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 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."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Bank of England will launch the "Digital Pound Lab" this year as part of its blueprint for the design phase of a potential central bank digital currency (CBDC).The lab will operate in a sandbox environment, supporting practical experiments on CBDC APIs, innovative use cases, and potential business models. According to the progress report on the digital pound released by the Bank of England on Tuesday, the lab will provide a platform for collaboration with private sector partners to explore functionalities and technological innovations. The initiative aims to provide insights for the UK's payments and technology sectors during the ongoing design phase.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Xiong'an Release public account, the digital RMB pilot in Xiong'an New Area has achieved new results, with the first national digital RMB tax payment business in the fiscal sector and the development of related self-service tax payment terminals. The government procurement management application utilizes "Blockchain + Digital RMB" technology to increase the advance payment ratio and implement multiple applications to solve enterprise difficulties. In 2024, the People's Bank of China Xiong'an New Area Branch, in conjunction with the Xiong'an New Area Reform and Development Bureau, will launch the "Implementation Plan for Deepening the Digital RMB Pilot Work in the Rongdong Area" to enhance public awareness. By combining blockchain with digital RMB, the "Digital Currency Loan" product will be introduced, with payment amounts nearing 100 million yuan.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Fed's Harker stated that the Federal Reserve will only issue digital currency at the direction of Congress.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira announced on Wednesday at a seminar of the Thai Marketing Association that Thailand will launch a new cryptocurrency payment project, starting from the popular tourist destination of Phuket. The project will allow foreign tourists to use digital assets for shopping in the tourist city.Pichai Chunhavajira emphasized that the pilot program will comply with the existing legal framework to ensure that no laws are violated. The pilot in Phuket will allow foreign tourists to register their Bitcoin through Thai exchanges, complete identity verification, and then use cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services.Previous news reported that a former Thai Prime Minister suggested trialing Bitcoin payments in Phuket.

ChainCatcher news, the Financial Office of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee recently issued the "Action Plan for Further Promoting the Digital Renminbi Work in Guangzhou" (referred to as the "Digital Currency 2.0 Plan"). The "Action Plan" clarifies the main tasks of the pilot work from seven aspects.Further leverage the functional roles of the member units of the Guangzhou Digital Renminbi Work Leading Group. Each unit will formulate work plans for innovating and promoting digital renminbi application scenarios in their respective fields, implementing no less than one application scenario in their areas of responsibility.Explore promoting the use of digital renminbi as a payment method for prepaid services citywide.Vigorously create various digital renminbi application demonstration zones.Further enrich and improve application scenarios for digital renminbi in the transportation sector.Promote innovative digital renminbi application scenarios in the port and shipping sector.Actively advance the application of digital renminbi in cross-border payment and other businesses. Actively promote the participation of digital renminbi operating institutions and related enterprises in the pilot testing of the multilateral central bank digital currency bridge in the Guangzhou area. The Guangzhou Commodity Exchange's commodity trading platform and the Guangzhou Shipping Exchange's digital renminbi application will be implemented.Vigorously enhance the foundational strength of the digital renminbi industry.

ChainCatcher news, Brazilian congresswoman Julia Zanatta issued a warning on social media, stating that as the country advances in implementing the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) "drex," physical cash may face the risk of disappearing.She opposes a bill that aims to gradually eliminate cash by 2025, arguing that the use of drex should remain voluntary to protect economic freedom. Zanatta highlighted several risks: social control, loss of privacy, and potential financial issues for those unfamiliar with technology.Zanatta also called for increased public awareness and suggested a referendum to decide the future of drex, emphasizing that such a significant change should involve citizen participation in decision-making. Currently, due to privacy concerns, the drex pilot project is facing delays.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, in a record-breaking year, Bitcoin's momentum has slowed in the last few days of the year as investors assess the remaining momentum brought by President-elect Donald Trump's support for the cryptocurrency sector. As of Friday before the European market opened, Bitcoin was trading around $96,200, recovering part of the nearly 3% decline from the previous day. Digital currencies like Ethereum and Dogecoin fluctuated within a narrow range.In the four trading days ending December 24, investors withdrew a net $1.5 billion from a dozen U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs, marking the largest outflow since Trump won the U.S. election on November 5. According to data compiled by foreign media, Bitcoin is facing the risk of a monthly decline in December, which would be its first monthly drop in over four months. Bitcoin reached a record high of $108,316 on December 17 before retreating.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the National Bank of Ethiopia may issue cryptocurrency guidelines.It is reported that although Ethiopia has not yet confirmed the legality of cryptocurrency, the National Bank of Ethiopia is closely monitoring global developments, which may indicate a potential shift in Ethiopia's stance on digital currency.

ChainCatcher news, citing The Wall Street Journal via Cryptoslate, a new survey shows that among 160 crypto hedge funds, about 120 funds reported issues with basic banking services over the past three years. These funds invest in digital currencies and blockchain technology companies.The other 20 alternative investors surveyed (in areas such as real estate and private credit) reported no similar issues. Banking problems include poor communication and direct termination of partnerships. Among the crypto hedge funds facing issues, more than half were explicitly informed by banks that they would terminate their partnerships.However, the reasons for these decisions are often vague or nonexistent. When banks provide explanations, they state a desire to limit their risk exposure to cryptocurrency clients or the industry.

ChainCatcher news, according to Pressreader, Bank Negara Malaysia is collaborating with several local financial institutions to explore the potential of wholesale central bank digital currency through a proof of concept (POC), aiming to optimize Malaysia's wholesale payment system RENTAS.Bank Negara Malaysia is also actively involved in several cross-border wholesale digital currency and innovation projects led by the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, such as the "Dunbar" project, "Mandala" project, "Rialto" project, and "mBridge" project, primarily serving as an observer in these initiatives. "These projects delve into the applications of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and central bank digital currencies, with the goal of enhancing the efficiency of cross-border payments."It is reported that Bank Negara Malaysia's initial intention in participating in these projects is to deepen the understanding of central bank digital currencies among institutions and the financial industry, laying the groundwork for potential future developments.

ChainCatcher message, according to monitoring by The Data Nerd, two months ago, a smart money address 0xB04 accumulated 18.88 billion FLOKI, worth 2.69 million dollars, with an average entry price of 0.000147 dollars.Four hours ago, he deposited 4.15 billion FLOKI (approximately 1 million dollars) into Coinbase. So far, he still holds 10.22 billion dollars worth of FLOKI, approximately 2.37 million dollars, with an expected profit of about 1.7 million dollars (return on investment of about 63%).

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, large financial companies such as Standard Chartered Bank and Virtu Financial Inc. are preparing to join a new cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform in London.The trading platform Global Futures and Options Ltd. (referred to as GFO-X) announced on Monday that it has signed agreements with ABN Amro Clearing and market maker IMC, and it expects to launch in the first quarter of next year. GFO-X is supported by M&G Investments (the asset management division of pension giant M&G Plc).GFO-X will handle trading of Bitcoin index futures and options, initially planned to go live by the end of 2023, but it failed to launch on schedule due to two delays. The trading on GFO-X will be cleared by LCH SA, which is owned by the London Stock Exchange Group.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, Iran is changing its stance on digital currencies from imposing restrictions to focusing on regulation, according to Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance. At an event in Tehran, Hemmati emphasized the government's plan to mitigate the economic risks posed by digital currencies while leveraging their potential benefits. He highlighted the authority of the Central Bank of Iran in managing digital assets and stressed the potential of digital currencies in promoting youth employment, increasing economic assets, and offsetting sanctions.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ledger Insights, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently announced that it has completed a proof-of-concept trial for its Agila project wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) in collaboration with other financial institutions. Specifically, the latest trial tested whether banks in the Philippines could make payments to each other outside of banking hours, such as during evenings, weekends, and holidays.BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. stated, "Wholesale CBDC is expected to enhance liquidity management, reduce settlement risk, and support financial stability. The insights from this project will guide BSP's CBDC roadmap. Our goal is to leverage new technologies to further improve the efficiency and resilience of the national payment system."

ChainCatcher news, according to News.bitcoin, French luxury department store Printemps has announced that it will accept cryptocurrency payments, becoming the first major luxury retailer in Europe to support digital currency payments.The company has launched cryptocurrency payment services in its 20 stores across France through partnerships with French crypto payment company Lyzi and Binance Pay.Printemps stated that this move will benefit over 6.5 million cryptocurrency users in France, allowing them to make fast, secure, and simple payments using the latest Web3 solutions. The company emphasized that the introduction of cryptocurrency payments reflects its innovative commitment to reforming the consumer experience.