Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Central bank institution, BIS, says ‘The decentralization in DeFi just an illusion’
BankingDive | Robin Bradley | Dec 7, 2021
DeFi is ripe for regulation before the ecosystem becomes more popular, the Basel-based organization says in its quarterly report.
“The point raised in the special feature is that there’s a limit to how far you can run a whole financial system purely based on those automated transactions,”
CoinDesk reports Hyun Song Shin, economic adviser and head of research at BIS, said during a press briefing.
The Basel, Switzerland-based organization's paper refers to DeFi as “the financial applications run by smart contracts on a blockchain,” which is typically a permission-less chain. DeFi aims to cut down on the rents accrued by intermediaries in traditional finance.
See: DeFi is next on regulators’ hit list
The report argues that central premise of boosting efficiency by reducing private intermediation has yet to be realized, and the high degree of anonymity afforded by DeFi along with limitations in anti-money laundering and know-your-customer (KYC) provisions, expose the sector to illegal activities and market manipulation.
BIS makes the case that the “De” in “DeFi” is just an illusion, since all DeFi platforms include central governance frameworks. For example, governance tokens are often integrated into DeFi projects to afford voting power to individuals. Those holding governance tokens can vote to influence the project in various ways, and become part of a body known as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
It is this element of centralization that may give policymakers the ability to regulate the DeFi ecosystem. The report mentions that, in Wyoming, DAOs have been allowed to register as limited liability companies since mid-2021. Such a legal designation gives policymakers new tools to regulate the ecosystem.
See: As regulators circle above, how should the DeFi industry respond?
BIS is an international institution owned by 63 central banks that represent countries comprising roughly 95% of the world’s gross domestic product. BIS operates as both a global forum and a bank for central banks.
Recently, it partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to launch a new innovation center, which will support research on central bank digital currencies.
Continue to the full article --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Leave a Reply