Vladimir Putin Says Russia Wrote Off African Countries’ Debts Totaling Over $20 Billion in 2022

African countries’ debts totaling more than $20 billion were written off in the past year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 20. Putin also revealed that trade between Russia and Africa had nearly reached $18 billion by the end of…

US Lawmaker Urges Government to Guarantee All Deposits to Avoid Runs on Smaller Banks

A U.S. congressman has urged the federal government to temporarily insure every bank deposit in the country. Following the collapses of several major banks, he stressed that if the government does not do this, there will be a run on smaller…

Blockchain.com Shutters Asset Management Subsidiary Amid Crypto Winter and Industry Turmoil

According to reports and a filing that shows its name struck off the U.K. companies’ register list, Blockchain.com is sunsetting its Blockchain.com Asset Management subsidiary. A company spokesperson cited deteriorating “macroeconomic conditions” and the “crypto winter” as some of the reasons…

Binance Bans Russians From P2P Transactions With Dollars and Euros

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has introduced new restrictions for Russian users, in accordance with the latest European sanctions. The platform is restricting access to peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions in U.S. dollars and euros for traders based in the Russian Federation. Binance Prohibits US…

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…

Zimbabwean Blockchain Startups Launch Service to Help Migrants Efficiently Move Funds Across Borders

Two Zimbabwean startups, Flexid and Uhuru Wallet, recently launched a platform that offers digital identity and remittance services to migrants living and working in South Africa. The two startups hailed what they’ve described as the “first cross-chain collaboration between the two…

Kenyan AI and Blockchain Startup Receives Investment From Swiss VC Firm

Fastagger Inc, an artificial intelligence and blockchain startup from Kenya, recently revealed that it had received an investment from the Swizterland-based blockchain investor CVVC. Mutembei Kariuki, said the investment will be used to fund the further develop Fastagger’s “cutting-edge technology expertise”…

Binance Halting US Dollar Deposits and Withdrawals via Bank Accounts

Global crypto exchange Binance is suspending deposits and withdrawals in U.S. dollars via bank accounts starting Wednesday as more and more banking institutions try to reduce their exposure to the crypto market. “We are working hard to restart service as soon…

Unbanked and Mastercard Team Up to Accelerate Crypto Card Adoption Within Web3 Organizations in Europe

PRESS RELEASE. Today it was announced that Unbanked, the leading provider of white-label crypto card issuance and program management service for Web3 companies has partnered with Mastercard, to accelerate DeFi card issuance in Europe. Mastercard and Unbanked have already established a…