Further cementing India’s decision to introduce an in-house central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2022-23, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed a three-step graded approach for rolling out CBDC “with little or no disruption” to the traditional financial system. In February, while discussing the budget for 2022, Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about the launch of a digital rupee to provide a “big boost” to the digital economy. In the annual report released on Friday by India’s central bank, RBI revealed exploring the pros and cons of introducing a CBDC. In the report, RBI stressed the need for …

Dania Gonzalez, Deputy of the Republic of El Salvador, was recently in Brazil to reveal her country's experiences with the decision to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender. Gonzalez’s invitation to Brazil came from digital influencer Rodrix Digital, who was recently in El Salvador to produce a documentary about cryptocurrencies. Among the lawmaker’s activities in Brazil was attending Bitconf 2022, as well as meeting with Dape Capital CEO Daniele Abdo Philippi and Ana Élle, CEO of Agency ROE. Between her agendas, Gonzalez spoke with Cointelegraph and revealed how Bitcoin has helped to change people's lives in El Salvador and how …

Lawmakers in the United States are moving to protect the country from the potential undesirable impacts of the global adoption of China’s national digital currency. Three Republican senators, Tom Cotton, Mike Braun and Marco Rubio, introduced a bill on Wednesday, aiming to limit the use of China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States. The bill is referred to as “Defending Americans from Authoritarian Digital Currencies Act” and proposes to prohibit the use of China’s digital currency payment system, e-CNY, for U.S. app stores and other purposes. The term “app store” covers all publicly accessible websites, software apps …

United States Federal Reserve vice chair Lael Brainard submitted a written statement in advance to the Financial Services Committee's virtual hearing, "On the Benefits and Risks of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)," that took place Thursday. That was a sound strategic move, considering that more than 25 legislators lined up to ask questions. Brainard’s appearance before the committee came just after the close of the comment period for the Fed’s discussion paper, “Money and Payments: The U.S. Dollar in the Age of Digital Transformation.” However, recent events on the stablecoin market played a preemptive role in the framing …

Financial inclusion, accessible services and the unbanked are standard talking points in many conversations about crypto. But, the details may remain somewhat fuzzy — the people who talk about crypto are generally those already inside the financial system. There are people who are actively working to increase financial inclusion and access to services for the vast number of people who are unbanked or underserved. CBDC for the people Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) will serve different purposes in different places. In economies where individuals have moved away from high levels of cash usage, like those of the United States and …

The crypto community has fired back at European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde for her recent anti-crypto remarks, with people expressing disappointment and even criticizing the euro. As crypto markets show signs of stagnation, Lagarde reminded the world of her stance on cryptocurrencies. According to her, cryptocurrencies are “worth nothing” because the assets are “based on nothing.” Additionally, she expressed concerns for those who invest in crypto and called for regulation. Responding to these comments, the crypto community expressed their sentiments. Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, wrote that she’s disappointed, but not surprised, to hear …

Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach said on Tuesday that he does not expect SWIFT, one of the most widely used platforms for cross-border fiat transactions, to exist in five years' time. Miebach was speaking at a panel session on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as part of the Global Blockchain Business Council’s (GBBC) Blockchain Central Davos conference, which ran adjacent to the World Economic Forum 2022 in Davos, Switzerland. Kicking off GBBC’s #BlockchainCentral Davos session on CBDCs with @eva_szalay @FT @YuvalRooz @digitalassetcom @Jbrookslassiter @Digital_Dollar_ @MiebachMichael @Mastercard @BIS_org @DBTreat @Accenture pic.twitter.com/C2fvgy0Bij — Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) (@GBBCouncil) May 24, 2022 Toward …

Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin announced its partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) on Tuesday. The company said it intends to develop one of the nine projects selected for the LIFT Challenge Real Digital, promoted by the Central Bank of Brazil. The LIFT Challenge Real Digital is a collaborative environment carried out by the Central Bank of Brazil (Bacen), in partnership with the National Federation of Associations of Central Bank Servers (Fenasbac). With the announcement of Stellar's integration, SDF will join the consortium created by Mercado Bitcoin to develop solutions for Real Digital and which also has CPQD and ClearSale. …

On the second day of the Global Blockchain Business Council's (GBBC) Blockchain Central Davos 2022, Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Kristina Lucrezia Cornèr moderated a panel discussion focusing on the current direction of the financial industry. Panelists included co-founder and CEO of Soramitsu Makoto Takemiya; fintech expert at Oesterreichische Nationalbank Johannes Duong; and chief operating officer (COO) of theStellar Development Foundation Jason Chlipala. The panel tackled various issues such as educating the mainstream about blockchain, how blockchain companies are breaking stereotypes at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2022 and current market issues surrounding central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and stablecoins. The common perception …

The process of introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is fraught with unknowns, some of which were elucidated in a panel of experts gathered Monday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The panel concluded that good design is key to a successful CBDC, and there are fewer challenges for wholesale CBDC introduction. Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said that although many central banks are considering a CBDC, there is little practical experience with them. The Thai National Bank began proof-of-concept programs in 2018. Its mBridge project began as an experiment in establishing a cross-border wholesale payment …

Global payment giant PayPal is doing its best to bring all possible blockchain and cryptocurrency integrations to its services, according to a senior executive at the firm. PayPal is working hard to support all possible digital services, including digital currencies and central bank digital currencies (CBDC), vice president Richard Nash said in an exclusive statement to Cointelegraph at the World Economic Forum on May 23. After rolling out its buy, hold and sell service for Bitcoin (BTC) across the United States in 2020, PayPal continues to expand its digital currency-related offering. Nash noted: “Just working slowly in the crypto field …

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, the Belgian financial messaging network used by banks in international money transfers, announced Thursday that it is teaming up with French IT company Capgemini to conduct experiments with cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) payments. This is SWIFT’s second research project on CBDC. SWIFT and Capgemini are testing ways to link multiple CBDC networks, as well as CBDC and traditional currency networks, as a proof of concept. The majority of central banks worldwide are working on creating CBDCs, “with numerous central banks developing their own digital currencies based on different technologies, …