Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

A new crypto mining facility is being built in the Russian Republic of Buryatia with support from a government-affiliated company. Construction of the infrastructure for the large-scale project is already underway, carried out by a subsidiary of Russia’s largest mining operator, Bitriver. Bitriver Building Large Data Center for Cryptocurrency Mining in Buryatia, Siberia A 100-megawatt data processing center dedicated to the minting of digital coins will open this year in Buryatia, a Russian republic in south-central Siberia, the Russian Far East and the Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) announced. The price tag of the project is about 900 million rubles (over $12.3 million), the business news portal RBC reported, quoting a press release. The launch of the facility, which will host 30,000 mining machines, is scheduled for the first half of 2023. Bitriver-B, a subsidiary of Russia’s mining giant Bitriver, has already started the construction of buildings, other infrastructure, a...

A new law expanding the regulatory framework for cryptocurrency miners while restricting their access to low-cost electricity has entered into force in Kazakhstan. The legislation introduces a licensing regime for mining with two different categories of licenses that companies will have to renew periodically. President Tokayev Sings Law Regulating Crypto Assets Mining and Exchange in Kazakhstan The law “On Digital Assets in the Republic of Kazakhstan,” signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday, has come into force. The main purpose of the new legislation, approved together with amendments to other legal acts like the Tax Code, is to regulate activities related to the issuance and circulation of these assets, most notably mining. The changes are also aimed at creating conditions for the development of the crypto industry and fair competition between market participants, local media reported. The digital asset law, which was adopted by the parliament in late January, defi...

Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) has revealed that its clients “are absolutely interested in digital assets.” Emphasizing the need for clear crypto regulation, the bank’s head of digital assets noted: “We need responsible actors who can offer reliable services that live up to investors’ trust.” BNY Mellon’s Clients Are ‘Absolutely’ Interested in Digital Assets Bank of New York Mellon’s head of digital assets, Michael Demissie, said Wednesday at Afore Consulting’s 7th Annual Fintech and Regulation Conference that digital assets are “here to stay,” Reuters reported. The executive was quoted as saying: What we see is clients are absolutely interested in digital assets, broadly. Demissie cited a BNY Mellon client survey conducted in October last year which showed that more than 90% of clients expected to invest in tokenized assets in the near future. The bank’s head of digital assets added that deeper crypto regulation is required, the publication conveyed. “It’s important that...

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-based airport ground handling services firm, Saudi Ground Services, has said it plans to implement a blockchain-based document solution that allows it “to issue over 10,000 digital documents annually including licenses.” According to the firm’s Ayman Alghamdi, using this solution allows SGS to not only easily verify documents and licenses but to improve customers’ experience as well. Overcoming the Document Verification Challenge The Saudi airports ground handling services firm, Saudi Ground Services (SGS), recently said it plans to implement a blockchain document solution at 28 airports across Saudi Arabia. In a statement jointly issued with IR4LAB, a Saudi-based innovation-driven company, SGS said the solution known as Doc Certs blockchain management solution will allow it “to issue over 10,000 digital documents annually including licenses.” Commenting on the ground handling services firm’s plans to use a solution that enables it to overcome the globa...

The Central Bank of Brazil will focus its first digital real tests on determining the levels of privacy and security that can be achieved with the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC) infrastructure. The tests will be conducted later this year and will set up a simplified operation to transact with a still-to-be-determined tokenized asset. Central Bank of Brazil to Launch Digital Real Test Operation Later This Year The Central Bank of Brazil is accelerating the digital real project, getting close to its pilot test phase. The institution announced that it would be conducting a series of operative tests to check the functionality of the proposed architecture for the system. Fabio Araujo, the coordinator of the digital real project at the Central Bank of Brazil, explained that security and privacy would be two of the most important areas to be examined with these tests. Araujo told Broadcast: We are going to simplify the operation, but we are going to have several particip...