Ripple Labs is moving closer to realizing its dream of tokenizing real estate assets thanks to its partnership with Hong Kong's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is exploring various use cases for the digital Hong Kong dollar and has selected Ripple Labs to help develop a tokenization solution for recording e-HKD real estate transactions on a secure and private ledger. Ripple's CBDC platform, separate from the public XRP Ledger, was designed to address central banks' concerns about using public blockchains for CBDCs. Tokenization presents many opportunities for the real estate sector, including speeding up transactions and unlocking new funding avenues.

Sankar, deputy governor of the central bank of India: hopes to launch the central bank's digital currency CBDC in a controlled and adjusted manner. (Golden Ten)

July 4 (Cointime) - Bitcoin's critics argue that it fails to meet the textbook definition of money as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value. However, the emergence of bitcoin has sparked a debate about the definition and usefulness of money.

July 3 (Cointime) - Jinan, China has announced that all of its bus lines now accept digital yuan payments, offering discounts to encourage adoption. The city has updated the software and card readers on all buses to allow payments using the Chinese central bank digital currency. Passengers paying with CBDC can enjoy a discount of up to 1 cent for bus rides – 1 cent for a fare of 2 yuan and below, and 1.99 yuan for each ticket of 2 yuan and above.

July 2 (Cointime) - Recent surveys reveal that public concern over the possibility of a US central bank digital currency (CBDC) is shared by Canada and the UK. Majority of Brits express concern about UK authorities having control over people’s funds, while 39% of Canadians worry about a loss of control over their finances.

June 30 (Cointime) - Energy providers in China are now accepting digital yuan payments for settling bills. The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) is leading the adoption efforts and has set up a working group to help corporate users and local government organs use the CBDC for settling bills. The SGCC's Xiangcheng District affiliate, the local finance bureau, and the city's business support center are part of the working group. The city of Zhangjiakou, which hosted events during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, will also roll out a range of digital yuan applications, including accepting payments for goods and services using the CBDC.

June 28 (Cointime) - The European Commission has released its legislative plans for a digital euro, which would allow Europeans to make digital payments for free across the currency zone.

June 25 (Cointime) - Mercado Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency exchange in Brazil, has been granted permission by the Banco Central do Brasil to participate in the creation of the country's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The CBDC is set to be launched in 2024 and aims to revolutionize the financial landscape of Brazil.

June 23 (Cointime) - XRP, Ripple's native cryptocurrency, is experiencing a surge in price due to positive sentiments from the ongoing legal battle with the SEC and Ripple's global expansion. Despite a recent correction, XRP has outperformed Bitcoin and Ethereum in the last 90 days, with a 45% increase year-to-date. Ripple is also supporting the launch of Central Bank Digital Currencies, including the Central Bank of Montenegro and the Central Bank of Brazil's plan to launch a CBDC in 2024.

June 21 (Cointime) - The European Central Bank and European Commission are collaborating on the technical aspects of a digital euro, but political leaders are not showing much interest. Proposed legislation for the central bank digital currency addresses concerns about privacy, offline usage, and distribution, but political issues have yet to be resolved.