Tag Archives: Banks

Recently leaked documents allege that the giant private bank Credit Suisse had held hundreds of billions of dollars of clients alleged or involved in drug trafficking, corruption, torture, money laundering, and other serious crimes. This comes years after the bank bashed the cryptocurrency industry, claiming that bitcoin presents money laundering challenges. The Leaked Documents A whistle-blower shared compromising data on more than 18,000 bank accounts holding over $100...

A top official at India’s central bank recently reiterated warnings to Prime Minister Modi’s government about the risks cryptocurrencies pose to the country’s financial system. This time, he compared digital assets to “Ponzi schemes”, mirroring some investors’ long-held criticisms of the asset class. Crypto Is A Ponzi, Says RBI Governor T. Rabi Sankar of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered his criticisms during a banking conference speech on Monday. As reported by...

Digital asset platform Bakkt Holdings has teamed up with Valliant Bank, an institution that provides financial services, to bring a seamless crypto experience to the bank’s customers. According to a press release on Monday (February 14, 2022), Valliant Bank would enable customers to easily buy, sell, and hold bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), and other altcoins within the bank’s digital banking infrastructure via the Bakkt crypto connect solution. Bakkt’s program, which is...

Leading Israeli bank, Hapoalim Bank, has recently filed a letter of defense to dismiss the claims of the 69-year-old pensioner, Esther Freeman, to allow the deposit of $320k profit she made from a $3,000 Bitcoin investment nearly nine years ago. According to a Thursday report by a local media outlet, the bank claims that its insistence on denying the deposit was because of cases where digital currencies are used to facilitate money laundering and terrorist financing. Hapoalim...

While the Federal Reserve continues to threaten interest rate hikes amid rising inflation, the ECB has taken a different approach. Bank President Christine Lagarde stated they will “not rush into a decision,” deeming inflation as merely a short-term problem. Interest Rates Remain Unchanged As reported by CNBC, the ECB’s refinancing rate will remain at 0%. Meanwhile, its marginal lending rate will stay at 0.25%, and its deposit facility rate will be kept at -0.5%. The decision...

Anton Siluanov – Russia’s Minister of Finance – believes local financial institutions should have a universal license to facilitate cryptocurrency trading services. His viewpoint stands far from the central bank’s proposal to impose a complete ban on all digital asset endeavors. Another Vote in Favor of Regulation A few weeks ago, Russia’s central bank urged the local government to impose a blanket ban on all digital asset endeavors inside its borders. The institution argued...

Customers of U.S. financial service provider Five Star Bank will soon be able to securely buy and invest in bitcoin (BTC) directly from their bank accounts thanks to a partnership with NYDIG. Five Star Bank to Offer Bitcoin Trading Services New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) has struck a partnership with American-based Five Star Bank to onboard bitcoin trading and virtual currency transaction facilities for the latter’s customers before the end of Q2 2022. According to...

The Bank of Thailand (BOT), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) have jointly decided to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange. They cite threats of financial instability and crime as primary justifications. Strictness On Crypto BOT announced its regulatory decision in a press release earlier today. It begins by recognizing how digital asset companies are expanding the functionality of cryptocurrencies as a medium of...

The Union Bank of Philippines plans to open a custodial service for cryptocurrencies as the asset class becomes increasingly popular among the local population. A Strategy for Every Customer As cited by Bloomberg, Cathy Casas, the bank’s head of blockchain and applications coordination department, outlined the institution’s plans recently. The top exec explained that it is a necessary strategy employed to secure the future of the organization. This decision took cognizance of...

According to BNY Mellon’s Chief Executive Officer – Emily Portney – digital assets could create a significant source of revenue starting from next year for the financial institution. America’s Oldest Bank Sees Crypto’s Potential The Bank of New York, established in 1784 and operating today as BNY Mellon, is the oldest continuously functioning bank in the past year or so. In a recent interview, Chief Executive Officer Emily Portney reaffirmed that position. She predicted that...