ChainCatcher news, Sberbank CEO Herman Gref stated that the law currently prohibits the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment within the Russian Federation, and it is unlikely to be allowed in the near future.Gref clarified at a meeting in Moscow that while new legislation in Russia allows for the use of digital currencies and cryptocurrencies for international payments, their use domestically remains restricted. He also pointed out that if other countries are willing to accept it, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) of Russia—the digital ruble—can be used for global transactions.As the largest bank and state-owned financial institution in Russia, Sberbank is closely monitoring these developments, although Gref expressed uncertainty about the adoption of the digital ruble abroad.

ChainCatcher news, the fully digital public infrastructure PlatON has reached a strategic cooperation with Gimlet Labs. Based on PlatON's Web3.0 payment clearing system TOPOS, a tailored end-to-end overall solution has been created for Gimlet Labs, establishing a management platform that integrates digital currency and fiat currency.This cooperation has built a comprehensive platform that combines both front-end and back-end, allowing users to enjoy a seamless deposit and withdrawal management experience for fiat and digital currencies. It also enables Gimlet to efficiently manage multiple funding channels, providing users with higher quality and more flexible services. The platform has completed the integration of mainstream channels for fiat and digital currencies in its initial phase, and will continue to expand and enrich the deposit and withdrawal channels in the future to fully meet users' increasingly diverse funding management needs.

ChainCatcher news, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced a policy proposal on November 4 that, if approved, would legalize digital assets (such as cryptocurrencies) nationwide, making them legal tender. The proposal includes allowing the central bank to issue digital currency and imposing fines on unauthorized digital currency issuers. The proposal may also promote the adoption of digital payment services, including cryptocurrency trading.The policy proposal still requires further government approval, and if passed, could lay the groundwork for the launch of the CBDC digital rupee.It is reported that the Monetary Policy Committee had previously shown opposition to cryptocurrencies, but since the new SBP Governor Muhammad Aurangzeb took office in March 2024, there has been a shift in policy direction.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, based on the Shanghai financial official WeChat account, to implement the overall requirements of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China regarding "steadily advancing the research and application of digital renminbi," and according to the People's Bank of China's deployment of the digital renminbi pilot work, the Shanghai Municipal Government has formulated a new round of action plan for the pilot application of digital renminbi and held a work deployment meeting on November 4.The action plan clarifies that it aims to further steadily promote the innovation of digital renminbi applications and services, striving to basically form a digital renminbi ecosystem by the end of 2025 that has a wide coverage of scenarios, good payment service experience, rich innovative applications, and active participation from all parties.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the Russian government released a document on Friday detailing a law signed by President Putin that expands the scope of digital currency regulation. This new law significantly increases government oversight of cryptocurrency mining activities and related infrastructure nationwide.The legislation will take effect on November 1, and includes several amendments aimed at strengthening oversight and imposing restrictions on crypto mining activities based on regional needs. The law enables the Russian government to implement mining restrictions based on location and defines specific procedures and circumstances under which mining operations are prohibited. A notable provision in the law grants the government the power to block digital currency mining pools from operating in certain areas. Additionally, the government now has the authority to regulate infrastructure providers that support mining operations.This legislation also authorizes multiple federal agencies, beyond the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring), to access digital currency identification addresses. This expansion includes federal administrative and law enforcement agencies, enhancing their ability to track transactions that may be related to money laundering or terrorist financing activities.Furthermore, the amendments transfer the responsibility for the national mining registry from the Ministry of Digital Development to the Federal Tax Service, which will now oversee the registration of mining businesses and remove companies that repeatedly violate regulations. While individual miners can continue to operate without registration if they comply with specific electricity consumption limits, companies and individual entrepreneurs must adhere to the new registration requirements.

ChainCatcher news, according to Xinhua Finance, during the Sibos annual conference organized by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of Communications signed a "Digital Currency Strategic Cooperation Memorandum."The two parties will establish a joint working group to jointly explore the establishment of a cross-border payment settlement infrastructure and mechanism for digital currency, enhance the efficiency and convenience of cross-border payment settlements, co-create richer digital currency application scenarios, and promote the expansion of digital currency applications through the incremental customer value brought by innovative application scenarios.

ChainCatcher news, Russian President Putin met with representatives of mainstream media from BRICS countries including China, Brazil, Egypt, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and South Africa in Moscow on the 18th local time and answered related questions.Putin stated that the timing for creating a unified currency for BRICS countries is still not mature. Before implementing a unified currency, the economic integration of BRICS countries must reach a necessary high level. He also suggested that BRICS countries use digital currencies in investments. Putin mentioned that currently, the proportion of trade settlements in local currency with other countries has reached 95% in Russia.Putin also said that Russia is working with BRICS countries to create a clearing system similar to SWIFT. Previously, Putin indicated that Russia would provide BRICS partners with the opportunity to use digital currencies during the investment process.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Russian President Putin stated that Russia will provide BRICS partners with the opportunity to use digital currency in the investment process.

ChainCatcher news, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John Lee, stated that the government will continue to promote the policy stance and guidelines for innovative financial services applications of central bank digital currency, mobile payments, virtual banks, virtual insurance, and virtual asset trading using artificial intelligence.Measures include: 1. Promoting the application of central bank digital currency for cross-border payments. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is actively testing and exploring more technological solutions and scenarios related to cross-border trade settlement on various central bank digital currency cross-border networks, and expanding the participation of public and private institutions. 2. Improving the regulation of virtual assets and trading. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau will complete the second round of consultation on the regulation of over-the-counter trading of virtual assets and submit a virtual licensing system to regulate virtual asset custodial service providers. 3. Promoting the tokenization of real-world assets and the digital currency ecosystem. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is promoting the progress of the Ensemble project.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, after more than a year of negotiations, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has reached a multi-state settlement agreement with GS Partners. DFI encourages Washington state residents who invested with GS Partners to submit claims through the Gold Standard Bank settlement plan. The portal is expected to open in early November 2024 and will accept claims for a period of 90 days. Investors are advised to prepare relevant documents before submitting claims, such as cryptocurrency wallet addresses, transaction IDs, and deposit records. GS Partners will compensate after verifying eligibility, and payments will be made in cryptocurrency to the investors' crypto wallets.Previously, DFI, along with other state regulators, filed a lawsuit against GS Partners in November 2023, accusing it of violating Washington state securities laws. The allegations involve Swiss Valorem Bank Ltd., GSB Gold Standard Bank Ltd., Josip Heit, and Stephen McNeal, with the focus on their MetaCertificates product and multi-level marketing scheme. This action was coordinated by a multi-state task force, with Canadian securities regulators also involved. Last month, five states—Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas—reached a settlement agreement with the GSB group.

ChainCatcher news, France's main custodian bank CACEIS has announced that it supports access to native digital currency market funds (MMF) and has launched a new digital asset custody framework.CACEIS is a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole, with assets under management exceeding €8 trillion. In May of this year, the company announced the establishment of a dedicated digital asset business line and previously collaborated with technology company Taurus to develop custody and tokenization services. Recently, the company also obtained a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) license in Spain.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) official website, the HKMA today launched the second phase of the "e-HKD" pilot scheme, further exploring new types of digital currencies that individuals and businesses can use, including "e-HKD" and tokenized deposits. The project name has been changed to "e-HKD+" to reflect a broader exploration of the digital currency ecosystem. 11 selected institutions will conduct innovative use case studies in three major areas: tokenized asset settlement, programmability, and offline payments. This phase of research will help the HKMA understand the design and operational issues that may arise in a digital currency ecosystem where public and private coexist.

ChainCatcher news, Assistant Governor Jones of the Reserve Bank of Australia stated that an industry project will be launched regarding central bank digital currency (CBDC) at the wholesale level and tokenized commercial bank deposits. This is part of a three-year digital currency research project.The Reserve Bank of Australia will prioritize wholesale central bank digital currency. Wholesale central bank digital currency has greater economic benefits compared to retail central bank digital currency. The introduction of retail central bank digital currency will be decided by the Australian government and requires legislation. (Jin Ten)

ChainCatcher news, the encrypted payment infrastructure Moonpay has registered with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) to provide digital currency exchange services in Australia. This registration will enable Moonpay to establish local payment processing relationships and offer alternative payment methods such as Osko and Pay ID to Australian users.As a registered entity, Moonpay will comply with Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act, adhering to reporting, KYC, and record-keeping requirements.

ChainCatcher message: According to reports from CCTV News, the major economic crime suspect Zhang XX, who is suspected of organizing and leading pyramid scheme activities, has been successfully extradited back to the country from Thailand.It is understood that since 2012, the MBI group, led by the suspect Zhang XX, has been engaging in illegal pyramid scheme activities by issuing virtual digital currencies. They required participants to pay fees ranging from 700 to 245,000 RMB to obtain platform membership, using high returns as bait and counting the number of members and the amount of funds invested as a basis for compensation or rebates. The group has developed over ten million members, with involved funds exceeding 100 billion RMB.

ChainCatcher news, the chairman of the Shanghai Clearing House, Ma Jianyang, led a team to visit and investigate the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People's Bank of China. The director of the Digital Currency Research Institute, Mu Changchun, met and held discussions, and both parties signed a business cooperation agreement. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on topics such as the positioning of their respective financial infrastructure responsibilities, strategic planning, and innovation paths, and unanimously agreed to take the signing of the business cooperation agreement as an opportunity to provide precise and effective services for the central bank's duties and the high-quality development of the financial market through solid and orderly system connections and business collaboration, thereby implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and contributing to the realization of the goal of a strong financial nation.

ChainCatcher news, the fully digital public infrastructure PlatON has established a deep strategic partnership with the Philippine digital asset platform Coins.ph, which provides comprehensive fiat and digital currency services. This integration marks an important step for PlatON in enhancing the user payment experience, while bringing broader user access points to Coins.ph.Coins.ph's payment gateway will be fully integrated into PlatON's Web3.0 privacy payment clearing system TOPOS, providing users with seamless fiat and digital currency exchange services. Users will be able to conduct instant digital currency exchanges and fund deposits through TOPOS, benefiting from optimal exchange rates and the lowest transaction fees.It is reported that Coins.ph currently has over 16 million users, is fully regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and holds a virtual currency and electronic money issuer license issued by the central bank.