Crypto news headlines
Cryptocurrency news items reported in February 2021 spanned items across areas including Tesla’s investment in Bitcoin, Dubai’s adoption of digital currencies for some payments, Visa’s continuing moves into cryptocurrency support, and China’s trials of the ‘digital yuan’.
Each cryptocurrency news headline below is linked to an article focusing on crypto in some way; each linked article is free-to-read in full, online and at no cost. This way, Startup New Asia’s readers get 2 things instantly from our cryptocurrency news round-ups:
- a quick overview of crypto news headlines from February 2021; and
- one-click access to the full story on specific crypto news items.
Technology news: February 2021
Artificial intelligence | Blockchain | Cryptocurrency
Cybersecurity | FinTech
- “…highlighted the digital yuan’s potential in Africa in a recent report, pointing out that Huawei Technologies’ new smartphones have a built-in digital yuan wallet.”
- ICYMI: East Caribbean Central Bank completed first retail transaction of its DCash digital currency, aiming to roll out in Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia
- Visa CEO: “First, there are cryptocurrencies that represent new assets such as Bitcoin. Second, there are digital currencies…backed by existing fiat currencies. We see all currencies in that first segment as digital gold.”
- ICYMI: Tesla invests $1.5BN in Bitcoin with plan to accept cryptocurrency payments for its products in the near future
- ICYMI: Mastercard reportedly to give merchants option to receive cryptocurrency payments later this year
- Download: 2021 Global Crypto User Index, from Binance (pdf)
- ICYMI: Square app CFO says 1M users of its Cash App service bought bitcoin for the first time in January
- ICYMI: PayPal aims to play significant role in utility of central bank digital currencies, looking at being ‘the digital wallet for global CBDCs’
- ICYMI: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether now a mode of payment at Dubai’s KIKLABB, gov’t licensing body, for all payments related to trade licenses and visa fees
- ICYMI: Opera web browser partners Simplex, fiat-to-crypto onramp solution provider, allowing users to buy cryptocurrencies using fiat and store them in browser wallet
- ICYMI: diem, formerly Facebook’s Libra project, may launch initial product this quarter, partnering with Fireblocks crypto custodian and First Digital Assets Group payments platform
- So, what exactly are ‘stablecoins’? CB Insights takes a look
- ICYMI: Tokens and accounts in the context of digital currencies, from the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve System
- Digital currencies and the future of the monetary system’, seminar remarks from the Bank for International Settlements (pdf)
- ICYMI: Visa pilots Visa Crypto APIs program, giving banks the ability to let customers buy and sell digital assets such as bitcoin
- China: Beijing Gov’t to give away $1.55M to residents during Chinese New Year as further step in digital currency trials, with 50K individuals receiving $30 in e-CNY lucky draw
- China: Suzhou city to add to digital currency trials with $5M airdrop, with 150K citizens set to receive digital currency by lottery, with a set time period within which to spend
- China: Ant Group’s MYbank and Tencent’s WeBank reportedly to join trials of the digital yuan, adding digital wallets to People’s Bank of China’s digital yuan app
- Digital currencies and the future of the monetary system’, seminar remarks from the Bank for International Settlements (pdf)
- India: Legislation coming to ‘prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India’ but allow ‘for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses’
- Download: Indonesia Crypto Outlook Report 2020 (pdf)
- “Cryptocurrency enthusiasts envision a future where artists are paid fairly, secondary ticket market is not ravaged by scalpers, and the value of digital memorabilia soars”
- Musicians and Audio NFTs – an overview of Audio Non-FungibleTokens, limited edition audio/visual experiences issued and sold as tokens on Ethereum
- ICYMI: Canada’s VersaBank to issue a Canadian dollar stablecoin named VCAD, one-to-one backed by Canadian dollar deposit at the bank
- “If central bank digital cash is to rapidly replace banknotes, a shadow economy worth trillions of dollars may creep deeper into the darkness.”
- An overview of how Indian crypto businesses are coordinating in an effort to convince the government that regulation is better than the all-out ban proposed
- Digital currency in Africa: “…China has discreetly accumulated significant influence over Africa’s technology stack…50% in the mobile handset and 70% in mobile network layers.”
- ICYMI: SWIFT global cross-border payments firm establishes JV with China’s central bank digital currency research institute, seen as move to explore global use of digital yuan
- India: “If the bill becomes law, India would become the only major Asian economy to ban private cryptocurrencies rather than regulating them like corporate stocks.”
- NFTs: “A fast-growing market for digital art, ephemera and media is marrying the world’s taste for collectibles with cutting-edge technology.”
- ICYMI: Visa pilots Visa Crypto APIs program, giving banks the ability to let customers buy and sell digital assets such as bitcoin
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