Cryptocurrencies & The Banking Industry
Despite the concept of Crypto-currencies being increasingly expanding and gaining popularity, the traditional banking sector is hesitant to adopt the use of digital assets, believing that its inherent risks outweigh potential benefits. The main concerns for such thinking could be depicted as the decentralized nature of transactions, AML/KYC concerns and the high volatility of crypto-currency values. However the regulatory agencies such as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) are working towards changing bank’s perception on digital currencies believing that such assets would positively drive finance/banking sector in to a new era of innovation and efficiency. Main reasons why banks are wary of digital currencies Decentralized Nature One of the main reasons why banks are reluctant to engage in digital currencies is its decentralized nature. Cryptocurrencies have been developed as an alternative to the traditional banking system; hence they do not require any intermedi...