Latam Insights: Bolivia Mulls Chinese Yuan for Trade Settlements, Steve Hanke Proposes 30-Day Solution for Venezuelan Inflation

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 mulls using the Chinese yuan in international trade settlements, inflation reaches 108.8% in Argentina, and…

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. “It’s a very perilous situation and we…

Saudi Arabia Joining BRICS Would Accelerate Chinese Yuan’s Use as Trading Currency, Says Professor

Professor Ashok Swain of Uppsala University’s Department of Peace and Conflict Research says Saudi Arabia joining the BRICS economic bloc “would accelerate the bilateral trading being conducted using the yuan as the trading currency. ” How Saudi Arabia Joining BRICS Could Boost…

Dollar to Play Lesser Role Due to Its Weaponization, Digital Currencies, Economist Jeffrey Sachs Says

Within the next decade, the U.S. dollar will play a much less dominant role than it is today, according to Jeffrey Sachs. The renowned economist listed a few factors for the diminishing status of the greenback such as its use as…

South African Professor Accuses US Regulators of Attempting to ‘Assassinate Crypto’

The United States’ attempts to “assassinate crypto” are illegal and unlikely to succeed because “crypto is global,” Steven Boykey Sidley, a South African professor and author, has argued. According to Sidley, many formerly U.S.-based companies and innovators have fled the country…

FTX’s Bankman-Fried Is Allegedly Using Alameda Funds to Pay for Legal Defense

According to two sources close to FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced co-founder, gave his father, Stanford Law professor Joseph Bankman, millions of dollars. The funds are reportedly being used to pay for legal costs. The sources said that Bankman-Fried allegedly gave…

First Republic Bank’s Shares Downgraded to Junk Status by S&P Global; Stock Slides More Than 25% Lower

After UBS acquired Credit Suisse and close to a dozen financial institutions injected $30 billion into First Republic Bank four days ago, S&P Global downgraded First Republic’s shares to junk status on Sunday. Investors are concerned that the cash infusion from…

NYU Professor ‘Dr. Doom’ Says 99% of Crypto Is a Scam — Tells Investors to ‘Absolutely Stay Away’

NYU Professor Nouriel Roubini, aka Dr. Doom, has warned that “99.99% of crypto is a scam, a criminal activity, a total real-bubble Ponzi scheme that is going bust.” He advised investors to “absolutely stay away” from crypto, claiming that most people…

Uncertainty Surrounds Federal Reserve’s Future Plans for Rate Hikes

The U.S. Federal Reserve has raised the benchmark bank rate seven times during the course of 2022, leading many to question when the central bank will cease or change course. The Fed has stated that it aims to bring inflation down…

Economist Peter Schiff Predicts Inflation ‘About to Get Much Worse’ — US Dollar Facing ‘One of Its Worst Years Ever’

Economist Peter Schiff has predicted that the U.S. dollar will have “one of its worst years ever” in 2023, warning that the inflation problem is “about to get much worse.” He also shared his prediction about the worst-performing sectors of the…