Cryptocurrency exchange Deribit recently published an analysis explaining that cryptocurrency companies are racing to adopt financial services known from legacy finance. The post points out that all crypto companies, exchanges included, will soon offer users interest accounts, cost-effective ways to perform transactions, and tax services. Throughout his post, he explains why these features, along with others, will become a standard offering for exchanges in the next 2 years. Adoption is well underway The crypto community is already seeing a number of companies adopt features that traditional financial institutions offer. The only difference is that many of these companies are making …

Digital transformation is a national priority for China, and it’s being integrated into both enterprise and banks and other services industries. According to a Feb. 4 report from Economic Information Daily, chairman of Minsheng Bank Hong Qi said: “The full adoption of digital technologies such as blockchain is expected to accelerate the digital transformation and upgrade its agriculture, manufacturing, finance and other services in the next 10 years.” China Minsheng Bank is the first national commercial bank owned principally by non-government enterprises. It is famous for making loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also one of the earliest …

The National Bank of Cambodia’s new digital currency is called Bakong. It’s effectively a central bank digital currency (CBDC) that was launched on a trial basis throughout Cambodia in July. Chea Serey, director-general of the National Bank of Cambodia, said the system will be operational within the present fiscal quarter. Serey described Bakong as “the national payment gateway for Cambodia.” Bakong will play a central role in bringing all players in the payment space in Cambodia under the same platform, making it easy for end-users to pay each other regardless of the institutions they bank with. Eventually, we hope to …

The deputy governor of the Bank of Japan has said the institution must be ready to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC) should public demand surge in response to technical developments. In a strong statement of a future-oriented vision for the bank, Masayoshi Amamiya told attendees at a seminar — as per a Reuters report on Jan. 30 — that: “The speed of technical innovation is very fast. Depending on how things unfold in the world of settlement systems, public demand for CBDCs could soar in Japan. We must be prepared to respond if that happens.” BOJ: no imminent …

A draft of India’s national strategy on blockchain and distributed ledger technology suggests a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital Indian rupee, and a national blockchain. The National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG), a non-profit public body incorporated by the government of India, has published a draft document on the country’s national blockchain strategy. Issued on Dec. 30, the document appears to have been published recently as major local publications such as The Economic Times of India reported on the draft strategy on Jan. 28. Digital rupee should be issued on a national blockchain of India In the document, …

Legislation regulating the operations of cryptocurrency firms in Singapore comes into effect today, Jan. 28. The new Payment Services Act will regulate cryptocurrency payments and trading enterprises under some aspects of the regulatory regime that currently governs traditional payment services and require them to hold a license. Crypto payment services must also comply with the Financial Advisers Act, Insurance Act, Securities and Futures Act and the Trust Companies Act. The new rules place crypto services under the oversight of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The regulator announced in a press release published earlier today that the new framework is expected …

Cash is unlikely to disappear anytime soon despite declining use as a payment method and the surge of digital currencies, Germany’s largest bank says. Deutsche Bank, a German multinational investment bank that previously predicted that cryptocurrencies will replace fiat by 2030, now claims that cash “will be around for a long time” as a preferred method of payment. Deutsche Bank Research issues three reports on the future of payments The bank has forecast a tentative future for cash in one of its recent “The Future of Payments” reports carried out by Deutsche Bank’s research arm Deutsche Bank Research. Titled “Cash: …

Cross-border payments platform Currencycloud has raised $80 million in funding from SBI Group, Visa and other investors. Per a Jan. 27 press release, London-based Currencycloud secured $80 million from SBI Group, Visa, International Finance Corporation, BNP Paribas and Siam Commercial Bank. Following the investment, Colleen Ostrowski, senior vice president and treasurer of Visa Inc, will join the board of Currencycloud. By its own account, the startup — which provides embedded B2B cross-border payments — is going to allocate the raised funds for its further growth, expansion of its portfolio of emerging payment methods and development of its partner ecosystem. Currencycloud …

Billionaire investor Tim Draper recommended millennials buy Bitcoin (BTC) during an interview with FOX Business published on Jan. 22. Per the report, Draper believes that Bitcoin is of particular importance to millennials that are looking to set aside enough capital for retirement. He suggested that the traditional banking system is outdated: “You look at Bitcoin and you say 'Hey, this is great because it's not my father's Oldsmobile. Our banking system is the Oldsmobile, is the old Oldsmobile.’” The faults of the banking system Draper also blamed traditional finance for putting millennials into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. …

Major Swiss private banking and wealth management group Julius Baer has launched a digital assets trading and custodial service via a partnership with regulated crypto-specialist Seba. Julius Baer announced its new digital assets offering on Jan. 21, the result of its 2018 minority equity stake acquisition and later partnership with crypto startup Seba Bank AG in February 2019. Seba, which was founded in April 2018 by former UBS bankers, was granted a securities dealer and banking license by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, known as FINMA, in August 2019. According to Julius Baer’s announcement, the firm’s entry into the …

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded young entrepreneur Harshita Arora, the developer of a cryptocurrency price tracking application, amid an ongoing battle in her home country over the status of cryptocurrency. In a tweet on Jan. 24, Modi said that Arora’s “passion towards science, technology and human welfare are clearly visible.” She received the Bal Shakti Puraskar 2020: an award recognizing youth’s contributions in the fields of social service, innovation, bravery, sports, art and culture and scholastics. Arora was born on Oct. 2, 2001, and “created an app to safeguard investors from scammers,” according to Modi’s tweet. Her app, Crypto …

The Hawaii State Senate has passed the first reading of a bill authorizing banks to hold digital assets in their custody. The bill was introduced on Jan. 17 by five state senators, including the only Republican member of the Senate, Kurt Fevella. It passed the first reading on Jan. 21 and was then referred to the committees on Judiciary and Commerce, and Consumer Protection and Health on Jan. 23. The bill specifies the set of provisions which a bank must adhere to in order to provide custodial services for digital assets. Custodial services cover “the safekeeping and management of customer …