International payments giant Mastercard continues focusing on the digital asset industry by welcoming a batch of major cryptocurrency startups in its fintech accelerator. The company announced Tuesday a new startup engagement program as part of Mastercard Start Path, an accelerator program for fintech startups, aiming to support companies working with digital assets, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The program has added seven new startups, including digital wallet and trading platform Uphold, crypto storage firm GK8, American investment platform Domain Money, blockchain oracle startup SupraOracles, blockchain infrastructure provider STACS, digital asset firm Taurus, and Mintable, a marketplace for issuing and trading nonfungible …

Shinhan Bank, one of the largest banking institutions in South Korea, has entered into a partnership with Klaytn, a global blockchain platform developed by Kakao's subsidiary Ground X. According to the Monday announcement, Shinhan Bank has joined Klaytn’s blockchain governance council and become a member of the co-governance of the Klaytn blockchain. As part of the new partnership, Shinhan will be also involved in the development of Klaytn-based digital services to support fintech innovation. Launched in June 2019, Klaytn is a blockchain service provider focusing on integrating blockchain solutions into enterprise-grade infrastructures. The Klaytn blockchain is a hybrid blockchain network, …

In a recent development, Grayscale Investments announced an adjustment to its Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC) to include Cardano's ADA as the third-largest holding. Reflecting the growing demand for crypto investments, the fund’s portfolio was adjusted by selling existing components for fiat currency and reinvesting it in Charles Hoskinson’s ADA token. As of July 1, 2021, each share of the GDLC basket is comprised of 67.47% Bitcoin (BTC), 25.39% Ether (ETH), 4.26% ADA and the remaining 2.88% is a mix of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Chainlink (LINK). Back on April 6, 2021, Grayscale pulled off a similar …

The latest project from one of wallet provider Xapo's co-founders, Federico Murrone, has secured the go-ahead from Liechtenstein's financial regulator for his new startup Lirium to provide its crypto solution for banks, fintechs and marketplaces worldwide. The project, called Lirium, offers a plug-and-play backend solution that aims to enable various partners — whether they be neobanks, fintech firms or traditional banks — to include crypto in their product offerings without the headache of themselves developing technical capabilities or dealing with compliance matters. Lirium removes the need to manage crypto liquidity or implement their own security measures, as the solution runs …

The central bank of Russia is setting up a group of banking institutions to test its central bank digital currency (CBDC) next year. On Tuesday, the Bank of Russia officially announced the establishment of the first pilot group for testing the digital ruble, bringing together 12 Russian banks. The pilot members include Russia’s largest banks like state-backed Sberbank and VTB, as well as major private banks like Tinkoff Bank. Other participants include commercial bank Alfa Bank, Gazprombank, Promsvyazbank, Rosbank, Ak Bars Bank, Dom.RF, SKB-Bank, TKB and Soyuz bank. The bank reaffirmed Russia’s plans to complete a prototype digital ruble platform …

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country’s central bank and a major financial regulator, is challenging fintech companies to pitch solutions for a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. On Monday, the central bank officially announced a global challenge that seeks new retail CBDC solutions which enhance payment efficiencies and promote financial inclusion. As part of the initiative, the MAS is planning to distribute 50,000 Singapore dollars, or $37,000 USD at time of publication, to each of three challenge winners. They will also provide expert mentorship to 15 finalists in an effort t encourage rapid development of digital currency solutions. …

Mode Global Holdings, a London Stock Exchange-listed fintech group, has secured major regulatory approvals for cryptocurrency and fintech operations in the United Kingdom. The company announced Thursday that Mode has secured its Electronic Money Institution license and AMLD5 registration from the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority. The AMLD5 registration has been granted to Mode’s crypto arm Fibermode Limited, establishing it as an official crypto asset firm in the United Kingdom, pursuant to the amended regulations on money laundering, terrorist financing and transfer of funds. The AMLD5 registration is a requirement for crypto-related businesses in the country that fall within the scope …

A fintech platform says it is on a mission to stop passive hodling — helping them to unlock value from their cryptocurrencies in new ways. YouHodler offers crypto-backed loans that enable enthusiasts to generate liquidity from their digital assets without having to spend them. A suite of trading solutions encourage experimentation — while web and mobile wallets deliver “a safe and easy-to-use alternative to senseless crypto wallets.” By integrating a range of payment methods, including stablecoins, bank transfers and credit cards, YouHodler’s goal is to create seamless connections to the real world — ensuring crypto can be used for everything …

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has published its “Fintech 2025” strategy with central bank digital currencies (CBDC), both retail and wholesale, included in the digital finance innovation package. Unveiling the fintech strategy via a release issued on Tuesday, CBDCs will reportedly play a part in the city administration’s goal of promoting comprehensive digital finance adoption by 2025. Concerning its plans for central bank digital currencies, the HKMA revealed that it would increase its research efforts to ensure Hong Kong’s readiness to float both retail and wholesale CBDCs. According to the announcement, the HKMA is collaborating with the Bank for …

The financial industry has seen a rise in demand for exposure to digital — and crypto — assets in all asset classes. This has led to interest, demand and investment from institutional finance, ranging from digital asset custody to digital asset trading desks, regulatory and compliance frameworks, and audit and risk models. It is fair to say that digital assets have taken the financial services industry by storm. While the attention and investment from traditional finance in decentralized finance (DeFi) is hailed as a progressive step, there are enormous challenges and hurdles that financial services and institutions need to consider …

Tony McLaughlin, managing director of transaction banking at Citibank, is of the opinion that digital money is the current theater for another paradigm-shifting format war. Speaking during the ongoing Finnovex Virtual Summit, McLaughlin said that digital money appeared odds-on to become the future of money. However, he argued that digital money itself was still in the process of significant evolution along three lines — financial institutions, fintech and crypto. According to McLaughlin, tokenization will play an important role in determining the eventual winner of the digital money format war. Detailing his analysis during his presentation on Monday, McLaughlin identified issues …

Blockchain-powered fintech startup Figure Technologies has secured major funding for its mission to improve the financial services industry with Provenance blockchain. Figure announced Thursday that the company raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Morgan Creek’s crypto venture capital arm Morgan Creek Digital Funding and digital asset-focused equity fund 10T Holdings. Featuring other existing investors like Digital Currency Group, the new funding brings Figure’s valuation to $3.2 billion. Figure co-founder Mike Cagney said that the new funding will help the company close new deals for its lending operations, build out its payments tool Figure Pay and seek …