The CFPB director should stop imposing politics on payments and stick to his remit. Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in March shared his conjured alternative-payments universe with politically simpatico CNBC. Relishing his celebrity, Chopra held forth on inflation, payment-system competition and fees, and cryptocurrency risk. The …

As the mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn country continues, charitable organizations and businesses are finding new ways to provide support. Cryptocurrency exchange and blockchain-infrastructure provider Binance joined those efforts Tuesday, announcing the Binance Refugee Crypto Card. The Visa-branded debit card will allow displaced Ukrainians to make or …

On March 9, President Biden unleashed the federal government to reform the U.S. dollar into a digital entity—an historic milestone. A big transformation is looming. Done well, the digital dollar will cement U.S. leadership in global finance. Ill-done, America will become second tier. The digital dollar has the power to …

Cryptocurrency’s steady march toward becoming a mainstream payment option took another step with Sling TV’s acceptance of seven digital currencies and five stablecoins through BitPay Inc. The deal, announced Monday, will enable existing subscribers of the streaming television service to pay their monthly subscription fee with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, …

Silvergate Capital Corp. late Monday confirmed widespread reports that it has acquired assets from the stablecoin venture Diem Group. The deal, valued at $182 million in cash and stock, includes Diem’s intellectual property and “other technology assets related to running a blockchain-based payment network,” according to the announcement. The La …

Governments are moving closer to issuing digital money. That could introduce some benefits—but also many risks and complications. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are coming, slowly but inevitably. They can be retail (for use by consumers and businesses), wholesale (for use between financial institutions), or both. Evangelists enthuse they’ll improve …

The turbulent story of the Diem digital currency recorded yet another twist with reports on Tuesday that the two-and-a-half-year-old project is seeking to dispose of its assets. The latest news, first reported by Bloomberg, comes less than a year after the Diem Association moved its headquarters from Switzerland to the …

American Express Co. saw its crucial travel-and-entertainment business continue to recover in the final three months of 2021, leading top company executives Tuesday morning to express considerable optimism for 2022. But don’t look any time soon for the New York City-based card giant to make any major forays into buy …

The Federal Reserve Board released a paper Thursday afternoon on the question of a central bank digital currency for the United States, and even though the Fed would play a crucial role in any such venture, observers looking for hints on how the central bank is leaning on the issue …

It was probably only a matter of time before the two global card networks, which have already made overtures to blockchain technology, began venturing into support for central bank digital currencies. News of the latest development emerged very early Thursday with an announcement from Visa Inc. and blockchain software developer …