Cryptocurrency - Long Reads, News, Articles & Research: Finextra

What is an ETF? All you need to know after the US SEC approves Bitcoin spot ETFs

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is an ETF? All you need to know after the US SEC approves Bitcoin spot ETFs

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced its approval of 11 bitcoin spot ETFs, allowing for trading to begin as early as today. There has been a lot of buzz and build-up to this outcome, not least because the SEC’s X account was reportedly hacked resulting in their determination being tweeted a day early. For many, this is the...

11 January 2024 /crypto

Are stablecoins the next opportunity in payments?

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Are stablecoins the next opportunity in payments?

In 2023, we have seen stablecoins - cryptocurrency designed to have a relatively stable price, typically by being pegged to a commodity or fiat currency – being embraced by some of the biggest payment players like Visa and PayPal. Despite being less than a decade old, more than 11 trillion in stablecoins were settled on-chain in 2022, accountin...

09 January 2024 /crypto

What’s happening at Binance? A 2023 timeline

Dominique Dierks Content Manager at Finextra

What’s happening at Binance? A 2023 timeline

With a resigning CEO and a record-breaking payout of billions of dollars – Binance’s November settlement was just the tip of the iceberg of a year filled with regulatory woes. In this article we highlight the key events of 2023 that led to Binance agreeing to pay some of the largest fines in US history. March 2023: CFTC sues Binance In March, the U...

24 November 2023 /crypto

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is tokenised gold?

Despite the crypto winter and general uncertainty around digital assets, we’re continuing to see the emergence of real-world asset tokenisation as defi continues its creep into financial services. Artwork, intellectual property, real estate, corporate securities, luxury cars, commodities, and gold, are some examples of this tokenisation. Last week...

07 November 2023 /crypto

An outlook on emerging technologies, alternative finance and digital identity

Dominique Dierks Content Manager at Finextra

An outlook on emerging technologies, alternative finance and digital identity

This is an excerpt from The Future of Digital Banking in North America 2024 report. The collapse of the cryptocurrency platform FTX in late 2022 has sent waves through the industry that continue to linger. It triggered not only the loss of trust but also increased scrutiny for digital currencies and decentralised platforms by regulators. While the...

27 October 2023 /crypto

Future of Fintech in Latin America 2023: Seizing blockchain opportunity by riding the crypto wave

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Future of Fintech in Latin America 2023: Seizing blockchain opportunity by riding the crypto wave

This is an excerpt from The Future of Fintech in Latin America 2023 report. Adoption of blockchain use cases are growing fast across Latin America. A breadth of use cases including bitcoin, stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies (as stores of value against inflation, banking the unbanked, low-fee remittances, DeFi applications, play-2-earn games, ...

08 September 2023 /crypto

How should stablecoins and digital currencies be regulated by the government?

Ganesh Viswanath-Natraj Assistant Professor at Gillmore Centre, Warwick

How should stablecoins and digital currencies be regulated by the government?

Ever since Bitcoin's emergence in 2009, interest in cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed. However, an abrupt and painful crash has sparked calls for more stringent regulatory measures. In May 2022, cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna plummeted in value by 99% within just two days, causing a broader loss of confidence in the crypto markets and leading t...

06 September 2023 /crypto

Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023: Opposing pressures dovetail to spur blockchain growth

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023: Opposing pressures dovetail to spur blockchain growth

This is an excerpt from The Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023 report. There is an interesting two-pronged dynamic at play which is arguably giving the Middle East’s blockchain market a unique edge. On one hand, in certain countries across the region, cryptocurrency has seen strong appeal from users looking to access antigovernment money. W...

21 August 2023 /crypto

How the future of decentralised exchanges will impact financial services

Olga Klein Assistant Professor of Finance at Gillmore Centre of Financial Technology at Warwick

How the future of decentralised exchanges will impact financial services

Decentralised Exchanges (DEX) are playing a significant role in the financial services industry, presenting a fundamental shift in the way we conduct transactions and manage assets. The recent collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, resulting in the loss of at least $1 billion of customers’ funds, has brought the benefits of decentralised exchange...

15 August 2023 /crypto

Future of Fintech in Africa 2023: Blockchain is shaping Africa's digital currency based future

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Future of Fintech in Africa 2023: Blockchain is shaping Africa's digital currency based future

This is an excerpt from The Future of Fintech in Africa 2023 report. Africa’s crypto market is surging, but it is still early days for the continent’s overall crypto landscape, and the region’s fundamental appetite and need for the sector lies in the underlying blockchain upon which many believe the future digital payments is being built. Africa i...

08 August 2023 /crypto

Digital currency strategies and their consumer potential

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Digital currency strategies and their consumer potential

As digital currencies become integrated into the mainstream, payments service providers and technology providers are investigating how consumers will adapt to this new addition to the financial ecosystem. As banks and fintechs become more comfortable with crypto payments, the role of technology firms becomes more integral to the consumer’s journey...

27 June 2023 /crypto

Central bank digital currencies: Why it's time for commercial banks to lead

Gilbert Verdian Founder and CEO at Quant

Central bank digital currencies: Why it's time for commercial banks to lead

Anyone who has ever been involved with a technology project will know that they are notorious for being overtime and over budget. We’ve recently completed one that bucks this trend. It has the potential to significantly reshape our underlying monetary system and the nature of currency – creating a slew of opportunities for banks and payments firms...

21 June 2023 /crypto

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