Israel’s Digital Shekel Plans Hinge on ECB’s Digital Currency Move

The Bank of Israel (BOI) is exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a digital shekel, to modernize Israel’s payment system and drive innovation. However, BOI Deputy Governor Andrew Abir stated that the BOI is waiting for a major central bank, likely the European Central Bank (ECB), to introduce a digital currency before proceeding. This … Read more

Fed Chair Powell Reaffirms Stance on Custody Assets Amid SEC Crypto Rule Controversy

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, where Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) questioned him about the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121. This bulletin mandates that banks include digital assets held in custody on their balance sheets, significantly raising the cost of providing digital asset custody services. … Read more

Judge Denies Bail for Bitcoin Rodney, Citing Flight Risk and Fraud Severity

Rodney Burton, known as “Bitcoin Rodney,” will remain in detention awaiting trial on charges of masterminding a multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency fraud. Arrested in January at Miami International Airport, Burton faces accusations of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and the actual operation of such a business. U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett denied Burton’s bail request … Read more

Italy Prepares to Issue Guidelines on Implementing EU Crypto Regulation

Italy’s central bank will soon release guidelines on implementing the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) Regulation to ensure the payment system’s regular functioning, Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta revealed on Tuesday. In his speech to the Italian Banking Association, Panetta highlighted that MiCA considers electronic money tokens (EMTs) and asset-reference tokens … Read more

Riot Platforms Proposes Comprehensive Plan to Improve Bitfarms

Riot Platforms Inc. (Nasdaq: RIOT) has proposed a comprehensive plan to improve Bitfarms Ltd. (Nasdaq: BITF) and has launched a website to detail this strategy. As part of its efforts to acquire Bitfarms, Riot has called for a special shareholders’ meeting to nominate three new directors: John Delaney, Amy Freedman, and Ralph Goehring, who bring … Read more

Bitfarms Leadership Change: Ben Gagnon Named CEO

Bitfarms Ltd. (Nasdaq: BITF), a global bitcoin mining company, has appointed Ben Gagnon as chief executive officer, effective immediately. Gagnon, previously chief mining officer, has significantly contributed to Bitfarms’ growth over the past five years, the company said. Chairman Nicolas Bonta praised his leadership and strategic impact, highlighting plans to leverage Gagnon’s expertise to diversify … Read more

France and Hong Kong Collaborate to Advance Global Tokenization Market With CBDC Initiatives

The Banque de France (BDF) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) have announced a collaboration on wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC). This partnership includes the HKMA’s involvement in Wave 2 of the European Central Bank’s Eurosystem exploratory work. The institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to innovate in wCBDC and tokenization markets, … Read more

Iran and Russia Sign Academic Cooperation Agreement to Dedollarize Economies

Iran and Russia have taken a significant step towards economic cooperation by involving their academic institutions in efforts to dedollarize their economies. The presidents of Iran’s Imam Hossein University and Russia’s Plekhanov University of Economics signed a memorandum of cooperation last week to collaborate on initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar in … Read more

South Korea Launches Continuous Monitoring for Crypto Transactions

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) will introduce a continuous monitoring system on July 19 to track suspicious cryptocurrency transactions. Developed with local digital asset exchanges, this system aligns with the country’s Virtual Asset User Protection Act, which aims to regulate trade practices and protect investors. Major Korean crypto exchanges, including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, … Read more

Robinhood Moves Forward With Acquisition of Bitstamp

Robinhood Markets Inc. is moving forward with its acquisition of Bitstamp Ltd., a global cryptocurrency exchange. As part of this process, Robinhood Crypto LLC has submitted a change of control application to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), which announced it received the application on July 3, 2024. This is one of several … Read more