Europe

Crypto in Europe: Economist breaks down MiCA and future of stablecoins

A principal economist of the European Commission shares his views on stablecoins and the future of regulations in Europe.

In October 2022, the European Union finalized the text of its regulatory framework called Markets in Crypto-Assets or MiCA. The final vote on the new regulation is scheduled for April 19, 2023, meaning the days of an unregulated crypto market in the EU may soon be over. The MiCA regulations introduce clear guidelines for handling cryptocurrencies and consumer protection, and divide crypto assets into different sectors, each subject to specific rules.

The European Commission — the executive branch of the EU responsible for proposing new laws — first proposed the far-reaching regulations in 2020. The MiCA would apply to crypto service providers and issuers of digital assets in 27 EU member countries. By proposing to regulate crypto assets, the European Commission has taken a bold step, displaying the capacity and will to address complex issues creatively.

Joachim Schwerin is the principal economist at the Digital Transformation of Industry unit within the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).

Schwerin is responsible for policy development regarding various aspects of token creation, its distribution and regulation (token economy), and the economic applications of distributed ledger technologies.

In 2020, Schwerin coordinated DG GROW’s input into the EU’s Digital Finance Strategy, including MiCA. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Schwerin shared his views on the importance of MiCA, the role of stablecoins, and why he hasn’t ever questioned the merits of blockchain and crypto, even in the wake of Terra’s collapse or the FTX crash.

“We want to develop and promote, not slow down”

With MiCA, the European Commission has adopted a regulatory framework that should minimize the negative consequences of incidents like the insolvencies of FTX and BlockFi in the future. The law was not in force at the time of the FTX case, but Schwerin hopes it will come as soon as possible, saying this should “clearly underpin the precautionary principle.”

“We promote the crypto sector and want to support its organic, market-driven development. The many positive opportunities should be recognized and used. It is like in sports here: Defending can make sense in certain phases of the game, but mostly defending means that a team is too bad to take the game into its own hands. We want to develop and promote, not slow down.”

For Schwerin, FTX was a typical case of an emerging and relatively unregulated industry finding its footing and developing its products and services. Indeed, he stated incidents like FTX and Terra’s collapse provided a chance for the cryptocurrency community to rally, condemn illicit behaviors and work to rebuild the industry’s reputation.

The crypto community is now focusing even more on better rule-setting and compliance in regulated or soon-to-be-regulated environments. It’s also looking more at truly decentralized mechanisms to reduce the potential for error by empowered individuals, Schwering added.

“All of this is positive and does not change the narrative of crypto as a success story with much more future potential.”

Blockchain as a philosophy

Schwerin sees the benefit of blockchain technology primarily in applications for the real economy. He said that Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies are “nice and fascinating with lasting significance,” but these are private concepts and “we don’t need to spend public resources on them.”

Schwerin is confident that the benefits for small businesses and the general population must be evident if the government will tackle something with public resources. And this is precisely the potential that blockchain has:

“That’s why, from the beginning, we didn’t see blockchain primarily as a technology but as a philosophy. [We saw it] as something that enables a true form of decentralization that creates trust; trustworthy technology that also opens up market opportunities for small businesses worldwide and allows many people with the same interests — but who don’t know each other — to come together digitally in the real world and develop projects.”

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The European Commission had this understanding of blockchain technology in mind when discussing dubious initial coin offerings from 2017 to 2018, or that money laundering was supposedly easier with crypto.

But European regulators understood that blockchain technology’s nature — thanks to its transparency and traceability — makes it much easier to track crypto transactions, and distinguish between regular and illicit activities on-chain.

According to Schwerin, financial crime related to cryptocurrencies is much lower than in traditional forms of finance.

“That is why we did not depend on any examples of criminality or the Terra case, just as we did not depend on FTX or any next case of that sort, but we were and are 100% convinced of the technology. We got involved with it early on, and because of that, we had already learned so much by then that we were in a position to work on the MiCA regulation in record time.”

But what about stablecoins?

After the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, the European Central Bank (ECB) issued a report claiming that stablecoins posed a threat to financial stability, but Schwerin does not share this view.

According to him, society needs stablecoins in many different forms because they have important functions within the crypto space, like cushioning price fluctuations and facilitating transactions; this is why the European Commission has allowed stablecoins in principle in the MiCA regulation.

“We have not banned anything, but we have developed basic rules for private stablecoin issuers that we think are reasonable. For example, they must have appropriate minimum liquidity as a reserve”.

Regarding Terra, Schwerin sees the whole thing as a learning process, saying, “The next similar project will simply be better because people have already had this experience. It is a natural evolution of innovation.”

Despite this, there are doubts about whether stablecoins will find a home in the EU. The largest stablecoins — Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) — are pegged to the United States dollar, with Circle’s euro-pegged stablecoin also issued outside the eurozone. When MiCA comes into force, should we expect more euro stablecoins?

Schwerin hasn’t ruled out the emergence of new euro stablecoins in the EU, but he isn’t expectant either. He says that the macroeconomic context, geopolitics, monetary policy and the euro are simply not moving in that direction.

The MiCA alone is unlikely to significantly increase the number of euro-denominated stablecoins in the euro area, Schwerin stated. “However, MiCA could help us to become more open to stablecoins as a whole.”

When asked whether MiCA could become a ground-breaking global regulatory standard, Schwerin said he sees great interest from other countries, especially the United States. In his view, MiCA is a particularly good example of a regulatory approach that is both innovative and liberal for global regulation of the financial sector.

“However, even though MiCA is ready, we have to be aware of the pace of innovation in the crypto sector and the new challenges it will bring. It was, is and continues to be a long process of learning.”

The views expressed in this interview are those of Schwerin personally and do not reflect or represent the official position of the European Commission.

First of many? How Italy’s ChatGPT ban could trigger a wave of AI regulation

A data breach and a lack of transparency led Italy to ban ChatGPT, the popular AI-powered chatbot, sparking a debate on the future of AI regulation and innovation.

Italy has recently made headlines by becoming the first Western country to ban the popular artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot ChatGPT.

The Italian Data Protection Authority (IDPA) ordered OpenAI, the United States-based company behind ChatGPT, to stop processing Italian users’ data until it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union’s user privacy law.

The IDPA cited concerns about a data breach that exposed user conversations and payment information, the lack of transparency, and the legal basis for collecting and using personal data to train the chatbot.

The decision has sparked a debate about the implications of AI regulation for innovation, privacy and ethics. Italy’s move was widely criticized, with its Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini saying it was “disproportionate” and hypocritical, as dozens of AI-based services like Bing’s chat are still operating in the country.

Salvini said the ban could harm national business and innovation, arguing that every technological revolution brings “great changes, risks and opportunities.”

AI and privacy risks

While Italy’s outright ChatGPT ban was widely criticized on social media channels, some experts argued that the ban might be justified. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Aaron Rafferty, CEO of the decentralized autonomous organization StandardDAO, said the ban “may be justified if it poses unmanageable privacy risks.”

Rafferty added that addressing broader AI privacy challenges, such as data handling and transparency, could “be more effective than focusing on a single AI system.” The move, he argued, puts Italy and its citizens “at a deficit in the AI arms race,” which is something “that the U.S. is currently struggling with as well.”

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Vincent Peters, a Starlink alumnus and founder of nonfungible tokens project Inheritance Art, said that the ban was justified, pointing out that GDPR is a “comprehensive set of regulations in place to help protect consumer data and personally identifiable information.”

Peters, who led Starlink’s GDPR compliance effort as it rolled out across the continent, commented that European countries who adhere to the privacy law take it seriously, meaning that OpenAI must be able to articulate or demonstrate how personal information is and isn’t being used. Nevertheless, he agreed with Salvini, stating:

“Just as ChatGPT should not be singled out, it should also not be excluded from having to address the privacy issues that almost every online service needs to address.”

Nicu Sebe, head of AI at artificial intelligence firm Humans.ai and a machine learning professor at the University of Trento in Italy, told Cointelegraph that there’s always a race between the development of technology and its correlated ethical and privacy aspects.

ChatGPT workflow. Source: OpenAI

Sebe said the race isn’t always synchronized, and in this case, technology is in the lead, although he believes the ethics and privacy aspects will soon catch up. For now, the ban was “understandable” so that “OpenAI can adjust to the local regulations regarding data management and privacy.”

The mismatch isn’t isolated to Italy. Other governments are developing their own rules for AI as the world approaches artificial general intelligence, a term used to describe an AI that can perform any intellectual task. The United Kingdom has announced plans for regulating AI, while the EU is seemingly taking a cautious stance through the Artificial Intelligence Act, which heavily restricts the use of AI in several critical areas like medical devices and autonomous vehicles.

Has a precedent been set?

Italy may not be the last country to ban ChatGPT. The IDPA’s decision to ban ChatGPT could set a precedent for other countries or regions to follow, which could have significant implications for global AI companies. StandardDAO’s Rafferty said:

“Italy’s decision could set a precedent for other countries or regions, but jurisdiction-specific factors will determine how they respond to AI-related privacy concerns. Overall, no country wants to be behind in the development potential of AI.”

Jake Maymar, vice president of innovation at augmented reality and virtual reality software provider The Glimpse Group, said the move will “establish a precedent by drawing attention to the challenges associated with AI and data policies, or the lack thereof.”

To Maymar, public discourse on these issues is a “step in the right direction, as a broader range of perspectives enhances our ability to comprehend the full scope of the impact.” Inheritance Art’s Peters agreed, saying that the move will set a precedent for other countries that fall under the GDPR.

For those who don’t enforce GDPR, it sets a “framework in which these countries should consider how OpenAI is handling and using consumer data.” Trento University’s Sebe believes the ban resulted from a discrepancy between Italian legislation regarding data management and what is “usually being permitted in the United States.”

Balancing innovation and privacy

It seems clear that players in the AI space need to change their approach, at least in the EU, to be able to provide services to users while staying on the regulators’ good side. But how can they balance the need for innovation with privacy and ethics concerns when developing their products?

This is not an easy question to answer, as there could be trade-offs and challenges involved in developing AI products that respect users’ rights.

Joaquin Capozzoli, CEO of Web3 gaming platform Mendax, said that a balance can be achieved by “incorporating robust data protection measures, conducting thorough ethical reviews, and engaging in open dialogue with users and regulators to address concerns proactively.”

StandardDAO’s Rafferty stated that instead of singling out ChatGPT, a comprehensive approach with “consistent standards and regulations for all AI technologies and broader social media technologies” is needed.

Balancing innovation and privacy involves “prioritizing transparency, user control, robust data protection and privacy-by-design principles.” Most companies should be “collaborating in some way with the government or providing open-source frameworks for participation and feedback,” said Rafferty.

Sebe noted the ongoing discussions on whether AI technology is harmful, including a recent open letter calling for a six-month stop in advancing the technology to allow for a deeper introspective analysis of its potential repercussions. The letter garnered over 20,000 signatures, including tech leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen — among many others.

The letter raises a valid concern to Sebe, but such a six-month stop is “unrealistic.” He added:

“To balance the need for innovation with privacy concerns, AI companies need to adopt more stringent data privacy policies and security measures, ensure transparency in data collection and usage, and obtain user consent for data collection and processing.”

The advancement of artificial intelligence has increased the capacity it has to gather and analyze significant quantities of personal data, he said, prompting concerns about privacy and surveillance. To him, companies have “an obligation to be transparent about their data collection and usage practices and to establish strong security measures to safeguard user data.”

Other ethical concerns to be considered include potential biases, accountability and transparency, Sebe said, as AI systems “have the potential to exacerbate and reinforce pre-existing societal prejudices, resulting in discriminatory treatment of specific groups.”

Mendax’s Capozzoli said the firm believes it’s the “collective responsibility of AI companies, users and regulators to work together to address ethical concerns, and create a framework that encourages innovation while safeguarding individual rights.”

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The Glimpse Group’s Maymar stated that AI systems like ChatGPT have “infinite potential and can be very destructive if misused.” For the firms behind such systems to balance everything out, they must be aware of similar technologies and analyze where they ran into issues and where they succeeded, he added.

Simulations and testing reveal holes in the system, according to Maymar; therefore, AI companies should seemingly strive for innovation, transparency and accountability.

They should proactively identify and address potential risks and impacts of their products on privacy, ethics and society. By doing so, they will likely be able to build trust and confidence among users and regulators, avoiding — and potentially reverting — the fate of ChatGPT in Italy.

Swiss court gives green light for FTX to sell its European arm

The approval of a petition in Switzerland allowing FTX Europe AG’s sale would be in accordance with U.S. bankruptcy court, where FTX’s global business filed for Chapter 11.

According to bankruptcy cryptocurrency exchange FTX, a court in Switzerland has approved a petition allowing the firm to potentially sell its European business.

In an April 12 announcement, FTX said a Swiss court granted a petition filed by the board of directors for FTX Europe AG regarding a moratorium proceeding. As part of the legal process, FTX’s European arm would be allowed to “facilitate the exploration of strategic alternatives, including the previously disclosed potential sale of its business” in accordance with United States bankruptcy court.

FTX Europe AG was part of FTX’s Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in November 2022. In March, the exchange’s European business launched a website allowing customers to submit withdrawal requests for the first time since the business declared bankruptcy.

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Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried will face criminal and civil cases in the U.S. for his alleged role in committing fraudulent activities at the crypto exchange. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges and his trial is expected to start in October.

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Europe’s digital ID wallet — Easy for users or a data privacy nightmare?

European Union lawmakers are planning an EU-wide digital identity wallet for access to essential services.

On March 15, the European Parliament voted 418 to 103 (with 24 abstentions) in favor of negotiating a mandate for talks with the European Union member states about revising the new European Digital Identity (eID) framework and creating the “European Digital Identity Wallet,” also known as EUDI Wallet or EU wallet. 

Citizen’s IDs, health cards, certificates and many other documents could soon be digitally stored in a smartphone application for EU citizens.

According to an official statement from the European Parliament, the system would allow citizens to identify and authenticate themselves online without relying on big commercial providers like Apple, Google, Amazon or Facebook.

The new eID framework will purportedly give EU citizens digital access to key public services across the EU. Citizens will remain in “full control of their data” and be able to “decide for themselves what information to share and with whom.”

European lawmakers have set an ambitious goal for this new wallet, aiming to bring it to 80% of the population by 2030. This could be achieved by mandating that the wallet be supported by e-government services and companies that have a legal requirement to identify their customers through Know Your Customer checks. It could require major online platforms like Google or Facebook to offer the EU wallet to log in to their services, with soft law and delegated acts that could require small and medium-sized enterprises to support the wallet.

Negotiations with the European Council on implementation would be the next step, but digital transformation and data protection experts have doubts and differing opinions about implementing the wallet.

Usability is the key to adoption

The EU wallet — like the current electronic ID cards in Germany and other European countries — will hardly be adopted by citizens in their daily lives if it doesn’t offer a good use case.

The challenge is to make it easier and more efficient for citizens to interact with public services and administrations, enabling authentication and verification processes, especially in the private sector.

According to Clemens Schleupner, policy officer of digital identity and trust services at Germany’s digital association Bitkom, the possibility of storing electronic IDs on a smartphone to use online as well as digitizing drivers’ licenses, health cards, passports, tickets, school reports, credit cards, membership certificates, etc., and combining them into one wallet could have mass market potential.

Applying for a bank loan with eID. Source: European Commission

The EUDI Wallet could make that happen; however, this will only succeed “if adoption among citizens in Europe is ensured through security and usability, relevance through a high number of possible uses and interoperability of different applications throughout Europe,” Schleupner told Cointelegraph.

Lack of usability and public awareness are also significant concerns for Christof Stein, spokesperson for Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI).

Stein told Cointelegraph that using proven technologies and trusted infrastructures with enforced IT security and data protection standards are crucial for citizens using the EU wallet.

Privacy is king

As the final rules are not yet known, it is too early to evaluate the EU wallet at this early stage of implementation. For citizens, it is important that the legal framework provides a data-saving solution that only lets organizations ask for user data when they need it.

According to Stein, it is critical that users are protected from tracking by wallet providers, and wallet providers must ensure that wallet data processing is in line with legal requirements.

“What is necessary is a central anchor of trust enabling the enforcement of rules for the protection of individuals. For example, the infrastructure must be designed so that all organizations participating in the system must register to ‘identify’ themselves to users.”

The previous proposal from the European Commission lacked essential privacy safeguards that would have enabled third parties to obtain data about user transactions, possibly allowing bad actors to exploit the system for identity theft or fraud.

According to Thomas Lohninger, executive director of data protection Austrian NGO epicenter.works, the European Parliament has drastically improved the law and adopted a good position in the first reading. He told Cointelegraph:

“It is unlikely that the Parliament will win 100% of the trialogue negotiations. But we hope that the Council and the Commission will realize that the success of the whole system depends on the privacy and trust that is built in. Only if it is the trusted and chosen tool of citizens for their most sensitive health, identity and financial data can the European Digital Identity Wallet be a success.”

The problem of “over-identification”

Lohninger also warned of “over-identification,” i.e., if everyone in the EU is obliged to always use the wallet, this could lead to a loss of anonymity and pseudonymity in everyday interactions.

BfDI’s Stein shared this view, arguing that there should be no general obligation to use the EUDI Wallet and that there should be alternatives.

The European Parliament appears to have heard these concerns, as one of the most important safeguards in the recently passed identity framework is a non-discrimination clause that “protects anyone who chooses not to use the EU wallet, whether it’s in access to government services, freedom of business or the labour market.”

In the European Parliament, all four committees adopted this safeguard with a cross-party consensus. Now this safeguard must survive the trialogue — negotiations with representatives from the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission.

What about zero-knowledge proofs?

As Cointelegraph reported, the EU’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee included a standard for zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) in its eID amendments.

This technology, which allows the selective disclosure of certain information — like revealing only one’s age, for example — could become a core function of the EU wallet, said Stein.

Epicenter.work’s Lohninger noted that ZK-proofs could provide “unlikability.” For example, someone could prove they are of age to someone else on different occasions without the latter party knowing the former is the same person.

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Although ZK-proofs allow personal data to be anonymized, Schleupner sees two challenges. First, ZK-proofs in their current application are “a new technology and vulnerabilities may arise if they are not implemented properly,” and second, “many use cases [of ZK-proofs] have not yet been conclusively evaluated.”

Before trusting the technology, EU regulators must ensure that ZK-proofs comply with privacy regulations and meet all specific requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The trialogue at the EU has much to consider before passing eID into a usable, safe and reliable tool for Europeans. How regulators balance these considerations could have profound implications for other formers of digital or blockchain-based ID.

Germany plans to issue electronic shares on blockchain, boost startups

Under the Future Finance Act, the German government is pushing for more welcoming regulations for startups working with financial innovation.

The German government is pushing for more welcoming regulations for startups working with financial innovation in the country, according to the newly drafted legislation of the “Future Finance Act” introduced by the finance ministry on April 5. 

Key goals of the legislation include capital markets digitalization through the issuance of electronic securities on a blockchain and improved portability of crypto assets. According to a translated version of the draft bill, Germany’s “capital market should become more modern and efficient in order to mobilize more private capital for future investments.”

Among the government’s targets is to create a favorable environment for startups and investors in the country. The legislation reduces the minimum market capital for initial public offerings (IPOs) from 1.25 million euros ($1.37 million) to 1 million euros ($1.1 million) and facilitates investments by institutional players in startups, small businesses, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).

According to local media reports, the new rules would apply to businesses employing up to 500 people and with revenues below 100 million euros ($109 million).

“We want to make Germany the leading location for startups and growth companies,” German finance minister Christian Lindner said in a statement. “That is why we are improving access to the capital market and making it easier to raise equity. Small and medium-sized companies will also benefit from this.” 

The government claims the move would make Germany more attractive to investors and promote a culture of stock market investments. “Startups, growth companies and small and medium-sized companies should have easier access to the capital market,” the minister said.

Germany is a member of the G7, a group of the world’s seven biggest democracies. Together, G7 members are working on tougher crypto regulations, which many in the industry believe could stymie innovation and growth. The G7’s new agenda is expected to be disclosed at its next meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, which is scheduled for May.

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Crypto firms need to be ‘supervisable,’ says ECB board member

“We need to put more thought into imagining what international coordination will look like and how it can be effective in regulating the crypto world,” said Elizabeth McCaul.

Elizabeth McCaul, a supervisory board member of the European Central Bank (ECB), has called for additional oversight of crypto firms operating in a borderless state outside typical attempts at supervision.

In an April 5 blog post, McCaul said there was currently no adequate regulatory or supervisory framework for crypto firms but that the collapse of the FTX exchange helped shed light on the problem. She called on policymakers to address potential gaps in existing frameworks that could lead to bank failures, citing the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States.

“In the crypto world, […] the very concept of borders and jurisdictions is being challenged,” said McCaul. “How can we supervise firms that have no physical borders? We need to put more thought into imagining what international coordination will look like and how it can be effective in regulating the crypto world.”

According to McCaul, a framework governing crypto proposed by the Financial Stability Board and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision was “very much in its infancy” and expected to go into effect in 2025. Pending laws, including the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, could effectively complement those from the BCBS in Europe but likely wouldn’t completely address supervision of crypto firms claiming no headquarters.

“Exchanges like FTX conduct their operations by leveraging a group structure, while MiCA applies only at the individual entity level. In my view, large players like FTX or Binance need a consolidated approach, even if this requires adjustments to existing legislation.”

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The ECB is currently investigating the potential impact of a digital euro on the European Union’s financial system, including policy issues and how the token could provide payment solutions for retail users. In January, ​​ECB executive board member Fabio Panetta addressed the European Parliament, outlining a plan for a digital euro to be used alongside cash in retail payments.

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European banks launch ‘sustainable’ blockchain platform for digital bonds

The platform makes the first use case of a so-called “Proof of Climate” blockchain protocol.

Two banks from Sweden and France announced the launch of a new digital bond platform built on blockchain technology. The platform will enable institutional clients to issue, trade and settle bonds digitally, providing a more efficient and secure process than traditional methods.

The platform is a joint project of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and Credit Agricole Bank, called “so|bond.“ According to the announcement from April 3, the blockchain network will be using a validation protocol, “Proof of Climate awaReness,” and minimizing its environmental footprint.

The Proof of Climate awaReness protocol is said to enable an energy consumption comparable to non-blockchain systems, and incentivize participating nodes to improve the environmental footprint of their infrastructures.

Each node will be remunerated according to a formula linked to its climate impact: the lower the environmental footprint, the larger the reward. So|bond would become the first use case for the protocol developed by the French-based IT provider Finaxys.

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Romaric Rolleti, head of innovation and digital transformation at Credit Agricole, said that the bond blockchain platform was part of a larger plan for the bank’s digital transformation:

“The platform’s innovative approach, both to the blockchain infrastructure and to the securities market, is coupled with the strong commitment to green and sustainable finance that is at the center of our Societal Project.”

The project joins many other efforts to explore the use of blockchain, smart contracts and the Internet of Things for a global environment cause. For example, in October 2022, the Bank for International Settlements, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the United Nations Climate Change Global Innovation Hub presented the results of their Genesis 2.0 initiative — two prototypes of tokenized green bonds.

European Banking Federation shares its vision of digital euro, wCBDC, bank tokens

The EBF calls itself the voice of the European banking sector; it expressed its support for European digital money, with suggestions of its own.

The European Banking Federation (EBF) has released a paper detailing its vision for the digital money ecosystem of the future, and the retail digital euro in particular. The carefully worded paper expressed values and concerns about the digital euro from the perspective of commercial banks. 

The paper, released on March 28, emphasized the bank’s values, such as stability and privacy. It called for closer public-private partnership in the introduction of the digital euro. “There is currently no dialogue in place to address the fundamental changes and risks to the monetary and financial system,” the paper said. At the same time, it stated that there needs to be a framework for permanent high-level engagement.

The EBF ecosystem vision emphasized the role of the private sector in all aspects, beginning with infrastructure, where Europe needs to lessen dependence on outside “actors.” That ecosystem would contain three elements: the digital euro, a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) and bank-issued money tokens.

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In the EBF vision, the digital euro should have three levels, with a European Central Bank role and two industry levels — the first to interact with the Single Euro Payments Area and an “Industry Level B” that “would be subsequently developed and operated by the private sector, in compliance with the principles set out in the previous layers.” Those principles have yet to be developed fully. The paper continued:

“The European market needs the authorities to clarify the interaction of different and converging policy objectives, especially when it comes to the development of pan-European payment solutions at the Point of Sale / Point of Interaction.”

The paper was careful to refer to blockchain technology only in reference to certain parts of its envisioned ecosystem. A wholesale CBDC, where interoperability is key to enabling cross-border transactions with central bank money, was assumed to operate on distributed ledger technology (DLT).

In addition, bank-issued money tokens had a crucial role in the EBF vision for “business needs such as automated industrial processes that run on DLT and use smart contracts.” These tokens apparently correspond to Industry Level B of the digital euro scheme. More standardization would be needed for these solutions as well, the paper noted.

The EBF represents 33 national banking associations and 3,500 individual banks.

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UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse brings some good and bad for crypto

Many in Switzerland have said that UBS’ takeover of Credit Suisse was necessary to avoid a calamitous banking crisis like that seen in 2008.

On Sunday, March 19, the 167-year history of banking giant Credit Suisse ended with a takeover by the largest Swiss bank, UBS. Under pressure from the Swiss government, UBS took over its ailing competitor for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion) — less than half the $8 billion market value of Credit Suisse just two days before, on Friday, March 17. 

A day later, on March 20, shares in Credit Suisse plunged more than 60% in European trading, with UBS down 9%.

To cover any losses UBS may incur in the deal, the Swiss government will provide $10 billion. The Swiss central bank will also make a $108 billion bankruptcy loan available to the banks.

Swiss publication, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, called the takeover the “biggest economic earthquake in Switzerland since the rescue of UBS in 2008 and the grounding of Swissair in 2001.” A rescue should prevent a crisis that spreads to other banks, akin to what happened 15 years ago after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in the United States. The takeover of Credit Suisse was “necessary” not only for Switzerland but for the stability of the entire global financial system, argued Swiss Confederation President Alain Berset.

Billion-dollar merger over a weekend

The deal spurred mixed reactions in the Swiss political arena. The Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) praised it, stating that the takeover was necessary to avoid severe damage to Switzerland as a financial and economic center.

Criticism came from the co-president of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, Cédric Wermuth, who tweeted that nothing had changed since the 2008 financial crisis. “The whole financial system is sick and absurd,” he said, adding that the state must step in again and save it.

The “Occupy” movement at Paradeplatz in Zurich, where UBS and Credit Suisse branches are located next to each other. Source: Ronald Zh

Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research, believes the takeover could lead to one giant bank, which would provoke instability across the board in the event of a notional collapse.

In an interview with Die Tageszeitung, the German economist said the current situation is nowhere near as worrying as before the global financial crisis of 2008. “Today, it is the sharp increases in interest rates by the central banks that have taken many financial institutions by surprise and have led to massive losses.”

In other words, the problem today is “not systemic interdependence between financial institutions or inadequate provisioning in terms of liquidity and capital, but unusually aggressive monetary policy.”

‘Regulatory pressure is likely to increase’

“This takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS has sent many into a deep shock,” said Olga Feldmeier, co-founder of Swiss investment platform Smart Valor, speaking to Cointelegraph. Until 2014, she was an executive director and head of sales in the wealth management business at UBS.

“It had been known for a long time that things were not going so well at the bank. But who would have thought that the bank, which was once worth $80 billion, would be the subject of a $3 billion takeover by its arch-rival UBS?” According to Feldmeier, it’s not just the 50,000 employees who are shocked. The lenders have been hit even harder, especially those with a special high-grade bond type — the so-called Additional Tier 1 Capital.

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But when asked what the alternative would be, Feldmeier agreed that without this takeover, the consequences would be catastrophic. “After all, where is it safe if one of the top 30 systemically important — and Swiss — banks go bankrupt? In a systemic bank run, neither the European Central Bank nor the Fed would be able to help.”

Mauro Casellini, board member at CCA Trustless Technologies Association and, until January 2023, CEO at Bitcoin Suisse Liechtenstein and head of Bitcoin Suisse Europe, shared a similar view.

He told Cointelegraph that it was right that the government and regulators in Switzerland acted quickly to find a solution with the least possible negative impact on the market.

“Although there had been signs for some time that things were not going smoothly at Credit Suisse, it was difficult for outsiders to see just how critical the situation was. It is too early to say whether this was the right solution, but the sheer size of this new ‘super bank’ is impressive and regulatory pressure is likely to increase,” Casellini said.

The good and the bad

The banking crisis has brought some good and some bad for crypto. Despite negative macroeconomic developments, the crypto market performed well when news broke that UBS would take over Credit Suisse. Bitcoin (BTC) won the crypto rally with a gain of 15.5% (reaching $28,671 on March 22). Ether (ETH) gained 3.9%. Driven by the BTC price rally, the share prices of listed Bitcoin mining companies have risen by as much as 120% since the beginning of the year.

According to Feldmeier, it’s a positive phenomenon for crypto exchanges, both big and small. “More trading, higher sales, some of the long missed tailwind would not hurt our industry,” said Feldmeier. “This also increases the certainty that the Bitcoin cycle keeps what it promises — namely, the next bull run around Bitcoin halving in March 2024”.

The loss from clients and investors in traditional financial institutions could positively affect the crypto market as investors turn to alternative assets, such as cryptocurrencies.

However, the Credit Suisse acquisition and the fact that the banking industry faces many different risks and challenges worldwide also has a negative side. Banks are still important partners for crypto companies. If banks are not doing well, they will be even less willing to work with crypto companies or raise fees, which will not make life easier for the crypto industry.

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The recent closures of fiat on- and off-ramp banks such as Silvergate and Signature, followed by the collapse of Credit Suisse, have created “significant risks for the crypto market,” said Casellini. According to the expert, it was necessary “to address issues such as regulation, security, and transparency to build trust with investors and ensure the long-term viability of the market. Regulation will help our industry in the long run to build a successful and more decentralized alternative to the traditional financial system.”

Casellini also expects to see more challenges and risks in the future due to the changing interest rate landscape and additional requirements on banks.

“It will be interesting to see how governments and especially national banks react, and whether they will save struggling banks or let them fail.”

European DeFi startups saw 120% increase in VC investment in 2022: Data

Despite the ongoing tumultuous market conditions, venture capital investments in European crypto startups hit an all-time high of $5.7 billion in 2022.

2022 was a turbulent year for the crypto space, from an ongoing bear market and high-profile collapses of some of the industry’s most prominent players, like Terra and FTX. Despite the setbacks, venture capital (VC) investors continued to show support for crypto startups.

According to a new study released by European investment firm RockawayX, VC investment in crypto startups based in Europe reached its all-time high in 2022, with $5.7 billion invested

European decentralized finance startups hit $1.2 billion in 2022 — a 120% increase from the previous year’s investments of $534 million.

Viktor Fischer, the CEO of RockawayX, pointed out that the crypto market is cyclical. During the 2018 winter, “the total digital asset market cap fell by 80%, but startup funding activity held steady.”

“Investments made when digital asset prices were depressed materialized in tech and usage traction alongside ‘bull market’ price recoveries.”

Europe is also home to the highest number of crypto startups (3,977), according to the headquarters location.

However, it falls behind the United States in the number of startups with over a million dollars of funding and companies with a value of over $1 billion, knowns as unicorns.

Cumulative number of crypto startups by HQ location. Source: RockawayX

Top global investors in European startups include Animoca Brands, Coinbase, Blockchain Capital and the Digital Currency Group. 

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In Europe, investment in startups that provide financial services made up more than half (52%) of all investments, with infrastructure and Web3 making up 32% and 16%, respectively.

Crypto VC investment by sector in Europe (2022). Source: RockawayX

However, compared with 2021, investment in financial service-based startups declined by 19%, and infrastructure grew by 24%.

Europe’s growing prominence as a crypto-friendly region comes as lawmakers in the European Union finalize the highly anticipated Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations. 

The regulations have been postponed twice by the EU due to translation issues. Laws passed in the EU must be translated into all 24 official languages of the member states.

At the time of writing, a final vote on the MiCA rules is set for April 2023.

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