“Complementing Seba Group’s established licenses in Switzerland (FINMA) and Abu Dhabi (FSRA), the Hong Kong AIP significantly extends our global regulatory footprint,” CEO Franz Bergmueller said in a statement. “Seba Group aligns itself with the Hong Kong government and its financial regulators in facilitating an environment that supports the responsible growth of the digital assets industry.” Source
The Hong Kong arm of crypto-friendly Swiss bank SEBA Bank has received in-principle approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) allowing it to deal in virtual assets. On Aug. 30, SEBA Hong Kong said its in-principle approved license would allow it to operate with crypto products such as over-the-counter derivatives, advise on virtual assets and conduct asset management for discretionary accounts in virtual assets. Speaking to Cointelegraph the Asia-Pacific CEO of SEBA Hong Kong Amy Yu said Hong Kong provides enormous potential due to the SFC’s virtual…
Tether, the stablecoin issuer behind USDT, has reportedly added Britannia Bank & Trust, a private bank based in The Bahamas to process dollar transfers on its platform. It is understood Tether has instructed clients to send money to Britannia’s bank account over the last few months, according to an Aug. 29 report by Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. However, it isn’t clear when Tether’s banking relationship with Britannia Bank started, but its other reported banking partners include Deltec Bank and Capital Union Bank. In recent months, United States-based…
The deputy governor of the Spanish national central bank, Margarita Delgado, has spoken about the future of the digital euro and how private payment solutions will interact with it. Speaking in line with the recently proposed digital euro legislative plan, Delgado reveals that it is expected that the digital euro will help the private sector’s development of pan-European payment and financial services. She believes these developments will make the continent’s financial system easier to compete with non-European solutions. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are becoming increasingly popular. Currently, about 130…
Deputy Governor of the Bank of Spain Margarita Delgado spoke to university students and others about the introduction of the digital euro in Pamplona on Aug. 25. Looking into a future through the lens of the European Commission’s recently proposed digital euro legislative plan, she spoke at length about how private payment solutions will interact with the digital euro and its infrastructure. The digital euro can help the European Union overcome challenges such as cross-border payment barriers, the costs to businesses of using private payment service providers (PSPs) and the…
Share Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Telegram Copy Link Link copied The Australian Central Bank, in collaboration with the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre, has published a comprehensive report outlining the potential use cases for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Additionally, they have successfully concluded a pilot program aimed at studying its practical applications. 16 entities that participated in the pilot program added that CBDC could be beneficial for innovation and even boost Australia’s economy. The report identified four key areas where the Australian digital dollar could…
“Given the many issues that are yet to be resolved, any decision on a CBDC in Australia is likely to be some years away,” the report said with the caveat that the project did not set out to provide a complete assessment of the costs, benefits, risks and other implications of introducing a CBDC. “Instead, it was more narrowly focused on exploring how a CBDC could be used by industry to enhance the functioning of the payments system.” Source
Share Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Telegram Copy Link Link copied The Federal Reserve (Fed) has taken enforcement action against Farmington State Bank, based in Washington, and its parent company, FBH Corporation. This action follows undisclosed changes to the bank’s business plan. Previously known as Moonstone Bank, the bank had close ties to FTX’s trading division, Alameda Research. In a statement on Aug. 17, the Fed clarified that this action aims to ensure a controlled winding down of the bank’s operations. This move is vital to protect the bank’s depositors and…
CBDCs are not cryptocurrencies, but they’re in the same family. They don’t have to be, but they could be based on a blockchain, the ledger technology that powers Bitcoin and the rest of crypto. A CBDC would simply be a digital version of an existing fiat currency like the U.S. dollar, with the imprimatur of the issuing government. Source
Farmington, which operates under its Moonstone Bank name, “improperly” pivoted to a pro-digital assets business plan in 2022 without notifying, and obtaining approval from, its supervisors, the document said. The joint enforcement action from the Federal Reserve Board and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions bars the Washington state-based bank from “making dividends or capital distributions, dissipating cash assets and engaging in certain activities” without its supervisors’ permission. Source actionBankEnforcementFarmingtonFedFTXlinkedSlappedState CryptoX Portal