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Sanctioning a cryptocurrency protocol: What does that mean for Web3?
October 17, 2022--The US OFAC has recently sanctioned a cryptocurrency "mixer" for alleged use in money-laundering.
It is the first time the OFAC has sanctioned a software protocol, rather than an individual or legal entity.
The decision has implications for the development of Web3.
In August 2022, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury Department sanctioned a cryptocurrency "mixer"-programmes used to increase the anonymity of crypto transactions-for its alleged use in money-laundering. It also blacklisted a number of Ethereum addresses associated with the protocol. The sanctioning and the corresponding response by affected actors stirred up intense debate in cryptocurrency circles and beyond about how permissionless protocols should be regulated.
What are the OFAC sanctions?
The OFAC administers trade and economic sanctions on countries and persons (both natural and legal) involved in activities that threaten the security or financial stability of the US- such as terrorism, drug trafficking and money-laundering. < href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/cryptocurrency-regulation-sanctions-web3/" TARGET="_blank">view more
IMF-How Countries Should Respond to the Strong Dollar
October 14, 2022--Policy responses to currency depreciation pressures should focus on the drivers of the exchange-rate moves and signs of market disruptions
The dollar is at its highest level since 2000, having appreciated 22 percent against the yen, 13 percent against the Euro and 6 percent against emerging market currencies since the start of this year.
Such a sharp strengthening of the dollar in a matter of months has sizable macroeconomic implications for almost all countries, given the dominance of the dollar in international trade and finance.
While the US share in world merchandise exports has declined from 12 percent to 8 percent since 2000, the dollar's share in world exports has held around 40 percent. For many countries fighting to bring down inflation, the weakening of their currencies relative to the dollar has made the fight harder. On average, the estimated pass-through of a 10 percent dollar appreciation into inflation is 1 percent. Such pressures are especially acute in emerging markets, reflecting their higher import dependency and greater share of dollar-invoiced imports compared with advanced economies.
The Solar System Isn't Ready to Deal With Humanity's Garbage
October 14, 2022--We're already dumping a ton of trash on Mars-and we haven't even set foot on it yet.
The next time you see a shooting star, there's a small chance it's complete garbage. That's not a knock on any meteors or comets out there.
It's the truth. To deal with trash that piles up on the International Space Station, astronauts put them into big cargo bins and jettison them back into Earth's atmosphere where it all burns up in a blaze of glory.
It's not the most eco-friendly system for taking the space trash out, and it raises questions about what kind of impact we're creating by adding waste and gasses into an already strained atmosphere on Earth. But it's the only one we have right now.
BlackRock assets fall below $8 tln, profit beats on strong ETF demand
October 13, 2022--BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) posted a smaller-than-expected drop in quarterly profit on Thursday as strong demand for exchange-traded funds and other low-risk products cushioned the hit to fee income from a global market rout, but its assets under management fell below expectations.
The threat of a recession, surging interest rates and the Ukraine crisis have slammed both bonds and stocks this year, keeping investors on the back foot in a blow to businesses such as BlackRock. Global market uncertainty has increased in recent weeks as the U.K. government's fiscal plans toppled British markets into chaos; BlackRock's clients have significant exposure in pension vehicles at the center of the drama.
IOSCO issues regulatory measures to address increasing risks and challenges from digitalisation of retail marketing and distribution
October 12, 2020--The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) today published measures that members should consider when determining their policy and enforcement approaches to retail online offerings and marketing.
The measures outlined in the Final Report on Retail Distribution and Digitalisation aim to assist IOSCO members in adapting their regulatory and enforcement approaches, consistent with their legal and regulatory frameworks, to meet the growing challenges posed by rapidly evolving digitalisation and online activities.
IMF-Staff Discussion Note-The Return to Fiscal Rules
October 11,2022--Summary:
Summary:
Governments face difficult policy trade-offs with record debt levels,tightening monetary policies,and urgent demands,including food and energy crises,the climate agenda,and population aging. Governments need to communicate fiscal plans to reduce debt sustainability risks and promote consistent macroeconomic policies.
Many envisage a return to fiscal rules that had been suspended during the pandemic to strengthen credibility. This situation offers an opportunity to rethink fiscal rules and determine how governments can make fiscal policy more agile,including in responding to crises,without undermining fiscal sustainability.
A risk-based medium-term fiscal framework that combines standards,rules,and strengthened institutions would strike a better balance between flexibility and credibility.
IMF-Global Financial Stability Report, October 2022: Navigating the High-Inflation Environment
October 11, 2022--Summary:
Global financial stability risks have increased amid a series of cascading shocks. Chapter 1 analyzes the policy response of central banks to high inflation,the risks of a disorderly tightening of financial conditions,and debt distress among emerging and frontier markets. Markets have been extremely volatile,and a deterioration in market liquidity appears to have amplified price moves. In Europe,the energy crisis is contributing to a worsening outlook.
In China,the property sector remains a key source of vulnerability. Chapter 2 examines how to narrow the climate financing gap in emerging market and developing economies. Climate policies,including carbon pricing,climate disclosures,and transition taxonomies,are crucial for enabling private climate finance. Innovative financial instruments can help to scale up private climate finance,but the public sector-ncluding multilateral development banks-will have to play a key supporting role. Chapter 3 analyzes the contributions of open-end investment funds to fragilities in asset markets. Open-end investment funds play a key role in financial markets,but those offering daily redemptions while holding illiquid assets can amplify the effects of adverse shocks by raising the likelihood of investor runs and asset fire sales. This contributes to volatility in asset markets and potentially threatens financial stability.
IMF-World Economic Outlook Report October 2022-Countering the Cost-of-Living Crisis
October 11, 2022--Inflation and uncertainty
Global economic activity is experiencing a broad-based and sharper-than-expected slowdown, with inflation higher than seen in several decades. The cost-of-living crisis, tightening financial conditions in most regions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic all weigh heavily on the outlook. Global growth is forecast to slow from 6.0 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023.
This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Global inflation is forecast to rise from 4.7 percent in 2021 to 8.8 percent in 2022 but to decline to 6.5 percent in 2023 and to 4.1 percent by 2024. Monetary policy should stay the course to restore price stability, and fiscal policy should aim to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures while maintaining a sufficiently tight stance aligned with monetary policy. Structural reforms can further support the fight against inflation by improving productivity and easing supply constraints, while multilateral cooperation is necessary for fast-tracking the green energy transition and preventing fragmentation.
ETFs, asset managers at risk from sudden sales over coronavirus: IMF official
October 11, 2022--Any sudden decision by investors to sell shares in credit-focused asset managers and exchange traded funds (ETFs) over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak could put pressure on the managers to sell their riskier assets quickly, the director of IMF Monetary and Capital Markets said on Wednesday.
Investors have been growing increasingly worried that the spread of coronavirus could hit U.S. corporate cash flow if the expanding health crisis keeps workers at home or prevents companies from paying employees.
Demand for ESG investments outstrips supply, PwC finds
October 11, 2022--Cost of compliance could be one factor holding back development of new products, studies suggest
Demand for sustainable investments is outstripping supply, new research suggests, in contrast to reports of a growing backlash against investing according to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
A new study by PwC found that nearly nine in 10 institutional investors believe that asset managers should be more proactive in developing new ESG products. However, fewer than half of asset managers (45 per cent) were planning to launch new ESG funds.
