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US Banks Can Now Hold Reserves for Stablecoin Issuers, Says Federal Banking Regulator
22.9.2020
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Monday published a letter clarifying that national banks and federal savings associations can now hold reserves for stablecoin issuers in the country. According to the OCC’s interpretive letter, reserve accounts can either be funded...
Argentina’s Peso Plunges After Central Bank Tightens Foreign Exchange Controls: Citizens Discuss Bitcoin Adoption
18.9.2020
The Argentine peso plunged by more than 10% shortly after the country’s central bank announced measures to tighten controls on the movement of foreign currency. The peso, which is officially pegged at 72 for every USD, touched new lows of 145 to the greenback on the black market. The latest...
Swiss Savers View Cryptocurrencies as Option, Now That Bank Accounts Don’t Save Them From Inflation
20.2.2020
Cryptocurrencies are gradually becoming a viable alternative for savers in Switzerland, according to a new poll. The Alpine nation’s crypto-friendly business climate and increasing regulatory clarity makes them a relatively easy addition to investors’ portfolios. Many Swiss people...
The Country With Europe’s Highest Interest Rate Has Cut It 5 Times This Year
14.12.2019
Around half of European countries, over 20, now have 0% interest rates and a few are already in negative territory. Ukraine, which has the highest benchmark interest rate on the continent, has just reduced it again, for the fifth time this year. The race between central banks to cut rates, when...
ECB Nominee Blames Resistance to Negative Rates on Financial Illiteracy
5.12.2019
European Central Bank (ECB) executive board nominee and member of the German Council of Economic Experts, Isabel Schnabel, recently remarked at a European Parliament hearing that “This scapegoating [of the ECB] is extremely dangerous: it may damage the trust in the euro.” Schnabel...
Initiative to Curtail Negative Interest Rates Gains Traction in Germany
24.8.2019
Negative interest rates, a common occurrence in Europe these days, are unpleasant for both banks and clients. And financial institutions have been increasingly transferring the bulk of the burden on to their customers. Some political factions in Germany, however, aren’t happy with the trend...
Passing the Burden of Negative Rates to Bank Clients Opens Door for Cryptocurrencies
17.8.2019
Record low and negative interest rates have put commercial banks in a difficult spot. Across Europe, they have been passing the burden to their clients. Some have introduced fees for those with large account balances, while others are punishing everybody equally. In any case, some bankers fear this...