Search
ECB Member Isabel Schnabel: Bitcoin Is ‘Speculative,’ ‘Unlikely’ to Be Purchased by the Bank
12.1.2024
Isabel Schnabel, member of the European Central Bank (ECB) executive board, has blasted bitcoin’s characteristics, stressing that it is a speculative asset unlike central bank digital currencies (CBDC) like the proposed digital euro. Schnabel stressed it was ‘unlikely’ that...
Domestic Exchanges Account for 99.7% of Brazilian Cross-border Crypto Trades – Central Bank
12.1.2024
Source: Alexey Novikov/Adobe Exchanges that buy coins overseas to sell on the domestic market account for most of Brazil’s cross-border crypto trade, a Central Bank report has found. The findings were published in an official post from the bank’s data analysis team. The authors reported...
What Is a Central Bank Digital Currency? A Brief Guide to CBDCs
11.1.2024
Central bank digital currency (CBDC) aims to take the benefits from blockchain-based digital currency and combine it with fiat currency under the control of the central bank
Nigerian Stablecoin Consortium Seeks Central Bank Approval After Making a U-Turn on Stablecoin Launch
11.1.2024
The Nigerian stablecoin consortium has said it will not be launching a stablecoin in late February as previously advised. Instead, the consortium, which is comprised of banks and fintech startups, said it plans to launch the stablecoin only after it gets the green light from the central bank....
RBI Governor Remains Critical of Crypto, Says World Can Not Take Crypto Mania Like Tulip Mania
11.1.2024
Source: X / @FinMinIndia The governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das, has reiterated the central bank’s negative stance on crypto. He said that the RBI’s position on cryptocurrency remains unchanged. “Traveling down that path will create huge risks. I don’t think...
European Central Bank Shows It’s Serious About Enabling Digital Euro Offline Use
11.1.2024
The central bank plans to allocate the lion’s share of its $1.3 billion contract budget for providers to work on enabling offline payments for a digital euro
Ukrainian Central Bank Says ‘Crypto Isn’t Money,’ Vows to Regulate Sector
10.1.2024
Source: Bumble Dee/Adobe The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has stated that crypto “is not money,” and has reaffirmed its intention to regulate the sector – using EU law as a benchmark. The comments were made by the First Deputy Governor of the NBU Kateryna Rozhkova in a TV interview with...
Bank of Spain Announces Partners for Wholesale CBDC Trials
9.1.2024
The Bank of Spain has announced that Adhara, a treasury and transactions payment platform, and a consortium formed by Cecabank and Abanca, two private banks, will be its partners in the development of several upcoming wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) trials, which will be complete...
Gold Rush Continues – Central Banks Purchased 44 Tonnes in November
8.1.2024
Krishan Gopaul, senior analyst of the World Gold Council, revealed that central banks kept adding gold to their reserves during November. According to public records and reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), central banks added 44t of gold to their coffers, with the Central Bank...
Morgan Stanley’s Chief Economist Predicts Rate Cuts ‘This Year’ as Market Eyes Federal Reserve’s Next Move
8.1.2024
This year, mirroring last year’s speculation, market observers are keenly awaiting decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve concerning the federal funds rate, with a particular focus on potential rate cuts this year. Ellen Zentner, Morgan Stanley’s lead economist in the U.S., predicts...
Consortium of Nigerian Banks and Fintechs Cleared to Pilot Stablecoin
7.1.2024
The Nigerian central bank has given its go-ahead for the Africa Stablecoin Consortium (ASC) to pilot its cNGN stablecoin initiative in the financial regulator’s regulatory sandbox. The ASC asserts that the cNGN stablecoin can prove to be vital not only for the country’s payment rails but...
Prohibition of Cash Withdrawals From VASPs Operated Accounts May Contradict Central Bank’s Cashless Policy — Nigerian Lawyer
7.1.2024
Nigerian fintech lawyer Senator Ihenyen said the new central bank guidelines which bar the withdrawal of cash from accounts operated by virtual asset service providers (VASPs) seem “reasonable and understandable.” The lawyer however believes an “outright” prohibition of cash...
Bank of Spain Collaborates with Cecabank, Abanca, and Adhara Blockchain for CBDC Tests
6.1.2024
Source: iStock/Zerbor Spain’s central bank, Banco de España, has revealed its selected collaborators for the testing phase of the central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiative, a year after issuing a call for collaboration. Out of 24 applications received over the past year, Bank of Spain...
Central Bank of Nigeria Approves Africa Stablecoin Consortium to Pilot cNGN Stablecoin in Regulatory Sandbox
5.1.2024
Source: AdobeStock / Faraz The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted approval to the Africa Stablecoin Consortium (ASC) to launch the cNGN stablecoin in its regulatory sandbox. The stablecoin is set to be introduced on February 27, 2024, the Africa Stablecoin Consortium, a collaborative effort...
Nigeria’s Central Bank Rolls Out Regulations For Financial Institutions Dealing with VASPs
4.1.2024
Source: AdobeStock The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new regulations to guide banks and other financial institutions that offer domestic accounts for virtual assets service providers (VASPs). In an official circular released on its website on Jan 3, the country’s leading banking...
The Road to Digital Euro: ECB Publishes Crucial Rulebook Draft
4.1.2024
Source: Adobe/Christian The European Central Bank (ECB) has unveiled progress in the development of the digital euro, with the publication of a report detailing the advancements made by the digital euro scheme’s Rulebook Development Group (RDG). The update follows a June 2023 report from...
India’s Digital Rupee Hit 1 Million Daily Transactions in December: Report
4.1.2024
Source: AdobeStock / picsmart India’s digital rupee hit 1 million daily transactions in December, aligning with the Reserve Bank of India’s targeted goal for daily transactions by the end of 2023, Reuters reported. The central bank digital currency (CBDC), known as the e-rupee,...
Nigeria’s Central Bank Fleshes Out New Rule Allowing Crypto Firms’ Access to Bank Accounts
4.1.2024
Nigerian banks are still restricted from holding or trading crypto on their own behalf, despite regulators’ softening stance toward digital assets
Euro at 25: ECB President Christine Lagarde Calls Euro the ‘World’s Second Most Important Currency’
3.1.2024
The president of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde and fellow European Union leaders recently hailed the euro for its role in giving the bloc “greater sovereignty in a turbulent world.” The EU leaders added, however, that more still needs to be done if the bloc and...
75 US Lawmakers Now Support CBDC Anti-Surveillance Bill
2.1.2024
Congressman Tom Emmer’s CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act now has 75 cosponsors. “A central bank digital currency is government-controlled programmable money that, if not designed to emulate cash, could give the federal government the ability to surveil and restrict Americans’ transactions,”...