Industry Insights

Eth2 - Introducing the Beacon Chain

Ethereum has introduced the Beacon Chain, the first step in a set of upgrades to address the clogged network, a growing required amount of disk space, and energy consumption needed to keep the network secure. The Beacon Chain's initial role will introduce staking to the Ethereum community and lay the groundwork for future upgrades. 

OCC to Prohibit Discrimination Against Legal but Disfavoured Industries

In a bid to level the playing field, the OCC has proposed a new rule that will provide fair access to financial services. This new rule would prevent banks from blacklisting legal industries, including oil and gas and cryptocurrency businesses.

Belarusbank to Offer Cryptocurrency Exchange Service

The largest financial institution in Belarus, a member country of the FATF-supported Eurasian Group (EAG), is offering citizens of Belarus and Russia to buy, sell and trade Bitcoin at optimal pricing. The bank plans to continue collaboration with Whitebird to expand these crytpocurrency services to additional countries.

The Foundational Principles and Core Features of Central Bank Digital Currencies

A group of central banks have joined forces with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to explore the general use for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). Most public policy objectives amongst central banks have remained unchanged for the last decade and by engaging in the exploration of CBDCs, these organizations are forced to innovate and evolve.

How Business Leaders Can Prepare for the Next Era of Computing

The Spatial Web, also known as Web 3.0 is beginning to unfold and will slowly eliminate the boundary between physical objects and virtual content. Defined as “spatial” because the virtual information will exist in space and be integrated and inseparable from the remainder of the physical world.  

First Central Bank Digital Currency Launched in the Bahamas

The Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) has launched the world’s first central bank backed digital currency (CBDC).  The “Sand Dollar” was launched on October 20th and will use a network of intermediaries referred to as authorized financial institutions (AFIs) to issue the digital currency to the public.

PayPal adds Cryptocurrency Service

European Central Bank - Report on a Digital Euro

The European Central Bank has recently released a report that outlines the practicality benefits of issuing a digital version of the euro. This report also explores the probable risks that this digital euro could present to the current financial system.

Celo Blockchain Platform to Add Bitcoin for Mobile Users

Celo has announced that they will join forces with tBTC, a Bitcoin-pegged token, to create a bridge between Bitcoin and the Celo platform. By adding Bitcoin, Celo is able to tap into the liquidity of Bitcoin and use it as collateral in the Celo stablecoin reserve, enhancing the longevity of the cryptocurrency economy.

Algorand Announces Unique Key Management Approach

Algorand's new rekeying feature will provide users with more flexibility and security by allowing users to change their private spending key without having to change their public address.