ChainCatcher news, digital wallet ZAR has completed its angel round financing, with angel investors including MonkeDAO, Big Brain Holdings, Solana Labs co-founder toly, and former Coinbase CTO Balaji participating. Specific financing amounts and valuation information have not yet been disclosed. The new funds will drive its expansion into merchants, and its application supports the exchange of digital dollars and enables global transactions through virtual and physical debit cards.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, market news indicates that the registration for digital wallets in Thailand will be open from August 1 to September 15. The Deputy Minister of Finance of Thailand stated that digital cash consumption will begin in the fourth quarter, and the digital wallet program is expected to attract 45 million participants, with the government ready to allocate 450 billion Thai Baht in funding.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the UK's Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) jointly called for information provision regarding digital wallets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the Prime Minister of Thailand stated that the digital wallet plan aims to stimulate economic development in underdeveloped provinces and regions.

ChainCatcher news, the Prime Minister of Thailand will announce the registration of digital wallets on July 24, and the Thai government will also announce the negative list for the digital wallet program.

ChainCatcher news, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) stated in a research report on Wednesday that the spot Bitcoin ETF has attracted $16 billion in net inflows. This figure, combined with the futures flow from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the funds raised by crypto venture capital funds, brings the total funds flowing into the digital asset market this year to $25 billion.Analysts said, "However, not all of this inflow is new money entering the cryptocurrency space. We believe it is likely that a significant amount of funds has shifted from digital wallets on exchanges to the new spot Bitcoin ETF."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, crypto wallet Zengo has announced the acquisition of the stablecoin-focused digital wallet Minke, with the specific acquisition amount not disclosed.It is reported that Minke was founded in Australia in 2021, and at its peak, this self-custody wallet had around 50,000 users. As part of the deal, Zengo aims to onboard Minke's users to its own platform and increase its current user base of over 1 million.

ChainCatcher news, the Prime Minister of Thailand stated that the digital wallet plan will be consistent with fiscal discipline. The digital wallet plan is expected to boost GDP growth by 1.2-1.6 percentage points. Thailand will provide funding support for the digital wallet plan through the national budget. Thailand will use 157 billion baht from the 2025 budget for the digital wallet. (Jin Shi)

According to ChainCatcher news, Coinbase strongly opposes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)'s attempt to impose more regulations on the cryptocurrency sector, as reported by DL News.The CFPB plans to regulate digital wallets and cryptocurrency software, raising concerns among leaders in the crypto industry who believe this will impose heavier and unnecessary obligations on the sector. The cryptocurrency industry is already overseen by multiple regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Coinbase questions the CFPB's role in the cryptocurrency space and is prepared to argue that the CFPB is overstepping its authority by intervening in cryptocurrency. The CFPB's proposal may overlap with rules from other regulatory bodies like the SEC.The cryptocurrency industry believes that the CFPB's proposal contradicts the original intent of the laws that created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which require the agency to coordinate with entities such as the SEC and the Federal Trade Commission.

ChainCatcher news, according to Thai media reports, Thailand's Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat stated that under the provisions of the "2018 National Fiscal and Financial Discipline Act," Thailand will be able to borrow funds for its 500 billion baht digital wallet distribution plan after obtaining approval from the State Council. After review by the State Council, the second meeting of the Digital Wallet Policy Committee is scheduled for next week, chaired by the Prime Minister, to review and approve the implementation plan to be launched within the previous timeframe or by May of this year. Currently, the government has submitted the loan bill draft for legal review.Julapun added that the implementation of the plan requires pre- and post-assessments and public consultations. The government emphasizes the necessity of stimulating the economy through the digital wallet program and stated that the national economy has grown at an average rate of 1.9% per year over the past decade and is currently in a state of crisis.Previously, the ruling party, Pheu Thai, stated that it would negotiate with the Bank of Thailand to develop the "Utility Token 1" required for the airdrop. This solution will require a blockchain-based Know Your Customer (KYC) infrastructure, and sources say it will take at least six months to launch. According to the proposed plan, each Thai citizen can receive up to 10,000 baht (284 USD) through the airdrop. However, there are restrictions on the use of the funds. Individuals must use the tokens to purchase goods and services within a 4-kilometer radius of their residence within six months. Additionally, the tokens cannot be sold, cashed out, or used to pay off debts. This move was taken after real estate tycoon and cryptocurrency advocate Srettha Thavisin won the election on August 22, 2023.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, Visa has announced the launch of a Web3 loyalty service called the Visa Web3 Loyalty Engagement Solution, which allows brands to create digital wallets for consumers to store reward points and experiences.It is reported that the platform is designed by Visa in collaboration with the Web3 engagement and loyalty platform SmartMedia Technologies, aiming to transform the existing loyalty experience through secure, seamless, and immersive digital and real-world experiences.Previously, Visa has had several products and partnerships in the crypto space, including card programs with multiple exchanges and USDC transactions and payments via the Solana blockchain.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Thai Prime Minister Srettha will announce the digital wallet plan at 2 PM local time on Friday.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the TON Foundation announced that its self-custody digital wallet TON Space has been launched on Telegram and is now available for approximately 800 million users of the chat platform. It will be globally launched in November, but the service areas do not include the United States and some other countries.In addition, the TON Foundation stated that projects built on TON will have priority access to the messaging application's advertising platform, Telegram Ads.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Bangkok Post, the new Thai government is expected to issue utility tokens to support its digital wallet plan, which requires approval from the Bank of Thailand, as the regulatory agency currently prohibits the use of tokens as a means of payment.ASPS is expected to distribute utility tokens worth 10,000 Thai Baht to Thai citizens aged 16 and above. It is estimated that the program will require a budget of 560 billion Thai Baht. The government is consulting with the Ministry of Finance and the Securities and Exchange Commission on how to issue this type of token and determine the source of funding.It is reported that Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin promised during his campaign in April that if elected Prime Minister and after forming a government following the May 14 election, he would distribute digital currency worth 10,000 Thai Baht (approximately 300 USD) to each citizen aged 16 and above.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, financial services company Republic has launched a self-custody digital wallet, Republic Wallet, which will be integrated into its retail cryptocurrency investment platform.It is reported that Republic Wallet supports multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Avalanche, Algorand, and more. The wallet features a unified interface, combined with the Republic token issuance experience, and has passed third-party audits.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, the Bahamian payment platform Island Pay has launched a digital wallet CiNKO, which will be rolled out in over 30 countries/regions in Latin America and the Caribbean, using USDC as its primary currency, allowing users to fund prepaid cards, transact with merchants, and make peer-to-peer payments, even if users do not have a bank account. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, the EU proposal on the digital identity framework was passed by the European Parliament with 418 votes in favor, 103 against, and 24 abstentions. The legislation includes the implementation of zero-knowledge proof technology (ZK-proof) in the European digital identity wallet, allowing users to have better control over the sharing of personal data. The document will now proceed to inter-institutional negotiations. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, Brazilian digital bank NuBank announced on Monday that former Meta digital wallet executive David Marcus has joined its board.David Marcus, 49, previously led payment and cryptocurrency operations at Meta and left at the end of 2021 to found a startup focused on cryptocurrency called Lightspark. Before joining Meta, he served as president of digital payment company PayPal for more than two years. (Reuters)