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Nearly 500,000 Nigerian CBDC Wallets Downloaded Since Launch
17.11.2021
Nearly half a million e-naira wallets have been downloaded a few weeks after the central bank digital currency (CBDC) was officially launched by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the central bank has said. E-Naira’s Initial Trade Volumes In addition to the 488,000 wallets that have been...
Digital Euro Should Be Attractive But Not ‘Too Successful,’ ECB’s Panetta Says
7.11.2021
The digital euro should be an attractive means of payment but its design should prevent it from becoming so successful as a store of value that it threatens banks and private money, according to Fabio Panetta, a high-ranking executive at the European Central Bank. Panetta stressed that both this...
African Fintech Giant Raises $150 Million in Funding Round Led by FTX, Firm Now Valued at Over $2 Billion
4.11.2021
Chipper Cash, one of Africa’s biggest fintechs, recently concluded a Series C extension funding round in which it raised $150 million, a report by Techcrunch has revealed. New Investors Participate in Latest Round According to the report, this latest funding round — which was led...
‘Bitcoin Is Worth Zero’ — Kenyan Communication Strategist Warns African Investors to Be Wary
2.11.2021
A Kenyan communications strategist, Mwotia Ciugu, has told African investors to be wary of investing in bitcoin which he claims is worth zero. Bitcoin Structurally Incapable of Delivering on Its Promise In an op-ed published by The Elephant, Ciugu insists bitcoin (BTC) is structurally incapable...
IMF Partly Blames Uncertainty in Nigeria’s Forex Market for Drop in Remittances
26.10.2021
The uncertainty that prevails in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market is partly to blame for the plunge in cross-border remittances into the country, an official with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. Covid-19 Another Contributing Factor According to a report by local news outlet...
Kenyan Fintech Player: ‘Banking the Unbanked’ Is the Most Important Use Case for Digital Currencies in Africa
28.9.2021
The year 2020 may well go down as the year when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, in particular, gained mainstream recognition. The restrictions on movement, as well as the widespread fear of catching a virus, forced many to look for alternative ways of making payments or sending...
Chipper Cash Extends Peer-to-Peer Money Transfer Service to South Africa
27.9.2021
Chipper Cash, an African fintech start-up, has extended its peer-to-peer instant money service to South Africa. In addition to being able to use the remittance service, South African users will be able to buy, sell, and transfer cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum, and the USDC stablecoin....
Nigeria’s CBDC ‘a Safer Option’ Than Privately Issued Cryptocurrencies: Central Bank Official
14.9.2021
As part of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s digital currency charm offensive, Folashodun Shonubi, the institution’s deputy governor, has claimed that the country’s upcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be a “safer option from privately issued...
Zimbabwean Minister Says Cryptocurrency Based Solutions ‘Could Lower Charges for Diaspora Remittances’
12.9.2021
The Zimbabwean minister of finance, Mthuli Ncube, has once again talked up the potential advantages of using cryptocurrencies. In new comments made shortly after visiting the DMCC Crypto Centre in Dubai, Ncube raises the possibility that the country might use cryptocurrency-based solutions to lower...
African Economist Says Regulated Cryptocurrencies Are Reasonable Alternative to Single Trade Currency
6.9.2021
A Nigeria-based research and development economist, Gospel Obele, has called “for a unified regulatory mechanism for cryptocurrency trading.” He adds that such regulation of cryptocurrencies can potentially “complement an African digital currency,” hence this needs to...
Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Africa to Trial Cross-Border Digital Currency Payments
3.9.2021
The central banks of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Republic of South Africa have set out to test the use of state-issued digital currencies in cross-border payments. The trial, led by the Bank for International Settlements, aims to establish whether they can simplify transactions and make...
Annual US Dollar Remittances to Nigeria Surge to $34 Billion but Forex Woes Persist
31.8.2021
According to a report, the value of annual dollar remittances by Nigerians working abroad has surged to $34 billion, a figure that easily surpasses the previous record-high of $25 billion. Still, a large portion of the funds doesn’t seem to be entering domestic forex markets. Target Attained...
Digital Yuan to Promote International Use of Chinese Currency, Experts Say
30.7.2021
The new digital yuan, currently undergoing trials, can help to increase the international usage of China’s national fiat, experts have stated. As the renminbi (RMB, CNY) is becoming one of the world’s most important currencies, the People’s Bank of China is planning to conduct...
French Central Bank Conducts Fifth Experiment on Tunisia CBDC
23.7.2021
The French central bank, Banque de France (BOF), recently carried out its fifth experiment on the Central Bank of Tunisia (CBT)’s central bank digital currency (CBDC). According to a statement from BOF, the latest experiment is part of the banks’ joint effort to create conditions that...
New Bank of America Report Says Digital Currencies ‘Could Boost Economic Growth’ in Developing Countries
23.6.2021
A new Bank of America (BOA) research study has found that both central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and private digital currencies hold “a lot of potential” for increasing financial inclusion in developing countries. In the report, the bank also argues that such “digital...
Swiss, French Central Banks to Trial Wholesale CBDC Settlements With BIS and Private Sector
11.6.2021
The central banks of Switzerland and France are joining hands with the Bank for International Settlements to test wholesale central bank digital currencies in cross-border transactions. The experiment will be conducted with the help of a private sector consortium led by Accenture. European Central...
Hong Kong to Connect Digital Yuan With Domestic Payments System in Cross-Border Trials
9.6.2021
Financial authorities in Hong Kong have announced a second phase of trials for mainland China’s digital currency. As part of the upcoming tests, the city will link the Chinese digital yuan to its domestic payments system to evaluate the CBDC’s usability in cross-border scenarios. Hong...
Enterprise blockchain solutions rally as businesses get hip to crypto
13.4.2021
XRP, Stellar and XinFin see tremendous growth as enterprise solutions that offer cross-border solutions and serve the unbanked gain traction
XRP price surges 55% to a 3-year high amid push for financial inclusivity
5.4.2021
A new cross-border payments acquisition and a renewed push to increase global financial inclusivity triggered a 55% rally in XRP price
Ripple Partner Mercury FX Accepted Into ‘First Cohort’ of a South African Regulatory Sandbox
4.4.2021
South Africa’s Inter-governmental Fintech Working Group (IFWG) recently accepted Mercury FX, a UK-based e-money firm, into the first cohort of its regulatory sandbox. The firm, which harnesses the Ripplenet blockchain, says it wants to demonstrate its technology’s ability “to...