Payments
Dollarisation is making monetary policy ineffective, Cambodian central bank says
Central bank actively promoting the use of riel instead of US dollar; reduced riel transaction costs among measures implemented
ECB announces plans for instant payment system changes
Coming year will see “decisive” innovations to clearing and settlement systems, Yves Mersch says; French governor calls for more European competition in payment services
FMI transparency needs to improve, Chile deputy says
Central bank leading by example with regard to improved FMI transparency and governance; disclosure framework for central bank’s settlement system to be completed in 2017
RBI research arm tests blockchain for clearing, settlement
IDRBT releases white paper on the applications of blockchain, examining the benefits for the Indian financial sector; research group created proof-of-concept architecture to simulate clearing network
UK competition authority raises concern on VocaLink sale
Sale of payments infrastructure provider to MasterCard could harm competition on ATMs, but unlikely to be a problem for wider payment systems, CMA finds
French central bank reveals details of blockchain experiment
Banque de France teams up with a fintech start-up to run distributed ledger tech through Sepa; the results of project expected to be presented at a conference in 2017
BoJ and ECB collaborate on distributed ledger tech
The project will examine the possibility of running central bank infrastructure platforms in a DL environment; research will focus on payments and securities settlement
Central banks ‘critical’ in the development of blockchain
Large South African commercial bank examines what a central bank digital currency would look like, coining the phrase “sovereign blockchain”
UK’s PSR announces shake-up in provision of payment services
UK’s payment system regulator to open door to competition in national payment infrastructure; regulator sees benefits to Mastercard’s planned takeover of Vocalink
BoE’s Hauser praises plan for integrated retail payments scheme
Faster Payments, Bacs and Cheque Clearing to be integrated into one system, Hauser says; ISO20022 to make interbank payments “much easier” for the UK
Federal Reserve conducts in-depth study into distributed ledger technology
Central bank publishes first paper discussing the benefits of distributed ledger technology in the realm of payments, and clearing and settlement; use of DLT could address “financial frictions”
Bank of Korea embarks on ‘coinless society’ project
Central bank wants to eradicate use of coins by 2020; first stage of the project to use electronic travel passes to pay for goods and services
Bundesbank unveils blockchain settlement system
Prototype system able to transfer digital coins or securities as well as settling “basic corporate actions”; Deutsche Bundesbank to continue working on project to create a test concept
Central Bank of Aruba to establish payments department
Central Bank of Aruba governor outlines aspects of its five-year strategic plan with payments at the forefront of development
MAS awards prizes for fintech innovation
Three fintech companies receive S$50,000 for ideas presented at inaugural fintech festival
RBNZ’s Spencer sees need for better approach to FMI oversight
The framework, if put into legislation, would give the central bank and markets authority new powers of information-gathering and oversight
BoE’s Andrew Hauser says RTGS needs to move with the times
Executive director speaks on the risks and benefits of upgrading the UK’s core payments infrastructure; central bank is working on new technologies, including distributed ledgers
Payments changing fast but cash still in demand – Riksbank survey
Telephone survey finds cash use declining and mobile payments on the rise, though demand for paper money not likely to disappear any time soon
RBI’s Gandhi hails ‘silent revolution’ in payments
Incremental growth has revolutionised payments, deputy says, with more initiatives such as unified mobile payments interface set to deliver further change
Ghana drafts first electronic payment regulation
New regulation will apply to banks and other financial institutions wanting to provide electronic money services; draft to be passed to parliament after a period of consultation
Kansas Fed’s George: 2017 will be ‘significant’ year for US payments
Esther George says major milestones in faster payment project will be passed next year – although some of the hardest work will follow afterwards
Australia’s real-time payment system to go live in 2017 – Lowe
Test payments already being settled on new real-time payments platform, says RBA governor; fast settlement service set to undergo industry testing this month
Fed task forces begin review of faster payments proposals
Payments firms have submitted plans for real-time payment systems and toughened payments security; merits of plans to be assessed over coming year
‘Significant progress’ on infrastructure overhaul – RBNZ annual report
Past year saw progress on replacement RTGS system, decision on new securities clearing system and the start of a project to modernise Treasury functions