European Central Bank picks five partners for digital euro initiative
Five front-end companies were chosen by the ECB out of 54 applicants.
CBDC
Blockchain, tokenisation and financial inclusion
The potential for Web3 to enable financial inclusion in populations is tremendous.
UN calls for comprehensive crypto regulation in developing countries
The organisation says crypto can “jeopardise the monetary sovereignty of countries”.
FinTech Futures: Top five stories of the week – 12 August 2022
Here’s our pick of five of the top news stories from the world of finance and tech this week.
Reserve Bank of Australia to explore CBDC use cases with DFCRC
The RBA says the project will engage with “a wide range of industry participants”.
Crypto.com gains new licences in South Korea via two acquisitions
The firm has acquired payment service provider PnLink and virtual asset service provider OK-BIT.
The gathering momentum of CBDCs
CBDCs offer a means for secure digital payments with legal tender status, and no bank account is required.
Why central banks need to engage the private sector on CBDCs
Companies can help policymakers evaluate technology choices and design incentives to foster innovation and competition.
FinTech Futures: Top five stories of the week – 8 July 2022
Here’s our pick of five of the top news stories from the world of finance and tech this week.
Central bank digital currency (CBDC) – why go slow
CBDC will catapult society to new heights. We better get it right!
US crypto platform Voyager Digital suspends all trading, deposits and withdrawals
Voyager’s CEO cites “current market conditions” as the reason behind the decision.
WTH are ZKPs? Making blockchain transactions private
In order to gain or have mainstream adoption of blockchain tech, it needs to be private.
Video: Kraken at Money 20/20 Europe – Keeping up with cybercriminals
We chat with Curtis Ting of Kraken to discuss how financial crime is evolving in the digital asset space.
Blockchain paytech Roxe to go public via SPAC merger in $3.6bn deal
Roxe will merge with Goldenstone Acquisition and become a publicly traded company on Nasdaq.
Why I do want to use crypto to buy my pizza
I predict that in the medium term, we will begin to consider crypto a safe and reliable form of tender.
Money 20/20 Europe: Digiseq connects the digital and physical world
At Money 20/20 Europe, FinTech Futures sat down with David Birch, chair of wearable payments disruptor Digiseq.
Money 20/20 Europe: A new era for a digital Sterling
Project New Era, set to launch in September, is a pilot evaluating the future digital currency ecosystem in the UK.
How CBDCs will transform the way India transacts
The proposed implementation of CBDCs will completely change how the country perceives money.
Bridging the gap between new and old payment methods
Payment experiences have changed significantly, with ‘alternative payment’ methods gaining more and more traction.
How the regulation of fintech could help the UK stay competitive in the sector
The UK must balance innovation and competition with the need for customer protection through effective regulation.
Circle lands $400m funding round featuring BlackRock, Fidelity
The funding round is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
Bank of England’s fintech chief Varun Paul leaves for digital asset platform Fireblocks
Paul has been at the central bank for 16 years and spent just over a year as head of the fintech hub.
FinTech Futures: Top five stories of the week – 25 March 2022
Here’s our pick of five of the top news stories from the world of finance and tech this week.
Bank of Canada and MIT kick off central bank digital currency research project
The one-year initiative will form part of the central bank’s research into digital currencies and fintech.
Payments for good – promoting financial inclusion
Vijay Oddiraju, CEO of Volante Technologies, looks at ways the payments industry can provide the rails for inclusiveness.
State of play: fintech and telco
How we pay, what we pay, and who we pay is changing, and telco firms are well positioned to take advantage.
Open Banking Expo’s CBDC conference to return for a second year
The virtual conference will be held on 10 March 2022.
India confirms digital rupee CBDC to debut by 2023
The finance minister announced a raft of digital economy support measures in her Union Budget 2022-23 speech.
Asian Development Bank and R3 team for cross-border securities transaction system
The cross-border multi-currency securities settlement system will be based on distributed ledger tech.
Meta drops crypto project Diem due to regulatory roadblocks
The Diem Association has sold its intellectual property and tech assets to Silvergate Capital in a $182m deal.
Baton Systems appoints ex-Barclays exec as its first COO
David Ornstein steps into a newly-created role of chief operating officer (COO) at Baton.
House of Lords committee says UK digital pound is “solution in search of a problem”
The Economic Affairs Committee cited financial, privacy and data concerns over UK CBDC.
SIX, BIS and SNB conduct CBDC core banking integration test
Citi, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and UBS also took part in the experiment.
Central Bank of Bahrain and JP Morgan conduct successful digital currency settlement test
The test was facilitated by JP Morgan’s new blockchain-focused business unit Onyx.
Indian government takes next step in banning cryptocurrencies
Scheduling of bill points to government’s stance despite speculation over rethink.
ING’s Evelien Witlox recruited to head ECB’s digital euro project
Witlox will analyse pros and cons of a digital euro to reside with cash.
Bank of England to launch UK CBDC consultation in 2022
Following consultation and development phase, CBDC could launch in second half of this decade.
Nigerian central bank launches eNaira CBDC
Central bank claims CBDC will boost financial inclusion in the continent’s most populous nation.
The law of unintended consequences
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about programmable money. And this stuff scares me.
Sibos 2021: Banks must work together to make the most of CBDCs, says panel
Panel says interoperability of CBDCs is necessary to avoid inefficiencies and poor outcomes.
