BIS Releases Report On ‘Project Icebreaker’ — Develops Cross-Border Retail CBDC Payment Model

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has released a report summarizing the “Project Icebreaker” trial, which explored the potential advantages and difficulties of utilizing a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) in cross-border payments. The experiment was designed to test “the…

Davos 2023: CBDCs Are the Future of Central Bank Money but They Are Still Not Ready

A World Economic Forum (WEF) panel comprised of central bankers and global tech providers has profiled central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as the future of central bank money, presenting them as one of the solutions for limitations in the payments sector…

South African Cryptocurrency Ownership Rate at 10% — Report

With a cryptocurrency ownership rate of 10%, or four million people, South Africa “ranks 18th out of 26 countries for crypto adoption,” the latest Finder’s report has said. The report also noted that South Africa’s proportion of crypto owners holding bitcoin,…

Shark Tank Star Kevin O’Leary Buys the Bitcoin Dip — Says Crypto ‘Desperately Needs Policy’

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, says he has bought the dip during the recent cryptocurrency market sell-off. He added: “Now crypto itself desperately needs policy. It needs regulation.” Kevin O’Leary Buys the Dip, Comments on Bitcoin Price Kevin…

Sweden Needs Power for More Useful Things Than Bitcoin Mining, Energy Minister Says

Concerned about projected increase in electricity demand, the government in Sweden may turn its back on crypto mining, the country’s energy minister has indicated. Swedish bitcoin minting industry, a leader in Europe, is likely to soon lose the preferential treatment it…

Proposed Crypto Mining Ban in Norway Fails to Gain Support in Parliament

A push to prohibit the energy-intensive proof-of-work mining of cryptocurrencies in Norway has been rejected by the majority of lawmakers. The ban had been suggested by the far-left Red Party which also didn’t win backing to raise an electricity tax for…

MiCA Amendments Proposed Last Minute Revive Threat of EU Ban on Bitcoin, Report Reveals

Changes to the EU’s MiCA proposal to regulate crypto markets, suggested shortly before a vote on the package, indicate a bitcoin ban is still a possibility. Despite recently removing wording that would have prohibited coins with energy-intensive mining, some members of…

Crypto Exchange Binance Restricts 281 Nigerian Accounts — Some Requested by International Law Enforcement

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has restricted 281 Nigerian user accounts. Citing user security and fraud prevention, CEO Changpeng Zhao explained that “approximately 38% of these cases [are] restricted at the request of international law enforcement.” 281 Nigerian Accounts Restricted by Binance, CEO…

Regulator Reiterates Call for EU Ban on Proof-of-Work Mining

The EU should prohibit proof-of-work crypto mining, an executive at the European securities watchdog has insisted. Coins relying on the energy-intensive method of minting pose a risk to efforts aimed at meeting climate change goals such as those set in the…