CBDCs
Survival Race of South Korean Exchanges; Ethereum Powers Digital Passports in HK
50 of 60 crypto exchanges in South Korea race to apply for Information Security Management System (ISMS), the first step to an official VASP license. ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) and R3 to launch CBDC sandbox. Hong Kong meets Ethereum-powered COVID-19 digital passports. More on that story and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world in this episode of "The Daily Forkast."

Congressional Hearings on Crypto Are Ramping Up
CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De has vital takeaways from the latest congressional hearings on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Plus, discussions around crypto and ransomware between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit in Geneva.

Morgan Stanley Says Digital Euro Could Deplete Bank Deposits by 8%: Report
Smaller countries such as Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia would be hit the hardest.

China Starts Testing Digital Yuan for Salary Payments
China’s Xiong’an New Area, a district located approximately 60 miles southwest of Beijing and a testing ground for new economic ideas, will start allowing digital yuan for wage payments. “The Hash” team unpacks China’s ongoing pilot programs around the digital yuan and their possible impact on the global central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) markets.

House Financial Services Committee to Hold Hearing on Central Bank Digital Currency
Several crypto-related hearings are scheduled in the U.S. Congress this month. The first is being held Tuesday by the House of Financial Services Committee regarding central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The White House is also reportedly unveiling a national strategy for countering domestic terrorism.

The Case for Digital Dollar
Joining “First Mover” is Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor of Finance Darrell Duffie, who testified at the recent Senate Banking Committee hearing on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs.

BIS Survey Finds Central Banks Keen on Tourists, Non-Residents Using Upcoming CBDCs
“Central banks are considering a variety of [multi-CBDC] arrangements,” BIS researchers wrote.

Brazil's Central Bank Pushes Back Target Date on CBDC by Two Years
BCB said the timeframe for a CBDC depends on the evolution of its current projects and the international landscape.

Nigeria's Central Bank May Launch a Digital Currency Pilot in 2021
A central bank official said Nigeria has been researching CBDCs for two years.
