31 research outputs found
Redundancia de las medidas de centralidad en Infraestructuras del Mercado Financiero
El concepto de centralidad ha sido ampliamente utilizado para monitorear sistemas con estructura de red ya que permite identificar a los participantes más influyentes. Las labores de monitoreo pueden ser difíciles de realizar si el número de participantes en esos sistemas es considerablemente amplio o si las medidas de centralidad producen resultados no coincidentes o generan señales mixtas. Este documento usa el análisis de componentes principales para evaluar un conjunto de medidas de centralidad calculadas para las instituciones financieras que participan en cuatro infraestructuras de los mercados financieros en Colombia. Los resultados obtenidos son utilizados para construir índices generales de centralidad, utilizando como insumos las medidas de centralidad más fuertes y dejando de lado aquellas consideradas redundantes.The concept of centrality has been widely used to monitor systems with a network structure because it allows identifying their most influential participants. But this monitoring task can be difficult if the number of system participants is considerably large or if the wide variety of centrality measures currently available produce non-coincident (or mixed) signals. This document uses principal component analysis to evaluate a set of centrality measures calculated for the financial institutions that participate in four financial market infrastructures of Colombia. The results obtained are used to construct general indices of centrality, using the strongest measures of centrality as inputs, and leaving aside those considered redundant.Enfoque Este documento estudia medidas de centralidad calculadas para el Sistema de Pagos de Alto Valor (CUD), la Cámara de Compensación de Divisas (CCDC), y los depósitos centrales de valores (DCV y Deceval). Estas cuatro infraestructuras del mercado financiero colombiano son sistemas con estructura de red, conformados por un gran número de participantes (instituciones financieras) que se encuentran conectados mediante relaciones de pagos, intercambios o transacciones similares. Su buen funcionamiento es fundamental para el buen desempeño del sistema financiero, y, por consiguiente, de la economía en general. Esto implica que cambios en la actividad de sus participantes o choques exógenos pueden generar efectos no deseados en esos sistemas. Es por esa razón que tanto bancos centrales como agencias de supervisión realizan un continuo seguimiento a la actividad de las instituciones que participan en esas infraestructuras. Este documento hace uso del criterio de centralidad para determinar qué tan importante es cada uno de los participantes en esas infraestructuras del mercado financiero. Contribución Las medidas de centralidad permiten monitorear a los participantes de sistemas con estructura de red e identificar a los más centrales; es decir, a aquellos que pueden generar mayores impactos en caso de incumplimiento. Sin embargo, esas labores de monitoreo pueden ser difíciles de realizar si el número de participantes en esos sistemas es considerablemente alto, o si las medidas de centralidad producen resultados no coincidentes o generan señales mixtas. En este documento se evalúan veintiséis medidas de centralidad para cada participante de cada infraestructura del mercado financiero. Se incluyen medidas de centralidad para redes dirigidas y sin dirigir, considerando solo aquellas que tienen soporte teórico. También se incluyen medidas de centralidad para redes ponderadas por el valor de las transacciones y para redes sin ponderar. El análisis de componentes principales se usa para identificar cuáles medidas de centralidad serán utilizadas para construir índices generales de centralidad. Esto implica que las medidas identificas como redundantes son excluidas de los índices generales debido a su baja contribución al criterio general de centralidad. Al igual que Joliffe (1972, 1973), la detección de las medidas redundantes que se logra usando el análisis de componentes principales, se verifica posteriormente mediante cuatro técnicas alternativas de reducción de datos. Resultados Las medidas identificadas como redundantes son eccentricity (ponderada y sin ponderar), closeness ponderada, y hub y authority ponderadas. Los índices generales calculados para cada infraestructura del mercado financiero permiten construir ordenamientos de sus participantes más centrales. Estos últimos son aquellos sobre los cuales se deben realizar las labores de monitoreo con mayor detenimiento debido a su potencial impacto en el sistema. Los índices generales de centralidad que se presentan en este documento tienen como propósito facilitar las labores de monitoreo que se realizan en el Banco de la República a los participantes de las infraestructuras de los mercados financieros
Experimental study on the impact of regenerator placement strategies when dynamically provisioning in translucent GMPLS WSON networks
The impact of the regenerator placement strategies when dynamically provisioning
connections in translucent WSON is studied. The evaluation is experimentally conducted in the ADRENALINE testbed in terms of the connection blocking.Postprint (published version
Enabling data analytics and machine learning for 5G services within disaggregated multi-layer transport networks
Recent advances, related to the concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and with applications across multiple technology domains, have gathered significant attention due, in particular, to the overall performance improvement of such automated systems when compared to methods relying on human operation. Consequently, using AI/ML for managing, operating and optimizing transport networks is increasingly seen as a potential opportunity targeting, notably, large and complex environments.Such AI-assisted automated network operation is expected to facilitate innovation in multiple aspects related to the control and management of future optical networks and is a promising milestone in the evolution towards autonomous networks, where networks self-adjust parameters such as transceiver configuration.To accomplish this goal, current network control, management and orchestration systems need to enable the application of AI/ML techniques. It is arguable that Software-Defined Networking (SDN) principles, favouring centralized control deployments, featured application programming interfaces and the development of a related application ecosystem are well positioned to facilitate the progressive introduction of such techniques, starting, notably, in allowing efficient and massive monitoring and data collection.In this paper, we present the control, orchestration and management architecture designed to allow the automatic deployment of 5G services (such as ETSI NFV network services) across metropolitan networks, conceived to interface 5G access networks with elastic core optical networks at multi Tb/s. This network segment, referred to as Metro-haul, is composed of infrastructure nodes that encompass networking, storage and processing resources, which are in turn interconnected by open and disaggregated optical networks. In particular, we detail subsystems like the Monitoring and Data Analytics or the in-operation planning backend that extend current SDN based network control to account for new use cases.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Payment Systems Report - June of 2021
Banco de la República provides a comprehensive overview of Colombia’s finan¬cial infrastructure in its Payment Systems Report, which is an important product of the work it does to oversee that infrastructure. The figures published in this edition of the report are for the year 2020, a pandemic period in which the con¬tainment measures designed and adopted to alleviate the strain on the health system led to a sharp reduction in economic activity and consumption in Colom¬bia, as was the case in most countries.
At the start of the pandemic, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República adopted decisions that were necessary to supply the market with ample liquid¬ity in pesos and US dollars to guarantee market stability, protect the payment system and preserve the supply of credit. The pronounced growth in mone¬tary aggregates reflected an increased preference for liquidity, which Banco de la República addressed at the right time. These decisions were implemented through operations that were cleared and settled via the financial infrastructure.
The second section of this report, following the introduction, offers an analysis of how the various financial infrastructures in Colombia have evolved and per¬formed. One of the highlights is the large-value payment system (CUD), which registered more momentum in 2020 than during the previous year, mainly be¬cause of an increase in average daily remunerated deposits made with Banco de la República by the General Directorate of Public Credit and the National Treasury (DGCPTN), as well as more activity in the sell/buy-back market with sovereign debt. Consequently, with more activity in the CUD, the Central Securi¬ties Depository (DCV) experienced an added impetus sparked by an increase in the money market for bonds and securities placed on the primary market by the national government. The value of operations cleared and settled through the Colombian Central Counterparty (CRCC) continues to grow, propelled largely by peso/dollar non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts. With respect to the CRCC, it is important to note this clearing house has been in charge of managing risks and clearing and settling operations in the peso/dollar spot market since the end of last year, following its merger with the Foreign Exchange Clearing House of Colombia (CCDC). Since the final quarter of 2020, the CRCC has also been re¬sponsible for clearing and settlement in the equities market, which was former¬ly done by the Colombian Stock Exchange (BVC).
The third section of this report provides an all-inclusive view of payments in the market for goods and services; namely, transactions carried out by members of the public and non-financial institutions. During the pandemic, inter- and intra-bank electronic funds transfers, which originate mostly with companies, increased in both the number and value of transactions with respect to 2019. However, debit and credit card payments, which are made largely by private citizens, declined compared to 2019. The incidence of payment by check contin¬ue to drop, exhibiting quite a pronounced downward trend during the past last year. To supplement to the information on electronic funds transfers, section three includes a segment (Box 4) characterizing the population with savings and checking accounts, based on data from a survey by Banco de la República con-cerning the perception of the use of payment instruments in 2019. There also is segment (Box 2) on the growth in transactions with a mobile wallet provided by a company specialized in electronic deposits and payments (Sedpe). It shows the number of users and the value of their transactions have increased since the wallet was introduced in late 2017, particularly during the pandemic.
In addition, there is a diagnosis of the effects of the pandemic on the payment patterns of the population, based on data related to the use of cash in circu¬lation, payments with electronic instruments, and consumption and consumer confidence. The conclusion is that the collapse in the consumer confidence in¬dex and the drop in private consumption led to changes in the public’s pay¬ment patterns. Credit and debit card purchases were down, while payments for goods and services through electronic funds transfers increased. These findings, coupled with the considerable increase in cash in circulation, might indicate a possible precautionary cash hoarding by individuals and more use of cash as a payment instrument. There is also a segment (in Focus 3) on the major changes introduced in regulations on the retail-value payment system in Colombia, as provided for in Decree 1692 of December 2020.
The fourth section of this report refers to the important innovations and tech¬nological changes that have occurred in the retail-value payment system. Four themes are highlighted in this respect. The first is a key point in building the financial infrastructure for instant payments. It involves of the design and im¬plementation of overlay schemes, a technological development that allows the various participants in the payment chain to communicate openly. The result is a high degree of interoperability among the different payment service providers. The second topic explores developments in the international debate on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The purpose is to understand how it could impact the retail-value payment system and the use of cash if it were to be issued. The third topic is related to new forms of payment initiation, such as QR codes, bio¬metrics or near field communication (NFC) technology. These seemingly small changes can have a major impact on the user’s experience with the retail-value payment system. The fourth theme is the growth in payments via mobile tele¬phone and the internet.
The report ends in section five with a review of two papers on applied research done at Banco de la República in 2020. The first analyzes the extent of the CRCC’s capital, acknowledging the relevant role this infrastructure has acquired in pro¬viding clearing and settlement services for various financial markets in Colom¬bia. The capital requirements defined for central counterparties in some jurisdic¬tions are explored, and the risks to be hedged are identified from the standpoint of the service these type of institutions offer to the market and those associated with their corporate activity. The CRCC’s capital levels are analyzed in light of
what has been observed in the European Union’s regulations, and the conclusion is that the CRCC has a scheme of security rings very similar to those applied internationally and the extent of its capital exceeds what is stipulated in Colombian regulations, being sufficient to hedge other risks. The second study presents an algorithm used to identify and quantify the liquidity sources that CUD’s participants use under normal conditions to meet their daily obligations in the local financial market. This algorithm can be used as a tool to monitor intraday liquidity.
Leonardo Villar Gómez
Governo
Financial Infrastructure Report 2022
Banco de la República's monitoring of the local financial market infrastructure is an additional contribution to the country's financial stability. One of the products of that monitoring has been the Payment Systems Report, which is now known as the Financial Infrastructure Report. The change in name, as of this edition, is intended to reflect in a broader way the issues that are addressed in the report.
The 2022 edition includes several changes that are the result of a comparative study of financial infrastructure reports prepared by other central banks. These changes seek to make the report more fluid and easier to read, including main points and selected key figures for the different interest groups to which it is addressed.
The report shows the financial infrastructure continued to render its services without interruption, with general evidence of good performance in 2021. Additionally, the resilience of the Central Counterparty Risk of Colombia (CRCC) and the Large-value Payments System (CUD) to extreme events was validated, based on stress tests conducted according to international standards (focused on liquidity and credit risk).
As for retail payments, transactional information indicates the use of electronic instruments increased in terms of value during 2021 compared to 2020 (credit and debit cards, checks and electronic funds transfers). The use of debit and credit cards in payments rose to levels similar to those reached in the pre-pandemic year. Meanwhile, electronic funds transfers continued to grow.
Although the results of the BR 2022 survey show cash continues to be the instrument most used by the public for regular payments (like the situation in other countries), the perception of its use decreased significantly to 75 % (87 % in 2019). Also, in commerce, cash was the preferred instrument for customers. However, in this measurement, several retail channels such as hairdressers, drugstores and restaurants joined the group that has traditionally received electronic payments for a value greater than 10% of their sales (hypermarkets and gas stations). Likewise, for nearly 50% of the population, cash payments are lower than before the pandemic. This is consistent with the transactional increase in electronic payment instruments that was
observed in 2021.
Banco de la República continues to monitor the technological developments that have expanded and modernized the supply in the international and local payments market, as these are issues of interest to the industry that provides clearing and settlement services. This report outlines the Pix case for instant payments in Brazil, the projects that are underway regarding the possible issue of digital currency by central banks (CBDC) for cross-border payments, as well as an approach to the Fintech ecosystem in Colombia, with an emphasis on companies that provide payment services.
Leonardo Villar
Governor
Main points: 2022
The local financial infrastructure was safe and efficient throughout the year.
The services of the financial infrastructure were proved on a continuous basis, showing good performance overall.
Less momentum in the large-value payment system
CUD activity declined versus the previous year because of fewer government deposits with BanRep. This was offset partially by growth in repos to increase money supply and in retail-value payments (electronic funds transfers, checks and cards).
Increased momentum in financial market infrastructures.
Larger amounts were cleared and settled through the Central Securities Depository (DCV) due to an increase in the market for sovereign debt. Operations managed by the Central Counterparty Risk of Colombia (CRCC) increased due to inclusion of the foreign exchange segment and the positive evolution in non-delivery forward peso/dollar contracts.
Added confidence in the peso/dollar spot foreign exchange market due to CRCC interposition.
Number and value of trades grew, mainly due to the adjustment of therisk management model for the FX segment and the increase in the limiton net selling positions in dollars.
Stress testing with international standards to validate CRCC and CUD resilience
Stress tests conducted independently by the SFC, BanRep and the CRCC, like those done in England and the United States, concluded that the CRCC's risk management model allows it to withstand extreme market events and simultaneous defaults by its main members.
Based on the experience of other central banks, BanRep strengthened its intraday liquidity risk stress exercises in the CUD by incorporating temporary payment delays. It calculated that a two-hour delay by a key participant increases the system's liquidity needs by 0.5%.
Electronic payments increased during 2021
According to transactional information, all electronic payment instruments increased in value versus 2020 (electronic funds transfers, checks and debit and credit cards). Electronic funds transfers continued to grow (80% from legal entities), with the participation of closed schemes driven particularly by the use of mobile wallets (35% of the number of intra-transfer transactions). The use of debit and credit cards for payments climbed to levels
similar to those witnessed in the pre-pandemic year.
Cash continues to be the instrument most used by the public for regular payments.
The results of the BanRep survey in 2022 show that the perception of the use of cash declined significantly to 75% (87% in 2019), and about 50% of the population perceive their cash payments as being lower than those they made before the pandemic. Electronic funds transfers were second most used instrument, having increased to 15% (3% in 2019). Also, in commerce, cash was the preferred instrument of payment for its customers; however, several commerce channels received more than 10% of the value of their sales in electronic payments (hypermarkets 35%, gas stations 25%, hairdressers 15%, drugstores 14% and restaurants 12%).
Continuous technological developments have broadened, and modernized services offered in the payments market.
Pix (instant payments in Brazil). The high level of adoption of instant transfers in Brazil motivated a review of its strengths; namely, the possibility of different use cases between individuals, businesses, and government; high participation by financial and payment institutions; free of charge for individuals and the possibility of charging legal entities, and simple user experience.
Digital currencies in central banking. Several groups of countries have joined forces to conduct pilot projects with wholesale CBDCs for cross-border payments. Flows generated by international trade, foreign investment and remittances between individuals can be processed more efficiently, transparently, and securely by reducing their cost and increasing their speed. Due to the constant progress being made on this issue, BanRep will continue to monitor all CBDC-related matters.
The fintech ecosystem for payments in Colombia. A high percentage of existing FinTech companies in the country are dedicated to offering digital payment services: wallets, payment gateways, mobile devices (point-of-sale terminals) and acquisition. These have driven innovation in payment services
Payment Systems Report - June of 2019
For the last decade, Banco de la República has provided oversight of the local financial infrastructure as an additional contribution to support the country’s financial stability. This is a function performed by most central banks the world over, because they recognize infrastructure as being an essential component of financial markets. Infrastructure that functions properly helps to maintain and promote financial stability, being that it plays a fundamental role in the financial system and in the economy. In the Colombian case, the oversight of the country’s financial infrastructures began formally a decade ago, when External Resolution 5/2009 was issued and the authority to oversight that infrastructures was given to Banco de la República by its Board of Directors. Since then, the oversight has been formal and systematic. To commemorate ublication of the tenth edition of the Payment Systems Report, which is one of the products of financial infrastructure oversight, a section describing this function is included herein, explaining its need, responsibilities, scope, and activities.
On this occasion, in addition to the traditional section providing figures on the local financial infrastructure and describing its behavior (Section One), we have included several highlights that underscore the more relevant aspects of how infrastructure for clearing and settling financial assets has evolved in the last decade. Special emphasis is afforded to the Colombian Central Counterparty Clearing House (CRCC), marking its ten years of operation. There also is a box describing how the company has increased its supply of products for clearing and settlement, and how, as a result, the open positions of its settlement members have performed likewise. At the same time, its risk management model has evolved structurally in response to regulatory adjustments, compliance with international standards, or decisions taken unilaterally by the CRCC, the idea being to have the necessary resources to mitigate exposure to counterparty and liquidity risk. In this way, the CRCC has become a undamentally important player in the Colombian financial market. Therefore, it is appropriate that the CRCC continue to be monitored by the country’s financial authorities.
Another box included in this report offers an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of lengthening the cash market settlement period in Colombia, which is another topic of interest. Currently, the clearing and settlement time for a cash transaction in most international markets is two business days (t + 2). In Colombia, nearly all peso/dollar and government and private debt transactions on the spot market are cleared and settled on the same trading day (t + 0). This box analyzes the possible implications of Colombia approximating the international standard.
Retail-value payment systems (understood as operations carried out within the circuit of private individuals and companies), such as the use of payment instruments (cash, debit and credit cards, checks and electronic funds transfers), also must be monitored to identify their availability and the public’s preferences for these instruments and their acceptance by commercial establishments. With that in mind, three surveys have been conducted in the last decade to gauge how the use of payment instruments is perceived. A comparison of the findings of these three measurements is presented in a section of this report, and an analysis of that comparison indicates the use of payment instruments other than cash for daily payments is still low. Although their ownership and use by the general public is increasing, their acceptance by some commercial establishments remains limited.
In keeping with efforts to oversight innovations in payment processes, the report also includes a box that explores the participation of large, global technology companies in the retail-value payment market. The payment services they offer are associated with innovative payment methods, such as “non-contact” or indirect technology, or by means of devices such as mobile phones, the use of debit and credit cards via applications, and channels such as the mobile network, POS terminals, and the Internet. In other words, these innovations are concentrated in the first stage of the payment process, without altering the other stages, such as traditional payment instruments, channels and systems.
Finally, with respect to work in the area of applied research, the fourth section of this report describes how the cryptoasset system operates. It has two fundamental elements. The first is comprised of the agents who participate in the system; namely, cryptoasset users, and the agents who provide them with services. The second includes the digital asset and the underlying technology platform; together they support interaction between the agents in the crypto asset system. As explained in the respective box, the cryptoasset system is not isolated entirely from the financial system, which it pretends do without. In other words, users cannot extract themselves from the traditional financial system as long as cryptoassets have yet to be adopted on a mass scale, which so far assumes there is a connection between both systems.
Juan José Echavarría
Governo
Reporte de Sistemas de Pago - Junio de 2021
El Banco de la República, con el Reporte de Sistemas de Pago, entrega un panorama completo de la infraestructura financiera local, siendo este un producto importante de la labor de seguimiento a dicha infraestructura. Las cifras contenidas en este reporte corresponden al año 2020, período de pandemia durante el cual las medidas de confinamiento para aliviar la tensión sobre el sistema de salud generaron para Colombia, al igual que en la mayoría de los países, una fuerte reducción de la actividad económica y el consumo.
Desde el comienzo de la pandemia, la Junta Directiva del Banco de la República adoptó las decisiones necesarias para otorgar al mercado amplia liquidez en pesos y dólares, garantizar la estabilidad de los mercados, proteger el sistema de pagos y preservar la oferta de crédito. El pronunciado crecimiento de los agregados monetarios reflejó la mayor preferencia por liquidez, la cual fue atendida oportunamente por el Banco de la República. Las decisiones adoptadas se realizaron mediante diferentes operaciones, las cuales fueron compensadas y liquidadas en la infraestructura financiera.
Después de la introducción, la segunda sección del presente reporte de pagos analiza la evolución y el desempeño de las diferentes infraestructuras financieras. Se destaca que el sistema de pagos de alto valor CUD registró en 2020 un mayor dinamismo que el año anterior, principalmente por el aumento de los depósitos remunerados que en promedio diario realizó la Dirección General de Crédito Público y del Tesoro Nacional (DGCPTN) con el Banco de República, así como una mayor actividad del mercado de simultáneas de deuda pública. Consecuentemente con el crecimiento de la actividad en el CUD, el Depósito Central de Valores (DCV) registró una mayor actividad por el aumento del mercado monetario de deuda pública y por las colocaciones por parte del Gobierno Nacional en el mercado primario. El valor de las operaciones compensadas y liquidadas por intermedio de la Cámara de Riesgo Central de Contraparte (CRCC) continúa creciendo, jalonado principalmente por los contratos non delivery forward (NDF) peso/dólar. Con respecto a la CRCC, es oportuno mencionar que a partir de finales del año pasado esta cámara se encarga de administrar los riesgos y de compensar y liquidar las operaciones del mercado de contado peso/dólar, debido a la fusión con la Cámara de Compensación de Divisas de Colombia (CCDC). Así mismo, a partir del último trimestre del año 2020 la CRCC se encarga de compensar y liquidar el mercado de renta variable, labor que venía desempeñando la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC).
En la sección tres se entrega una visión integral de los pagos en el mercado de bienes y servicios, es decir, de las transacciones efectuadas en el circuito de personas naturales y empresas no financieras. Durante la pandemia las transferencias electrónicas inter e intrabancarias, que en su mayoría son originadas por empresas, registraron un incremento tanto en número como en valor de operaciones frente a 2019. Por su parte, los pagos con tarjetas débito y crédito originados principalmente por personas naturales mostraron un comportamiento decreciente con respecto a 2019. Los pagos realizados con cheques siguen disminuyendo, presentando una tendencia a la baja muy pronunciada en el último año. Como complemento a la información sobre transferencias electrónicas, el reporte incluye en esta sección un sombreado sobre la caracterización de la población con cuenta de ahorro y corriente, empleando los datos de la encuesta del Banco de la República sobre percepción de uso de los instrumentos de pago en 2019. Se incluye también un recuadro sobre la evolución transaccional de una billetera móvil provista por una sociedad especializada en depósitos y pagos electrónicos (Sedpe), mostrando que desde su creación a finales del año 2017 ha incremento en el número de usuarios y el valor de las transacciones, con especial velocidad durante la pandemia.
Adicionalmente, se presenta un diagnóstico sobre los efectos de la pandemia en los patrones de pago de la población, fundamentado en datos sobre el uso del efectivo en circulación, sobre los pagos con instrumentos electrónicos, y sobre el consumo y la confianza del consumidor. Se concluye que el desplome en el índice de confianza del consumidor y la caída en el consumo privado dieron lugar a cambios en los patrones de pago de las personas. Las compras con tarjetas de crédito y débito disminuyeron, mientras que los pagos por bienes y servicios mediante transferencia electrónica aumentaron. Estos resultados, junto con el considerable aumento del efectivo en circulación, podrían proveer indicios a favor de un posible atesoramiento del papel moneda con motivo precaución por parte de las personas y de un mayor uso del efectivo como instrumento de pago. Se incluye, además, un recuadro que presenta los principales cambios que se introdujeron en la regulación del sistema de pagos de bajo valor en el país mediante la expedición del Decreto 1692 de diciembre de 2020.
La cuarta sección se refiere a las importantes innovaciones y cambios tecnológicos que se han observado en el sistema de pagos al por menor. Se destacan cuatro temas en esta línea. El primero se constituye en un punto clave para la construcción de la infraestructura financiera de pagos inmediatos. Consiste en el diseño e implementación de los llamados esquemas superpuestos, los cuales son un desarrollo tecnológico que permite una comunicación abierta entre los diferentes agentes de la cadena de pagos, logrando una alta interoperabilidad entre diferentes proveedores de servicios de pago. El segundo tema explora los avances en el debate internacional sobre la emisión de moneda digital por parte de los bancos centrales (CBDC por su sigla en inglés), con el fin de entender su posible impacto en el sistema de pagos de bajo valor y en el uso del efectivo. El tercer tema está relacionado con nuevas formas de iniciación de pagos, tales como los códigos QR, la biometría o la tecnología de comunicación de campos cercanos (NCF por su sigla en inglés). Estos cambios, aparentemente pequeños, pueden tener efectos importantes en la experiencia del usuario con el sistema de pagos de bajo valor. El cuarto tema, finalmente, es el crecimiento de los pagos vinculados con la telefonía móvil y el internet.
El reporte finaliza en la sección cinco con una reseña de dos trabajos de investigación aplicada realizados en el Banco de la República en el año 2020. El primero analiza el nivel patrimonial de la CRCC, reconociendo el rol relevante que esta infraestructura ha adquirido en la compensación y liquidación de varios mercados financieros en el país. Se exploran los requerimientos de capital para las entidades de contrapartida central establecidos en algunas jurisdicciones, se identifican los riesgos que se busca cubrir desde la perspectiva del servicio que este tipo de entidades ofrece al mercado y aquellos asociados a su actividad corporativa. Se analizan los niveles patrimoniales de la CRCC a partir de lo observado en la regulación de la Unión Europea y se concluye que la CRCC cuenta con un esquema de anillos de seguridad muy similar al observado en la experiencia internacional y que su nivel patrimonial es superior al exigido por la regulación colombiana, siendo suficiente para cubrir otros riesgos. El segundo trabajo de investigación identifica y cuantifica las fuentes que utilizan las entidades participantes en el CUD para cumplir con sus obligaciones diarias contraídas en el mercado financiero local, y con su uso como herramienta de monitoreo de la liquidez intradía en condiciones normales.
Leonardo Villar Gómez
Gerente Genera
Reporte de Infraestructura Financiera 2022
La labor de seguimiento a la infraestructura financiera local es un aporte adicional del Banco de la República a la estabilidad financiera del país. Uno de los productos de dicho seguimiento ha sido el Reporte de Sistemas de Pago, que a partir de esta edición cambia de nombre a Reporte de Infraestructura Financiera, con el objetivo de que refleje de manera amplia los temas que aquí se abordan.
En esta edición 2022 se incluyen varios cambios, producto de un estudio comparativo realizado frente a reportes de infraestructura financiera elaborados por otros bancos centrales. Dichos cambios buscan hacer más fluida y liviana la lectura del reporte, incluyendo los mensajes principales y las cifras clave para los diferentes grupos de interés a los cuales va dirigido.
En el reporte se muestra que la infraestructura financiera mantuvo sus servicios de forma continua, dando muestra general de su buen funcionamiento en el 2021. Adicionalmente, se validó la resiliencia de la Cámara de Riesgo Central de Contraparte (CRCC) y del Sistema de Pagos de Alto Valor (CUD) ante eventos extremos, con base en pruebas de estrés con estándares internacionales (enfocadas en el riesgo de liquidez y de crédito).
En cuanto a los pagos al por menor, de acuerdo con información transaccional, el uso en valor de los instrumentos electrónicos aumentó durante 2021 frente al año 2020 (tarjetas crédito y débito, cheque y transferencias). El empleo de las tarjetas débito y crédito en pagos aumentó a niveles similares a los alcanzados en el año prepandemia. Por su parte, las transferencias electrónicas continuaron en crecimiento.
Aunque los resultados de la encuesta BR 2022 muestran que el efectivo continúa siendo el instrumento más utilizado por el público para los pagos habituales (comportamiento similar al de otros países), la percepción de su uso disminuyó significativamente al 75 % (87 % en 2019). También para el comercio, el efectivo fue el instrumento preferido por sus clientes. Sin embargo, en esta medición varios canales de comercio como peluquerías, droguerías y restaurantes se sumaron al grupo que tradicionalmente viene recibiendo pagos electrónicos por un valor superior al 10 % de sus ventas (hipermercados y estaciones de servicio).
Asimismo, para cerca del 50 % de la población los pagos en efectivo son menores a los que realizaron antes de la pandemia, lo cual es consecuente con el incremento transaccional de los instrumentos de pago electrónicos que se registró en el año 2021.
El Banrep continúa monitoreando los desarrollos tecnológicos que han ampliado y modernizado la oferta en el mercado de pagos internacional y local, ya que son temas de interés para la industria que presta servicios de compensación y liquidación de pagos. En este reporte se presenta el caso PIX en Brasil para pagos inmediatos, los proyectos que se llevan a cabo sobre la posible emisión de moneda digital por parte de los bancos centrales (CBDC, por sus siglas en inglés) para pagos transfronterizos, así como una aproximación al ecosistema Fintech en Colombia con énfasis en las empresas que prestan servicios de pagos.
Leonardo Villar
Gerente Genera
La comunicación como espacio de resistencia
Actores sociales, medios comunitarios e interculturalidad son fundamentales para entender a la comunicación como espacio de resistencia. Esta publicación reúne una serie de de investigaciones en distintos contextos en los cuales la comunicación cumple un papel fundamental en términos del derechos a la resistencia. Plantea una discusión teórica y aborda la comunicación desde el ejercicio de participación democrática
Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)
Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters.
Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs).
Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio