Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act, which gives him the power to freeze Freedom Convoy protesters’ bank accounts and monitor “large and suspicious transactions,” including crypto. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a press conference on Feb. 14 that this latest tactical maneuver against the protesters broadens the scope of Terrorist Financing rules. It targets “crowdfunding platforms and the payment service providers they use.” “These changes cover all forms of transactions including digital assets such as cryptocurrencies.” Together, protesters had amassed over $19 million in funds through the fundraising platforms GoFundMe and GiveSendGo. However, those …

In Spain, companies across various industries — not just digital finance — have begun to apply blockchain technology to their operations. This disruptive technology has promoted pioneering projects in the country that are expected to add 20 billion euros to Spanish gross domestic product by 2030. As expectations around this technology increased in Spain throughout 2021, so did investment, hype and concerns regarding the stability and regulation of digital assets. Here, we will take a look at some of the most notable developments in the Spanish cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystems throughout 2021. Central bank warns about risks of crypto investment …

On the day of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, there were reportedly more transactions made in China’s central bank digital currency than those through Visa. In a Wednesday report from the Wall Street Journal, a person familiar with the matter said transactions in digital yuan significantly outnumbered those of Visa on Feb. 4 at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest — the location of the opening ceremony of the 34th Olympic Winter Games. However, many of the retailers allowing purchases with China’s central bank digital currency, the digital yuan — or e-CNY …

The cryptocurrency ecosystem has come a long way since the launch of Bitcoin (BTC) and in the last few years smart contracts have revolutionized the industry. With that said, there is still plenty of progress to be made when it comes to integrating blockchain technology to peer-to-peer, business to business and business to consumer payment systems. Alchemy Pay aims to further the adoption of cryptocurrencies through its hybrid payments system and in the last week its ACH token gained 77% to trade at $0.0625 on Feb. 9. Three reasons for the uptick in ACH price include the cross-chain launch of …

For payment tokens such as Alchemy Pay’s ACH, there may not necessarily be a world where cryptocurrencies are widely accepted as a medium of exchange for everyday transactions, such as buying a gallon of milk in the grocery store, without fiat. This is because two parallel economies exist, and bridges between fiat and cryptocurrency are needed for the time being. But how does one price such a token with payments as its bedrock? Is there a way to arrive at a fair valuation for ACH, whose growing dominance in the payments scene is evident in the number of payment channels …

Apple announced plans to launch Tap to Pay for iPhone, a new feature that effectively turns the smartphone into a point of sale (POS) device for businesses and merchants. So, what’s in it for crypto? The announcement explains that with Tap to Pay, iPhone-owning merchants receive contactless payments by using their mobile devices as a POS machine thanks to the NFC technology. According to Apple, the soon-to-be-launched Tap to Pay feature will extend support to “Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards and other digital wallets.” It basically means that, unless Apple places a direct barrier for it, customers who …

Major U.S.-based payment processor PayPal has assembled a team of industry experts to act as advisors on crypto, blockchain, and digital currencies. In a Tuesday announcement, PayPal said the addition of six members to its Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Currencies advisory council would help support its current and future products as well as its goal of creating a more inclusive digital financial ecosystem. Fortress Investment Group co-CEO Peter Briger, Georgetown University Law Center professor Chris Brummer, Weizmann Institute of Science professor Shafi Goldwasser, former Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Timothy Massad, MIT Sloan School of Management finance professor Antoinette Schoar, …

Mobile payment service Cash App revealed that Lightning Network can now be used to transfer Bitcoin (BTC) through its app. With the new feature, its users can send their BTC to any Lightning or on-chain BTC address. Lightning Network is now available on Cash App. It's the fastest, free way to pay anyone in bitcoin. Buy tacos, tip your favorite Twitter comedian, or send a friend money abroad—anywhere that accepts lightning. pic.twitter.com/65TXSJ6yL6 — Cash App (@CashApp) February 7, 2022 A few weeks ago, the company announced through a notification within the app that it has integrated the Lightning Network. Now, …

Solana Pay is a peer-to-peer payments infrastructure designed to enable the global market of online merchants and point-of-sale providers the ability to accept and settle payment transactions in a panoply of digital assets. A joint collaboration between Solana Labs, Checkout.com, Circle and Citcon, in addition to wallet integrations from Phantom and FTX, the platform’s inbuilt software development kit acts as an intermediary between traditional fiat-centric businesses and the cryptocurrency sector, promising to promote wider engagement and adoption from traditional consumers. In an exclusive statement, Solana Pay revealed that they perceive the “most prevalent use-case to be with digital dollar currencies” …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance continues pushing operations in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by preparing a new crypto payment card in Ukraine. Binance is looking to reach a dominant position in the crypto market of Ukraine by offering a wide range of local crypto services, Binance Ukraine’s new general manager Kirill Khomyakov said in a Monday interview with Forbes Ukraine. "Binance card is not yet available for Ukrainian users, but we are actively working on its launch. This is one of our top priorities for 2022," Khomyakov told Cointelegraph. Apart from launching a crypto payment card, Binance Ukraine is …

PayPal confirmed on Jan. 8 it is “exploring a stablecoin” that could be called PayPal Coin after a developer found evidence of such a stablecoin within the source code of the company’s iPhone app. PayPal senior vice president of crypto and digital currencies Jose Fernandez da Ponte said at the time that if the company plans to move forward with the stablecoin, it will do so while working closely with relevant regulators — an approach that could help the fintech firm avoid the wrath of United States senators that doomed Meta’s Diem cryptocurrency project. The company has clarified that the …

The Boston Security Token Exchange (BSTX), a new facility of the Boston-based BOX exchange, received regulatory approval from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate as a blockchain-based securities exchange. BSTX was launched jointly by BOX and Overstock’s blockchain arm tZERO, originally seeking approval for launching publicly-traded registered security tokens. However, the SEC approval to operate as a national securities exchange allows BSTX to use blockchain technology for faster settlements in traditional markets. According to the SEC, “The Commission notes that the [BSTX] Exchange’s current proposal does not involve the trading of digital tokens and such a …