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Iran Sets Up Platform to Facilitate Crypto Payments for Imports
3.5.2023
Authorities in Iran are taking steps to make crypto payments easier for companies importing goods in the sanctioned country. A dedicated platform has been established to allow local businesses to transfer cryptocurrency for the purpose of cross-border settlements. Iran to Use Cryptocurrencies...
Russian Banks Set for Record Profits This Year, Central Bank, Rating Agency Say
3.5.2023
Bank of Russia raised its forecast for the profits of Russian banks in 2023, expecting results that may break the 2021 record. This year’s high numbers are coming after 2022 became the worst annual period in seven years for the sanctioned Russian banking sector in terms of financial outcome. Banks...
Retail CBDCs bring unknown 'consequences' to financial system: IMF director
3.5.2023
The IMF's Kristalina Georgieva said wholesale CBDCs, on the other hand, have “fairly little space for undesirable surprises.”
Ron DeSantis Vows to Prohibit CBDC, ‘Woke Politics,’ and ‘Financial Surveillance’ in Florida
3.5.2023
Florida governor Ron DeSantis reiterated his call for a ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) during a visit to Jacksonville on Tuesday. Last March, DeSantis pushed for legislation to prohibit a CBDC in Florida. At Tuesday’s event called “Government of Laws, Not Woke Politics,”...
First Mover Americas: BRC-20 Tokens Skyrocket
2.5.2023
The latest price moves in bitcoin (BTC) and crypto markets in context for May 2, 2023. First Mover is CoinDesk’s daily newsletter that contextualizes the latest actions in the crypto markets
US Central Bank Expected to Raise Lending Rate by 25bps: Experts Predict Final Hike of 2023
30.4.2023
After the most recent increase in the federal funds rate, the U.S. Federal Reserve is set to raise the lending rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.25% in three days, according to expectations. A recent poll of 105 economists revealed that 94 of them predict a 25bps rate hike will occur during...
Zimbabwe’s De-Dollarization: Central Bank to Issue Gold-Backed Digital Currency in Early May
30.4.2023
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has said it will start issuing gold-backed digital tokens on May 8. The first phase of the launch will see the digital tokens being issued for “investment purposes with a vesting period of 180 days.” The RBZ also revealed that the gold-backed digital...
No Rate Hikes in Russia, Central Bank Keeps Interest Rate Level Again
29.4.2023
Bank of Russia decided to maintain the interest rate at 7.5% amid moderate inflation, estimated at 2.5% on an annual basis in April, although this may change later this year. The monetary authority improved its forecast for the Russian economy and now expects growth entirely in positive figures,...
Report: Kenya to Start Levying Tax on Revenue Earned by Crypto Exchanges
29.4.2023
According to regulations published by the country’s treasury secretary, global crypto exchanges used by Kenya’s estimated 4 million users will start paying a 1.5% tax on revenues earned. Tax-Avoiding Digital Asset Platforms The Kenyan Treasury has said it will start levying taxes...
Mauritius planning to launch pilot project for retail digital rupee late this year
28.4.2023
The governor of the Bank of Mauritius told a meeting of central bank technologists about the development of the island nation’s CBDC ambitions
First Mover Americas: Bitcoin Ending Week on Positive Note
28.4.2023
The latest price moves in bitcoin (BTC) and crypto markets in context for April 28, 2023. First Mover is CoinDesk’s daily newsletter that contextualizes the latest actions in the crypto markets
‘Not the Right Time to Stop’ Rate Hikes, ECB Chief Economist Says
27.4.2023
Current indicators suggest the European Central Bank (ECB) should raise the interest rate in May, the monetary authority’s chief economist said. Future increases will depend on the economic data but this is still not the right time to stop, according to Philip Lane who believes the bank has...
ECB’s Panetta Reinforces Digital Euro Focus on Payments
26.4.2023
Fabio Panetta, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank (ECB), announced the digital euro project was entering its final phase. Before the committee on economic and monetary affairs of the European Parliament, Panetta stated that the digital euro, if approved, would be focused...
ECB President Lagarde on De-Dollarization: Reserve Currency Status Should No Longer Be Taken for Granted
26.4.2023
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has warned that the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status “should no longer be taken for granted.” Acknowledging de-dollarization efforts by various countries, she stressed: “New trade patterns may have ramifications...
Central Banks Reduce US Dollar Swap Lines to Weekly Auctions Amid Moody’s US Banking Sector Downgrade
25.4.2023
After the tumultuous downfall of three major banks, namely Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank, several central banks made a collaborative announcement of a swift, coordinated emergency response. The intervention aimed to furnish U.S. dollar liquidity, with the intention...
European Central Bank: Digital Euro to Offer 'Maximum Privacy,' Though Not as Much as Cash
25.4.2023
A new central bank digital currency (CBDC) in Europe would be designed with privacy in mind, although it would never be as private as cash is, according to a European Central Bank (ECB) official.
Speaking before the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on Monday,...
Ugandan High Court Rules to Uphold Central Bank’s Crypto Prohibition
25.4.2023
A Judge of a High Court in Uganda recently dismissed an application which sought to quash a Bank of Uganda directive that barred licensed entities and individuals from facilitating crypto transactions. In his ruling, Justice Musa Ssekaana insisted that the central bank’s crypto prohibition...
China Pushes Digital Yuan for Wage Payments in Changshu
25.4.2023
Changshu, a city in China with more than 1.5 million inhabitants, will pay public workers’ wages with the Chinese central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan. The move marks an acceleration of the adoption plans that Beijing has for the digital currency, which has been included...
Report: Zimbabwe’s Central Bank Says Upcoming Gold-Backed Digital Currency to Help Reduce Demand for US Dollar
25.4.2023
The governor of the Zimbabwean central bank, John Mangudya, recently revealed that his institution is planning to introduce a gold-backed digital currency. According to the governor, the soon-to-be-introduced gold-backed digital currency is expected to help diminish local residents’ demand...
Indonesia Is Following BRICS De-Dollarization Lead, Says Central Bank Governor
25.4.2023
Indonesia is following the BRICS’ lead in de-dollarization and shifting away from the U.S. dollar in trade settlements and financial transactions, according to the country’s central bank governor. The BRICS nations are working on creating a common currency to reduce their USD reliance....