Financial services

• Central Bank Digital Currencies: A Framework for Assessing Why and How

  Staff Discussion Paper 2016-22 Ben Fung, Hanna Halaburda

  Digital currencies have attracted strong interest in recent years and have the potential to become widely adopted for use in making payments. Public authorities and central banks around the world are closely monitoring developments in digital currencies and studying their implications for the economy, the financial system and central banks.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial services, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42

• Are Counterparty Arrangements in Reinsurance a Threat to Financial Stability?

  Staff Working Paper 2016-39 Matt Davison, Darrell Leadbetter, Bin Lu, Jane Voll

  Interconnectedness among insurers and reinsurers at a global level is not well understood and may pose a significant risk to the sector, with implications for the macroeconomy. Models of the complex interactions among reinsurers and with other participants in the financial system and the real economy are at a very early stage of development.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): C, C6, C63, G, G1, G10, G15, G18, G2, G22, G28

• Financial Inclusion—What’s it Worth?

  Staff Working Paper 2016-30 Miguel Ampudia, Michael Ehrmann

  The paper studies the determinants of being unbanked in the euro area and the United States as well as the effects of being unbanked on wealth accumulation. Based on household-level data from The Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey and the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finances, it first documents that there are, respectively, 3.6 per cent and 7.5 per cent of unbanked households in the two economies.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies, Housing JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, G, G2, G21, G28
• June 17, 2016

  Fintech and the Financial Ecosystem: Evolution or Revolution?

  Remarks Carolyn A. Wilkins Payments Canada Calgary, Alberta

  Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins calls for the public and private sectors to work closely together to realize fintech’s full benefits and minimize its risks.

  Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Financial services, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems

• Clearing and Settlement Systems from Around the World: A Qualitative Analysis

  Staff Discussion Paper 2016-14 Michael Tompkins, Ariel Olivares

  As Canada continues to engage in a dialogue to develop the approach to modernizing its core payment systems, we analyze the core payment systems that exist in countries around the world. We study payment systems in 27 jurisdictions, encompassing a broad range of geographic regions, through three levels of analysis.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, L, L1, L14, L15, L5, L52

• A Bitcoin Standard: Lessons from the Gold Standard

  Staff Working Paper 2016-14 Warren E. Weber

  This paper imagines a world in which countries are on the Bitcoin standard, a monetary system in which all media of exchange are Bitcoin or are backed by it. The paper explores the similarities and differences between the Bitcoin standard and the gold standard and describes the media of exchange that would exist under the Bitcoin standard.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Exchange rates, Financial services, Inflation and prices JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42, E5, E58