Global Economic News 6-28-2024

“Third plenum in mid-July to draw clear path for high-quality development amid complex global situation

“The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene, on July 15 in Beijing, the third plenary session of its 20th central committee, which will primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization, according to a Thursday meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The critical meeting, often referred to as the third plenum in its shortened form, is expected to draw a road map for China’s continuously deepening reforms for years to come. Coming at a time marked by changes unseen in a century and complex international and domestic situations, the plenum will offer a clear path for the country’s pursuit of high-quality development and ultimately Chinese modernization, experts said.

Experts said that the third plenum will offer the sense of continuity in the CPC’s steadfast efforts and unwavering commitment to carrying out reform, and is of utmost importance to propelling the Chinese nation ahead and achieving its ultimate goal of national rejuvenation.

Underscoring this firm determination, in March, Xi sounded the clarion call for reform, dispelling concerns about whether China’s reform efforts are “stagnating,” or its economy is “losing steam.””

Read more: Global Times

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“China-Serbia FTA to take effect on July 1, further facilitates bilateral exchanges

The free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Serbia will officially take effect on July 1, 2024, as the two sides will gradually eliminate tariffs on 90 percent of products in the tariff lines. Tariffs for more than 60 percent of products will be suspended immediately on the same day, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday in a statement.

The move will promote the growth of bilateral trade, as consumers in both countries will be able to enjoy better and more favorable imported products. In addition, it will boost the investment cooperation and industrial chain integration and jointly elevate international competitiveness by utilizing both countries’ advantages, according to the official.

The FTA has also established institutional arrangements for related fields, including rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, trade remedies, dispute settlement, intellectual property rights protection, investment cooperation, competition and other areas. The arrangements will provide a convenient, transparent and stable business environment for enterprises of both countries.”

Read more here: Global Times

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Hello, World!

There has been a lot of talk about different coins being ‘backed’ by precious metals…

“This Is Why XRP Cannot Be Backed by Gold, Ex-Ripple Official Explains

Matt Hamilton trashes XRP’s gold backing talk

Ripple’s former director of developer relations, Matt Hamilton, has dispelled another popular misconception surrounding XRP. This time it was talk and speculation that XRP could be backed by gold. This kind of talk has emerged relatively recently amid speculation that XRP could be accepted by the world’s banks and other financial institutions for international settlements and would be backed by gold for its fair value.

Hamilton is adamant that such an outcome is impossible. The blockchain developer explains his view that XRP is a decentralized cryptocurrency with finite supply, which trades on the open market and has no issuer to hold collateral for gold. For this reason, Hamilton explains, XRP cannot be inflated to have a peg with another asset.

The only contact between gold and XRP is possible through its tokenization via XRP Ledger, with the creation of a token tracking the precious metal’s quotes, concluded the developer. For those who do not believe it and still think otherwise, Hamilton offered to exchange one ounce of gold for one XRP.”

Read more: U Today

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“Summer Davos concludes, highlighting China’s critical role on global stage

Experts, scholars hail nation’s ‘certainties’ as worldwide risks soar

The 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC24), also known as the Summer Davos, wrapped up on Thursday with officials, economists and business leaders from around the world concluding their three-day discussion covering topics spanning from technology, economics and geopolitics and highlighting China’s key role in driving the global economic growth.

At the event, Chinese and international business leaders and scholars hailed “certainties” from China amid a turbulent world and highlighted China’s critical role in helping address growing challenges, including the global economic downturn.

Compared with the first two days’ spotlight on specific discussions addressing artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, food and energy security, panels held on the third day – Thursday – attached more importance on how China could drive the world forward.

Jin Keyu highlighted that China’s new innovative business models, and the digital economy, accounting about 40 percent of the country’s GDP, are a practical and cost-effective solution to many developing countries’ present problems.”

Read more: Global Times

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“HKMA to join European test of cross-border payments on tokenised assets

Agreement with France’s central bank will make HKMA the first non-European participant in tests of the European Central Bank’s Eurosystem

“This marks an important milestone as HKMA will be the only major central banking institution outside the Eurosystem participating in the initiative,” Colin Pou Hak-wan, executive director of HKMA, said on Thursday.

The collaboration came about because both parties are working on wholesale CBDC projects, Pou said. HKMA in March announced a CBDC pilot project called Project Ensemble, while BDF has a similar project called DL3S.

“HKMA’s recent announcement of the launch of Project Ensemble was very timely to initiate this cooperation. We look forward to further testing our DL3S platform in this context and hope that together we can facilitate the financial inclusion expected from enhanced cross-border payments.”

France is also among the 26 observing members of project mBridge, a multi-country CBDC project involving mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates as founding members. Saudi Arabia joined the project earlier this month as a full member.

Started in 2021, mBridge allows the central banks and the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub to use digital currencies built on distributed ledger technology to enable instant cross-border payments and settlement.”

Read more: Currency Insider

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“Hong Kong, France announce cross border CBDC interoperability trial

Earlier this week the European Central Bank (ECB) announced 48 new participants in the second wave of its wholesale DLT settlement trials. The unexpected news was the participation of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). The ECB trials include three central bank settlement solutions, only one of which is a wholesale CBDC (wCBDC) from the Banque de France. Based on today’s announcement, Hong Kong only plans to work with France’s CBDC platform DL3S to enable real time cross border payments.

In early March the HKMA unveiled Project Ensemble, a new wholesale CBDC initiative to support interbank payments using tokenized deposits. It also aims to provide a settlement asset for tokenization projects such as Hong Kong’s recent digital green bond.

Today’s announcement did not mention mBridge. The HKMA is one of five central banks participating in mBridge, the most advanced cross border CBDC initiative. Both the Banque de France and the ECB are mBridge observers. However, what is being proposed as part of the Eurosystem tests is quite different.

This third route is the hardest because the systems were not designed to interconnect. It means if France or Hong Kong want to link with another system, they more-or-less start again. However, if the work is part of a learning process, it could help in developing interoperability standards.

mBridge is currently in its minimum viable product (MVP) phase. Going forward, some countries may choose not to participate directly in mBridge. That would mean that the country’s currency is not directly supported. However, out of pragmatism, mBridge might choose to connect to a handful of external platforms that support important currencies. That remains to be seen.”

Read more: Currency Insider

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“North Carolina Senate approves CBDC ban bill

On Wednesday (June 26), the North Carolina Senate passed a bill aimed at prohibiting central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the state. The legislation now awaits the Governor’s signature to become law.

If enacted, the bill would prevent North Carolina from participating in any Federal Reserve testing of future CBDCs. Additionally, it would bar state agencies and courts from accepting CBDC payments.

The Carolina Journal reports that Senate Bill 690 received overwhelming support, passing with a 109-4 vote. This marks an increase from Tuesday’s 39-5 vote.

Senator Brad Overcash, a proponent of the bill, stated that its purpose is to discourage the federal government from pursuing CBDC implementation. He argued that such a move could potentially undermine the dollar’s status as a major global currency. He said:

This would bar our state agencies or courts from accepting a central bank digital currency, and it would also bar them from participating in a pilot project if one were to be initiated by any of the Federal Reserve Banks. […] This is an important step to the stability of our financial sector and our financial privacy.

The North Carolina bill aligns with broader national skepticism towards CBDCs. In May, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer proposed the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, seeking to halt the Federal Reserve’s efforts to develop a digital dollar. The act raised concerns about potential government control over Americans through a CBDC.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, speaking at a Senate Banking Committee hearing in March, emphasized that the U.S. is “nowhere near” adopting a CBDC in any form.

Earlier this week, Louisiana quietly enacted House Bill 488, a crypto bill known as the “Blockchain Basics Act” or “Bitcoin Rights” bill. Other than guaranteeing some crypto-related rights, the bill also prohibits CBDC creation.”

Read more: Currency Insider

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“CBDC is future of money; no competition with UPI: RBI Governor

Shaktikanta Das says CBDC is interoperable — with the same QR code, one can make UPI payments or CBDC payments

He says the digital currency is in a trial mode with the central bank currently running a pilot project.

“We have made it interoperable because (with) the same QR code you can make UPI payments you can make CBDC payments,” Das adds. The bank plans to enable users to make money transfers using the digital currency to accounts through the latter’s UPI. The bank has started incorporating new features into the new currency so that one can program even the conditions of their CBDC transfers.”

Read more: Currency Insider

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“CBDCs can improve cross-border payments, financial inclusion in the Middle East: IMF

In a statement, the IMF noted that two-thirds of the 19 countries in the two regions are exploring CBDCs. Some, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are at the proof-of-concept stage; Kazakhstan is the most advanced after conducting two pilot programs for its digital tenge.

The most advanced cross-border CBDC project in the Middle East is mBridge, which includes the UAE and, as of this month, Saudi Arabia. mBridge, which also includes China, Hong Kong, and Thailand, entered the MVP stage recently.

In some CBDC models, digital currencies are directly offered by central banks, which, unlike commercial banks, are not after profits. This allows them to provide services and products that other lenders can’t, and in turn, they increase competition in the payments space.

The IMF cautioned that for Middle Eastern and Central Asian nations to maximize the benefits of CBDCs, they must address the risks. This includes potential bank disintermediation, which could impact deposits and, consequently, the ability of commercial banks to lend to their clients.

Some central banks, such as the Bank of Israel, view this competition differently with commercial lenders. BOI has proposed an interest-bearing CBDC, which it believes would chip away at bank deposits. However, it views this as healthy competition that would challenge the banks to improve their services.”

Read more: Currency Insider

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