El Salvador 2.0? How Kyrgyzstan’s blockchain strategy stands apart

Kyrgyzstan’s blockchain strategy merges gold stability with crypto innovation. This approach ensures secure payments and transparent cross-border transactions, setting it apart from El Salvador’s faltering Bitcoin experiment. While many countries are exploring cryptocurrencies on varying scales, El Salvador took the leap in 2021 by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender. Despite offering free Bitcoin to citizens as…

Ethereum Pectra upgrade live on testnet, but mainnet may face delays

Ethereum’s highly anticipated Pectra upgrade was successfully deployed on its final testnet, Sepolia, marking a major milestone in the lead-up to the mainnet activation. However, potential delays remain as developers continue to address outstanding issues from a previous testnet failure. Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade has gathered significant community support as it aims to improve Ether staking,…

Dubai crypto regulator grants VASP license to RWA-friendly L1 blockchain

RWA-focused layer-1 blockchain Mantra is the first DeFi platform to secure a license from Dubai’s virtual asset regulator, VARA. Dubai is a rising market for the blockchain industry that is quickly establishing itself as one of the world’s leading financial centers. As a result, the region has welcomed a myriad of companies, including crypto trading platforms, media…

Turkish digital bank Bankpozitif to debut crypto custody with Taurus

Turkish digital bank BankPozitif is set to launch cryptocurrency custody services in collaboration with Swiss crypto platform Taurus, making it the latest financial institution in Turkey to embrace digital assets. On March 4, BankPozitif announced a strategic partnership with Taurus, enabling its institutional clients to store crypto assets with the bank. The service is expected…

Blockstream to launch Bitcoin lending funds with multi-billion investment

Bitcoin developer Blockstream has secured a multibillion-dollar investment to launch three new institutional funds, including two that will enable lending Bitcoin. “Blockstream’s institutional-grade Bitcoin investment solutions will go live on April 1, with external capital acceptance opening on July 1,” the firm stated on X on March 4, confirming an earlier Bloomberg report. It added that the investment…

US Senate passes resolution to kill ‘unworkable’ IRS DeFi broker rule

The US Senate has passed a resolution to repeal a Biden-era rule that would require decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Senate voted 70 to 27 on March 4 to approve a motion to repeal the rule that would expand existing IRS reporting requirements to include decentralized exchanges and require brokers to disclose gross proceeds from crypto…