ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, global fiat on-ramp and off-ramp service provider Transak has obtained Digital Currency Exchange (DCE) registration from the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), allowing it to operate as a fully compliant exchange in Australia.

ChainCatcher news, according to FOX Business, as the first-ever White House crypto summit is set to take place later this week, investors are paying attention to any policy developments regarding cryptocurrency reserves. Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire is confident about the future of digital currency, believing it will become a "superpower" and have a "profound" impact."USD stablecoins can expand America's influence globally," Jeremy Allaire stated. "We have digitized everything: digital media, digital communication, software information, and all this digitization allows information and communication to flow freely around the world. But in the realm of currency, we have not achieved that yet. Digital currency provides us with a whole new way, and the impact on America, small businesses, and ordinary families will be profound," he continued.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the Bank of Israel has proposed a design scheme for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) that may be adopted in the future, provided that a decision is made to launch such a currency. In a document released on Tuesday, the Israeli central bank described the proposed digital shekel (DS) as a "multi-purpose CBDC," which can be used for both retail and wholesale.The document states, "The digital shekel will be a multi-purpose digital currency that meets the retail needs of end users such as households and businesses, as well as the wholesale needs of financial institutions." Therefore, the Bank of Israel will provide a digital currency equivalent to cash while upgrading the existing settlement systems of financial institutions, adding "smart" features such as composability and programmability.The Bank of Israel also emphasized that no decision has yet been made on whether to issue a CBDC. Therefore, the design scheme proposed in the document should only be regarded as a preliminary concept.

ChainCatcher news, according to TASS, Oleg Ogienko, the Deputy General Manager of communications at the Russian mining data center operator and mining equipment importer Bitriver, stated that Russia could establish a cryptocurrency reserve within 1-3 years when the country has the appropriate regulatory conditions. At that time, the state will create regulatory conditions for this purpose.Ogienko mentioned that establishing a cryptocurrency reserve must involve creating and regulating secure infrastructure for storing and otherwise processing digital currencies domestically. It has already emerged, but is currently in a closed state.

ChainCatcher news, according to Caixin reports, the Huaxia Hong Kong Dollar Digital Currency Fund has chosen to issue on the Ethereum public chain, with an initial scale of approximately 107 million USD. According to reports, this fund is the first tokenized money market fund aimed at retail investors in the Asia-Pacific region.Currently, the fund is only open for primary market subscriptions and redemptions, and secondary market trading has not yet been realized. In the future, it will strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and will work with licensed virtual asset exchanges in Hong Kong to jointly explore the development of secondary market products.Huaxia stated that tokenization could provide more income-generating tools for the on-chain ecosystem, and in the future, it hopes to attract stablecoin holders to invest, and will explore the tokenization of money market funds in different currencies, including the Renminbi money market fund.The underlying assets of the fund are the same as those of traditional money market funds, with no less than 70% of the net asset value invested in financial instruments such as short-term deposits and bonds denominated and settled in Hong Kong dollars.

ChainCatcher news, according to BTCTN, the pilot project of Brazil's central bank digital currency DREX has encountered significant obstacles. An official report indicates that the implementation of this central bank digital currency lacks a key element: privacy protection.Although three potential solutions were tested, none were able to meet the requirements of balancing transaction privacy with regulatory needs. While these technologies can hide transaction details from third parties, they also hinder regulatory agencies' monitoring of fraud and compliance.The Central Bank of Brazil emphasizes that if transactions cannot be audited, the security and integrity of the Drex platform may be at risk. As it enters a new pilot phase, addressing privacy issues remains a top priority before considering new proposals.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, reported that on February 20, the European Central Bank (ECB) is expanding the development of a wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) payment system for settling transactions between institutions.The establishment of the new system will be carried out in two phases. First, a CBDC settlement platform will be developed, and the second phase will involve deeper integration with existing ECB systems, such as the foreign exchange trading market.Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB's Executive Board and an official responsible for overseeing the wholesale CBDC program, stated that the initiative will help achieve "a more coordinated and integrated European financial ecosystem."

According to ChainCatcher news, the programmable IP public chain Story has announced its participation in Stanford University's Future Digital Currency Initiative (FDCI), assisting FDCI in addressing open research issues in the blockchain field. As the core of this collaboration, Story will provide technical support in the following three areas for Stanford FDCI:High-throughput concurrent processing technology to enhance the processing capability of blockchain in practical applications;Seamless integration with Story's existing multi-core architecture to optimize the performance of blockchain systems;Hardware-level smart contract execution solutions to ensure improved execution efficiency while maintaining system security.This collaboration will accelerate the realization of Story's roadmap and lay the foundation for future innovations in blockchain execution environments.

ChainCatcher news, the think tank OMFIF conducted a latest survey on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of the surveyed central banks intend to issue CBDCs. Among them, most (48% of respondents) plan to issue within five years, while 12% of respondents plan to issue within the next two years.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell stated that we will never launch a central bank digital currency.

ChainCatcher news, according to a press release, Nasdaq-listed company and holographic technology service provider MicroCloud Hologram Inc. announced that the company plans to raise up to $200 million to purchase Bitcoin or other digital currencies and their related securities derivatives, incorporating these assets into its capital reserve strategy.The company currently has cash reserves of approximately $257 million, and the $200 million it plans to deploy will primarily be used to invest in Bitcoin or other digital currencies with market influence and growth potential, as well as related securities derivatives. The company stated that purchasing Bitcoin or digital currency derivatives is an important initiative for exploring and practicing in the digital currency field.Through this plan, HOLO will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the operational mechanisms, price fluctuations, investment strategies, and more in the digital currency market, thereby accumulating valuable experience for future business expansion and capital operations in the digital currency sector.

ChainCatcher news, Michael Sonnenfeldt, founder and chairman of the high-net-worth investor network Tiger 21, stated that Tiger 21 holds approximately $6 billion in digital currencies.In an interview, Michael Sonnenfeldt said, "Our digital currency assets account for about 1% to 3% of our $200 billion in assets, so that's about $6 billion. The digital currency space is still very exciting. We have some members who have fully embraced it. It has become an alternative to gold."Sonnenfeldt also stated, "Gold is for traditionalists, while Bitcoin is a bit more of a new era, but they generally play the same role. They are seen as stores of value."

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency payment solution provider Alchemy Pay has announced that it has registered as a digital currency exchange service provider with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). This registration will enable Alchemy Pay to provide Australian users with secure and seamless fiat-to-cryptocurrency payment services.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Swiss National Bank President Schlegel stated: Switzerland's current monetary conditions are appropriate. He believes there is no need to introduce a retail central bank digital currency.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin News, the Bank of England has announced the launch of the "Digital Pound Laboratory," aimed at experimenting with potential central bank digital currency. This laboratory will enable the Bank of England to conduct practical research in the process of exploring the design and potential implementation of the digital pound.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary nominee by President-elect Trump, stated during his nomination hearing at the Senate Finance Committee that he believes the United States "has no reason" to have a central bank digital currency (CBDC).He said, "I believe the United States has no reason to issue a central bank digital currency; in my view, central bank digital currencies are meant for countries that have no other investment options."Bessent was appointed by Trump as a cryptocurrency expert at the end of November last year, and he holds a positive attitude towards cryptocurrencies. In an interview, he told Fox Business that he is "excited about the president's acceptance of cryptocurrencies."

ChainCatcher news, according to Globenewswire, Canadian publicly traded company Goodfood Market Corp. (TSX: FOOD) announced a strategic shift in its financial management, with Goodfood adopting Bitcoin investment as a financial reserve asset, joining the global community of forward-looking companies utilizing digital currency. The company has completed an initial investment of approximately $1 million in Bitcoin through a spot ETF and plans to strategically increase its holdings by investing a portion of its future remaining cash flow into Bitcoin.It is reported that Goodfood is a Canadian digital-native food solutions brand.

ChainCatcher news, according to the New York Post, Trump is "open to" the idea of establishing a strategic reserve that includes digital currencies created in the United States.The article states: "While many in the cryptocurrency community are cheering for Trump's upcoming executive order supporting cryptocurrencies, one of the proposals has sparked more controversy: the establishment of a 'America First' strategic reserve that would prioritize digital currencies created in the U.S., such as Solana, USD Coin, and Ripple.In recent weeks, Trump has met with the founders of these digital currencies, and sources say he is open to the proposal. Industry insiders, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed concerns that this move could undermine efforts to promote Bitcoin."