Italian Abstract:Questo lavoro valuta l’impatto della pandemia di Covid-19 sull’utilizzo degli strumenti di pagamento al dettaglio in Italia. Dopo un breve quadro d’assieme sulle tendenze prevalenti prima della diffusione dell’epidemia, viene analizzata la dinamica dei principali...

In this study, we assess the main drivers of banknote circulation in Italy over the last decades by using a number of econometric tools proposed in the literature. We explore the role played by the banknote flows from abroad, changes in the institutional framework and disentangle domestic demand...

Italian Abstract: Questo lavoro presenta i risultati dell’utilizzo delle transazioni elettroniche di pagamento e delle segnalazioni raccolte dagli intermediari finanziari per le finalità di antiriciclaggio nella produzione statistica ufficiale e nelle previsioni macroeconomiche di breve...

This paper derives the optimal size of the financial sector using a general equilibrium framework that is an extension of Holmstrom and Tirole's 1997 paper. We show that the financial sector has a unique optimal size relative to the size of the economy as a whole. Creating and maintaining this...

In this paper, we develop a discrete choice framework to quantify the economic benefits of payments modernization in Canada. Focusing on Canada's large-value transfer system (LVTS), we first estimate participants' preferences for liquidity cost, payment safety and the network effect by...

This paper analyzes securitization and more generally special purpose vehicles (SPVs), which are now pervasive in corporate finance. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the institutional features of SPVs and securitization. The second part provides a model to analyze the...

The design of Bitcoin is closely related to gold which has led to the idea that Bitcoin has gold-like features such as being a store of value and a safe haven. However, given Bitcoin's extreme volatility investors may rather need a safe haven against Bitcoin. We hypothesize that stablecoins...

This paper analyzes the stability of stablecoins and proposes a framework to test for absolute and relative stability of stablecoins. Based on high-frequency data of the six largest stablecoins we find strong evidence of excess price variations and identify Bitcoin as a source of this excess...

We acquire a unique dataset of high-frequency traded prices for bitcoin call and put options from the Deribit cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, by 15-minute sampling via the application programming interface. We use these prices to construct a term structure of bitcoin implied volatility...

Concluding thoughts and outlook for the future of the technology. For Chapter 1 (Introduction), see "https://ssrn.com/abstract=3135021" https://ssrn.com/abstract=3135021. For Chapter 2 (Means of Exchange: Ever-present Competition), "https://ssrn.com/abstract=3135028"...