Donald Trump, the former US President and leading Republican candidate, expressed his concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) in an interview with Fox Business. He cited the potential misuse of deepfakes, which can create false product endorsements and even impact warfare. Trump called for urgent action to be taken to address the issue, stating that AI is "maybe the most dangerous thing out there of anything because there is no real solution." He also criticized CBDCs and accused Jay Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, of being "political."

The Reserve Bank of India is carefully developing its digital rupee and exploring technology solutions to address privacy concerns. While the central bank may not object to a reduction in taxes on crypto, it is not their responsibility to legislate taxes. The RBI has achieved a significant milestone of one million transactions in a day for its retail CBDC pilot program, with the assistance of banks depositing employee funds in CBDC. Additionally, the central bank is searching for technological solutions to address privacy concerns in CBDC usage, and a privacy legislation is not the only option. India's finance ministry has decided against reducing taxes on cryptocurrency, including the 1% tax deducted at source on every transaction. Despite the industry's push for a tax reduction, a recent think tank study suggested a 0.01% tax instead of the current 1%. The Reserve Bank of India remains opposed to cryptocurrencies, with Governor Shaktikanta Das stating that India cannot afford the risk from crypto. However, startups may have the opportunity to participate in the RBI's CBDC pilots in the future.

Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Russian Central Bank, said that the Russian Central Bank is discussing the possibility of using central bank digital currency as a payment method in foreign trade. Nabiullina said that although Russia opposes the use of cryptocurrency payments in domestic transactions, the country is open to the idea of using cryptocurrency in foreign trade.

Belarus plans to develop a blockchain platform for its central bank digital currency (CBDC). The state-owned Bank Technology Center began building the CBDC platform in January and is now actively recruiting developers. The platform will be built on the open-source Hyperledger Fabric blockchain. The Bank Technology Center is recruiting backend developers who are familiar with Hyperledger Fabric and Linux and have experience creating smart contracts. <br>

The results of the U.K.'s digital pound consultation were released on Thursday, with privacy being a major concern. Experts believe that the proposed platform model and legislation could address these concerns effectively. The U.K.'s approach to privacy in relation to the digital pound has been praised by industry insiders. While many responses to the consultation welcomed the proposed design, privacy was a key issue raised by respondents. The government has committed to consulting further with the public before making a decision on the digital pound's future.

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conducted its first cross-border digital dirham transfer using the mBridge Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) platform on January 29th. According to Gulf News, this cross-border CBDC transfer of 50 million dirhams ($13.6 million) was sent to China using the multi-CBDC mBridge platform.The mBridge project was launched in 2021 by the central monetary authorities of China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the UAE in collaboration with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). This is the only international partnership involving China. The project completed its pilot in September 2022 and will be launched for commercial use in September 2023, one year later. The mBridge platform has already onboarded multiple commercial banks from each participating member country to engage in infrastructure and technology-related work.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) and the Japanese government held their first official meeting to discuss central bank digital currency (CBDC). As reported by local TV channel NHK on January 26th, the government and the Bank of Japan agreed to resolve legal issues related to the issuance of digital yen in the spring of 2024. However, neither the Bank of Japan nor the government has officially confirmed the launch of digital yen, and any decision will be made no earlier than after a "national discussion" in 2026. In December 2023, the Bank of Japan saw a report from a Ministry of Finance expert group recommending the "immediate" issuance of digital yen. The experts decided that the Japanese CBDC should coexist with cash and the Bank of Japan must limit the storage of potential personal data to a minimum. The Bank of Japan completed the second phase of CBDC testing in May 2023. The test ran for a year, involving 100,000 users and 5 intermediaries, with a load of 500 transactions per second and 3,000 transactions. The experiment was declared successful, and the Bank of Japan continues its scheduled CBDC pilot project, which should examine the "end-to-end process" and further connections with external systems.

According to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate for the US presidency, he recently stated that if elected, he pledged to terminate the US's efforts to promote central bank digital currency (CBDC) and said he would do everything possible to preserve paper currency. Kennedy also reminded people that Bitcoin is more protective than cash. (Cointelegraph) Earlier, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X platform, "If I become president, I will ensure that your right to use and hold Bitcoin is not violated. Bitcoin is not only a fortress against authoritarianism and manipulation of the money supply, but also points the way to a more transparent and democratic future for government agencies."

The UK has announced plans to design its own central bank digital currency, known as the Digital Pound or Britcoin, in order to keep up with the evolving technology of digital currencies. The UK Treasury and Bank of England have emphasized the need for additional examination of the potential implementation of a CBDC, taking a cautious approach and addressing concerns surrounding privacy and security. The design efforts will focus on assessing feasibility and potential design options, with a decision on whether to proceed with development to be made after consultations on legislation and potential launch. Skepticism from UK lawmakers and concerns from the public have been acknowledged, with privacy and control over funds being prioritized in any legislation introduced for a digital pound.

The Bank of England and the UK Treasury have released their response to the consultation on digital pound. The Bank of England and the UK Treasury have stated that the decision to launch the digital pound will be made no earlier than the mid-2020s. Measures to safeguard the digital pound are currently being developed.