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Yen-Pegged Stablecoins to arrive in Japan’s largest bank-Mitsubishi UFJ Trust

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Japan’s biggest bank by assets, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust is all set to issue stablecoin tied to the value of the Japanese yen. As per a report published by Nikkei, it aims to bring about a streamlined and accelerated settlement process of securities transactions through the use of blockchain technology for trading and digital assets for payment.

The report also revealed that banks are expected to follow suit in allowing stablecoins in Japan under a revised law that is slated to take effect in the spring of next year.

Further, the bank hopes that the latest initiative will encourage the usage of blockchain in securities trading. For this, the trust bank has been heavily promoting blockchain-based securities in collaboration with SBI and Daiwa Securities.

Stablecoins making huge inroads in Japan’s fintech landscape

Last year Japan planned to impose new restrictions that would only permit banks and electronic funds transfer services to issue stablecoins.

The country’s Financial Services Agency [FSA] first proposed the law took drawing inspiration from a similar US legislation to regulate stablecoins. In November 2021, the US Department of Treasury supported Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit any other entities except banks from issuing the currency.

Just a few days ago, in a report first released by Nikkei Asia today, the news agency informed on the announcement of Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co.’s plans to float a gold pegged cryptocurrency in the country. The currency would be linked to the prices of gold and sold to retail investors via cryptocurrency exchanges.

The asset dubbed ZipangCoin [ZPG] will be available for trading by this month. While Mitsui is preparing for the launch of its gold pegged stablecoin, the country’s effort on its digital currency has completed the first phase.

Update on Japan’s digital Yen

Japan is gearing for the launch of its second phase of pilot testing with Central Bank Digital Currency [CBDC] with the governor hoping that the Bank of Japan might make an official decision on the issuance of CBDCs by 2026.

However, not all seem happy with the decision as recently, a former BOJ official, Hiromi Yamaoka stated that “CBDCs are not a good idea” since he feels that applying negative rates to CBDC might be harmful to the economy.

SEC chair claims crypto regulations should become more focussed

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The tussle between the cryptocurrency market and regulatory authorities has been ongoing since the creation of the ecosystem. With each passing year, digital assets took forward steps to enter the good books of most overwatch bodies. The United States Securities and Exchange [SEC] had been on top of crypto from the very start with its Chairman making new comments recently.

During a discussion with the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, SEC chairman Gary Gensler shared his views on cryptocurrency regulations. Gensler spoke about the new avenues being opened up due to the effectiveness of financial technologies. He went on to say that the current digital revolution has the potential to become as game-changing as the internet in the ’90s.

According to the SEC honcho, the cryptocurrency world was a system that constantly chugs along 365 days a year. It was no wonder that the $2.1 trillion value market was being watched by a lot of interested parties. Pro-regulation discussion aside, Gensler also pointed out the drawbacks connected to the cryptoverse.

The SEC chair cited reports that touched on Bitcoin mining’s impact on the environment. After the revelation that Bitcoin mining generated more emissions than some countries, it was clear more needed to be done to curb the problems. This was not to say Bitcoin did not have its merits as it set the foundation for the growth of new Proof of Stake [PoS] blockchain. Gesler added that the privacy of the user was of top priority with bodies like the SEC looking out to reassure that fact.

During the meeting, the SEC official also gave his two cents on stablecoins and their impact on today’s economic climate. He pointed out that stablecoins were just a medium for people to sidestep some economic policies under other banners. Gesler asked for the committee to draw up more solid regulations that will make virtual asset transactions safer and more transparent.

DeFi Major Aave Rolls Out Liquidity Mining Program

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Decentralized finance [DeFi] lending giant Aave announced the initiation of its liquidity mining program for V2 after the Aave Improvement Proposal [AIP] 16 received “overwhelming” affirmative votes from the community on the 24th of April and was officially executed.

The AIP was put forth by user Anjan Vinod, who happens to be an investment analyst at blockchain and DeFi focussed investment firm, ParaFi Capital. The launch of liquidity mining incentives for the Aave V2 protocol includes paying out governance token rewards exceeding 20% to users who borrow stablecoins. According to the DeFi platform, most of the rewards will target stablecoins in a bid to boost stablecoin liquidity.

The lending platform revealed that 2,200 staked AAVE [stkAAVE] will be allocated at a 50/50 ratio between depositors and borrowers until the 15th of July and is worth approximately $880,000 at press time prices. The distribution strategy is based on the markets’ borrowing demand.

Over two-thirds of rewards have been directed to the stablecoin USD Coin [USDC] and Tether [USDT] markets. The remainder of around 33% is being distributed among Aave’s DAI, ETH, wBTC, as well as GUSD markets. The platform’s official tweet detailing the announcement read,

“AIP 16 increases the liquidity in the Aave Ecosystem Reserve, which can be used to fund grants, devs, and builders through a community-led grants programme (currently an ARC on the governance forum) EyesHandshake”

The main objective of the program’s goal is further advance the lending and borrowing activity across markets and amplify the decentralization of the protocol’s governance that can be achieved by the distribution of governance tokens to more number of users.

In the beginnng, it only acquired around 60% support from its community for the AIP when first published on governance forums. The community had a change of heart after witnessing the success of other liquidity mining schemes following which they let the platform experiment in the new initiative.

Aave’s TVL Shoots Up To ATH

According to the latest stats by DeFi Pulse, the total value locked [in USD] in the open-source non-custodial protocol has surged to a fresh all-time high of $7.52 billion on the 27th of April. At the time of writing, it became the third-largest DeFi protocol on Ethereum trailing behind other lending platforms – Maker and Compound.

Stablecoins To Undergo Extreme Scrutiny Following Proposal Of The ‘STABLE’ Act

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Stablecoins came as a boon to those who feared the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies. While certain governments seemed to be more accepting of stablecoins as opposed to cryptocurrencies, several platforms began rolling out their private stablecoins. As the financial universe is piled with stablecoins, a United States’ Congresswoman decided to probe these assets, while proposing a new act to regulate stablecoins.

Stablecoins Fall Under The Purview Of US Congress

Rashida Tlaib, a Congresswoman with Congressmen Stephen Lynch and Jesus Garcia penned down a press release that pointed out the introduction of a new bill. The bill will reportedly protect consumers from the risks that arise with the use of stablecoins by scrutinizing them from the issuance process itself. The members of the Congress particularly went on to mention Facebook’s Libra project now known as Diem. Keeping this in mind, Congress proposed the “STABLE Act”. This act which is an acronym for Stablecoin Tethering and Bank Licensing Enforcement (STABLE) Act, intends to regulate the stablecoin market as the members entering the market have been on a surge.

Elaborating on the same, Congresswoman Tlaib said,

” […] the protections the STABLE Act would make possible are more needed than ever amid a pandemic that will breed riskier financial decisions out of necessity because our federal government continues to fail us all by not providing adequate relief legislation.”

With this latest act, anyone who intends to issue stablecoins would be mandated to seek the approval of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), FED along with several other banking entities. Any stablecoin that has been issued without the approval of the aforementioned entities would be categorized as illegal.

The Congresswoman took to Twitter to share the announcement with the public.

While some lauded the Congresswoman for the formulation of the latest act, a few others, especially from the crypto-verse denounced the latest move of the Congress. Tyler Lindholm, the Wyoming House Representative, also called out the Congress for this move and tweeted,

“Centralization of power for a decentralized world. No thanks. This industry has been light years more successful in bringing financial freedom to the unbanked and that happened without cronyism as suggested in this bill.”

Not long ago, Congresswoman Tlaib had written an elaborate letter dissing the Acting Comptroller of the Currency [OCC], Brian Brooks’ “unilateral” set of actions that was inclined towards the digital assets industry.

Stablecoins Become First Crypto to Receive Regulatory Green Light from SEC, OCC

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A monumental turn of events took place on Monday for the digital asset space, as Stablecoins became the first cryptocurrencies to received guidelines from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency(OCC).

According to the official press release, a list of national guidelines were revealed on how fiat-backed cryptos can be treated under the law. Before the current announcement, there had been zero regulation clarity behind the functionality of stablecoins such as Tether and Circle’s USDC.

The press release stated,

“This letter addresses the authority of a national bank to hold deposits that serve as reserves for certain “stablecoins.” stablecoin issuers may desire to place assets in a reserve account with a national bank to provide assurance that the issuer has sufficient assets backing the stablecoin in situations where there is a hosted wallet.”

In addition, it was added that the bank offering services to hold stablecoins on behalf of crypto projects will need to comply with appropriate controls to ensure due diligence on the risks involved while maintaining an understanding with the stablecoin issuer. The banks should facilitate a proper understanding of th risks and issue a review for compliance under applicable laws and regulations, also with regards to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti-money laundering.

From an adoption perspective, it is a huge deal as the OCC currently wanted the regulated banks to feel comfortable in providing services to stablecoin issuers.

Brian Brooks, Acting Comptroller of the Currency stated,

“National banks and federal savings associations currently engage in stablecoin related activities involving billions of dollars each day. This opinion provides greater regulatory certainty for banks within the federal banking system to provide those client services in a safe and sound manner.”

With respect to the SEC, the commission indicated that they did not consider certain stablecoins as securities under the federal law but advised issuers to work with the organization to avoid any misunderstanding.

Will more crypto-assets receive regulations now?

To be fair, not in the near future. It is important to note that stablecoins are the least volatile asset in the space, that are ear-marked 1:1 with fiat currency. The only reason the OCC and SEC have allowed stable assets to work under federal law is its association with the U.S dollar. However, it is definitely a start and over time, the paradigm might shift towards regulating more digital currencies in the space.

The European Union Publishes Study Detailing Loopholes in Cryptocurrency Industry, Recommends Creation of New AML Regulator

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Since its inception, countries in the European Union have played an active role in the cryptocurrency industry. The EU recently published a new study to make sure that members of the cryptocurrency industry do not utilize any of the loopholes in the written law.

The study covered several topics in the industry ranging from stablecoins to AML issues in the world of digital assets. According to the key points mentioned in the study, assets such as stablecoins and token-based fundraising need to come under the purview of the law. 

The report was titled ‘Crypto-assets: Key developments, regulatory concerns and responses’ looked at the issues in the industry and how it can be rectified. Authors of the report claimed that cryptocurrencies can be used to convert illegally obtained capital in to clean cash. This money laundering technique has become a major thorn in the side of regulators, with many countries complaining of rapid capital surges.

Members of the EU further opined that there were several blind spots in the digital asset industry and the sooner they are rectified, the better. An excerpt from the report said:

“Newly mined coins are by definition ‘clean’, so if someone (e.g., a bank) is willing to convert them into fiat currency or other crypto-assets, the resulting funds are also clean. A first regulatory step could be to try to map the use of this technique and subsequently, if it effectively proves an important blind spot, to consider appropriate countermeasures.”

The EU suggested that regulators need to broaden the scope of the definition of virtual assets by including parameters such as security tokens. Another recommendation put forth by the EU was related to cryptocurrency exchanges. The body believed that crypto to crypto exchanges as well as financial services providers in the industry need to be surveyed. Cryptocurrency mining and miners were the other concerns of the EU.

The report said that anyone with a powerful computer could begin mining cryptocurrencies, which would also include criminal actors. It continued:

“A first regulatory step could be to try to map the use of this technique and subsequently if it effectively proves an important blind spot, to consider appropriate counter measures. In addition, and in view of the cross-border nature of crypto-assets and their misuse, the introduction of a European AML watchdog could have various benefits, especially if it is staffed with highly trained IT personnel capable of analyzing the AML/CFT risks new technologies bring.”

Stablecoins was another pain point for the EU. The report indicated that most stablecoins have a local footprint that can be used to track the sender and receiver. Several countries have entered the cryptocurrency sphere in recent years, with many developing their own Central Bank Digital Currencies [CBDC]. Christine Lagarde, the president of the ECB had said that the body was assessing the value of CBDCs in daily value.

 

Circle Doubles Down on Stablecoin, Looking to Sell its Crowdfunding Unit

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The Boston-based crypto company, Circle is reportedly looking to sell its crowdfunding unit. The move is a direct result of the company’s focus on the Stablecoin business.

The Circle has made yet another headline. Previously, the firm appeared on top bulletins after spinning out of the Poloniex crypto trading platform which Circle had acquired in the year 2018 for $400 million. Moreover, it has successfully signed the sale agreement of its  “over-the-counter trading desk” with Kraken exchange for approximately $1 million. However, the business saga of Circle didn’t end here. The platform is now looking out for an investor who can buy SeedInvest, Circle’s crowdfunding unit.

Circle acquired SeedInvest last year in March 2019. SeedInvest was meant to help organizations build funding power using their financial assets. 

One of the internal sources of Circle commented that the crypto company is going through a tough time solving the lingering issues based on how the SeedInvest’s acquisition was made in March 2019. As a result, they are facing trouble finding a considerable investor who can purchase its crowdfunding unit.

Additionally, the source commented on Circle’s ruling out of the trading unit as the biggest blow for the crypto company. In 2018, the trading unit helped them build a total sum of $ 24 billion in the form of cryptocurrency.

Crypto Company’s Next Center – Stablecoins

You might think of what’s next for Circle when they have already eliminated its 3 working platforms! To answer your question, the crypto organization has already confirmed its upcoming plans on their website. They are now aiming for USDC – the Stablecoins.

The Stablecoin has already seen its high when its supply was doubled in 2019. The supply went on to reach $441 million. 

Circle’s spokesperson Josh Hawkings mentioned that the organization is now aiming to build its availability of businesses with its commercial accounts. These accounts will provide a proper online environment for the local as well as international businesses to convert their investment in USDC into a convertible asset that can be used for payment purposes.

Adding to it, it was also mentioned by the spokesperson that the Stablecoins are still pretty new in the market. It will acquire good stability going forward and will soon be adopted by everyone.

Contradicting the comments submitted by the spokesperson of Circle, other sources believe that the USDC’s model of working will create a tough time for the organization. The hard game of launching USDC on the platform will guide a way for others in the same field to follow their steps to launch the Stablecoins on their respective platforms.

Looking at all the comments and reactions, it is clearly a longer and tougher task for Circle to unwind the existing ones and strategize for the new baby entering the business to get the same support from the followers.

Composable Platform Komodo Easing launching of Stablecoins Through a Click

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Imagine a blockchain ecosystem that you could launch your own stablecoin at the click of a few commands. The possibilities of a  decentralized multi-chain blockchain that enables third party creation and customization. Komodo is making this possible and for that reason; Released its beta net for creating stablecoins through bitcoin protocol based cryptocurrencies. 

Komodo came to birth after a team from SuperNET forked Zcash. The platform is more an ecosystem than a blockchain that provides end to end blockchain solutions for launching independent chains and Initial Coin Offerings. Furthermore, the multi chain platform also includes a cryptocurrency anonymizer and a decentralized exchange for boosting privacy of transactions.

Users have the ability to create a blockchain that is independent of Komodo. In fact, the resulting blockchains are verified on the Bitcoin Network which makes them secure and customizable via a couple of decentralized modules. 

Komodo ingeniously allows coders with some level of experience to design and deploy their bitcoin protocol-based cryptocurrencies. A blockchain development web application platform called Komodo’s Antara makes all of these possible.

The Komodo Stablecoin composer’s alpha version tests a Price and Pegs feature. This feature is for the deployment of commodities and stocks backed by stablecoins and digital currencies. Additionally, it will work in sync with the prices module to keep track of asset pricing in the real world. Then provide metadata to the overall Komodo Smart Chain.

The platform will have the value of any Bitcoin lock fund protocol in the form of stablecoin and withdraw a limit of 90 percent. In turn, the user can exchange the value through an atomic swap for other assets on the network.

 Atomic swap is a smart contract module for exchanging cryptocurrencies for another by eliminating intermediaries. Once a stablecoin is deployed on the Komodo Smart Chain, creators can list it on the native AtomicDEX. The Chief Technology Office at Komodo, Kadan Stadelmann said 

“If you wanted to create a chain, you could do that right now, alone at your computer, without any external support, without any funds—without anything—and you can just like spin up your own blockchain”

Creators can back bitcoin, Komodo native cryptocurrency (KMD), or several other digital currencies to their Komodo Stablecoins. Once deployed, creators anchor it into the Bitcoin network to boost safety and efficiency. The entire process will be decentralized and centered in the Komodo Smart Chain: Stadelman added that: 

“There is full transparency, the biggest problem with [certain] stablecoins is the lack of transparency. We believe that our technology, and the way that we implemented the stablecoin module, provides 100% transparency.” 

Komodo is finding potential partnerships for its stablecoin services with financial firms that could be interested in building and securely deploying their very own stablecoins. The CTO noted that :

 “This feature would allow financial firms and investment firms to spin up a stablecoin within  minutes,” 

Enterprises that build their own stablecoins will enjoy loyalty program integration, branding opportunities, and secondary market liquidity. Furthermore, they could also lower transaction costs, streamline loyalty programs and benefit stable interest income from traditional fiat reserves. Stadelman pointed out that:  

“If you are from the fintech sector, you could basically build up a derivative trading platform in a decentralized fashion,”

The CTO believes that the applications of blockchain are endless and present a future of possibilities. 

 

China’s Mission To Creating an All Powerful Stablecoin

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Blockchain and the cryptocurrency race is the most interesting innovation since the advent of the internet in the 90s. Cryptocurrencies have been around since taking over the financial world.

With the world’s most powerful economies and corporations drafting plans to launch their digital currencies. China and Facebook are leading in this front respectively. On the other hand, Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin leading the entire battalion of crypto markets. 

There had been chances of witnessing the world’s first digital currency in 2019. However, China has pushed the launch date. Global financial enthusiasts are anticipating a 2020 debut of China’s stablecoin. Meanwhile, this very significant launch will also be the basis of a new Digital Currency/Electronic Payment system  (DCEP).

China’s penetration into a leading supplier of global consumer products threatens several other leading economies with its digital payment system.

For instance exports and imports through China will have to go through the DCEP. A signal that the country is creating an efficient and legal payment system to complement global trade. 

China Central Bank
Credit: pbc.gov.cn

It is worth noting the difference between China Digital Currency Electronic Payment  (DCEP) and other existing cryptocurrencies. The bitcoin blockchain, for instance, controls the value source of bitcoins through an algorithm. Furthermore, technologists mine bitcoins in a decentralized ledger. 

On the other hand is DCEP, a model that the government sanctions and with at least 50 registered patents.  All patents relating to the distribution of currency through traditional financial institutions. Features that make DCEP centralized and a striking resemblance with traditional fiat.

Additionally, only the government will have control of the blockchain ledger rather than distributed across the system. DCEP will follow the normal model of paper money.

In fact, the government will integrate into the commercial ecosystem. The Chinese payment system will also effectively reduce initiation constraints due to time lags. According to Wired, the government will not deploy the ledger to mining nodes.

Hence and unlike bitcoin, it will have daily practical usability. Well, the fact that the system will peg the value of the coin to the valuation of Yuan -; the Digital renminbi won’t trade as fractions. Blockchain analysts hope that the system will be easy to use;  since daily users anticipate a platform that is no different from existing payment platforms. 

Nonetheless, people have questioned China’s move to crack down bitcoin trading. Facebook’s Libra coin has also become a global bone of contention. A situation that reveals that central banks are warming up for the digital currency era; 

But still, find other digital currency potentially a threat. 

Especially when such digital currencies are out of their control. Or rather when they pose a threat to a nation’s financial security. China cracked down on crypto trading activities back in 2017 when it shut down at least 173 crypto trading platforms. 

China feels that the United States has been benefiting from global trade. A former member of the NDRC said: 

“When we trade with the Philippines, and we use the regular financial system, both of us convert into dollars. It’s the US who benefits from that trade.”

Launching the DCEP will enable China to effectively navigate its activities without the need for the US dollar. 

And just like that, the United States will have to grapple with an autonomous economy toppling it from being the world reserve currency. 

 

Facebook’s Libra Project is Developing a Governance Model that will Disrupt the Remittance Space

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The controversial Facebook’s Libra project has been 2019’s biggest story. However, it is not the only payments project hoping to transform the payments sector, when still ripe to throw into disarray.

As per the most recent statistics, the remittance course leading to low and middle-income nations is predicted to extend to  $574 billion in 2020; and $597 billion by 2021. However, this is a sector that has been pestered by carelessness, which has been an expensive occurrence to some. The high cost on top of the rigorous laws and regulations, continue to bear an impediment to the payments sector.

Dante Disparte, the Head of Policy and Communications at the Libra Association, likens the current payments system as “walled gardens.” He notes that the current 230 million economic asylum seekers are the individuals that propel the GDP of their mother countries. This is bigger than the p2p payments, foreign direct investments or even official government aid and development assistance. However, he adds that there is no way to achieve this in a less expensive and systematic way.

Libra Tapping Payments Space

Moreover, Disparte claimed in a recent interview that the competition in the payments space is minimal; and the existing methods are “one big monopolist player or there’s a duopoly operator” running the remittance sector. He also touched on the Libra project exploring this opportunity. He said:

“If we introduce the opportunity for digital wallet providers to emerge that are interoperable, that’s a big game-changer for the world. To do that right, of course, means you have to go through the process we’re going through now – build a governance model that can withstand the the the vagaries and the vicissitudes of any one organizations and association but also build a model that could achieve a regulatory standard that protects consumers.”

In addition, the lack of infrastructure has led to slow digital currency and remittance engagement. However, in the case that Facebook’s Libra project receives regulatory approval, it will go head-to-head with an experienced figurehead in the industry; Ripple. The blockchain firm has multi-partnerships under its wing.

Will Libra Disrupt the Remittance Space?

As per the initial expectations, Facebook expects the Libra cryptocurrency to launch within the first half of 2020. The global stablecoin is designed to enable users to be able to initiate payments using Facebook and WhatsApp and stored in its digital wallet called Calibra. 

The main focus of the Libra project is on developing countries and the unbanked. However, it remains to be seen which companies the project will partner within these regions because their targets are not expected to book Uber or buy hamburgers. The ineptitude to bring value is expected to make make it hard to sell in the particular regions especially; since it will disrupt the local players on top of limiting the government’s oversight on the banking system.

In addition to this, Libra will facilitate payments regardless of whether the parties involved are criminals or not; whether they are under sanctions or not. Facebook will have to provide good proof that it will not facilitate terrorism. Given how the social media giants handle their social network, this will be a difficult task.

In conclusion, the stablecoin will have to get rid of many middlemen (in this case banks) from the market. However, they still need banks in their loop. In order for Libra users to use it, they will have to convert fiat into Libra. Additionally, if its target is the over $500-billion-dollar remittances market, there is a need for a smooth transition from Libra back to local currency. These are the areas where banks will be required.