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Business and Economics > Finance: General

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 260 items for :

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Cover FinTech Notes
Private Law Aspects of Token-Based Central Bank Digital Currencies
Marianne Bechara
,
Wouter Bossu
,
Amira Rasekh
,
Chia Yi Tan
, and
Akihiro Yoshinaga
In designing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), it is imperative that central banks carefully consider its legal foundations. As with any form of money, CBDCs require a solid basis under public and private law to provide it with the necessary legal certainty and political support that will underpin its wide circulation. This Fintech Note examines the private law aspects of token-based CBDC primarily intended for retail use. It follows a previous IMF working paper that examines the legal foundations of CBDC under central bank law and its treatment under monetary law—the main public law aspects of CBDC.
Keywords:
Token-Based CBDC; Private Law; Central Bank Digital Currencies; Legal Framework; Ownership Rights; Transfer Mechanisms; Financial Intermediaries
Cover High-Level Summary Technical Assistance Reports
Bhutan: Development of an Interest Rate Corridor Framework
Oleg Churiy
and
Bernard J Laurens
At the request of the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan (RMA), an IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) visited Thimphu during August 20-29, 2024. The mission’s objectives were to assist the authorities in setting up interest rate corridor (IRC) and operationalizing the related instruments, operations, liquidity forecasting, and collateral frameworks.
Keywords:
Monetary policy; International organization; IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center; capacity development recipient; staff capacity; high-level summary; money market development; Interest rate corridor; Open market operations; Liquidity forecasting; Liquidity management
Cover Technical Assistance Reports
Bhutan: Technical Assistance Report-Development of an Interest Rate Corridor Framework
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
and
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
In August 2024, at the request of the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan (RMA), the IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) conducted a Technical Assistance (TA) mission in Thimphu. The mission aimed to assist the RMA in establishing an interest rate corridor (IRC) and operationalizing related instruments, liquidity forecasting, and collateral frameworks. The mission identified that the RMA lacks necessary monetary policy instruments to effectively address changing systemic liquidity conditions and financial stability challenges. It emphasized the need to move away from reliance on administrative controls, as the absence of appropriate price incentives reinforces the preference for foreign exchange among Bhutanese residents, increasing pressures on the peg. To tackle these issues, the mission proposed a phased approach to introduce the IRC. Initially, relevant external and internal documents should be finalized, followed by mock operations. The first phase involves introducing a one-week main Open Market Operation (OMO), conducted weekly at the policy rate with full allotment. Automatic access to the IRC's standing facilities should be ensured. Later, fixed-quantity, variable-rate OMOs should be utilized, relying on liquidity forecasting to calibrate operations. Additionally, the mission recommended reinstating sweeping arrangements for government accounts and enhancing coordination with the Treasury to improve liquidity forecasting. These measures aim to strengthen the RMA's operational framework and enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy.
Keywords:
Monetary policy; International organization; Bhutan.; RMA money market contact group; IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center; IMF's Monetary; expert of the IMF Monetary; interest rate corridor framework; Liquidity management; Interest rate corridor; Liquidity; Commercial banks; Central bank policy rate
Cover Technical Assistance Reports
Belize: Technical Assistance Report-Developing the Supervision of E-Money Issuers
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
IMF conducted a mission at the request of the Central Bank of Belize provided technical assistance focusing on developing a framework for the supervision of electronic money issuers in Belize. The mission reviewed existing approaches to supervising firms conducting regulated financial activities, as well as the regulatory framework and licensing practices for e-money issuers only to the extent that they influence and impact effective supervision. The mission also met with other key stakeholders from the public and private sector setting out nine key recommendations covering risk-based supervision, data collection, reconciliations, transparency, fund safeguarding, permitted investments, agents, inspection reports, and domestic collaboration.
Keywords:
Electronic money; E-money; Supervision; Belize; Central Bank; fintech; Payments.; IMF's Monetary; instrumentalities of the CD recipient; World Bank staff; e-money issuer; terms and conditions; risk assessment; Central bank bills; National payment systems; Credit bureaus; Payment systems
Cover High-Level Summary Technical Assistance Reports
Namibia: Retail Central Bank Digital Currency Exploration and Roadmap
Tansaya Kunaratskul
,
Qiuyun Shang
,
Anrich Denver Daseman
,
Frankosiligi Solomon
,
Victor Budau
,
Maria Fernanda Chacon Rey
, and
Carl-Andreas Claussen
At the request of the Bank of Namibia (BoN), an IMF mission team conducted a technical assistance (TA) from January 15 to February 1, 2024. The mission assisted the authorities in establishing the groundwork for a feasibility study of a retail central bank digital currency (rCBDC) and drafting a roadmap for the BoN's CBDC exploration. The mission also reviewed requirements for rCBDC issuance, including institutional capacity, technology, cybersecurity, and legal foundations. The mission recommended the BoN assess how rCBDC can improve the payment systems and financial inclusion in Namibia compared to alternative solutions. The authorities are advised to establish a compelling rationale for rCBDC before embarking on a more resource-intensive undertaking. The mission suggested that the BoN continue developing expertise and capacity in rCBDC across policy, technology, and legal domains, including through continued engagement with stakeholders.
Keywords:
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC); Digital Money; Payment Systems; Financial Inclusion; IMF mission team; CBDC exploration; request of the Bank of Namibia; capacity development recipient; exploration roadmap; Central Bank digital currencies; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover FinTech Notes
Estimating the Impact of Digital Money on Cross-Border Flows: Scenario Analysis Covering the Intensive Margin
Eugenio M Cerutti
,
Melih Firat
, and
Hector Perez-Saiz
Digital money and digital payments innovations have the potential for improving cross-border payments by reducing costs, enhancing speed, and improving transparency. This note performs an empirical analysis of the potential impact of digital money on the volume and transaction costs of cross-border payments, with a focus on the short-term intensive margin. The market of cross-border payments is very large, with retail transactions having a low share of the total but the highest transaction costs, particularly for remittances. Our illustrative scenarios assume an estimated 60 percent reduction in transaction costs and short-term elasticities to changes in costs estimated from remittances data. The results show two outcomes. First, the cross-border volume increases could be sizable for countries that are large remittance recipients and face expensive transaction costs. Second, even with a large drop in transaction costs, the short-term rise in global cross-border transaction volumes could be limited as a result of the low transaction costs of the wholesale segment. Moving outside the short-term intensive margin, the impact could potentially be much larger as digital currencies and other digital payments innovations—together with tokenization of assets on programmable platforms—could move the financial system into a transformative new era by fostering financial development and promoting further inclusion across borders.
Keywords:
Digital money; cross-border payments; transaction costs; digital payments; payments innovation; cross-border payment; scenario analysis; IMF Fintech Brownbag Seminar; IMF seminar; Remittances; Central Bank digital currencies; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Correspondent banking; Global
Cover FinTech Notes
Tokenization and Financial Market Inefficiencies
Itai Agur
,
German Villegas Bauer
,
Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli
,
Maria Soledad Martinez Peria
, and
Brandon Tan
Most financial assets are digital today. Tomorrow, they may be tokenized. Tokenization implies recording and transferring assets on a widely shared and trusted digital ledger that can be programmed. Interest in tokenization is strong and experiments abound, but what are the consequences of this new trend for financial markets? This note introduces a taxonomy and a conceptual framework centered on market inefficiencies to evaluate this question. Some inefficiencies could decline across the asset life cycle. Others would remain, however, and new ones could emerge. Issuing, servicing, and redeeming assets might involve fewer intermediaries and thus become cheaper. The costs of trading assets may also decrease as tokenization lowers some counterparty risks and search frictions and offers flexibility in settlement. Additionally, greater competition among brokers could lower transaction fees. However, tokenization may amplify shocks if it induces institutions to become more interconnected and hold lower liquidity buffers or higher leverage, potentially jeopardizing financial stability. Programs themselves may introduce new risks related to strings of contingent contracts or faulty code. While competition may grow among financial intermediaries, the provision of market infrastructure could become more concentrated due to network effects.
Keywords:
Tokenization; central banks; asset lifecycle; financial markets; financial asset market friction; B. market infrastructure investment externality; financial market inefficiency; IMF Library; Note 2025/001; D. knowledge externality; Bonds; Smart contracts; Securities markets; Liquidity; Blockchain and DLT; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
South Africa: Central Bank Transparency Code Review
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper focuses on South Africa’s Central Bank Transparency Code Review. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB’s) strategic commitment to open and transparent communications should be anchored in a more robust institutional communication framework. Communications about the SARB’s role in the reform of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account settlement framework and the implications for its financial autonomy should be further clarified. The SARB’s monetary policy framework is comprehensive, transparent and understandable, but would benefit from greater transparency about setting the inflation target, policy deliberations, and alternative risk scenarios. The SARB has significantly increased the transparency and accountability of its monetary policy framework by adopting appropriate communications vehicles to reach different audiences and by publishing model-based forecasts. The SARB would also benefit from enhancing the transparency of well-established governance arrangements and policies in some areas. It is recommended to strengthen the transparency of certain aspects of the SARB’s legal structure and autonomy, by providing a general explanation of the SARB’s legal protections and its institutional and functional autonomy.
Keywords:
contingency reserve account; central bank Transparency Code; IMF mission; review mission; production assistance; Financial sector stability; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Monetary policy frameworks; International reserves; Inflation targeting; Africa; Global
Cover Global Financial Stability Report, October 2024
Global Financial Stability Report, October 2024
Steadying the Course: Uncertainty, Artificial Intelligence, and Financial Stability
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

Abstract

Chapter 1 shows that although near-term financial stability risks have remained contained, mounting vulnerabilities could worsen future downside risks by amplifying shocks, which have become more probable because of the widening disconnect between elevated economic uncertainty and low financial volatility. Chapter 2 presents evidence that high macroeconomic uncertainty can threaten macrofinancial stability by exacerbating downside tail risks to markets, credit supply, and GDP growth. These relationships are stronger when debt vulnerabilities are elevated, or financial market volatility is low (during episodes of a macro-market disconnect). Chapter 3 assesses recent developments in AI and Generative AI and their implications for capital markets. It presents new analytical work and results from a global outreach to market participants and regulators, delineates potential benefits and risks that may arise from the widespread adoption of these new technologies, and makes suggestions for policy responses.

Keywords:
financial stability; vulnerabilities; uncertainty; risk; artificial intelligence; capital markets; tail risk; uncertainty index; monetary policy; mortgage rate; market liquidity risk; fiscal policy uncertainty; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Financial sector stability; Sovereign bonds; Credit; Global; Middle East; Europe; Central and Eastern Europe; South America
Cover IMF Working Papers
A New Dataset of High-Frequency Monetary Policy Shocks
Marijn A. Bolhuis
,
Sonali Das
, and
Bella Yao
This paper presents a new dataset of monetary policy shocks for 21 advanced economies and 8 emerging markets from 2000-2022. We use daily changes in interest rate swap rates around central bank announcements to identify unexpected shocks to the path of monetary policy. The resulting series can be used to examine cross-country heterogeneity in the impact of monetary policy shocks. We establish a new empirical fact on monetary policy spillovers across countries: the monetary policy decisions of small open economy central banks, and not just major central banks, have substantial spillover effects on swap rates and bond yields in other countries.
Keywords:
monetary policy surprises; monetary policy shocks; central banks; central bank information effect; emerging markets; high-frequency method; spillovers; monetary policy spillovers; monetary policy spillover; monetary policy shock; information effect; monetary policy decision; monetary policy surprise; Yield curve; Sovereign bonds; Central bank policy rate; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Nominal effective exchange rate; Global