Syria Urges BRICS to Lead in Ditching Dollar, Talks Yuan Adoption With China

BRICS nations can lead efforts to abandon the U.S. dollar in international settlements, according to President Bashar Assad of Syria. At a meeting with China’s top diplomat for the region, the leader of the war-torn Middle Eastern country called for using…

World’s Largest Regional Organization to Switch to Settlements in National Currencies

A China-led regional organization that covers more than half of Eurasia intends to transition to settlements in the currencies of its members. While the plan is to abandon the U.S. dollar in mutual payments, participating nations are yet to consider a…

Russia to Increase Reliance on National Currencies in Energy Trade, Vows to Move Away From the US Dollar

Russia will increase its reliance on national currencies to settle payments for its energy resources, moving away from the US dollar, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Novak noted there is a great interest in acquiring Russian energy resources,…

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…

USDC Stablecoin Nears Parity With USD After Fed’s Bailout Announcement

The stablecoin USDC has nearly regained parity with the U.S. dollar after rising just above $0.99 on March 12, 2023, at 7:20 p.m. Eastern Time. The stablecoin jumped back to the $0.99 range after the U.S. Federal Reserve revealed it would…

Bank of Russia to Promote Digital Ruble in Foreign Trade as Finance Ministry Pushes for Crypto Option

Days after the two institutions agreed on the need for cross-border crypto payments, the finance ministry and the central bank of Russia are once again highlighting their different priorities. While the treasury department aims for legalizing cryptocurrency payments in the coming…

Bank of Russia to Pilot Digital Ruble Settlements in 2023

Russia’s monetary authority intends to conduct the first settlements with the digital ruble next year, its governor announced this week. Speaking to Russian lawmakers, the official highlighted the important role the new currency is going to play for Russia under sanctions….

Russian Chamber of Commerce Suggests Using Cryptocurrencies in Settlements With Africa

Employing crypto in cross-border payments is one of the proposals put forward by the Russian Chamber Of Commerce lobbying for more cooperation with African countries. Amid unprecedented sanctions limiting Russia’s ability to trade internationally, the head of the board has urged…

Central Banks of France, Switzerland and BIS Complete Cross-Border CBDC Trial

Bank of France, the Swiss National Bank (SNB), and the Bank for International Settlements have successfully tested the application of wholesale central bank digital currency in cross-border payments. The project used distributed ledger technology and was realized with help from private…

Russia Considers Partially Replacing Dollar Reserves With Digital Assets in Future

Amid ongoing sanctions, the government of Russia has been working to limit the country’s dependence on the U.S. dollar. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs now says it’s possible to partially replace the greenback in currency reserves and trade settlements with other…