Payments on Digital Platforms: Resiliency, Interoperability and Welfare Staff Working Paper 2021-19 Jonathan Chiu, Tsz-Nga Wong This paper studies the business model choice between running a cash platform and a token platform, as well as its welfare and policy implications. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Monetary policy, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5, L, L5
Stablecoin Assessment Framework Staff Discussion Paper 2021-6 Alejandro García, Bena Lands, Dennis Yanchus We offer relevant authorities a three-step assessment framework they can use to understand, identify and quantify the risks associated with stablecoin and other cryptocurrency arrangements. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): D, D7, D78, D8, D81, G, G0, G01, G1, G18, O, O3, O38
February 10, 2021 Changing how we pay Speech summary Timothy Lane Institute for Data Valorisation Montréal, Quebec Deputy Governor Timothy Lane discusses how the pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of the economy. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Topic(s): Bank notes, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Cryptocurrencies, Digital currencies and fintech, Payment clearing and settlement systems
February 10, 2021 Payments innovation beyond the pandemic Remarks (delivered virtually) Timothy Lane Institute for Data Valorisation Montréal, Quebec Deputy Governor Timothy Lane talks about how the Bank of Canada is contributing to the modernization of our payments ecosystem, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to make payments more convenient for all Canadians. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Bank notes, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Cryptocurrencies, Digital currencies and fintech, Payment clearing and settlement systems
Distributional Effects of Payment Card Pricing and Merchant Cost Pass-through in Canada and the United States Staff Working Paper 2021-8 Marie-Hélène Felt, Fumiko Hayashi, Joanna Stavins, Angelika Welte Although credit cards are more expensive for merchants to accept than cash or debit cards, merchants typically pass through their costs evenly to all customers. Along with consumer card rewards and banking fees, this creates cross-subsidies between payment methods. Because higher-income individuals tend to use credit cards more than those with lower incomes, our results indicate that these cross-subsidies might lead to regressive distributional effects. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Bank notes, Financial institutions, Financial services, Market structure and pricing, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): D, D1, D12, D2, D23, D3, D31, E, E4, E42, G, G2, G21, L, L8, L81
Estimating Policy Functions in Payments Systems Using Reinforcement Learning Staff Working Paper 2021-7 Pablo S. Castro, Ajit Desai, Han Du, Rodney J. Garratt, Francisco Rivadeneyra We demonstrate the ability of reinforcement learning techniques to estimate the best-response functions of banks participating in high-value payments systems—a real-world strategic game of incomplete information. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): A, A1, A12, C, C7, D, D8, D83, E, E4, E42, E5, E58
Eggs in One Basket: Security and Convenience of Digital Currencies Staff Working Paper 2021-6 Charles M. Kahn, Francisco Rivadeneyra, Tsz-Nga Wong Digital currencies store balances in anonymous electronic addresses. This paper analyzes the trade-offs between the safety and convenience of aggregating balances in addresses, electronic wallets and banks. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Digital currencies and fintech, Financial services, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E5, E51, E58
Using Payments Data to Nowcast Macroeconomic Variables During the Onset of COVID-19 Staff Working Paper 2021-2 James Chapman, Ajit Desai We use retail payment data in conjunction with machine learning techniques to predict the effects of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy in near-real time. Our model yields a significant increase in macroeconomic prediction accuracy over a linear benchmark model. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): C, C5, C53, C55, E, E3, E37, E4, E42, E5, E52
Safe Payments Staff Working Paper 2020-53 Jonathan Chiu, Mohammad Davoodalhosseini, Janet Hua Jiang, Yu Zhu In a cashless economy, would the private sector invest in the optimal level of safety in a deposit-based payment system? In general, because of externalities, the answer is no. While the private sector could over- or under-invest in safety, the government can use taxes or subsidies to correct private incentives. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E5, E50, G, G2, G21
November 12, 2020 Helping the economy after the COVID‑19 pandemic Speech summary Carolyn A. Wilkins Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy Toronto, Ontario The pandemic won’t last forever. Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn A. Wilkins talks about what the economy will need once we’re past the COVID-19 crisis. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Central bank research, Climate change, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Debt management, Digital currencies and fintech, Expectations, Financial institutions, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Firm dynamics, Fiscal policy, Inflation targets, Interest rates, Labour markets, Monetary policy communications, Monetary policy framework, Payment clearing and settlement systems, Potential output, Productivity, Recent economic and financial developments