Ava Labs CEO denies CryptoLeaks’ claims as ‘conspiracy theory nonsense’
Ava Labs CEO Emin Gün Sirer has dismissed allegations from CryptoLeaks that the company formed a “secret pact” with U.S. law firm Roche Freedman LLP to use the American legal system “gangster style” to “attack and harm crypto organizations [i.e., Ava Labs competitors].” Ava Labs is the firm behind Avalanche (AVAX), an Ethereum (ETH) rival in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and customized blockchain space. Roche Freedman LLP was recently involved in separate high-profile lawsuits against Solana Labs and Binance, claiming that the firms were engaging in unlawful activities. [Read more at CoinTelegraph]
The Digital Dollar Project Launches Technical CBDC Sandbox Program
The Digital Dollar Project (DPP) launched its central bank digital currency (CBDC) Technical Sandbox Program, with the help of initial participants Digital Asset, EMTECH, Knox Networks, and Ripple. It will serve as a collaborative space for the DDP participants and financial service providers, offering a neutral environment for the evaluation of technological, business, and policy approaches to CBDCs. It is slated to begin in early October with the inaugural cohort focused on cross-border payments. [Read more at the DPP]
Klarna losses quadruple as costs rise
“Losses at Swedish [buy now, pay later] payments provider Klarna reported a net loss of SKr6.2 billion ($581 million) for the first half of 2022, compared with SKr1.4 billion a year earlier. (Buy now, pay later services allow consumers to defer or divide payments into instalments.) Klarna attributed the deepening losses to higher employee costs, investments in integrating newly acquired Swedish price comparison service PriceRunner and rising credit losses, reflecting the greater difficulty of underwriting new customers with limited credit histories.” [Read more at the Financial Times]
Discounted tickets available for CBDC Think Tank masterclass
The CBDC Think Tank, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund and George Washington University, is hosting a full-day in-person CBDC Masterclass on October 12 in Washington DC. The sessions are designed as instructional deep dives with full presentations and Q&A components. Ticket prices are as low as $99 and you can save 30% by entering KIFFMEISTER where the registration page asks for a discount code. [Register here]
Also, the CBDC Think Tank, in partnership with Georgetown University and the DC FinTech Week, is hosting a FREE Digital Currency Lecture Series, a set of digital currency lightning talks delivered by subject matter experts, on October 14 in Washington DC. [Request an invite here]
Kiffmeister’s Global Central Bank Digital Currency Monthly Monitor
Just a reminder that I produce a monthly digest of central bank digital currency (CBDC) developments exclusively for the official sector. So for any of you out there who work for a central bank, ministry of finance or international financial institution who would like to receive it by email on the first business day of every month, please DM me on LinkedIn or email me at chronicles@kiffmeister.com.