A Fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former adviser at the Central Bank of Russia has weighed in on the digital ruble, Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), highlighting its potential role in reshaping Russia’s financial landscape amid sanctions. While the digital currency could offer new avenues for trade and reduce reliance on…
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Utah Republican senator Mike Lee outlined three major regulatory risks to the cryptocurrency industry at the recent Permissionless III crypto conference. They are the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), fragmented state regulations, and heavy federal oversight. He warned these could threaten the digital assets sector, saying, “Cryptocurrency is not a security. Cryptocurrency…
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Blackrock CEO Larry Fink has emphasized bitcoin’s growing legitimacy as an investment, calling it an alternative to commodities like gold. “We believe bitcoin is an asset class in itself,” said the CEO of the world’s largest asset manager. Fink downplayed regulatory changes, arguing broader acceptance and liquidity will drive market expansion. With the firm’s bitcoin…
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The Brazilian Central Bank is opening the drex CBDC pilot to new entrants, aiming to test more advanced use cases and privacy solutions for the project’s second phase. Thirteen use cases have been confirmed, including carbon credits, agricultural bonds, and foreign trade platforms. Brazilian Central Banks Opens CBDC Pilot to New Consortiums Brazil is preparing…
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Ripple has been named a Platinum Winner for Best Cross-Border Payments Platform in Juniper Research’s 2024 Future Digital Awards for Fintech & Payments. Other winners included Huawei for mobile money, SAP Fioneer for banking-as-a-service, and Paymentology for embedded finance, highlighting a year of varied fintech advancements. Ripple Wins at 2024 Future Digital Awards Juniper Research…
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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has moved into Phase 2 of its e-HKD pilot program, expanding its exploration into tokenized deposits and e-HKD. With 11 groups of firms selected, the initiative delves into practical applications such as offline payments and asset settlement. The creation of an industry forum aims to solve potential challenges while…
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The Bank of Canada has announced a strategic shift away from developing a retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to focus on broader payments system research and policy development. This decision follows a public consultation in 2023, which revealed significant privacy concerns among Canadians. While the central bank remains open to revisiting the idea of…
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South Korea’s central bank, the Bank of Korea, will soon allow participants to use digital tokens for payments at supermarkets and convenience stores in a central bank digital currency (CBDC) trial. Starting in December, 100,000 participants will be part of this test. Retail partnerships and global initiatives like Project Agora highlight the broader impact of…
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New data shows that 134 countries, representing 98% of global GDP, are now exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), with 66 nations advancing to pilot or development stages. Every G20 nation is engaged in CBDC efforts, with notable leaders such as China and the European nations pushing forward. The U.S. remains lagging behind Europe and…
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Elvira Nabiullina, head of Russia’s central bank, has highlighted challenges in cross-border settlements, including payment issues and falling trade volumes. She emphasized the importance of finding new solutions, such as using digital currencies and cooperating with global partners, to address these issues. Russia Faces Cross-Border Payment Issues Amid Declining Trade Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira…
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