ECB Sounds Alarm Over Linkages Between Stablecoins and Conventional Financial Markets

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17 November 2021

The search for higher yields amid rising inflation and falling interest rates has led investors to take greater risks, making a broad section of the market, including crypto, vulnerable to corrections, the European Central Bank (ECB) said.

  • The ECB acknowledged that cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity and relevance, and said that the crypto markets are subject to ?speculative bouts of volatility.?
  • The increasing use of leverage by crypto investors can lead to ?large, concentrated losses,? the central bank said in its bi-yearly financial stability review, which was released on Wednesday.
  • The ECB also warned against the growing link between stablecoins, cryptocurrencies that are pegged to fiat currencies, and the traditional financial market.
  • The central bank has been discussing the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) since the start of this year, and in July said it decided to launch the investigation phase of a digital euro project that would last 24 months.
  • Fabio Panetta, a member of ECB?s executive board, earlier this month laid out a detailed roadmap for CBDC inclusion.

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