Kyrgyzstan’s president signs CBDC law giving ‘digital som’ legal status
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov has signed a constitutional law authorizing the launch of a central bank digital currency pilot project while also giving the “digital som” — the national currency in digital form — legal tender status.
The law gives the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic the exclusive right to issue the digital som, establish the rules for its issuance and circulation, and oversee the platform on which the national currency will operate, Kyrgyzstan’s presidential office said on April 17.
However, a final decision on whether to officially issue the CBDC is not expected until the end of 2026, local outlet Trend News Agency reported in December.
If the central bank decides to adopt the digital som, it would also need to outline cryptographic protection measures to ensure the digital som remains secure and isn’t used for fraudulent transactions.
Testing of the digital som platform is expected to take place sometime this year.
Zhaparov’s sign-off comes nearly a month after Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, approved the amendment to Kyrgyzstan’s constitutional law on March 18.
CBDCs continue to be heavily criticized by some members of the crypto community, flagging concerns that they could undermine financial privacy and enable excessive government oversight, among other things.
While 115 nations have initiated CBDC projects, only four CBDCs have officially launched — the Bahamas Sand Dollar, Nigeria’s e-Naira, Zimbabwe’s ZiG and Jamaica’s JAM-DEX, data from cbdctracker.org shows.
Over 90 CBDC projects are yet to move past the research stage.
Kyrgyzstan continues to make moves in crypto
Earlier this month, former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said he would begin advising Kyrgyzstan on blockchain and crypto-related regulation after signing a memorandum of understanding with the country’s foreign investment agency.
Zhaparov said the initiative would assist with the growth of the economy and the security of virtual assets, “generating new opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.”
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The mountainous, land-locked country is considered well-suited for crypto mining operations due to its abundant renewable energy resources, much of which is underutilized.
Over 30% of Kyrgyzstan’s total energy supply comes from hydroelectric power plants, but only 10% of the country’s potential hydropower has been tapped, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
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The US Securities and Exchange Commission has officially dropped its investigation into the New York-based tokenization platform Ondo Finance, which it initiated in 2023.
Ondo Finance has received formal notice that a confidential, multi-year SEC investigation into the platform has been closed without any charges, the company announced on Monday.
“The probe examined whether Ondo’s tokenization of certain real-world assets complied with federal securities laws as well as whether the ONDO token was a security,” the statement said.
The SEC’s decision to end the investigation reflects a broader shift in the US policy regarding real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, bringing it on the authority’s formal agenda, Ondo noted.
A new chapter of tokenization in the US
According to a report by Crypto in America, the SEC initially opened the probe in October 2023 under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who was known for his stringent stance toward the crypto industry.
However, since Paul Atkins took over as SEC chair, the agency has closed a number of crypto-related cases involving major companies, including Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken.
“When the inquiry began in 2024, the US regulatory environment for digital assets was defined by caution, confusion, and occasionally overbroad enforcement actions,” Ondo Finance said in its blog post.
Against that backdrop, Ondo was “one of the only firms focused on tokenizing publicly listed equities at scale,” it said, adding: “Being early, and being successful, came with scrutiny.”
According to Ondo, the resolution of the SEC inquiry marks the end of one chapter for Ondo and the beginning of another, where tokenized securities become a “core part of the US capital markets.”
“The future of global finance, including U.S. capital markets, will be onchain and Ondo will help lead that transition,” Ondo said.
Most US tokenization platforms serve overseas markets
The news comes as most tokenization platforms offer tokenized equity products primarily to customers outside the US, including firms such as Kraken-owned Backed, the issuer of xStocks.
While these platforms tokenize major US-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), many of the offerings are aimed at clients located overseas, particularly in Europe.
“The reality is that users in the US already have relatively seamless access to traditional equities such as stocks and ETFs through well-established brokerage platforms,” Alchemy Pay chief marketing officer Ailona Tsik told Cointelegraph in June.
Following the SEC probe’s resolution, it remains to be seen whether RWA platforms like Ondo will begin offering services to US-based clients.
Related: WisdomTree brings options income strategy onchain with new tokenized fund
The news came shortly after Ondo Global Markets received regulatory approval to offer tokenized stocks to European investors in November.
Securitize, a rival US tokenization platform, also obtained regulatory approval to operate as both an Investment Firm and a Trading & Settlement System (TSS) in the EU on Nov. 26. According to the company, the approval positioned it as one of the first operators for regulated digital securities infrastructure in both the US and EU.
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Argentina is considering allowing local financial institutions to engage more directly with cryptocurrencies in a move that would mark a significant shift from its restrictive stance, according to local media report.
According to a Friday report by local news outlet La Nacion, Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA), Argentina’s central bank, is considering allowing traditional banks to trade cryptocurrencies. The story cited “sources close to the organization.” Cointelegraph has not independently verified those claims.
The BCRA stepped in to ban financial institutions from offering crypto trading just days after two of the country’s largest banks signaled they were opening up to digital assets in May 2022. The BCRA said that such initiatives posed risks to users and “to the financial system as a whole.”
New cryptocurrency rules are reportedly being drafted, though La Nación’s sources did not specify when they might be finalized or implemented. Representatives of a locally operated exchange suggested that the measure could be approved as early as April 2026.
Rumors about such a potential shift have circulated for some time among crypto exchanges, bankers and people close to regulators, the report said. A representative of local crypto exchange Lemon told the outlet that the company believes “that a more open financial ecosystem will be a key driver for the mass adoption of digital assets in Argentina.”
Related: An overview of the cryptocurrency regulations in Argentina
Argentina reviews its stance on crypto
The regulatory change suggested in the report aligns with a direction recently taken by Argentina’s government. In mid-March, Argentina’s securities regulator finalized rules for virtual asset service providers, setting clear guidelines for the industry. Crypto service providers have been required to register with local regulators since April 2024.
This followed publicly traded US crypto exchange Coinbase receiving a green light from Argentina’s regulators to expand services in the country in January. In October 2024, Binance also announced that its mobile and web applications were “fully available” to users in Argentina after it was registered as an official crypto service provider. Similarly, crypto exchange Bybit was approved for operations in Argentina in mid-August 2024.
Related: Argentine state-owned energy giant weighs crypto payments for fuel: Report
Argentina sees booming crypto adoption
The country’s crypto industry has also been growing at a steady pace, overtaking Brazil as the top Latin American country in terms of estimated crypto inflows by users in early October 2024. Separate data from July 2024 suggested Argentina was leading the Western Hemisphere in crypto adoption, with analysts often pointing to the peso’s extreme weakness and inflation that had reached around 276% as key drivers.
Until recently, regulators were largely hostile to that trend. In May 2023, the central bank banned payment providers from offering crypto transactions, reinforcing earlier limits on how formal financial institutions could interact with digital assets.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy is heading to Downing Street once again, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be keen to make this meeting more than just a photo op.
On Monday the prime minister will welcome not only the Ukrainian president, but also E3 allies France and Germany to discuss the state of the war in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join Sir Keir in showing solidarity and support for Ukraine and its leader, but it’s the update on the peace negotiations that will be the main focus of the meet up.
The four leaders are said to be set to not only discuss those talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia, but also to talk about next steps if a deal were to be reached and what that might look like.
Ahead of the discussions, Sir Keir spoke with the Dutch leader Dick Schoof where both leaders agreed Ukraine’s defence still needs international support, and that Ukraine’s security is vital to European security.
But while Russia’s war machine shows no signs of abating, a warm welcome and kind words won’t be enough to satisfy the embattled Ukrainian president at a time when Russian drone and missile attacks continue to bombard Kyiv.
Keir Starmer welcoming Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street during a previous visit. Pic: AP
What is the latest in negotiations?
Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with US President Donald Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.
“The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions,” Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “The conversation was constructive, although not easy.”
But on Sunday evening, ahead of an event at the Kennedy Center, President Trump said he was “disappointed” with Mr Zelenskyy, as was asked about the next steps in Russia-Ukraine talks following negotiations.
He said: “We’ve been speaking to President Putin and we’ve been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy.
“And I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago.
“His people love it. But he hasn’t – Russia’s fine with it. Russia’s you know, Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country when you think of it. But Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it but he hasn’t read it.”
Read more:
Ukraine has become Europe’s war – so why doesn’t it act like it?
Inside a secret underground military base in eastern Ukraine
On Saturday, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, had told the Reagan National Defence Forum that efforts to resolve the conflict were in “the last 10 metres”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised new US security strategy over the weekend, adding that Russia hopes this would lead to “further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement”.
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