Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Zimbabwe’s Central Bank studies digital currency, rejects cryptocurrency

Zimbabwe’s Central Bank

RIYADH: Zimbabwe’s Central Bank is exploring using its own digital currency instead of allowing cryptocurrency as legal tender, its Governor John Mangudya told Bloomberg. “As a central bank we don’t believe in cryptocurrencies,” Mangudya said in an interview on Monday. “We believe in central bank digital currency which is basically trying to say how do we … Read more

Yemeni rial bounces back as central bank restructured

Yemeni rial

AL-MUKALLA: The Yemeni rial recovered by roughly 30 per cent hours after the Yemeni president reshuffled the country’s central bank board in a bid to rein in the rapid currency devaluation. Local moneychangers told Arab News that the Yemeni rial began bouncing back on Monday night when President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi dismissed the governor … Read more

China’s central bank cuts relending rates for agriculture, small firms

China’s central bank

BEIJING: China’s central bank on Tuesday announced that it has decided to lower relending rates for the agriculture sector and small enterprises by 0.25 percentage points starting from December 7. After the reduction, the interest rates of three-month reloans supporting the development of agriculture and small firms stood at 1.7 per cent, six-month at 1.9 … Read more

Yemen replaces central bank governor, deputy amid currency collapse

Yemeni

RIYADH: Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi reconstituted the country’s central bank board on Monday, replacing the governor and the deputy governor, amid an unprecedented collapse in the local currency, Arab News reported. Ahmed bin Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Maabqi was appointed as governor and Muhammad Omar Banaja as his deputy, a presidential decree published by the state news … Read more

Chinese regulators say Evergrande default an individual case, impact controllable

Evergrande

BEIJING: The recent default of property developer China Evergrande Group is an individual case and will pose little impact on the market, the country’s regulatory authorities said. Evergrande’s problem was mainly caused by its own mismanagement and break-neck expansion, an official with the People’s Bank of China told the press when asked to comment on … Read more

Businesses advise SBP for accommodative monetary policy stance

Pakistan forex reserves

KARACHI: The business community has suggested the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) adopt an accommodative monetary policy stance instead of further raising it. In a statement on Saturday, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FPCCI) Businessmen Panel (BMP) warned the central bank of any aggressive jump in the key policy rate in … Read more

Apple’s iPhone prices bite in Turkey despite Black Friday

Apple

ISTANBUL: Instead of Black Friday discounts, consumers in Turkey were faced with steep price hikes for Apple products after the value of the lira hit new record lows this week. Certain Apple devices were 25 per cent more expensive than usual on Friday, with some increases worth more than the local minimum wage. Persistent double-digit inflation … Read more

Mexico president scraps choice for central bank chief

Mexico president

MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has withdrawn his nomination of former finance minister Arturo Herrera to head the central bank, Herrera announced. Lopez Obrador had proposed his then finance minister in June to be governor of the Bank of Mexico, subject to approval by the Senate. “The president informed me a week ago … Read more

Fed should quicken stimulus pullback due to inflation: official

Fed should quicken stimulus pullback due to inflation: official

WASHINGTON: The sharp rise in the US inflation even as the labour market rapidly improves means the Federal Reserve should remove stimulus from the economy more quickly, a central bank official said. The Fed this month began slowing the pace of bond purchases it started early in the pandemic to provide liquidity to the economy but … Read more

Forex reserves fall $476 million to $23.55 billion

Forex reserves fall $476 million to $23.55 billion

KARACHI: The foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan declined $476 million to $23.55 billion by the week ended November 12, 2021, the central bank reported on Thursday. The foreign exchange reserves of the country stood at $24.026 billion by the week ended November 5, 2021, according to Topline Research. The forex reserves with the State Bank … Read more

UAE central bank launches overnight funding index

RIYADH: The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) will launch a new index for overnight funding transactions denominated in UAE Dirham in December, Arab News reported. Donia aims at providing market participants with interbank market data, and to improve transparency in domestic money market activities,as a part of the new Dirham Monetary Framework implementation plan. … Read more

Tayyib Erdoğan: ‘We are at war’ with cryptocurrency

ukraine

Turkey is ready to become a blockchain hub as a state with one leg in Europe and another in Asia. Though, the same passion doesn’t put on to cryptocurrencies, as Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdoğan repeated recently. A query session is organized by Tayyib Erdoğan in Mersin, Turkey with youth from across the state. An … Read more

Russian central bank recommends domestic banks to block e-pay transactions

The Russian central bank has suggested domestic commercial banks that they should block their clients’ crypto exchange-related card and e-pay transactions. The Bank of Russia spoke of the requirement to mold out internet-based “shadow economy”-related businesses. It named on domestic banks and e-pay operators to recognize all accounts and e-wallets belonging to “illegal business activities” … Read more

Government foreign exchange reserves decreased by 123 million dollars

gold

During the last week, foreign exchange reserves declined by 123 million and total reserves by 125.1 million due to repayments on external loans. According to the SBP, for the week ended September 3, the country’s foreign exchange reserves fell from 27.22 billion to 27.10 billion. Meanwhile, the reserves of the central bank fell from 20.14 … Read more

Securities regulator of Nigeria has set up a fintech team to research crypto

BTC TO PKR

Due to the government limits, several of the crypto markets of Nigeria goes underground, the country’s securities regulator are trying to make investors safer.

In 2021, financial organizations working in Nigeria have been the pedal of a government restriction on cryptocurrencies, start with February’s infamous central bank prohibition on investors providing services to crypto exchanges in the country.

With several of the Nigerian crypto market of need peer-to-peer, Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) now purposes to present regulations that could legalize the business and offer investors healthier safety.

Nigeria’s SEC, which reflects that all crypto assets ”are securities, unless proven otherwise,” will only be capable to create a regulatory background if crypto is once more integrated into the country’s banking system.  The agency is also apparently seeing to operate with fintechs to support the national market for safeties to put off the capital flight, which remains to affect many sectors.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is too joining with a Barbados-based fintech as a technical partner for its projected e-naira digital currency.

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Central Bank of Iran (CBI) to issue national crypto

Central Bank of Iran

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) is in the procedure of having its virtual money (CBDC) issued, informed by a banking official.

The Central Bank of Iran seeks to cut the price of printing cash plus the risk of domestic private sector electric transactions.

CBI has been formulating itself for the past months to license imports of goods into the state through domestically mined cryptocurrencies (rial-based ones); i.e., Iran will shortly join the club of national cryptocurrency holders.

Only cryptos resulting from miners’ official by the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade can be used, as per the new central bank announcement.

Authorized banks and exchange businesses that follow the CBI standards can pay for imports in cryptocurrencies.

The CBI has taken this unprecedented step in an effort to mitigate the impact of international sanctions on Iranian financial transactions with the rest of the world.

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India might introduce its first digital currency programs by Dec 2021

India

According to representatives, RBI, the Reserve Bank of India might introduce its first-ever digital currency programs by December 2021,

The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) is very curious about the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) since it is totally a new invention.

As per the governor, the bank is investigating different features of a digital currency including its safety, effect on the financial sector of India along how it will affect monetary policy and currency.

The central bank is also discovering the choice between having a centralized ledger for the digital currency or the distributed ledger technology (DLT). The bank is developing a digital currency implementation strategy that will be phased over time.

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Pakistan equity market may remain volatile next week

Stocks remain range-bound over political turmoil

KARACHI: The benchmark stocks lost 1.5 per cent during the week ended July 30, 2021, and analysts predict a volatile week ahead as the Sindh government has imposed a strict lockdown, amid corporate results announcement season, dealers said on Saturday. An analyst at Arif Habib Limited said with the result season commencing, and cyclical expected … Read more

Bangladesh Bank advises against using cryptocurrencies

Bangladesh

The public was asked by Bangladesh Bank to desist from trading or assisting in any sort of cryptocurrency or virtual money, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and others.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) continues to believe that cryptocurrency poses financial and legal hazards to its users, and has advised individuals to avoid transacting or trading with it.

The central bank clarified its stance on the use of cryptocurrency in a BB circular issued on Thursday after multiple media reports in this respect drew its notice.

BB claims that, contrary to previously published reports, cryptocurrency trading and transactions are not unlawful unless they are linked to money laundering, terrorist financing, or other violations of existing laws; the central bank continues to be antagonistic to this fin-tech.

“A confidential letter sent to an investigating officer of a particular case entailing an opinion has been upheld partially in the media,” stated the BB circular.

It further added, referring to its previous notice from December 24, 2017, that: “The notification is still being displayed on the BB website and the stance in this regard remains unchanged.”

“In this context, it is being reiterated to the public that no virtual currency/cryptocurrency is approved by Bangladesh Bank,” the circular added.

BB stated in its December 24, 2017 notice: “As these are not legal tenders issued by any legal authorities of the country, no one can make any financial claim against these.”

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Pakistan equity market remains bearish on global cues

PSX

KARACHI: In line with the selloff in global equity markets, the local bourse witnessed profit-taking, as Covid cases keep on increasing, leading to more stringent lockdowns, dealers said on Wednesday. An analyst at Pearl Securities said the market witnessed a bearish session and closed in the red zone due to the substantial rise in the … Read more

Amazon: New job opening hints at crypto payments acceptance

Amazon

Amazon is trying to hire a digital currency and blockchain expert who can help them develop a plan to allow users to pay using cryptocurrencies.

According to Amazon’s job posting, they’re looking for “an experienced product leader” to help develop the company’s “digital currency and blockchain strategy and roadmap” Amazon is searching for a product leader that is knowledgeable about blockchain, distributed ledger, central bank digital currencies, and cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies increased in value as a result of the news. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin and Dogecoin were up approximately 12% late Monday morning, while Ether was up 10%.

The company now has more than 70 opportunities for blockchain professionals, indicating that the company may be developing a blockchain supply business for Amazon Web Services customers.

Amazon, in a statement, said ““We’re inspired by the innovation happening in the cryptocurrency space and are exploring what this could look like on Amazon. We believe the future will be built on new technologies that enable modern, fast, and inexpensive payments, and hope to bring that future to Amazon customers as soon as possible.”

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Housing, construction finance posts sharp rise of Rs111 billion in FY21: SBP governor

Lack of infrastructure, utilities impeding new housing projects in Karachi: Habib

KARACHI: The housing and construction finance registered a significant increase of Rs111 billion, or 75 per cent during FY21, compared with FY20, to reach Rs259 billion by the end of June 2021, a statement quoted a senior government official, as saying, on Thursday. Briefing Prime Minister Imran Khan in a meeting of the National Coordination … Read more

Forex reserves drop $103 million to $24.312 billion

Pakistan’s forex reserves rise to $23.297 billion

KARACHI: The liquid foreign exchange reserves of the country declined $103 million to $24.312 billion by the week ended July 9, 2021, the central bank reported on Thursday. The foreign exchange reserves of the country stood at $24.415 billion on July 2, 2021, it added. The official foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan … Read more

ECB exceeds incentive of the Fed on digital currency

ECB

The European Central Bank (ECB) is dipping its toe into potentially inviting waters.

President Christine Lagarde took the first step toward a digital euro on Wednesday when she announced the start of two-year research into the feasibility of producing an electronic currency. Despite the Federal Reserve’s caution, the ECB has an incentive to exceed it.

The Central Bank does not want to compete with People Bank of China, which has previously tested a digital yuan in key cities like Shenzhen and Shanghai.

However, Covid-19 has accelerated the death of physical cash: According to an ECB survey of eurozone individuals conducted last year, over nine out of ten people stated they would either definitely or probably pay less in cash as a result of the virus.

A significant question for Lagarde and her colleagues will be whether the central bank’s digital cash drains too many deposits from commercial banks, which are critical for channeling credit to families and companies.

According to a UBS survey of central bank reserve managers, the most-cited possible threat is that digital coins could disintermediate banks, possibly undermining financial stability.

In Europe, this would have extremely bad economic implications. According to Morgan Stanley economists, the region’s banks provide three-quarters of a company’s financing needs; in the United States, capital markets provide the same amount of corporate financing.

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UAE to launch digital currency over the next five years

UAE

The Central Bank of the oil-rich Gulf state, which serves as the region’s financial hub, announced on Monday that the UAE will launch its first digital currency by 2026.

Several Central Banks around the world have recently revealed similar plans and criticized the bitcoin.

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has announced its goals, which include “issuing a digital currency and driving digital transformation in the UAE’s financial services sector, by utilizing the latest artificial intelligence and big data solutions”.

The announcement is part of its “2023-2026 strategy” which aims to “position it among the world’s top 10 central banks”, stated the Central Bank to state media.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have established a program for a common cryptocurrency for cross-border transactions in 2019.

The UAE has great tech goals, investing in AI, creating a space program, and having the regional headquarters of massive international digital companies.

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Central Bank of China issued a warning to firms regarding crypto-related businesses

Cryptocurrency

Central Bank of China has issued a warning to firms, to stop the services regarding crypto-related businesses.

The Chinese central bank has announced the removal of a Beijing-based software firm over its suspected connection in cryptocurrency trading.

Beijing Qudao Cultural Development Co Ltd. was banned by Chinese authorities for suspected cryptocurrency trading, according to a statement made on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, the software company has been ordered to cease operations immediately, and its website has been taken down.

The People’s Bank of China‘s stance on cryptocurrency-related activities was also underlined in the statement from the Beijing financial supervision administration.

In addition to dealing directly with cryptocurrencies, Beijing organizations shall not provide venues, commercial displays, or advertising for any cryptocurrency-related operations.

This statement came after the Chinese government passed a slew of anti-crypto policies.

Whereas, the government made a statement in May asking for more strict crypto asset regulation.

The issue escalated in June when China’s central bank stated that cryptocurrency traders’ accounts will be cancelled.

A massive miner exodus caused the Bitcoin network hash-rate to fall to its lowest levels since 2019.

On the contrary, regulations have also cut off access to Bitcoin mining in the country.

Bitcoin’s price has dropped nearly 42% since May, due in large part to unfavorable government regulations in China. With China’s long-running anti-crypto campaign unlikely to end soon, Bitcoin will need to find support elsewhere if it is to prevent further decline.

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State Bank announces implementation of IFRS-9 from January 2022

State Bank

KARACHI: The central bank on Tuesday announced the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS-9) from January 1, 2022, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Through a circular issued on October 23, 2019, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had announced plans to implement IFRS-9 from January 2020. However, keeping in … Read more

Pakistan reintroduces incentive for banks, exchange firms to boost remittances

State Bank of Pakistan

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday reintroduced an incentive scheme for banks and exchange companies for promoting inflows of home remittances through legal channels during the fiscal year 2021/22. The cash reimbursement scheme for showing growth in processing home remittances by the banks and exchange companies was applicable for the last many … Read more