ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, Brazil's central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot project Drex is facing difficulties as the resources allocated to the project have decreased, slowing down its progress and hindering development.The two largest companies involved in designing the project's privacy solutions—Microsoft and Ernst & Young—have recently reduced their manpower dedicated to these efforts. This deadlock is related to the central bank's recent actions, as it ended the second phase of the Drex pilot without approving any projects submitted by participants. The privacy proposals that needed to ensure transaction confidentiality while allowing regulatory review did not meet the central bank's requirements in this regard, leaving the Drex project currently stalled.Ernst & Young, which is responsible for the Starlight privacy project, has lost three personnel involved in the development of this solution. Meanwhile, after investing significant resources last year, Microsoft has also reduced its involvement in the ZKP Nova privacy proposal. However, Microsoft's partner Hamsa will continue to test and support ZKP Nova.Central bank executive secretary Rogerio Lucca recently pointed out that the team behind Drex is still researching the project's future. He stated, "Based on the ongoing test results, the technical team is currently discussing possible future steps for the project." However, he did not disclose the test results.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, South Korea's 7-Eleven convenience stores will participate in a central bank digital currency (CBDC) payment test from April 1 to June 30, during which payments made with CBDC will enjoy a 10% discount on all products.This national pilot program is led by the Bank of Korea and financial regulatory agencies, with a limit of 100,000 participants, covering multiple banks and retail channels. Users can convert their bank deposits into equivalent CBDC for consumption. The project aims to promote the prototype construction of future monetary systems.

ChainCatcher news, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) has announced the launch of a pilot project for real estate tokenization, becoming the first real estate registration authority in the Middle East to manage property ownership certificates using blockchain technology. The project is jointly developed by the Dubai Land Department in collaboration with the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). The Dubai Land Department expects that by 2033, the value of tokenized real estate transactions will reach 60 billion dirhams (approximately 16 billion USD), accounting for 7% of the total real estate transaction volume in the city.Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita, Director General of the Dubai Land Department, stated that the project will "simplify and enhance the process of buying, selling, and investing in local real estate." The Land Department is currently working with technology companies to refine the pilot project, which will then be gradually scaled up.

ChainCatcher news, the Bank of Korea (BOK) plans to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot called "Hangang." The program aims to facilitate daily transactions from April to June. Once the Bank of Korea issues digital currency to seven participating banks, these institutions will distribute deposit tokens for use in local supermarkets, online shopping malls, and convenience stores. The pilot is expected to involve 100,000 local citizens.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), supported by 15 central banks, is piloting a currency platform so that countries can settle trade using local currencies. According to Reuters, the platform is called the African Currency Market and is planned to launch later this year. The planned launch of the African Currency Platform is expected to help facilitate intra-African trade.The pilot and planned launch of the African Currency Platform coincide with some African countries advancing de-dollarization. They believe that trading in the usually scarce U.S. dollar hinders trade. In 2023, Kenyan President William Ruto, who has repeatedly called for de-dollarization among African nations, stated that the launch of PAPSS eliminates the need for the U.S. dollar in settling transactions.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Central Bank of Russia has proposed to launch a 3-year pilot program for cryptocurrency trading, which is only available to high-net-worth investors who meet specific asset or income thresholds.According to the proposal, investors who hold at least $11.5 million or have an annual income of $5 million can participate in the pilot.The pilot still requires government approval, and if passed, it could become an important step for Russia in promoting the development of the cryptocurrency market.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews citing BusinessKorea, the Bank of Korea plans to collaborate with the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service to launch a pilot program involving actual transactions of central bank digital currency (CBDC) with 100,000 consumers.The pilot will involve seven major commercial banks, including Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank, NongHyup Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, and Busan Bank. These banks will issue deposit tokens backed by CBDC for retail transactions at specific merchants, including 7-Eleven convenience stores, Kyobo Bookstore, and the delivery platform Ddaenggyeoyo.Participants will use electronic wallets to generate QR codes for transactions, with a spending limit of 1 million won (approximately 688 USD).This pilot will test the effectiveness of CBDC-backed deposit tokens in a retail environment, and its results will provide important references for other economies exploring digital currencies globally.

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 CoinDesk, Caroline Pham, the acting head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is pushing for a tokenization pilot program backed by stablecoins. The program will invite executives from digital asset companies such as Coinbase, Ripple, and Circle to participate, but specific dates and details have yet to be determined. Last November, Pham proposed the idea of a tokenization regulatory sandbox through the Global Markets Advisory Committee, but it was not adopted by the previous leadership.Pham stated that this move will promote "responsible innovation," utilizing distributed ledger technology (DLT) to use non-cash collateral, enhancing the U.S.'s global leadership in the digital asset space. Her proposal also mentioned that by improving the infrastructure for regulatory margin-eligible assets, DLT helps address challenges without changing collateral eligibility rules, allowing market participants to identify and manage risks associated with the use of DLT under existing policies.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is planning to hold a CEO forum to discuss the CFTC's digital asset market pilot program for tokenized non-cash collateral, such as stablecoins.Participants include leaders from Circle, Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Ripple. The concept of the crypto pilot program and expanding non-cash collateral through distributed ledger technology was proposed by current CFTC acting chair Caroline Pham.

ChainCatcher message, on January 24th at 6 PM (UTC+8), the Roam "Pilot Burning Pool" will officially launch, allowing users to exchange $ROAM tokens by burning Roam Points. As a special event for the Spring Festival, Roam introduces this feature to let users experience the burning pool mechanism in advance, familiarize themselves with the operation process, and help users maximize the benefits of Roam Points more effectively. Users can contribute at least 500 Roam Points to the burning pool and choose the corresponding period for burning. The Roam burning pool adopts a dynamic conversion rate mechanism, based on the total amount of burned points and the number of tokens generated within a specific time period, so choosing the right timing for burning will help achieve higher returns. After the TGE, users can claim the $ROAM generated from burning to their personal Roam wallet. The launched burning pools include:General "Burning" Pool: Open to all Roam users, providing a simple and easy participation experience;Miner "Burning" Pool: Designed specifically for Roam router holders (such as Rainier MAX60, Baker MAX30, or MetaBlox OG), offering a higher exclusive conversion rate.Sticker "Burning" Pool: Designed specifically for Roam Sticker holders. The points users can burn are determined by the number and rarity of the Stickers.Burned Roam Points will be permanently destroyed. Users can earn points by adding WiFi nodes, checking in, inviting friends, etc. Miner users can increase points through mining, inviting check-ins, and deploying routers. Users can also earn Stickers by checking in via the Roam APP.The number of registered Roam users has surpassed 2.5 million, covering over 200 countries and regions, with more than 1.5 million self-built WiFi nodes. According to the Messari 2024 DePIN report, Roam ranks among the top five DePIN projects globally with over a million active nodes and continues to hold the number one position in the DePINscan hardware node rankings, showing strong growth momentum.

ChainCatcher message, Hyperliquid posted on platform X stating that, in accordance with the mission of securely storing value on-chain and supporting the Hyperliquid community, the assistance fund will begin to hold a variety of native assets on Hyperliquid. The selection criteria include fair initial distribution, decentralized ownership, Hyperliquid-preferred native deployments, and a positive impact on the Hyperliquid community.Among the eligible assets, the Hyper Foundation will first determine inclusion and relative representation. Over time, governance will take over this responsibility. The pilot asset joining the assistance fund is PURR. The assistance fund will initially hold 3 million PURR, accounting for approximately 0.5% of the total supply at the time of inclusion.

ChainCatcher news, Thailand is considering a Bitcoin pilot project proposed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which will be tested in Phuket as a tourism-focused sandbox.The proposal has the support of the CEO of Binance Thailand, who believes it is a positive step for the country's competitiveness and ability to attract tourists. However, despite the efforts of industry advocates and some political supporters to turn Thailand into a digital hub, the Bank of Thailand still prohibits crypto payments.

ChainCatcher news, according to sources, Microsoft has been working to increase both internal and third-party artificial intelligence models to support its flagship AI product Microsoft 365 Copilot, diversifying the existing OpenAI foundational technology and reducing costs.Microsoft is a major supporter of OpenAI, and this time Microsoft is seeking to reduce its reliance on the AI startup, which is different from the way Microsoft has boasted about its access to OpenAI models in recent years.Sources say that in addition to training its own smaller models (including the latest Phi-4), Microsoft is also working to customize other open models to make 365 Copilot faster and more efficient. It is reported that the aim of this move is to lower the costs of running 365 Copilot and potentially pass the savings on to end customers.

ChainCatcher news, Cointelegraph posted on the X platform revealing that MetaMask has expanded its cryptocurrency payment card pilot program in the United States, allowing users to pay directly from their wallets.