Big tech in finance: opportunities and risks
BIS

The leading regulatory body of the banking world weighing in on big techs in finance couldn’t have come at a better time, with Facebook having just announced Libra. BIS is positive about the potential roles big techs can play, in that they can create more efficiency and increase financial inclusion, but they check this by calling for policy regulators to level the playing field between big techs and banks, as the latter have to deal with significantly less regulations.

Digital Authentication?
Evidos

This report looks at the legal framework for digital signatures. The report details what types of authentication methods are needed for different documents, the forms of authentication, what people should think about when choosing a digital signature solution, criteria for digital authentication, and legal validity. The paper situates itself in the European context.

Foundations of Banking Origin and Social Rating
Philosophy—A New Proposal for an Evaluation System
Antonio Minguzzi, Michele Modina and Carmen Gallucci

Although social impact investing represents an opportunity to wed social and financial gain, the market configurations of the sector differ per country and evolve unequally. This paper looks at social impact investments in Italy, specifically studying the role the Foundations of Banking Origin foundation type have in the sector and furthermore dives into the importance of creating a methodology for choosing and financing the most promising projects.

Review on the Outlook for the UK Financial System: What it Means for the Bank of England
Huw van Steenis, Bank of England

This report takes off from a perspective of defining factors changing the British economy, figuring out how finance can support these changes, and establishing what this means for England’s central bank. Specifically, the paper dives into how the bank can support innovation, finding areas where the bank is not a primary actor but may be of interest to affect change, and monitoring the private sector.

People’s republic of China: Detailed assessment report on anti-money
laundering and combating the financing of
terrorism
IMF

Summarising the AML/CFT measures in place in China, this report looks at how these measures mesh with the standards set out in the Financial Action Task Force 40 Recommendations, analyses the effectiveness of China’s AML/CFT measures, and gives suggestions on how its system could be improved.