Digital euro, not MiCA, key to manage crypto risks: Bank of Italy chief

2 weeks ago

Former European Central Bank (ECB) authoritative and Governor of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, has touted the integer euro arsenic a cardinal instrumentality for controlling the risks astir increasing cryptocurrency adoption.

The Bank of Italy, connected May 30, released an yearly study with the governor’s concluding remarks connected the authorities of the economy. Panetta said the European Union indispensable determination guardant with the central slope integer currency (CBDC) task to support fiscal stableness and conscionable request for unafraid integer payments.

“We would beryllium remiss to deliberation that the improvement of crypto-assets tin beryllium controlled lone done rules and restrictions,” Panetta said, informing that crypto regularisation unsocial cannot code the systemic risks posed by crypto, and that the integer euro would beryllium cardinal to addressing them.

MiCA’s constricted interaction connected EU stablecoins

Panetta besides addressed the interaction of the EU’s crypto regulatory framework, the Markets successful Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which entered into afloat force successful precocious 2024.

“Since MiCAR came into force, lone immoderate EMT [electronic wealth token] stablecoins person been issued successful the EU and their circulation is constricted truthful far,” the politician stated.

He besides said MiCA has not fueled immoderate important stablecoin developments successful Italy:

“In Italy, determination has truthful acold been small involvement successful the issuance of crypto-assets by supervised intermediaries and different operators, portion a increasing absorption connected custodial and trading services has been observed.”

MiCA has encouraged businesses to study if they program to motorboat crypto plus services oregon mean to use for authorization to bash so, helium added.

Risks stemming from overseas platforms

While offering immoderate extortion to European investors, MiCA has not afloat safeguarded savers from the risks associated with “heterogeneity successful regulatory approaches” globally, Panetta argued.

“EU citizens mightiness beryllium exposed to failures of platforms oregon issuers based successful different jurisdictions that deficiency capable controls oregon the indispensable transparency and operational safeguards,” helium said.

He called for stronger planetary practice and urged the EU to pb connected establishing planetary regulatory standards.

Digital euro is yet the close tool

Panetta argued that lone a integer euro, backed by the cardinal bank, could connection the indispensable spot and functionality successful a changing outgo landscape:

“What is needed is simply a effect that matches the ongoing technological transformation, 1 susceptible of gathering the request for secure, efficient, and accessible integer outgo instruments, each portion preserving the relation of cardinal slope money,” helium said. “The integer euro task stems precisely from this need.”

Panetta’s remarks echo the docket promoted by ECB enforcement committee subordinate Piero Cipollone, who has advocated for the motorboat of a integer euro, citing the increasing popularity of US dollar stablecoins, which now marque up 97% of the full stablecoin market.

Related: Why Tether refuses to comply with MiCA

Previously a subordinate of the ECB’s enforcement board, Panetta resigned successful October 2023, with his presumption subsequently filled by Cipollone.

Panetta’s study came weeks aft Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest US dollar-pegged stablecoin, USDt (USDT), defended its determination to skip MiCA registration for USDT successful aboriginal May.

“MiCA licence is precise unsafe erstwhile it comes to stablecoins, and I judge that is adjacent much unsafe for the small, mean banking strategy successful Europe,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said astatine the time.

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