Crypto firm Celsius halts withdrawals, cites “extreme market conditions”
Celsius says the pause is designed to put the firm in a “better position” to honour its withdrawal obligations in the future.
Bitcoin
Money 20/20 Europe: A new era for a digital Sterling
Project New Era, set to launch in September, is a pilot evaluating the future digital currency ecosystem in the UK.
Europe fintech funding round-up: Cryptio, Fung, Financielle and more
This weekly fintech round-up brings to you funding news from around Europe.
Money 20/20 Europe: Mode CEO Rita Liu on crypto adoption and regulation
Education and regulatory clarity are key to mass adoption of crypto, Mode CEO Rita Liu says.
Indonesian crypto investment platform Pintu lands $113m Series B funding
Intudo Ventures, Lightspeed, Northstar Group and Pantera Capital participated in the round.
Crypto exchange Coinbase extends hiring pause and rescinds some job offers
The firm cites “current market conditions” as a reason behind the move.
Babel Finance bags $80m Series B at $2bn valuation
The firm says it limits business to Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoins, and serves around 500 “select clientele”.
FinTech Futures: Top five stories of the week – 20 May 2022
Here’s our pick of five of the top news stories from the world of finance and tech this week.
Former Meta, PayPal chief launches Bitcoin payments start-up
Lightspark aims to “explore, build and extend the capabilities and utility of Bitcoin”.
Digital assets platform Elwood lands $70m Series A
The Series A cash will go towards expanding Elwood’s product offerings and global operations.
Latin American Bitcoin rewards credit card provider YoCripto readies for launch
YoCripto is on a mission to be the first in Latin America to offer a credit card with Bitcoin rewards.
FinTech Futures: Top five stories of the week – 22 April 2022
Here’s our pick of five of the top news stories from the world of finance and tech this week.
Trading app Robinhood plots global expansion with acquisition of UK crypto firm Ziglu
Robinhood says the deal forms part of its mission to “democratise finance”.
FCA says all UK crypto ATMs must be shut down
The FCA says none of the cryptoasset firms registered with the regulator have been approved to offer crypto ATM services.
Broaden your horizons – cryptocurrency payments will be in high demand
Online merchants will soon need to offer crypto as a standard – how to choose the right platform for this?
Crypto paytech BCB Group lands UK blockchain industry’s largest Series A with $60m raise
BCB claims to have processed nearly $100bn worth of payments in just over five years of business.
Crypto IRA software platform iTrustCapital secures $125m in growth equity
The growth equity investment round values the company at more than $1.3bn.
BitPay hires payments veteran Jim Lester as first COO
BitPay CEO says appointment of COO was necessary as more payments move to the blockchain.
Indonesian fintech start-up Pluang raises $55m in Series B follow-up round
The company has now raised $110 million in total Series B funding.
Fintech start-up Twig raises $35m to support Web 3.0 plans
The London-based fintech intends to expand into the EU and US in 2022.
Customers Bank brings digital asset bankers onboard
Investment “signals we are a serious participant in this space”, says CEO.
Swiss digital asset neobank Sygnum raises $90m in Series B round
“The digital asset economy is rapidly crossing the chasm to mainstream adoption,” says CEO.
Nuvei partners Visa to launch branded crypto debit cards across Europe
The programme plays “a vital role in expanding the crypto ecosystem”, Nuvei CEO says.
Israeli blockchain firm StarkWare raises $50m in Series C round
Company aims to increase blockchain bandwidth to scale technology for mass use.
Joshua Barraclough moves from JP Morgan to crypto trading platform Bitpanda
The new recruit takes the CEO role at Bitpanda’s crypto exchange, Bitpanda Pro.
Visa invests in fintech start-up Deserve to drive adoption of crypto-powered cards
The investment expands a partnership that began under Visa’s Fintech Fast Track programme.
Mastercard partners digital asset platform Bakkt to offer ‘Crypto-as-a-Service’
Partnership forms part of Mastercard’s broader crypto strategy.
Sibos 2021: CBDCs important to future of industry, says SocGen CEO
Speaking at Sibos 2021, Frédéric Oudéa says CBDCs “might be more efficient than, and might replace, cash”.
NatWest chair warns against “gambling” with cryptocurrency
Sir Howard Davies says the “damned stuff” should be banned.
Swiss crypto institution SEBA Bank granted collective investment scheme licence
The granting of the CISA licence to a digital asset-focused bank is the first in Switzerland.
Cobo raises $40m Series B funding for DeFi-as-a-Service platform
The Singaporean crypto platform will also use the $40m raised to secure regulatory licences.
SEC threatens suit over Coinbase crypto lending product
Coinbase’s CEO and chief legal officer admonish US markets regulator over lack of clarity.
BitConnect faces $2bn SEC fraud charge
SEC alleges BitConnect and founder Satish Kumbhani siphoned investor funds into digital wallets.
Crypto exchange FTX.US acquires derivatives platform LedgerX
The firm aims to bring regulated crypto derivatives to its US user base.
FCA says crypto exchange Binance is “not capable” of supervision
UK regulator issued a now-revealed warning to Binance in June.
PayPal launches UK crypto service
It is the first international expansion of the service outside the US.
Greengage bank seeks Gibraltar licence to serve SMEs and crypto firms
New firm wants to be Gibraltar’s first digital merchant bank.
Nigerian central bank plans October 2021 digital currency pilot
The central bank ordered the cessation of cryptocurrency exchange services in February.
Russian central bank asks exchanges to avoid cryptocurrency firms
Bank of Russia asks stock exchanges not to list crypto-adjacent companies.
OKCoin partners Worldpay to expand global merchant acquiring
Cryptocurrency exchange wanted “a proven and experienced partner”.
