Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Thursday Morning 9-5-24

Good Morning Dinar Recaps,

ZURICH CANTONAL BANK OFFERS CRYPTO TRADING SERVICES

▪️Zurich Cantonal Bank starts offering cryptocurrency services today.

▪️ZKB customers can trade Bitcoin and Ethereum via mobile banking.

▪️Partnership with Crypto Finance ensures regulated and competent crypto services.

Bitcoin (BTC) is heading towards new lows as expected and retested $55,000 today. However, there is also good news.

The increasing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies has reached a point where banks cannot remain indifferent. In Turkey, Garanti BBVA Bank took the first step, and now one of Switzerland’s largest banks has taken action for two major cryptocurrencies.

Zurich Cantonal Bank and Crypto

For individual customers and third-party banks, Zurich Cantonal Bank has started offering cryptocurrency services as of today. 

Partnering with a company named Crypto Finance for this job, the bank will provide these services on a legal basis. Crypto Finance is managed by Deutsche Börse, which holds FINMA and Germany’s BaFIN licenses.

ZKB, one of the country’s four major banks, is also the largest cantonal bank in the Zurich region. Moreover, it is a highly reputable institution with a AAA rating from Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P. In fact, in 2023, rating agencies announced it as the second safest bank in the world.

Buying Cryptocurrency from the Bank

As of today, ZKB customers can buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) directly through the mobile banking application. For cautious investors who see centralized cryptocurrency exchanges as less secure, especially after bad examples like FTX, such alternatives will also increase liquidity inflow into the markets..

The bank’s Head of Digital Asset Solutions, Peter Hubli, said:

“With Crypto Finance by our side, we have a long-term industry-experienced, regulated, and competent partner who is familiar with the aspects of the crypto business.”

Although ZKB has taken a big step, it is not the first bank to move in this direction. In 2021, BBVA Switzerland was the first to make a name for itself. Another of the country’s four major banks, PostFinance, offered cryptocurrency services in early 2024 in partnership with Sygnum.

The increasing interest of banks and the entry of such reputable institutions into the crypto business is motivating for all investors.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  CoinTurk News

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IMF EXPLORES HOW CBDCS CAN ADDRESS PRIVACY

Arguably, the two biggest challenges for retail central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are whether the public sees them as useful and concerns about privacy.

Despite coverage to the contrary, central banks design most current CBDCs with good intentions. However, with many countries shifting towards more divisive politics, some worry that CBDCs designs could be tweaked.

 These concerns relate to a central bank or regulator dictating who can use the CBDC or restricting how the money can be spent. Alternatively, there are big brother snooping concerns. A recent paper by staff at the International Monetary Fund offers a thoughtful approach to the topic.

At a high level the report shows a deep appreciation of the issues. But it also delivers a practical how-to framework.

More than once they cite a 20-year-old paper that argues privacy is inherent to the nature of money. That ‘Money is Privacy’ report was in response to the growth of ecommerce, including the use of personal data to charge higher prices to some people.

 The ‘Money is Privacy’ paper even suggested some might want to use an intermediary in order to anonymize payments in the absence of anonymous money. This was before the invention of Bitcoin.

The IMF authors cite an Edelman Trust Institute study that found respondents trust businesses (63%) more than government institutions (51%). However, the research spanned 28 countries, with people putting greater trust in the government in four jurisdictions.

Apart from the collection of data, privacy risks come from external events, such as data leakages, data abuses, cyberattacks, and cross-border payments data flows.

The proposed framework adopts a three step approach:

▪️Define data use cases
▪️Identify risks to privacy
▪️Implement privacy by design and PETs (privacy enhancing technologies).

Data use cases

Personal data isn’t particularly useful for central banks. However, aggregated transaction data can be used for monetary statistics and to optimize monetary policies.

The report notes that the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have vowed not to access or use personal data for CBDC. Although it said that “other central banks (for example, the Reserve Bank of India) have emphasized the economic value of CBDC data.”

On that point, one of the purposes for collecting private information may be to provide credit scores for those that lack traditional credit histories.

The paper explores how each participant – central banks, payment service providers, merchants and consumers – might desire to access either aggregated data or private information. For consumers, the desire is to control that access.

One question is whether central banks can learn from the BigTech experience, particularly from China’s Alibaba and the associated payments app Alipay . It notes that data collection can help to expand access to credit. At the same time, it says BigTech profit incentives result in the erosion of consumer privacy.

The question is whether there is a similar risk for CBDCs with payment service providers (PSPs). “A nonbank that manages payment data is a central node in the economy that would have incentives to launch additional nonbank services or platforms tied to its central role.”

On the other hand, banks don’t combine data and there are many of them, so with banks involved in CBDC, it’s more likely to resemble the traditional payment system.

If non-bank PSPs are involved in distributing a CBDC, it could resemble the BigTech scenario if one of them is dominant. Perhaps that might include a wallet app.

For those interested in the topic, the IMF’s paper is well worth a read.

Meanwhile, in June the ECB published a blog post about making the digital euro private and we analyzed the digital euro progress on that front.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  LedgerInsights

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SEC DELAYS DECISION ON ECO-FRIENDLY BITCOIN ETF AGAIN

▪️The SEC delayed its decision on an eco-friendly Bitcoin ETF again.

▪️This increased uncertainty among investors and caused market fluctuations.

▪️Experts believe such projects could help cryptocurrencies gain wider acceptance.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again delayed its decision on an eco-friendly Bitcoin ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). This situation has increased uncertainty among investors and caused fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market.

Reason for SEC’s Delay

The SEC stated that it needs more information regarding the potential impacts of the proposed ETF as the reason for the delay. The commission aims to conduct a more careful evaluation, especially considering environmental impacts.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again delayed its decision on an eco-friendly Bitcoin ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). This situation has increased uncertainty among investors and caused fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market.

Reason for SEC’s Delay

The SEC stated that it needs more information regarding the potential impacts of the proposed ETF as the reason for the delay. The commission aims to conduct a more careful evaluation, especially considering environmental impacts.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again delayed its decision on an eco-friendly Bitcoin ETF (Exchange Traded Fund). This situation has increased uncertainty among investors and caused fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market.

Reason for SEC’s Delay

The SEC stated that it needs more information regarding the potential impacts of the proposed ETF as the reason for the delay. The commission aims to conduct a more careful evaluation, especially considering environmental impacts. Access NEWSLINKER to get the latest technology news.

Features of the ETF

The proposed ETF aims to reduce Bitcoin’s energy consumption and achieve a more sustainable structure. The ETF’s goal is to support Bitcoin mining using renewable energy sources and minimize its environmental footprint.

Investors’ Reaction

Investors find the SEC’s decision uncertain and consider it a risk for the market. Particularly, investors planning to invest in eco-friendly projects are negatively affected by this delay.

The SEC is known to have postponed similar decisions before. However, in this period of increased environmental awareness, interest in eco-friendly projects has grown. Therefore, investors and markets are eagerly awaiting the SEC’s final decision.

SEC officials said, “We need to examine the environmental impacts of the proposed ETF in more detail.”

On the other hand, the growing interest in the eco-friendly Bitcoin ETF is seen as a positive sign for the future of sustainable projects in the cryptocurrency market. Experts suggest that such projects could help cryptocurrencies gain wider acceptance.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Cooin-Turk

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CARDANO NEWS: HOSKINSON CLARIFIES HIS ROLE AFTER CHANG HARD FORK IMPLEMENTATION

Cardano has successfully implemented the Chang hard fork, marking the commencement of the Conway era, a significant step in the blockchain’s journey toward full decentralization. 

This upgrade that occurred at block 10,764,778 on Sunday incorporated the CIP-1694 governance model, which now allows ADA holders to vote directly on the network’s decisions.

The Cardano Foundation praised the Chang hard fork as a significant event, underlining its significance for the blockchain, ecosystem, and community. “This upgrade realizes the vision of a fully autonomous and decentralized network,” the Foundation said in a blog post on September 2.

Community Debates Hoskinson’s Future Role in Cardano Development’

However, this upgrade has also created some controversy among the Cardano community regarding the future of Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano. Chris-O, a known community member, proposed keeping Hoskinson and his company, Input Output Global (IOG), to fast-track the development of core Cardano functionalities. This proposal has met with both support and opposition views from the public.

SynthLuvr, the founder of Mynth Network, has a different view, stating that with Hoskinson leaving, Cardano might be better off. According to SynthLuvr, the development of Cardano may benefit from relinquishing this role and enabling the community to be at the forefront, thereby establishing Cardano as the opposite of Ethereum in terms of having a clear leader.

Hoskinson responded to the ongoing debate with a tweet, questioning the perception of his role at IOG. “I’m not involved technically? What the hell do people think that I do at IOG?” he tweeted.

The Cardano ecosystem will now operate under three key bodies: the constitutional committee, delegate representatives, and stake pool operators. 

The first phase of the hard fork introduced the constitutional committee, which governs the transition of governance. 

The second phase of the new governance structures is expected to be launched within the next 90 days and will build on the achievements of the first phase.

Hoskinson Describes Cardano as Unstoppable “Governance Virus”

In another post, Hoskinson shared his experience of working with Cardano for the past ten years and the stress of being a public representative of the blockchain industry. He pointed out that the process has been a bumpy ride, but at the same time, there were some major successes.

“Working on Cardano this past decade has been a whirlwind of emotions, challenges, and tremendous obstacles to overcome,” Hoskinson wrote. He emphasized that Cardano’s evolution has turned it into something “alive” and unstoppable.

According to Hoskinson, it is a “governance virus that is alive, replicative, and autonomic,” stating that there is no way to stop its expansion or turn it off. Cardano has not been without its controversies in the past, with critics referring to it as a ‘dead chain.’

In July, a YouTuber, Ben Armstrong, who is popularly known as BitBoy Crypto, labeled ADA as irrelevant to institutional investors. Following the Chang hard fork, ADA was trading at $0.32, showing some resilience despite a slight decline of 2.04% over the past 24 hours.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News Flash

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Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Wednesday Evening 9-4-24

Good Evening Dinar Recaps,

EUROPEAN UNION ESTABLISHES COMMISSION TO REGULATE CRYPTOCURRENCY AND BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

▪️European Union creates a commission to regulate cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

▪️New measures aim to reduce risks and protect investors in the crypto market.

▪️ Companies and investors have mixed reactions to the upcoming regulations.

In Europe, new steps are being taken to regulate cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The European Union has created a special commission to regulate and oversee this sector. The commission aims to develop policies and strategies covering crypto assets and digital finance.

New Commission’s Duties

The commission’s main duties include regulating, supervising, and monitoring the crypto assets market. Additionally, preventing the use of these assets for money laundering and terrorist financing is among their priorities.

The commission will also work on the taxation and legal frameworks of crypto assets. It is noted that there will be cooperation with companies operating in the sector during this process.

Companies’ Opinions

Many major crypto companies welcome Europe’s move. Companies emphasize that regulations are important for the long-term sustainability and reliability of the sector.

Some companies highlight that they have encountered similar regulations in the US and Asian markets and stress that this process should be carried out more carefully in Europe.

“Europe’s step to regulate crypto assets will reduce uncertainties in the sector and create a stronger ecosystem.” – President of the European Blockchain Association.

Investors’ Reactions

Investors are closely following the changes that the regulations will bring. Many investors believe that the regulations will provide transparency and trust in the sector.

However, some investors are concerned that these steps could lead to excessive regulation and restrictions in the crypto market.

When news about crypto regulations in Europe first emerged, there was great excitement and curiosity in the sector.

Similar regulatory efforts had been made before, but such a comprehensive initiative had not been implemented. Now, the European Union’s new approach to crypto assets could set an example for other global regulators in the sector.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Coin-Turk

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 $450,000,000,000 SWISS BANK STARTS XRP, BITCOIN AND ETHER TRADING

▪️Zürcher Kantonalbank partners with Crypto Finance AG to launch crypto brokerage services for retail clients and third-party banks.

▪️ZKB clients can now trade Bitcoin, XRP, and Ethereum seamlessly through their mobile app, e-banking, and digital channels

Recently, Crypto Finance AG, a member of the Deutsche Börse Group, has announced a collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) to provide cryptocurrency asset brokerage services.

This agreement is a big step forward for Switzerland’s largest cantonal bank, which will debut its new crypto service on September 4, 2024. This unique tool, aimed primarily at retail consumers and third-party banks, allows a wider audience to engage with digital assets such as Bitcoin, XRP, and Ethereum.

Growing Demand for Crypto Services in Traditional Banking

The introduction of this integrated digital asset solution demonstrates the increased interest and demand for crypto services in traditional banking. It lays a solid platform for participating in the constantly increasing digital asset market.

Blockchain researcher Collin Brown emphasized the significance of this development, stating that ZKB clients may now trade Bitcoin, XRP, and Ethereum through a variety of channels, including their mobile app, e-banking, and other digital platforms.

Peter Hubli, Head of Digital Asset Solutions at ZKB, expressed his delight for the relationship, citing Crypto Finance’s “experienced, regulated, and competent” knowledge in the crypto market.

He stressed how the relationship provides industry knowledge, allowing ZKB to successfully handle the challenges of the cryptocurrency market. This statement demonstrates ZKB’s commitment to providing its clients with dependable and secure access to the digital asset area.

The successful launch of ZKB’s cryptocurrency offering reflects not only the rising integration of digital assets into traditional financial frameworks, but also Switzerland’s growing position as a global leader in digital innovation and financial technology.

As the government continues to create an atmosphere suitable to fintech growth, the collaboration between ZKB and Crypto Finance exemplifies the developing interaction between traditional banking and the crypto world. Stijn Vander Straeten, CEO of Crypto Finance AG, stated:

“We are very proud to support Switzerland’s largest Kantonalbank in the launch of their crypto offering. This is a further important milestone for the broad acceptance of crypto in Switzerland. We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with ZKB.”

On the other hand, as we previously reported, Deutsche Bank-backed Taurus is expanding its services to the Stellar blockchain, which now offers asset tokenization and safe storage solutions.

Taurus-PROTECT, a digital asset storage solution, and Taurus-CAPITAL, a tokenization service, are now available on Stellar’s public blockchain, expanding the digital asset management options.

Furthermore, Deutsche Bank has offered Bitpanda users real-time payment solutions, allowing for frictionless deposits and withdrawals. According to CNF, Bitpanda customers in Germany may now enjoy increased convenience and security with local IBAN access, which contributes to a better overall user experience.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News Flash

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INDIA SURPASSES THE US AND BRAZIL IN THE SANDBOX CONTENT CREATION

▪️India leads in content creation for The Sandbox, surpassing the US and Brazil.

▪️The Sandbox's strategic focus doubled its Indian user base to 350,000.

▪️Borget remains optimistic about Web3 adoption despite the market not entering a bull phase.

India has emerged as a leading content creator source for the popular Metaverse platform, The Sandbox, surpassing the US and Brazil. According to The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget, India currently has over 66,000 content creators compared to 59,989 in the US and 25,335 in Brazil.

Focused Specifically on the Indian Market

India‘s rise came after The Sandbox’s strategic focus on the Indian market, announced in December 2023, which doubled the platform’s user base in the country to 350,000. The company now aims to reach one million users in India within the next two years.

Borget attributed the rapid growth to various boot camps and educational programs conducted either directly by The Sandbox or through its joint venture in India, BharatBox, in collaboration with partners like the India-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX

BharatBox was initially launched with $1 million in funding and is expected to receive an additional $200,000 by the fourth quarter of this year.

Despite The Sandbox raising $20 million with a $1 billion valuation in early 2024, Borget stated that further investment in India is unnecessary as the initiative is designed to be self-sustaining and generate its own revenue.

Borget emphasized that India is more than just a global tech workforce, highlighting the success of Blockchain projects not only in development but also in content and entertainment. For example, the sale of 1,060 avatars of characters from the popular Indian movie “Jab We Met” within two weeks of release demonstrates The Sandbox’s successful entry into India’s cinema sector.

Borget: Market Has Not Yet Entered Bull Phase

Commenting on the overall Web3 market, Borget noted increased interest due to the approval of spot-crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US but emphasized that the market has not yet entered a bull phase.

 He pointed out that institutional money flow has not led to higher user adoption because retail investors have not heavily invested their savings in crypto. However, Borget remains optimistic about Web3 adoption with the emergence of higher-quality games and platforms like Telegram‘s distribution network.

Borget also commented on the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France over allegations related to illegal transactions and child abuse materials on the platform. He stressed that while privacy is a fundamental right, platforms should not remain neutral and must cooperate with authorities when used for serious crimes.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Coin-Turk

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IOTA EVM HITS $5 MILLION TVL: KEY DRIVERS BEHIND ITS DEFI SUCCESS

▪️ IOTA EVM Milestone of $5 million TVL reflects the platform’s growing strength and its increasing role in the decentralized finance ecosystem.

▪️ IOTA’s unique parallel processing architecture and cross-chain compatibility are driving its rapid expansion in the DeFi space.

As per the latest data from DeFiLlama, distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform IOTA has achieved a major milestone, with the total value locked on the IOTA Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) surging past $5 million.

This shows that IOTA has been growing strongly, thereby becoming the preferred platform for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. If it continues with this growth trajectory, it can become a key player in the DeFi ecosystem, reported Crypto News Flash.

IOTA’s innovative and scalable architecture has been one of the major reasons behind its significant growth in the crypto industry. Unlike other conventional blockchain networks processing transactions sequentially, IOTA’s Layer 1 network is designed with parallel structures, allowing for simultaneous transaction processing.

This horizontal scalability structure makes IOTA suitable for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications that require fast and efficient infrastructure in order to handle complex financial operations efficiently.

With the introduction of its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), IOTA is making strides in the DeFi space, offering seamless compatibility with Solidity smart contracts. This feature allows developers to easily migrate existing Ethereum-based smart contracts to the IOTA network, simplifying the development of DeFi applications on the platform.

By reducing barriers to entry, IOTA is rapidly expanding its DeFi ecosystem. Furthermore, IOTA’s cross-chain compatibility enables smooth interactions with both EVM and non-EVM chains, thereby significantly enhancing its potential use cases and integration opportunities across different blockchain networks.

All organically, without any marketing or incentive campaigns (yet). Let’s keep on climbing 🧗🏔

— Dominik Schiener (@DomSchiener) September 3, 2024

IOTA Boosts Its DeFi Appeal With Fairness and Security

The features like native randomness and Miner Extractable Value (MEV) resistance ensure that IOTA remains fair and secure thereby driving a large number of users to its platform.

These mechanisms ensure that the ordering of transactions happens randomly while minimizing the risk of front-running or unfair value extraction. This helps IOTA to maintain high integrity and trust within the DeFi ecosystem.

Thus, by expanding its technological capabilities, IOTA has managed to reach the $5 million TVL milestone. Besides, its commitment to creating a scalable, fair, and secure environment is attracting new projects and increasing liquidity, solidifying its place in the competitive DeFi landscape.

With its scalable architecture, cross-chain compatibility, and dedication to fairness, IOTA is ready to become a key player in the future of decentralized finance.

The recent $5 million TVL milestone underscores the belief in IOTA’s potential as the platform continues to attract investment and innovation, positioning itself as a leader in shaping the future of finance.

Today, the EVM platform also enjoys the launch of the exclusive game IOTA Heroes, with the goal of expanding the ecosystem into new verticals, reported CNF.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News Flash

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Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Wednesday Afternoon 9-4-24

Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,

US CFTC Issues Order for Uniswap (UNI)

▪️CFTC issued an order for Uniswap, demanding a $175,000 fine.

▪️Uniswap allegedly violated the Commodity Exchange Act.

▪️UNI Coin price fluctuated due to regulatory uncertainties.

SEC, known for its aggressive lawsuits regarding cryptocurrencies, is not the only regulatory body in America. CFTC also takes action by detecting violations in the futures market. Just now, the institution issued an order for Uniswap, demanding a $175,000 fine and cessation of the violation.

Uniswap (UNI) and CFTC

Uniswap, one of the largest DeFi platforms, is currently supported by Uniswap Labs. According to the CFTC, the DeFi platform allows leveraged trading without permission, violating regulations. 

Therefore, it must pay a $175,000 fine and cease violating the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).

CFTC Enforcement Director Ian McGinley said:

“Today’s action once again shows that the Enforcement Division will vigorously enforce the CEA as digital asset platforms and DeFi ecosystems evolve. DeFi platforms must ensure their services comply with the law.”

The UNI Coin price fell below $6.2 and then returned to $6.45. Uncertainty about compliance and whether US citizens will be restricted from accessing the protocol may increase volatility in the coming hours.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Coin-Turk

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BRICS NEWS: BLOCKCHAIN PAYMENT SYSTEM SET FOR OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENT—POTENTIAL XRP INTEGRATION HIGHLIGHTED

▪️ BRICS Pay platform to launch at the 2024 BRICS Summit aims to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar in global finance.

▪️The platform could challenge Western financial systems like SWIFT.

The BRICS economic alliance is gearing up for its 2024 Annual Summit, where the much-anticipated BRICS Pay platform, a payment system based on blockchain, is expected to take center stage. The platform was unveiled earlier this year. It is likely to threaten the current financial order and promote the group’s de-dollarization policy.

BRICS Pay is a new payment system using blockchain technology. It is intended to help the BRICS countries minimize their reliance on the US dollar in international trade.

Additionally, the platform will intend to enable efficient interactions among member countries and may provide a solution to the US-dominated SWIFT payment system.

Russia Pushes for Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Solutions

The system’s development also coincides with the increasing tension between Russia and the West, especially regarding sanctions and financial measures.

Consequently, Russia has paid more attention to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The BRICS Pay platform is integral to this approach as it can facilitate the use of local currencies and strengthen the economic relations between the BRICS countries and their partners.

The BRICS Pay is in line with the bloc’s objective of decreasing the use of the US dollar in international trade and finance. The data from the Atlantic Council’s Dollar Dominance Monitor shows that the dollar’s global reserve status declined to 58 % in 2024 from 72% in 2002. This decline underlines the continuing process of de-dollarisation, which BRICS Pay predicts will strengthen.

Yury Ushakov, an assistant to the Russian president, told the state media how important the BRICS Pay project is for the future. The platform will use digital and blockchain technologies to establish a reliable and effective payment system to facilitate the bloc’s economic agenda.

The platform’s potential extends beyond the BRICS countries, as other Global South nations could use it as a reference to reduce their dependence on the US dollar and strengthen their national currencies.

This means that BRICS Pay can also provide much-needed competition to the SWIFT system and also promote the economic cohesion of the developing world.

Platform Extends Influence Beyond BRICS Nations

The planned launch of BRICS Pay at the 2024 Summit has major strategic implications.

 It is a milestone toward the financial emancipation of the BRICS and other emerging economies from the current global order. As a blockchain solution for transactions, BRICS Pay can challenge Western financial organizations and enhance the role of BRICS countries in the world.

Furthermore, the platform’s development correlates with Russia’s current interest in cryptocurrencies and digital currencies. Russia recently revealed plans to create two crypto exchanges, and stablecoins pegged to the Chinese yuan and other BRICS currencies. 

Notably, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to October 24. Turkey’s interest in BRICS aligns with its broader foreign policy strategy, which aims to balance relations between the East and West.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News Flash

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SPREADING USD-PEGGED STABLECOINS—TRUMP-BACKED DEFI PROJECT REVEALS ‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ PLANS

Over the past few weeks, there’s been a buzz of intrigue and speculation around World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (defi) project led by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. After facing some rumors and critiques, the project’s X account finally released fresh details about its mission, aiming to clear the air.

World Liberty Financial Defends Mission and Security After Facing Scrutiny

World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized finance (defi) project associated with Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., recently released new information about its plans.

The project, shrouded in speculation, was called a “digital real estate” venture by Eric Trump during an interview, the son of former President and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump.

In its latest announcement, WLF emphasized its partnership with several prominent security firms, including Zokyo, Fuzzland, and Peckshield, to ensure the safety of its platform.

While WLF claims to differentiate itself from other projects by collaborating with the decentralized finance (defi) protocol Aave, rather than forking it, details about the project’s specifics still remain scarce. 

The project’s messaging focuses on advancing the mass adoption of stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar.

The team behind WLF asserts that their project is critical to maintaining the U.S. dollar’s global dominance, particularly as rival countries seek alternatives to the currency.

“By spreading U.S.-pegged stablecoins around the world, we ensure that the U.S. dollar’s dominance continues, securing America’s financial leadership and influence on the global stage,” the WLF X account stated.

However, despite these ambitions, skepticism persists. There’s been a number of people who believe the project may fall prey to hackers and some think WLF is just going to launch its own WLF crypto coin. Bitcoin proponent Nic Carter asked on X if there was something that the crypto community could collectively do to “stop the launch of world liberty coin.”

Carter added, “I think it genuinely damages Trump’s electoral prospects, especially if it gets hacked (it’ll be the juiciest defi target ever and it’s forked from a protocol that itself was hacked). However, the WLF project’s organizers wholeheartedly believe that WLF’s impact will soon be clear.

“To those who are skeptical or listening to the noise: our plan will speak for itself,” WLF’s thread concluded. “The brightest minds in crypto are backing us, and what’s coming will make all doubters think twice.”

What do you think about the Trump-associated defi project WLF? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Bitcpin News

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Source:  Currency Facts

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Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Wednesday Morning 9-4-24

Good Morning Dinar Recaps,

RIPPLE AND DIFC PARTNER TO BOOST BLOCKCHAIN INNOVATION IN DUBAI

▪️Ripple partners with DIFC Innovation Hub to accelerate blockchain adoption in the UAE and foster innovation.

▪️Ripple’s 1B XRP fund supports global developers, driving blockchain solutions across 47 countries on the XRPL.

Ripple has announced a strategic relationship with the DIFC Innovation Hub, a thriving innovation environment within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), to accelerate the development and acceptance of blockchain and digital assets in the UAE.

Ripple Fuels Global Blockchain Innovation Through Strategic Alliances and 1B XRP Fund
This alliance aims to connect the next generation of developers with the region’s largest innovation ecosystem, which includes over 1,000 growth-stage IT startups, innovation corporations, digital laboratories, venture capital firms, regulators, and educational institutions. Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple Chief Executive Officer, stated:

“Our partnership with the DIFC Innovation Hub promises to drive the adoption of blockchain technology in the region as the XRPL continues to be a leading blockchain for the region’s start-ups and scaleups building real use cases.”

The agreement demonstrates Ripple’s commitment to pushing blockchain adoption among early-stage firms and scale-ups, as well as situating this disruptive technology within traditional large strategic institutions and their specialized use cases.

The pledge of one billion XRP by Ripple to promote global use cases on the decentralized layer 1 blockchain known as the XRP Ledger (XRPL) further demonstrates its dedication to promoting blockchain innovation.

Ripple’s huge funding offer intends to provide not just monetary support but also technical and business assistance to developers globally. Since the beginning of the 1B XRP Fund in late 2021, Ripple has successfully supported over 160 teams in 47 countries, allowing for the development of a wide range of XRPL applications.

These applications cover a wide range of sectors, including decentralized finance (DeFi), Real World Assets (RWA), and other ground-breaking technologies, demonstrating Ripple’s worldwide effect. Arif Amiri, DIFC Chief Executive Officer, added:

“Today marks another milestone in DIFC’s ongoing journey to help facilitate growth and equip the next generation of leaders with everything they need to succeed.

The Ripple collaboration further cements DIFC’s role as a leading global hub for talent, technology and innovation, as we continue to enhance our ecosystem powered by a world-class regulatory jurisdiction, to drive the future of finance.”

Strategic Integration Boosts Blockchain Innovation and Economic Value in the MEA Region
Ripple’s regional office is located in the DIFC, demonstrating the strategic relevance of the UAE and the larger Middle East and Africa (MEA) area to the company’s activities. The DIFC approved the usage of XRP within the Center in November 2023, marking a key milestone.

This permission enables licensed virtual asset firms operating in the DIFC to incorporate XRP into their virtual asset services, further integrating Ripple’s technology into the region’s financial system.

This move not only advances blockchain innovation in Dubai, but it also generates new economic value by incorporating XRP into the larger virtual asset ecosystem.

In addition to Ripple’s cooperation in Dubai, the Middle Eastern regulatory landscape is evolving, with Qatar recently creating a framework to oversee the operation of digital asset services and foster innovation in the financial sector.

According to CNF, analysts believe that this legislative clarification will considerably accelerate the growth of cryptocurrencies, notably Ripple, given its long-standing ties with Qatar National Bank.

Such regulatory developments in Qatar, together with Ripple’s growing impact in the UAE, place Ripple strategically in the rapidly growing Middle Eastern digital asset industry.

Furthermore, as we previously reported, Japan’s Metaplanet has formed a cooperation with cryptocurrency investment provider SBI for Bitcoin trading and custody.

This collaboration focuses on regulatory compliance and tax efficiency. Given that SBI is one of Ripple’s core partners, there is suspicion that XRP will soon be included in this cooperation, potentially boosting Ripple’s influence in Japan as well.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Crypto News Flash

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RIPPLE INTRODUCES SMART CONTRACTS AND INNOVATIVE NFT FEATURES TO THE XRP LEDGER

▪️Ripple’s new developments aim to expand the XRP ledger’s capabilities, enabling new features such as NFTs, DEXs, and AMMs.

▪️Ripple is broadening its reach by partnering with AI and metaverse firm Futureverse to integrate Ripple Custody for secure DeFi access via the Ottó blockchain.

Blockchain startup Ripple has made some major announcements at the Korea Blockchain Week 2024 with the goal of boosting the foundations of crypto infrastructure thereby driving more institutional adoption of blockchain.

Ripple is now working to advance the XRP Ledger’s programmability by introducing smart contracts to the mainnet and within the ecosystem. This will also help developers leverage the XRP Ledger’s expanded capabilities, thereby accelerating innovation on the platform, per the CNF report.

As a result, Ripple is undertaking a two-pronged approach to boost programmability. First, smart contracts will be introduced to the XRP Ledger mainnet, along with the XRPL EVM Sidechain, in the coming months. These two developments will complement each other in building a robust and versatile ecosystem that will cater to a wide range of applications.

Furthermore, the introduction of the smart contracts will also enable new layer-1 features such as NFTs, Escrow, payment channels, authorized trustlines, as well as DEXs and AMMs.

The introduction of these new features, along with the high speed and low cost of XRP Ledger, makes it well-suited to drive everything from traditional finance to innovative new applications. However, the Ripple community is also demanding moving away from centralized control of XRP Ledger and taking the path of decentralization, reported Crypto News Flash.

The XRPL Labs’ Hooks, which define the current smart contract standards provide a crucial foundation that can be built upon to improve Mainnet features. This framework will further allow developers to harness Ledger’s core strengths while tailoring smart contracts to address specific requirements.

Ripple Partners With AI and Metaverse Tech Firms

Apart from the financial markets, Ripple is also expanding its wings into other emerging industries, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Metaverse. As a result, it has partnered with Futureverse, an AI and metaverse technology firm, to integrate Ripple Custody and thus secure its digital assets.

Futureverse will facilitate secure, KYC-verified access to DeFi through its proprietary Ottó blockchain. To ensure safe receipt and storage of cryptocurrencies before minting on Ottó, Futureverse will utilize Ripple Custody.

It is clear that Ripple seeks to grab a piece of the crypto custody market, which is expected to grow to $10 trillion by 2030. The blockchain startup will do this by providing a state-of-the-art governance framework while safeguarding a large number of digital assets, including stablecoins and tokenized assets such as bonds, stocks, commodities, and real estate.

 Interestingly, Ripple has also been working on a multi-purpose token for XRPL, per the CNF report.

In another announcement, Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) welcomed Korea’s Yonsei University as its 58th global partner. With over $60 million committed to the UBRI program, Ripple continues to advance academic excellence and cutting-edge research through strategic support, technical resources, and grants.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: and Read more: 

Crypto News Flash

CoinGape

Cointrust

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Why You Need to Know What a Recession Really Is - The Economic Ninja |  Youtube

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XRP WHALES SELLING HEAVILY AS RIPPLE TO PAY US SEC THIS WEEK

▪️XRP whales dump heavily ahead of Ripple's $125M settlement with the SEC.

▪️Ripple to pay the settlement this week.

▪️XRP price dips with increased selling pressure on the asset.

XRP whales have ignited severe investor concerns, heavily dumping their holdings ahead of a $125M settlement between Ripple and the U.S. SEC. On-chain data pointed out nearly 1 billion XRP moved over the past day, raising speculations on the cryptocurrency’s future price movements.

 Moreover, recent massive escrow movements by the American blockchain payments firm have further propelled speculations on XRP price action ahead.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: CoinGape

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Ripple USD Stablecoin Could be Issued in 'Weeks, Not Months': Garlinghouse

The RLUSD will be fully backed by U.S. dollar assets, tested with enterprise partners, and will operate on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchain.

Ripple is close to launching its U.S.-dollar pegged stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), with CEO Brad Garlinghouse indicating a launch timeline of “weeks.”

RLUSD will be fully backed by U.S. dollar assets, tested with enterprise partners, and will operate on the XRP Ledger and  Ethereum blockchain.

SEOUL- Ripple Labs chief executive Brad Garlinghouse, at the ongoing Korea Blockchain Week on Wednesday, said that the company’s U.S.-dollar pegged stablecoin is close to issuance
.
“We will certainly launch soon. Weeks, not months,” Garlinghouse said at the event. “It’s called Ripple USD. RLUSD has been minted in that framework.”

He stated that plans for the token were made after USD Coin (USDC), the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization of $34 billion, lost its dollar peg in March, 2023.

“We felt like there was an opportunity for a credible player already working with lots of financial institutions to lean into that market,” he said.

Ripple first revealed its stablecoin plans in April, stating that the token would be "100% backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. government Treasuries and other cash equivalents.”

It began testing the token in early August with enterprise partners. The stablecoin is scheduled to be deployed onto Ripple's institution-focused XRP Ledger and the Ethereum blockchain to start and will be based on Ethereum's ERC-20 token standard.

Plans for the stablecoin come amid further boosts to the XRP Ledger network in the form of Ethereum-compatible smart contracts, which will let users build out on-chain exchanges and issue tokens, among other financial services, as they do on Ethereum.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: CoinDesk

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Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Tuesday Afternoon 9-3-24

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QATAR LAUNCHES 2024 DIGITAL ASSETS FRAMEWORK TO LEAD GLOBAL FINANCE

▪️Qatar's QFC Digital Assets Framework 2024 provides a legal foundation for digital asset activities.

▪️The framework was developed through extensive consultation with various stakeholders and includes initiatives like the QFC Digital Assets Lab.

▪️Qatar's initiative is expected to position the country as a leader in digital finance, attracting more companies and driving economic growth.

Qatar is making a major move in the world of finance with the launch of the QFC Digital Assets Framework 2024. Created by the Qatar Financial Center Authority and the Qatar Financial Center Regulatory Authority, this new framework aims to transform how digital assets are managed in the country.

Let’s look at how this could make Qatar a leader in digital finance.

All About the QFC Digital Assets Framework

The QFC Digital Assets Framework acts as a detailed guide for digital assets in Qatar. It sets legal standards for activities such as tokenization, owning digital tokens, and exchanging them. It also acknowledges the role of smart contracts, showing a modern approach to digital asset management.

Why is this framework important? 

The main goal is to ensure a safe environment for digital transactions, meeting global standards. Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank, sees this framework as a key part of Qatar’s plan to modernize its financial sector. It’s not just about setting rules; it’s about opening new opportunities and driving Qatar’s digital transformation.

It Takes a Team for Success!

Creating the QFC Digital Assets Framework took a lot of time and resources. It took a lot of discussions and input from an advisory group that included 37 organizations from different fields-finance, technology and law. The idea was to make sure the framework isn’t just a set of rules but something that works for everyone involved.

One of the standout features is the QFC Digital Assets Lab, which started in October 2023. More than 20 startups and fintech companies are already using it to test and launch their digital asset products and services.

This lab is not just about regulation; it’s about encouraging innovation and making Qatar a central player in digital finance.

Qatar’s Ambitious Vision

With the launch of the QFC Digital Assets Framework 2024, Qatar is clearly aiming to lead in digital finance. This framework provides the clarity and security that businesses, both local and international, need. It’s expected to attract more companies to Qatar, boosting its financial sector and making it more competitive globally.

Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO of QFC, is enthusiastic about the new framework, noting that it aligns Qatar’s regulations with the best global practices. It’s also a key part of Qatar’s strategy for long-term growth and security in the digital space.

Shaping the Future of Finance – Together!

In short, the QFC Digital Assets Framework 2024 is a major development. It’s not just about setting rules; it’s about shaping the future of finance in Qatar. By building a strong regulatory base, Qatar is ensuring that digital asset transactions are secure, transparent, and ready for the future.

This framework is a big step forward for Qatar’s financial sector and its role in global digital finance.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Cooinpedia

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RIPPLE PARTNERS WITH FUTUREVERSE TO ENHANCE SECURE DIGITAL ASSET CUSTODY

Futureverse to Leverage Ripple Custody for AI and Metaverse Initiatives

In a significant advancement within the digital asset infrastructure and metaverse technology sectors, Ripple, a leader in digital asset solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Futureverse, a prominent company in AI and metaverse technology. 

The collaboration aims to integrate Ripple Custody into Futureverse’s ecosystem, ensuring secure storage and management of digital assets, particularly as the demand for compliant and institutional-grade custody solutions continues to grow.

Futureverse has unveiled plans to use Ripple Custody to facilitate the secure custody of digital assets before they are minted on its self-developed Ottó blockchain.

The partnership will enable Futureverse to offer a secure and compliant environment for Know Your Customer (KYC) verified access to decentralized finance (DeFi) via the Ottó blockchain.

This development is timely, given the rapid expansion of the crypto custody market, which is projected to approach $10 trillion by 2030.

The integration of Ripple Custody is expected to address the critical need for robust, secure, and compliant digital asset storage solutions that can accommodate a wide range of digital assets, including stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets such as stocks, bonds, commodities, and real estate.

Ripple Custody has been designed with a state-of-the-art governance framework to protect a diverse array of digital assets, thereby allowing institutions, enterprises, and crypto businesses to securely manage their digital assets while confidently navigating the evolving Web3 landscape.

This partnership underscores the growing importance of secure custody solutions as digital assets gain increased adoption across various sectors.

Jeffrey McDonald, the Founder of Ottó Blockchain and Chief Customer Officer of Futureverse, emphasized that the integration of Ripple Custody into Futureverse’s operations was driven by Ripple’s industry-leading security features, which are designed to enhance the safety of customers’ digital assets.

 He also highlighted the long-standing relationship between the two companies, noting that Ripple’s advanced product features made it the ideal choice as Futureverse continues to innovate within the AI and metaverse technology spaces.

Ripple’s suite of enterprise-grade solutions is tailored to meet the evolving demands of businesses operating in the digital economy.

Beyond custody services, Ripple offers a comprehensive range of solutions, including the secure storage of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, the off-ramping of stablecoins, and the facilitation of payouts in local fiat currencies across over 80 markets worldwide.

These offerings are designed to help businesses scale their operations without compromising on security, compliance, or operational efficiency.

Fiona Murray, Managing Director of APAC at Ripple, emphasized the importance of security and compliance as foundational elements for the success of any digital asset platform.

She further expressed that Ripple’s ongoing collaboration with Futureverse is a testament to the company’s commitment to supporting Web3 projects and communities with secure and scalable custody solutions.

Both Ripple and Futureverse have been active participants in the XRP Ledger (XRPL) community, with Futureverse having adopted the XRPL NFT standard, which benefits from the network’s low transaction fees and high throughput capabilities.

 Moreover, Futureverse utilizes XRP as the network’s gas token and has integrated with the XRPL decentralized exchange (DEX) to provide network liquidity. The partnership between Ripple and Futureverse was further solidified in 2023 when Ripple took part in Futureverse’s $54 million Series A funding round, led by 10T Holdings.

This collaboration between Ripple and Futureverse highlights the ongoing evolution of digital asset management and the critical role that secure, compliant custody solutions play in the broader adoption of digital assets and blockchain technology.

As the market continues to evolve, partnerships like this are likely to become increasingly important in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of digital asset platforms.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: CoinTrust

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UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF HISTORICAL BOND |  Youtube

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METAPLANET TEAMS UP WITH RIPPLE ALLY SBI TO BOLSTER ITS BITCOIN-BUYING STRATEGY; XRP PLANS NEXT?

Metaplanet, a major Japanese-headquartered prolific Bitcoin (BTC) investor now recognized as a MicroStrategy imitator,” is collaborating with Ripple’s banking partner, the financial conglomerate SBI.

The strategic partnership is aimed at supporting Metaplanet’s ongoing efforts to expand its Bitcoin corporate treasury.

SBI To Provide Metaplanet With Custody And Trading Support
Metaplanet — known as “Japan’s MicroStrategy” on Crypto Twitter — has joined forces with SBI VC Trade, a division of Tokyo-based SBI Holdings.

The collaboration gives Metaplanet access to SBI’s compliant custodial services, designed to prioritize tax efficiency and provide the potential to use Bitcoin as collateral for financing.

This is part of Metaplanet’s broader strategy to engage with industry players in Japan and broaden its financial options.

“This collaboration is part of our ongoing effort to engage with leading industry stakeholders in Japan who support our corporate Bitcoin accumulation strategy,” Metaplanet’s official announcement states.

Tokyo stock exchange listed Metaplanet revealed that as its Bitcoin haul grows, it will continue to explore financial tools that provide greater “financial flexibility.”

Following in the footsteps of Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin in the world, Metaplanet’s new main corporate objective is to accumulate as much of the benchmark cryptocurrency as possible. 

The publicly traded firm announced it had adopted BTC as its “core treasury reserve asset” to hedge against Japan’s debt burden and yen volatility. Metaplanet held roughly 360.4 BTC (worth around $20 million) as of August 20.

In its official announcement, SBI VC Trade said it would assist Metaplanet in addressing its Bitcoin accumulation strategy by offering trading and operation support.

“Focused on Bitcoin’s rarity and non-political monetary policy, Metaplanet appointed Bitcoin as a major financial asset and advanced Bitcoin’s accumulation through both debt and equity financing,” SBI VC Trade continued.

XRP Plans In The Pipeline?

Like MicroStrategy, Metaplanet’s focus has so far been on the apex cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Nevertheless, SBI and Metaplanet’s joint venture has sparked hopes for XRP enthusiasts that their favorite crypto could soon secure a place on the company’s balance sheet.

As you may already know, SBI is one of the XRP community’s most prominent supporters. SBI Group became the first Japan-based corporation to leverage XRP Ledger (XRPL) blockchain supply chain solutions after Ripple forged a partnership with Tokyo-based consulting firm HashKey DX in April to push enterprise blockchain solution use cases in the East Asian country.

Furthermore, SBI’s recent partnership with notable crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider Franklin Templeton also introduced the possibility of a spot XRP product in Japan.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  ZyCrypto

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SWISS CENTRAL BANK HOLDS 500 BITCOIN; BANK OF NORWAY HOLDS 1,400 BTC

▪️The Swiss and Norwegian central banks gain indirect Bitcoin exposure through significant holdings in MicroStrategy, aligning with a broader trend of institutional Bitcoin adoption.

▪️Norges Bank’s direct and indirect Bitcoin holdings position it as one of the most prominent institutional BTC holders globally, reflecting a growing acceptance of cryptocurrency among traditional financial institutions.

Norges Bank, managing Norway’s Government Pension Fund, holds 1.123 million shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR), while the Swiss National Bank increased its holdings by 60% to 466,000 MSTR shares, equivalent to a hidden stash of about 500 BTC.

This revelation aligns with earlier developments we discussed where Norway and Switzerland’s central banks significantly increased their stakes in MicroStrategy, gaining indirect Bitcoin exposure.

Furthermore, as revealed by Collin Brown’s tweet today, Norway’s Central Bank is also reported to be holding approximately 1,400 BTC through its MSTR investment.

It is worth noting that, MicroStrategy, known as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder with 226,500 BTC, also has shares owned by South Korea’s public pension fund and Mitsui Sumitomo, a leading Japanese insurer.

Despite a recent 3.5% decline in MSTR shares, trading at $131.21, co-founder Michael Saylor highlighted that the company has outperformed nearly all S&P 500 stocks since adopting its Bitcoin strategy.

As of today, CoinMarketCap data shows that Bitcoin is trading at $59,220.35, having surged by 3.27% in the past day with a decrease of 6.26% in the past week.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Crypto News Flash

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CRYPTO NEWS : ARE S-1 FORMS FAILING CRYPTO? SEC COMMISSIONER SOUNDS THE ALARM!

SEC Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda recently emphasized the need for tailored S-1 registration forms specifically designed for digital asset securities. 

Speaking at Korea Blockchain Week 2024 in Seoul, Uyeda argued that the U.S. SEC should adopt a more flexible approach to regulating digital assets, similar to how it handles other specialized financial products.

Cracking the Code: The S-1 Form and Its Shortcomings

The S-1 form is a crucial document for issuers in the U.S., requiring comprehensive disclosures such as income statements and cash flow statements before introducing a new securities product. 

Uyeda highlighted the inadequacy of the standard S-1 form for digital assets, drawing parallels with registered index-linked annuities, where the SEC already collaborates with product sponsors to develop customized registration requirements.

Crypto’s Regulatory “Catch-22”

Uyeda questioned why the same tailored approach isn’t applied to digital asset securities, arguing that the SEC has the flexibility to create such changes. 

He expressed frustration over the agency’s failure to provide more supportive frameworks for digital asset sponsors, which often leaves them in a regulatory “catch-22.”

This situation arises when the SEC requires disclosures that may not be relevant to digital assets, or when sponsors are unable to comply due to the unique nature of their products.

And it Goes On…

Despite these challenges, Uyeda clarified that the decision to classify a product as a security under federal regulations remains with the issuer.

However, there is ongoing uncertainty about whether cryptocurrencies fall under the SEC’s jurisdiction as securities.

This uncertainty is at the heart of Ripple’s ongoing legal battles with the SEC. Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, recently criticized the term “crypto asset security,” calling it a “fabricated term with no legal basis.”

Crypto Reaction

Ripple, along with other companies like Coinbase, has argued that the SEC has not provided clear regulatory guidelines for digital assets. Uyeda’s comments reflect his dissent from the SEC’s decision to deny Coinbase’s rulemaking petition, which sought clarification on what constitutes security in the digital asset space.

Uyeda hopes that either current SEC Chairman Gary Gensler or his successors will recognize the growing regulatory uncertainty around digital assets and take steps toward developing clear legislation or rulemaking.

However, digital assets have not been a priority on the SEC’s regulatory agenda under Gensler, who has the final say on which items are included.

Uyeda’s Stand on Regulations
Looking ahead, Uyeda suggested that the SEC should consider the regulatory approaches of other jurisdictions, including the EU, South Korea, and Japan when shaping future rules for digital assets.

While his term as one of the SEC’s five commissioners extends until June 2028, Uyeda made it clear that his views are personal and do not necessarily represent the stance of the entire agency.

A Countdown to Change Begins, Will the SEC Step Up or Fall Behind? We Wait and Watch!

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Coinpedia

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BRICSX REVOLUTIONIZING GLOBAL FINANCE  |  Youtube

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CURRENCY REVALUATION EXPLAINED VND, IQD  |  Youtube

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Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Monday Evening 9-2-24

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Fed Governor Waller questions need for speed in cross border payments

In a speech last week, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller argued that “not all frictions that slow down payments are bad”. While he was mainly questioning the interconnection of faster payment systems, he touched on correspondent banking.

As context, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the central bank to the central banks, is working on Project Nexus for interlinking faster payments via its innovation hub.

Additionally, Project Agorá plans to use tokenization and wholesale CBDC to speed up cross border payments via correspondent banks. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a participant in that project, but “strictly for research and experimentation.”

While Governor Waller acknowledged that it’s desirable for remittances to arrive faster, the heart of his objections were in one paragraph:

“Not all frictions that slow payments down are bad. Certain frictions are purposely built into the global payment system for compliance and risk-management reasons.

Slowing down the speed at which payments are cleared and settled helps banks prevent money laundering and counter the financing of terrorism, detect fraud, and recover fraudulent or misdirected cross-border payments.

Granted, the practice today of sending payments through an often complex chain of correspondent banks contributes to slower payments that could benefit from efficiency enhancements.

However, there is no silver bullet that increases speed and efficiency without tradeoffs. Unless new solutions are found, interlinking fast payment systems might increase the risk-management burden for banks that participate in them.”

Buyers don’t want faster payments?

He went on to argue that it is only sellers that want to receive money faster. Buyers don’t want to pay earlier. That’s certainly true.

However, speeding up cross border payments is not the same as using bank transfers versus cheques. To Governor Waller’s point, paying by cheque means the payer keeps hold of the money for longer.

In my experience, cross border payment transfers leave my account instantly. Contrary to Governor Waller’s argument, buyers should love faster cross border payments, because if a payment arrives instantly instead of taking two days, then the buyer can send the money two days later.

If I know it takes two days, then I have to send the payment two days before the expected arrival date. It is invariably the banks involved that keep hold of the money in the interim.

That might be a mismatch in banking hours or issues with Nostro account liquidity or compliance. And some banks may use compliance as an excuse for delays.

The Governor then questioned whether improving payment systems is always the role of central banks or should be left up to the private sector.

He gave examples of where the Fed steps in, such as the case of FedNow, where the private instant payment systems only served a subset of banks.

Mr Waller emphasized that the current focus of FedNow is rolling it out domestically. So it has no plans for interlinking the system.

What does this mean?

One of the aims of Project Agorá, the cross border initiative that uses correspondent banks, is to improve compliance.

That should mean that when a payment instruction is received, the banks conduct compliance first and share information.

Perhaps the amount meant for payment is reserved rather than removed. If all is clear, then the money leaves your account and arrives at the destination.

So part of this is a change in the process order. Mr Waller acknowledged that the correspondent banking process is ripe for optimization.

His comments on the role of the central bank could be good news for Fnality. That’s the private sector system for tokenized institutional payments using central bank deposits. It is working on adding tokenized US dollars to its existing GBP offering.

On the other hand, so far the U.S. regulators have not been supportive of some of the private interbank payment initiatives that use blockchain, particularly those targeting corporates. Hopefully, that is changing with the Regulated Settlement Network.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Ledger Insights

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ARE ELON MUSK, THE IMF, AND THE WORLD BANK SETTING THE STAGE FOR XRP IN THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM?

▪️XRP is a prominent subject of discourse in global cross-border and payment solutions.

▪️The coin is linked to the Ripple Labs ecosystem, with a rich payment solution record.

With its growing popularity, XRP is now linked with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. As a result, there is a growing debate in the crypto community concerning XRP’s future role in global finance.

Elon Musk’s Connection to Ripple

Over the weekend, Versan Aljarrah, founder of Black Swan Capitalist, pointed out Musk’s involvement with Ripple Labs Inc. The founder noted in an X post that Musk’s connection to Ripple is part of a larger narrative that includes XRP in the new financial system.

▪️#ElonMusk’s connection to #Ripple is no secret, it’s always been part of the larger narrative

▪️Remember Elon and Peter Thiel backed #OneCoin, rebranded to #OpenCoin, and then Ripple under Chris Larsen guidance

▪️They’re just setting the stage for #XRP in the new #financial system pic.twitter.com/jRUDK6tQBr

▪️— Black Swan Capitalist (@VersanAljarrah) September 1,

He noted that Musk’s relationship with Ripple is no secret. He recalled a time when Musk and Peter Thiel once supported OneCoin. According to him, this was shortly before OneCoin rebranded to OpenCoin and later Ripple under the leadership of Chris Larsen.

The founder’s recent disclosure comes only shortly after crypto-friendly lawyer Fred Rispoli made a bold proposal to Elon Musk. Notably, Rispoli recently urged Musk to consider integrating XRP into his X Payments platform.

This suggestion could mark a major transformation for XRP. It comes shortly after the Ripple Labs and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) legal battle ended.

As highlighted in our previous article, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that secondary sales of XRP are not securities. This verdict has helped provide greater regulatory clarity, strengthening investor confidence in the digital asset.

 Nonetheless, Ripple was ordered to pay a $125 million fine for institutional XRP sales violating federal securities laws.

XRP Role in Global Financial Payment Systems

In a related post, Aljarrah noted that the World Bank and the IMF have consistently featured XRP and stablecoins in payment discourse. The founder thinks this is not a coincidence but the foundation of the new monetary system.

Meanwhile, Ripple has preserved a brand identity connected to financial transactions since its founding. XRP is already being used to solve key financial problems in the crypto space.

For instance, XRP is a bridge currency in cross-border payments, offering instant settlements at lower charges between different fiat currencies.

According to our recent analysis, the Bank of Russia began exploring XRP in its financial system in 2018. Based on the details, the coin was leveraged for cross-border remittances with plans to solve digital payment needs.

Moreover, Ripple strongly believes blockchain-based payment solutions may become invaluable to local banks. As noted in our earlier post, the payment company provides local banks with blockchain-based payment solutions to help SMEs overcome the hurdles of traditional cross-border transactions.

Overall, Ripple’s blockchain solutions have helped strengthen XRP’s position as a leader in the crypto market. As XRP sees more integration, experts’ predictions of XRP facilitating global payments could eventually come true.

At press time, XRP is trading at $0.5576, up by 0.44% in 24 hours. The trading volume surged 67% within the same timeframe to $883 million. With more positive narratives around the coin, it might ultimately sustain its rebound moves.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News Flash

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IOTA NEWS: EMBARK ON EPIC QUESTS WITH IOTA HEROES AS GAME DEBUTS ON IOTA EVM SEPTEMBER 4TH

▪️IOTA Heroes, a game built exclusively for the IOTA ecosystem, is launching on IOTA EVM on the 4th of September 2024 at 20:00 CEST.

▪️New features include a Hatchery, the option to end adventures early, faster routing and navigation, and inventory item filters.

IOTA Heroes, an exciting game that allows users to fight, conquer, and earn, will launch in the IOTA EVM later this week.

The game launches on the 4th of September 2024 at 20:00 CEST, the developers revealed on X.

The IOTA EVM is the first fully EVM-compatible smart contract chain on the IOTA network, enabling fast, secure, and scalable smart contracts. As we’ve reported, the EVM has thrived since its launch and has been pushing the boundaries of DeFi, decentralized trading, sustainability, and more.

As the IOTA Heroes team revealed in an accompanying blog post, it has been working to prepare the game for a token migration, which is no mean feat given how vast the number of tokens they manage is. The team benefitted from the IOTA Grants, being one of the first projects to receive one to fund the migration.

IOTA Heroes is doing all the heavy lifting for the token holders.

We’ll ensure that all your heroes, items, and gold are airdropped directly to your address. Additionally, we’ve prepared scripts to automatically set up all your facilities and hero skills that you’ve developed on ShimmerEVM. Everything will be ready and waiting for you when you first log in to the game!

IOTA Heroes on IOTA EVM

The migration comes with a raft of changes. For starters, the team has updated the battle visualizer, allowing users to access more information on the combat scenes. More updates are expected in the near future.

Other changes include the long-overdue introduction of the Hatchery, where users can now crack their eggs for some exciting possibilities. The game has previously limited users to reforging only five items at a time, but with the new update, users can reforge any multiple of five (10, 15, 100) as long as they have enough charcoal to power the process.

The update also gives users more options as they play IOTA Heroes. For one, you can choose to end an adventure early; say, for instance, that your adventures were set to end in an hour or two, and you want to end them earlier and get on with other things—well, you can choose to end it by spending some of your gold.

Others might choose to end the adventure to preserve some of the in-game items they have acquired, especially if they value them higher than gold. Of course, you must engage in an adventure at least five minutes before you get the option to call it quits.

On the back end, the IOTA Heroes team has refined its smart contracts to make the experience smoother. It has also switched to SvelteKit, a framework for deploying web apps using Svelte, which will translate into smoother routing and faster navigation.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Crypto News Flash

~~~~~~~~~

An important update on Gold.

THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THE GOLD STANDARD  |  Youtube

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Source:  Currency Facts

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This Week in AI: OpenAI signs landmark AI deal with US

OpenAI is preparing to raise its next funding round, seeking to secure billions of dollars at a $100 billion valuation. Tech giants like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) are rumored to be interested in participating.

Each of these companies is no stranger to OpenAI:

▪️Microsoft has been a primary investor, owning a 49% share of the company thanks to its $13 billion investment in 2019.

▪️Apple partnered with OpenAI in June to use its models to power upcoming AI features.

▪️Nvidia, the dominant chipmaker, provides OpenAI with the infrastructure it needs to train and run its models.

Although OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the market leader, with hundreds of millions of monthly users, the company has yet to turn a profit from its AI products and services. Moreover, OpenAI must continue spending billions to stay competitive and maintain its market leadership.

Rumors suggest the company is on track to lose $5 billion this year from its AI operations, making it unsurprising that OpenAI needs to raise significant capital to keep the business going.

Google’s Imagen 3 relaunches with enhanced AI accuracy and ethics

Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) announced that it would reintroduce its image generation AI, Imagen 3, into its products, starting with Gemini Advanced.

Google’s AI image generation tool was previously operational but was pulled in February following incidents where the AI overcompensated for race and ethnicity when generating images of people.

 For example, when prompted to produce an image of the four founding fathers of the United States, Imagen returned an output featuring diverse individuals who were not the founding fathers.

These incidents sparked discussions about Google’s AI being overly concerned with ethics, bias, and censorship, leading the company to suspend its model from generating images of people.

All AI models walk a fine line between ethics and bias, especially regarding race and ethnicity. It’s more common for AI to exclude racial and ethnic diversity in outputs, but Google’s first iteration did the opposite, creating inaccurate outputs due to overcompensation.

As Google reintroduces Imagen 3, it will be interesting to see how the company addresses these challenges and whether the new version of its AI can strike a better balance between inclusivity and accuracy. People are likely to stress-test this model in the same areas as before, pushing it to its limits to see how well it handles these nuances.

Nvidia stock dips despite beating earnings: Has the AI boom peaked?

Nvidia recently held its latest earnings call, surpassing analyst expectations on several fronts. However, despite beating expectations, the company’s stock closed roughly 8% down the following day.

Nvidia’s forecast that next quarter’s gross margins might fall short of analyst estimates could have contributed to this decline. In contrast, others believe the dip reflects investors’ unreasonably high expectations for Nvidia, which are becoming increasingly challenging to meet.

The question now is whether this decline signals that Nvidia has peaked and is entering a period of cooling off. Linear growth typically doesn’t continue forever, and Nvidia has had a historic run during the AI boom, supplying nearly 90% of the chips companies need to train and run their AI models.

Even Nvidia seems aware that its winning streak might be cooling off, as reflected in its forecast for the next quarter.

Amazon set to launch AI-powered Alexa

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is reportedly gearing up to launch an AI-enhanced version of its home assistant, Alexa. 

The upgrade, expected in October, will include features such as AI-generated summaries of news articles tailored to users’ preferences.

It will also introduce voice recognition capabilities, allowing Alexa to differentiate between speakers and provide personalized experiences, such as finding recipes suited to individual tastes or tailoring shopping experiences to the user.

The AI-enhanced Alexa will only be available to subscribers of a new service, which would help offset the costs associated with Alexa. The device has allegedly contributed to Amazon’s devices department losing billions of dollars, as most Alexa users opt for the free version after purchasing the physical device.

While we’ve seen several companies attempt to create AI wearables, there haven’t been as many efforts to develop in-home AI assistants. 

Due to their reliance on voice commands, existing home assistants have struggled to gain traction, often proving awkward to use. These devices tend to add more friction to users’ workflows rather than simplifying them.

However, if I had to guess, the lack of AI features probably isn’t the main reason these devices haven’t taken off, so I am doubtful that these new AI capabilities will be the boost products like Alexa, Google Home, or Apple’s Siri need to regain popularity.

OpenAI and Anthropic establish landmark AI safety partnership with US government

In a first-of-its-kind agreement, OpenAI and Anthropic have signed a deal with the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute at the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

This agreement grants the U.S. AI Safety Institute—which was established via President Biden’s executive order on AI—access to major new models from each company before their release.

Additionally, the companies will collaborate with the institute on research to evaluate AI models’ capabilities and safety risks and explore methods to mitigate those risks.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see more AI providers follow suit and partner with government entities. The government tends to scrutinize AI systems, particularly regarding their safety and potential societal risks. A partnership of this nature signals that the AI provider is at least attempting to make its systems safer and more secure.

These collaborations probably give AI companies some breathing room when releasing models that might otherwise face government scrutiny.

By addressing potential issues early in the process, thanks to early access and the other benefits that sometimes come with a government partnership, AI providers can save time, money, and trouble, allowing them to refine their models before launching them in a way less likely to lead to regulatory concerns.

In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  CoinGeek

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Elon Musk Considers Dogecoin for Tesla Payments Again

▪️Elon Musk hinted at Dogecoin's return as a Tesla payment option.

▪️Judge dismissed a $258 billion lawsuit against Musk and Tesla.

▪️DOGE's price dropped over 2% in the last 24 hours.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated the potential return of Dogecoin as a payment option for Tesla products. This statement came just two days after he and Tesla successfully dismissed a June 2022 lawsuit accusing them of defrauding investors through a Dogecoin pump-and-dump scheme.

 On August 31, Musk responded affirmatively when asked if anyone else wanted Tesla to bring back Dogecoin as a payment option for products.

▪️What Is Happening on the Dogecoin Front?
▪️Details on the Matter

What Is Happening on the Dogecoin Front?

Tesla previously accepted Dogecoin for products in January 2022, but it is unclear if the company will reimplement this feature. 

At that time, the company stated that only Dogecoin would be accepted and warned that other crypto assets sent to them would not be returned. However, the Dogecoin payment option later disappeared without any explanation.

Given Musk’s known support for Dogecoin, a return would not be surprising. Earlier this year, Tesla hinted at the possibility of accepting Dogecoin as a payment method. Musk has consistently expressed his fondness for DOGE and frequently influenced its price movements with his actions.

Musk’s defense of Dogecoin has also led to legal challenges. On August 29, Judge Alvin Hellerstein dismissed a $258 billion class-action lawsuit against the billionaire and his company.

The lawsuit accused Musk and Tesla of manipulating Dogecoin’s price and claimed that Musk used his influence, including his appearance on Saturday Night Live, to affect the token’s value.

Details on the Matter

Judge Hellerstein ruled that Musk’s statements about Dogecoin were enthusiastic and exaggerated rather than factual claims that could mislead investors. He concluded that no reasonable investor would rely on these statements and that the pump-and-dump allegations were unfounded:

“As for the alleged pump-and-dump scheme by Musk and Tesla, it is impossible to understand the plaintiffs’ claims of market manipulation, pump-and-dump scheme, breach of fiduciary duty involving insider trading, or state law claims.”

Despite these developments, DOGE’s price dropped by more than 2% in the last 24 hours to $0.099113 at the time of writing, according to Tradingview data. This decline reflects a broader market trend, with significant crypto assets like Bitcoin experiencing substantial losses during the reporting period.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Coin-Turk

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Hedera’s (HBAR) Daily Transactions Soar 46% as Market Cap Corrects

▪️Hedera’s daily transactions increased by 46% in Q2 2024, driven mainly by the Hedera Consensus Service.

▪️HBAR’s circulating market cap dropped by 29%, but its rank among all tokens improved from 36th to 30th.

According to a report from research firm Messari, Hedera (HBAR) experienced a notable surge in daily transactions during the second quarter of 2024, marking a 46% increase quarter-over-quarter (QoQ).

The total number of daily transactions increased from 90.9 million in Q1 to 132.9 million in Q2, reflecting the network’s increasing usage. The growth was mainly attributed to the Hedera Consensus Service, which constituted 99% of all the activities on the network.

Revenue Climbs as Network Activity Increases

For the second quarter of 2024, Hedera had a very good financial situation in terms of several aspects.

The network revenue, primarily derived from transaction fees, recorded a 26% growth in USD from $1.1 million in the first quarter to $1. 4 million in the second quarter. Regarding HBAR, the revenue also rose by 19% QoQ to 14. 6 million HBAR.

Despite this, the HBAR’s circulating market capitalization reduced by 29% and stood at $2. 7 billion. This decline came after three successive quarters of growth and was partially blamed on a 33% decline in the price of HBAR, which dropped from $0. 11 to $0. 08 during the same quarter.

However, HBAR’s market capitalization ranking rose, climbing six positions from 36th to 30th among all tokens, surpassing other tokens with comparable prices.

The Hedera network also experienced a significant rise in the number of users. The average daily number of newly created accounts increased by 31% QoQ from 8,400 in Q1 to 11,100 in Q2.

 This growth in new accounts was not reflected by the active address activity. The total daily active addresses also declined by 37% QoQ from 16,800 to 10,600. This means fewer accounts were active in making transactions while more accounts were being opened.

Karate Combat League Drives Significant Network Activity
One of the major drivers of activity on the Hedera network in Q2 was the Karate Combat League, a full-contact karate league that integrates blockchain technology into its fan engagement strategy.

The KARATE token allows fans to vote on the outcomes of the matches, and the token is built on the Hedera and Ethereum networks.

In the second quarter, there were several Karate Combat events that happened and this greatly helped in boosting Hedera’s transaction volume. For example, the KC45 event on the 20th of April had 1. 74 billion of KARATE tokens staked on Hedera with 65,300 contributors from Hedera and Ethereum.

The subsequent events like KC46 and KC47 also witnessed good voter turnout, with KC47 held on June 28 involving 117800 unique voters and 3. 17 billion KARATE tokens voted on Hedera.

At the time of writing, HBAR has seen a 21% decline over the past month and is currently trading at $0.051. This can be attributed to the general market risk, which has been accelerated by the fluctuation of major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

@ Newshounds News™
Source: Crypto News Flash

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DONALD TRUMP UNVEILS PLAN TO MAKE USA THE ‘CRYPTO CAPITAL OF THE PLANET’

▪️Donald Trump aims to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet” if elected.

▪️His sons’ World Liberty Financial may involve real-world assets and tokenization.

▪️Trump has promised a Bitcoin reserve and to replace SEC chair Gary Gensler.

In a bold move that could reshape the landscape of digital assets in the United States, former President Donald Trump has announced his intention to establish the US as the “crypto capital of the planet” if elected.

Trump’s announcement has ignited curiosity and speculation, particularly regarding the World Liberty Financial initiative spearheaded by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

Though details of the World Liberty Financial project remain sparse, early rumours suggest that it may involve real-world assets and tokenization. The initiative’s official Telegram channel, which boasts over 53,000 subscribers, has cautioned crypto enthusiasts to remain vigilant against scams and imitation projects.

Trump’s embrace of cryptocurrency marks a significant shift from traditional political rhetoric. During a May gala, he first presented himself as a champion of the crypto industry, a stance he continued to reinforce at the July Bitcoin 2024 conference. 

There, he promised to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and to replace Gary Gensler, the current Securities and Exchange Commission chair, a move likely to resonate with crypto advocates.

Amid fluctuating political odds between Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the former president’s crypto policies have garnered attention.

Additionally, a Bitcoin bill introduced by Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming has gained traction, aligning with Trump’s vision by proposing a strategic reserve of Bitcoin backed by gold certificates for a two-decade hold.

As the crypto landscape continues to evolve, Trump’s ambitious plans signal a potential shift in US policy that could influence the future of digital assets and blockchain technology especially if Donald Trump were to be re-elected.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: CoinJournal

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CARDANO’S CHANG HARD FORK GOES LIVE, INTRODUCING ON-CHAIN GOVERNANCE

The highly anticipated upgrade turns Cardano's ADA cryptocurrency into a governance token.

Cardano, the layer-1 blockchain launched in 2017 by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, activated its highly anticipated “Chang” upgrade on Sunday, marking the ecosystem's long-planned shift towards decentralized governance.

With the Chang upgrade now live, ADA token holders will be able to shape Cardano's future by electing governance representatives and voting on development proposals.

CIP-1694, an official "Cardano Improvement Proposal," describes the new community governance structure and establishes three user-led governance bodies:

the Constitutional Committee, Delegate Representativ es (dReps), and Stake Pool Operators (SPOs). Moving forward, Cardano's three founding entities—the Cardano Foundation, Input Output Global (IOHK) and Emurgo—will no longer have the keys to trigger chain upgrades or "hard forks." Instead, that responsibility will be delegated to the new governance groups.

Cardano is the latest in a string of crypto projects to transition towards a more decentralized structure. The changes bring Cardano further in line with the blockchain industry's decentralized ethos, but they may also be viewed as a way to ward off securities regulators by bestowing ADA with extra utility.

Despite being ranked as the 28th largest blockchain by DeFiLlama, Cardano has consistently drawn attention from the crypto world, not least because of Hoskinson’s colorful personality and routine outspokenness. He originally created the Ethereum blockchain in 2014 alongside co-founders like Vitalik Buterin, but he quickly moved on from the project to build rival Cardano.

Hard forks—significant updates that render older versions of a blockchain obsolete—are a critical part of any blockchain’s evolution. The Chang hard fork is no exception, with its implementation spread across two phases.

The first phase, already live, introduces an Interim Constitutional Committee to temporarily oversee Cardano's governance. This phase is designed to be cautious, limiting the committee’s power to make changes to the blockchain's code while the rest of the ecosystem's governance model takes shape.

, expected to happen in 9The second phase0 days, will fully empower the new governance bodies. “Once everyone is onboard and well-informed, they will be ready to actively participate in governance,” said Giorgio Zinetti, CTO of the Cardano Foundation, in an interview with CoinDesk.

This upgrade is a pivotal milestone in Cardano’s roadmap, marking the beginning of the Voltaire era—a phase focused on achieving full decentralization that has been in the works since Cardano’s inception.

“I would say it is the biggest event in Cardano history, and it really makes us different from many other chains,” Zinetti told CoinDesk.

“I think we are the largest layer 1 with on-chain governance. There are some smaller players, like Tezos and Polkadot, who already have on-chain governance. But if there was a leaderboard, real decentralized layer-1s, we would be number one.”

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  CoinDesk  

Read more:  CoinDesk Aug 20, 2024

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ARE XRP AND XLM CORRELATED? RIPPLE CTO SHARES INSIGHTS

XRP and Stellar (XLM) are two cryptocurrencies that have been constantly compared in terms of price growth and development. Both digital assets are committed to facilitating cross-border transactions. In continuance to a discussion revolving around XRP that initiated in March, the Ripple CTO, David Schwartz has shared some interesting insights into the correlation between XRP and Stellar (XLM).

Insights From Schwartz’s

In an X post, Schwartz openly acknowledged that he had no idea what were the factors that drive XRP’s price. It might be surprising to see that such a statement is made by one of the key architects of XRP Ledger, but regardless, it is worth noting that this might highlight various market factors that might be influencing the XRP price action.

He further went on to notice a crucial point stating-

“The only real objective data point I have is that XRP tracks the price and market cap of XLM incredibly well over all time frames.”  This observation might imply that despite the complexities influencing the price action, XRP and XLM share a closely connected path.

Exploring Their Origins And Price Influence

XRP and XLM share identical origins, as XLM was created by Jed McCaleb, a co-founder of Ripple who later split to start Stellar. Both the tokens are intended to facilitate cross-border payments, although they cater to different markets and use cases.

The correlation emphasized by Schwartz could mean that market forces affecting one of these tokens often influence the other. However, the exact reasons for this correlation remain speculative, as Schwartz himself has cited the lack of clarity on the precise drivers behind XRP’s price.

CTO’s Previous Hints To The Correlation

Schwartz had previously also shared a chart displaying a strong correlation in the price movements and patterns between XRP and XLM tokens and had explained the distinct reasons behind XRP and XLM’s unique price movements.

The Ripple CTO had admitted even back then that he lacked an accurate explanation for the price correlations, however, he provided two major factors that could be influencing the price trends.

The Two Factors That Could Be At Play

Schwartz revealed that comparable market forces that regulate various cryptocurrencies also control XRP and XLM. He stated that most investors and crypto enthusiasts often place XRP and XLM within the same category due to the cryptocurrencies’ historical connection.

Therefore a significant number of people simultaneously engage in buying and selling XRP and XLM causing the cryptocurrencies to have similar price movements

XRP and XLM have gained significant attention, and often viewed as the leading contenders for cross-border payments and mainstream adoption. While they tend to display similar price tracks, there still needs to be some clarity on the correlation between the two.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Coinpedia

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REPORT: BLOCKCHAIN IS POISED TO OVERHAUL GLOBAL PAYMENT SYSTEMS

According to a Binance report, blockchain technology is set to transform the global payments landscape by addressing inefficiencies in traditional financial systems.

The Binance research report highlights that while current payment methods, such as Visa and Mastercard, offer the convenience of near-instantaneous payment authorization, actual settlement times often lag, sometimes by several days.

This delay is especially pronounced in cross-border transactions, where communication between banks in different countries can extend settlement times.

In contrast, blockchain-based payments offer near-instant settlement. The report cites a 2021 pilot conducted by Visa and Crypto.com in Australia, where the use of USDC (USDC) and the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain allowed cross-border transactions to be settled in a fraction of the time traditionally required.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  Crypto News

~~~~~~~~~

KEY EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER 2024 IMPACT THE CRYPTOCURRENCY SECTOR IN BRIEF

 
▪️September 2024 will be critical for the cryptocurrency sector.

▪️Key events include Korea Blockchain Week and US economic data releases.

▪️Political and economic developments could significantly impact the crypto market.

September 2024 will be a highly active and critical period for the cryptocurrency sector. The events occurring during this time could shape both the developments in the sector and the future of the market. Wu Blockchain has provided a list of important events, and we will take a closer look at the details.

▪️Korea Blockchain Week Starts on September 1
▪️US Non-Farm Payroll Data for August to be Released on September 6
▪️Trump and Harris to Meet on September 10
▪️US Inflation Data to be Released on September 11
▪️Token2049 Global Conference and Fed Interest Rate Decision on September 18
▪️Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao to be Released on September 29

Korea Blockchain Week Starts on September 1

First, the Korea Blockchain Week starting on September 1 stands out as a major event where significant figures in the sector will gather.

US Non-Farm Payroll Data for August to be Released on September 6

The US Non-Farm Payroll Data for August, which is of great importance for the US economy, will be released on September 6.

Changes in employment are expected to provide clues about the overall state of the US economy. A potential decline in the data could cause fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market, as negative economic signals may increase interest in risky assets.

Trump and Harris to Meet on September 10

The first presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris, scheduled for September 10, is highly anticipated.

The focus on economic issues in the debate will attract the attention of the cryptocurrency community. Political developments in the US are closely related to the crypto market, making this debate highly significant.

US Inflation Data to be Released on September 11

Inflation data has always been critical for cryptocurrency investors. The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for August, to be released on September 11, will provide important insights into the direction of inflation.

Since cryptocurrencies are known to be seen as a hedge during high inflation periods, this data could create significant market activity.

Token2049 Global Conference and Fed Interest Rate Decision on September 18

The Token2049 Global Conference, starting on September 18, is another major event where significant figures in the sector will gather. Announcements made during the conference, especially new partnerships and projects, could cause significant fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market.

On the same day, the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting will determine decisions regarding interest rates. Interest rate cuts generally increase interest in risky assets like cryptocurrencies. the-cryptocurrency-sector/#trump-and-harris-to-meet-on-september-10Additionally, the final decision in the case against Trump concerning allegations of irregularities in job records will also be made on the same day.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Coin-Turk

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“SAME RISKS, SAME RULES”: THE SEC’S SELECTIVE APPROACH TO CRYPTO REGULATION

When it comes to cryptocurrency regulation, the SEC views most cryptocurrencies as securities, favoring the concept of ‘same risks, same rules’.

But is it possible it’s not being consistent itself?

The same rules aren’t being followed when it involves the custody of crypto-assets.

The notorious SEC accounting bulletin SAB 121 changes the accounting rules around the custody of crypto-assets, requiring those assets to be disclosed on the balance sheets of listed firms.

That contravenes global accounting norms and has prevented banks from providing cryptocurrency custody. The SEC tries to argue that crypto-assets have elevated cyber risks.

A new heavyweight paper on crypto regulation points out that cyber risks are not new and are well covered by existing regulations. So using the principle of “same risks, same rules”, no additional cyber regulation is necessary for crypto-assets.

Yesterday Steven Schwarcz, Distinguished Professor at Duke University School of Law, published a paper on regulating financial innovation, with a focus on crypto-assets and DeFi.

We’d note that the paper does not directly mention SAB 121, so it is Ledger Insights that’s highlighting the inconsistency. However, the Professor’s cyber risks observation directly follows his discussion of the controversial application of ‘same risks, same rules’ to crypto.

A thought provoking paper on crypto regulation

Most regulations focus on the minutiae, whereas Professor Schwarcz reviews the high level models that can be used in regulating fintech innovation. ‘Same risks, same rules’ is one of six models he explores.

While some may disagree with various suggestions, regulatory clarity is necessary for new industries to flourish.

The Professor selected the salient aspects of the six models to outli The Professor selected the salient aspects of the six models to outline a recommended framework to address fintech innovation in gen ne a recommended framework to address fintech innovation in general. He then applies it to the crypto sector.

Sandboxes, smart contract audits (not just code)

A first step is to provide regulatory sandboxes. The Professor has a pragmatic view, recognizing that sandbox tests with a few customers won’t highlight all the potential risks.

There’s a need for fintech firms to self monitor their risks. However, that’s not likely to be sufficient, so there should be a system of third party expert monitoring.

In the crypto sector, smart contract audits are already widely used to identify bugs and qualify as a type of third party monitoring. But that only addresses one specific risk. A broader range of risks need exploring – risks to the firm and their customers, to other market participants and the public.

Plus, the automated nature of smart contracts can trigger a vicious cycle. We’ve already witnessed multiple crypto crashes and the impact on crypto lending. The liquidation of collateral leads to price declines, sparking a cascade of additional liquidations.

Stopping a crash

In traditional finance (TradFi) these sorts of issues exist in high frequency trading, where suspending trading helps to address the risk. However, the Professor recognizes that would be tricky to enforce in the crypto sector.

Hence, he recommends that businesses identify their counterparties and disclose the risks to them. If a third party monitor finds the firm’s smart contract usage creates significant risk, then “Regulators should have the power to suspend a business’s right to enter into new smart contracts.”

In other words, if you can’t stop a crash by suspending trading, then try to prevent it from happening in the first place. Although both are desirable.

One can imagine that the suggestion would cause the crypto sector to be up in arms, but it has merit, provided it’s not overused and one appropriately defines ‘significant risk’. TradFi has standard approaches to risk management which can be tweaked and ported to the crypto world. The more responsible players already do this.

For example, we’re aware of at least one exchange that saw the Terra Luna collapse unfolding early on, because they had systems in place. Hence, they protected their clients, although arguably their reaction exacerbated the downward spiral.

DeFi regulation

The Professor’s approach to DeFi resembles discussions already taking place about how to identify responsible people, with holders of governance tokens being one avenue.

An alternative option is to require DeFi platforms to be “provided by centrally registered and well capitalized entities.” At the same time, he acknowledges that could nullify DeFi benefits (low costs), so suggests consulting the DeFi industry before taking steps in this direction.

Regarding crypto-assets, he observes that some have proposed the financial equivalent of the FDA. In other words, all fintech innovations would need approval in advance.

 He dismisses this as an innovation killer. He wrote that this “reverses the presumption, at least in the context of new financial products, that private-sector freedom of contract produces beneficial societal outcomes”.

In the case of financial stability risks, the Professor notes that fintechs are generally too small to create stability risks. These sorts of risks come from the actions of systemically important institutions. Hence, to address this particular risk, there should be limits on them rather than fintechs.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t mention that this is the approach taken by the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision.

Given the gravitas of this paper, who knows, perhaps he was the one that suggested banks have a maximum crypto exposure of 1% of Tier 1 capital.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:

Ledger Insights

SAB 121   

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BIDEN ADMINISTRATION NOT INTERESTED IN RESOLVING UKRAINE CONFLICT — ECONOMIST

The true causes of the Ukrainian conflict have never been explained to US citizens, Professor Jeffrey Sachs said.

NEW YORK, August 30. /TASS/. The administration of US President Joe Biden is not interested in resolving the conflict in Ukraine and refuses to admit that Washington is directly to blame for this crisis, American economist, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, Professor Jeffrey Sachs said.

"There's nothing really that this administration <...> is going to do. I don't think the president is probably in any mental state to lead anything at this point. So I think we're kind of on autopilot, which is [a] very bad place to be," he said in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson.

"This is a war provoked by the US, <…> the US [that] aims for NATO enlargement, and it would take a president who understands the basics of this and why this was so wrong headed," the economist emphasized, adding that Biden is not such a person.

Sachs added that the true causes of the Ukrainian conflict have never been explained to US citizens. The information that Americans can receive on this issue is contrary to reality, he added.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  TASS

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Iraq's Central Bank's Major US Visit | Seeds of Wisdom Team Youtube

@ Newshounds News™ 

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RUSSIA IS ABOUT TO TRY USING CRYPTO TO GET AROUND SANCTIONS

Experts doubt it will work, given the traceability of blockchains and the risk of even tougher sanctions for Russia.

▪️Russia will start its trial of cross-border payments using crypto next week.

▪️Recent statements from senior Russian leaders suggest the law’s purpose is to use crypto to counter sanctions.

▪️The law hands power to Russia’s central bank to oversee an “experimental” regime.

Russia will begin trialing cross-border crypto payments next week in an effort to circumvent international sanctions – but this effort may not work, several policy and legal experts told CoinDesk.

Legislation passed at the end of July and swiftly signed into law by President Vladimir Putin does not lift an existing ban on using cryptocurrencies as legal tender for regular payments within Russia, but instead allows cross-border payments with crypto.

How the law will allow such payments remains unclear because the legislation doesn’t specify rules for such transactions. Instead it hands power to Russia’s central bank to oversee an “experimental” regime, experts said.

Russia's economy has been hit hard by a suite of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other nations following its invasion of Ukraine.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022, it’s faced 16,500 sanctions from the U.S., U.K., European Union, Australia, Canada and Japan.

"The passing of these bills by the Russian government signals a continuation of Russia’s evolving strategy to circumvent Western sanctions," blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis’ director of investigations, Valerie Kennedy, told CoinDesk.

The EU said about half of Russia’s total foreign currency reserves, worth 300 billion euros ($332 billion), including 70% of the assets of the Russian banking system, were frozen. Select Russian banks were disconnected by the interbank messaging system, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

"It has been difficult for Russia to avoid the U.S. dollar and euro via the SWIFT system, which has created increasing risk of secondary sanctions," she added. Secondary sanctions are penalties designed to prevent any third party from trading with a sanctioned nation.

What the law says

Some details have emerged in the days leading up to the Sept. 1 implementation of the law.

CoinDesk viewed a copy of the law using google translate. It said “during the circulation of digital currency in the Russian federation … special regulation may be established … by the experimental legal regime program.” That regime is still in the works. Before finalizing it, the central bank will consider proposals and suggestions from domestic stakeholders.

“Some players, including us, have already come with our own proposals,” said Anti Danilevski, founder and CEO of Kick Ecosystem, a one stop shop for crypto, who has been closely engaging with regulators.

“The central bank will decide if it fits with their view. They are moving very fast, so it won't take much time.”

Bloomberg reported that Russia is planning to use the National Payment Card System, for swapping between rubles and cryptocurrencies when testing payments.

The system was chosen because it already features infrastructure for functions like interbank settlement and is fully regulated by the central bank. If the trials are successful, Russia may allow the Moscow Exchange and the St. Petersburg Currency Exchange to set up crypto platforms next year, the report added.

Ivan Chuprunov, an associate professor at the Research Centre of Private Law in Moscow, said the regime’s “exact parameters are not clear” because none have been published yet but the “central bank will likely publish some guidance in the coming weeks.”

The law also appears to let the central bank change how it oversees these trials at any time.

The legislation said that the provisions may “exclude or change” parts of the Federal Law in relation to transactions with “digital currency made in the implementation of foreign trade activities through an authorized organization.”

The regime is “more a flexible one” because it’s “just the central bank who will be approving it,” said Chuprunov. “Whether they will have just one exchange, what currencies would be traded, how participants would get trading access, is still a big unknown.”

Nor does the law clearly specify what rules now apply to crypto entities or businesses wanting to deal in crypto, because the central bank will determine which companies will participate in the experiment.

While the law doesn’t specify what its exact purpose is, recent statements from senior Russian leaders pointed toward using crypto to counter sanctions.

On July 17, 2024, in an economic affairs meeting, Putin said Russia should not “miss the moment” and should promptly set up a “legal framework” for crypto, which is “increasingly used in the world as a means of payment in international settlements.”

Then, one of the authors of the bill said Russia views cryptocurrencies “primarily as a tool for circumventing sanctions,” followed by its central bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina saying that’s why we “softened our stance” on crypto at an event in Moscow recently.

@ Newshounds News™

Source:  CoinDesk

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