Some prominent economists have begun to analyze formally the market for a privately issued outside money that they associate with Bitcoin. Rodney Garratt and Neil Wallace (2018) (ungated version here) model the relative values of (exchange rates between) “Bitcoin 1” and other hypothetical cryptoassets (“Bitcoin 2,” etc.)….
The end of this month (31 October 2018) will mark the 10th anniversary of the online posting of the now-famous white paper by “Satoshi Nakamoto” outlining the concept of “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” This is an opportune occasion to compare what Bitcoin has achieved with…
Last week, I had the pleasure of addressing the Michigan Credit Union Economic Summit on the future of financial services. I discussed emergent themes in financial regulation as a result of new technologies, and their implications for the industry. Here are my remarks — I hope you…
There is a fundamental shift taking place in the financial services industry as technology is enabling startups and incumbents alike to lower the cost of banking and investing, provide more widespread access to financial services, and increase the efficiency of our capital markets. However, with this innovation…
The environmental impact of cryptocurrencies looms large among the many concerns voiced by sceptics. Earlier this year, Agustín Carstens, who runs the influential Bank for International Settlements, called Bitcoin “a combination of a bubble, a Ponzi scheme and an environmental disaster.” Carstens’ first two indictments have been…