No central bank is currently working on a Central Bank Digital Currency, or CBDC, that can be used by consumers, according to enterprise blockchain firm, R3. A recent report by R3 claims that no central bank is currently pursuing the development of a retail CBDC. As the authors of the document explain, CBDC’s are divided into wholesale and retail: the first is limited to commercial banks while the latter can involve corporations, small businesses, and even individuals. The report explains that a wholesale CBDC is just a new modernization step for central banks, while a retail CBDC “is an opportunity …

As 2020 staggers on, the scourge of the coronavirus is showing no sign of relenting any time soon. Since the reality of the pandemic took hold, it has revealed itself to be a black swan the likes of which have never before been seen. Cryptocurrencies suffer from volatility in the best of times, and markets have spent most of the last two years in the red. But companies, markets and entire economies all over the world are tanking. So, is cryptocurrency’s notorious Achilles' heel affecting its banking and payments sector? SoftBank posts hard landing There’s not a business in the …

Financial institutions all over the world are increasingly experimenting with emerging technologies like blockchain to streamline payment systems and achieve financial inclusion. In a new study, the World Bank has once again emphasized blockchain’s potential for financial inclusion. Issued by the Bank for International Settlements on April 14,the new report from the World Bank Group on “Payment aspects of financial inclusion in the fintech era” outlines a wide number of crypto and blockchain-related concepts like stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDC). In the 70-page report, the bank provided a detailed overview of selected advances in technology that are considered …

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic accelerates central bank digital currency (CBDC) developments, according to Deutsche Bank macro strategist Marion Laboure. In a tweet from April 3, Deutsche Bank cites Laboure’s claim that the risk of cash spreading the coronavirus further will motivate authorities to consider digital alternatives. CBDCs: a necessary response to the coronavirus As Cointelegraph reported in mid-February, China started a quarantine of its used banknotes in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Research published in 2008 showed that the influenza virus was able to survive on banknotes up to 17 days. Laboure claims that governments increasingly …

Digital identity solutions are on the rise as consumers seek security and accessibility in a digitized world. A new report from 360iResearch shows that the global digital identity market is expected to have reached about $37 Million by the end of 2025. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, this number could grow even larger. Unsurprisingly, the trillion-dollar banking industry has already expressed interest in digital identity solutions. For example, Everest, a blockchain-based digital payments provider, has recently formed a partnership with BRI Remittance, a subsidiary of one of Indonesia’s largest banks. Everest has been collaborating with BRI to offer bank …

Yes, that’s the question we are asking today. Is blockchain technology necessary? The answer is tricky. To arrive at the conclusion takes an unbiased perspective. Bankers and people in the stock market will tell you that it’s the epitome of evil. Blockchain engineers and enthusiasts will tell you it’s the future of the world. The government, as usual, will be indecisive. Both are overly eager in their opinions, and both are unfortunately wrong. Blockchain is wonderful and revolutionary, no doubt there. But it has some very serious cons that are underplayed by people supporting blockchain. It also has excellent pros …

Bitcoin Depot, the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in the world, has begun powering down some of its machines in an effort to halt further spread of COVID-19. As much of the world sits in quarantine, Bitcoin Depot has chosen to temporarily shut off crypto ATMs which specifically reside in high traffic areas. The company is undertaking this push as a way to encourage social distancing. “As we monitor the ongoing situation, the number of locations temporarily taken offline will likely increase,” Bitcoin Depot’s director of product, Alona Lubovnaya, told Cointelegraph in an email, adding: “We are continuing to monitor for …

“How could I possibly do this?” — That is what I asked myself when the opportunity presented itself to leave my 14-year career in corporate and investment banking to join the startup world. It was certainly one of the biggest decisions of my life. I chewed on it for a month, which in my world of decision making, is quite a long time. One of my most active clients at the time was a TSX-listed DirectCash Payments Inc, a global payment processing company with operations on multiple continents and valued at $460 million when sold to Cardtronics in early 2017. …

By this point, everyone knows that Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has wreaked havoc on the world economy. The ongoing pandemic On March 13, crypto markets saw an unprecedented collapse alongside the worst day in the traditional markets since 1987. Beyond the markets tanking, the risk of spreading the highly contagious virus has led many countries to tell citizens to stay home — with obvious implications for broader workforce productivity and resulting in the cancellation of many events in the crypto space. Beyond telling businesses to stay closed and people to socially isolate, governments around the world are taking unprecedented …

Major European financial institutions are jointly launching a blockchain-based platform for the investment fund industry. The system was initially incubated by the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and its affiliate Fundsquare, which, alongside Clearstream, Credit Suisse Asset Management and Natixis Investment Managers, have announced a Series A investment round for “FundsDLT.” FundsDLT for cost reduction According to a March 17 announcement, the FundsDLT platform is based on Ethereum’s (ETH) blockchain and allows asset managers, distributors, asset servicers, and the supply chain to reduce costs. The cost reduction is achieved by removing redundant activities while providing transparency and allowing digital fund distribution. A …

Zabo has announced it has raised $ 2.5 million in seed funding, allowing it to extend its portfolio of services to continue connecting its customers’ cryptocurrency wallets to banks, brokerage firms, FinTech apps, and tax software. As detailed in a March 5 blog post, the seed round was led by Moonshots Capital and included funding from Blockchange Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, Digital Currency Group, CoinShares, Tezos Foundation, Capital Factory, among others. Bolstering connections with mainstream financial services Zabo’s technology is used in a wide variety of financial services applications, both centralized and decentralized, and with this announcement, they expect to …

Samsung SDS, the South Korean tech giant’s IT services subsidiary, has just announced a partnership with Israel-based fintech and smart payments provider Credorex. According to a report from The Korea Herald, March 4, the two companies will collaborate to develop a payment platform for European merchants and banks. Samsung SDS pushes into European markets One part of the proposed solution will be developed using Samsung SDS’ Nexledger Universal blockchain platform and will allow merchants to automatically reconcile payments, remittances and invoices with their bank records. This will integrate into a payments platform, built using Samsung SDS’ AI-based Brity Works, which …