Global Bitcoin Markets and Local Regulations

Cyn-Young Park (), Shu Tian () and Bo Zhao ()
Additional contact information
Shu Tian: Asian Development Bank
Bo Zhao: Asian Development Bank

No 605, ADB Economics Working Paper Series from Asian Development Bank

Abstract: Since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009, the spectacular rise and fall of cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology have attracted global attention. While the application of distributed ledger technology presents great economic and business potential, significant volatility and speculative trading of cryptocurrencies have raised concerns over investor and consumer protection and prompted government interventions within their respective jurisdictions. This study focuses on the six Bitcoin trading markets comprising 99% of global trading volume as of February 2018. Adopting the event study methodology to newly compiled information about local regulation events, we find that the effect of government regulations on the Bitcoin price is only short-lived, but regulations discourage trading activities for a longer term in local markets. Interestingly, however, the repressive effect of domestic regulations on trading activities can be mitigated by the domestic financial market openness. Together, these findings are consistent with the view that Bitcoin markets are globally integrated and that, to uphold market integrity, international cooperation would be essential.

Keywords: Bitcoin; cryptocurrency; financial market openness; international cooperation; regulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E61 G10 G14 G18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2020-01-23
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-mac, nep-ore and nep-pay
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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