Central Bank Financial News

The Group of Seven (G7) organization aims to help developing countries introduce central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in line with international standards. 

The largest economy in Africa has a foreign investment problem despite the exponential growth in crypto adoption.

More Americans are unable to pay their credit card bills in full at the end of the month, with 46% of credit cardholders carrying month-to-month debt, up from 39% in 2022. A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York highlighted how the current 15% year-to-year credit card balance increase represents the largest jump in more than 20 years.

Bitcoin (BTC) might have shown strength after successfully defending the $28,000 support amid unfounded rumors regarding Binance, but an interesting development to note is BTC is becoming less correlated to traditional markets after the U.S. Federal Reserve elected to provide emergency liquidity to banks. 

Bitcoin's surprising fast exit from its «crypto winter» has once again put the notoriously volatile digital currency atop the leader-board in the first quarter for being the best-performing asset class by a wide margin. With a roughly 70% gain, Bitcoin is closing out its best quarter since the three months ended March 2021, when it surged some 103%, Bloomberg data show. That vastly outstrips the S&P 500's 5.5% year-to-date advance, the Nasdaq 100's 19% uptick and the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF's 5.3% jump. Long-time participants note that volatility is expected — and is even part of the attraction to investors in the relatively embryonic asset class. Bitcoin burst onto the mainstream consciousness with a more-than 1,000% annual gain in 2017, only to post a 74% drop the following year in what became known as a crypto winter. Then after three consecutive annual increases, it tumbled 64% last year amid a series of industry scandals and bankruptcies. «For many crypto market observers, it's not at all a surprise,» said Noelle Acheson, author of the «Crypto Is Macro Now» newsletter, of this year's rally. «All the signs were pointing to a strong price floor starting last November, and it was just a matter of time before either the liquidity narrative changed (which it did in early January) or longer-term investors saw a store-of-value opportunity (which seems to have also happened).»

Since May 2022, the Bitcoin (BTC) margin markets on the Bitfinex exchange have been plagued by an unusually high open interest of over $2.7 billion. This information alone should raise a red flag, especially in light of Bitcoin's price decline from $39,000 to less than $25,000 during the same period.

NEW DELHI: Minister of State for IT and Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said that cryptocurrency presents a “legitimate” case of macro economic risks, and there is a need for it to be regulated. “… it is a very legit case that crypto represents macro economic risks. It represents many other types of risks. FTX and other cases reaffirm that crypto is not business as usual and crypto is not innovation,” Chandrasekhar said while speaking at the Times Network’s India Digital Fest. The Minister said that countries and central banks around world are grappling with the problems around crypto “In India, crypto is not illegal if you buy them through legitimate channels of LRS (Liberalised Remittances Scheme) which are RBI approved dispensation on foreign exchange. It is your choice to lose money or make money, and the government does not get in the business of where you invest in and what you not invest in. But we certainly have the obligation to explain to the Indian citizens that you can’t exchange rupee for crypto… RBI is very clear on this… (and) we should respect their views on how they chart out the crypto course and crypto roadmap. They have said CBDC (central bank digital currency) is the route, and I have no problem with that. It is the best way to do that without creating any downside risk to the economy.” Did you Know?SAP has launched a new ente

The European Banking Federation (EBF) has released a paper detailing its vision for the digital money ecosystem of the future, and the retail digital euro in particular. The carefully worded paper expressed values and concerns about the digital euro from the perspective of commercial banks. 

Bitcoin (BTC) enters the last week of March in uncertain territory as a strong weekly close still keeps $30,000 out of reach.

The United States Federal Reserve released an 86-page report on March 24 detailing the reasons for denying Custodia Bank's application for membership in January, including the bank's involvement in the crypto space. 

Emerging central bank digital currency (CBDC) cross-border transaction technology could transform the global economy by providing faster, cheaper and safer services for many of its players. But banks may not fare as well in that new economy, Moody’s Investor Service said in a report dated March 21.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) is inching closer to fully launching its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the 'Digital Dirham', for domestic and cross-border payments.

The infamously volatile cryptocurrency seems positively hale and hearty, just as a banking meltdown drives markets into the arms of a recession. Bitcoin has risen 21% this month, while a choppy S&P 500 has lost 1.4% and gold has gained 8%. «If you were going to describe an environment where there were successive bank runs because central banks are trying to fight inflation with fast rate increases, that is pretty close to as spot-on a thesis for owning bitcoin as you've ever heard,» said Stephane Ouellette, CEO at digital asset investment platform FRNT Financial.

cryptocurrency markets were trading marginally lower today. Bitcoin (BTC) was below the $27,800 level, whereas Ethereum (ETH) was below the $1,750 level. Meanwhile, the global cryptocurrency market cap was trading lower around $1.15 trillion, falling 0.64% in the last 24 hours. «Most cryptocurrencies slipped late Monday as investors await Wednesday's US central bank's next interest rate decision. Bitcoin traded above the $28,000 level on Monday after the US Federal Reserve announced it had teamed up with five other major central banks to ensure the flow of the US dollar. However, it has since decreased slightly and is trading at the US$27,800 level,» Edul Patel, Co-founder and CEO at Mudrex, said. Other top crypto tokens were also trading lower on Tuesday. As of 11.40 am, Litecoin was trading over 4% down, while Polkadot, Shiba Inu and Dogecoin slipped over 2%.

Nearly 18 months after launching its in-house central bank digital currency (CBDC), eNaira, Nigeria witnessed its massive adoption as national fiat reverses face severe shortages. 

Bitcoin climbed to a nine-month high on Monday as turmoil in the banking sector drives some investors to turn to digital assets, as the cryptocurrency built on its best week in four years. The biggest cryptocurrency rose as far as $28,567, its highest since mid-June, and was last up 0.9%, amid growing expectations that central banks would slow the pace of interest rate hikes. Bitcoin rose 26% last week, its best weekly gain since April 2019, and has soared some 40% in 10 days as turmoil in the banking sector rippled around the globe — culminating, so far, in UBS Group's takeover of rival Credit Suisse Group AG over the weekend. Traditional assets such as banking stocks and bonds plummeted on Monday after UBS sealed its state-backed takeover of Credit Suisse, a deal orchestrated in an attempt to restore confidence in a battered sector.

The collapses of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank have left many people in disbelief, with skeptics questioning the stability of the traditional financial system. 

Bitcoin reaching levels not seen in about nine months. The largest digital asset topped $28,000 for the first time since June 2022, trading for as much as $28,258 on Sunday. Since the start of the year, Bitcoin’s price has risen almost 70%. Other digital assets rallied as well — with Ethereum up about 17% since the start of last week and so-called altcoins like Solana and Cardano advancing, too. Traders waded high levels of uncertainty last week in markets. US two-year yields fluctuated wildly, and the Cboe Volatility Index, the so-called fear gauge also known as the VIX, spiked above 30. But Bitcoin kept steadfast — and straight up. “Bitcoin is correlated with liquidity conditions and real rates. Real rates have declined, liquidity conditions have expanded, and it looks as if we’re entering a new regime,” said Ilan Solot, co-head of digital assets at Marex.

The United States Federal Reserve has announced a coordinated effort with five other central banks aimed at keeping the U.S. dollar flowing amid a series of banking blowups in the U.S. and in Europe.

The perfect mix of losses, uninsured leverage and a greater loan portfolio, among other factors, resulted in the fall of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Comparing SVB’s situation with other players revealed that nearly 190 banks operating in the United States are at potential risk of a run.

Global economic conditions are tightening; interest rates are in flux; and inflation has yet to be curbed. Considering the economic headwinds, the fact that Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and other banks are breaking is not surprising.