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Business and Economics > Finance: General

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 60 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes x
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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; private law aspect; TokenBased central bank digital currencies; CBDC holder; IMF Library; IMF Fintech Note 2025/003; Currencies; Securities; Commercial banks; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Prometheus Unbound: What Makes Fintech Grow?
Serhan Cevik
The rise of financial technologies—fintech—could have transformative effects on the financial landscape, expanding the reach of services beyond the confines of geography and creating new competitive sources of finance for households and firms. But what makes fintech grow? Why do some countries have more financial innovation than others? In this paper, I use a comprehensive dataset to investigate the emergence and spread of fintech in a diverse panel of 98 countries over the period 2012–2020. This empirical analysis helps ascertain economic, demographic, technological and institutional factors that enable the development of fintech. The magnitude and statistical significance of these factors vary according to the type of fintech instrument and the level of economic development (advanced economies vs. developing countries). Finally, these findings reveal that policies and structural reforms can help promote financial innovation and cultivate fintech ventures—particularly by strengthening technological and institutional infrastructures and reducing cybersecurity threats.
Keywords:
Fintech; financial innovation; technological change; cybersecurity threat; fintech venture; copyright page; government stability foster fintech growth; fintech transaction; Digital financial services; Financial sector development; Population growth; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Government Debt and Growth: The Role of R&D
Can Sever
Economic growth in the advanced economies (AEs) has been slowing down since the early 2000s, while government debt ratios have been rising. The recent surge in debt at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has further intensified concerns about these phenomena. This paper aims to offer insight into the high-debt low-growth environment in AEs by exploring a causal link from government debt to future growth, specifically through the impact of debt on R&D activities. Using data from manufacturing industries since the 1980s, it shows that (i) government debt leads to a decline in growth, particularly in R&D-intensive industries; (ii) the differential effect of government debt on these industries is persistent; and (iii) more developed or open financial systems tend to mitigate this negative impact. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationship between government debt and growth in AEs, given the role of technological progress and innovation in economic growth.
Keywords:
Government debt; fiscal policy; economic growth; R&D; innovation; financial development; economic growth in the advanced economies; R&D activity; impact of debt; debt level; affect tax dynamics; Financial sector development; Manufacturing; Productivity; Aging; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Oman: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
2024 Selected Issues
Keywords:
capital markets incentives program; private sector employment; employment growth; SME growth; development in Oman; Digitalization; Capital markets; Stock markets; Securities markets; Global; South Asia; Caribbean
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 FinTech Notes
Central Bank Digital Currency Adoption: Inclusive Strategies for Intermediaries and Users
Tayo Tunyathon Koonprasert
,
Shiho Kanada
,
Natsuki Tsuda
, and
Edona Reshidi
Among the countries that have launched central bank digital currency (CBDC) or are conducting large-scale pilots, adoption remains slow and limited due to various challenges such as lack of public awareness and trust, preference for existing payment methods, and inadequate incentives for intermediaries. Central banks cannot take it for granted that CBDC, once launched, will be adopted and scaled up easily. Forming part of the CBDC Virtual Handbook, this paper aims to encourage policymakers to consider CBDC adoption early on, by arguing that successful CBDC adoption hinges not only on technical readiness and operational robustness, but also on strategic policy and design choices that target end-user and intermediary involvement from the outset. The paper introduces The REDI Framework which outlines various regulatory strategies, education/communication initiatives, design/deployment choices, and incentive mechanisms to prepare for CBDC adoption.
Keywords:
Central bank digital currency; CBDC; Adoption; Intermediaries; Incentives; central bank digital currency adoption; CBDC adoption; IMF Fintech Note 2024/005; eAUD payment; central bank of Peru; Central Bank digital currencies; Currencies; Payment systems; Digital financial services; Financial inclusion; Global; Africa
Cover Finance & Development
Finance & Development, September 2024: Productivity and How to Revive It
International Monetary Fund. Communications Department
Productivity must play a more important role in driving sustained growth as our societies age. But there’s no consensus on how to reverse the broad slowdown in productivity growth seen across almost all countries over the past 20 years. F&D magazine’s September issue invites leading thinkers to examine productivity from multiple angles, including dynamism, innovation, demographics, and sustainability.
Keywords:
Productivity; total factor productivity; demographics; sustainable growth; economic growth; dynamism; innovation; international cooperation.; productivity gain; understanding productivity growth; productivity growth rebound; IMF photo; low-productivity firm; TFP advancement; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Tax avoidance; Global; West Africa; Europe; Central Asia; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Working Papers
Programmability in Payment and Settlement
Xavier Lavayssière
and
Nicolas Zhang
Programmability in payment and settlement has yet to realize its potential to support policy goals such as efficiency, safety, and innovation. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for understanding and evaluating programmability. It explores two key dimensions: external programmatic access, which is the ability for external participants to access the system data and functions with code, and internal programmatic capabilities, the extent to which internal execution of programs is supported and guaranteed. By developing strategies based on these dimensions, financial institutions, regulators, and related actors can better improve resilience, reduce costs and interoperability, all while managing associated risks. The resulting hybrid systems are coordinated efforts balancing the advantages of permissionless blockchains, such as composability, with regulatory requirements and a wider range of technologies. The paper describes these programmatic models to inform and guide the development of digital finance, bridging policy discussions with technical considerations.
Keywords:
Programmability; Tokenization; Automation; Payment; Settlement; closed-loop payment system; blockchain infrastructure; payment category; settlement mechanism; financial asset; settlement system; Smart contracts; Payment systems; Blockchain and DLT; Global
Cover VITARA Reference Guide
VITARA Reference Guide
Organization
Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations
,
International Monetary Fund
,
Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations
, and
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Abstract

This guide is part of a series of Virtual Training to Advance Revenue Administration (VITARA) reference guides that has been developed based on the contents of the VITARA online modules. This reference guide focuses on international good practices in organizational design. It explains how tax administrations can organize people, processes, and work effectively. It builds knowledge and understanding of critical features and dependencies in the organizational design of tax administrations, defining the concept of organizational design, and explaining why it is important. This guide also identifies the main organizational models (function-based, tax type-based, segment-based, and hybrid) used in the design of tax administrations and explains the advantages and disadvantages of the different models. It compares the roles of headquarters and field operations in a tax administration's organizational structure and also describes the importance of special units and functions within a tax administration's organizational structure. The guide helps tax administration leaders better understand how tax administration organizational models can be adapted to accommodate new responsibilities and roles.

Keywords:
tax; tax administration; revenue administration; organizational design; organizational chart; business process; revenue collection; domestic revenue mobilization; large taxpayers office; high-net wealth individuals; collection capability; high-integrity taxpayer register; HQ unit; tax administrator; HQ function; OD process; management forum; Tax administration core functions; Taxpayer services; Human capital; Tax collection; Internal audit
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Spain: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Fintech Developments and Oversight
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper presents a technical note on fintech developments and oversight as part of Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) in Spain. The scope of this assessment covered fintech developments in Spain, including digitalization of the banking sector, and the supervisory oversight of fintech activity. This technical note covers the impact of fintech on regulated firms, mainly banks; the interaction between new market entrants and existing firms; the approach toward industry monitoring; and the institutional arrangements for regulation and supervision of fintech, including overall supervisory cooperation. Banks play a dominant role in Spain’s fintech landscape. A better balance between the benefits of the sandbox and its significant supervisory costs could be achieved by considering some targeted changes to its operational arrangements. The FSAP recommends granting full autonomy to the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which it currently lacks, over its recruitment process and ensuring alignment of resources at the Banco de España and CNMV to current and expected workloads.
Keywords:
financial instruments directive; Banco de España; executive service; FINTECH development; payments services directive; supervisory authority; data protection authority; Fintech; Digital financial services; Digitalization; Caribbean; Europe; Global