaili, ECB president Mario Draghi noted that the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) is closely monitoring developments in the cryptocurrency industry. Draghi added: “The ESCB is analysing crypto-assets and stablecoins with a view to understanding their potential implications for monetary policy, the safety and efficiency of payments and market infrastructures, and the stability of the financial system.” …

In 2018, the executive on the board for the European Central Bank (ECB) declared Bitcoin, “the evil spawn of the financial crisis” — referring, of course, to the economic disaster 10 years prior. Interestingly, also born from the ashes of the mortgage crisis was the United States government’s adoption and unabated use of quantitative easing (QE). However, according to some, there’s more of a connection between Bitcoin (BTC) and the government’s use of QE than just their origins. A recent tweet from BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes highlighted this supposed correlation: “QE4eva is coming. Once the Fed gets religion again, get …

Facebook’s Libra has pushed central banks to consider two major issues in global payment systems, an exec at the European Central Bank (ECB) said. Benoit Coeure made his remarks at a hearing of the Committee on the Digital Agenda in the German parliament on Sept. 25. According to Coeure, an ECB board member and chair of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructure, global payment systems still lack access and efficiency of cross-border retail payments. As such, 1.7 billion adults globally have no access to basic payment services despite 1.1 billion of them having a mobile phone and one in …

Officials from the European Central Bank (ECB) and 25 global central banks will meet with Libra to assess the financial stability risks of the project. Central bank forum to challenge Libra On Sept. 16, Libra representatives will meet with the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructure (CPMI), a part of the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), in Switzerland, the Financial Times reports on Sept. 14. The CPMI, a BIS international standard setter and a member of the Financial Stability Board, consists of 28 member banks, including the Bank of England, Deutsche Bundesbank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. …

The nominee to be the next president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, has said central banks and financial bodies should protect consumers but be open to innovations such as cryptocurrencies. Changes are opportunities Lagarde, who is currently head of the International Monetary Fund, told the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament that central banks and financial regulators should embrace the opportunities presented by change. In her opening statement, shared with Cointelegraph via an IMF news release, Lagarde said: ”In the case of new technologies – including digital currencies – that means being alert to …

Yves Mersch, European Central Bank’s key legal official, said that Facebook’s Libra stablecoin is “beguiling but treacherous” during a speech at the ECB’s legal conference in Frankfurt on Monday. Bloomberg reported on Mersch’s remarks in an article published on Sept. 2. Per the report, he said that private currencies have little or no prospect of establishing themselves as viable alternatives to centrally-issued legal tenders. Mersch: Only central banks can be trusted He believes that only independent central banks can grant sufficient institutional banking to make a currency reliable and win public trust. He further noted: “I sincerely hope that the …

Stablecoins with a clear governance framework may be hampered by the uncertainty of the lack of regulation, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). Four major types of stablecoins outlined On Aug. 29, the ECB released a new paper devoted to stablecoins, which it describes as digital units of value that are not a form of any specific currency but rather rely on a set of stabilization tools in order to minimize fluctuations in their price. The ECB’s paper is called “In search for stability in crypto-assets: are stablecoins the solution?” and proposes a classification of stablecoins based on different …

The European Central Bank (ECB) says the “central banking community” will refine its monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions, both on- and off-chain. In an Aug. 7 report entitled “Understanding the crypto-asset phenomenon, its risks and measurement issues,” the ECB argues that “closing the data gaps associated with crypto-assets” continues to pose a significant challenge for regulators and financial institutions. “Closing data gaps” for crypto asset monitoring The report argues that the risks and spillover effects of crypto assets to the real economy, depends on the extent that the two spheres are interconnected. It advises that the ECB should, therefore, prolong and …

Morgan Creek Digital Assets co-founder Anthony Pompliano says the European Central Bank (ECB)’s expected dovish turn will be “rocket fuel” for Bitcoin. In a tweet posted on July 26, Pompliano commented on a fresh Bloomberg article investigating the ECB’s imminent policy moves — potentially including interest-rate cuts and renewed quantitative easing — designed to boost a faltering Eurozone economy. He said: “ROCKET FUEL: They’re going to cut rates and print money right as we march towards the Bitcoin halving. Buckle up. This will be wild 🚀” Pompliano had notably recently cited bitcoin’s halving — the reduction of mining rewards in …