New digital assets like bitcoin are often seen as potentially disruptive to the global monetary system and the legacy financial infrastructure. But they also pose a fundamental challenge to existing […]
Since 2013, the cryptocurrency market has seen periodic bouts of excitement about the potential launch of bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US, followed by disappointment. No bitcoin ETFs have […]
Money in the traditional financial system is highly segmented, depending on its form and user. Can new digital currencies avoid going down the same road? Coins and banknotes, deposits at […]
Like a current, money flows, it circulates, it’s liquid. In fact, English law regards currency as one of the key attributes of money. But should new, virtual forms of money […]
The opening up of banks’ customer data to financial technology (‘fintech’) firms has been hailed as a revolution. Fintech promises new, user-friendly services while making online payments easier, safer and […]
Could digital payments help restore clients’ trust in a company that’s lost it? It’s been a terrible twelve months for Facebook. Accusations of interference in electoral processes, evidence of widespread […]
It’s a period of heady and unprecedented innovation in both money and payments. But don’t expect central banks to join the party. That’s the sober message delivered today by Agustín […]
One of the best business books of recent years, ‘How Music Got Free’, by Stephen Witt, tells an engrossing tale of obsession, music, obscene money, visionaries, criminals and tycoons. […]
Several blockchain initiatives aiming to reform the system of ownership for the world’s share and bond markets have just hit road bumps. One project, SETL, has said it is putting […]
If there’s one obvious use case for distributed ledger or ‘blockchain’ technology, it’s in providing the future accounting systems for the world’s share and bond markets. At a stroke, shared […]