Fintech Camp and Twispay have organized a meetup to shed some much-needed light on the topic of digital currencies. This document is the full presentation used by the two speakers, Tudor Nistor and Cristi Gheorghe.
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Not all digital currencies are created equal. For financial and technology enthusiasts alike, the ability to understand the underlying principles of digital currency, such as eMoney and cryptocurrency, is crucial in the development of future banking services.
AMAZON SELLER VIRTUAL ASSISTANT PRODUCT RESEARCH .pdf
eMoney vs. Crypto: Myths and Facts about Digital Currencies
1. eMoney vs Crypto
Myths and Facts about Digital Currencies
WiFi Info
SSID: cnpg
Password: twispay2017
2. Today’s Agenda
Tudor Nistor – Payments Lawyer
The regulatory environment surrounding
digital currencies
Cristi Gheorghe – Product & Marketing at Twispay
Digital challenges of dealing with
eMoney & crypto
5. Regulatory Framework
2nd eMoney Directive 110/2009
Payment Services Directive 64/2007
(soon, 2nd PSD 2366/2015)
Law 127/2011 on eMoney issuing
OUG 113/2009 on payment services
Other regulations
6. Art. 2(1) of the eMoney Directive 110/2009 defines electronic money
as “electronically, including magnetically, stored monetary value as
represented by a claim on the issuer which is issued on receipt of
funds for the purpose of making payment transactions […] and which
is accepted by a natural or legal person other than the electronic
money issuer.”
Legal Definition
7. represents a claim on the issuer;
stored electronically, including magnetically;
issued on receipt of funds for the purpose of making
payment transactions;
accepted as a means of payment by persons other
than the issuer.
Basic Concepts – eMoney:
8. eMoney products can be hardware-based or software-
based, depending on the technology used to store it.
Hardware-based products: the purchasing power
resides in a personal physical device, such as a chip
card, with hardware-based security features.
Software-based products employ specialized software
that functions on common personal devices such as
personal computers, phones or tablets.
Schemes mixing both hardware and software-based
features.
Types of Products
9. A deposit involves the creation of a debtor-creditor relationship
under which the person who accepts the deposit stores value for
eventual return.
eMoney, in contrast, involves the purchase of a means of payment.
Not a Deposit!
10. eMoney issuers must issue eMoney at par value, when
they receive the funds – the eMoney issued must be for
the same amount as the funds received.
It is not allowed to issue electronic money for a higher
amount than that paid in exchange.
It is not allowed for an eMoney issuer to decide to
create new eMoney units at will.
Issuing eMoney
11. eMoney holders have the right to redeem the monetary value of their
e-money at any time and at par value.
A link is always preserved between the value of eMoney and the
funds (physical/scriptural money).
Redeeming eMoney
12. All eMoney issuers are required by law to safeguard funds received in
exchange for e-money that has been issued.
If an eMoney issuer becomes insolvent, the claims of e-money
holders are paid from the asset pool formed from these safeguarded
funds, above all other creditors.
Protection of Customer Funds
13. eMoney institutions are entities authorized to issue
eMoney.
All eMoney issuers are subject to the conduct of
business rules.
National Competent Authorities are supervising
compliance with such rules.
Authorization is obtained from these authorities (e.g.
National Bank of Romania, FCA, BaFin, etc.).
Competent Authorities
14. The initial capital requirement is one of the essential conditions
when applying for authorization.
Capital is required to be held as a buffer, to cover both unexpected
losses that arise in the course of the business, as well as the first
losses if it is wound up.
Initial Capital of EUR 350,000
16. Closed system virtual currencies – generally, can not be
obtained with legal tender, nor can they be exchanged
for legal tender (e.g. World of Warcraft Gold).
Unidirectional virtual currencies – can be purchased
against legal tender, but they can’t be converted back
into legal tender (e.g. Amazon Coins or the now
abolished Facebook Credits and Microsoft Points).
Bidirectional virtual currencies – can be obtained
against legal tender, and can be exchanged back into
legal tender (e.g. cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin).
Types of Virtual Currencies
17. Virtual Currencies – digital representations of value (an asset), issued
by private developers and denominated in their own unit of account.
eMoney – digital representations of value for (and denominated in)
fiat currency, issued by regulated entities.
Both Are Digital Currencies
18. eMoney Bitcoin
Issuer Issued by regulated e-money issuers Issued by the mining community
Production Digitally-issued against receipt of fiat
currency
Mathematically generated (mined)
by peer network
Value Equal to the correspondent amount
of fiat currency – backed by the
creditworthiness of the central bank
and the government
Determined by supply and demand,
and trust in the system – not
backed by any source
Oversight Regulated by a central authority None – regulators are still exploring
Customer ID AML KYC applies Pseudo-anonymity
eMoney vs. Bitcoin
19. eMoney is a pre-paid good. eMoney is to be issued on the receipt of funds.
This is this element that poses difficulties regarding cryptocurrencies, which
are by nature issued following the underlying algorithms, and are thus not
subjected to the will of a central issuer (not in all cases).
eMoney Directive not Applicable
20. European Central Bank report, 2012
European Banking Authority statements, 2012, 2014
ECJ ruled in 2015 that VAT does not apply to the exchange
of traditional fiat currency and virtual currencies
Resolution of European Parliament, 2016
Statement of the European Commission, 2016
Proposal for revision of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering
Directive, 2017
Virtual Currencies Regulation Efforts in the EU
21. The greatest variety of approaches has been seen in taxation
approaches to digital currency.
Slovenia – Mining and businesses selling goods/services in Bitcoin are
taxed.
Norway – Bitcoin falls under the sales tax regulation.
UK – Treated as private money, no VAT forex changing BTC to fiat. VAT
applicable for goods/services sold for BTC or any other cryptocurrency.
Relevant profits/losses are subject to capital gains tax.
Finland – The Finish Tax Authority has issued instructions for the
taxation of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Capital gains tax
applies.
Attention to Tax Treatment
22. An attempt to bring some form of oversight into the
developing field of virtual currencies.
Will subject virtual currency exchange platforms and
custodian wallet providers to anti money laundering rules.
Defines virtual currencies as a digital representation of
value that is neither issued by a central bank or a public
authority, nor necessarily attached to a fiat currency, but is
accepted by natural or legal persons as a means of
payment and can be transferred, stored or traded
electronically.
5th AML Directive
23. Bringing the virtual currency service providers
(exchanges and custodian wallets) under the scope
of AML rules – licensing/registration
Defining the notion of virtual currency (same
definition proposed by AML5).
Addressing one of the risks emanating from virtual
currency transactions – their higher degree of
anonymity.
Draft Law for the Implementation
of AML4(5) in Romania
25. Digital challenges of dealing with
e-money & crypto
Cristi Gheorghe – Product &
Marketing Director at Twispay
26. “Bitcoin will do to banks what email
did to the postal industry”
Nostradamus ☺
Rick Falkvinge
27. Bitcoin History
2008 August
Bitcoin.org domain registered
2008 October
Satoshi Nakamoto Whitepaper
2009 January
Bitcoin network and client
2011
Many more cryptocurrencies
2014
Major players accepting BTC
2015
150.000 Merchants accepting BTC
2017
…
eMoney History
1998 December
PayPal established as “Confinity”
2001
X.Com terminated and renamed “PayPal”
2001
First eMoney Regulations in the EU and US
2005
Mobipay in Spain; Payoneer launched
2008
PayPal granted Luxembourg Banking License
2010, 2011
Venmo launched, BitPay
2015+
Revolut, N26
28. Digital Currency
Asset in digital form
Monetary Characteristics
Denominated to a currency
Issued by issuer
Redeemed for “cash”
Electronic Money
Virtual Currency
Digital representation of value
Alternative to money
Not issued by a bank
Controlled by developers
Closed Circuit use
Cryptocurrencies
31. Benefits of a Crypto
Transaction
Anonymous?
Refundable?
Protected?
Small fees?
Fast?
Scalable / micro
Benefits of an
eMoney Transaction
Full KYC
Trackable (and reversible)
Safeguarded
Lower fees
Instant
Limited by 3rd parties
42. Crypto versus banks?
Competition versus cooperation
Healthy competition
Opens new ways / possibilities
Empowered by technology
Benefits the consumer