Technological development influenced capital markets far more than expected in the last decade. Decentralized currencies, central bank digital currencies and digital tokens are all huge news in the world of finance. And so are stablecoins. What are stablecoins and how do they “work”? Stablecoins are a unique kind of decentralized digital assets, developed to “bring the best of both worlds”. They have all the characteristics of decentralized currencies but also solve the problems of volatility and uncertainty. That makes them similar to centralized currencies. Stablecoins are unique because they are backed by real reserves. They are either backed by fiat […]
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Does blockchain technology carry risks of money laundering and terrorist financing? The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) responds affirmatively. In October 2021, FATF published an Updated Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach (“Guidance”), as a result of crypto market monitoring. The Guidance is based on the assessment of the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing regarding the regulation and supervision of virtual assets (“VA“) and Virtual Assets Service Providers (“VASP“). The amendments to the Guidance are the result of the FATF’s ongoing work and oversight of the VA and VASP sectors and their development, to prevent money laundering and terrorist […]
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China again demonstrated the potential of its impact on the global economy as its actions and signals sent ripples through world markets last week. China’s central bank reiterated last Friday that all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal and will be outlawed, delivering the clearest signal yet of the country’s determination to crack down on the industry to “preserve economic, financial and social order”. The move comes after Chinese authorities banned cryptocurrency mining earlier this year. Chinese authorities have said they will coordinate their efforts to ensure the end of cryptocurrency trading. The People’s Bank of China stated that cryptocurrencies may not […]
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We live in the era of digitalization. Changes in technology inevitably affect our lives. One such innovation in Serbia are digital assets, which can be virtual / cryptocurrencies or digital tokens. Although the local legislation has only recently recognized this institute, an increasing number of companies that operate in Serbia now work in the sphere of cryptocurrencies. The Digital Assets Act (the “Act”) provides options and opens many doors for the use of digital assets, primarily cryptocurrencies. Therefore, the question whether cryptocurrencies are our future or our present arises. Opportunities for the use of cryptocurrencies are yet to be fully […]
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Cryptocurrencies, digital currencies, electronic money… are the talk of the world. A common question these days is what cryptocurrencies are and how they work. This question now has a more recent addition – what are digital currencies? Is digital currency a synonym for cryptocurrency? If not, what is the difference? If you are a fintech enthusiast, you may think that this is a great time to be alive. But if you are not, it is perfectly ok to be confused, even a bit scared by the changes happening this fast. The only thing we can do is to keep up […]
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In the past few years, virtual currencies have become very attractive to investors across the globe. Their importance for world capital and money flows is constantly growing, which resulted in the need for them to be regulated. That was the precise reason for the Republic of Serbia to adopt the Digital Property Act at the end of last year. Its significance is recognized in defining digital assets for the very first time, thus introducing them into regulated economic flows. However, this Act alone could not resolve all issues and questions related to digital property. For example, the Digital Property Act […]
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Crypto, crypto, crypto…Wherever you go, whoever you talk to, crypto must be mentioned. In the last few years, and especially in the last few months, virtual currencies and digital tokens have seen a true expansion. More and more people are getting interested in crypto and are starting to trade in them. As a result, the importance of cryptocurrencies is rising. “New” business and new earnings? Naturally, corporate giants recognized the upward trend and did not want to miss this “historical moment” to create a completely new way of doing business by entering a new market that generates huge profits. Recently, […]
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Digital assets. A somewhat contradictory notion, but for a short period of time, the digital assets managed to put to question the millennial legal perception of assets as something purely material. And that would not be so interesting if it were not for the digital assets’ ability to financially transform into money. Mining and cryptocurrencies have been filling newspaper columns for years now and the first thing that catches the eye is their monetary value. Behind these terms is a legally unregulated business creating a significant fortune for individuals who, as simple as it gets, just sit in front of […]
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After many years of speculations on its interest in cryptocurrencies, this year PayPal finally announced that it will enable its users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, as well as to safe keep them in crypto wallets on their accounts. With the money from the sale of cryptocurrencies, users may freely buy goods and services. PayPal, the American company whose main business activity is the provision of payment services related to electronic money, has been long present in the payment services market. PayPal is not a bank, because it does not use the funds of the users for its own needs, […]
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