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Nigerian Microfinance Bank Carbon Acquires Fintech Startup Vella Finance
18.2.2024
Vella Finance, a Nigerian fintech startup, was recently bought by the microfinance bank Carbon. The acquisition of the fintech startup paves for Carbon to launch a new banking platform targeting Nigerian businesses. New Business to Leverage Artificial Intelligence The Nigerian microfinance bank...
Fed Governor Discusses Crypto’s Impact on US Dollar Dominance — Says Banks Should Avoid Bitcoin ETFs as Primary Asset
18.2.2024
A Federal Reserve governor has addressed crypto’s impact on the U.S. dollar’s dominance. Additionally, he expressed reservations about the need for a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC) and stated his opposition to banks holding bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as their...
Nigeria’s Headline Inflation Increases as Central Bank Intensifies Foreign Exchange Controls
17.2.2024
In the first month of 2024, Nigeria’s headline inflation rose from nearly one percent to 29.9%. However, on a year-on-year basis, the January 2024 headline inflation rate was 8.08 percentage points higher than the January 2023 rate. Many commentators identify foreign exchange shortages as...
Honduras Tightens Crypto Regulations, Prohibits Bank Transactions and Holdings
17.2.2024
The National Banking and Securities Commission of Honduras (CNBS) has passed a resolution prohibiting the country’s financial institutions from engaging in cryptocurrency-related activities. The CNBS stated that crypto transactions cannot be guaranteed by the Honduran central bank due to...
Citi Innovates with Avalanche Blockchain to Tokenize Private Equity Funds
15.2.2024
Big four American banking giant Citi has just completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) to tokenize traditional finance (TradFi) assets and distribute them on blockchain. The multinational investment bank and financial services corporation used Avalanche’s Evergreen subnet Spruce “for...
Stablecoins Are the ‘Biggest Misnomers’ and ‘Oxymorons’ Says New Zealand Central Bank Governor
15.2.2024
The New Zealand Central Bank governor, Adrian Orr, recently branded stablecoins “the biggest misnomers” and “oxymorons.” Orr also rejected the notion that cryptocurrencies could serve as a replacement or supplement to central bank-issued money. Stablecoins Not a Viable...
Fed Chair Powell Briefs Lawmakers on US Central Bank Digital Currency Progress
15.2.2024
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has provided an update to Congress members regarding the Fed’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) work. “If we’re going to have a CBDC, Congress needs to authorize it,” he stressed. Moreover, the Fed chair reportedly said that a framework...
Citi Bank Tests Tokenization of Private Equity Funds on Avalanche
14.2.2024
The firm tested a variety of use cases through Avalanche's subnet with a focus on private markets
Digitex CEO Charged for Illegally Operating Crypto Futures
14.2.2024
Digitex crypto futures exchange CEO Adam Colin Todd willfully failed to include adequate anti-money-laundering (AML) program, Florida federal court alleged. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement Tuesday that the offender “willfully caused Digitex Futures...
Philippines to Develop Blockchainless Wholesale CBDC in Two Years
14.2.2024
The Central Bank of the Philippines will develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the next two years, according to Governor Eli Remolona Jr. The still unnamed CBDC will focus on the wholesale market and won’t use blockchain tech, instead relying on the Philippine Payment...
CEO of Bank Involved In Pig Butchering Scheme Charged With Embezzling $47 Million
13.2.2024
In a startling breach of trust, the CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank is facing charges for orchestrating an embezzlement of $47 million. The high-profile case came to light following revelations that the bank played a central role in a sophisticated ‘pig butchering’ scheme, according...
Bank of Russia Detected Over 5,700 Pyramid Schemes in 2023
13.2.2024
The Bank of Russia reported that the number of pyramid schemes and illegal lending providers in Russia rose to over 5,700 in 2023, an increase of 15.5% over the number detected in 2022. Specifically, the number of pyramid schemes detected increased by 46%, relying on the Internet and cryptocurrency...
Franklin Templeton Latest Firm to File for Spot Ethereum ETF
13.2.2024
Investment firm Franklin Templeton is the latest asset manager to file a spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States. The filing was submitted on Monday. Coinbase Custody will be the Ether custodian and Bank of New York...
Nigeria Faces Pressure to Tighten Crypto Regulations for Financial Crime Prevention
12.2.2024
Nigeria faces calls to go further in its efforts to clarify crypto regulation after a blockchain firm successfully finished training its fifth cohort of crypto compliance specialists last weekend. Blockchain intelligence service provider A&D Forensics teaches a course on curbing financial...
Philippines Central Bank Eyes Bank-Mediated Non-Blockchain CBDC in Next Two Years
12.2.2024
Governor Eli Remolona of the Philippines Central Bank (BSP) has disclosed the central bank’s plans to introduce a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the coming years. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is optimistic about the ongoing growth of digital payment technologies...
New Zealand Central Banker Adrian Orr Says Stablecoins Aren’t Stable: Report
12.2.2024
The country's Central Banker says fiat money is more credible than stablecoins because it has the power of government behind it
New Zealand Central Bank Governor Issues Warning Against Stablecoins
12.2.2024
New Zealand’s central bank governor, Adrian Orr, raised concerns about the stability of cryptocurrencies, particularly stablecoins, during a parliamentary committee meeting on Monday. He criticized these tokens as “misnomers” and “oxymorons,” highlighting their...
Russian Central Bank Says ‘Almost All Financial Scams Are Now Crypto-themed’
12.2.2024
The Russian Central Bank claimed “almost all” the financial scams it found last year had crypto-related elements. In an official release, the bank wrote that there had been a year-on-year rise of almost 16% in financial scams in 2023. In “almost” every case, the bank said it had detected a crypto...
Economist Dr. Nomi Prins Sees Potential for Massive Banking Crisis, Foresees QE as Remedy
9.2.2024
This week, during a recent interview, the renowned geo-macro economist and acclaimed author Dr. Nomi Prins shared insights on the Federal Reserve’s future actions, particularly regarding whether the central bank will reduce the federal funds rate come March. Prins mentioned that we might...
UK’s Planned Stablecoin Rules Need Reworking, Crypto Advocates Say
9.2.2024
Crypto industry groups in the U.K. say local regulators’ proposals for supervising stablecoins need reworking