The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) Has Recently Published an Interesting Paper Reflecting on the Global Cross-Border Movements

The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has recently published an interesting paper reflecting on the global cross-border movements. It has focused

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has recently published an interesting report focusing on the global cross-border movements of main crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ether, and prominent stablecoins such as Tether and USD Coin. Referring to a vast dataset of 184 countries and a time period between 2017 and 2024, the report highlights the rising importance of decentralized assets in the world economy and explores what factors are driving these flows across borders.

According to the report, the enormous cross-border crypto transactions reached $2.6 trillion in 2021, a development that underscores the rapid expansion of the crypto market. Stablecoins, such as Tether and USD Coin, accounted for roughly half of this volume, showing a strong increase in their use for cross-border remittances and transactions. The paper’s gravity-based analysis reveals some geographical and economic factors that underlie these flows, which bypass conventional banking platforms.

In the case of Bitcoin and Ether flows, they were found to be driven mostly by speculative motives, while stablecoins were used more commonly for transactional reasons, especially in regions characterized by high remittance fees. Stablecoins were also observed to be employed as a substitute for traditional forms of finance in areas grappling with inflation or currency devaluation.

This finding ties into the emerging role of stablecoins in decentralized financial activities (DeFi), which allow individuals to circumvent traditional financial systems. DeFi protocols, such as Aave and Balancer, facilitate lending, borrowing, and liquidity provision in a decentralized manner, bypassing banks and other financial institutions. This reduces costs and enhances transaction efficiency.

The report also examined the effect of capital flow management measures, which are meant to regulate cross-border financial transactions, on crypto flows. The study implies that both measures have little effect on crypto flows. In fact, in some instances, CFMs may even promote higher flows because participants may try to circumvent restrictions using crypto assets. The control dynamics of cryptocurrencies make it easy for people to overstep conventional financial instruments. This strengthens the notion that the regulatory powers have not been able to catch up with the very impressive growth of digital assets.

According to BIS, though CFMs can try to regulate outflows or inflows of capital, they are quite ineffective in dealing with cryptocurrencies. This confirms the resilience of the decentralized finance ecosystem. It also implies that future regulation has to become much more flexible to account for this new economic reality.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has recently published an interesting report focusing on the global cross-border movements of main crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ether, and prominent stablecoins such as Tether and USD Coin. Referring to a vast dataset of 184 countries and a time period between 2017 and 2024, the report highlights the rising importance of decentralized assets in the world economy and explores what factors are driving these flows across borders.

According to the report, the enormous cross-border crypto transactions reached $2.6 trillion in 2021, a development that underscores the rapid expansion of the crypto market. Stablecoins, such as Tether and USD Coin, accounted for roughly half of this volume, showing a strong increase in their use for cross-border remittances and transactions. The paper’s gravity-based analysis reveals some geographical and economic factors that underlie these flows, which bypass conventional banking platforms.

In the case of Bitcoin and Ether flows, they were found to be driven mostly by speculative motives, while stablecoins were used more commonly for transactional reasons, especially in regions characterized by high remittance fees. Stablecoins were also observed to be employed as a substitute for traditional forms of finance in areas grappling with inflation or currency devaluation.

This finding ties into the emerging role of stablecoins in decentralized financial activities (DeFi), which allow individuals to circumvent traditional financial systems. DeFi protocols, such as Aave and Balancer, facilitate lending, borrowing, and liquidity provision in a decentralized manner, bypassing banks and other financial institutions. This reduces costs and enhances transaction efficiency.

The report also examined the effect of capital flow management measures, which are meant to regulate cross-border financial transactions, on crypto flows. The study implies that both measures have little effect on crypto flows. In fact, in some instances, CFMs may even promote higher flows because participants may try to circumvent restrictions using crypto assets. The control dynamics of cryptocurrencies make it easy for people to overstep conventional financial instruments. This strengthens the notion that the regulatory powers have not been able to catch up with the very impressive growth of digital assets.

According to BIS, though CFMs can try to regulate outflows or inflows of capital, they are quite ineffective in dealing with cryptocurrencies. This confirms the resilience of the decentralized finance ecosystem. It also implies that future regulation has to become much more flexible to account for this new economic reality.