Interaction between the banking sector and blockchain technology, and banks’ involvement in the development of digital assets, have increased significantly in recent years. Regulations that make it easier to offer crypto-asset services have encouraged banks to take part in these markets. The presence of non-bank players such as fintechs and Big Tech in financial services, together with the issuance of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the tokenisation of financial instruments and the growth of decentralised finance (DeFi), adds further complexity to the picture.
Important questions arise. What role should banks play in this new environment? Which forms of money will prevail in the coming years? Should banks compete with DeFi, collaborate with it or cede ground to it? How should banks respond to the imminent tokenisation of real-world assets (RWAs)? Does tokenisation represent a fundamental change in the banking business model? The relationship between banking and digital assets raises a great many issues.
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