Residents in three major Chinese cities have begun paying tax, stamp duty and social security premiums using the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) — the digital yuan (e-CNY). According to a domestic news report, a number of government agencies in the Zhejiang province — located just south of Shanghai — are currently running real-world trials programs that involve citizens using the digital yuan to pay taxes. The Zhejiang Taxation Bureau is working with the country’s central bank — the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) — to explore a variety of taxation payment methods using the digital yuan. The PBoC …

Bitcoin (BTC) will cost $1 million by 2030, one of the industry’s best-known pundits insists, as countries worldwide shun the euro and United States dollar. In his latest blog post published o April 27, Arthur Hayes, former CEO of crypto derivatives giant BitMEX, doubled down on his sky-high price prediction for Bitcoin and gold. Bitcoin, gold, commodities... just not fiat In light of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, a giant pivot in both geopolitical and economic policy is coming, Hayes said. As the U.S. and European Union battle to reduce dependency on Russian energy and food, the …

A court in the Chinese city of Hangzhou issued a one-of-a-kind judgment against a nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace for allowing a user to create (or mint) NFTs of stolen artwork. As reported by South China Morning Post, the court verdict toward the NFT marketplace was made after Shenzhen-based company Qice filed a lawsuit against NFTCN’s parent company, BigVerse. The lawsuit claimed that an NFTCN user stole a copyrighted artwork of Ma Qianli, a Chinese artist specializing in drawing and printing. The user of the NFT platform allegedly poached one of Ma’s cartoons. Based on the evidence collected, the court found …

Bitcoin (BTC) remains below $40,000 for the third consecutive day and the most likely source of the volatility is the worsening condition of traditional markets. For instance, the S&P 500 is down 5% since April 20 WTI crude price dropped 9.5% in seven days, erasing all of the gains accrued since March 1. Meanwhile, China has been struggling to contain its worst outbreak of Covid-19 despite strict lockdowns in Shanghai and according to Timothy Moe, chief Asia-Pacific equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, "it's no surprise, and it makes all sorts of logical sense that the market should be concerned about …

The China Banking Association, China Internet Finance Association, and Securities Association of China issued a joint statement warning the public about the “hidden risks” of investing in nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. In a Wednesday notice, the three associations launched initiatives aimed at encouraging innovation in the crypto and blockchain space focused on NFTs as well as “resolutely curb[ing] the tendency of NFT financialization and securitization” to reduce the risks around illicit activities. The China Banking Association said member institutions should not consider NFTs assets like securities, precious metals, and other financial products. In addition, cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), …

Bored Apes take on the restaurant and movie business Bored Ape Yacht Club, or BAYC, NFT holders own the intellectual property rights to their specific ape and can use the likeness of their ape(s) for commercial purposes. One such BAYC member, Andy Nguyen, decided to open a Bored Ape themed restaurant aptly named Bored & Hungry in Long Beach, California. Nguyen is a food entrepreneur who has co-founded various other culinary concepts in the Orange County area. He is the owner of Bored Ape #6184, which he purchased for $267,000, and also own two Mutant Apes. The opening took place …

Some analysts argue that Bitcoin (BTC) rallied too fast and too soon and the weakness that we see today is a result of that. Currently, a new Covid variant has caused the Chinese government to implement severe restrictions on Shanghai and other major cities and persistent regulatory concerns continue to weigh down on sentiment within the crypto sector. Another concerning development is the March 31 European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) vote to update the regulations in regards to exchange platforms’ ability to deal with noncustodial crypto wallets. Should the regulatory project make it to the legislative …

The George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School National Security Institute hosted a webinar Wednesday, March 30, titled “Crypto and National Security: How to Validate American Innovation and Verify U.S. National Security.” Journalist Laura Shin moderated the discussion. CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren, executive director of Coin Center Jerry Brito, and global managing partner and chief strategy officer of risk compliance and monitoring firm K2 Integrity Juan Zarate were participants. After opening comments, the first of three questions posed to the panel concerned American innovation. Brito expressed hope that crypto would be allowed to develop with …

It’s no secret that China has a clear disdain for all things crypto, as was highlighted last year when the country decided to ban its digital asset industry in its entirety. That said, one niche related to the crypto industry that has continued to thrive in the region despite the ban is its nonfungible token (NFT) market. However, with certain negative developments coming to the forefront recently, this may not be the case much longer. In this regard, many local social media platforms and internet firms have continued to update their policies so as to restrict and, in some cases, …

On Tuesday, privacy blockchain Concordium and Geely Holding, a Chinese multinational automotive car company that owns brands such as Volvo, announced the creation of a joint blockchain venture headquarters in Wuxi, China. The project aims to develop blockchain technologies and improve blockchain standards, mainly in the automotive industry. Since establishing a joint venture last February, Geely Holding has created a Digital Technology Sector, or DTS, subsidiary to invest in cutting-edge technologies, including blockchain. Moreover, the two entities plan to offer businesses and customers access to new blockchain platform-based business models and decentralized applications. DTS has already developed blockchain services, such …

Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation and former head of data, blockchain and digital assets at the World Economic Forum, said the digital yuan may present certain challenges for the United States. However, regulators and lawmakers may want consider how to encourage digital innovation, as China is already "massively tech forward" for its residents. Speaking to Cointelegraph during Austin’s SXSW festival, Warren said that though she believed China’s digital yuan was unlikely to significantly affect retail payments in the United States, the adoption of the technology surrounding it could impact the dollar’s global dominance. The CCI CEO …

China's leading social media platforms and internet giants have updated their policy to restrict or remove nonfungible token (NFT) platforms, citing a lack of regulatory clarity and fearing government crackdown. Chinese social media giant WeChat reportedly removed several digital collectible platform accounts for violations of the rules. Digital collection platform Xihu No.1, one of the hyped NFT projects in the market, was among the removed platforms. Another platform called Dongyiyuandian revealed that its official app has been banned, reported a local daily. WhaleTalk, a digital collectible platform launched by tech giant Ant group, also updated its policy to increase the …