Bundesbank survey Germans are skeptical about the digital euro

Status: 16.06.2021 1:05 p.m.

The corona pandemic has further reduced the use of cash, also in Germany. According to the Bundesbank, Germans would be skeptical about the introduction of a digital euro. The European Central Bank (ECB) wants to decide this summer whether the introduction of a digital euro should be seriously tackled. This was announced last week by Burkhard Balz, board member of the Bundesbank. But the majority of Germans are skeptical about this project. Around 56 percent of all households surveyed were cautious in their initial assessment of the possible introduction of a digital euro, said Bundesbank board member Johannes Beermann yesterday in a speech at a cash conference of the German central bank. “Many of them are not convinced that this would offer sufficient additional value compared to the existing range of payment options.” Among other things, Beermann is responsible for the issue of cash on the board of the Bundesbank.

01/21/2021

Largely unknown project

In addition, according to the survey results, 77 percent of all respondents have never heard of or read about a digital euro. And those who know about it, fear in the first place that their personal data is not adequately protected. The security of the new means of payment also raises questions among the population, as does its availability within the entire euro area and the avoidance of additional costs. According to the central bankers, the digital euro could help on the way to the Smart Economy or Economy 4.0 by enabling programmable payments and supporting processing using modern technologies. However, the Bundesbank executive also emphasizes that the digital euro is not intended to be a substitute for cash. It is about a complementary offer. “As long as there is demand for cash, we will also offer cash,” said Balz.

04/16/2021

Cash as a safety cushion

ECB Director Fabio Panetta presented surprising figures on cash use during the Corona crisis at the Bundesbank conference. Accordingly, during the pandemic, people in the euro zone increasingly used cash as a safety cushion, although they made greater use of cashless forms of payment when shopping. According to Panetta, the demand for euro banknotes increased by 190 billion euros between March 2020 and May 2021. When comparing the volumes issued in spring 2020 with the average volumes of the past five years, this is an increase of four percent. At the same time, during the pandemic, significantly less purchases were made with notes and coins. “This seeming paradox – an increasing demand for banknotes despite a decline in cash payments – may be explained by the fact that people used cash as a means of dealing with uncertainty during the crisis,” said Panetta. Recent estimates suggest that even before the pandemic, only around 20 percent of the total amount of euro banknotes in circulation in the euro area had been actively used for payments. Panetta therefore assumes that euro notes and coins will survive the digital revolution.

After Brexit Great Britain and Australia sign trade pact

Status: 15.06.2021 12:07 p.m. Great Britain and Australia have agreed on a free trade agreement. The deal will ensure further growth, announced the government in London. But there are also skeptical voices. For the first time since Brexit, Great Britain has signed a completely renegotiated trade agreement. Prime Minister Boris Johnson reached a free trade agreement with his Australian colleague Scott Morrison. The heads of government have cleared the last stumbling blocks out of the way in the past few days, said both sides.

Boost for 3.5 million employees?

Accordingly, manufacturers of cars and whiskey would benefit from duty-free, the government announced in London. Young Britons under 35 should be given more freedom to live and work in Australia. Industries with around 3.5 million employees in the UK received a boost. The contract will ensure further growth. “Today marks a new dawn in the UK’s relationship with Australia, one that is fueled by our shared history and values,” said Johnson. Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan described the deal as a “gain for jobs, businesses, free trade”.

Exemption from duty for whiskey, among other things Image: dpa

“Good news for both countries”

In 2020, UK-Australian trade was worth £ 13.9 billion – around € 16.15 billion. The UK is Australia’s fifth largest trading partner. Before the British became part of the EU and with it the internal market in 1973, Australia was even the most important trading partner. Economist Gabriele Suder from RMIT University in Melbourne welcomed the British-Australian deal. This is good news for both countries. After all, it is the first agreement in the post-Brexit era. She expects the deal to bring the Australian economy 1.3 billion Australian dollars (around 830 million euros) annually. Other experts believe the pact will be more important to Britain. Australia has a strong trade focus on Asia.

analysis 04/27/2021

04/28/2021

British farmers fear imports

However, the pact with Australia is controversial in Great Britain. Farmers fear a flood of imports of lamb and beef as soon as customs duties cease to exist. This could affect British sheep and cattle farmers. The government in London stressed that the deal included ceilings on duty-free imports over the next 15 years, as well as quotas and other safeguards. Farmers’ associations called on parliament to closely monitor the contract. According to Australian data, the country’s farmers will benefit from the agreement.

Treaties with dozens of states

Great Britain is currently repositioning itself after Brexit. Since the UK left the EU, it has signed trade deals with dozens of countries. However, these were always copies of the pre-Brexit EU treaties with these states.

report March 29, 2021

Ethereum has skyrocketed in recent times. (Source: CNBC) Price hits all-time high According to Coin Metrics, Ethereum (also known as Ether) reached an all-time high of $4,196.3 at 12:15 p.m. on May 10. The value of Ether is up nearly 7% in the past 24 hours and is currently at $4,141.99. The total market capitalization of this coin is $476.3 billion, almost half the market capitalization of the world’s largest digital currency – Bitcoin ($1.1 trillion). With the new milestone just set, the price of Ether has increased 5 times from the price of $ 800 at the beginning of 2021. Compared to the same period last year, the price of Ethereum has increased about 20 times in just 1 year. . Ether was founded in 2013 by Russian-Canadian programmer Vitalik Buterin and several other crypto entrepreneurs. Similar to Bitcoin, Ether operates on the Blockchain technology platform. The biggest difference between Ether and Bitcoin is the intended use and core technology. Ether was created with the goal of becoming a platform for smart contract development. Ether serves as a means of paying for the network’s operating costs. Meanwhile, Bitcoin was born with the sole purpose of becoming a means of payment and a store of value. For programmer Buterin, Bitcoin is too limited in functionality. In an interview with Business Insider , founder Ether compared Bitcoin to a pocket computer that “does one thing well,” while Ether is like a smartphone with many apps. Ethereum is not perfect yet However, according to the page CNBC , Ether is not perfect yet. In 2017, the popularity of the game CryptoKitties caused Ether’s network to become severely congested, slowing transactions and causing game developers to raise fees. Scalability is one of the biggest problems with the Ether network today. This cryptocurrency currently works using a proof-of-work protocol (a mechanism that prevents double-spending), similar to Bitcoin. This means that cryptocurrency miners with purpose-built computers must compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and get the miners’ networks to “mine”. Electrons must consume huge amounts of energy. But Ether is currently “running” an ambitious upgrade called Ethereum 2.0. Specifically, the cryptocurrency moves to a proof-of-stake model and relies on investors holding Ether to process new transactions. Cryptocurrency investors say the upgrade will help the Ether network run at scale, process more transactions at faster speeds, and support applications with millions of users. This can also lead to short-term price increases. However, some experts are still skeptical and refuse to trade digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ether. The latest volatility of the world’s top two cryptocurrencies reminded them of the 2017 crypto bubble, during which Bitcoin surged to a peak of $20,000. But a year later, it “sloped” down to $3,122. Some cautious investors say that the cryptocurrency is in a bubble waiting to burst. What do experts think about Ethereum and Bitcoin? Ed Egilinsky, CEO – Head of Alternative Investments at Direxion said: “Ethereum’s blockchain technology has more uses and functionality than Bitcoin, making it a potentially lucrative game in the long run. Also, at the present time, the price difference between Bitcoin and Ethereum could make Ethereum an ‘affordable’ investment for investors.” “Ether is a blockchain platform that acts like the Apple and Android app stores,” said Pat LaVecchia, CEO of trading platform Oasis Pro Markets. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is a commodity like gold, or a store of value. Unlike Bitcoin, where many properties (such as supply) have been fixed since its inception, the Ethereum platform is still evolving with new updates that promise to improve the system. It’s even entirely possible that regulations change and cause the supply to drop, which will cause the price of Ethereum to continue to rise.” (according to CNBC, Business Insider)