Israel Prohibits Cash Deals for Amounts Starting as Low as $1,700

New legislation introducing tighter restrictions on payments with large sums of cash will enter into force in Israel on Monday. The goal, as stated by the country’s tax authority, is to improve the fight against organized crime, money laundering, and tax evasion. Critics doubt the law will achieve that. Authorities in Israel Go After Cash … Read more

Bank Indonesia Prepares to Issue Digital Rupiah as Legal Tender for Digital Payments

The central bank of Indonesia is working to issue a wholesale digital rupiah. The new currency is meant to be the only legal tender for digital transactions in the country while the regulator also wants to ensure that it will be exchangeable across borders. Digital Rupiah Concept Expected by Year End Indonesia’s monetary authority is … Read more

ECB’s Lagarde, Panetta See Digital Euro as More Efficient Payment Means Than Crypto

Unbacked cryptocurrencies are not an efficient means of payment and stablecoins are vulnerable to runs, top officials at the European Central Bank have pointed out in a new article making the case for a digital euro. The executives have marked key objectives for the project which should provide Europeans with “easy access to central bank … Read more

Putin Signs Law Prohibiting Payments With Digital Assets in Russia

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has signed into law a bill banning payments with digital financial assets. The legislation obliges exchange operators to refuse to process transactions facilitating the use of DFAs, a legal category currently covering cryptocurrencies, as “monetary surrogates.” President Putin Approves Legislation Banning Digital Asset Payments in Russian Federation Russian President Vladimir … Read more