canada

TORONTO — Canada’s big banks are exploring the development of Canadian dollar-based digital money, starting with a tokenized deposits initiative.
Tokenized deposits are traditional bank deposits recorded on a decentralized database or distributed ledger, such as a blockchain. The plan seeks to deliver faster, more efficient and programmable payments to Canadian customers while preserving safety, stability and effective regulatory oversight.
It means Canadian dollars could be converted into tokens on blockchain for easier transfers, said Claire Célérier, Canada Research Chair in household finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
“My understanding is that the six banks will share the same blockchain, and so it implies that transactions can be made instantaneously across wallets with tokens,” she said.
Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank, Royal Bank, Scotiabank and TD Bank are taking a collaborative approach to the project.
The tokens would be issued by commercial banks and from a legal perspective, depositors can treat them the same as traditional bank deposits.
The banks say the first phase aims to move tokenized deposits between Canadian financial institutions.
“It’s really exploratory now. I think what they’re saying is that they’re willing to work together to develop the technology,” Célérier said.
She said the potential capabilities would be of particular benefit to large companies or institutional investors, allowing them to complete “more sophisticated transactions.”
“What I expect is that these tokenized dollars will be mostly used by large companies and so on who have accounts across these Canadian banks, and it will be used to move large amounts of money,” she said.
Cristian Bravo, professor and Canada Research Chair in banking and insurance analytics at Western University, said the potential change could allow large producers to settle accounts far faster than their typical 30-day window.
“If you have an instant settlement, you’re closing that gap and closing that inefficiency in the market. And the fact that you have the money when you fulfil the contract, that can help reduce dependency on working capital and mobilize that capital faster,” he said.
But Bravo said that due to the lack of historical examples, it is not clear how much of an effect the move could have on the bottom lines of companies or institutional investors that use it.
Bravo said it is also notable that digital money is not the same as cryptocurrency, but rather a “digital ledger to move deposits in a very quick, instant way.”
In September, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions released a statement on tokenized and other digitally represented assets. It said that the tokenized deposits were not legally different from traditional deposits.
“The underlying technology of a financial product or service does not determine its legal nature. To be clear, we focus on what the product or service is, not how it is built or delivered,” the statement reads.
The Bank of Canada said on its website in June that it, along with other central banks, was studying tokenized systems to assess use cases.
#Canada

A tensão comercial entre Estados Unidos, União Europeia e Canadá ganhou um novo capítulo nesta semana.
A informação é verdadeira: Donald Trump reagiu à proposta da presidente da Comissão Europeia, Ursula von der Leyen, para abrir caminho para que o Canadá se torne o primeiro “membro associado” da União Europeia.
Em declarações feitas em 16 de setembro, Trump classificou a possibilidade como “ridícula” e afirmou que, se entender que a iniciativa representa um “ato hostil” contra os Estados Unidos, poderá aplicar tarifas muito pesadas sobre produtos europeus ou até interromper parte do comércio com o bloco.
Mas existe um detalhe importante: a UE não anunciou que o Canadá entrará como membro pleno do bloco. A proposta de von der Leyen busca criar uma relação de associação mais profunda, envolvendo áreas como tecnologia, energia, defesa, minerais estratégicos, inteligência artificial e segurança econômica.
O movimento ocorre em um momento delicado. Canadá e Estados Unidos já enfrentam uma disputa comercial, enquanto Ottawa procura ampliar suas relações econômicas e estratégicas com outros parceiros. O governo canadense, inclusive, vem aprofundando a cooperação com países europeus.
Para os mercados, o ponto mais importante não é apenas a ameaça de novas tarifas. É o aumento da incerteza sobre o comércio internacional.
Tarifas maiores podem elevar custos para empresas, alterar cadeias de fornecimento e pressionar preços. Ao mesmo tempo, uma aproximação maior entre Canadá e Europa pode acelerar a formação de novas alianças econômicas e estratégicas.
Ainda não existe, neste momento, uma nova tarifa europeia anunciada por Washington como consequência dessa proposta. O que existe é uma ameaça condicionada à interpretação de Trump sobre as intenções europeias.
É justamente essa incerteza que merece atenção. Quando grandes economias passam a utilizar tarifas como instrumento de pressão diplomática, os efeitos podem ultrapassar as fronteiras dos países envolvidos e alcançar bolsas, commodities, moedas e até o mercado de criptomoedas.
O cenário, portanto, ainda está em desenvolvimento. A próxima resposta da União Europeia e a reação do governo canadense serão importantes para determinar se essa ameaça ficará apenas no campo político ou poderá transformar-se em uma nova disputa comercial.
$ONE $NEAR $HEI
#TRUMP
#Canada
#Geopolitics
#TARIFF

Canada has officially introduced retaliatory tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on around $20 billion worth of U.S. goods, marking a major escalation in the ongoing U.S.–Canada trade dispute. The measures target hundreds of products, including steel, agricultural goods, electronics and other manufactured items.
The move comes after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on selected Canadian products following the collapse of trade negotiations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the response as a way to match U.S. measures while keeping the door open for future negotiations.
⚠️ Why it matters: If both countries continue increasing tariffs, businesses could face higher costs, supply-chain disruptions and potentially higher prices for consumers. The biggest concern is that the dispute could expand into important sectors such as automobiles and other North American supply chains.
The key question now: Will Washington and Ottawa return to the negotiating table—or will this tariff battle turn into a much wider trade war? 📈🌎
#Canada #usa #Tariffs #TradeWar #GlobalMarkets #breakingnews