Blockchain Press Releases
UST Delivers API Prototypes for Retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) experimentation for the Bank of International Settlement and Bank of England
Collaboration accelerates the exploration of API solutions for retail CBDC systems
LONDON and MELBOURNE, Australia, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, has announced its role as an Innovation vendor for Project Rosalind, an experiment in application programming interface (API) prototypes for central bank digital currencies (CBDC) from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Bank of England (BOE) via the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre. Uniting leading innovators from their respective industries, Project Rosalind developed and tested prototypes for an application programming interface (API) specifically built to distribute retail CBDCs.
CBDCs have the potential to positively disrupt and drive innovation across several sectors. UST collaborated with the BIS and BoE on the development of the API layer as well as the exploration of a range of use cases for the CBDC ecosystem. A prototype API layer was developed for the project, featuring thirty-three API endpoints grouped into six functional categories. More than thirty use cases identified and explored by public and private sector collaborators served as testing and validation for the architecture and features of the APIs. The success of Project Rosalind proved that API layers can be used by central banks to safely distribute CBDC to consumers via private sector service providers while simultaneously enhancing privacy, accountability, and convertibility.
UST played a pivotal role organizing the API development work, running innovation sessions as well as building a secure and functional API layer. UST also partnered with Quant, the blockchain for finance pioneer, to provide the underlying infrastructure and blockchain platform.
In a press release by BIS, Francesca Hopwood Road, Head of the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre, said, “The Rosalind experiment has advanced central bank innovation in two key areas: by exploring how an API layer could support a retail CBDC system and how it could facilitate safe and secure CBDC payments through a range of different use cases.”
“Digital Currency has the potential to transform financial enterprises and revolutionize the end-user experience. The success of Project Rosalind with UST showcases how public-private collaboration and innovation can significantly accelerate time to market for solutions and result in tangible benefits for everyone. I’m proud of the work that we have done on this project and how it exemplifies our focus on transforming lives,” said Krishna Sudheendra, Chief Executive Officer, UST.
“At UST, innovation is at the center of all our transformation projects, and we put those principles into practice through this partnership. By leveraging our engineering experience and approaching the collaboration with an agile and aligned mindset, we were able to combine the strengths of each company to deliver an outstanding product,” said Tanveer Mohammed, Head of Innovation for UK, UST.
The prestigious London Innovation Hub Centre was established by BIS in 2021 and is one of six international nodes working to develop public goods in the technology space to support central banks and improve the functioning of the financial system.
UST’s work on Project Rosalind is just one of its many high-profile collaborations as part of its commitment to driving digital transformation. Over the past two decades UST has established itself as a key business transformation partner across a range of dynamic industries. For more information on UST and its work driving digital innovation, please visit the UST website.
Project Rosalind demonstrated that a well-designed application programming interface (API) layer can enable a central bank ledger to interact with private sector service providers to safely provide retail CBDC payments. The project has also demonstrated the potential of a CBDC system to enable a robust ecosystem to foster innovation, and to help meet the future needs of a more digitalised society. The key learnings and outcomes from the successful collaboration have been released and can be found here.
About the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre
The BIS Innovation Hub has a threefold mandate:
- We identify, in a structured and systematic way, critical trends in technology affecting central banking in different locations, and develop in-depth insights into these technologies that can be shared with the central banking community.
- We develop public goods in the technology space geared towards improving the functioning of the global financial system.
- We serve as the focal point for a network of central bank experts on innovation, with regular events to promote exchange of views and knowledge-sharing. These efforts complement the well established cooperation within the BIS-hosted committees.
The BIS Innovation Hub London Centre was established in 2021. Its current project focus areas are central bank digital currency (CBDC), next generation financial market infrastructures and supervisory technology (suptech).
To learn more, visit bis.org.
About Quant
Quant is the foundation of the blockchain economy. Assets of all kinds, from currencies to carbon credits, are being tokenised on blockchain, making their ownership immutable, their provenance traceable and their use easy to manage. Our patent-pending technology makes this simple, trusted and future-proof. We work with financial institutions and other enterprises to dramatically reduce their time-to-market, create new revenue lines, and mitigate risk by delivering enterprise-grade solutions built with security and compliance front of mind. Founded in 2018, Quant is UK-based with a US presence. We spearheaded the Blockchain ISO Standard TC307 adopted by 57 countries and solved interoperability with the creation of the world’s first interoperable blockchain platform, Overledger.
To find out more, visit quant.network
Media contact, Quant
Andrew Carrier
Chief Marketing Officer
[email protected]
About UST
For more than 23 years, UST has worked side by side with the world’s best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients’ organizations—delivering measurable value and lasting change across industries, and around the world. Together, with over 30,000 employees in 30+ countries, we build for boundless impact—touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at www.UST.com
Media Contacts, UST:
Tinu Cherian Abraham
+1 (949) 415-9857
Merrick Laravea
+1 (949) 416-6212
Neha Misri
+91-9284726602
[email protected]
Media Contacts, U.S.:
S&C PR
+1-646.941.9139
[email protected]
Makovsky
[email protected]
Media Contacts, U.K.:
FTI Consulting
[email protected]
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Showcasing blockchain’s potential to enable everyday financial transactions
NEW YORK, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Rain, a global card issuing platform built for stablecoins, is helping usher in a new era of onchain finance through its work with Visa.
Today, Rain announced it has joined Visa’s pilot program for stablecoin settlement. Rain has fully tokenized its credit card receivables and has transitioned all settlement transactions for its Visa cards to USDC, to now be able to settle with Visa 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Rain provides backend infrastructure – APIs, compliance layers and settlement logic – that enables fintechs and wallets to build and launch stablecoin-linked card programs. As demand for real time, global payments grow, Rain is seeing strong momentum from partners looking to issue and use onchain cards and settle in stablecoins.
7 Day Stablecoin Settlement
Rain’s proprietary settlement stack brings all authorization logic and settlement onchain. Rain’s technology stack allows for card transactions on the Visa network to be interoperable with stablecoins across multiple blockchains. When a user makes a payment with a Rain-issued Visa card, Visa settles with the merchant acquirer as usual. Rain is programmatically leveraging stablecoins enabling network settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Tokenized Credit Card Receivables
Rain’s platform has also fully tokenized its credit card receivables, enabling more efficient capital management and transparency across the system. These capabilities help fintechs go to market faster with new products. While giving consumers access to digital-first globally interoperable payment experiences.
Rain is also proud to announce a world first: closed loop credit card receivable financing utilizing stablecoins. Rain works with a network of capital partners – borrowing stablecoins to facilitate network settlement for credit card receivables. By borrowing from and programmatically repaying lenders Rain has been able to reduce the total cost of capital for consumer and b2b credit programs while providing lenders access to superior collateral and programmatic repayments powered by smart contracts. This powerful construct has the potential to unlock credit access for users in underdeveloped financial markets, all while unlocking significant operational and capital efficiencies for Rain and Rain powered programs.
“By participating in Visa’s USDC settlement program, we are now able to conduct settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year, operating outside of traditional banking hours. USDC settlement allows us to be more capital efficient – helping to reduce the need for collateral while providing our counterparties the same level of protection. This sets a new standard for issuers and further enhances digital asset utility,” said Farooq Malik, CEO & Co-founder of Rain.
“Moving money across borders has always been complex, but blockchain technology and stablecoins are helping change that,” said Rubail Birwadker, Head of Growth Products and Partnerships, Visa. “Our work with Rain to help bring payments onchain and enable seven-day settlement is a big step toward helping to simplify global payments.”
This is just the beginning. Rain continues to explore new ways to enhance the utility of stablecoins, such as its asset-agnostic settlement stack and blockchain permissioning, which together enable credit to exist entirely onchain. Rain is paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and accessible financial ecosystem that reduces working capital, reduces fraud, and drives improvements in operational outcomes.
Visa Principal Membership
A Visa principal member, Rain enables seamless payment solutions at more than 150 million Visa-accepting merchant locations worldwide. By utilizing stablecoins for automated daily settlement with the Visa network, Rain is doubling down on its mission to integrate blockchain technology with traditional financial systems, making digital assets seamlessly interoperable for everyday use cases.
About Rain: Rain is a global card issuing platform powered by stablecoins. The company, which was founded in 2021 by Farooq Malik and Charles Naut, sponsors and operates card programs in multiple markets as a Visa principal member. Rain is backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and others. Learn more at https://www.rain.xyz/
CONTACT: Charles Yoo-Naut; [email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rain-and-visa-partner-to-accelerate-onchain-credit-cards-302443870.html
Blockchain Press Releases
MEXC Ventures Announces $300 Million Ecosystem Development Fund at Token2049 Event
VICTORIA, Seychelles, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MEXC Ventures, the investment arm of the global cryptocurrency exchange MEXC, has unveiled a $300 million Ecosystem Development Fund aimed at accelerating blockchain innovation and ecosystem growth over the next five years. The initiative was officially announced at Token2049 in Dubai on April 30, aligning with MEXC’s 7th anniversary and reaffirming the company’s evolution from a trading platform to a full-scale Web3 ecosystem builder.
The new fund marks a strategic pivot in MEXC’s positioning — from a user-focused exchange to a foundational force in blockchain infrastructure. With this move, MEXC plans to foster long-term value across the entire crypto landscape by supporting early-stage technologies, public chains, wallets, and other decentralized tools that drive the future of Web3.
“We see this commitment as an opportunity to position MEXC well above its perceived place in the industry as an exchange service. We can and intend to offer much more through this investment, driving businesses and users to our ecosystem with a value offering built on best practices. Our ultimate vision is to transition from a trading venue to an ecosystem platform that will cater to all the needs of crypto industry participants in unique, innovative, and attractive ways,” as Tracy Jin, COO of MEXC exchange, commented on the upcoming announcement.
The Ecosystem Development Fund foresees the establishment of an investment and cooperation linkage model that will connect the different businesses with the broader MEXC ecosystem to drive value. The trusted basis of MEXC as a leader in innovation will be used to expand and enhance the overall trading experience for users by offering support beyond capital. Cooperation between exchange business and investments will focus on the development of public chains, stablecoins, wallets, and media platforms as part of the MEXC ecosystem. Comprehensive selection criteria will be announced for projects interested in joining the new initiative.
The new development will allow projects to attract investments and attain visibility, thus advancing their integration across industry services. This will, in turn, give users access to new services, upping their overall experience and building trust. Greater integration and cooperation between businesses, projects and users will ultimately positively impact the industry as a whole, advancing innovation and promoting adoption across different markets and regions.
Existing initiatives within the MEXC ecosystem include Ethena, a leading innovator in the stablecoin space. MEXC has made a strategic investment of $16 million in Ethena and has also purchased $20 million worth of USDe, Ethena’s synthetic dollar. In collaboration with Ethena, MEXC launched several joint campaigns that have gained significant traction in recent weeks, driving strong user engagement. ENA, Ethena’s native token, has showcased up to $15 million in trading volume over the past 24-hour timeframe. Such results indicate strong support for the products on the part of users, as well as demand from a liquidity standpoint. MEXC had recently invested in Ethena and launched a number of joint campaigns focused on expanding the use of public chains, wallets, and media platforms.
MEXC is determined to elevate the positioning of the platform beyond its perceived status as a trading venue to its full potential as an industry ecosystem element. Such a transition is aimed at building greater value for users and making the crypto environment more attractive to both businesses and investments. MEXC invites all projects in the crypto space to join its latest initiative.
About MEXC Ventures
MEXC Ventures is a comprehensive fund MEXC dedicated to driving innovation in the cryptocurrency sector through investments in L1/L2 ecosystems, strategic investments, M&A, and incubation. Upholding the principle of “Empowering Growth Through Synergy,” MEXC Ventures is committed to supporting innovative ideas and active builders.
MEXC Ventures is an investor and supporter of TON and Aptos, and looks forward to staying at the forefront of TON and Aptos innovations while actively engaging with builders to drive ecosystem growth.
For more information, visit: MEXC Ventures Website
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mexc-ventures-announces-300-million-ecosystem-development-fund-at-token2049-event-302443547.html
Today’s blockchain ecosystem is defined by soaring ambitions, regulatory crosswinds, and an ever-evolving tapestry of decentralized applications. In this edition of Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025, we cover five pivotal developments shaping Web3’s next chapter:
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Telegram’s TON Factory Launch – A breakthrough in on-chain scalability.
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EU Data-Protection Ruling Threatens Full Blockchain Histories – The fight between GDPR and immutability.
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One Championship MMA Game Debuts on Sui – A major Web3 foray into mobile gaming.
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U.S. Senate Eyes New Blockchain Act – Bipartisan push to regulate digital assets.
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DMG Blockchain’s AI Data-Center Investment – Convergence of crypto mining and AI infrastructure.
Below, we deliver concise yet detailed analyses of each story, infused with expert commentary on their strategic significance. Read on to understand how these trends will influence protocol adoption, developer incentives, regulatory frameworks, and the future of decentralized networks.
1. Telegram’s TON Factory Boosts On-Chain Scalability
What happened:
Telegram’s Open Network (TON) team officially unveiled TON Factory, a novel toolkit designed to streamline the deployment and scaling of decentralized applications. Built atop TON’s sharded architecture, TON Factory enables developers to spin up isolated “factories”—subnets that can host smart contracts, NFTs, and DeFi modules—while sharing security guarantees with the main chain. According to the announcement, early tests show that each factory can process up to 15,000 transactions per second (TPS) in isolation, with near-instant finality.
Why it matters:
Scalability remains blockchain’s Achilles’ heel. TON Factory’s factory-of-subnets approach promises to lower the barrier to entry for high-throughput dApps—everything from micro-payment systems to real-time gaming. By offering elastic compute and fee-optimization mechanisms, Telegram aims to undercut legacy Layer-1 networks and attract a new generation of builders.
Opinion & Implications:
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Developer Experience: Abstractions like preconfigured factories could accelerate time-to-market for teams lacking deep consensus expertise.
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Network Effects: If TON’s UX outpaces rivals (e.g., Ethereum’s zk-rollups or Solana’s Turbine), we may see a migration of liquidity and talent.
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Security Trade-Offs: Isolating factories can mitigate cross-dApp failures, but adds complexity to transaction routing and dispute resolution. Audits will be essential to validate this novel model.
Source: Cointelegraph – Telegram TON Factory Launch
2. EU Regulators Propose Deleting Entire Blockchains for GDPR
What happened:
European data-protection authorities have floated a radical interpretation of GDPR: the “right to erasure” could extend to purging entire on-chain histories containing personal data. Under this view, controllers operating within the EU must either anonymize linked data or entirely delete chain segments—potentially forcing chains to implement selective pruning or permissions.
Why it matters:
Blockchain’s immutability ethos directly clashes with GDPR’s erasure mandate. If regulators enforce selective deletion, networks may need to retrofit privacy-preserving layers (e.g., zero-knowledge proofs, chameleon hashes) or risk noncompliance fines up to 4% of global turnover.
Opinion & Implications:
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Protocol Evolution: Expect a surge in privacy-by-design protocols that segregate PII off-chain while anchoring proofs on-chain.
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Jurisdictional Fragmentation: Projects may geo-fence EU users or spawn EU-compliant forks—fracturing unified global ledgers.
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Commercial Impact: Exchanges and custodians face urgent deadlines to audit on-chain data holdings and deploy erasure tools—or face hefty penalties.
Source: Daily Hodl – EU Blockchain Erasure
3. One Championship’s MMA Game Launches on Sui for iOS/Android
What happened:
One Championship, Asia’s premier martial-arts league, has partnered with Mysten Labs to release “ONE Fight Manager”—a play-to-earn mobile title powered by the Sui blockchain. Available now on iOS and Android, the game lets users train NFT fighters, compete in PvP leagues, and earn SUI tokens through ranked matches. Mysten Labs touts sub-two-second transaction finality and near-zero gas fees, enabling seamless gameplay even for on-chain microtransactions.
Why it matters:
Gaming remains the killer app for mass blockchain adoption. By leveraging Sui’s Move VM and object-centric model, ONE Fight Manager addresses two critical pain points: UX friction and cost barriers. Real-time, feeless interactions are vital to onboard traditional gamers accustomed to instant feedback loops.
Opinion & Implications:
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User Acquisition: High-profile IP like One Championship can drive millions of installs—and funnel new users into the broader Sui ecosystem.
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Economics & Tokenomics: Careful tuning of token emission and NFT scarcity will determine whether the game sustains long-term engagement or succumbs to “play-to-earn” collapse.
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Cross-Chain Synergy: Success here may inspire similar partnerships on Aptos, Ethereum, or emerging Layer-1s, intensifying competition for flagship gaming titles.
Source: Decrypt – ONE Championship Sui Game
4. Ohio Senator Leads Push for U.S. Blockchain Act
What happened:
Senator J.D. Kerns (R-OH) has introduced the Blockchain Innovation and Consumer Protection Act, aiming to create a federal framework for digital-asset oversight. Key provisions include:
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Defined Classifications: Differentiating between payment tokens, security tokens, and utility tokens.
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Licensing Regime: Establishing a “Digital Asset Services Commission” to grant interstate licenses for exchanges and custodians.
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Consumer Safeguards: Mandatory proof of reserves, clear disclosure requirements, and dispute-resolution protocols.
Why it matters:
After years of fragmented state laws and agency turf wars, this Act represents Congress’s first cohesive effort to legislate blockchain. By preempting state-level divergence, it could streamline compliance for businesses—provided it balances innovation with investor protection.
Opinion & Implications:
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Regulatory Clarity: Clear definitions can foster institutional entry, reducing legal ambiguity that stifles corporate treasuries from adopting crypto.
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Unintended Consequences: Overly stringent licensing could entrench incumbents and erect high barriers for startups.
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Global Competitiveness: U.S. leadership in blockchain law may influence other jurisdictions—critical as Asia and Europe race to craft their own regulatory regimes.
Source: The Street – Blockchain Act Proposal
5. DMG Blockchain Solutions Invests in 2MW of AI Data-Center Gear
What happened:
DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. has announced the acquisition of two megawatts of high-density GPU infrastructure, repurposed for both crypto-mining and AI-model training workloads. Housed in a new Quebec data center, the multi-use clusters will dynamically allocate capacity between proof-of-work operations and commercial AI clients—leveraging off-peak pricing to optimize ROI.
Why it matters:
The convergence of crypto-mining and AI training infrastructure underscores growing synergies between two of the most compute-hungry industries. By offering GPUs for rent during mining downtimes, DMG anticipates 30% higher utilization rates compared to mono-purpose facilities.
Opinion & Implications:
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Revenue Diversification: Dual-use data centers can hedge against crypto price swings and tap into booming AI-as-a-service demand.
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Energy Efficiency: High-efficiency GPUs paired with Quebec’s hydroelectric power may set new benchmarks for sustainable compute.
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Competitive Landscape: Other mining operators may follow suit, catalyzing a wave of AI-crypto hybrid hosting providers.
Source: GlobeNewswire – DMG AI Infrastructure Purchase
Conclusion
April 30, 2025, illuminated blockchain’s boundless dynamism: scalability breakthroughs at Telegram’s TON Factory; privacy versus immutability in the EU’s GDPR debate; mass-market gaming on Sui; legislative clarity from Capitol Hill; and the AI-crypto infrastructure nexus in Quebec. These stories reveal an industry simultaneously innovating at the protocol layer, grappling with regulation, and exploring cross-sector partnerships. For developers, investors, and policymakers alike, the imperative is clear: build resilient architectures that anticipate regulatory shifts, prioritize user experience, and harness synergies across emerging technologies. Stay tuned to Blocks & Headlines tomorrow for your next daily briefing on the pulse of blockchain’s evolving frontier.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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