A library of snippets
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Contact tracing can be an important component of an epidemic response especially when the prevalence of infection is low. Such efforts are most effective where testing is rapid and widely available and when infections are relatively rare
From Contact-tracing apps are not a solution to the COVID-19 crisis:
So contact tracing doesn’t get you out of lockdown, but once you are out of lockdown, it can help the economy tick along so long as their is access to testing.
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Under the Federal Reserve Act, the Fed is only obliged to grant access to central bank money accounts to depository institutions, the definition of which does not currently include non-bank PSPs. As things stand, to gain access to domestic payments systems, non-banks must partner with a bank to settle transactions on behalf of their customers – a recent example is the partnership between Apple and Goldman Sachs, with the launch of the Apple Card.
From FedNow: the road to non-bank access to US instant payments – Central Banking:
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Their results show the share of cash retail transactions increases as concerns about privacy rise; an increase in concern by one standard deviation is associated with an increase in cash usage of 9.8%.
In this instance, one standard deviation is equivalent to an increase from the level of privacy concern in France to that of Korea.
In addition, the use of cash is shown to decrease as confidence in banks rises; an increase in trust by one standard deviation is associated with a reduction in cash usage of 12.3%.
From Cash usage decreases as confidence in banks rises – MAS paper – Central Banking:
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There are around 27,000 Post Office Card Account (POCA) customers to whom this could applyand they are being actively contacted to ensure they are able to regularly access their payments.
From Post Office launches cash delivery service for vulnerable customers:
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Between March 24 and April 23, post offices across India delivered Rs 412 crore in over 21 lakh such transactions, mostly in rural and unbanked areas, via a network of 1.36 lakh post offices which have been outfitted with 1.86 lakh handheld AePS devices.
From India Post delivers cash worth Rs 412 crore in doorstep banking revolution:
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Apple’s iPhone would under the proposed setup only work properly with decentralized protocols such as DP-3T
From Germany flips on smartphone contact tracing, backs Apple and Google – Reuters:
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On the way from the airport to the city, I was surprised by new illuminated signs that in my time were not or did not shine at night: Ubiipagos, Credicard, Carropago, Cryptia … Companies dedicated to electronic, mobile, interbank or cryptocurrency payments in a country in the value of the official currency, the bolivar, has faded in recent years due to hyperinflation .
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For foreign visitors, unfamiliar with the Mother of Parliaments, I should explain that Caroline Nokes MP used to the the Minister for Immigration and before that was the Chief Executive of the National Pony Society.
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When I first came to the country in 2016, showing a dollar bill was a risk. Make a high payment in US currency instead of bolivars, a clandestine and illegal operation. Now, the currency is almost everywhere .
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Restaurants, shops, supermarkets (and even the garlic vendor) accept – and prefer – dollars in cash or by transfer .
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Snippings