News updates January 15, 2022
1. Uruguay reportedly installs its first Bitcoin ATM
Uruguay’s first crypto ATM has been installed in the coastal city of Punta del Este, a major tourist attraction in the region.
Uruguay has reportedly installed its first Bitcoin (BTC) ATM, making it the 11th South American country to publicly encourage crypto adoption. Prior to Uruguay’s involvement, South America hosted 79 ATMs, which represented 0.2% of global BTC ATM installations.
According to Ámbito, Uruguay’s first crypto ATM was installed in the coastal city of Punta del Este, a major tourist attraction in the region. Uruguay’s first Bitcoin ATM was developed and installed in partnership with two local crypto companies — URUBit and inBierto.
The crypto ATM in Uruguay currently supports withdrawal and deposits of five cryptocurrencies, namely — BTC, Binance Coin (BNB), Binance USD (BUSD), Ferret Token (FRT) and Urubit (URUB). FRT and URUB are in-house cryptocurrencies managed and distributed by URUBit and inBierto respectively.
2. Brazilian Mayor Eduardo On Why He’s Keen On Investing Part Of City’s Treasury Reserves In Bitcoin
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro intends to put 1% of the city’s Treasury reserves into cryptocurrencies. He wants to turn the second-most populous city in Brazil into a hub for cryptocurrency.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Warms To Bitcoin
Speaking at a panel during the Rio Innovation week on Thursday, Rio de Janeiro mayor, Eduardo Paes, revealed plans to invest a portion of the city’s reserves in Bitcoin. “We are going to launch Crypto Rio and invest 1% of the treasury in cryptocurrency,”
3. Bolivian Central Bank ‘Bans’ Crypto, Says Tokens ‘Have No Place in Domestic Market’*
The Bolivian central bank has moved to “ban” the use of crypto in the nation – and has issued warnings about what it perceives to be the “risks” involved with investing in cryptoassets such as bitcoin (BTC)
According to the Telam news agency, the Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) has issued a “prohibition” on crypto in the country and “warned that users of these digital securities” could be in line to experience financial losses or fall victim to “scams” – as they are “not trustworthy” in nature.
*The bank said, in an official statement:*
As cryptoassets are not a legal tender in [Bolivia], the BCB prohibits their use, as well as their commercialization and [purchase], because they [incur] potential risks of generating economic losses to their operators and holders.”
4. Kingdom of Tonga May Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Tender, Says Former Member of Parliament
The Kingdom of Tonga may adopt bitcoin as legal tender, according to a former member of Tonga’s parliament, Lord Fusitu’a, who tweeted about a possible timeline for this event to occur. Fusitu’a believes that by next fall a bill will be passed by Tonga’s parliament and bitcoin could be legal tender in the region by November
Former Member of Tonga’s Parliament Lord Fusitu’a Claims Bitcoin Bill Could Be Passed in Order to Make the Crypto Asset Legal Tender
Tonga’s chairman of the Commonwealth Pacific Parliamentary Group on Human Rights, Lord Fusitu’a, is a bitcoin advocate and on January 11, he explained on Twitter that the Kingdom of Tonga’s government may adopt bitcoin as legal tender. The news follows El Salvador’s push to make bitcoin (BTC) legal tender last year. A few months ago, the law was codified by the Salvadoran congress and BTC was deemed legal tender in El Salvador.
5. Russia’s Tinkoff Bank Enters Crypto Space Through Swiss Company Acquisition
The Russian neobank Tinkoff is joining the world of cryptocurrencies with the purchase of a stake in Aximetria, a Swiss-registered and licensed company which provides clients around the world with services and solutions for digital financial assets
Tinkoff Bank Buys Stake in Aximetria
TCS Group Holding, the owner of the Russian Tinkoff Bank, has reportedly acquired a controlling stake in the crypto company Aximetria. Official numbers are yet to be announced but according to The Bell, which broke the news quoting financial market sources, TCS Group may now control up to 83.2% of the Swiss-incorporated entity which was founded by Russians.
Quoted documents from Aximetria reveal that on Nov. 9, TCS Group bought 4,449 shares at 100 Swiss francs ($110) each, and the total share capital of the company amounted to 534,700 francs. Its representatives told the news portal that the details of the transaction will be published in accordance with the established disclosure standards in the group’s annual reports.
6. Swiss National Bank Trials CBDC in Transactions With Five Banks
The Swiss National Bank has successfully employed a wholesale CBDC to settle transactions with five commercial banks, the monetary authority announced. The tests are part of an experiment carried out together with the Bank for International Settlements and Switzerland’s financial services provider SIX.
Swiss Central Bank Tests Integration of Wholesale CBDC Settlement With Private Banks
wide-range of transactions involving a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) have been processed during the second phase of Project Helvetia, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) revealed in a press release issued on Thursday.
7. North Korean Hackers Stole $400 Million in Cryptocurrency Last Year — Ether Accounts for 58% of Stolen Funds
North Korean hackers stole cryptocurrency worth about $400 million last year in at least seven major attacks on crypto platforms. “Only 20% of the stolen funds were bitcoin … And for the first time ever, ether accounted for a majority of the funds stolen at 58%,” said blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis.
North Korean Hackers Stole $400 Million in Crypto Last Year
Blockchain analytics platform Chainalysis published an analysis on North Korean hackers and their unlaundered cryptocurrency holdings Thursday. The firm described
North Korean cybercriminals had a banner year in 2021, launching at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms that extracted nearly $400 million worth of digital assets last year.
