The head of the Bank of Korea, Lee Ju-yeol, said that Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies lack intrinsic value. However, he believes that all assets will continue to experience significant price fluctuations.

Price Surge Because of Pro-BTC Institutional Investors?

The chief of the Bank of Korea said cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, do not possess inherent value. In a recent news report, Lee Ju-yeol blasted the highly volatile nature of the digital asset industry.

“There is no intrinsic value in crypto assets,” said BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol at a parliamentary session on 23 February.

The news report quoted lawmakers asking BOK’s chief if the recent surge in the price of BTC is temporary or not.

“It is very difficult to predict the price, but its price will be extremely volatile,” Ju-yeol added.

The bank executive has also said that the recent rally in Bitcoin’s price followed by other significant digital assets may be led by multiple factors. Among them, Elon Musk’s Tesla – investing $1.5 billion. He highlighted that the latest price surge might be a continuation of institutional investors using Bitcoin as a hedge.

Ju-yeol also emphasized that BOK shouldn’t buy bonds issued by the country’s government directly. Otherwise, this would raise worries about fiscal stability and undermine the central bank’s trust. 

Bitcoin Volatility Bringing Some More Hard Times For Investors?

The primary cryptocurrency’s volatility has been causing quite some troubles for both retail and institutional investors. This particular character of the digital assets has been a stumbling point for many, thus, causing some hesitations in whether to allocate funds in it or not.

BTC’s price managed to initiate another notable surge during the last couple of months, marking a consequent all-time high. Just a few days ago, it skyrocketed above $58,000, dragging other altcoins like Ethereum behind it for a while.

However, almost immediately after its upgrowth, BTC suffered a significant correction, settling unsteadily around $50K as per the time of the writing. As a result, the cryptocurrency market capitalization lost more than $300 billion in two days.

Interestingly, JPMorgan strategists said recently that Bitcoin’s illiquidity could bring more problems. Analysts from the US multinational banking institution argued that BTC is in a liquidity shortage, warning investors that the primary crypto-asset could suffer another price drop.

Featured Image Courtesy of WSJ. 

The former CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group, Xavier Rolet, has advised the UK government to look into cryptocurrencies and SPACs to minimize the adverse impact of Brexit. In a recent report, Rolet claimed that the UK has trailed behind other countries in both aspects.

The UK Should Turn To Crypto And SPACs?

Born in France, Rolet is a businessman and the Chief Executive Officer of the London-based credit-focused asset management firm CQS. Before assuming this position, though, he served as the CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group and was named as one of the 100 best CEOs in the world in 2017 by the Harvard Business Review.

In a report cited by Bloomberg, Rolet touched upon the potential consequences to the UK economy following the withdrawal from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, better known as Brexit.

The executive believes that the UK has two viable options to consider if it wants to minimize the risks and help the nation flourish.

In the first one, he urged the government to “promptly consider the SPAC revolution.” Also referred to as “blank check companies,” these special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) operate as shell corporations listed on a stock exchange with the idea of buying out a private company, thus making it public. Ultimately, this strategy eliminates the need to go through a traditional initial public offering (IPO).

While the US has seen significant adoption in the past year with a 10x increase in the raised funds compared to 2019’s results, the UK regulators have halted their progress on the London markets.

Rolet’s second advice involved digital assets as he noted that “all relevant UK government agencies should be resourced to thoroughly understand cryptocurrencies.”

With proper regulations, the crypto ecosystem could “place London and the UK at the center of a reputable and safe financial market.”

The UK’s Regulatory Approach To Cryptocurrencies

While UK’s regulators have hindered SPACs’ progress within the country, the nation’s financial watchdog, the FCA, has also been rather harsh against the cryptocurrency industry.

As of the start of this year, the Financial Conduct Authority banned crypto derivatives and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) to retail customers.

Additionally, the watchdog has issued several warnings to investors that they could lose all their funds if allocated in digital assets.

The regulator also announced that all UK-based digital asset businesses need to be registered with it but extended the deadline for applications to July 9th, 2021.

Featured Image Courtesy of TheGuardian