Wales plans to test and subsequently launch its own cryptocurrency to boost the local Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) economy. Local news outlet Business Cloud reported on Oct. 15 that the Welsh Government awarded £100,000 from the £4 million Foundational Economy Challenge Fund to develop the system. The funding will cover both a consultation and a pilot program in North Wales. Not a new idea The idea behind the project is based on the Sardex: a mutual credit system implemented on the Italian island and region of Sardinia. Eifion Williams, the CEO of the company behind the Welsh digital currency, …
Facebook reportedly met British authorities and regulators three times prior to publicly announcing plans for its Libra stablecoin. As Reuters reported on Sept. 18, Facebook had several appointments with officials at Britain’s finance ministry, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England this spring. Reuters received details regarding the meetings after submitting Freedom of Information requests. At the meetings, the tech giant discussed its forthcoming digital currency in a bid to get support before the official announcement. Libra versus the world Libra has been actively trying to get approval from regulators around the world, and has pledged not to …
Fiat-crypto exchange Binance Jersey has listed a proprietary GBP-backed stablecoin, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on July 19. ‘Overwhelming demand’ for stablecoin diversification Listing of the Binance GBP Stablecoin (BGBP) confirms earlier indications that the major industry player had its sights on imminently issuing its own fiat-pegged assets, starting with a cryptocurrency 100% backed by the British pound. Binance Chief Financial Officer Wei Zhou has given an official statement, in which he noted that: “There has been an overwhelming demand in the market and Binance community for more stablecoin diversification, including a GBP-pegged stablecoin.” Zhou added that …
Major United States-based cryptocurrency exchange and wallet service Coinbase has added support for EOS, according to a press release on May 30. The new addition is reportedly available for trading and storage in most areas covered by Coinbase, with the exception of the United Kingdom and New York at press time. The announcement also notes that there are no transaction fees associated with EOS; the cost is instead paid in computing resources, such as a tax on RAM, CPUs, or network bandwidth. Users that run the network also earn EOS by contributing to the computational power needed to run transactions. …
Major stablecoin company Tether is expanding its stablecoin offering with a new cryptocurrency pegged to the British pound sterling (GBP). Tether officially announced on Wednesday that its upcoming GBP-pegged stablecoin, GBPT, will launch in early July and will initially be supported by the Ethereum blockchain. GBPT will be a stable digital currency pegged on the 1:1 ratio to the GBPT, aiming to provide a faster and cheaper option for asset transfers. GBPT joins a family of four other fiat currency-pegged Tether (USDT) tokens, including the largest stablecoin by market capitalization, USDT. Other stablecoins include the euro-pegged EURT, the offshore Chinese …