IIF Report Predicts Global Debt Will Reach New All-Time High of $257T in 2020

Global debt records were broken in 2019, but that likely won’t be the end of such ominous economic milestones, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) predicts. The number could reach $257 trillion sometime in Q1 2020, according to a recent report by the group. Economies worldwide are struggling to address pressing issues such as stimulation … Read more

China Takes Another Step Away From USD Hegemony

The China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) announced that effective January 1, 2020, the system “will adjust weights for CFETS RMB Index,” decreasing the weighting of the USD for the second time in the currency basket’s history from 22.40% to 21.59%, and increasing the Euro from 16.34% to 17.40%. The change could signal further disassociation … Read more

Bailouts From Asia to the EU Signal Recession and Potential Crypto Opportunity

China’s Hengfeng Bank is set to get a $14.2 billion bailout from both Chinese government and foreign investors. An emergency decree has been approved to bail out southern Italy’s biggest lender, Banca Popular di Bari. Germany continues to struggle with bailout pains, as regional bank Nordlb finds itself now depending on another capital injection. None … Read more

Central Bank Digital Currencies Take Center Stage at IMF Spring Meetings

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) featured prominently when global financial leaders met for this year’s World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) joint Spring Meetings in the United States. Faced with emerging disruptive technologies like Bitcoin, their discussions also focused on how money and payments are taking on new forms throughout the world. There … Read more

‘Bitcoin to the Moon’ Signs Appear on Ukrainian Tram

LED signs flashing the text “Bitcoin to the Moon” have been spotted on a tramcar in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia. Pictures of the signs appeared on social media just as the National Bank of Ukraine announced that it has completed a pilot project to launch its own digital currency called e-hryvnia. Also read: BTC-e … Read more