Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Financial Markets Committee, has predicted that international trade will migrate to CBDC for settlements during the next five years. Aksakov stressed that not many countries have made progress using these digital currencies, but he believes this will be addressed soon. Russian State Duma Official Bets on National…
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Project Mbridge, the cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) project that seeks to integrate several currencies into a global network, has reached its minimum viable product stage. This means that each one of the participant central banks has deployed a validating node in the network, that is ready to perform real-value transactions CBDC Project Mbridge…
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A Nigerian payments company recently announced the launch of a blockchain-powered point-of-sale payment gateway. This gateway facilitates transaction routing to issuers and aims to prevent chargebacks or chargeback fraud by promptly reimbursing customers for unsuccessful transactions. Eliminating Chargeback Fraud The Nigerian payment infrastructure company, Zone, recently announced the launch of a blockchain-powered point-of-sale (PoS) payment…
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The Bank of Israel has announced the Digital Shekel Challenge, inviting various entities — private companies, public sector organizations, and academic institutions — to participate in the digital shekel’s experimental environment. The initiative aims to foster the development of innovative payment solutions using the digital shekel, leveraging its Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Participants are expected…
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TBD, a subsidiary of Block, owned by Jack Dorsey, has formed a partnership with Chipper Cash, an Africa-focused fintech company. This partnership aims to expedite consumer remittances and make them more affordable. According to a statement, Chipper Cash plans to use the decentralized exchange protocol of TBD. This will enable trusted transactions that comply with…
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The Egyptian fintech startup Mnzl plans to enhance its lending technology and expand its operations using the $3.5 million raised in a seed funding round. Co-founder Sameh Saleh said the startup seeks to empower families by providing financial leverage and contributing to broader economic prosperity in the region. Empowering Financially Excluded Egyptian Families The Egyptian…
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Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs, stated that tokenized assets, such as stablecoins, are next to appear on top of the lightning network (LN), Bitcoin’s layer two scaling protocol. Stark highlighted the transformative possibilities of this upgrade, stressing that it would allow users to complete stablecoin payments leveraging affordable LN transaction fees. Lightning Labs CEO…
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Lesaka Technologies, a fintech startup based in South Africa, recently signed a deal to acquire Adumo, a payment solutions provider, for nearly $86 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Lesaka Technologies will pay Adumo $12.5 million in cash. The funds will be sourced both internally and from external financiers. Lesaka Technologies to Issue Shares…
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Macquarie Bank, one of the largest banks in Australia, will not allow its customers to deposit or withdraw cash or cheques from its office branches starting this month. The move comes as the bank goes cashless, and transitions to digital payments, stating these are “a safe, quick, and more convenient way to bank.” Macquarie Bank…
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A recent report by Citi, a global financial institution, has put Brazil at the top of the nations leading the digital money initiatives in Latin America. The report states that Brazil features a combination of factors that ease the adoption of digital money such as government support and digital payment solutions. Citi: Brazil Leads Advancements…
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