Snippings

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“Specifically, that means maintaining fair competition in private, data-intensive markets (as envisioned in the European Commission’s newly proposed data strategy), and ensuring that private and public service providers can access and combine different sources of data. Governments should not be granting exclusive rights to public-sector data that could be used by other third parties to deliver social benefits. In fact, policymakers should even consider mandating that certain forms of private-sector data be made accessible to third parties, in order to ensure interoperability between platforms.”

From “It’s Now or Never for National Data Strategies by Diane Coyle – Project Syndicate”.

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Taiwan’s government learned from its 2003 SARS experience and established a public health response mechanism for enabling rapid actions for the next crisis. Well-trained and experienced teams of officials were quick to recognize the crisis and activated emergency management structures to address the emerging outbreak.

In a crisis, governments often make difficult decisions under uncertainty and time constraints. These decisions must be both culturally appropriate and sensitive to the population. Through early recognition of the crisis, daily briefings to the public, and simple health messaging, the government was able to reassure the public by delivering timely, accurate, and transparent information regarding the evolving epidemic. Taiwan is an example of how a society can respond quickly to a crisis and protect the interests of its citizens.

From Response to COVID-19 in Taiwan: Big Data Analytics, New Technology, and Proactive Testing | Global Health | JAMA | JAMA Network:

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In 2018, shadow banking assets in the euro area amounted to almost €34.5 trillion, accounting for more than 40% of the assets of the financial sector. Total shadow banking assets more than doubled between 2000 and 2008, and a similar boom was observed in the between 2009 and 2018

From Off the radar: The rise of shadow banking in Europe | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal:

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22nd March 2019

Dave Birch believes Facebook may make use of the existing payments regulations and build a private network. “Facebook can take advantage of the new regulations in Europe,” said Birch.

From Zuckerberg’s boldest move – New Money Review:

15th August 2019

if Libra were set up in the EU under the provisions of an Electronic Money Licence (ie, Tier 1 capital reserve but in EU assets only, separation of funds etc) and Calibra were set up in the EU under the provisions of a Payment Institution Licence (ie, with TPP access to retail bank accounts) then it could become the hard e-Euro that John Major put forward all those years ago as a viable alternative to the Euro.

From I only just had time to sit down and read this Colin. Well done.:

Today

The Libra Association has announced that it has formerly commenced the process for obtaining a payment system licence in Switzerland, which will have input from central banks and other regulatory bodies.

From Libra begins journey to regulatory support with multi-currency mode…:

#MysticDave #Crystal Balls

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Libra, the digital coin unveiled by Facebook last year, has applied for a payment system licence from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), with significant changes made to the project that was met with widespread criticism last year.

The Libra Association has announced that it has formerly commenced the process for obtaining a payment system licence in Switzerland, which will have input from central banks and other regulatory bodies.

From Libra begins journey to regulatory support with multi-currency mode…:

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IBM’s Hyperledger isn’t really a “blockchain,” and what it does offer is hard to use and difficult to scale.

From IBM’s Hyperledger isn’t a real blockchain — here’s why:

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In Hangzhou, it has become nearly impossible to get around without showing your Alipay code.

From In Coronavirus Fight, China Gives Citizens a Color Code, With Red Flags – The New York Times:

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Apple launched the iMessage App Store for casual games, and Facebook rolled out Instant Games for its Messenger app. In 2018, Google tried again with a focus on gaming. Last year, Snapchat announced the debut of Snap Games. But none of these endeavors has had the success of WeChat’s mini programs, which can tap into the social media network’s hugely popular digital wallet to allow customers to make seamless payments.

“Having payments embedded is a key thing,” said Matthew Brennan, a Chinese tech consultant. “With mini programs, you can actually get paid really, really easily and convert attention and traffic into transactions,” he said.

How Tencent’s WeChat Poses Creeping Threat to Apple — The Information:

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WeChat users spent 800 billion yuan ($113 billion) inside mini programs in 2019, a 160% increase from the previous year.

At the same time, the number of iOS apps downloaded in China in 2019 has fallen 12% from a peak of 9.3 billion in 2017, according to Sensor Tower. That compares with an increase of 22% to 7.1 billion apps downloaded in the U.S. over the same period.

How Tencent’s WeChat Poses Creeping Threat to Apple — The Information:

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For Apple, “the danger is that WeChat is going to be a new operating system,”

How Tencent’s WeChat Poses Creeping Threat to Apple — The Information:

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