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On August 22, the Colombian National Disaster Risk Management Agency issued an updated disaster report stating that the strong earthquake that struck the country recently has caused 329 deaths, 4,600 injuries, and 247 missing persons, with 364 people rescued. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck northwestern Colombia on the evening of August 10 (morning of August 10 local time), with a focal depth of 80 kilometers. Thirty-two cities across Colombia were severely affected.On August 22, the second working meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) was held in Xiamen, Fujian Province. Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations, and Zhao Zenglian, Vice Governor of Fujian Province, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Representatives from relevant departments and member units of the CIFIT preparatory working group reported on the progress of their preparatory work. The meeting emphasized the need to closely adhere to the permanent theme of "Expanding Two-Way Investment and Promoting Global Development," deepen CIFITs functional positioning as a landmark exhibition for "Investing in China" and a public platform for global investment cooperation, further coordinate event arrangements, strengthen collaboration, enhance project matching, refine organizational support, improve media publicity, and enhance the quality and effectiveness of the event to ensure the 26th CIFIT achieves a new look and a new level of success.August 22nd - The APEC Customs and Business Dialogue concluded yesterday (August 21st). Reporters learned at the dialogue that Chinese customs has signed six bilateral agreements with relevant departments of several APEC economies, including Chile and South Korea, covering imported agricultural and food products such as instant noodles containing meat and fresh fruits.On August 22nd, experts stated that the price increase of domestically produced large-scale models is a correction to the long-standing inversion of inference computing power costs. In the short term, this is more like a recalibration of price and value. However, if manufacturers only raise prices without keeping up with stability and other aspects, users will vote with their feet, as the cost of replacing models is decreasing. Going forward, it is necessary to continuously monitor the dual verification of the price increase strategy: firstly, whether manufacturers have matched the price increase with new model capabilities, rather than simply raising the price of old models; secondly, it is necessary to pay attention to where the increased revenue is used, whether it has been used for computing power expansion and service capability building.On August 22, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that on August 21, Russian forces continued their strikes against ports and vessels serving the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The report stated that Russian drones struck a military warehouse in the port of Leny; a Ukrainian naval patrol boat in the port of Chernomorsk; and port infrastructure used for storing military supplies in a southern port. Additionally, Russian forces seized control of a settlement in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted on social media on August 21 that Ukrainian forces launched long-range strikes in the early hours of the day, hitting two important Russian targets: an oil refinery and a military airfield. Ukraine also stated that it had achieved results on the Black Sea front, but did not disclose specific targets or the extent of damage.

Bitcoin Lightning Network-Based Strike Can Rival Visa – MS

Cory Russell

Apr 25, 2022 09:49

Morgan Stanley is optimistic about the bitcoin Lightning Network's potential as a consumer payment option.


They believe Strike, a Lightning Network-based payment technology, can compete with or even outperform Visa in the digital payments market.


Strike has partnered with Shopify and NCR, the world's leading supplier of point-of-sale payment solutions.


Morgan Stanley published a new analysis on the Lightning Network, bitcoin's Layer 2 fast payment system, and its potential to enable a "long-term move towards payments and settlements utilizing digital and cryptocurrencies rather than fiat currencies like the US dollar."


Morgan Stanley's positive analysis on the Lightning Network's potential for broader adoption comes after Strike, a US-based digital payments platform built on top of bitcoin's Lightning Network, announced earlier this month a new integration agreement with e-commerce giant Shopify.


Customers who paid in bitcoin will now be able to receive payments in US dollars from US Shopify businesses. Strike has announced collaborations with NCR, the world's leading supplier of point-of-sale (PoS) payment services.

Morgan Stanley Believes That Lightning Network Will Be Able to Compete With Visa

Morgan Stanley outlined why it believes Strike, a Lightning Network-based digital payment network, can compete with or perhaps exceed Visa in its recent study.


Morgan Stanley observes that "in essence, Strike is directly competing with Visa Direct, which provides real-time settlement," adding that "the primary distinction for merchants will be paid a significantly lower transaction cost."


"The customer advantage is that they may, if they choose, host their bitcoin on a private, secure network, enabling an element of secrecy connected with their transaction," the bank says.


Morgan Stanley emphasizes the importance of Strike's cooperation with NCR. "NCR software is used by one in every six PoS devices worldwide," the bank says, "so this news is important even if just a tiny percentage of retail businesses opt to add crypto capabilities."

Cons of Making Bitcoin Payments

The Morgan Stanley analysis points out some of the disadvantages of utilizing a bitcoin-based payment system, such as the cryptocurrency's underlying volatility on a day-to-day basis, which makes forecasting future buying power problematic.


Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley says that existing tax regulations, which require users to pay capital gains taxes on cryptocurrencies they sell, are a barrier to greater acceptance of bitcoin as a widely used means of exchange.


The bank, on the other hand, mentions the Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act, which has been introduced in the US Congress. If passed, the law would exclude personal bitcoin transactions from taxation as long as the profits are less than $200.


Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, cautions that this plan may meet criticism, particularly from anti-crypto members of Congress, since it serves to establish bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) as credible alternatives to the US currency.


The Morgan Stanley analysis "suggests we are at the beginning of an age when more and more people may opt to pay for items using Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies over time," according to Alex Gladstein, who summarized it on Twitter.

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