10 Southeast Asian Nations Challenge Dollar Dominance With Push for Local Currencies

The leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have agreed to “encourage the use of local currencies for economic and financial transactions.” The group comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,…

Brazil and China Deepen Trade Integration to Move Away From US Dollar, as First Yuan-Based Settlement Is Processed

Brazil and China have reached a milestone in their economic integration, as the first bilateral settlement in Chinese yuan was completed ahead of the visit of President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva to China. The settlement, which was processed by the…

Putin, Xi Vow to Use Yuan as Russia and China Move to Settlements in National Currencies

As part of the talks that Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping are currently conducting in Russia, Russia has vowed to move to use the Chinese yuan as a settlement currency with countries in Asia, Africa, and Latam….

Blockchain Retail Market Size to Top Over $2 Billion by 2028 — Study

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global blockchain retail market size is expected to surge from the $172.2 million recorded in 2021 to over $2 billion by 2028. Both the demand for the product by end-users as well as the growing…

Dubai-Headquartered Crypto Exchange MaskEX Launches Virtual Card for Worldwide Spending and Welcomes Ben Caselin as Vice President to Drive Global Expansion Effort

PRESS RELEASE. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March, 2023 – MaskEX, a rapidly expanding third-generation crypto exchange, headquartered in Dubai, has announced the launch of its crypto-backed Virtual Card, enabling users to spend their crypto as fiat in more than 176 countries…

Xapo Bank Integrates Lightning Network Payments Through Lightspark Partnership

On March 2, Xapo Bank announced its partnership with Lightspark, a company led by David Marcus, former crypto boss at Facebook. The partnership aims to extend the utility of bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Xapo revealed on Thursday that it is…

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…

Fiat-to-Crypto Company Ramp Raises $70 Million to Solve the Crypto Onboarding Problem

Ramp, a fiat-to-crypto company, has announced it has raised $70 million as part of its Series B funding round. The round was co-led by Mubadala Capital and Korelya Capital, with Balderton Capital and Cogito Capital participation. The company explained that these…

China to Expand Digital Yuan Testing in Pilot Cities to Provincial Level

China’s central bank intends to enlarge the area covered by trials of its digital yuan currency in four regions of the country. A top representative of the monetary authority announced the move while highlighting that the People’s Bank has been stepping…