DeFi – ‘Decentralized Finance' – has joined FinTech, RegTech, cryptocurrencies and digital assets as one of the most discussed emerging technological evolutions in global finance. Yet little is really understood about its meaning, legal implications and policy consequences. This article...

This report offers an analytical framework that allows for more systemic assessments of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and its applications. It examines the evolution and typology of the emergent technology, its existing and projected applications, and regulatory and policy issues that they...

In 2009, Bitcoin created a world-first decentralised alternative currency that has spawned over 1,700 imitations by private parties. In 2018, governments finally joined the race, as Venezuela issued a world-first sovereign digital currency. Major economies like Canada, China, Singapore and the...

Despite years of effort, financial inclusion persists as a major challenge in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs), with many in the region still lacking access to financial services. This article argues that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) offer a potentially highly efficacious solution...