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Latam Insights Encore: El Salvador’s Proposal Opens the Door for Crypto-Based International Settlements
6.8.2024
Welcome to Latam Insights Encore, a deep dive into Latin America’s most relevant economic and cryptocurrency-based news from last week. In this edition, we discuss the recent proposal from El Salvador to settle their trade transactions with Russia using crypto, and how this might encourage...
Latam Insights: El Salvador Proposes Using Crypto for International Settlements; First Bitcoin-Funded Company Registered in Argentina
4.8.2024
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: El Salvador proposes using crypto as a tool to complete international settlements with Russia, Argentina registers its first bitcoin-funded company, and...
Russian Diplomat: El Salvador Proposes Settling Trade With Crypto
31.7.2024
El Salvador has proposed using cryptocurrency as an alternative payment method for trade with Russia. The Central American nation has reportedly expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc and may formally apply for membership within one or two years. Ukraine-Russia Conflict Echoes in Central...
Basel Committee Gives Permissioned Stablecoins ‘Preferential Treatment’ in Amended Crypto Asset Standard Amidst Heavy Criticism
19.7.2024
The Basel Committee, responsible for setting standards for bank regulation, has revised its crypto asset standard, introducing new considerations that impact stablecoins. The updated standard favors permissioned stablecoins, such as JPM Coin, over those issued on public chains. This has elicited...
Russia in the Process of Regulating the Use of Stablecoins for Cross-Border Settlements
5.7.2024
Russia is considering adding the subject of stablecoins to an upcoming bill, allowing them to be used officially for completing cross-border payments. Alexey Guznov, Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia, declared that proposals have already been presented and the issue is now being discussed....
Tencent Tests Use Cases for Trading Settlements Using Digital Yuan and Mbridge
25.6.2024
Tencent, the Chinese tech giant, was revealed to be participating in the tests that the Chinese institutions have completed using Mbridge, a CBDC-enabled cross-borders settlement platform. Tencent participated through its international settlements arm Tenpay, which piloted the use case of...
Russian State Duma Official: International CBDC Settlements to Become ‘Common Practice’ in 5 Years
7.6.2024
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...
Zone launches PoS gateway with instant settlements
5.6.2024
Zone’s layer-1 blockchain is purportedly Africa’s first decentralized, cross border, currency-agnostic payments solution
Private firms to join global central bank CBDC project
5.6.2024
As Project mBridge enters its MVP phase, BIS is inviting private sector firms to propose new solutions and use cases to further develop and showcase the platform's potential
BIS Plans Instant Cross-Border Payments Using Wholesale CBDC Settlement
4.6.2024
In a move to improve traditional cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has announced the launch of Project Rialto. This project aims to enhance instant cross-border payments by integrating a modular foreign exchange (FX) component with settlement in wholesale central...
MicroStrategy Founder Michael Saylor Agrees to $40M Settlement in D.C. Income Tax Case
3.6.2024
The District of Columbia sued Saylor in 2022 for allegedly not paying income taxes while living in the district
Israel to Start Digital Shekel Challenge to Develop Payment Use Cases
29.5.2024
Israel's central bank is launching a challenge on the use of a central bank digital currency in payments as part of an "action plan for a possible issuance of the digital shekel."
Mastercard, Visa, JPMorgan, and Other Major Banks Explore Tokenized Asset Settlements
9.5.2024
Several major financial firms are collaborating to test the benefits of shared-ledger technology for jointly settling tokenized assets like commercial bank money and various securities. The initiative, known as the Regulated Settlement Network, is a proof-of-concept designed to expedite and secure...
ECB’s Joachim Nagel Urges Central Banks to Evolve: ‘We Need to Work on Our Business Model’
8.5.2024
Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank and Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB), has raised concerns about central banks’ business model. “If part of your core product is loosening attractiveness then you have to think about another new core...
Mastercard joins forces with US banking titans for tokenized settlement trials
8.5.2024
The partnership between the significant banking giants in the US and Mastercard is aimed at streamlining multiple asset-class settlements on a shared ledger platform
Philosopher Yuval Noah Harari warns of AI’s risks in finance
7.5.2024
The bestselling author, philosopher and historian sees grim potential for AI to get out of control in the financial system
Do Kwon's Huge Fine Shows the SEC Is Ratcheting Up Penalties Against Crypto Firms
24.4.2024
Suggested fines the securities watchdog suggested for Terraform Labs and Ripple are out-of-line with what it has collected from crypto firms in the past
Venezuelan State Oil Company to Accelerate USDT Adoption for Settlements; Tether Vows to Uphold OFAC Sanctions
23.4.2024
PDVSA, the state-owned Venezuelan oil company, would be preparing to migrate more of its payments portfolio to USDT, a dollar stablecoin, to avoid being affected by the restitution of U.S. sanctions. Reuters reported that the company started receiving payments in USDT last year and will accelerate...
BRICS Bloc Mulls Stablecoins, CBDC-Based System for International Settlements
23.4.2024
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov revealed that the BRICS bloc has been considering the use of stablecoins for its common rail payment systems. In an interview with TV BRICS, Ryabkov stated that the use of stablecoins and a connection linking the CBDCs of the participants were studied...
Bank of Russia Supports Cryptocurrency Usage for International Settlements
16.4.2024
The Bank of Russia has announced that it will support accelerating the adoption of cryptocurrency payments for international settlements. According to Elvira Nabiullina, governor of the Bank of Russia, these crypto-based payments must be launched in a sandbox-style experimental regime. In contrast...