Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The Central Bank of Russia plans to launch test operations with digital ruble transactions between real customers at the beginning of April. More than a dozen banks will join the upcoming stage of the pilot project, a high-ranking representative of the bank announced to Russian media. Russia’s Monetary Authority to Trial Actual Settlements With Digital Ruble The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR) is going to proceed to the next phase of the digital ruble pilot project on the first day of April. Testing will involve real transactions with the new form of the national fiat, Deputy Governor Olga Skorobogatova told journalists. The plan is to start with transfers between individuals and payments between trade and service companies, the top official detailed. Skorobogatova emphasized that these will be “real transactions” and “real customers” of 13 banks that are ready to take part. However, she also noted that the initial number of these transactions, as well as the number o...

The largest bank in Southeast Asia, DBS, has revealed that bitcoin trading volume on its cryptocurrency exchange jumped 80% in 2022 while ether trading volume surged 65%. “We believe that the market has decisively shifted its focus towards trust and stability, especially in the wake of multiple scandals that have rocked the industry,” a DBS executive described. DBS Sees Record Trading Volumes for Bitcoin and Ether DBS, the largest bank in Southeast Asia, announced last week that its digital asset exchange saw record trading volumes for bitcoin and ether in 2022. In addition, the number of BTC and ETH under custody at the bank soared during the same time period. According to the bank, the number of bitcoin traded on DBS Digital Exchange (DDEX) was close to 80% higher year-on-year while the number of ether traded on the platform was nearly 65% higher. The bank further revealed that the “number of bitcoin and ether custodised with DBS [is] up more than 100% and 60% respectively,” em...

Binance US has refuted reports that draw parallels between it and “fraudulent exchanges that have gone bankrupt.” The U.S.-based crypto trading platform stressed that “only Binance.US employees” have access to its bank accounts, denying the allegation that global crypto exchange Binance has “secret access.” Clarifications by Binance US Binance US, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency trading platform affiliated with the global crypto exchange Binance, has refuted reports that compare it to fraudulent and bankrupt crypto exchanges. Binance and Binance US claim that they are separate entities with different management teams. “There have been many attempts to draw parallels between Binance.US and fraudulent exchanges that have gone bankrupt,” the official Twitter account for Binance US tweeted Thursday. “There is no comparison,” the exchange stressed and proceeded to provide some evidence to support its claims. Firstly, Binance US explained that its leadership is comprised of ex-employees of ...

Despite seeing their share of Africa’s startup funding drop from 48.3% seen in 2021 to 43.4% in 2022, fintech still managed to raise 39.3% more capital in 2022 ($1.45 billion) than they did in 2021 ($1.04 billion). Nigeria was again the best-funded country after 180 of its startups raised a combined US$976,146,000 or 29.3% of the African continent’s total. Big Four’s Share Drops According to Disrupt’s 2022 African tech startup funding report, fintech startups were able to secure $1.45 billion in funding in the past year. The sector’s total capital raise represented an increase of 39.3% from the approximately $1.04 billion that was secured in 2021. Despite this increase in fintechs’ overall funding, the sector’s share of total capital raised by African tech startups still dropped from 48.3% seen in 2021 to 43.4% in 2022. As was the case in 2021, Nigeria is again the best-funded country after 180 of its startups raised a combined US$976,146,000 or 29.3% of the African continent’s tot...

The Bank of Zambia and the country’s securities regulators are currently testing the technology to regulate cryptocurrencies, a Zambian government minister has said. According to Felix Mutati, cryptocurrency is a revolutionary technology that embodies a future his country desires to achieve. Achieving an Inclusive Digital Economy The Zambian central bank and the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission are in the process of “testing” technology to regulate cryptocurrencies, the country’s minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati, has said. In his remarks published on the ministry’s website , Mutati argued that Zambia needs to regulate this “revolutionary technology” because it encapsulates “the future the country desires to achieve.” Mutati also revealed that the testing of the regulatory technology will soon be upscaled as part of measures to help Zambia attain an “inclusive digital economy.” In addition, the minister said Zambia, which is seeking to become the region’s...