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40% of Brazilian and Indonesian respondents own digital assets

April 5 - A study conducted by cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has revealed that around 41% of respondents from Brazil and Indonesia own digital assets. Gemini surveyed nearly 30,000 people in 20 countries/regions to find out how many have entered the digital asset space. Gemini believes that countries that have experienced a major economic crisis in recent months are more likely to buy digital currencies as a hedge against inflation. Furthermore, only 16% of US respondents and 15% of European respondents consider digital assets to be an appropriate investment vehicle in times of soaring inflation.

PwC: Over 80% of central banks are considering CBDC

More than 80 per cent of central banks are considering launching central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to a report released by analysts at accounting firm PwC on April 5. “CBDC would make the financial services industry more efficient, lower cost and support 24/7 cross-border payments. We expect CBDC to significantly benefit cross-border transactions and economies in all relevant jurisdictions.” Overall, the report notes that retail CBDC projects have reached a more mature level than wholesale projects. In addition, the report notes that stablecoins reached a market capitalisation of approximately $190 billion in early 2022 and will continue to grow as these tokens offer many of the same benefits as CBDCs without the monitoring. The analysts added that transparency around reserve assets, particularly stablecoins backed by fiat currencies, will be a major issue going forward as the asset class continues to grow and regulation intensifies. (Blockworks)

Crypto e-commerce site Shopping.io announces support for using APE payments

April 5 - Crypto e-commerce site Shopping.io has announced support for using APE to pay for orders placed through its platform at Amazon, eBay, Walmart and HomeDepot, with a 2% discount.

Bank of England Governor Bailey: Cryptocurrencies are the new frontline for fraud

April 4 - Cryptocurrencies are the new frontline for fraud, says Bank of England Governor Tony Blair. (Golden Ten)

Survey: More than half of respondents in India, Brazil and Hong Kong, China, bought cryptocurrency for the first time last year

April 4 - The number of cryptocurrency holders has increased significantly in the last year, with nearly half of (surveyed) holders worldwide making their first cryptocurrency purchase in 2021, according to Gemini’s new report, The 2022 Global State of Crypto. Gemini surveyed approximately 30,000 respondents in 20 countries/regions between November 2021 and February 2022. The survey results show that cryptocurrency adoption rates soared in regions such as India, Brazil and Hong Kong, China, as more than half of respondents began investing in cryptocurrencies in 2021. Such respondents reached 54% in India and 51% each in Brazil and Hong Kong, China. Elsewhere, respondents in Latin America (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC) are also actively buying cryptocurrencies in 2021, with 46% of Latin American respondents and 45% of APAC respondents buying cryptocurrencies for the first time. 44% of US respondents and 40% of European investors are starting to invest in cryptocurrencies in 2021. In addition, 41% of respondents in Brazil and Indonesia said they own cryptocurrencies, compared to 20% in the US, 18% in Australia and 17% in Europe. 35% of respondents in the UAE, 30% in Singapore and 28% in Israel said they hold cryptocurrencies.