Financial inclusion
The Central Bank Digital Currency Survey 2020 – debunking some myths
Most central banks believe there are retail uses for central bank digital currencies, but few plan to launch a CBDC in the coming five years, with most rejecting the use of blockchain
Fed expands local government liquidity facility
Programme faced criticism for leaving out regions with heavy Native American and African-American populations
Libra’s Disparte on big tech’s move into digital currency
Libra Association vice-chair Dante Disparte speaks about the decision to abandon a multi-currency reserve, stress-testing a global payment network and how the Facebook-backed body still has 3 billion customers in its sights
Fed to expand paycheck liquidity facility after criticism
Some observers say Paycheck Protection Program not reaching most affected firms
Cash usage falls further in Netherlands
Study shows contactless payments are the main driver away from cash payments
Podcast: adapting economic education for demographics and fintech
St Louis Fed’s Mary Suiter discusses the reserve bank’s new programme for Native American economic education
Regulators must enforce stronger payment data protection – CPMI
Payment oversight needs to be updated to accommodate fintech firms and protect consumers
Podcast: inside Brazil’s new instant payment system
New system seeks to boost financial inclusion with coverage of accounts and mandatory participation
Amplifying the soundwaves: the evolution of social media communications
Central banks’ social media usage is on the rise, but their choice of platform is shifting more and more towards the visual
Qatar Central Bank unveils mobile payments system
Central bank launches “new and safe method” for electronic payments
Cost of AML/CFT regulation could spell trouble for Barbados
Central bank governor urges financial firms to take risk-based approach to prevent excessive de-risking
RBNZ governor: lawmakers must help preserve cash access
New Zealand governor says industry and politicians must respond to the rise of “less cash” society
Lawmakers should halt closures of Canadian bank branches – research
Bank of Canada paper urges lawmakers to look at Swedish proposal to keep remote branches open
Communications initiative: Bank of Jamaica
The Bank of Jamaica broke the mould with its reggae-inspired communications strategy, but observers suggest it has done more than just lift the economic literacy of its society
Website of the year: Central Bank of Brazil
The new bilingual site offers enhanced communications to the full range of stakeholders
BIS economist explores uneven adoption of fintech
Several factors can explain why some countries have been quicker to adopt fintech than others
Central bank of the year: Bank of Ghana
The African central bank has carried out extensive reform of Ghana’s banking sector
DNB stresses risks stemming from financially fragile households
Central bank study shows more than 14% of Dutch population could not raise €2,000 in an emergency
Book notes: The long journey of central bank communication, by Otmar Issing
This book is a “masterly exposition on central bank communication, its evolution and continuing challenges”, writes Anand Sinha
BIS paper: banks may harm customers through ‘steering’
Nudging “naive” households to take decisions can harm their welfare, authors find
BoE paper: simple communication can backfire
Success of communication is not measured by number of people reached, paper states
Bahamas rolls out first phase of CBDC pilot
Pilot will be rolled out to rest of country after June 2020, says governor Rolle, contingent on success of Exuma and Abaco case studies
Mauritius to roll out forward-looking policy framework
New monetary policy operating framework will look to smooth the yield curve and improve communication with external stakeholders
The pursuit of ‘fintecgrity’
Digital currencies, distributed ledgers and deep learning are set to transform the financial economy. How can regulators maintain integrity at the confluence of finance and technology?