3/27/19

Blockchain and Machine Learning

Machine Learning (ML) can be described as software that changes when it learns from new information. As the software is self-adaptive, it’s not necessary to add new rules manually.

A great example of how this works is spam detection where the software continuously improves its own ability to identify junk emails over time. It does this by studying the construction of algorithms to learn and make predictions on the data.

When Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain converge, the latter can benefit from AI’s ability to accelerate the analysis of an enormous amount of data. In fact, putting the two together can potentially create a totally new paradigm.

By using ML and AI to govern the chain, there’s also an opportunity to significantly enhance security. Further, as ML loves to work with a lot of data, it creates an opportunity to build better models by taking advantage of the decentralized nature of blockchains (that encourage data sharing).

Sometimes when all the data from silos converge, you might end up with a qualitatively new data set that’s also a better data set. As a result, it will lead to the creation of a qualitatively new model where you can derive new insights which, in turn, can provide new opportunities for building cutting-edge next-generation business applications.

This can be a game changer for the finance and insurance industries as it could be used as a tool to identify fraud. It can also benefit other industries far beyond finance and insurance because of a shared ledger system with two patterns of ML use cases:
  • Model chains that address the whole chain or a segment;
  • Silo ML and predictive models to address a specific segment of the chain.
The predictive model or silo ML isn’t any different from what we currently do with available data. However, model chains are far more complex and should be able to quickly learn and adapt given the chain dependence.



Slikovni rezultat za blockchain and machine learning


3/26/19

Digital Banking in UK

Britain's thriving fintech start-up scene has resulted in a number of digital banks setting up in the UK, aiming to challenge the “big four” banks.

Gone are the days of queuing up in a bank branch to deposit a cheque as a number of digital banks in the UK have popped up – making it as easy to transfer money or get a loan on a smartphone as it is to post a picture on Facebook.

Britain is one of the global leaders in this space due to a thriving fintech sector and a regulatory landscape that encourages challenger banks to break up the dominance of the so-called “big four” through the government’s open banking initiative.

A recent study by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found these banks – Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group – retain a 70% share of current accounts.

But online and app-based banks are now aiming to disrupt this market, with GlobalData research showing that 28% of UK respondents – and 35% globally – are now willing to use a digital-only bank.

For example, Monzo is one of the most high-profile digital banks in the UK

Monzo was founded in 2015 by Tom Blomfield, Jonas Huckestein, Jason Bates, Paul Rippon and Gary Dolman, originally under the name Mondo. The five founders first met while working for Starling – another digital-only bank.

Monzo was granted a banking licence in April 2017 when it launched its first current account. The bank recently registered its one millionth customer but despite £2bn being spent through Monzo so far, the company is yet to post a profit.

The app gives real-time updates on spending and features different tools to monitor personal finance. It also allows users to send instant payments to friends and users can withdraw up to £200 abroad free of charge.

Other, high-profile digital bank in UK is  Starling Bank which offers both a digital-only current account and business banking for its customers.

The London-based fintech company was part of the first wave of disruptor banks in the UK and was founded in 2014. Like Monzo and N26, Starling cards use a globally-accepted exchange rate when spending abroad and doesn’t add any charges.

At the close of the bank’s financial year in November 2017, Starling had a total of 43,000 personal current accounts open with the bank. This total increased to 210,000 current accounts in 2018 and has monthly transaction volumes of £200m.

(excerpt from longer overview of digital banks in UK, found on 

Monzo


Basel Committee and Cryptocurrencies

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, a group of international banking authorities, has warned that the growth of cryptocurrencies poses a number of risks to banks and global financial stability.

The committee – part of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), widely considered the central bank of central banks – published a statement on Wednesday, saying that potential risks for banks include liquidity, credit and market risks, operational risk (including fraud and cyber risks), money laundering and terrorist financing risk, and legal and reputational risks.

Although banks currently have “very limited” direct exposure to cryptocurrencies, institutions should still “at a mimimum” carry out extensive due diligence and disclose any exposure to crypto assets to minimize the risks, the committee said.

Banks should further have a “clear and robust” risk management framework to deal with the “high degree” of risk posed by cryptocurrencies.

The risk management framework should be “fully integrated” into banks’ overall risks management processes, including those relating to anti-money laundering (AML),  combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) and evasion of sanctions, the committee said. A “comprehensive” assessment of the risks should be incorporated into their internal capital and liquidity adequacy assessment processes, it added.

Additionally, supervisory bodies should be informed of actual or planned cryptocurrency exposure, along with assurance that the institution has fully assessed and mitigated the risks.

Finally, the committee said that it is working with other global standard-setting bodies and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to arrive at guidance on “prudential treatment” of banks’ exposure to cryptocurrencies in order to “appropriately” reflect the risks.

Last June, BIS said in its Annual Economic Report that it’s hard to see if cryptocurrencies solve any specific economic problem yet. “Transactions are slow and costly, prone to congestion, and cannot scale with demand,” it said at the time.

(text from https://www.coindesk.com/https-www-coindesk-com-cryptocurrencies-pose-risks-to-banks-and-financial-stability-warns-basel-committee)


Povezana slika



3/25/19

Can Blockchain Be Used in Agriculture?

Today, it’s no longer news that blockchain technology is taking over many industries. Yes, we’ve seen it disrupt the financial sector, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, logistics, online advertising and more. But hey, do you know that this revolutionary technology can also transform agriculture? 

Yes, with the right applications, blockchain can deliver real value to growers. For the most part, blockchain can provide a single, unalterable source of truth about the condition of your farm, inventory, and contracts. So yes, as a farmer, you may no longer have to use countless apps, spreadsheets or pen and paper to record important data. 

In a nutshell; blockchain technology can reduce inefficiencies while saving time and energy in the agriculture value chain. With blockchain’s ability to improve automation, digitization, and food tracking, there’s no doubt that the technology is a must for modern agriculture.

For starters, blockchain technology can improve traceability of crops and deliver better outcomes. Essentially, with a blockchain ledger, you’ll get to know the status of your crops right from planting to delivery. And the good thing is, every information will be secure and available in real time. As most growers already know, today’s consumers are more interested in organic foods. And of course, the chances of meeting their expectations are higher if farmers can provide proper documentation of the supply chain involved in those foods. So basically, food safety is a must.

Let’s face it; the process of monitoring the quality of crops (right from harvest to delivery) has never been easy. It’s basically a huge challenge for farmers and growers throughout the world. But of course, the good news is, the power of blockchain technology can be harnessed in this regard. 
Interestingly, IBM is already working on IoT that makes it possible for growers to monitor soil quality, irrigation, and pests in a precise and highly efficient manner. It’s also good to point out that there are initiatives to leverage sensors to track the quality of stored crops over time. Of course, the ultimate goal of these applications is to automate and digitize just about everything that has to do with record keeping and quality control.
The good news is, most of these incredible innovations are presently happening in modern-day agriculture. For the most part, these sensors can gather data automatically in real-time. And of course, provide quick and easy access to growers who need the information to perform various farm operations.
Slikovni rezultat za blockchain in agriculture


Blockchain in Advertising Industry

Blockchain, best known at this point in the context of financial markets, is the technology underpinning Bitcoin, with many innovative uses. Blockchain is an immutable, distributed ledger or record of transactions between a network of participants. The entries in the ledger are governed by pre-defined rules and validated by the network. The network can be public like bitcoin or private with only select participants.

What are the benefits of blockchain in the media and advertising space?
  • Given the complex nature of the digital advertising supply chain, blockchain technology can offer greater efficiency, reliable and high-quality data.
  • Blockchains can create a more efficient medium by which two or more completely anonymous or semi-anonymous parties can complete various types of transactions potentially at a low cost.
  • Since blockchains are decentralized peer-to-peer networks, there is no single point of failure and no single access point for malicious hackers. Thus, it enhances safety and security for data.
  • This ability to keep a fully verifiable and immutable ledger or database that is available to all members of the blockchain provides a layer of trust and transparency that isn’t always available within media and advertising processes.
  • While blockchain will not cure all of ad tech’s problems, it can be beneficial in situations where there is censorship and both sides of the supply chain (i.e. publisher and advertiser) are disadvantaged by not having access to that information.

What are some potential use cases for blockchain in media and advertising?

While synonymous with crypto-currency, new transactional use cases are emerging for blockchain such as:

  • buying and selling digital or advanced TV ad inventory, 
  • fraud prevention, white listing authorized sellers of inventory, 
  • campaign reconciliation
  • enabling use of smart contracts to simplify the IO process, 
  • validating advertising assets, etc.

(excerpt from text on https://www.iab.com/blockchain/)

Slikovni rezultat za blockchain in advertising industry

3/24/19

Blockchain in Insurance Industry


Insurance companies face a number of challenges as it relates to complex compliance issues, limited growth in mature markets, fraudulent claims activity, third party payment transactions and handling huge amounts of data. With the onset of connected devices and the ever-growing amount of data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT), insurers have to sift through the data that matters in order to deliver tailored services and products. Insurers must also evolve from a focus on purely financial-loss compensation to a mode of physical-risk prevention in order to compete effectively with disruptors in the space. This can only be achieved if they have visibility into their data.

While blockchain might not be the end-all-be-all to problems faced by insurers, it does provide foundational technology that promotes trust, transparency and stability. Blockchain is in the early stages of adoption, but there are already a handful of ways that insurers are leveraging the technology to mitigate the abovementioned challenges:
·  Security: Through its use of public ledger, blockchain can potentially eliminate suspicious and duplicate transactions by logging each transaction. Through its decentralized digital repository, it can verify the authenticity of customers, policies and transactions by providing historical records. This makes it more difficult for hackers to corrupt and steal files.
·   Big data: More connected devices are being used every day, which is causing a spike in the amount of data insurance companies need to handle. Blockchain can properly manage, share and monetize large amounts of data. The benefit is that the technology can store static records and/or data without central coordination and the data can be viewed by all parties. Data is registered on the blockchain by creating a digital fingerprint using a date and time stamp which provides both security and transparency. Streamlined data can also make risk assessment timelier and more accurate.
· Third-party transactions: Blockchain can handle the increase in third-party transactions and claims made through personal digital devices. Blockchain helps reduce administrative costs through automated verification of claims/payments data from third parties. Now, insurance companies can quickly view past claims transactions registered on blockchain for easy reference. This promotes higher degrees of trust and loyalty between the insurer and customer.
· Smart contracts: Personalized contracts are beginning to emerge in the insurance industry. These contracts connect real-time information from multiple systems across physical documents and activities which trigger processes like claims, payments and reimbursements faster and with greater accuracy. This saves the insurance company time and money while providing the customer with a better experience.
·  Reinsurance: Within the reinsurance space, blockchain can provide accurate reserve calculations based on current contracts. This helps property and casualty (P&C) insurers who need to know how much money is available as they pay claims. Blockchain can ensure that they are rebalancing their exposures against specific risks. Insurance companies can now feel confident in their daily business operations.

 Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/

African Blockchain Startups

Despite cryptocurrency markets experiencing a bear market since the start of the year, African blockchain startups are focusing on implementing distributed ledger technologies as they look to solve everyday challenges with this innovative new technology.
In this short review, you will discover four high-profile blockchain startups that are spearheading innovation in Africa.
BitPesa
BitPesa
BitPesa is a blockchain startup that focuses on cross-border business-to-business  and bitcoin exchange services. The company was founded in 2013 by Elizabeth Rossiello, with the aim of providing an alternative payment system to consumers that would surpass legacy systems and reduce the cost of money transfers. BitPesa incorporates blockchain technology to hasten payments by utilising its peer-to-peer nature for transactions and relies on bitcoin (BTC) as a transactional currency.

Golix
Golix
Golix is a Harare-based cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in 2014. Formerly known as BitFinance, the local exchange aimed to offer digital currencies as an alternative to alleviate the economic woes brought about by Zimbabwe’s failing monetary system. In 2018, Golix set its sights on the broader African market and announced a token sale.

Wala
Dala
Wala is a blockchain startup that offers remittance services and payments using an Android app. Launched in 2017, the company aims to offer financial services to the un(der)banked through strategic partnerships with banks and financial institutions and at low cost. The goal is that Wala users will be able to open bank accounts, apply for credit, access remittance services, purchase value-added services and transact with retailers and merchants.

CentBee
centbee
CentBee is a cryptocurrency wallet provider and offers payment processing services for merchants. The South Africa-based blockchain startup was founded by Lorien Gamaroff and Angus Brown, and its vision is to allow users to make payments for products using bitcoin cash (BCH) and settle payments in digital currency at accepted retailers.



Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/

3/23/19

What is TARGET TIPS?

TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) is a new market infrastructure service launched by the ECB in November 2018. It enables payment service providers to offer fund transfers to their customers in real time and around the clock, every day of the year. This means that thanks to TIPS, individuals and firms can transfer money between each other within seconds, irrespective of the opening hours of their local bank.
TIPS was developed as an extension of TARGET2 and settles payments in central bank money. TIPS currently only settles payment transfers in euro. However, in case of demand other currencies could be supported as well.

As a response to the growing consumer demand for instant payments, a number of national solutions have been developed, or are under development, across the EU. A challenge for the Eurosystem is to ensure that these national solutions do not (re)introduce fragmentation into the European retail payments market. TIPS aims to minimise this risk by offering a service that can help ensure that any bank account holder in Europe can be reached.
There are two features of TIPS that will help it achieve reachability across the whole of Europe. First, TIPS is based on the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) – a scheme for pan-European instant payments, expected to be used by a large number of payment service providers across Europe. Second, TIPS was developed as an extension of TARGET2, which already has an extensive network of participants across Europe.

TIPS offers final and irrevocable settlement of instant payments in euro, at any time of day and on any day of the year. Participating payment service providers can set aside part of their liquidity on a dedicated account opened with their respective central bank, from which instant payments can be settled. It is only possible to add funds to TIPS accounts during TARGET2 opening hours.
As settlement in TIPS takes place in central bank money, participation in TIPS depends on being eligible to access central bank money. For this reason, in order to open an account in TIPS in euro, an institution needs to fulfil the same eligibility criteria as for participation in TARGET2.

Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/

Crowdfunding and FinTech

Began by President Obama’s JOBS act which encourages the funding of small businesses in the United States, crowdfunding has developed into a huge benefit for startups. By definition crowdfunding is “the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet”. Thus, crowdfunding has become the champion of small businesses, allowing them to have a chance to succeed by showing their innovate business models to the world.

Crowdfunding may seem as a childish game, but in reality it’s a way to validate one’s ideas before they become a reality. It involves preparation and readiness to protect the idea and convince others that it’s worth their investments. One of the most important tools to gather an audience that will evaluate the idea is social media. All successful crowdfunding projects have been extremely active on social media, customizing the promotion for each particular channel and reaching a wide scope of people. Some projects even choose to use videos as tools to attract more visitors. As interest in the project grows, one has to keep the communication with investors and interested visitors constant and provide updates. Yes, the investments are the goal of crowdfunding, but the communication with all interested should be kept personal without a every-day mention of money. Thus, one can not only succeed in gathering funding, but also build a customer base from which the product can have its start. 

The most obvious benefit of crowdfunding for entrepreneurs is the funding. With so many startups on the market, it is hard to gather the money needed to bring ideas to life. Through crowdfunding, ventures can gain support at the very beginning. Crowdfunding provides a way for innovate ideas to be presented attractively, so it can be launched. Moreover, a crowdfunding platform can help successful entrepreneurs to validate their product which can then help with gathering the Series A funding. It makes validation faster and more scalable. Additionally, a crowdfunding platform allows entrepreneurs to get insights from their future customers and experts in the startup field while building awareness for the idea.

Entrepreneurs, however, are not the only ones benefiting from a good crowdfunding platform. Investors are allowed to take a deep look into their investments before they risk money. On top of that, networking on crowdfunding campaigns allow for investors to have an easy approach to entrepreneurs. It lessens the preparation that goes into investments because of the more personal feel of crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding does seem like a great option for entrepreneurs with innovate ideas, but it does have some drawbacks. Yes, it is an easy way to raise awareness, but at the same time, it involves an enormous amount of work with months in preparation to build a good relationship with investors. One thing to remember, however, is that the entrepreneur does not choose his investors which leads to unclear boundaries in the process. In addition, depending on the platform, entrepreneurs have to pay out between 8% and 12% of their raise which has to be budgeted in. Moreover, crowdfunding platforms usually require through reporting and disclosure procedures that are strictly followed, making every step of the entrepreneur difficult. Due diligence is also absent as investors can contribute very small amounts, so are not particularly concerned with it. Finally, the low percentage of success in crowdfunding is the main disadvantage. About 60% of campaigns do not make it. From those who do, only half make more than 10% over their goal. If the campaign is not successful, investors usually get their money back. With its unclear boundaries between investors and entrepreneurs, much regulations, lack of due diligence, and most importantly low success rate, crowdfunding does have its disadvantages.



Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/

3/22/19

Blockchain in Music Industry

Music piracy is considered one of the biggest factors in the downfall of the music industry over the past two decades. Piracy in the music business is estimated to cost the U.S. economy:

  • $12.5 billion in total output
  • 71,060 jobs
  • $2.7 billion in earnings (in the sound recording and retail industries)

Indeed, it is incredibly easy to find pirated music free to download online. Ever since Napster started offering content for free in the 1990s, pirated music has become the normal way most people get hold of their tunes. Individuals don’t need to look much further than YouTube to find blatantly illegal music to listen to, and if they want, they can even convert the video into an MP3 file and download it.

If the industry can take back control over pirated music, it will be a lot stronger economically and, in turn, the people who work for the industry will be paid more fairly for the work do. Blockchain technology can halt piracy in several ways.

Blockchain technology can be used to establish who owns the intellectual property rights of creative items by using a distributed ledger. A distributed ledger is an open-source ledger that holds all records of all transactions within a blockchain. However, not all blockchains allow all people to view this information.

In theory, blockchain technology can be used as clear evidence of ownership and used in court if necessary. This is particularly useful for the music industry to help prevent legal battles between studios and artists, for example. The music industry is known for its complicated laws on ownership – from ownership of the audio itself to specific lyrics within a song, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

It also can make the process easier if using blockchain technology becomes the standardized way to establish ownership because different companies and institutions may state ownership in different ways, with different wording, requirements and even formatting, some of which may be manipulated as loopholes.

Blockchain technology can also:
  • smooth over any issues involved in purchasing the rights of music (if, for example, one music company wants to buy the music rights from another music company)
  • help other companies such as film studios pay for rights to use music
  • be used to trace the history of those rights, as users will have a transparent record of its history
Smart contracts can be particularly useful in this area as well. Smart contracts are basically pieces of code that hold the complex agreements that are made on a blockchain and fulfilled when certain conditions are met. It is incredibly hard to manipulate them, and they are growing in popularity. By utilizing smart contracts, artists and studios can ensure that intellectual property agreements are met by other parties.


Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/

How to Use Blockchain?

Blockchain is the digital, distributed, and decentralized ledger underlying most virtual currencies that's responsible for logging all transactions without the need for a financial intermediary, such as a bank. In other words, it's a new means of transmitting funds and/or logging information.
Why the sudden need for blockchain? Blockchain is the vision of developers who believed that the current banking system had flaws. In particular, they viewed banks acting as third-parties and pilfering transactions fees as unnecessary, and they scoffed at the idea that payment validation and settlement could take up to five business days in cross-border transactions. With blockchain, real-time transactions are a possibility (even across borders), while banks are left out of the equation entirely, presumably reducing transaction fees.
There are other uses for blockchain, too, beyond the currency setting as, for example:

1. Payment processing and money transfers

Arguably the most logical use for blockchain is as a means to expedite the transfer of funds from one party to another. As noted, with banks removed from the equation, and validation of transactions ongoing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, most transactions processed over a blockchain can be settled within a matter of seconds.

2. Monitoring supply chains

Blockchain also comes in particularly handy when it comes to monitoring supply chains. By removing paper-based trails, businesses should be able to pinpoint inefficiencies within their supply chains quickly, as well as locate items in real time. Further, blockchain would allow businesses, and possibly even consumers, to view how products performed from a quality-control perspective as they traveled from their place of origin to the retailer.

4. Digital IDs

More than 1 billion people worldwide face identity challenges. Microsoft is looking to change that. It's creating digital IDs within its Authenticator app -- currently used by millions of people -- which would give users a way to control their digital identities. This would allow folks in impoverished regions to get access to financial services, or start their own business, as an example. Of course, Microsoft's attempts to create a decentralized digital ID are still in the early stages. 

5. Digital voting

Worried about voter fraud? Well, worry no more with blockchain technology. Blockchain offers the ability to vote digitally, but it's transparent enough that any regulators would be able to see if something were changed on the network. It combines the ease of digital voting with the immutability (i.e., unchanging nature) of blockchain to make your vote truly count.

6. Medical recordkeeping

The good news is the medical sector has already been moving away from paper for recordkeeping purposes for years. However, blockchain offers even more safety and convenience. In addition to storing patient records, the patient, who possesses the key to access these digital records, would be in control of who gains access to that data. It would be a means of strengthening the HIPAA and other laws that are designed to protect patient privacy. 

7. Managing Internet of Things networks

Networking giant Cisco Systems may be behind a blockchain-based application that would monitor Internet of Things (IoT) networks. The IoT describes wirelessly connected devices that can send and receive data. Such an application could determine the trustworthiness of devices on a network -- and continuously do so for devices entering and leaving the network, such as smart cars or smartphones. 
(An excerpt from longer text about various uses of blockchain found on 

Picture by courtesy of FinMag https://finmag.ir/



3/21/19

FinTech News Interview on Iranian Cryptocurrency Scene


FinTech News has had pleasant talk with Mr Ehsan Darbanian, head of FinMag's R&D department, about current Iranian cryptocurrency scene. FinMag (an acronym of Financial Magazine) is an Iranian FinTech company and media creator, organizing FinTech events, such as Blockchain Cafe we wrote about earlier  here, and publishing numerous educational and informative contents on FinTech, Blockchain and economy topics on their website https://finmag.ir (regretfully, articles are published only in Persian language so far).


Mr Ehsan Darbanian, head of FinMag's R&D department

FTN Q1:

What can you tell us about current Iranian regulation on cryptocurrency?

ED A1:

The Draft version of cryptocurrency and blockchain regulations of Iran was published on 28 January 2019 (more about Draft in our previous post - here). This version was designed by Iranian Central bank's Vice Presidency of IT and new technologies, which covers FinTech innovations policies. CBI also provided an e-mail for FinTech community to send their comments. In this Draft version there are several policies for exchanges, wallets, token issues and ICOs.

I think this new regulation Draft will be a good start. It has its own weaknesses but I think having a weak regulation is better than no regulation. CBI's e-mail for sending suggestions is a good initiative to include opinions of whole FinTech community in Iran. In an overall view, I can say that this new method in regulation is a great leap forward. Some parts of Draft will probably have to be changed because they strictly limit Blockchain and cryptocurrency usage opportunities.

FTN Q2:

How does Draft regulate payments with cryptocurrencies?

ED A2:

About payments, I think that we need a long discussion. Back to years 2008 - 2009, we have had serious problems in payments. But FinTech has had great improvements since then. So, I think that payment problems are not as hard nowadays as in the time when cryptocurrencies and bitcoin were invented. In countries that have a good level of FinTech, payments will not be the main use cases of cryptocurrencies but we need to take into the consideration that no government has the right to limit legal businesses. So, I think that payments with cryptocurrencies must be legalized, but, if a country has a good level in FinTech, it will be hard to have a working business in payments with cryptocurrencies. For example if you look at Europe, with TARGET 2 solution, people don't have a problem in payments. In less developed countries, crypto payments would be a revolution.

Iran has a mid level of development in FinTech. Current legal situation on payments (that was expressed in Draft version on regulations of cryptocurrencies) with cryptocurrencies is not good. In this Draft version payments are strictly limited to cryptocurrencies which are under control of CBI. Several Blockchain developers want to develop their own tokens for inter-app payments which will be illegal by current standpoint of CBI.

Regarding Iranian remittance and tourism, I think that we do not have a better tool for payments than cryptocurrencies right now.


How Draft allows payments with cryptocurrencies

FTN Q3:

What is, by your opinion, current general sentiment in Iran regarding cryptocurrencies and Draft?

ED A3:

There are mixed views in Iran about Draft. As you can see in our video, everyone was waiting for the regulations for a long time and having a certain regulation is necessary for businesses, but every business have its own view on Draft after its issuing. In CBI's view, cryptocurrencies could be a threat to their policies in monetary problems and can possibly end in certain levels of crime and also inflation. About payments, new Draft would be a problem for developing businesses.

In token issuing we have seen a mixed view too. Iran's OTCs, for example, have problems about metal pegged cryptos. ICO's are in a "gray area" about their legal status. But, in overall, I think it's a good starting point if CBI and other regulators could be open for suggestions.

At the end, I have to say that this Draft has a lot of missed points, for example about loans, KYC and AML solutions (CBI said they are necessary, but did not offer a good solution) maximum amount of money transfer and similar flaws. Anyway, I am optimistic about further development of FinTech environment in Iran, whoever will take a lead in its improvement.


FinMag's video clip dedicated to new cryptocurrency regulations in Iran

Pictures and video clip by courtesy of FinMag (https://finmag.ir)