Global economics group

After the demise of the FTX empire, the latest casualty is crypto lender Genesis Global Capital. (Representative image) The once-burgeoning realm of crypto and decentralised finance keeps imploding, presenting policy makers with a quandary: Should they just let it burn, or step in to address its now-obvious flaws? I’m with the second group. To maintain their credibility, and to derive the greatest benefit from blockchain technology, regulators should intervene and crack down on scams, protect investors and ensure market integrity. The dominoes keep falling after the demise of the FTX empire. The latest casualty, crypto lender Genesis Global Capital, probably won’t be the last. Each failure further undermines trust, reduces activity and revenue, and puts pressure on the rest of the industry. With no lender of last resort to provide emergency support — as the Federal Reserve does for traditional banks — there’s little to stop the rot. Some think that’s just fine. They argue … [Read more...] about Crypto is worth fixing. Regulators should get moving

Indian vulture population in the country has declined, from 40 million to 19,000. (Photo by Shantanu Kuveskar via Wikimedia Commons) There was a time when the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) was in the running to become our National Bird. Its range extended all across western India - the Thar Desert and Deccan Plateau being its strongholds. Wildlife experts and enthusiasts recount spotting groups of up to 20 GIBs at a time in the dry grasslands. Rampant poaching, disturbance at breeding sites and loss of habitat have, however, reduced its numbers to 150 in the country (as of 2018). The critically endangered species could go extinct within 20 years, according to estimates by ornithologists. Unfortunately, it isn’t the only bird going the way of the Dodo. The fifth edition of the flagship science publication State of the World’s Birds, released last week, has declared that nearly half of the planet’s bird species are in decline. Painting a grim picture, it states that at least 187 … [Read more...] about Why the next decade is crucial for bird conservation in India

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 3 said she will be looking at arriving at a global SOP (standard operating procedure) for regulating crypto assets in her upcoming G20 meeting with finance ministers and central bank governors in a much-needed clarity on the way forward for the crypto sector. In a post-budget interview with Network18 Group’s MD Rahul Joshi , Sitharaman said the central bank will be recognised as the authority to issue cryptocurrencies. Sitharaman said, “We will be looking at global SOP to be available and agreed upon for regulating crypto assets while recognising the central bank as the authority for issuing cryptocurrencies.” “The rest of the assets created outside that, are using very useful financial technologies, even those have to be discussed because regulations cannot be done by one country singularly, it has to be a collective action because technology doesn’t brook any borders,” she added talking … [Read more...] about FM Sitharaman: Regulating crypto assets on agenda for upcoming G20 meet

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Software fragments. Not because it degrades over time and somehow crumbles away in terms of its effectiveness, or loses its ability to execute its required level of functionality and provide robust performance in a secure manner. Okay, well that too then, software does have an isotope-like radioactive half-life in that sense as well. It does break down over time unless it is augmented, enhanced and maintained - so in that sense it fragmets and crumbles. But software also fragments at the project level... and this is how we most commonly use the term, especially perhaps in open source circles. This is probably down to the fact that the open model of community-centric software application development is inherently founded in freedom and the ability to ‘skew & fork’ projects in new directions, all in the interest of innovation and user choice. If any group or body is in a position of validated oversight in order to be … [Read more...] about Why Open Source Software ‘Fragments’ – And How To Fix It

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin What Happened In 2022 Even before a months-long winter engulfed the digital-assets market, 2022 was shaping up as the year that Washington began to get serious about regulating the cryptocurrency business. That resolve was bolstered throughout the year by a series of calamities that included a massive stablecoin failure of terraUSD and the associated luna, with contagion effects that impacted BlockFi, Celsius Network and Voyager Digital exchange that called into question the ability of crypto exchanges to be digital asset custodians that would protect investors’ assets. Essentially, the crypto industry managed to recreate the same risks of the traditional banking system, in which the institutions that were responsible for holding customer’s assets were simultaneously lending funds, leading to leverage, liquidity and capital conflicts. Before the year could end, the third-largest exchange, FTX – previously seen as a … [Read more...] about 2022 Year In Review: Crypto Policy Experiences Massive Turbulence In Congress Amid TerraUSD And FTX Failures