Singapore Proposes New Measures for Digital Payment Token Services

<p>The Digital Payment Token (DPT) service providers in
Singapore may be required to safely keep customers' assets under a
statutory trust before the end of the year. This is according to new
measures announced today (Monday) by the country's financial markets regulator.</p><p>The DPT service
providers must separate customer funds from their own, conduct a daily
reconciliation of the assets, and keep proper records, the MAS said. They are
also required to disclose to their customers the risks involved in dealing with DPTs.</p><p>Lending and Staking
Services</p><p>However, if the legislative amendments to the Payment
Services Regulations are affected, the DPT service providers will be prohibited from
facilitating lending and <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/terms/s/staking/">staking</a> services for retail investors. According to
the MAS, such activities are risky to retail investors and can only be provided
to institutional clients.</p><p>The new measures follow
a public consultation process conducted by <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/monetary-authority-of-singapore/" target="_blank" rel="follow">the
MAS</a> in October 2022 on
enhancing investor protection and regulating the DPT service providers. To have
the new measures implemented, the regulator is now seeking public feedback and
will reportedly publish a guideline on the implementation.</p><p>"While the
segregation and custody requirements will minimize the risk of loss of
customers' assets, consumers may still face significant delays in recovering
their assets in the event of insolvency of the service providers," the MAS
cautioned. </p><p>Most recently, <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/monetary-authority-of-singapore/" target="_blank" rel="follow">Finance
Magnates</a> reported that
the Singaporean central bank <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/fintech/singapores-central-bank-launches-framework-for-digital-asset-networks/" target="_blank" rel="follow">released
a report</a> on a framework
for creating interoperable networks for digital assets. The framework, dubbed
'Enabling Open and Interoperable Networks', aims to enhance safety and
efficiency in digital asset networks.</p><p>MAS Curbs Asset
Tokenization</p><p>Additionally, the MAS announced an elaborate expansion of
the 'Project Guardian', an initiative that assesses the feasibility of asset
<a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/terms/t/tokenization/">tokenization</a> and Decentral Finance (DeFi). Part of the plans is the
establishment of the Project Guardian Industry Group which brings together
more than ten financial institutions.</p><p>HSBC, Standard
Chartered, Citi, and DBS have been selected in the initiative to conduct pilot
studies on wealth management, fixed income, and foreign exchange. Commenting on the initiative, the MAS said it would restrict the risks associated with
digital assets, including stablecoins and the CBDCs.</p><p>Similarly, the risks identified by
the MAS have prompted regulators globally to impose tougher restrictions in the
sector. For instance, since the collapse of FTX, the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) has <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/after-binance-sec-sues-coinbase-over-illegal-operation-of-crypto-exchange/" target="_blank" rel="follow">sued
major crypto exchanges</a>,
including Binance and Coinbase, for allegedly breaching the law.</p>

This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.