Crypto.com faces criticism for forcing through 2021 token burn rollback

Indonesia Embraces XRP, ADA as Tradable Crypto AssetsIn a significant move towards cryptocurrency acceptance, the Indonesian government has taken a momentous step by including a range of digital assets, including XRP and ADA, in a recently published regulatory document.Photo by Nick Agus Arya on Unsplash501 digital assetsThe document, published earlier this month, comprises an extensive list of 501 cryptocurrencies that are eligible for trading within the country. Unsurprisingly, BTC and ETH feature on the list. Other notable cryptocurrencies that have been listed include SOL, LTC, DOT, SAND, and UNI. This development is seen as a positive stride towards wider crypto adoption and holds the potential for broader use of all of these assets. In the case of XRP, it provides it with greater potential to become a viable means of payment within the region in the future, even though current regulation within Indonesia prohibits payments for goods and services in anything other than the rupiah.Defining tradable assetsThe regulatory document, officially titled “Supervisory Body Regulation Commodity Futures Trading Number 4 of 2023,” signifies an amendment to the Trade Controlling Agency Regulations Commodity Futures Number 11 of 2022. Its main objective is to identify the assets that can be traded in the physical market of crypto assets within Indonesia.Colin Wu, a prominent Chinese reporter, shared this significant development on Twitter, sparking interest and discussions within the crypto community. The news has been met with a mix of optimism and caution from Indonesian individuals. One Indonesian YouTuber expressed enthusiasm for the country’s XRP-friendly stance and voiced hope for XRP to eventually attain legal tender status. However, others, like Twitter user Pondok Indah, urged the government to focus on regulatory oversight and taxation rather than direct involvement in the crypto business.This development takes place in the broader context of Indonesia’s evolving crypto landscape. According to a 2022 research report titled “The 2022 Global Crypto Adoption Index: Emerging Markets Lead in Grassroots Adoption ‘’ by Chainalysis, Indonesia ranked at the top among the 20 countries analyzed in terms of peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange trade volume. The country has demonstrated its active participation in the crypto market, with Indodax, the largest Indonesian exchange, adding support for FLOKI, an up-and-coming cryptocurrency, back in April.That said, as we’ve seen in many other jurisdictions, the development of regulation and policy relative to digital assets has not been without its hiccups. Last month, the governor of Bali warned the foreign tourists that flock to the Indonesian island that there would be consequences for those that flouted Indonesian law and used crypto as a form of payment for goods and services.Indonesia’s recognition of the potential benefits of digital assets demonstrates a path forward for other nations to follow. Providing regulatory clarity with regard to digital assets bolsters investor confidence but also opens doors for innovation and financial inclusion. In taking this approach, the Southeast Asian country is setting the stage through which digital assets can contribute to economic growth and technological advancement.

India Looks to Boost CBDC With 1 Million Users in 3 MonthsThe project team responsible for India’s retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) is aiming to increase its user base to one million users, while also prioritizing the challenge of creating an offline version.©Pexels/Sohel PatelAlthough the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank, publicly stated in March that they were aiming for 500,000 users by July, they are privately looking to double that amount. According to sources familiar with the matter cited by CoinDesk, the architects behind the centralized digital currency are confident that India’s population, being the world’s largest, will enable them to reach one million users easily. Tentatively the project team is aiming to achieve this within three months.Retail and Wholesale CBDCsThe RBI is currently conducting both retail and wholesale CBDC pilot programs. The retail CBDC pilot is active in at least 15 cities, with more than 13 banks participating. The digital rupee pilot began on December 1, 2022, and has seen over 100,000 customers participate in the four months since.India’s digital rupee gained significant attention at a recent meeting of the Group of 20 (G-20), which was hosted by India in Bengaluru, according to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The central bank received positive feedback, with praise received for the design of the CBDC.Multiple challengesThe RBI initiated a Hackathon in 2023 to find solutions to some of the challenges around retail CBDC, including improving scalability, increasing transactions per second, and enabling offline transactions. However, achieving all three technical objectives at once is nearly impossible at present. Experts believe that it is only possible to achieve two out of the three objectives, but the hope is that technological innovation will address this in the future.Offline transactionsFacilitating offline transactions is crucial to improve financial inclusion in emerging economies such as India. The RBI is testing various methods to enable offline transactions, including wearables, debit and credit cards, Bluetooth technology, and smartphones. The central bank is also looking to address the risk of double-spending.More than 50 proposals were submitted to the RBI to solve the problem of offline transactions. The RBI has also been interacting with private companies to consider solutions to improving scalability, even though no partnership has been initiated with any prominent blockchain-related entities.News of India’s ambitious CBDC project fast-tracking has led some to speculate as to what technology lies behind it. Some have suggested Ripple as a possible partner but the suggestion is entirely speculative at this point.The RBI has not announced a timeline for rolling out a full-scale retail CBDC but has indicated previously that it was aiming for the end of the year. The development of a digital rupee has the potential to transform India’s economy by providing greater financial inclusion to its population, which is why the RBI is taking the time to ensure that the CBDC is as robust as possible.

Wintermute Asia executes inaugural options block trade via CMEWintermute Asia Pte. Ltd, the digital asset derivatives trading arm of the well-known algorithmic trading firm and crypto market maker Wintermute Group, has successfully executed its first options block trade through the CME Group.The BTC/USD block trade was conducted in collaboration with U.K.-based liquidity and data solutions specialist TP ICAP. It was successfully cleared by ABN AMRO, marking a significant milestone for Wintermute Asia in the digital assets space.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashMeeting institutional investor needsInstitutional interest in secure and alternative avenues for exposure to digital assets continues to build momentum. It’s likely with that in mind that Wintermute Asia is strategically expanding its derivatives product offerings with this latest move. It’s also no surprise that Wintermute’s Singapore-based team was involved in this development, given a recent expansion of its Singapore base and the fact that its derivatives business is dealt with in Singapore.Presently, Wintermute Asia provides vanilla options in BTC, ETH and various altcoins, featuring expiration periods ranging from 1 day to 6 months. The platform also caters to more sophisticated needs with the inclusion of exotic options.Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute Group, expressed enthusiasm about Wintermute Asia’s evolving product offering, stating:“Wintermute Asia is excited to offer a range of OTC derivatives solutions to our counterparties that can accommodate all of their trading needs. Our growing suite of derivative instruments allows investors to easily hedge and manage risks, generate yield, and gain synthetic exposure to the underlying digital assets.”The move towards facilitating options block trades aligns with the increasing diversification of institutional portfolios into the digital asset sector. Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, emphasized the significance of the partnership with Wintermute Asia. He commented:“We are pleased to provide Wintermute and its counterparties with access to our highly liquid, regulated suite of benchmark cryptocurrency futures and options on bitcoin and ether.”Involving TradFi heavyweightsCME is a cornerstone TradFi financial derivatives exchange, first established in 1898 and headquartered in Chicago in the United States. Its CEO Terry Duffy pushed back against proposals from convicted fraudster and FTX Founder Sam Bankman Fried in 2022 to alter the futures clearing model on the basis that such a move would introduce significant risk into the financial system. A year on from the failure of FTX and many other crypto platforms, a move towards involving established TradFi firms like CME, as Wintermute is doing, is far more appealing to institutional investors.Sam Newman, Digital Assets Head of Broking at TP ICAP, acknowledged Wintermute as another participant in block trading CME Group cryptocurrency products. TP ICAP, a key player in digital asset broking services since 2020, has been instrumental in price discovery and liquidity through global coverage on regulated exchanges. Newman expressed excitement about witnessing crypto-native firms like Wintermute accessing traditional products and services, indicating the market’s maturation.Earlier this year, CME Group upgraded its BrokerTec Stream from version 1.5 to 2.0. The upgrade aims to enhance performance and reduce latency for clients, introducing features such as sweepable matching and firm price improvements. Recently, CME became the second largest bitcoin futures exchange, second only to global crypto exchange Binance.