Brazil Bans Telegram Temporarily Due to Alleged Lack of Collaboration in Fight Against School Violence

A federal judge in Brazil has ordered the temporary suspension of Telegram in the country and established hefty fines due to the supposed lack of collaboration of the company in a national crusade against school violence. Telegram failed to deliver information…

In-Chat Tether Transfers Introduced in Telegram

Users of the Telegram messenger will now be able to send each other the leading stablecoin, tether (usdt), directly in the chats. The new option expands the list of cryptocurrencies available for purchase, sale, and trade in the messaging app. Tether…

Billionaire ‘Bond King’ Jeffrey Gundlach Expects Fed to Raise Rates Next Week — ‘That Would Be the Last Increase’

Billionaire Jeffrey Gundlach, aka the “Bond King,” expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its March meeting next week, which “would be the last increase,” he said. In addition, Gundlach cautioned: “The inflationary policy is back in play with…

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…

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Hints at Web3 Integration

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, has hinted at a series of Web3 enhancements coming to the popular messaging platform. Durov talked about the benefits that tradable usernames and channel links might have in the future, creating a marketplace where users could…

Russian Blockchain Alternative to SWIFT to Prevent Disconnection of Nations, Banks

A Russian university is ready to test its blockchain-based analogue to the global payment messaging network SWIFT, from which Russian banks were cut off as part of Western sanctions. The developers say their system would not allow the disconnecting of countries…

Telegram Launches Premium Tier Benefits Seeking to Monetize Platform

Popular messaging platform Telegram has announced it is launching a new premium tier of its services as it seeks to monetize a part of its userbase. Reaching more than 700 million active users monthly, the new tier answers to the need…

SWIFT Is Experimenting With Decentralized Technologies to Allow CBDC Interconnection

SWIFT, the interbank payments protocol and messaging system, has announced it is working to connect the different central bank digital currency (CBDC) protocols in development today. The company has partnered with Capgemini, a digital services provider, making a series of experiments…

Layerzero Labs Secures $135 Million to Bolster Cross-Chain Interoperability

Layerzero Labs, the firm behind the interoperability protocol Layerzero, has revealed the company has raised $135 million in a Series A+ finance round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), FTX Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. The new financing brings Layerzero Labs’ overall valuation…

Ukraine Targets Russian Politicians’ Crypto Wallets as Russian Banks Are Cut From SWIFT

Ukraine is now trying to expose cryptocurrency wallets used by politicians in Moscow amid warnings that Russia may employ digital coins to circumvent sanctions. The initiative comes as western allies agree to expel some Russian banks from SWIFT, the global interbank…