Ukraine’s Digital Ministry Plans to Pay Employees With Digital Hryvnia in Pilot Project

Employees of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation may become the first in the country to get their salaries in digital currency. The National Bank of Ukraine is developing an electronic version of the Ukrainian hryvnia and the ministry is considering the option of using the state-issued coin for remuneration. Government Employees to Be Paid With … Read more

China Has Dispersed Over $40 Million of Digital Yuan in Red Envelopes, Report Reveals

China, which has arguably the most advanced digital currency project among leading nations, has so far handed out more than $40 million in red envelopes with digital yuan. The promotional campaign for the CBDC is currently focused on five major cities, taking into account their regional development priorities. Beijing Gives Away 269 Million Yuan in … Read more

Prime Minister of Vietnam Asks Central Bank to Pilot Digital Currency

Pham Minh Chinh, the prime minister of Vietnam, has asked the country’s central bank to conduct a study of cryptocurrency and pilot the implementation of a blockchain-based currency within the next two years. The efforts are part of the Asian country’s new e-government strategy. Cryptocurrency Highlighted in Prime Minister’s Decision Cryptocurrency is one of the … Read more

Central Bank of Sweden Invites Financial Market Actors for Second Phase of E-Krona Pilot

Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden, will carry out the next stage of its e-krona project with the help of two organizations from the financial sector. The move signals a transition from the initial in-house testing with simulated participants to cooperation with real, external partners. Riksbank to Work With Handelsbanken and Tietoevry to Test … Read more

Kazakhstan Is Preparing the Launch of a CBDC Pilot With Private Financial Companies

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are steadily becoming a serious discussion among governments globally, with Kazakhstan as the latest country unveiling its plans. The National Bank of Kazakhstan is making preparations to launch a CBDC pilot program soon. The National Bank Released a Public Consultation Paper According to the announcement published on their website, the … Read more

China’s Giant Ride-Hailing Service Didi to Pilot the Central Bank’s Digital Yuan

The Chinese government and the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), are currently in the midst of testing a digital yuan or central bank digital currency (CBDC). Now the Chinese ride-hailing corporation Didi Chuxing will be trialing the newly developed digital yuan in a “strategic partnership.” Whether people want to believe it … Read more

Iran Continues to Develop State Cryptocurrency Despite Central Bank Ban

Iran has been developing its own cryptocurrency, a project which has yielded an experimental local crypto, despite the country’s central bank banning banks from dealing with cryptocurrencies. Iran’s Information and Communications Technology Minister has shed light on the project, commented on its alleged use to evade sanctions, and clarified the central bank’s action. Also read: Yahoo! … Read more

Mastercard “Very Happy” to Use Cryptocurrencies, Just Not Real Ones

When you are an entrenched player deep within a certain system, especially one as complex and inflexible as the banking industry, it can be hard to implement changes, even when there is a critical need to adapt to emerging technologies. If a company wants to appear as if it is keeping up with the times, … Read more