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The Digital Euro Association (DEA) published actionable recommendations for enhancing privacy in CBDC systems, but the DEA provided a punchier version on Twitter.

"The ECB mentions that a digital euro would address a market gap by providing a means of payment that is widely accepted, free for basic use, inclusive, secure, can operate offline and offers the highest possible protection of privacy. These features, however, are not sufficient to drive large-scale adoption - in particular, with a digital euro that has a relatively low account limit."

The Digital Euro Association (DEA) published a paper on the the potential of stablecoins in the European internet-of-things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) economies. The paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of M2M payments, provides industry use cases that highlight the potential benefits of stablecoin-enabled IoT and M2M payments, and discusses the need for further guidance from regulators to spur M2M payment growth.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration demanded a suspected drug dealer's passwords from LastPass (an encrypted vault for storing passwords). LastPass told them to take a hike although it did hand over IP addresses used by the suspect and information about the account's creation and usage.

Coinbase aims to sell its Coinbase Analytics services, including its "identity attribution" software, to the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and the Infernal Revenue Service. Coinbase Analytics uses technology from Neutrino, a blockchain analysis startup that Coinbase acquired last year. Coinbase uses the product internally for compliance and global investigations. However, Coinbase Analytics data is fully sourced from online, publicly-available data, and does not include any personally-identifiable information for anyone, regardless of whether or not they use Coinbase.

The Digital Euro Association (DEA) Digital Euro Regulation Working Group has produced a commentary on the EU's Proposal for the establishment of the digital euro. This comprehensive document delves into the proposal's nuances, highlighting challenges, opportunities, and the broader implications for the European financial landscape.

The Digital Euro Association (DEA) published a paper that dives into the potential impact of tokenized deposits (TDs) on financial stability, monetary policy, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, and privacy considerations. The paper offers comprehensive primer into the potential of TDs, alongside considerations on how they could complement and co-exist with other forms of digital money.

Some have asked me for a summary of my central bank digital currency (CBDC) position, but I'm not inclined to be so absolute and dogmatic about the topic, since it's all so jurisdiction specific, but the Digital Euro Association (DEA) CBDC Manifesto comes pretty close to expressing my views on retail CBDC.

"Jürgen Schaaf stressed the importance of privacy (ranked first in the consultation on the digital euro by European citizens) and discussed different privacy options the ECB has analyzed. These options range from full anonymity to fully transparent payments to the central bank. It was argued that full anonymity will, as a preliminary view, not be a viable option as it conflicts with regulation around anti-money laundering. Nevertheless, and as stressed by some participants, since there is no CBDC regulation in place, an anonymous CBDC would not necessarily be against compliance. During the meeting, a survey about privacy was conducted amongst attendees and revealed that 50% of  participants were in favor of selective privacy, which means higher privacy for low-value transactions, an approach that has already been seen as technically feasible. 33% of the participants voted for anonymity, and 0% (!!) voted for payment transparency to an intermediary or fully transparent to the central bank. "

The Digital Euro Association (DEA) published a summary of the key takeaways from its Digital Euro Conference held on March 31, 2023, that brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders in a hybrid format. Both on-site and remote participants engaged in insightful discussions, presentations, and panel sessions centered around central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), stablecoins, and tokenized commercial bank deposits.

The Digital Euro Association (DEA) published a paper that dissects the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) and its transformative impact on the stablecoin landscape. It explores the diverse regulatory approaches to stablecoins across major jurisdictions and how MiCAR might serve as a model for global regulation. The paper discusses the potential market opportunities MiCAR offers for stablecoin issuers, including enhanced consumer trust, clearer regulatory guidance, and increased access to the European market. Also, it covers the significant challenges stablecoin issuers face under MiCAR, from stringent compliance requirements to operational and technological strains, and how these hurdles might impact smaller issuers and market dynamics.

"The Indian Inter-Ministerial Committee on Virtual Currencies is of the view that it would be advisable to have an open mind regarding the introduction of an official digital currency in India."

An Indian government panel has recommended banning all private cryptocurrencies and a jail term of up to 10 years and heavy fines for anyone dealing in digital currencies, which could signal the end of them in India.