Payments in national currencies among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members have reportedly increased from 40% in 2022 to 92%, signaling a move away from reliance on the U.S. dollar. Similar to the BRICS economic bloc, the SCO, which includes Russia, China, India, and recently added Iran, is encouraging the use of local currencies to strengthen […]
Lightspark Presents Solution Linking Lightning Network Payments to Bank Accounts in the U.S.
Lightspark, a Bitcoin Lightning Network financial services company, has announced the release of its UMA Extend feature, which focuses on increasing the interaction between crypto and legacy rails in the U.S. With UMA Extend, businesses can opt in for a direction that can be linked to an account, allowing them to instantly receive LN payments […]
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Predicts Payments Will Be Crypto’s Next Big Boom
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong reflects on the past decade of the cryptocurrency industry, highlighting his initial expectation that payments would be the primary application for crypto. Instead, trading became the dominant force. Looking ahead, Armstrong remains optimistic about the future of crypto payments, citing advancements in stablecoins, layer two technologies, and simpler onboarding processes as […]
Nigerian Central Bank Affiliate Partners With Blockchain Startup Zone to Boost Payments
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has partnered with Zone, a decentralized payment infrastructure company, to improve its payment services. NIBSS will use Zone’s blockchain technology to streamline its Payment Terminal Service Aggregation (PTSA) operations. Both NIBSS and Zone believe that blockchain technology can revolutionize the financial sector and enhance regulatory oversight. NIBSS Enhances Payment […]
Yellow Card, Fireblocks Partner to Streamline African Cross-Border Payments
Yellow Card, a leading stablecoin platform, has partnered with Fireblocks, a digital asset infrastructure provider, to improve cross-border transactions in Africa. By leveraging Fireblocks’ technology, Yellow Card aims to provide secure and efficient on-chain solutions for businesses and individuals. This includes using Fireblocks’ Wallets-as-a-Service (WaaS) to manage and protect customer assets. This partnership addresses the […]