The Potential of DeFi in Financial Market Infrastructure, Says BIS
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has suggested that certain elements of decentralized finance (DeFi) could play a role in shaping the future of financial market infrastructure. According to a report released by the BIS Innovation Hub, Project Mariana, the BIS’s wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot, has concluded its testing phase. The project aimed to explore the cross-border trading and settlement of CBDCs between financial institutions using innovations inspired by DeFi.
Testing Automated Market Makers
The report explains that Project Mariana incorporated concepts and ideas from decentralized finance. It focused on investigating whether automated market makers could simplify foreign exchange trading and settlement. The project simulated trades involving hypothetical wholesale CBDC versions of the Swiss franc, euro, and Singapore dollar. These trades were conducted between the central banks of France, Singapore, and Switzerland using an automated market maker.
Feasibility of Cross-Border Wholesale CBDC Exchange
According to the report, Project Mariana successfully demonstrated the feasibility of exchanging wholesale CBDCs across borders using innovative concepts like automated market makers. However, it also emphasized that DeFi technologies are still in their early stages and further research and experimentation are necessary.
Continued Exploration
The BIS Innovation Hub has expressed its intention to continue exploring the potential benefits and challenges of DeFi based on relevant use cases. This suggests that DeFi could potentially play a significant role in shaping future financial market infrastructure.
Hot Take: DeFi’s Role in Shaping Financial Market Infrastructure
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has concluded its pilot project, Project Mariana, which explored the cross-border trading and settlement of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) using decentralized finance (DeFi) innovations. The project successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using automated market makers for wholesale CBDC exchange across borders. This suggests that DeFi elements could serve as the foundation for a new generation of financial market infrastructures. However, it is important to note that DeFi technologies are still in their early stages, and further research and experimentation are required. Nevertheless, the BIS Innovation Hub plans to continue investigating the potential benefits and challenges of DeFi, signaling its growing relevance in shaping the future of financial markets.