Facebook’s Novi Launches Pilot Program in Guatemala and US Using Pax Dollar

Novi, Facebook’s digital wallet, will launch a pilot program to test the functionality of the service in two countries: Guatemala and the U.S. The test will allow Novi to test all of its main functions and to evaluate what things need to be improved before launch. Novi will use pax dollars as the main currency … Read more

5 Countries Will Accept Bitcoin as Legal Tender by End of Next Year, Says Bitmex CEO

By the end of next year, at least five countries will have accepted bitcoin as legal tender, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitmex has predicted. He cited three key reasons why he arrived at this conclusion. “Developing countries will jump into crypto in 2022,” he said. More Countries Will Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Tender The … Read more

Nigeria Central Bank Governor Says CBDC Launch Just ‘a Couple of Days’ Away

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has confirmed the country’s upcoming digital currency will be launched “in a couple of days from now.” According to the governor, the digital currency which is also known as the e-naira will be the first of its kind in Africa. Nigeria to Launch CBDC … Read more

Moneygram Partners With Stellar Development Foundation to Allow Users to Make Remittances With USD Coin

Moneygram, one of the leaders in the cross-border payments and remittances market, has partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to use the Stellar blockchain for settlements. The company will use the native version of USD coin (USDC), a popular stablecoin, to simplify and accelerate the process of sending remittances. This also means that Moneygram will … Read more

Local Experts Say Zimbabwe Not Softening Its Stance on Cryptocurrency Just Yet

Zimbabwean crypto and economic experts have suggested Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s positive comments about cryptocurrencies do not necessarily mean monetary authorities are about to remove restrictions that were imposed in 2018. The Case for Blockchain Instead, the experts claim the remarks show that the government is only interested in aspects of blockchain technology that are … Read more

Kenyan Fintech Player: ‘Banking the Unbanked’ Is the Most Important Use Case for Digital Currencies in Africa

The year 2020 may well go down as the year when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, in particular, gained mainstream recognition. The restrictions on movement, as well as the widespread fear of catching a virus, forced many to look for alternative ways of making payments or sending remittances. This search for an alternative inevitably led many … Read more

Africa Has Some of the ‘Highest Grassroots Adoptions in the World’ — Chainalysis Crypto Preview

While Africa is seen as one of the smallest cryptocurrency markets, according to a preview of Chainalysis’ Geography of Cryptocurrency annual report, this region has “some of the highest grassroots adoptions in the world.” African Volumes Mainly Composed of Retail Transfers The crypto adoption observation for Africa is corroborated by the blockchain analysis firm’s latest … Read more

Ripple and SBI Collaborate to Launch On-Demand Liquidity in Japan — XRP Surges

Ripple has launched its first On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service implementation in Japan in partnership with SBI Remit, a large Japanese money transfer provider, and Philippine crypto exchange Coins.ph. Ripple, SBI, Coins.ph Collaborate to Launch Ripplenet’s On-Demand Liquidity Ripple Labs announced Wednesday “the launch of Ripplenet’s first live On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service implementation in Japan” in … Read more