Finance Monthly - February 2023

Europe emerges as a leader in the drive towards sustainable crypto The sustainability credentials of crypto and blockchain will continue to be scrutinised, driven by pressure from consumers and policymakers. This trend will be particularly pronounced in Europe where the shift toward a green economy is a significant economic and political aspiration. The drive towards greater sustainability will manifest both in projects gravitating towards less energyintensive blockchains and an increased focus on providing blockchain-enabled solutions to the challenges we face as a society, for instance through the tokenisation of carbon credits and the establishing of sustainable value chains. Central Bank Digital Currencies come of age A number of non-eurozone nations in Europe will announce their intentions to pilot a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Several non-European nations have already publicly committed to launching CBDC pilots, with India and Brazil amongst the most notable, however European nations are also realising the benefits that a CBDC can bring. These include the preservation of the local central bank’s role and the ability to boost financial inclusion. What’s more, the collapse of FTX has further highlighted the need for nations to have in place a dependable, riskfree digital settlement asset as a more secure alternative to other crypto solutions. New stablecoins created as adoption resumes During 2020 and 2021, $165 billion entered the crypto market via stablecoin creation. Thanks to the collapse of Terra, 2022 proved to be difficult year for stablecoins, however, this forced the market to differentiate between fiat-backed stablecoins and algorithmic stablecoins, and drove value towards more transparently managed stablecoins, such as USDC whose market cap is currently above the level it was at in late 2021. We’ve also seen new fiat-backed stablecoins issued, such as EURS in Europe and AUDC in Australia. Given market volatility, and the loss of confidence in tokens such as FTT created by the collapse of FTX, 2023 will witness a greater adoption of fiat-backed stablecoins as institutions look to realise the benefits of blockchain technology such as real-time merchant settlement. The creation of new non-USD fiat currencies will also drive this trend. Crypto regulation finally arrives in the UK and Europe After the UK’s Financial Services and Markets Bill comes into force, regulators will use these powers to develop an actionable crypto regime to put the UK in good standing to support the development of its cryptoasset sector. Meanwhile, in the EU, Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) will finally be passed by the European Parliament in February. While it won’t come into force until 2024, as soon as MiCA is ratified, the ‘Level 2’ European Supervisory Agencies will immediately start developing detailed rules and standards to make the law work in practice. All of the above leads us to believe that 2023 will be another exciting year for the industry, as real utility is prioritised and new use cases emerge. Significant developments across a range of areas will see the industry evolve and move forwards – building trust and driving growth. By this time next year, we will have seen measurable change in the industry which will have made further progress towards realising the opportunities that crypto presents. “During 2020 and 2021, entered the crypto market via stablecoin creation.” $165 billion Finance Monthly. F i nanc i a l Innov a t i on & F i nTech 47

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