Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T09:46:40.711Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - Crypto-Assets in Banks

Between Opportunities and Legal Uncertainties

from Part II - Opportunities and Challenges in Crypto-Asset Regulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2023

Sabrina Leo
Affiliation:
Sapienza Università di Roma
Ida Claudia Panetta
Affiliation:
Sapienza Università di Roma
Get access

Summary

Crypto-assets, such as cryptocurrencies and tokens, offer a diverse range of payment and investment services. Particularly, tokenisation simplifies products and processes, making negotiation and exchange easier and reducing inefficiencies and costs. However, this disintermediation does not necessarily reduce the role of banks, but rather transforms it, as the increasing complexity of products and services increases the importance of high-value consulting services. Banks can benefit from entering the distributed ledger technology (DLT) ecosystem and can serve as a reliable reference point for investors, consumers, and issuers. However, banks are also exposed to compliance and reputational risks that can only be managed with clear regulation. Regulatory uncertainty, stemming mainly from confusion regarding the legal classification of crypto-assets, hinders the provision of services by banks, and increases risks for consumers and investors. The regulatory framework should be revised in a technology-neutral manner to address these issues and allow for experimentation of innovative solutions, such as the European MiCAR.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Role of Distributed Ledger Technology in Banking
From Theory to Practice
, pp. 90 - 113
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bank of Italy 2022. ‘Bank of Italy communication on decentralised technologies in finance and crypto-assets’. Available online: www.bancaditalia.it/media/approfondimenti/2022/cripto/Comunicazioni-della-Banca-d-Italia-DLT-cripto.pdf.Google Scholar
Caponera, A., Gola, C. 2019. ‘Economic and regulatory aspects of crypto-assets’. Economic and Financial Issues (Occasional Papers) 484. Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.Google Scholar
Cipollone, P. – Deputy Director Bank of Italy 2022. ‘Crypto-assets e questioni legate alla digitalizzazione della finanza’. Available online: www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/interventi-direttorio/int-dir-2022/Cipollone_crypto_assets_21102022.pdf.Google Scholar
ESMA 2019a. ‘Legal qualification of crypto-assets: survey to NCAs’. Available online: www.esma.europa.eu/document/annex-legal-qualification-crypto-assets-%E2%80%93-survey-ncas.Google Scholar
ESMA 2019b. ‘Initial coin offerings and crypto-assets, advice’. Available online: www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/library/esma50-157-1391_crypto_advice.pdf.Google Scholar
Sciarrone Alibrandi, A., Borello, G., Ferretti, R., Lenoci, F., Macchiavello, E., Mattassoglio, F., Panisi, F. 2019. ‘Fintech notebooks: Marketplace lending – towards new forms of financial intermediation?’. CONSOB. Available online: www.consob.it/web/area-pubblica/ft5Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×