Major global investment bank JPMorgan has developed a new solution for derivatives designed to speed up cash and collateral transfers. The tool was developed in partnership with California-based fintech firm Baton Systems and aims to enable the real-time movement of transfers to multiple clearinghouses, the firm announced Nov. 14. The current process requires collateral custodians to manually coordinate multiple systems and reports. Integrated with JPMorgan’s proprietary automation system, the new solution reportedly eliminates manual intervention in the collateral process and therefore expedites the collateral workflow. According to the announcement, the platform automates margining and collateral flows and allows users to …

Verge (XVG) has seen a 33% pump in the 24 hours following Paypal’s move to pull the plug on the adult entertainment website Pornhub. XVG — whose creators struck a deal with Pornub back in April 2018 — has skyrocketed in value since the PayPal news broke on Nov. 14, as Coin360 data shows. XVG price 7-day chart. Source: Coin360 168% increase in 24h trade volume The XVG network uses anonymity-focused networks such as Tor and I2P, as well as additional layers of encryption to bolster security. It ranks 66th largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization globally and is trading at …

French payment firm Ingenico has partnered with Singapore-based crypto startup Pundi X to enable its customers to receive payments in crypto using smartphones. Pundi X has integrated its point-of-sale payment gateway (XPOS) into Ingenico’s mobile portable POS solution APOS A8, the firm announced on Nov. 12. Through this partnership, merchants around the world using Ingenico’s Android-based APOS A8 will now be able to accept a wide number of crypto as payment options. Transactions will be processed directly through Pundi’s XWallet mobile app Specifically, installing the XPOS module on an Ingenico POS terminal will enable payments in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), …

Walmart Canada — the retail giant’s Canadian branch — has rolled out an automated blockchain-based network for freight tracking and payments management, according to a Nov. 14 press release. The new system, which was developed in collaboration with blockchain company DLT Labs, is designed to improve freight and payment processing, enabling users to automatically trace deliveries, verify transactions and handle payments and reconciliation. Integration with each company’s legacy systems The release further states that the network can be integrated with a business’s legacy system and “manages, integrates and synchronizes all the supply chain and logistics data in real time, aggregating …

Cryptocurrencies came to life as a counterweight to the global financial restrictions that are powered by banks and regulators through the use of fiat. Therefore, it is fitting that Bitcoin (BTC) broke into the limelight in 2009 and raised a lot of controversies right form the start. By design, all blockchain transactions are recorded on an immutable ledger. Therefore, even though it would take immense work, skilled auditors like Ernst & Young are able to find irregularities — as opposed to fiat, which it is claimed that 99.9% of money laundering is not prosecuted by regulators. Early on, criminals quickly …

The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has denied reports stating that the bank is developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). An official announcement from the BCT follows apparently false reports that Tunisia was the first country to start moving its national currency to a blockchain platform and was preparing to launch its “e-dinar.” Central Bank of Tunisia is focused on the digitization of finance In the statement, the BCT refuted all claims regarding the development of a digital money solution. The central bank clarified that it is now exploring various methods of digital payment alternatives, including a possible CBDC, …

Bitcoin payments app Fold now supports home-sharing giant Airbnb, the firm announced on Nov. 11. Now Fold users can get 3% back in Bitcoin (BTC) on every stay and experience booked on Airbnb. $25 and $100 Airbnb gift cards for Bitcoin Airbnb is now listed on its rewards program called Fold Kickbacks. The program supports Bitcoin’s second layer Lightning Network (LN) allowing to buy gift cards for Bitcoin with 3% cashback. Currently, Fold offers $25 or $100 gift cards on its website. Launched in July 2019, the Fold Kickbacks program already supports some big-name retailers including Amazon, Starbucks and Uber. …

Founding managing partner of HCM Capital, the private equity arm of electronics manufacturer Foxconn, Jack Lee, says China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is ready and expects it to launch in two to three months. During an interview with CNBC published on Nov. 11, Lee also suggested that the People's Bank of China (PBoC) will use the new currency to further strengthen its oversight over capital flows. China’s digital currency is ready He explained that the PBoC already tracks cash movements with serial numbers on banknotes and blockchain could provide an even more effective way to do it. Lee also …

Singapore's central bank and state investment firm have created a prototype multi-currency blockchain-based payments network together with JPMorgan. A Nov. 11 report from The Business Times indicates that the prototype is designed to enable payments denominated in different currencies to be completed on the same network. Interfaces with other blockchain networks The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — the city state’s de facto central bank — led the development of the new solution, working in conjunction with state investment firm Temasek Holdings and the United States’ largest bank, JPMorgan Chase. The latter has acted in the capacity of infrastructure provider …

Malaysia is planning to impose a $6,000 limit on cash transactions in 2020, according to a deputy governor at the country’s central bank. The new restrictions aim to prevent the use of cash in illicit activities, and won’t affect regulated financial institutions or other entities transacting for humanitarian aid purposes. The average Malaysian household spends $1,900 per month Abdul Rasheed, the deputy governor in question who works for Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), claimed that the measures will apply to all transactions involving physical cash, including payments for goods and services, reports local English-language newspaper The Star. The limit of 25,000 …

A senior United States federal official has argued that Facebook’s Libra highlights the need for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to act urgently and launch its own real-time payments system. In a letter addressed to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors on Nov. 7, Rohit Chopra — a commissioner at the United States Federal Trade Commission — expressed his support of the central bank’s proposal to launch a new, round-the-clock real-time payments system dubbed “FedNow Service.” A potential “shadow global central bank” In his letter, Commissioner Chopra argued that the central bank must act swiftly to prevent new threats to its …

As many as 99% of all cryptocurrencies will likely go to zero, according to a new prediction by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. There are too many crypto projects, says Garlinghouse In an interview with Bloomberg released Nov. 5, Garlinghouse claimed that there are too many cryptocurrencies so far, forecasting that only 1% of all crypto is here to stay. That small number of crypto projects will be game-changing and grow significantly in the decades since they will be focused on solving real problems for real customers, Ripple CEO declared. Growth is caused by the hype around the market According to …