Commentary / World Jul 6, 2023
The mighty U.S. dollar can fight off the digital upstarts
The de-dollarization project is counting on blockchain technology to end the greenback’s hegemony. The hope may be misplaced.
Commentary / World Apr 14, 2023
Asian startups are rising to the financing challenge
Once the world’s hottest stock because of its single-minded pursuit of growth, Singapore’s Sea is slashing costs as it seeks safety in profitability.
Commentary / World Jan 16, 2023
Why the Fed needs to take the digital yuan seriously
The e-CNY will be more than just a paperless version of cash for China’s local economy, its use in trade settlements would pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar.
Commentary / Japan Nov 9, 2022
Breaking Japan’s cash habit by nudging wage earners
The Japanese government plans to pay workers directly into digital wallets to move them off cash and into virtual payments.
Commentary / World Jun 6, 2022
Banking could go the way of news publishing
Tech giants pose a far bigger challenge to brick-and-mortar lenders than fintech startups that don’t have the scale of platform businesses.
Commentary / World May 19, 2022
Does your country really need digital cash?
Everyone’s jumping on the digital cash bandwagon. But doing so should really depend on if your economy is more like that of Poland or Peru.
Commentary / Japan Feb 10, 2022
Japan warms up to the potential of cryptocurrencies
Mitsui & Co. is planning a cryptocurrency linked to the yen-denominated price of one gram of gold.
Commentary / World Dec 19, 2021
Cash is dying, but we aren’t ready to bury it
As cash vanishes — without a central bank digital currency replacing it — the public’s trust in the convertibility of deposits into official money may become an issue.
Commentary / World Nov 26, 2021
A digital Singapore dollar may be too much of a good thing
Singapore says no to electronic cash not because it may flop, but because it’ll most likely be a hit and could have consequences for the island’s financial stability and monetary policy.
Commentary / World Nov 24, 2021
Will a wealth tax affect Singapore’s rivalry with Hong Kong?
Singapore wants to take a different path from Hong Kong and may turn to some kind of tax on capital — perhaps as early as next year’s budget.