Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Tuesday Morning 10-22-24

Oct 22

Good Morning Dinar Recaps,

G20 REPORT ON TOKENIZATION OUTLINES HOW CENTRAL BANKS LIKELY TO ENGAGE

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has been pretty supportive of tokenization, promoting the idea of the Unified Ledger where tokenized assets can be settled with tokenized money.

Today the BIS and Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) released a report for the G20 which takes an upbeat but sober view on tokenization, highlighting both the opportunities and the risks, as well as the role of central banks.

On the opportunity front, the stand out benefit is seen as the ability for a single platform to support functions that have been traditionally split (such as pre and post trade) as well as multiple types of assets and different parties.

That reduces many frictions and costs, enabling transactions that previously weren’t possible. Plus the support for delivery versus payment (simultaneous exchange of the asset and money) helps with risk reduction.

It also steps through many potential risks beyond the conventional ones. In the early stages, as tokenization matures, there is some legal uncertainty as regulations get clarified.

The paper raised an interesting legal risk: In the United States, if a company goes bankrupt, its assets are frozen. However, that’s not the case regarding repurchase agreements (repos), which usually involve a company providing collateral in exchange for cash. The BIS notes that this advantage “may not extend to tokenised versions of repo transactions.”

Meanwhile, the authors highlight that more complex platforms which support multiple issuers and assets are likely to be more expensive to build. On the other hand, it’s less expensive to develop a single issuer or asset platform, but more likely to create siloed data which defeats the object of tokenization.

The role of central bankers
This potential proliferation of siloed systems and fragmentation highlights the need for central banks. Central banks can step in to coordinate efforts.

Plus, given the propensity for payments and network effects, there’s a risk that a lack of competition between tokens could result in a “winner takes most” situation. That could mean the benefits of tokenization translate to higher profits rather than lower costs for end users. Central banks want end users to benefit from the potential economies of scale that a large platform could enable.

A second consideration is the role of the central bank in providing central bank money for the settlement of tokenized assets. The paper considers various options, including integrating existing payment systems and providing tokenized central bank money (wholesale CBDC) on a central bank platform or third party platforms. While tokenized deposits are moving forward, the BIS is concerned about the potential proliferation of stablecoins for settlement.

Third, is the potential need to monitor these new platforms. They want to assess which ones fall into similar a classification to traditional Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs).

Finally, there’s the impact on monetary policy. For example, the use of tokenized deposits or a wholesale CBDC could change the balance between public and private money. If tokenization ends up fragmenting money, then this could affect the implementation of monetary policy.

The road ahead
“Tokenisation has significant potential to improve the safety and efficiency of the financial system,” Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS.

”Central banks along with the private sector must continue to explore novel technologies and develop solutions that are fit for purpose for the future financial system.

However, tokenisation also poses economic, legal and technical challenges that must be addressed if it is to fulfil its potential. The BIS is committed to exploring aspects of these challenges through its analysis and Innovation Hub projects in the years ahead.”

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Ledger Insights

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JAPAN'S DPP LEADER PLEDGES 20% TAX CAP ON CRYPTO GAINS IN POLICY PITCH FOR UPCOMING ELECTION

▪️The leader of Japan’s Democratic Party for the People has included the reduction of taxes on crypto gains as part of the party’s policy statement.

▪️Japan currently imposes taxes of up to 55% on crypto gains as cryptocurrency is classified as miscellaneous income.

Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of Japan’s Democratic Party for the People (DPP), has proposed a plan to reduce the tax on crypto gains to 20% as part of his policy statement for the upcoming general election.

“If you believe that cryptocurrency should be taxed at a flat 20% rate, instead of being treated as miscellaneous income, please vote for the Democratic Party for the People. We also propose no taxes on cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency exchanges,” Tamaki wrote on X on Sunday.

In a policy statement, the party suggests a 20% separate self-assessed tax and proposes exempting taxes on cryptocurrency exchanges, raising the leverage limit from 2x to 10x, and introducing crypto ETFs. Tamaki also wrote in an X post in July that Japan should “aim to become a major cryptocurrency nation through deregulation and tax reform.”

“With the leverage ratio for retail investors limited to 2x, there is little incentive for speculators to enter the market,” Daiki Moriyama, director of Japan- and Singapore-based gaming blockchain builder Oasys, told The Block.

Japan currently imposes taxes of up to 55% on crypto gains, as cryptocurrency is classified as miscellaneous income. In December, the government approved a tax regime revision that seeks to exclude corporations from paying tax on unrealized crypto gains if they hold the assets longer-term.

“Cryptocurrency trading volumes in Japan remain extremely low,” Moriyama said. “Consequently, Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges, which rely mainly on trading fees as their primary source of revenue, are struggling to generate profits.”

Tamaki’s ambition to reform crypto taxes may still be far from becoming a reality. DPP currently holds seven seats in the House of Representatives, and Japan is set to hold a general election on Oct. 27 to fill its 465 lower house seats.

A survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper, showed that, in single-seat areas, the DPP may double its pre-election total of four seats. In the proportional representation category, DPP may increase its seats.

@ Newshounds News™