No credit to cryptocurrencies
remittances. However, the bank doesn’t prohibit customers from undertaking transactions in blockchain-based trading platforms and cryptocurrencies.
“Emirates NBD does not accept cryptocurrencies or support cryptocurrency remittances but it does not prohibit customers from undertaking transactions involving blockchain-based trading platforms and cryptocurrencies,” it said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
“Emirates NBD has policies, systems and controls to detect and prevent financial crime including money laundering, terrorist financing and breaches of international sanctions in line with its regulatory obligations and the expectations of our correspondent banks. It is, therefore possible that some transactions associated with cryptocurrencies may be rejected by Emirates NBD or declined as a result of rejections by other domestic or international correspondent banks,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, HSBC Middle East refused to comment. Mastercard, the world’s second biggest payments network, said last month that customers buying cryptocurrencies with credit cards fuelled a 1 percentage point increase in overseas transaction volumes in the fourth quarter. The UAE Central Bank governor Mubarak Rashid Al Mansouri said earlier this year that UAE and Saudi Arabia are considering introducing cryptocurrency for bilateral trade.
Speaking recently at a forum in Abu Dhabi, Al Mansouri said the underlying technology behind cryptocurrency and other financial technology is beneficial to the banking sector.
According to S&P, many central banks are carefully looking at cryptocurrencies and exploring the potential for creation of a central bank-backed cryptocurrency.
Volatility dominates
Bitcoin, the mother of all cryptocurrencies, has seen head-spinning volatility over last few months, many becoming millionaires overnight and many more went bust as well when cryptocurrencies nosedived following concerns from different quarters around the world. Its price plunged from nearly $20,000 to less than $10,000 in just a few month time. It hit an all-time high of $19,498 on December 12, 2017 but fell by over 30 per cent to $13,546 on January 1, 2018, reflecting extremely volatility days of the currencies. Year-to-date, Bitcoin has fallen by 29 per cent to $9,600 on Monday morning. A survey by earlier this month by a consumer product services website Finder disclosed that Ethereum will see the biggest increase in market cap at 212 per cent followed by Bitcoin at 194 per cent and Bitcoin Cash at 123 per cent.
In terms of price prediction, Ethereum is projected to trade $2,550 by end of this year; while Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash are forecast to trade at $29,533 and $2,721, respectively, taking the top two spots, according to the report. In the UAE, the major cryptocurrencies in demand still remain to be Bitcoin, Ripple, Ethereum and Litecoin, said Vijay Valecha, chief market analyst, Century Financial.
“However, Cardano, Neo, Monero and Stellar are gaining a lot of demand in the past few months. Investors are advised to avoid cryptocurrencies as a major investment source and be very careful if investing in them,” he added.
Mohamed Damak, primary credit analyst, S&P, said cryptocurrencies as a speculative instrument which would have an insignificant effect on global financial stability if its value were to collapse. But retail investors would endure most of the impact, while rated banks wouldn’t feel the hit since they are largely insulated, thanks to their limited direct and indirect exposure and cautious approach.
— waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com