Good Morning Dinar Recaps,

CROSS BORDER PAYMENTS: CITI SPOTLIGHTS DLT. FSB REPORTS ON G20 PROGRESS

During the past week Citi and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) have published separate reports on cross border payments. 

Both papers explore G20 targets for improving cross border payments. Unfortunately, 2024 speed figures were worse than 2023 for wholesale, retail and remittance payments, largely reflecting more accurate data.

Citi’s report highlights that fintechs expect to gain 10% in market share from banks in the next two to five years. Its survey shows that DLT is one tool to address the pain points, but more in the medium term.

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BRICS+ EXPANDS PLANS FROM DLT PAYMENTS TO DLT CLEARING AND DEPOSITARY

Following this week’s BRICS+ meetings in Kazan, Russia, the group published a 136-page statement, with a small part of it touching on payments (see below). Plans for a new cross border payment system, BRICS Bridge, have been discussed for some time. Additionally, Russia is now pushing for a BRICS-based securities system to provide clearing and a depositary, reportedly also DLT-based.

In January BRICS expanded its membership from the original five members — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — with the addition of Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt. While Saudi Arabia was expected to be one of the new joiners, it has not officially signed up. Instead, it is a BRICS ‘partner’.

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RIPPLE SUBMITS FORM C IN SEC CASE, HIGHLIGHTING 4 KEY ISSUES: DETAILS

The appeal focuses on specific legal questions rather than a sweeping examination of the regulatory classification of cryptocurrencies.

Ripple Labs has stepped up its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after filing its Civil Appeal Pre-Argument Statement, also known as Form C.

The filing comes only days after the SEC entered a last-minute appeal against several parts of a 2023 judgment which found that Ripple’s programmatic sales of its native XRP token to retail investors did not break U.S. securities laws.

Good Evening Dinar Recaps,

SEC OUTLINES CRITERIA FOR SAB 121 DIGITAL ASSET CUSTODY EXEMPTIONS

More than two years ago, the SEC published accounting guidance, SAB 121, regarding how listed companies should disclose crypto-assets held on behalf of clients, requiring the assets to be counted on the balance sheet. This particularly affects banks because regulations on capital requirements are based on the contents of the balance sheet.

After both the House and Senate voted to overturn SAB 121, President Biden used his veto so that SAB 121 still stands. However, there has been some softening in the SEC’s stance, with the world’s largest custodian BNY receiving a specific exemption to custody assets for a crypto ETF. However, BNY and other banks have to apply for exemptions on a case by case basis.

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INTERVIEW WITH CARDANO’S CHARLES HOSKINSON: FOUNDER DISCUSSES RECENT ETHEREUM REMARKS AND INVOLVEMENT WITH ARGENTINA

▪️Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson has clarified his earlier remark on Ethereum and Vitalik Buterin as he projects Bitcoin to reach between $200k and $300k by next year.

▪️According to him, Argentina’s attraction to several crypto projects stems from the desire to find an alternative to the local currency. 

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TOKENIZATION: BIS INNOVATION HEAD SAYS PRIVATE SECTOR NEEDS TO EMBRACE CHANGE

The BIS Innovation Hub lead, Cecilia Skingsley spoke about the need for the current financial industry to embrace change. It’s one thing if there’s a department exploring the possibilities of tokenization, but if the C-suite is happy with the way things currently work because they’re making money, that inhibits progress.

“Because the financial infrastructures of today, they are not going to be fit for tomorrow,” she said, talking during the Institute of International Finance (IIF) annual meeting.

Good Evening Dinar Recaps,

WHY IOTA’S SUPPLY INCREASE ISN’T A THREAT: INFLATION AND ECOSYSTEM GROWTH KEY

▪️Since IOTA increased the token supply last year to 4.6 billion—up from an initial 2.79 billion—there have been concerns that this has suppressed its price.

▪️However, one ecosystem member says the increase was in line with the broader inflation, other major tokens experienced similar figures, and it’s the ecosystem growth that ultimately matters.

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BRICS NEWS: IRANIAN AMBASSADOR URGES BRICS TO DEVELOP A BANKING SYSTEM FREE FROM WESTERN STANDARDS

▪️At BRICS, the Iranian Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, criticized existing Western financial standards for disproportionately benefiting Western nations while harming developing countries.

▪️As the BRICS nations convene in Kazan from October 22 to 24, discussions will focus on enhancing cooperation and financial independence.

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11 COUNTRIES MIGHT JOIN BRICS IN 2024 AS ‘ASSOCIATED PARTNERS’

BRICS turned from the de-facto five-member alliance to a nine-member bloc after the expansion in 2023. It could have been an 11-member grouping if Saudi Arabia and Argentina had accepted the invitation last year. The 16th summit is being held in the Kazan region of Russia and all the nine countries will decide the future of the grouping.

Topics about de-dollarization, new trade deals, usage of local currencies for cross-border transactions, and BRICS expansion will be decided at the 2024 summit. 

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BRICS DE-DOLLARIZATION BEGINS: 40 COUNTRIES TO ATTEND 2024 SUMMIT

The de-dollarization initiative is no longer confined to BRICS as other emerging economies are participating in the discussions at the 2024 summit.

The outreach session will be conducted on the last day of the summit on October 24, 2024. Topics such as de-dollarization, new trade policies, and the usage of local currencies will take center stage. The nine-member alliance will meet for the first time at the table for discussions after the expansion last year.

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30M METAMASK USERS CAN NOW ACCESS XRP LEDGER

Blockchain firm Peersyst Technology has launched an XRP Ledger (XRPL) Snap, which will allow over 30 million Metamask users access to the blockchain.

The software firm announced on Monday that Metamask users can now access the XRPL network and harness its properties through the self-custody wallet. Peersyst noted that the latest addition offers users the same functionality available on the XRPL mainnet and testnet.

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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.

Good Evening Dinar Recaps,

XRP NEWS: WHO IS THE SEC PROTECTING IN THE RIPPLE LAWSUIT?

In a recent interview, James Murphy, known as Metalawman, discussed the ongoing lawsuit involving the SEC and Ripple. He answered an important question: who exactly is the SEC defending in this case?

On The Good Morning Crypto Show, he was questioned whether the SEC is claiming to protect regular retail investors by targeting Ripple or if they are actually looking out for the institutional investors who got in early and profited significantly since 2014.