An app says it offers crypto rewards for shoppers who make purchases at some of the world’s best-known e-commerce platforms — including eBay, Amazon, Lazada, Best Buy and Nike. Inevitably, one of the downsides of indulging in a little bit of retail therapy every now and again means that you’re left with less cash after splashing out on a brand-new pair of jeans or some headphones. Social Good Foundation Inc., the operating company behind SocialGood, says that it aims to change the status quo — and end a vicious cycle that means many everyday consumers struggle to amass savings, irrespective …

China continues apace with the adoption of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) as major banks launch a significant batch of digital yuan-powered ATMs. The digital yuan — a CBDC controlled by The People’s Bank of China — is now available for deposit and withdrawals at over 3,000 ATMs across Beijing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday. According to the report, the Beijing branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has become the first bank to fully enable the digital yuan exchange in the Chinese capital city by setting up more than 3,000 digital currency-compatible ATMs. The Agricultural …

From QR code payments to mobile banking apps, consumers worldwide are increasingly reliant on digital payment solutions, especially as mobile technology becomes more ubiquitous. Government-led efforts in driving cashless economies have been a key factor, with countries such as Singapore or the Philippines seeing their central banks driving the adoption of contactless payments during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, usage rates for digital payments platforms have recorded promising growth, even as high as 5,000% in the Philippines alone. Related: Digitized Europe: The shift to a cashless world This unprecedented rise in cashless payments is also paving …

Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, could pose a threat to financial systems if related risks are not managed, Big Three credit agency Fitch Ratings has warned. Fitch Ratings released a report on Monday entitled “Central Bank Digital Currencies: Opportunities, Risk and Disruption,” which discussed the major trade-offs between risks and benefits associated with CBDCs. Fitch Ratings stated that the key benefits of a retail CBDC lie in its potential ability to expand government-backed cashless payments in an effort to keep up with the wider digitalization of society. The biggest reasons to explore a CBDC for central banks and some …

It could be a while before European Union gets a central bank digital currency, if it gets one at all. In a Wednesday interview with Bloomberg Television, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde laid out the complex decision-making process with which the bank will determine the future of a digital euro. The ECB will soon release its analysis of eight thousand responses received from its digital euro consultation process. “That will be communicated to the European Parliament which is one of the key players as well as the Commission and the Council with which we operate,” she stated. Based on …

Does Bitcoin meet the definition of a Ponzi scheme? This is the subject of the latest Cointelegraph Crypto Duel, where Bitcoin strategist at Kraken meets professor of computer science at the University of Campinas, Jorge Stolfi. Similar to other Bitcoin skeptics, Stolfi repeatedly defined Bitcoin as a Ponzi scheme. The core of his argument is that Bitcoin doesn’t produce any cash flows and the money with which Bitcoin investors are paid comes exclusively from new investors buying Bitcoin. “Every time you invest in Bitcoin, the money that you invest goes to the previous investors or to the miners and disappears”, …

Cash App, the Bitcoin-friendly mobile payments app from U.S. financial services firm Square, restricted buys of some of the stocks connected to the Wall Street shorts for more than four hours today. According to an announcement from Cash App, its clearing broker, Axos, halted the app’s ability to complete purchases of stocks for GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Nokia and Koss Corporation — at least four of the stocks pushed by retail investors on the r/Wallstreetbets subreddit in their fight against hedge funds’ shorts. However, the app later tweeted that the broker has restored trading for AMC and Nokia. Cash App initially …

Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, will be fairly easy to convert into cryptocurrencies in the future, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believes. Speaking at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2020 on Dec. 9, Buterin said that he expects a lot of ways to exchange CBDCs to cryptos like Bitcoin (BTC) as well as other digital tokens: “There’s a question of how these central bank [digital] currencies are going to interact with both crypto and digital currencies more generally. There’s going to be more digital assets of many different kinds coming over the next few decades. I expect that there will be …

Financial authorities in Europe could form an investigation plan for a digital euro as early as next year, according to an executive at the European Central Bank. Holger Neuhaus, head of market innovation and integration at the ECB, joined the Singapore FinTech Festival 2020 on Monday to discuss the global development of central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs. During the online discussion, Neuhaus claimed that the ECB expects European financial authorities to assess whether to launch a digital euro initiative by mid-2021: “In mid-2021, the euro system will consider whether to launch a digital euro project. But just to highlight, …

As numerous countries across the board navigate their feelings on central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, Benoît Cœuré of the Bank for International Settlements thinks physical cash will retain its importance. Heading up the BIS’ innovation wing, Cœuré formerly held a position with the European Central Bank on its executive board. “In the euro area, unlike Sweden or China, demand for banknotes is still strong,” Cœuré said in an interview on Thursday. “Their role is declining as a means of payment, but they remain a means of savings.” He added: “No one wants to force consumers to choose their payment …

LibertyX, a major retail network of Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs in the United States, is expanding Bitcoin sales options at thousands of its ATMs. According to an Oct. 26 announcement, LibertyX has enabled a Bitcoin cashout feature at 5,000 regular ATMs across the United States. As such, consumers can now sell Bitcoin for cash at any of the participating ATMs. LibertyX CEO and co-founder Chris Yim said that previously, the firm’s software only supported Bitcoin purchases with debit cards. The latest addition allows holders to receive cash for selling their Bitcoin. Yim noted that Bitcoin has reached new yearly highs. “With …

The co-founder and CEO of major cryptocurrency company Abra is clearly bullish on Bitcoin (BTC). In an Oct. 23 tweet, Bill Barhydt, CEO of peer-to-peer payments platform Abra, claimed that he has significantly increased his Bitcoin holdings a few weeks ago. According to the CEO, Bitcoin now accounts for 50% of his total investment portfolio. Barhydt talked about his holdings on an episode of Money Talks. In an Oct. 23 YouTube live stream, Barhydt reiterated his bullish stance on Bitcoin, claiming that “Bitcoin is the single best investment opportunity in the world right now.” The executive said that Bitcoin’s scarcity …