An astonishing 80% of central banks are engaging in work around central bank digital currencies, from research to experimentation and pilot programs. A recent Bank for International Settlements, or BIS, chart demonstrates the growing interest in CBDCs by central banks, as reflected in speeches and reports as well as people’s Google search interests over time. One country, in particular, to watch in this respect is China, which is emerging as one of the leaders in the shift to CBDCs. The People’s Bank of China introduced its CBDC in pilot form in the major city of Shenzhen and plans to use …

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and Federal Reserve are looking to get more information on smaller transactions than ever before. According to a notice of proposed rulemaking published on Friday, the agencies want to lower the $3,000 threshold established in 1995 to $250 for international transactions, meaning that financial institutions would need to exchange client information alongside all transactions greater than $250 that begin or end outside of the United States. Which is to say, the Travel Rule, as it is known, would apply to quite small amounts of money changing hands. The proposed change specifically calls out "convertible …

A Russian official argued that the country should have launched research on a central bank digital currency four years ago in order to claim leadership in the field. However, according to Dmitry Peskov, a special representative of the President of the Russian Federation on digital and technological development, the first-mover advantage also brings a number of risks in terms of financial stability. According to news service RBC on Oct. 23, Peskov said that a fast-second strategy in developing a CBDC could be more efficient than becoming the world’s first issuer, stating: “The financial risk is so great that it seems …

Recent comments from Jerome Powell, the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, show the American government is not especially concerned with speed when it comes to developing a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. In contrast, Morgan Creek Digital co-founder Anthony Pompliano argues that time is of the essence. "They're talking about, like, maybe we'll build one in the next couple of years," Pompliano said of Powell's recent comments on CBDCs. "This is not a next-couple-of-years thing," Pomp said Monday on an episode of his YouTube show Lunch Money. "This is a right-now thing, and if they don't act, …

Financial authorities in New Zealand are in no hurry to issue a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, according to a central bank executive. Christian Hawkesby, assistant governor at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, claimed that the country has “no imminent plans” to issue a CBDC. In a speech on Monday, Hawkesby said that the bank remains open-minded about further progress in money and payment technologies and has actively engaged in CBDC research. He said: “To issue currency that meets the needs of the public, we must take a new and holistic approach. We acknowledge there is much work …

The United States will not be issuing a digital dollar until the Federal Reserve resolves all questions around a potential central bank digital currency, or CBDC, according to the Fed's chairman, Jerome Powell. Powell claimed that he is not worried about other countries having a first-mover advantage when it comes to issuing CBDCs. Speaking at a Monday panel on cross-border payments hosted by the International Monetary Fund, Powell said: "We have not made a decision to issue a CBDC, and we think there’s a great deal of work yet to be done. [...] In fact, I actually do think that …

With Central Bank Digital Currencies a point of focus across the globe, a number of countries' banking authorities have jointly produced a document discussing the currency type at length. The Bank for International Settlements told Cointelgraph in a statement that a group of seven central banks and the BIS had collaborated on the report, "identifying the foundational principles necessary for any publicly available CBDCs to help central banks meet their public policy objectives." The BIS is a global institution helping out national central banks. CBDCs have been a hot topic in 2020, with a number of countries expressing interest in …

Over the years, technology has improved by leaps and bounds, therefore making life more cost-effective and efficient. Such technological improvements, however, may not save citizens money as intended, due to inflationary efforts, according to Diginex CEO Richard Byworth. "Technology is just so deflationary on many of our goods and services," Byworth told Cointelegraph in an interview. Diginex stands as a company helping produce framework for blockchain and crypto solutions. Byworth remembers buying music albums on CDs decades ago, which sold for 16 pounds each, valued at approximately $25 in U.S. dollar terms at the time. Fast-forward to present day. Customers …

The President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has revealed details of the Fed’s ongoing research into a potential digital dollar. Speaking in a keynote address on September 23, Loretta Mester emphasized that the Federal Reserve has been exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDC) since before the pandemic, noting that its Board of Governors has been “building and testing a range of distributed ledger platforms to understand their potential benefits and tradeoffs.” She also noted initiatives from regional Federal Reserve branches, including a multi-year partnership between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Boston Fed, in …

As an anarcho-capitalist, I hold that property rights are sacred and that violence is acceptable only when our natural rights, as embedded and enshrined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, are under a direct and imminent threat, and only in self-defense. I might be the first anarchist, anarcho-capitalist, or minarchist you’ve ever met. Those labels may sound scary to some — that’s fine. Democrats and Republicans call each other scary names all the time, too. But all my labels mean is that I believe in a monetary system that presumes freedom more consistently than that which is advocated by …

The U.S. Federal Reserve's game plan going forward includes short-term interest levels between 0% and 0.25%, as decided by Fed brass in a Sept. 15 and 16 gathering. The independent body plans to maintain low interest rates in order to increase inflation, based on a Sept. 16 report from CNBC. Such news shines a light on Bitcoin as a store of value. The blockchain-based currency is largely immune to such actions, as it is protected against inflation by its permanent cap of 21 million coins. A majority of the Fed's committee members expect interest rates to remain close to 0% …

Within the last hour, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) surpassed $11,000 across major exchanges, including Coinbase and Binance. This comes after nearly two weeks of low volatility as the cryptocurrency market remained stagnant and Bitcoin price was pinned below multiple resistance levels. BTC/USD daily chart. Source: TradingView.com Unlike the previous rallies which saw Ether (ETH) lead the Bitcoin upsurge, only BTC has moved higher whereas other major cryptocurrencies are still in the red. Decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens, which outperformed BTC throughout August, have been underperforming in the past several days. Negative funding rates The recent uptrend of Bitcoin has many …