ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Czech National Bank Governor Aleš Michl recently stated in an interview with CNN Prima News that he is considering including Bitcoin in the bank's foreign exchange reserve diversification strategy.In the interview, Michl mentioned that he is considering purchasing "a small amount of Bitcoin" as part of the reserve diversification. While this would not be a significant investment, its symbolic meaning is substantial. The bank's advisor Janis Aliapulios confirmed that although there are currently no plans to purchase Bitcoin, discussions on this matter cannot be ruled out in the future. The Czech National Bank's board, composed of 7 members, needs to approve any decision to purchase Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher news, according to official information, HashKey Group has announced that it has obtained registration approval as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) from the Central Bank of Ireland. This is the first VASP license for HashKey Group that is fully compliant with the EU's Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD5). The VASP registration allows HashKey Europe Limited to provide regulated services, including: exchange between virtual assets and fiat currency, exchange between one or more forms of virtual assets, virtual asset transfers, custody wallet services, and more.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Mobile Payment Network, on January 4, 2025, the digital renminbi App, led by the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People's Bank of China and co-built by operating institutions, will celebrate its 3rd anniversary.Since its launch 3 years ago, the digital renminbi App has undergone approximately 38 updates, including 16 times in 2022, 12 times in 2023, and 10 times in 2024. It is currently at version 1.1.14.

ChainCatcher news, Derek Halpenny from MUFG stated that the prospect of the Bank of England cutting interest rates more than the market expects will hit the pound.Market expectations for rate cuts this year seem "too cautious," and the pound may underperform non-dollar currencies later this year. The pound was the worst-performing G10 currency in the previous trading day, with the UK's December manufacturing PMI unexpectedly revised down, and gas prices surged, moderately increasing expectations for a rate cut in February. (Jin Shi)

ChainCatcher news, according to the minutes released by the Greek central bank on Thursday, European Central Bank Governing Council member and Greek central bank governor Stournaras told Greek Skai Radio: "The ECB's benchmark interest rate should be lowered to around 2% by the fall of 2025." He stated that this forecast would still be affected by "unforeseen circumstances" and mentioned risk factors in Europe and the United States. Economists and investors believe that as inflation stabilizes at the 2% target, the ECB will cut rates at every meeting before mid-2025, as the region's economy continues to struggle. (Jin Shi)

ChainCatcher news, ECB board member Stournaras stated that the pace of interest rate cuts should be gradual, and the European Central Bank should not rule out the possibility of significant rate cuts. (Jin Ten)

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, former German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has called for Bitcoin to be included in the reserves of the European Central Bank and the German Central Bank.

ChainCatcher 消息，中国人民银行近日发布《中国金融稳定报告（2024）》，其中提到全球加密货币监管动态，包括香港的加密货币合规进展。 报告指出，鉴于加密资产对金融体系稳定可能产生外溢风险，各国监管部门不断加大对加密资产的监管力度。目前全球已有 51 个国家和地区对加密资产出台禁止规定，部分经济体已调整原有法律或重新立法规范。 其中，中国香港积极探索加密资产牌照管理，将虚拟资产分为两类进行监管，即证券化金融资产和非证券化金融资产，对虚拟资产交易平台运营者执行特色“双牌照”制度，分别适用于《证券及期货条例》和《打击洗钱条例》监管和牌照制度，从事虚拟资产业务的机构需向有关监管部门申请注册牌照方可运营。同时，香港要求汇丰银行、渣打银行等大型金融机构将加密资产交易所纳入日常客户监管范畴。

ChainCatcher 消息，据德国商业报纸 Handelsblatt 报道：“前联邦财政部长 Christian Lindner 称，欧洲央行和德国央行应该鼓励将比特币等加密货币纳入其储备。”

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, ECB board member Holzmann stated that the euro and energy will bring inflation risks. The European Central Bank may consider waiting longer before the next rate cut.

ChainCatcher News, the summary of opinions from the Bank of Japan's December meeting shows that policymakers are divided into two camps: one favors taking more time to carefully study the data, while the other believes the conditions for raising interest rates are ripe. "Although there is still uncertainty in the overseas economy, the Japanese economy is in a position to adjust the degree of monetary easing," one committee member said. "The central bank may decide to raise the policy interest rate in the near future. But at this point, it is necessary to remain patient and monitor the uncertainties in the U.S. economy until these uncertainties dissipate," another committee member stated. (Jin Shi)

ChainCatcher news, the Central Bank of Russia is developing a new monitoring platform to combat illegal cryptocurrency over-the-counter trading services and enhance financial security.Sources revealed that this initiative is being implemented in cooperation with Rosfinmonitoring. The platform will centralize information on suspicious activities, enabling banks to take proactive measures to refuse account openings for high-risk individuals.Bogdan Shablya, head of the Central Bank's Financial Monitoring and Currency Control Service, confirmed that the platform's goal is to make illegal financial operations economically unviable by blocking them at entry points. Unlike major monitoring companies that heavily rely on passive measures of KYC systems, this platform will actively target individual accounts and focus on real-time detection of abnormal trading patterns.

ChainCatcher news, according to Yonhap News Agency, the Bank of Korea plans to further cut interest rates next year to address higher downside risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to the 893rd research paper titled "Money Laundering and Blockchain: Can You Trace the Footprints in the Crypto World?" published by an Italian bank in November 2024, some websites (such as kycnot.me) that offer P2P services without requiring customer identity verification (KYC) are categorized as "Crime-as-a-Service."The anonymity and lack of regulation associated with these services make them important tools for money laundering activities, especially in jurisdictions lacking effective anti-money laundering regulations.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the minutes of the Bank of Japan meeting indicate that the committee unanimously believes that if the economic and price trends meet expectations, the Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates.

ChainCatcher news, the Bank of Botswana stated that the local cryptocurrency market in the country is still underdeveloped, and the risks to financial stability are "extremely low." The bank indicated that regulatory measures should be established to prevent potential future risks associated with digital assets.The Bank of Botswana stated: "The risks posed by domestic crypto assets are minimal, but the ongoing misconduct in this area has raised regulatory concerns. Therefore, regulators need to establish an effective oversight framework for the industry."

ChainCatcher news, according to Ledger Insights, the Central Bank of Russia recently shared its business model for the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). By the end of 2025, all digital ruble transactions will be free, with the first banks and merchants expected to go live on July 1. The central bank plans to earn fees by operating the system.Meanwhile, at a hearing held last week in the State Duma of Russia, the Association of Russian Banks (ABR) expressed dissatisfaction among banks. They are concerned about the potential outflow of bank deposits and the high deployment costs.It is reported that the Central Bank of Russia does not intend to limit the holdings of the CBDC. According to Info24, ABR Chairman Anatoly Kozlachkov stated that the setup cost for each bank is about 100 million rubles (1 million USD), while some banks have a capital of only 3 million USD.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ledger Insights, Germany's DekaBank has obtained a cryptocurrency custody license from the country's regulatory authority BaFin and the European Central Bank (ECB). Commerzbank was the first German bank to receive a license last year, while other major banks, including DZ Bank, have yet to obtain one.BaFin has issued an additional 11 cryptocurrency custody licenses, primarily targeting cryptocurrency companies. One of these is the digital asset custody subsidiary of Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank.The difference between DekaBank and Commerzbank in relation to cryptocurrency companies is that the former is licensed under the Banking Act (KWG). This is the second new license DekaBank has obtained this year. In July, the company received a license as a crypto securities registrar for issuing digital securities based on DLT in Germany. These crypto securities can be issued without the need for a central securities depository (CSD).