IMF Working Papers

A Primer on Bitcoin Cross-Border Flows: Measurement and Drivers

By Eugenio M Cerutti, Jiaqian Chen, Martina Hengge

April 5, 2024

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Format: Chicago

Eugenio M Cerutti, Jiaqian Chen, and Martina Hengge. "A Primer on Bitcoin Cross-Border Flows: Measurement and Drivers", IMF Working Papers 2024, 085 (2024), accessed December 4, 2024, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400274879.001

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Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

The rapid growth of crypto assets raises important questions about their cross-border usage. To gain a better understanding of cross-border Bitcoin flows, we use raw data covering both on-chain (on the Bitcoin blockchain) and off-chain (outside the Bitcoin blockchain) transactions globally. We provide a detailed description of available methodologies and datasets, and discuss the crucial assumptions behind the quantification of cross-border flows. We then present novel stylized facts about Bitcoin cross-border flows and study their global and domestic drivers. Bitcoin cross-border flows respond differently than capital flows to traditional drivers of capital flows, and differences appear between on-chain and off-chain Bitcoin cross-border flows. Off-chain cross-border flows seem correlated with incentives to avoid capital flow restrictions.

Subject: Balance of payments, Blockchain and DLT, Capital flows, Currencies, Financial activity tax, Money, Taxes, Technology

Keywords: Bitcoin, Bitcoin blockchain, Bitcoin flow, Bitcoin transaction, Blockchain and DLT, Capital flow restriction, Capital flows, Cross-border flow, Cross-border flows, Crypto assets, Currencies, Financial activity tax, Global

Publication Details

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