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Federal Reserve Board Governor Barr will speak on artificial intelligence and the job market in ten minutes.On May 9, the Zug Cantonal Court of Switzerland said in a statement that on May 9, 2025, the Zug Cantonal Court of Switzerland approved the settlement agreement signed by Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, and its creditors on April 30, 2025. The statement said they could appeal the decision on the settlement agreement. Since the decision of May 9, 2025 has not yet come into effect, the state court did not provide any additional information on the suspension of the restructuring of the debt of Nord Stream 2 AG. The Nord Stream 2 offshore natural gas pipeline can transport 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, but the German authorities previously stopped the certification process for the natural gas pipeline, and the United States included the Nord Stream 2 project company on the sanctions list. One of the pipelines was damaged in a strong explosion in 2022. In early 2025, the Danish Energy Agency approved the Swiss subsidiary of Gazprom, Nord Stream 2 AG, to maintain the natural gas pipeline.On May 9, Hongmeng Intelligent Driving released its April Intelligent Driving Assistance Report. The report shows that Hongmeng Intelligent Drivings total mileage in April exceeded 264 million kilometers, the user activity rate reached 88.62%, the average intelligent driving assistance mileage per user reached 561.65 kilometers, and a total of 16.254 million times of intelligent assisted parking were used.Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on May 9 that the trade deal reached between the United States and the United Kingdom on Thursday was a good thing, but tariffs on most British exports to the United States are still higher than they were before last month. "In a world where actual tax rates will be higher than before all this started, this is good news," he said during a question-and-answer session at an economic conference in Reykjavik. Bailey also reiterated that the British economy is highly affected by the global economy and depends largely on the agreements reached by other countries with the United States. Baileys remarks were similar to his remarks at a press conference yesterday, when a deal seemed to be about to be reached but the details had not yet been announced.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: Before the summer, we expect a major boost to the capital markets.

The acceptance of Bitcoin by the Central African Republic perplexes the cryptoverse

Skylar Shaw

Apr 29, 2022 09:36


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Buying and selling goods and services using bitcoin, a digital money that resides on a shared ledger across a worldwide network of computers, requires a dependable, fast internet connection and broad access to computers or cellphones.


Despite this, the Central African Republic has an internet penetration rate of about 11%, or around 550,000 individuals online last year, according to the DataReportal website. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, just around 14% of people have access to power, and fewer than half have a mobile phone connection.


Four analysts and crypto specialists stated that adopting bitcoin in one of the world's poorest nations, with low internet usage, extensive warfare, unreliable energy, and a populace that is mostly unaware of cryptocurrency, would be difficult.


In a statement released on Wednesday, the Central African Republic gave little information on how it intended to solve these issues. It did not reply to a request for comment from Reuters.


The decision, according to the government, made the Central African Republic one of the world's "most imaginative nations," but locals in Bangui, where most people use mobile money to purchase items and pay bills, were perplexed.


"What is Bitcoin?" you may wonder. "What can bitcoin offer to our country?" Auguste Agou, who operates a local forestry firm in Bangui, remarked on Thursday.


After El Salvador, the African country of 4.8 million people is the second in the world to use bitcoin.

A tiny but growing network of corporate and individual crypto users already existed before the Central American nation legalized bitcoin as legal cash in June. However, internet faults have hindered its usage in commerce.


"We do not expect widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies in the country, given the enormous barriers to adoption and risks associated with use, as well as the seemingly limited upsides," said Nathan Hayes, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.


Chainalysis, a crypto use tracker based in the United States, has no data on the Central African Republic, which has been wracked by turmoil for years and is home to Russian mercenaries assisting the government in its fight against rebel groups.

IMF CAUTION

Some argue that by embracing bitcoin, the Central African Republic is sending a statement about the Central African CFA franc, a regional currency managed by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and tied to the euro that is used by six countries.


The BEAC is required under the monetary union to keep at least 50% of its foreign assets with the French Treasury, a requirement that has been criticized as stifling economic growth.


According to Rahul Shah, director of financials equities research at Tellimer, Bangui's crypto move "reflects regional dissatisfaction about the usage of the CFA franc, with its colonial implications."


Other cryptocurrency supporters saw it as a criticism to the CFA franc.


"In terms of development, Central Africa is significantly behind," said Chris Maurice, CEO of crypto exchange Yellow Card Financial, which has roughly a million members in 16 African nations and is authorised to operate in the CFA franc region.


"To the French economic system, it's a gigantic middle finger."


On Wednesday, a BEAC representative told Reuters that it had not been informed in advance and that no answer had been received. On Thursday, the BEAC did not respond to calls for comment.


The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which had persuaded El Salvador to abandon its plan to declare bitcoin legal money in January, has expressed reservations about the Central African Republic's proposal.


"It's critical not to consider such things as a solution for the economic issues that our nations confront," IMF Africa Department Director Abebe Aemro Selassie said during a news conference on the organization's economic forecast for Sub-Saharan Africa.


"You must ensure that the legal structure, in terms of money flow transparency, and the governance framework that surrounds it, are all solidly in place."

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