Digital Ruble and Sanctions: Expert Analyzes Russia’s Digital Currency Plan to Evade Western Control

A Fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former adviser at the Central Bank of Russia has weighed in on the digital ruble, Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), highlighting its potential role in reshaping Russia’s financial landscape amid sanctions. While the digital currency could offer new avenues for trade and reduce reliance on … Read more

$230M Bitcoin Heist Takes Dark Turn — $100M Still Missing, FBI Probes Kidnapping Link

Two young men pulled off a $230 million bitcoin heist in one of the largest crypto thefts from a private individual in U.S. history. But after indulging in luxury cars and a $2 million watch, the story took a sinister twist. Now, prosecutors say the crime may be tied to a shocking kidnapping — and … Read more

Crypto Goes Mainstream: Blackrock Boosts North America’s $1.3T Inflows

Cryptocurrency is increasingly integrated into the mainstream as North America continues to lead the global crypto market, receiving $1.3 trillion in onchain value between July 2023 and June 2024, according to Chainalysis. Institutional giants like Goldman Sachs and Blackrock are now taking serious positions in the crypto space, with U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) driving … Read more

Russia’s Digital Currency Measures Fail to Satisfy FATF, Blacklist Possible

Russia’s financial regulator maintains that its anti-money laundering system, including strengthened virtual currency regulations, remains effective even if the country faces potential blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The agency highlighted new federal laws addressing previous concerns and stressed that no significant deficiencies exist that would justify Russia’s inclusion on the FATF blacklist, … Read more

BRICS Bank Offers Zimbabwe Escape From IMF Debt Traps, Says Professor

A Zimbabwean professor has highlighted the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) as a crucial alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), offering better financial terms to developing nations. He emphasized the NDB’s role in helping countries like Zimbabwe escape debt cycles and discussed the introduction of Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), a currency backed by mineral wealth, … Read more

Brazil Pushes BRICS to Shift From US Dollar, Advocating National Currencies in Global Trade

Brazil pushes for a shift away from the U.S. dollar within the BRICS alliance, advocating for more use of national currencies in trade among member countries. As the group expands, discussions on alternative payment platforms are gaining momentum ahead of the BRICS summit in Kazan. Brazil aims to advance this initiative during its 2025 chairmanship, … Read more

Central Banks Boost Gold Holdings Amid Global Geopolitical Tensions and Economic Uncertainty

Central banks from several nations have signaled a shift towards increasing gold reserves, citing geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. Officials from Mexico, Mongolia, and the Czech Republic expressed support for gold’s growing role, reflecting broader trends as central banks seek safe havens amid lower interest rates and rising risks. Central Banks Signal Increased Reliance on … Read more

An Interview with Raymond Qu: How PolyFlow Enables PayFi 

The 2008 Bitcoin Whitepaper painted a vision of a peer-to-peer electronic cash system without the need for a trusted third party. Payments were the original promise. However, today’s infrastructure focuses on the trading instead of supporting real-time payments at scale. So what kind of infrastructure can support payments? What role can PayFi play? In the … Read more

Russia Mulls Commodity Trading Centers to Bolster BRICS Economic Sovereignty

Russia has just unveiled a plan to reduce its reliance on the US-dominated global financial system. The plan is seen as a response to crippling Western sanctions. The plan involves setting up mutual centers for trading commodity resources, which will allow Russia and its partners to bypass US sanctions and maintain economic sovereignty. This move … Read more

Ripple Invests $25M in Bitnomial’s Platform to Build Regulated Derivatives Market for Digital Assets Like XRP

Crypto derivatives exchange Bitnomial is set to launch its U.S. perpetual futures trading platform, Botanical, backed by a $25 million round led by Ripple. The platform, integrating Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD, aims to challenge decentralized exchanges and offshore models. Bitnomial’s approach to bringing offshore trading models into the U.S. derivatives industry presents a significant market opportunity, … Read more