World Bank Refuses to Help El Salvador Make Bitcoin Legal Tender Citing Environmental and Transparency Issues

The World Bank has refused to provide technical assistance to El Salvador in implementing bitcoin as legal tender. The bank cited bitcoin’s “environmental and transparency shortcomings” as the reason. World Bank Won’t Help El Salvador With Bitcoin Law The World Bank said on Wednesday it cannot help El Salvador implement the law making bitcoin legal … Read more

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers Says Cryptocurrency Is Here to Stay as Digital Gold

Former U.S. treasury secretary and chief economist at the World Bank, Larry Summers, says cryptocurrency is here to stay as a kind of digital gold. He believes that people want an alternative to gold that is “separate and apart from the day-to-day workings of governments.” Former World Bank Economist Larry Summers Sees Bitcoin as Digital … Read more

Nigeria Devalues Currency as Central Bank Moves to Unify Exchange Rates

In a possible policy shift, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently allowed the local naira currency to briefly drop to a new low of USD$1 for 419.75 nairas on May 14, 2021. However, by close of business the naira had recovered and was trading around 411.25. Before the latest adjustment, the naira had fluctuated … Read more

Nigeria’s Yellow Card Processes $165 Million in Crypto Remittances So Far This Year

Nigerian crypto startup Yellow Card says it processed over $165 million in volume during the first eleven months of this year. The figure represents a growth of more than 1,840% over the amount of remittances processed in the last six months of 2019. Launched in June 2019, Yellow Card enables Africans at home and abroad … Read more

Currency Depreciation to Blame for 7.2% Drop in Global Remittances: World Bank Supports Digital Remittances

According to a new report, the depreciation of some currencies against the U.S. dollar is contributing to the declining international remittances. After touching an all-time high of $548 billion in 2019, the World Bank report now projects remittances to drop 7.2% in 2020 to $508 billion and a further decline of 7.5% to $470 billion … Read more

Remittance Costs Lower in Q3 World Bank Study Shows – Only Cryptocurrencies Meeting UN Goal

The latest study by the World Bank shows that it costs 4.98% on average to remit funds to South Asia which makes it the least expensive region while sub-Sahara Africa is the most expensive with an average cost of 8.47%. The quarterly study also finds that it is costlier to remit funds when using service … Read more

Inflation Hit Ethiopia Demonetizes Currency To Curb Cash Hoarding

The Ethiopian government has unveiled a new set of banknotes that are expected to help authorities in curbing cash hoarding, illegal trade and illicit financial flows. The move is also aimed at boosting the liquidity of banks that are struggling to cope with Ethiopia’s cash-based economy. In a statement released via Twitter on September 14, … Read more