Tag: Bank

Swiss Banking Giants Complete Blockchain Study for Bank Deposits

Some of Switzerland’s largest banks completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) that tested blockchain technology and smart contracts for interbank payments, marking what they said was the first legally binding bank payment via a public blockchain. Under the umbrella of the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), UBS, PostFinance and Sygnum Bank conducted a feasibility study on blockchain-based deposit tokens and payments infrastructure, the SBA announced Tuesday. The test initiated an offchain fiat money transfer triggered by payment instructions tokenized on the blockchain as a “deposit token.” The first use case executed a payment…

Russian Civic Chamber Member Floats Idea for Crypto Bank

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Russia needs its own crypto-enabled bank that could help combat illicit transactions and support miners by providing infrastructure for them to cash out their earnings, a member of the country’s government oversight body says. Evgeny Masharov, a member of the Russian Civic Chamber, which examines draft laws, told the state-owned news agency TASS on Tuesday that Russia should follow its ally Belarus in launching a crypto exchange service through a major financial institution. Masharov said the move would “solve a number of current problems,” such as bringing “shadow transactions” into…

US Bank Powers Back Into Bitcoin Custody With $11.7T Institutional Strength

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U.S. Bank is reigniting momentum in digital finance with a bold return to bitcoin custody, integrating ETF support and unlocking powerful institutional pathways into cryptocurrency adoption. US Bank Resumes Bitcoin Custody Services, Signaling Broader Institutional Shift Institutional investors are increasingly seeking regulated access to digital assets as banks adapt their offerings to meet demand. U.S. […] Original

Citi Exec Warns Stablecoin Yields Could Drain Bank Deposits: Report

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Paying interest on stablecoin deposits could spark a wave of bank outflows similar to the money market fund boom of the 1980s, Citi’s Future of Finance head Ronit Ghose warned in a report published Monday. According to the Financial Times, Ghose compared the potential outflows caused by paying interest on stablecoins to the rise of money market funds in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Those funds ballooned from about $4 billion in 1975 to $235 billion in 1982, outpacing banks whose deposit rates were tightly regulated, Federal Reserve data…

Central Bank of Brazil Dismisses Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Implementation

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During the first congressional public hearing on a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve proposal in Brazil, Luís Guilherme Siciliano, head of the International Reserves Department at the central bank, said that adopting the bill would increase risks to the nation’s reserve portfolio. Central Bank of Brazil Argues Holding Bitcoin Would Increase Foreign Reserve Risks The Central Bank […] Original

UK Sanctions Kyrgyz Bank, $9.3B Crypto Network Tied to Russia

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The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Kyrgyzstan’s financial sector and crypto networks allegedly used by Russia to bypass Western restrictions, targeting an alleged $9.3 billion rouble-backed stablecoin operation. The new measures build on more than 2,700 existing UK sanctions against Russia and follow a similar move last week by the United States, the UK government said in a Wednesday announcement. Among those sanctioned is Capital Bank of Central Asia and its director, Kantemir Chalbayev, which the UK claims Russia used to finance military goods. Two Kyrgyz crypto exchanges, Grinex…

Crypto Groups Push Back on Bank Lobby Over GENIUS Act

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Two of the crypto industry’s leading advocacy bodies are pushing back against Wall Street bankers’ latest attempt to roll back the United States’ newly minted stablecoin law. In a joint letter to the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) and the Blockchain Association urged lawmakers to reject recommendations from the American Bankers Association (ABA) and state banking groups. As reported, several US banking groups, led by the Bank Policy Institute (BPI), have urged Congress to tighten the GENIUS Act by closing what they call a…

SoFi Bank taps Bitcoin Lightning for cross-border payments via Lightspark

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SoFi Bank will use Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to launch low-cost international money transfers, beginning with Mexico later this year. Summary SoFi Bank will leverage Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to launch a global remittance service. The service uses Lightspark’s Universal Money Address, which lets users send dollars abroad with real-time Bitcoin conversion. As part of its partnership with payments infrastructure provider Lightspark, announced on Aug. 19, SoFi Bank will offer near-instant cross-border payments that convert U.S. dollars to Bitcoin in real-time and transmit them via Lightning rails.  The funds are then automatically…