New Zealand regulator says NZDD stablecoin not a financial product

Law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts, which acted on behalf of the stablecoin’s issuer, says the designation of the token is an important step for regulatory clarity.

New Zealand’s financial regulator has ruled that a local currency-tied stablecoin, NZDD, isn’t a financial product, a move a local law firm says is an important step toward regulatory clarity.

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) said on Wednesday that the new designation for the stablecoin pegged to the New Zealand dollar resulted directly from a financial technology sandbox pilot the regulator is running.

“The economic substance of the NZDD stablecoin is that it is not a debt security, as the NZDD stablecoin is not an investment, and no income, interest or other gain is paid to the NZDD stablecoin holder,” the FMA said.

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