On The Web

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Systems

Finance Department Sees Issues With Facebook’s Digital Currency, Documents Show | CBC News

March 30 2021

• in
• Digital currencies

“Internal Finance Department documents show officials have deep concerns about the effect of Facebook’s planned digital currency on Canada’s financial stability. Officials wrote in the briefing note last summer that they believed the social media company had yet to address multiple concerns and risks its digital currency posed to the financial system. The July briefing […]

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Deals

Bitcoin Sleuthing Start-up Chainalysis Doubles Valuation to $2 Billion With Benioff Backing

March 26 2021

• in
• Cryptocurrencies
• Digital currencies

“Chainalysis, a start-up that sells blockchain data analytics tools, announced Friday that it’s raised $100 million in an investment round valuing the company at $2 billion…Founded in 2014, Chainalysis helps governments and private sector companies detect and prevent the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in illicit activities like money laundering with its investigations and […]

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Systems

Federal Reserve’s Digital Dollar Momentum Worries Wall Street

March 22 2021

• in
• Central bank digital currencies (CBDC)
• Digital currencies

“The financial services industry, braced for what could be its biggest disruption in decades, is about to get an early glimpse at the Federal Reserve’s work on a new digital currency. Wall Street is not thrilled.”

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Systems

JPG File Sells for $69 Million, As ‘NFT Mania’ Gathers Pace

March 11 2021

• in
• Cryptocurrencies
• Digital currencies

“Beeple’s collaged JPG was made, or “minted,” in February as a “ nonfungible token,” or NFT. A secure network of computer systems that records the sale on a digital ledger, known as a blockchain , gives buyers proof of authenticity and ownership. Most pay with the Ethereum cryptocurrency. “Everydays” was the first purely digital NFT […]

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Systems

Regulated Stablecoin Launches in New Zealand – CoinDesk

March 10 2021

• in
• Digital currencies

“A New Zealand-based firm says it has created the country’s first legal stablecoin, one backed by the country’s dollar. According to a press release shared with CoinDesk on Wednesday, the New Zealand dollar stablecoin ($NZDs) is issued by Techemynt, a regulated company with ties to crypto hedge fund Techemy Capital. Launching today, the cryptocurrency is […]

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Companies

Amazon Preparing to Launch a ‘Digital Currency’ Project in Mexico – CoinDesk

February 11 2021

• in
• Amazon
• Digital currencies

“Amazon’s grip on the internet economy appears to be coming for currency next, with the e-commerce giant preparing to launch a “digital currency” project in Mexico. The yet-to-be-announced project, which Amazon sketched out across a series of recent job posts , appears to be an effort to keep lucrative Prime customers eternally plugged into Amazon’s […]

On The Wires

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Systems

Circle Launches Comprehensive NFT Platform & Marketplace Payments Solution

March 29 2021

• in
• Digital currencies

“Circle, a global financial technology firm that provides payments and treasury infrastructure for internet businesses, announced a comprehensive payments solution for non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces and storefronts that enables them to accept credit card and crypto payments alike in order to attract more mainstream audience adoption. Circle today also unveiled forthcoming features that will be […]

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Companies

Visa Becomes First Major Payments Network to Settle Transactions in USD Coin (USDC)

March 29 2021

• in
• Digital currencies
• Visa

“Visa (NYSE: V) today announced a major industry first in bridging the worlds of digital and traditional fiat currencies: the use of USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin backed by the US dollar, to settle a transaction with Visa over Ethereum—one of the most actively used open-source blockchains. Visa is piloting the capability with Crypto.com , […]

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Systems

Versabank to Launch VCAD, World’s First Bank-issued, Deposit-based Digital Currency

February 24 2021

• in
• Digital currencies
• Smart contracts

“VersaBank (TSX: VB) (“VersaBank” or the “Bank”), a North American leader in business-to-business digital banking and technology solutions for cybersecurity, today announced it plans to launch a strong encryption based digital currency (cryptocurrency) represented one-to-one by a Canadian dollar bank deposit with the Bank, to be known as VCAD.  VCAD is expected to be the […]

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Systems

Attorney General James Ends Virtual Currency Trading Platform Bitfinex’s Illegal Activities in New York

February 23 2021

• in
• Digital currencies

“New York Attorney General Letitia James today continued her efforts to protect investors from fraudulent and deceptive virtual or “crypto” currency trading platforms by requiring Bitfinex and Tether to end all trading activity with New Yorkers. Millions around the country and the world today use virtual currencies as decentralized digital currencies — unlike real, regulated […]