The Payments Association

JUNE 3, 2025

James Hurren explores what early CBDC deployments across Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe reveal about usage, adoption, and the future of cross-border digital money. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have rapidly evolved from theoretical concepts into live pilots and national deployments.

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CBDC Cross-Border Central Bank Cross-Border Payments 88

Payments Source

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

The “highest international anti-money laundering standards” would also need to be applied, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Swiss financial regulator Finma said Libra would need a payment system license and would be subject to additional rules to take “bank-like” risks into account.

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Money Laundering Rules Regulations Risk 70

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Christine Lagarde , European Central Bank (ECB) president, said the ECB could make its own digital currency within a few years, which could change up the eurozone financial sector drastically, Bloomberg reported. China, meanwhile, is also advancing plans for a central bank digital currency (CBDC), Bloomberg reported.

Digital Currency 121

Digital Currency Central Bank Federal Reserve Money Laundering 121

Payments Source

JULY 14, 2017

India is considering tracking digital currencies like bitcoin through the central bank and capital markets regulator along with intelligence agencies to monitor money laundering and terrorist financing, people with the knowledge of the matter said.

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Digital Currency Money Laundering Crime Central Bank 60

Payments Source

MAY 6, 2021

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Digital Currency Central Bank Money Laundering Risk 119

PYMNTS

JULY 10, 2020

Stablecoins, the virtual currencies which seek price stability, could be the next target for money laundering and terrorist financing, a report found. The FATF said it will review the implementation and impact of its standards by next summer and provide further guidance on stablecoins and virtual assets.

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Money Laundering Stablecoins Cryptocurrency Digital Currency 56

PYMNTS

JUNE 24, 2019

Amid the announcement of a new cryptocurrency – that would be Libra – the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which operates as global regulatory firm based in Paris with a membership roster of countries such as China and the United States, has said it will boost its examination of digital currencies with an eye on money laundering.

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Money Laundering Regulations Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Multi-Currency 51

PYMNTS

JANUARY 14, 2021

As quoted by Reuters, she termed the cryptocurrency a “highly speculative asset, which has conducted some funny business and some interesting and totally reprehensible money laundering activity.” She went on to say that “there has to be regulation. This has to be applied and agreed upon.

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Money Laundering Bitcoin Regulations Central Bank 61

PYMNTS

AUGUST 16, 2020

China’s Ministry of Commerce is moving forward with its plan for a digital currency, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

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Digital Currency Bitcoin Money Laundering Consumer Protection 134

The Payments Association

MARCH 19, 2025

The growing role of digital assets in payments The way we process payments has changed drastically in the last decade. Notably, the rise of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are transforming the digital payments landscape.

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Cross-Border Reconciliation Compliance Payments 88

PYMNTS

OCTOBER 3, 2019

While Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank President Patrick Harker believes it’s “inevitable” that central banks will eventually issue digital currencies, he warned that the United States shouldn’t be first in line. He admitted that when it comes to the future of the Fed, digital currency will most likely play a part. “I

Digital Currency 55

Digital Currency Fed Federal Reserve Central Bank 55

PYMNTS

OCTOBER 11, 2018

CipherTrace noted in a report that digital currency theft has nearly topped $1 billion over the first three quarters of the year at $927 million, Reuters reported. The organization noted that digital currencies are not an effective store of value, unit of account or payment means.

Digital Currency 73

Digital Currency Bitcoin Money Laundering AML 73

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2019

Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors , noted that bitcoin has had a tough time because it couldn’t separate itself from smaller digital currencies during last year’s massive sell-off. In other news, bitcoin prices fell again on Monday (Jan. 28) to $3,443, its lowest level since mid-December.

Digital Currency 67

Digital Currency Bitcoin AML Cryptocurrency 67

PYMNTS

MARCH 16, 2020

Intercontinental Exchange, the parent firm of Bakkt, had first made it known in the summer of 2018 that Starbucks was eyeing the retail use of digital currency payments. The Bank of Russia, however, reportedly supports the idea of digital financial assets and had gone so far as having an experimental tokenization project.

Bitcoin 97

Bitcoin Digital Currency Central Bank Money Laundering 97

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 12, 2019

The head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, said she wants a task force to identify clear objectives regarding the ECB’s proposed digital currency initiative by the middle of next year, according to a report by Reuters. Lagarde also said the ECB should be “ahead of the curve” on the issue.

Digital Currency 52

Digital Currency Money Laundering Central Bank Cryptocurrency 52

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

28) that digital currencies could potentially dry up lending for banks and affect the economy as a whole, according to a report by Reuters. Many central banks around the globe are wrestling with the implications of digital currencies and how they will affect a country’s financial health.

Digital Currency 95

Digital Currency Central Bank Stablecoins Money Laundering 95

PYMNTS

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

will be required to comply with regulatory standards to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing. Whether it’s bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra, our message is the same to all of these companies: Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism has to be built into your design from the get-go,” she said.

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Money Laundering Finance Cryptocurrency Digital Currency 43

PYMNTS

JUNE 10, 2020

The Bank of Ghana continues to consider the creation of a digital currency, GhanaWeb reported. Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari, the bank’s first deputy governor, reportedly said during a digital workshop that the bank remains steadfast in facilitating innovation and piloting ideas like a central bank cryptocurrency.

Digital Currency 53

Digital Currency Accounts Money Laundering Central Bank 53

Fintech News

APRIL 10, 2024

These efforts cover a comprehensive range of regulatory concerns, including but not limited to licensing requirements, reserve asset management, redemption rights, capital adequacy, consumer protection, and compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) guidelines.

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Stablecoins Regulations Digital Currency Risk Mitigation 125

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 4, 2019

For China: Digital currency, yes. Whether you believe in bitcoin’s potential (or lack thereof) to become a viable conduit of commerce , the crypto’s pricing acts as shorthand for the near-term outlook for digital coins in general, and especially for those traded over exchanges. But not bitcoin. Blockchain? But not bitcoin.

Digital Currency 55

Digital Currency Bitcoin Money Laundering Cryptocurrency 55

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 11, 2020

Money laundering and terrorist financing also go on the list these days, perhaps like never before. PYMNTS December 2020 AML/KYC Tracker® done in collaboration with Trulioo probes the heightened fraud climate accompanying the mobile-digital shift, zeroing in on key aspects of prevailing in the digital fraud wars.

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Money Laundering AML Cryptocurrency Fincen 87

Fintech News

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

The platform also enables fast customer onboarding, tokenization, diverse payment and transfer options, and comprehensive financial management tools including dispute and risk management, omnichannel management, anti-money laundering (AML), fraud prevention, and integration with both fiat and digital currencies, among others.

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Digital Currency Money Laundering Fraud Prevention BNPL 109

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 18, 2020

18) that the government says would make convertible digital currencies like bitcoin less attractive to criminals engaging in crimes such as ransomware attacks. Treasury Department proposed sweeping new rules late Friday (Dec. The rationale for the new regulations, as the government laid out in the Federal Register, is that "U.S.

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Treasury Rules Bitcoin Ransomware 141

PYMNTS

OCTOBER 27, 2019

A research team was established in 2014 by China’s central bank to explore launching a digital currency and increase China’s control of the money supply, Reuters reported on Saturday (Oct. David Marcus , the executive in charge of Facebook’s proposed digital currency, said if Libra fails, the U.S.

Digital Currency 43

Digital Currency Laws Cybersecurity Money Laundering 43

PYMNTS

JUNE 5, 2017

Russia is getting more into digital currency with the central bank in the country launching tests of several digital currency schemes. “Regulators of all countries agree that it’s essential to develop a national digital currency, that it is the future,” Skorobogatova said.

Digital Currency 40

Digital Currency Central Bank Financial Literacy Online and Mobile Banking 40

Fintech Finance

MAY 28, 2024

Gnosis Pay , the company building the rails for the next generation of banking, today announces a new partnership with Visa , a world leader in digital payments, that will help broaden the use of digital currencies in everyday payment settings.

Digital Currency 110

Digital Currency Debit Card Blockchain Money Laundering 110

PYMNTS

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Facebook's proposed global digital currency Libra is expected to get pushback from G7 leaders who are anticipated to publicly oppose the project due to a lack of regulations, according to a Reuters report on Monday (Oct. The fear is that stablecoins could be used for money laundering and terrorist financing, among other crimes.

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Regulations Digital Currency Stablecoins Money Laundering 80

Fintech News

JANUARY 30, 2024

Other payment trends in Asia preceding 2024 including the rise of B2B buy now pay later (BNPL), growing prominence of central bank digital currency (CBDC), and prevalence of composable, cloud-based ‘as-a-Service’ IT architecture models have helped shape much of what we anticipate for 2024.

Payments Trends 120

Payments Trends Digital Currency Cross-Border Payments Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) 120

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

China is planning to launch a digital currency in early 2020 that will make allowances for privacy, a senior central bank official said on Tuesday (Nov. The country is laying the groundwork to be the first nation to launch a digital currency and will balance privacy concerns with government oversight, Reuters reported.

Digital Currency 40

Digital Currency Privacy Central Bank NOV 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said that before they issue their own digital currencies, central banks around the world should attempt to get a better understanding of the pros and cons of the process, according to a report by Reuters.

Central Bank 64

Central Bank Digital Currency Money Laundering CBDC 64

Payments Source

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Germany joined European governments pushing for global bitcoin regulation amid mounting alarm that the world’s most popular digital currency is being used by money-launderers, drug traffickers and terrorists.

Bitcoin 64

Bitcoin Regulations Money Laundering Digital Currency 64

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 13, 2019

With the belief that it could cause instability within the country’s financial system, the government of Switzerland spoke against making a central bank digital currency available to the public. They also claim it could decrease money laundering and tax offenses.

Digital Currency 40

Digital Currency Central Bank Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Money Laundering 40

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

12) that central banks have no reason to issue digital currency. He added that no organization can offer sovereign credit backing that way national currencies do. Greenspan’s remarks come on the heels of China’s announcement that it would launch a digital currency in early 2020. Former U.S. What comes next?

Digital Currency 40

Digital Currency Central Bank Fed Federal Reserve 40

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2020

Vinnik, who’s currently held in France but wanted in the United States and his native Russia, allegedly laundered billions of dollars through BTC-e, one of the world’s largest digital-currency trading exchange, the Associated Press reported Monday (June 22). for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. million penalty.

Bitcoin 72

Bitcoin Money Laundering Crime Financial Crimes 72

Fintech News

JULY 3, 2024

In the heart of Southeast Asia, a small island nation is making giant strides in digital currencies. percent of its population owning digital assets, the city-state isn’t just participating in the crypto revolution—it’s leading it.

Financial Literacy 109

Financial Literacy Cryptocurrency Digital Currency Accreditation 109

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Mosier returns to FinCEN from Chainalysis, the digital currency analytics, investigations and compliance company, where he served as chief technical counsel. Before that, he was deputy chief in the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

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Fincen Innovation OFAC Money Laundering 100

PYMNTS

JUNE 20, 2019

government will respond to the introduction of new digital currencies. Powell also said that regulators have jurisdiction to enforce anti-money laundering regulations on business that operate within the digital sphere. “We News of the launch of Facebook cryptocurrency Libra has highlighted how the U.S.

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Regulations Money Laundering Federal Reserve Digital Currency 67