Rosa Gumataotao Rios, the 43rd treasurer of the United States, will be joining Ripple’s board of directors. In an announcement from Ripple today, the company said Rios, who served as the U.S. treasurer from 2009 to 2016 under President Barack Obama, will be the newest member of the firm’s leadership team. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse cited Rios’ experience in both the public and private sectors as well as her success in “rapidly accelerating businesses” in the company’s decision to bring her on board. “Ripple is one of the best examples of how to use cryptocurrency in a substantive and legitimate …

Sotheby’s, one of the world’s oldest and biggest auction houses, has announced that it will be accepting major cryptocurrencies as a new payment method at an upcoming auction. Sotheby’s CEO Charles Stewart said that the company will debut Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) payments as part of its upcoming auction of Banksy’s "Love is in the Air." The new payment method will be facilitated in partnership with United States’ largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, noted Stewart in a Tuesday interview with CNBC's Squawk Box. “It’s something we have been thinking about for quite some time,” the CEO said, elaborating that Sotheby’s …

Fans can now use Dogecoin to buy tickets to see MLB team Oakland Athletics take on the Toronto Blue Jays this month. The team, also known as the Oakland A’s, is offering pairs of plaza infield tickets for 100 DOGE from May 3 until May 6. Two plaza infield tickets usually go for around $80 total, but with Doge sitting at around $0.43 today, fans will be able to fetch themselves a 46% discount if they purchase the tickets in Doge. Join us at the ballpark as the Blue Jays roll into town! Two-seat pods in the Plaza Infield are …

A United States-based business development specialist has claimed that a company that paid them for contract work using cryptocurrency now wants them to return the tokens following a significant rally in the asset's price. According to a letter sent to Quentin Fottrell of MarketWatch’s "The Moneyist," the unnamed employee — known only as “Crypto Confused” — received payment for the contract work in cryptocurrency in August 2020, following which the price of the token surged 700%. The day the employee wrote the letter, the CEO emailed them demanding that they return the digital asset because they did not "generate any …

Mastercard Start Path, an accelerator program for fintech startups, has welcomed six new companies innovating in the fields of software-as-a-service, transactions and blockchain-based payments. Asante Financial Services, Cledara, Jifti, Moeda Seeds, SpendDebt and Tippy were selected for being “fintech innovators” in these fields, Mastercard announced Monday. Moeda Seeds stands out as the sole blockchain company offering digital banking, payments and micro credits utilizing distributed ledger technology. “As the fintech landscape evolves at an unprecedented speed, Mastercard provides the infrastructure and assets to help fintech innovators grow and ultimately bring more people into the digital economy,” said Amy Neale, Mastercard’s senior …

A crypto payments platform has undergone a rebrand — and has launched a new suite of easy-to-understand applications that are designed to deliver innovation in decentralized finance. Mimo is a new protocol that serves as a successor for TenX, which captured the imagination of early adopters by allowing them to complete crypto transactions anywhere using a card. Much of the foundational technology used to build TenX is now being implemented in Mimo, which aims to bring exciting new features to the DeFi space. At the center of its offering is Parallel (PAR), which has been billed as the first decentralized …

On April 28, MercadoLibre (MELI), the largest Latin American online marketplace, launched a real estate section dedicated to cryptocurrencies. Although the company does not settle property transactions directly, it legitimizes the category as a payment system. The $81 billion retailer is the second largest company in South America and is present in 18 countries, including its three largest markets, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. The group also owns Mercado Pago, a digital payments system for online and offline transactions, along with Mercado Envios, a logistics platform that provides fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping services. The current offers include houses, condos, vacant lots, …

Paxos, a major cryptocurrency company and PayPal’s crypto collaborator, has completed a massive fundraising round shortly after receiving preliminary approval to form a national trust bank. On Thursday, the firm announced a new $300-million Series D funding round bringing Paxos’ valuation to $2.4 billion. The new funding round included previous Paxos investors — PayPal Ventures, Declaration Partners, Mithril Capital, Senator Investment Group, Liberty City Ventures, WestCap and others. The newly raised funds will help Paxos continue investing in the development of enterprise-grade infrastructure and further grow its commitment to regulation, security and compliance, as well as expand operations, the firm …

Major American investment bank JPMorgan is working with Singapore’s largest bank, DBS, and state investment firm Temasek to launch a new blockchain company focused on global payments and interbank transactions. Dubbed Partior, the new firm will use blockchain technology and digitize commercial bank money to reduce the existing friction in cross-border payments, trade transactions and foreign exchange settlements. Such functionality would enable instant settlement of payments for various types of transactions, helping banks overcome global payment-related challenges in the current financial system, JPMorgan said in a Wednesday announcement. The new platform builds on JPMorgan and Temasek’s past work as part …

Major American cryptocurrency exchange Gemini now lets its users purchase cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) with Apple Pay and Google Pay. According to a Thursday announcement, Gemini users can now connect their debit cards to Apple Pay or Google Pay for buying crypto with fiat on the platform. The firm noted that user funds will be available to withdraw one hour after a purchase was made. The new feature is available for over 30 cryptocurrencies supported on Gemini, including major coins like BTC, Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), as well as Ethereum-based tokens like AAVE and Maker's MKR. …

The Norwegian central bank, Norges Bank, is set to test various technical solutions for a central bank digital currency following years of research. Norges Bank officially announced Friday that it will be conducting CBDC tests over the next two years upon recommendations from an internal working group. “The working group is of the opinion that the motivation for research into CBDCs has been strengthened. Many central banks are in the process of carrying out similar research, and several are already under way with technical testing,” the central bank stated. According to the announcement, Norges Bank has been involved in CBDC …

Jackson, Tennessee is the latest city in the United States moving to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) payments and mining, following recent crypto developments in Florida. Jackson Mayor Scott Conger announced Wednesday that the city is actively exploring the option to pay its employees in cryptocurrency in addition to mining Bitcoin and adding it on the city’s balance sheet. The mayor hinted that the city is looking to enable payrolls in several digital assets, mentioning coins like Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC). “Local government will lead the way in #Bitcoin adoption, and along with it, usher in a new industrial revolution …