Latam Insights: Bolivia Sells Gold for Dollars, Argentina Bans Fintech Crypto, Fitch Upgrades El Salvador’s Credit Rating

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 passes a law to sell gold for dollars, the Central Bank of Argentina bans fintech…

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…

VC Darling Crypto Sui Makes Waves With Market Debut, Price Sinks 37% From All-Time High

A buzz has been generated around a new layer one (L1) proof-of-stake blockchain initiative named Sui, following the network’s mainnet debut on May 3, 2023. The native token SUI has been listed on various cryptocurrency exchanges, drawing attention to the project….

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 — the BRICS bank — 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…

Biggest Movers: MATIC Rebounds, as SOL Falls Back Towards Support

Polygon climbed higher in today’s session, as cryptocurrency markets marginally rebounded on Wednesday. The global crypto market cap was up by nearly 1% earlier in the day, as Tuesday’s losses eased. Solana, on the other hand, remained lower, as it fell…

Economist Peter Schiff Warns of Stagflation in US Economy — Says ‘It’s Going to Get Worse’

Economist Peter Schiff has warned that the U.S. economy is facing stagflation and the situation is going to get worse. “Not only is the economy weakening, but inflation is strengthening,” he stressed, emphasizing: “You have the worst of both worlds.” U.S….

Pacwest Stock Plummets Over 35% Following Release of Q1 Earnings Report Amidst Turmoil in Banking Industry

Following the acquisition of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase, several regional banks such as Pacwest and Western Alliance experienced a significant drop in their stock prices. On Tuesday afternoon, all four major U.S. benchmark stock indexes are in decline as…

Japan’s Inflation Surges to 3.5% as New BOJ Governor Takes the Helm

This week, the Statistics Bureau of Japan unveiled the latest core consumer price index (CPI) report for the country, revealing a surge to 3.5%. This figure comes as a surprise to analysts who had predicted a more modest 2.9% for the…

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…