Operation Chokepoint: Bitcoin Advocates Discuss US Government’s Alleged Mission to Eliminate Crypto Access

March 23, 2023 Bitcoin.com

Fed, central banks enhance ‘swap lines’ to combat banking crisis

March 20, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Currency swap lines have been used during times of crisis in the past, such as the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

The United States Federal Reserve has announced a coordinated effort with five other central banks aimed at keeping the U.S. dollar flowing amid a series of banking blowups in the U.S. and in Europe.

The March 19 announcement from the Fed comes only a few hours after Swiss-based bank Credit Suisse was bought out by UBS for $3.25 billion as part of an emergency plan led by Swiss authorities to preserve the country’s financial stability.

According to the Federal Reserve Board, a plan to shore up liquidity conditions will be carried out through “swap lines” — an agreement between two central banks to exchange currencies.

Swap lines previously served as an emergency-like action for the Federal Reserve in the 2007-2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal Reserve-initiated swap lines are designed to improve liquidity in dollar funding markets during tough economic conditions.

Coordinated central bank action to enhance the provision of U.S. dollar liquidity: https://t.co/Qs4cYY8BFO
— Federal Reserve (@federalreserve) March 19, 2023

“To improve the swap lines’ effectiveness in providing U.S. dollar funding, the central banks currently offering U.S. dollar operations have agreed to increase the frequency of seven-day maturity operations from weekly to daily,” the Fed said in a statement.

The swap line network will include the Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank. It will start on March 20 and continue at least until April 30.

The move also comes amid a negative outlook for the U.S. banking system, with Silvergate Bank and Silicon Valley Bank collapsing and the New York District of Financial Services taking over Signature Bank.

The Federal Reserve, however, made no direct reference to the recent banking crisis in its statement. Instead, it explained that they implemented the swap line agreement to strengthen the supply of credit to households and businesses:

“The network of swap lines among these central banks is a set of available standing facilities and serve as an important liquidity backstop to ease strains in global funding markets, thereby helping to mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses.”

The latest announcement from the Fed has sparked a debate about whether the arrangement constitutes quantitative easing.

U.S. economist Danielle DiMartino Booth argued that the arrangements are unrelated to quantitative easing or inflation and that it does not “loosen” financial conditions:

MISINFORMATION PREVENTION MOMENT

Swap lines do NOT constitute loosening financial conditions.

One more example: You're a doctor. A patient is having cardiac arrest. You can SEE the paddles to revive him/her but you can't REACH the paddles. These swap lines HAND you the paddles. https://t.co/RXOPiBmsif
— Danielle DiMartino Booth (@DiMartinoBooth) March 19, 2023

The Federal Reserve has been working to prevent an escalation of the banking crisis.

Last week, the Federal Reserve set up a $25 billion funding program to ensure banks have sufficient liquidity to cover customer needs amid tough market conditions.

A recent analysis by several economists on the SVB collapse found that up to 186 U.S. banks are at risk of insolvency:

“Even if only half of uninsured depositors decide to withdraw, almost 190 banks are at a potential risk of impairment to insured depositors, with potentially $300 billion of insured deposits at risk.”

Cointelegraph reached out to the Federal Reserve for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

NYDFS Releases Guidance on Importance of Segregation and Separate Accounting for Customer Funds in Crypto Industry

January 23, 2023 Bitcoin.com

Russian Companies Are Using Crypto in Trade Despite Lack of Regulation, Officials Admit

October 10, 2022 Bitcoin.com

Russian Businesses to Choose Which Crypto to Use for Cross-Border Settlements, Lawmaker Says

September 14, 2022 Bitcoin.com

Singapore Seeks Detailed Information From Crypto Firms Ahead of New Regulations, Report Unveils

August 27, 2022 Bitcoin.com

Accepting Bitcoin for your business just like Tesla: Report

June 16, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Businesses

Merchants that accept crypto rather than credit cards for payments can expect to save as much as 3.5% — or more.

Tesla temporarily embracing Bitcoin (BTC) as a method of payment for its products was conceivably one of the catalysts that pushed asset prices to record highs last year and put the spotlight on crypto legitimacy — particularly in the realm of payments. Moreover, crypto enthusiasts had lauded the fact that Tesla even set up its own node to accept BTC and stated that it wouldn’t swap its holdings for fiat, implying high confidence in the crypto’s long-term prospects.

But despite having backtracked and ceased its Bitcoin acceptance a few months after due to climate concerns, Tesla was only a cog in the adoption machine of 2021. Starbucks, Whole Foods and AMC Entertainment were just some of the other juggernauts that made their foray into crypto last year. However, what’s apparent is that headlines play favorites to household names. For other businesses that want to hop on the trend, it’s a question of how to start.

Cointelegraph Research’s latest report provides answers. The 35-page paper goes over the booming trend in crypto acceptance and practical ways any business can integrate cryptocurrencies into their operations. Additionally, the report also looks at the future of crypto in payments, particularly concerning regulation, and a lot more.

Why should businesses accept crypto?

Cryptocurrencies are believed to be in a phase of hyper-adoption, and the 178% increase in the global crypto population is further evidence of that. For businesses, accommodating this growing demographic would mean an expansion of their potential client base. Receiving payments in crypto is also a lot cheaper when compared to TradFi methods, which may improve a company’s bottom line. Merchants could save up to 3.5% in fees — or more — if the payment method is in crypto rather than credit or debit cards.

Download the full report here, complete with charts and infographics

Chargebacks are also another drawback with TradFi payment methods, costing e-commerce merchants $125 billion in 2021. Chargebacks are a type of payment reversal where the merchant returns the sum of money to the customer due to a transaction dispute or if the customer returns the purchased product. However, chargebacks can also be outright fraud, as some customers may dispute a transaction to secure a refund despite having zero issues with the product or its delivery.

The process of accepting crypto

Whether a company sets up its own node like Tesla or opts for a payments processor to facilitate the transaction, the way to do it is more or less the same but differs under the hood. For instance, certain payments processors can allow a merchant to receive crypto but would also enable real-time settlement in fiat. This effectively removes price volatility while giving the merchant the flexibility to accept digital assets. Of course, the downside is that it subjects the company to the often drawn-out procedures in TradFi.

The other side to this is to accept the actual crypto-asset wholeheartedly, and there are various reasons for doing so. Long-term price appreciation is the most common argument, but companies can also hold on to crypto assets for rainy-day situations. Merchants can also earn additional revenue by utilizing the avenues available within the crypto space, such as locking cryptos in DeFi protocols to earn yield from staking or lending.

Ultimately, the deciding factor on the channel to receive crypto assets will depend on the merchant. The factor that needs to be considered is whether the objective is to hold cryptocurrencies or tap into the growing crypto customer base — or maybe even both.

Download the full report with more detailed information, complete with charts and infographics on the Cointelegraph Research Terminal.

This article is for information purposes only and represents neither investment advice nor an investment analysis or an invitation to buy or sell financial instruments. Specifically, the document does not serve as a substitute for individual investment or other advice.

Iran to Permit Use of Cryptocurrencies in International Settlements, Reports Reveal

January 11, 2022 Bitcoin.com

Aussie cyber spies to control critical infrastructure during ransomware attacks

October 20, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Attacks

The new bill, if passed, will allow cyber warfare operatives to take over control of critical infrastructure under attack.

Australia’s top cyber spies are set to gain greater powers in the event of ransomware or other cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), a government agency in charge of cyber warfare and information security, would be able to take over control of critical infrastructure — including energy, communications and banking systems — under new legislation introduced into Parliament.

The legislation even considers health care and grocery businesses to fall under the definition of critical infrastructure and imposes new positive security obligations.

For ASD operatives to provide assistance, operators from the affected infrastructure have to report a serious cyber incident.

According to The Australian newspaper, the Critical Infrastructure Bill will be introduced to parliament, on Oct. 20, with bipartisan support from the committee that examined it.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews stated the measures proposed will ensure the safety of essential services that Australians rely on:

“Recent cyber-attacks and security threats to critical infrastructure, both in Australia and overseas, make these reforms critically important.”

But a coalition of Australian and international tech industry groups is opposed to the new laws. “Without significant revision, the bill will create an unworkable set of obligations and set a troubling global precedent,” they wrote in a joint letter.

There have been a string of high profile ransomware attacks this year, including the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack in the U.S. in May, which forced governments around the world to rethink their vulnerabilities and highlighted crypto’s role in the attacks.

Another ransomware attack in May, on Australian meat processor JBS, pushed Australian lawmakers to take a tougher stance. A new Ransomware Action Plan was released last week will allow Australian authorities to seize or freeze financial transactions in cryptocurrencies that are associated with cyber-crime regardless of the country of origin.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security said the “threat of cyber security vulnerability and malicious cyber activity has become increasingly evident in recent years” with about a quarter of reported cyber security incidents affecting critical infrastructure organizations.

People’s Bank of China Targets Crypto Companies in Shenzhen Crackdown

August 18, 2021 Bitcoin.com

Businesses

Why should businesses accept crypto?

The process of accepting crypto

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