Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Johannes Gawaxab, the governor of the Bank of Namibia (BON), has said his organization is planning to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The governor, however, warns the launch might have implications for financial stability. BON Researching CBDCs The BON governor, Johannes Gawaxab, recently confirmed that the central bank is now planning to launch a CBDC. He confirmed the BON has already started researching CBDCs which, according to him, are now a “reality” that cannot be ignored. In remarks published by Namibia Daily News, Gawaxab hinted that the increased interest in privately issued cryptos may have forced the central bank to act. He said: The number and value of cryptocurrencies have surged, raising the possibility of a financial world operating outside the control of governments and central banks. There is thus a need for central banks to have a clear digital currency agenda to reinforce Central Bank authority over money and maintain control over the payment sy...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar has outlined the implications of India issuing a central bank digital currency, the digital rupee. ”I think central banks would go about it in a very calibrated, graduated manner, assessing impact all along the line,” he explained. RBI’s Deputy Governor Discusses Indian Central Bank Digital Currency RBI Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar talked about the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) Thursday at an event organized by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). He also outlined potential implications on India’s financial system and monetary policy, PTI reported. The RBI will issue a central bank digital currency this financial year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her budget speech in February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described that the digital rupee will be the digital form of India’s physical rupee and will be regulated by the RBI. “The digital rupe...

A crypto-friendly special economic zone in Honduras has adopted bitcoin as legal tender, allowing the cryptocurrency to be used to pay taxes and fees. In addition, bitcoin bonds can be issued within its jurisdiction using “world-class standards for AML and KYC.” Bitcoin Operates as Legal Tender in Próspera Próspera, a special economic zone located on the island of Roatan in the Western Caribbean and the Northern Corridor of Honduras, announced Thursday that it has adopted bitcoin as legal tender. Referring to Próspera as “crypto-friendly,” the announcement details, “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies effectively operate as legal tender within its jurisdiction.” A spokesperson for Próspera told Bitcoin.com News: Próspera has no capital gains taxes, which means that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies effectively operate as legal tender in the jurisdiction. “Residents and businesses in Próspera may transact using bitcoin, Honduran Lempiras, U.S. dollars, or any other currency of t...

Amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the Russian ruble has managed to rebound despite the strict sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation. The country’s central bank has taken a few steps to protect the nation’s currency as the Bank of Russia revealed a fixed price for gold and rubles. Furthermore, after pegging the fiat currency to gold, on Friday Russia’s central bank announced a surprise interest rate cut that starts Monday. EU Leaders and Western Allies Create Stricter Sanctions Amid Ruble Rebound At the end of February, after the conflict started between Ukraine and Russia, the European Commission and Western allies imposed strict restrictions on the Bank of Russia’s international reserves. The sanctions sparked bank runs and the Russian ruble dropped to record lows against the U.S. dollar. With harsh sanctions still imposed against Russia and the conflict still taking place, European leaders are planning to stop Russian coal imports. On Friday, European Union (EU) leade...

With the current concerns around global energy usage, combined with increasing requirements for data processing services, many countries previously supportive of centralized data processing businesses are investigating the impact of these businesses and how they mitigate a requirement for continuous energy distribution to all sectors – commercial and private. Data processing services consume large amounts of energy in a localized physical space. The combination of energy consumption and physical footprint expansion is impacting the continuous and uninterrupted distribution of energy creating an unsustainable demand from both the commercial and private sectors. To ensure continuous availability across all markets, countries are limiting supply, terminating supply or stopping new operating licenses. However, demand for data processing requirements is not diminishing, it is growing and so alternative data processing solutions are required. Spreading energy consumption with decentralized...

Certik, a Web3 and blockchain auditing and security firm, has raised $88 million in its recent B3 funding round. The round, which was led by Tiger Global and included Goldman Sachs as an investor in the firm, gives the company a valuation of $2 billion. This doubles the valuation that Certik reached via its last funding round in November 2021. Certik Reaches $2 Billion Valuation Certik, a blockchain auditing firm, has closed its Series B3 financing round with a significant increase in investments. The company raised $88 million, with Tiger Global, Insight Partners, and Advent International leading the round, and with the participation of Goldman Sachs and other current investors. With this funding round, the company has managed to reach a valuation of $2 billion, doubling the numbers it obtained in its Series B2 funding round in November 2021, which gave it a valuation of $1 billion. Regarding how the company has managed these funding rounds and their successes, Ronghui Gu, founde...

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has announced that it is launching full-scale crypto trading in India with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) support. However, moments later, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which developed UPI, stated that no crypto exchange is using the UPI system. Coinbase Launches in India, Hit With UPI Problem The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced Thursday at an event in Bengaluru that its trading platform will be fully available for retail traders in India. The company said that customers will be able to buy cryptocurrencies on Coinbase using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the most widely used payment method in India. Coinbase began testing UPI payments a few weeks ago. However, the company did not disclose the names of its banking partners for UPI payments. UPI, an instant real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), accounts for 60% of retail payment traffic in the c...

Following the Luna Foundation Guard’s (LFG) purchase of 5,040 bitcoin on Wednesday, the following day the Singapore-based non-profit announced it will be acquiring $100 million avalanche (AVAX) tokens. LFG detailed on Thursday that the purchase is meant to strategically align the Terra network with Avalanche ecosystems. LFG to Add $100 Million in Avalanche Backing to UST Reserve On Thursday, the Luna Foundation Guard announced that it inked a deal with the Avalanche Foundation to acquire $100 million worth of AVAX , the Avalanche blockchain’s native asset. LFG is a non-profit dedicated to fostering decentralized finance (defi) via the Terra (LUNA) network and the blockchain’s algorithmic stablecoin UST. LFG detailed that the goal behind purchasing AVAX was meant “to help bolster its UST Decentralized Forex Reserve and strategically align the two ecosystems.” Both LFG and the Avalanche Foundation will be handling the transaction in an over-the-counter (OTC) fashion. AVAX will beco...