The financial technology associations for Thailand and Hungary have signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the introduction of blockchain technology to their respective financial sectors. The MOU, signed by the Thai Fintech Association (TFA) and the Hungarian Blockchain Coalition on Oct. 25, will see the two associations “share experiences, best practices and explore areas potentially beneficial for direct cooperation,” according to a Facebook post by the Embassy of Hungary in Bangkok. TFA president Chonladet Khemarattana said that e-commerce, mobile payments, and digital currencies are growing rapidly in Thailand and that international cooperation is needed to further develop …

György Matolcsy, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank, has proposed a blanket ban on all cryptocurrency trading and mining operations across the European Union. Governor Matolcsy cited the recent crypto ban imposed by China in a blog post shared by the Hungarian central bank a.k.a. Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) titled “Time has come to ban crypto trading and mining in the EU.” He also pointed out the Russian central bank’s proposal that calls for a blanket ban on domestic cryptocurrency trading and mining. Reciprocating the proposals for a crypto ban, Matolcsy said: “I perfectly agree with the proposal and also …

A bronze depiction of legendary Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is now on display for visitors of Graphisoft Park in Budapest. In an unveiling ceremony on Thursday, András Győrfi, the co-founder of the statue project and editor of crypto news site Kripto Akademia, spoke to a crowd of journalists and Hungarian residents before revealing the shining face of Satoshi. The sculpture shows the upper half of a figure with a featureless face wearing a hoodie with the Bitcoin (BTC) logo. Front of #StatueOfSatoshi pic.twitter.com/LvlDmtio1c — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 16, 2021 “Whoever he or she was, Bitcoin creates value, and especially the …

Bitcoin’s anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto is set to be depicted in a life-size bronze statue in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. According to local news outlet Hungary Today, sculptors, Réka Gergely and Tamás Gilly are designing the statue, and have unveiled initial plans depicting a figure with a featureless face wearing a Bitcoin hoodie. The hood is over the figure's head, and the face will be made from a reflective surface so that viewers can see themselves mirrored back when they look at the statue — emphasizing the idea that “we are all Satoshi.” The project was initiated by …

Cryptocurrency investors in Hungary could be getting a major tax break very soon, as lawmakers seek to make the central European country more competitive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video that appeared on Facebook Tuesday, Finance Minister Mihály Varga outlined the government’s stimulus program through 2022. As part of the post-COVID-19 relief efforts, lawmakers are considering reducing taxes on cryptocurrency trading to 15% of income, down from the current rate of 30.5%. Such a move would make Hungary a far more competitive jurisdiction with respect to crypto-based capital gains taxes. Cryptocurrency regulations are underdeveloped in Hungary, …

The COVID-19 pandemic has served both as an x-ray onto existing vulnerabilities in the global financial system, and as an accelerator for destabilizing tendencies, including higher sovereign and consumer debt in emerging markets. At an online meeting of the Central Bank Governors' Club, hosted this week by Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina, representatives were unanimous in their expectations of the far-reaching consequences of the current crisis. At the meeting, the 26 central bank representatives that convened from Central Asia, the Black Sea region, the Balkan countries and beyond, also noted the pandemic-induced expansion of e-commerce, as well as digital …

The Bank of England will take part in a key meeting tomorrow to discuss central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and their possible infrastructural designs. Hosted by global central banking think tank, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), on Aug. 19, the roundtable will involve the BoE’s senior fintech specialist, Simon Scorer, alongside delegates from the Swiss National Bank, ING Nederland and the Hungarian National Bank (Magyar Nemzeti Bank). The CEO of enterprise-focused blockchain platform Cypherium, Sky Guo, will also join the discussion. A key focus of the meeting will be to tackle the ways in which blockchain technology …

A Slovak blockchain startup serves as the chief example of pandemic venture capital developments in central and eastern Europe (CEE), in a new report from Reuters on July 31. In the former Eastern bloc — where venture funding hit close to $1.6 billion in 2019 — uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis has hit the start-up sector hard, particularly when it comes to early-stage deals. Alftins, a Slovak startup that is developing an online platform to trade digital assets, has recently secured funding from publicly-funded venture firm Crowdberry. The latter had earlier missed out on a version of the deal in …