Bank of Thailand reinforces stablecoin regulation

Bank of Thailand reinforces stablecoin regulation

Baht-backed stablecoin issuers are required to consult with the Bank of Thailand before beginning operations, according to new guidance issued by the central bank.

Over the past 18 months, stablecoins – a form of crypto asset which is pegged to another currency, commodity or algorithm – have emerged as a new means of payment.

Some forms of stablecoin, the Bank of Thailand said in a statement, have the potential to increase efficiency and reduce costs in the financial system.

They “can be used

Canadian bank plans to launch CAD stablecoin

Today, Canada’s VersaBank announced plans to issue a Canadian dollar stablecoin VCAD, one-to-one backed by a Canadian dollar deposit at the bank. If you haven’t heard of the chartered bank before, it’s because it’s not Canada’s biggest, with a market capitalization of CAD 288 million ($229 million). The bank also wants to leverage its own “digital bank vault” technology created by its subsidiary DRT Cyber.

To issue the stablecoin, it has partnered with Stablecorp, a joint venture between crypto asset manager 3iQ and Mavennet. The latter is known for developing blockchain applications for enterprises such as steel and oil traceability for the Canadian and U.S. governments.

VersaBank doesn’t intend to deal with end-users directly. Instead, it will issue stablecoins to “financial intermediary partners” in exchange for Canadian dollar deposits. In turn, those intermediaries can offer the redeemable stablecoin to consumers and businesses.

“As North America’s first bank-issued “stablecoin”, VCAD offers consumers and businesses the ability to adopt and leverage the benefits of digital currency and blockchain-based assets without the volatility of traditional currencies, alongside the security of a value-backed asset that the cryptocurrency world has long demanded,” said David Taylor, President of both VersaBank and its cyber security subsidiary, DRT Cyber.

VersaBank and StableCorp also plan to offer VUS and VEuro stablecoins in future.

StabeCorp’s CEO Jean Desgagne is an accountant and Vice Chair of Ontario’s accounting body. He also chairs the internal audit committee for the IT Sector of the Province of Ontario. StableCorp already has its own stablecoin, the QCAD.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan is looking to ramp up its JPM Coin activities. To date, the JPM Coin would be classed more as a settlement token than a pure stablecoin in that it is used to convert part of a company’s bank balance into a coin for the purposes of payments, and converted back to a bank balance by the recipient. JPM Coin is also being used in an interbank multi-currency payments network being developed in Singapore.

BoT warns against any use of THT stablecoin

BoT warns against any use of THT stablecoin

The Bank of Thailand is warning people to refrain from participating in any activities involving Thai Baht Digital (THT), as there are no legal assurances or protection with it and users could be at risk of cybertheft or money laundering.

Pruettipong Srimachand, the central bank’s assistant governor of the legal group, said any activities involving the new stablecoin THT that was created abroad on the Terra platform are considered illegal. The creation, issuance, usage or circulation of any material or token for money is a violation of Section 9 of the Currency Act 1958.

The central bank said recent developments have seen the private sector attempting to create cryptocurrencies using underlying assets or fiat currencies as an anchor to minimise price volatility. Such cryptocurrencies are known as stablecoins.

More recently, a new form of stablecoins using underlying algorithmic smart contracts was created to replicate the price and movement of various currencies. One unit of the stablecoin THT is denominated in and valued at one baht. Although THT is not used as a medium of exchange, it could cause fragmentation of the Thai currency system should THT or other stablecoins come to replace, substitute or compete with baht issued by the central bank, he said.

“Such usage would ultimately affect the general public’s confidence in the stability of the national currency system, which is the cornerstone of all economic activities,” said Mr Pruettipong.

In a separate development, the Bank of Thailand announced it plans to stop using Thai Baht Interest Rate Fixing (THBFIX), the existing reference rate which incorporates the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) for interest rate calculation, after June 30, 2023, in line with the upcoming plans to phase out the LIBOR.

The central bank is the THBFIX regulator and it uses the US dollar LIBOR format to calculate rates. The bank announced it will inform commercial banks of the terms of the THBFIX rate through existing channels until its usage comes to an end.

The Bank of Thailand plans to stop new TBHFIX-based financial calculations including loans, debentures and derivatives from July 1 of this year.