Digital Assets Monthly Report – March Edition

Over the course of March, digital assets as a whole saw various positive developments.  Their expansion in to the mainstream has been highlighted over this time by industry giants such as Visa, PayPal, and more.  With a pool of companies gearing up for IPOs, this trend has shown no sign of slowing down.  This edition of ‘The Digital' highlights a few these developments from the past month.

Regulation

While some governments rely on enforcement actions to keep industry participants in line, others are still working to develop clear framework surrounding digital assets.  This was highlighted over past weeks with the SEC targeting individuals and companies alike.  All the while Canadian regulators began to crackdown on non-compliance with company registrations.

Global Regulators Issue Proposals and Enforcement Actions Surrounding Digital Assets

John McAfee Charged with Fraud Stemming from Past Attempts to Inflate Token Values

Digital Securities

March was an illuminating month for digital securities, as it played host to the annual ‘Security Token Summit'.  This event saw various industry leaders discussing that current state of the sector, and what is being done to ensure a bright future.  The following articles touch on a few highlights of this event, along with why tokenization is so intriguing.

Analyzing the Growth of Digital Securities: 2021 Security Token Summit

Benefits of Tokenization Compared to IPO & Equity Crowdfunding Explained

Mainstream Adoption

PayPal Launches ‘Checkout with Crypto'

Ever since PayPal announced support for various digital assets, consumers have anxiously awaited for the ability to spend them like traditional FIAT.  That time has now come in the United States, as PayPal recently launched a service called ‘Checkout with Crypto', allowing for its 29M existing merchants to accept digital assets (settled in USD) as payment. Read More

“As the use of digital payments and digital currencies accelerates, the introduction of Checkout with Crypto continues our focus on driving mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies, while continuing to offer PayPal customers choice and flexibility in the ways they can pay using the PayPal wallet…Enabling cryptocurrencies to make purchases at businesses around the world is the next chapter in driving the ubiquity and mass acceptance of digital currencies.” – Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal

Visa Trialing USDC Settlement – Eyes Futures Support for CBDCs

As one of the worlds largest payment processors, Visa has the ability to make significant waves through its forays in to digital assets.  This was recently on display, as the company announced that it is now trialing the use of stablecoins for settlement purposes.  Furthermore, the company indicated that this was just a first step towards its eventual support for CBDCs.  Read More

“Visa’s standard settlement process requires partners to settle in a traditional fiat currency, which can add cost and complexity for businesses built with digital currencies. The ability to settle in USDC can ultimately help Crypto.com and other crypto native companies evaluate fundamentally new business models without the need for traditional fiat in their treasury and settlement workflows. Visa’s treasury upgrades and integration with Anchorage also strengthen Visa’s ability to directly support new central bank digital currency (CBDC) as they emerge in the future.” – Visa Inc.

Thought Leaders

An Inside Look at the Rise of Perpetual Swaps in the Digital Asset Sector

Digital assets are astoundingly flexible, with new implementations being developed on the regular.  One area of interest which has been rising in popularity, are ‘perpetual swaps'.  Fran Strajnar, Founder and Chairman of Brave New Coin, recently highlighted some of the benefits associated with this practice, and industry progress surrounding its support.  Read More

Interviews

Allison Kaufman, Solutions Engineer at Circle

USDC is a wildly popular stablecoin.  Circle, as its creator, is unsurprisingly on everyones radar.  As a solutions Engineer at Circle, Allison Kaufman speaks on both her role at the company, and some of the innovative products in development.  Read More

Michael Pinkus, CFO of Bitbond

In 2019, Bitbond held Germany's first STO.  Fast forward to today, and the company is still working hard to lay a foundation for the future of digital securities.  Here, Michael Pinkus speaks on past hurdles, and his vision for the sector moving forward.  Read More

Around the Web

You can now use bitcoin to buy a Tesla – CNN

When Tesla first allocated a portion of its treasury reserves to Bitcoin, it caught the attention of all.  The company has now decided to double down on its belief in the digital asset, as it plans to accept BTC as payment for its products.  Read More