Latam Insights: Bolivia Sells Gold for Dollars, Argentina Bans Fintech Crypto, Fitch Upgrades El Salvador’s Credit Rating

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia passes a law to sell gold for dollars, the Central Bank of Argentina bans fintech…

Republican Congressman Tom Emmer Queries FDIC on Alleged Efforts to Purge Crypto Activity from US

On Wednesday, Tom Emmer, the U.S. Republican congressman from Minnesota, revealed he sent a letter to Martin Gruenberg, the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), regarding reports that the FDIC is “weaponizing recent instability” in the U.S. banking industry…

Zimbabwean Blockchain Startups Launch Service to Help Migrants Efficiently Move Funds Across Borders

Two Zimbabwean startups, Flexid and Uhuru Wallet, recently launched a platform that offers digital identity and remittance services to migrants living and working in South Africa. The two startups hailed what they’ve described as the “first cross-chain collaboration between the two…

Crypto Groups on Russian Social Media Hit by Bots Discrediting Bitcoin

Social media groups devoted to cryptocurrencies in Russia have been attacked by bots in what looks like a campaign against bitcoin and the like. Their comments on Russia’s largest social media platform are triggered by certain keywords like crypto and blockchain,…

Binance Halting US Dollar Deposits and Withdrawals via Bank Accounts

Global crypto exchange Binance is suspending deposits and withdrawals in U.S. dollars via bank accounts starting Wednesday as more and more banking institutions try to reduce their exposure to the crypto market. “We are working hard to restart service as soon…

Nigeria Extends Deadline for Returning Soon-to-Be Demonetized Naira Banknotes

After initially ignoring pleas to extend the period for returning old naira banknotes, the Nigerian central bank recently said it has shifted the deadline for returning old banknotes to Feb. 10. The bank’s governor, Godwin Emefiele, said some 30,000 so-called super…

White House Publishes ‘Roadmap’ to Mitigate Cryptocurrency Risks

The White House has published a “roadmap to mitigate cryptocurrencies’ risks.” The roadmap calls for authorities to “ramp up enforcement where appropriate” and Congress “to step up its efforts” to regulate the crypto sector. It also notes that legislation should not…

Arizona Senator Launches Bill to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender

A senator in the U.S. state of Arizona has introduced a set of cryptocurrency bills, one of which seeks to make bitcoin legal tender. “Centralized digital money controlled by the central bankers is slavery. Decentralized bitcoin is freedom,” the lawmaker said….

Nexo Bitcoin Withdrawals Surge Following Raid of Bulgarian Offices

After the offices of crypto lender Nexo were raided in Bulgaria, the digital currency lending platform experienced a significant amount of withdrawals starting Jan. 12, 2023. An archived snapshot of Nexo’s real-time attestation shows that the company held 133,263 bitcoin on…

The Fed Will Keep Focusing on Crypto — Fed Governor Says ‘We Do Not Want to Hinder Innovation’

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman says while “cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks,” the Fed does not want to “hinder innovation.” She added: “By inhibiting innovation, we could be pushing growth in this space into the non-bank sector, leading to much…