Harvard Economics Professor: US Default Could Spark Global Financial Crisis

Harvard economics professor Kenneth Rogoff, who previously served as the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has warned that the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations could spark a global financial crisis. β€œIt’s a very perilous situation and we…

Brazilian President Lula to Act as BRICS Liaison to Help Argentina, Discusses Credit Line in Brazilian Reals

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated Brazil will serve as a facilitator to try and arrange BRICS bloc assistance for Argentina. Lula stated that the New Development Bank β€” the BRICS bank β€” could modify some of its rules…

Ex-Coinbase Exec Balaji Srinivasan Closes Out $1 Million Bitcoin Bet

Former Chief Technology Officer at Coinbase, Balaji Srinivasan, closed out early a bet that the price of bitcoin would hit $1 million by mid-June amid hyperinflation of the U.S. dollar. Srinivasan paid a total of $1.5 million, more than the initially…

Treasury Secretary Yellen Warns US Could Default on Its Debt by June 1

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the Treasury will not be able to pay all of the government’s debt β€œas early as June 1, if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit before that time.” Yellen also…

China Warns of Global Financial Instability From US Economic Policies

China has urged the U.S. and other developed nations to assess the spillover effects of their economic and financial policies. β€œThe economic and financial policies of the U.S. pose the biggest challenge to global financial stability,” according to the Chinese Ministry…

ECB President Lagarde Warns of β€˜Major Disaster’ If US Defaults on Debt Obligations

There is a lot of discussion lately about the U.S. government’s debt ceiling and whether Congress will act before defaulting. In a recent interview, Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), said she is confident the U.S. can…

Vladimir Putin Says Russia Wrote Off African Countries’ Debts Totaling Over $20 Billion in 2022

African countries’ debts totaling more than $20 billion were written off in the past year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 20. Putin also revealed that trade between Russia and Africa had nearly reached $18 billion by the end of…

FTX Debtors Report $8.9B Shortfall in Customer Funds and β€˜Highly Commingled’ Assets in Latest Presentation

On March 2, 2023, FTX debtors released their second stakeholder presentation, which contains a preliminary analysis of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange’s shortfalls. The latest presentation reveals a significant shortfall, as approximately $2.2 billion of the company’s total assets were found in…

IMF Calls for β€˜More’ Crypto Regulation β€” Says Banning Should Be an Option

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says crypto needs “more regulation.” She added, “We should not take off the table banning those assets,” if regulation fails or is too slow to implement. IMF’s Chief Calls for More Crypto Regulation…

Egyptian Fintech MNT-Halan Secures $400 Million in Funding, Valuation Rises to Over $1 Billion

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan announced on Feb. 1 that it had raised over $340 million via debt and equity and it expects to raise an additional $60 million from leading international investors. The latest funding round sees MNT-Halan’s valuation rise to over…