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Thailand to Develop ‘Cryptourism,’ Considers Issuing Utility Token

In search of ways to heal its travel industry, hurt by the pandemic, Thailand is now recognizing an opportunity to tap into a growing market of cryptocurrency holders. Fostering a “cryptourism atmosphere” is what the country’s tourism agency intends to do, including by minting a new token and facilitating bitcoin card payments.

Tourism Board of Thailand Plans to Employ New Coin to Spur Demand From Crypto Market

Pondering how to capitalize on the expanding global crypto user base, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has pitched the idea of issuing its own utility token dubbed TAT Coin. The Bangkok Post revealed on Wednesday that the body wants to examine relevant regulations and the viability of such a project before embarking on the initiative.

The state-run agency is now holding talks with the Stock Exchange of Thailand on the possible introduction of the token, the report details, quoting TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn. TAT Coin would allow the transfer of travel vouchers into digital tokens that could help operators to gain greater liquidity, the newspaper added, without being a subject of speculative trading.

Another aspect that has to be clarified is whether the tourism board has the authority to issue a digital currency in the first place. In any case, Yuthasak emphasized that technology is changing the world and cryptocurrency is part of that process. In his opinion, TAT has to take the chance and enhance the competitiveness of Thailand’s tourism sector which was greatly affected by the spread of Covid-19. The official further elaborated:

We have to prepare digital infrastructure and digital literacy for our tourism operators in order to commence cryptourism as the traditional business model might not be able to keep up with the new changes.

TAT’s short-term goal is to increase income in the industry by attracting potential travelers and visitors. The long-term plan, according to the report, is to upgrade the nation’s business and leisure tourism platform in cooperation with Bitkub, a local cryptocurrency exchange.

The authority hopes to use the future TAT Coin, or a non-fungible token (NFT), to encourage demand from the cryptocurrency market and increase traffic at specific tourist spots. Bitkub CEO Jirayut Srupsrisopa has been quoted noting that the global crypto market capitalization is now four times larger than Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP).

As part of its initiative to create a “cryptourism atmosphere,” the Tourism Authority of Thailand also considers offering bitcoin debit card services at the country’s airports. Crypto nomads, the agency says, can use these cards during their trips to make purchases without having to pay high fees at ATMs or money exchange shops. In August, Bank of Thailand announced it’s going to test its own digital currency which can potentially facilitate payments in the travel industry as well.

Do you think Thailand will become a crypto-friendly travel destination? Share your expectations in the comments section below.

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Curve Finance launches scrvUSD, a decentralized yield-bearing stablecoin

Curve Finance launches yield-bearing stablecoin, Savings-crvUSD (scrvUSD). scrvUSD stabilizes borrowing rates and enhances DeFi composability. Curve has partnered with The Open Network to boost ecosystem integration and efficiency. Curve Finance, a leading decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, has launched a new decentralized yield-bearing stablecoin called Savings-crvUSD (scrvUSD) to offer low-risk returns for investors and further scale…

Curve Finance launches yield-bearing stablecoin, Savings-crvUSD (scrvUSD).
scrvUSD stabilizes borrowing rates and enhances DeFi composability.
Curve has partnered with The Open Network to boost ecosystem integration and efficiency.

Curve Finance, a leading decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, has launched a new decentralized yield-bearing stablecoin called Savings-crvUSD (scrvUSD) to offer low-risk returns for investors and further scale its crvUSD stablecoin.

The new product aims to stabilize the borrowing rates for crvUSD while enhancing composability within the DeFi ecosystem.

The scrvUSD stablecoin

Launched on November 13, 2024, the scrvUSD stablecoin allows users to mint the token by depositing crvUSD into the scrvUSD module. The underlying crvUSD is overcollateralized by digital assets such as Ethereum (ETH), Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), and others, providing security to users’ funds.

Crucially, Curve Finance has emphasized that funds in scrvUSD are not rehypothecated or moved from the vaults, ensuring that the stablecoin remains a safe and sustainable option for investors.

According to Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov, the scrvUSD module is already sustainable, with over 3 million crvUSD stored in the vault. This initiative is designed to offer stability to the DeFi ecosystem, addressing the volatility concerns associated with traditional stablecoins.

The introduction of scrvUSD also marks an important step in Curve Finance’s broader strategy to enhance composability within decentralized finance.

Composability refers to the ability of various DeFi applications to work together seamlessly, allowing users to access innovative financial products.

Curve Finance’s move to scrvUSD follows its earlier decision in June 2024 to adopt crvUSD as the primary fee distribution asset, signalling a shift towards further integration across DeFi platforms.

Curve Finance’s partnership with TON

Additionally, Curve Finance is expanding its ecosystem through a collaboration with The Open Network (TON). This partnership seeks to increase interaction and composability between the two decentralized networks, fostering new opportunities for traders and investors.

As part of this collaboration, a competition was launched to develop Curve’s Constant Functional Market Maker (CFMM) — a tool designed to curb volatility and market slippage, thus improving overall efficiency in the DeFi space.

Through these strategic moves, Curve Finance continues to reinforce its position as a pivotal player in the evolving DeFi landscape.

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Crypto critic Elizabeth Warren rises to top Democrat on Senate Banking Committee

Senator Elizabeth Warren will be the top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. The crypto critic’s new role means her input could have an impact crypto regulation in the US. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top crypto critic in the US Senate, has confirmed she’s set to be the senior most Democrat…

En bild av senator Warren som representerar Massachusetts

Senator Elizabeth Warren will be the top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
The crypto critic’s new role means her input could have an impact crypto regulation in the US.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top crypto critic in the US Senate, has confirmed she’s set to be the senior most Democrat on the crucial Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.

Warren, who defeated pro-crypto lawyer John Deaton for the Massachusetts senate seat in the 2024 elections, noted this in a statement published on Wednesday. Notably, the Senate Banking Committee is the entity that’s set to handle critical legislation on cryptocurrencies.

While Republicans have control of the Senate, any changes to this scenario likely during the mid-terms could see Warren become even more influential in the next two years.

Warren’s new Senate role

Warren’s elevated position follows the exit of Sherrod Brown, the former chairperson of the Senate Banking Committee. The Ohio Democrat lost in the 2024 U.S. election, with his defeat coming amid massive effort from across the crypto space to support the winner and new Ohio Senator-elect Bernie Moreno.

The 2024 US election has also seen the most pro-crypto lawmakers elected.

However, the crypto industry’s larger concern will be on the influence of the Dem’s ranking member in Senate. While Warran did mention crypto in the statement, she said:

“In the aftermath of the 2024 election, it’s powerfully important for Democratic leadership to show that we can make life more affordable for working people and to act with urgency to rebuild our middle class. For Massachusetts and hard-working families nationwide, this new role means a better chance to advance solutions like building more housing to lower prices and protecting consumers from private equity greed and special interest scams.”

Cryptocurrencies have rallied since Donald Trump won a second term by defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in Nov. 5. Bullish sentiment has seen Bitcoin break past the previous bull market’s high to hit highs of $93k.

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BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF hits $40 billion, sets new record in 211 days

BlackRock’s IBIT reached a new record in 211 days, surpassing iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF’s previous record of 1,253 days BlackRock’s new record comes two weeks after it hit $30 billion in net assets at the end of October BlackRock is now in the top 1% of all ETFs by assets and is bigger…

blackrock ceo larry fink crypto digitalising gold

BlackRock’s IBIT reached a new record in 211 days, surpassing iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF’s previous record of 1,253 days
BlackRock’s new record comes two weeks after it hit $30 billion in net assets at the end of October
BlackRock is now in the top 1% of all ETFs by assets and is bigger than all the ETFs launched in the past 10 years

BlackRock has done it again. This time its IBIT spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has hit a record of over $41 billion in net assets in 211 days.

News of the milestone comes two weeks after BlackRock reached $30 billion in net assets in 293 days at the end of October.

Posting on X in October, Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas, said what BlackRock has achieved is an “all-time record,” adding “the old record was $JEPI which did it in 1,272 days. $GLD took 1,790 days. Unreal.”

With BlackRock’s new achievement, it’s surpassed the previous record of 1,253 days held by iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, according to Balchunas.

In a post on X, he said: “[BlackRock’s] now in Top 1% of all ETFs by assets and at 10mo old it is bigger than all 2,800 ETFs launched in the past TEN years.”

JUGGERNAUT: $IBIT has hit the $40b asset mark (a mere two wks after hitting $30b) in a record 211 days, annihilating prev record of 1,253 days held by $IEMG. It’s now in Top 1% of all ETFs by assets and at 10mo old it is bigger than all 2,800 ETFs launched in the past TEN years. pic.twitter.com/WTATlpShUq

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) November 13, 2024

Now, BlackRock holds more than 467,000 Bitcoin, valued at $41.8 billion, according to iShares data.

Reaching new heights

The new record comes as Bitcoin reached an all-time high of over $93,000 on November 13 in a continued rally that’s showing no signs of slowing.

The upward trajectory is partly due to Donald Trump being re-elected as US President earlier this month. Following news of his win, Bitcoin broke the $75,000 mark. It then passed $82,000, and continued to $84,000, before pushing to $87,000 earlier this week.

In September, Bernstein analysts predicted that Bitcoin would surge to between $80,000 and $90,000 if Trump won the US election. With that prediction having now passed, Bernstein analysts believe Bitcoin could reach $200,000 in 2025, urging investors to “buy everything they can.”

It remains to be seen how far Bitcoin will go, but for now, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.