Bitcoin Liftoff? Now Venezuela is Ditching Big Bills to ‘Fight Mafia’
Venezuela has announced the sudden withdrawal of its highest-value banknote, replacing it with coins ahead of a sudden major currency restructure. President to Mafia: ‘Stay Outside With Your Scam’. The country’s bolivar fuerte, introduced in 2008 and since almost crushed under inflation, currently comes in denominations of up to 100 units. The 100 bolivar note, worth around $0.02 USD on the black market, will be removed Wednesday, as Venezuelans have just 10 days to hand them in at banks. New denominations will arrive later on, first a 500 bolivar note, followed by notes worth up to 20,000....
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According to Chainalysis, a crypto auditing and blockchain tracking firm, the use of dollar-pegged stablecoins is growing in Latam, specifically in Argentina and Venezuela, due to the common economic problems that both countries are facing. 34% of the “small” transactions include stablecoins in Venezuela, and 31% of these in Argentina, as citizens seek to shield themselves from devaluation and inflation.
Chainalysis Report Finds Stablecoins Are Useful for Latam Countries
While criticized by many, stablecoins are becoming a significant part of the activity of the....
Australia is mulling the idea of decommissioning its highest value banknote in what appears to be a global trend for removing physical bills. Minister: Priority ‘Closing Down Loopholes’. As was previously reported, the country’s banks are already arguing for removal of larger notes, and making calls for a cashless economy. Speaking in a radio interview Wednesday, Australian revenue and financial services minister Kelly O’Dwyer said the move would come as part of a “crackdown on the black economy.” She explained: The whole point of this crackdown on the black economy is to make sure we....
Venezuela, which operates an economy that is crumbling down in debt and hyperinflation, announced the demonetization of 100 bolivar fuerte (Bf) banknotes effective in the next 72 hours. Until the central bank releases higher denomination bills, an India-like panic is presumed to occur. Since mid-2016, the Venezuelan economy worsened, as hyperinflation continued to lessen the value of its national currency that was already virtually worthless. By September, simple products like eggs or bread were sold at US$150 to the general population which in Venezuela was equivalent to stacks of cash.....
So far, three Bitcoin exchanges have established themselves in Venezuela. SurBitcoin is by far the biggest, whereas Yabit and Cryptobuyer are relatively new on the scene. Bitcoin remains one of the most popular commodities in all of Venezuela. The country is plagued by hyperinflation, and consumers have very restricted access to financial assets. Bitcoin provides an excellent opportunity to hedge against further inflation of the Bolivar, as well as invest in the future. The month of July has been a particularly good one for Venezuela. The number of transactions per week continues to....
All Pizza Hut locations in Venezuela now accept a broad range of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, via the payment platform Cryptobuyer. Pizza Hut joins Burger King, Intercontinental Hotel, Traki, and several other major stores in Venezuela that accept bitcoin. Pizza Hut Accepts Bitcoin Cryptobuyer announced on Friday that all Pizza Hut restaurants in Venezuela now accept cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. The company wrote: From today, you can share with your family and pay with cryptocurrencies … in any of the Pizza Hut restaurants in Venezuela. The announcement adds that....