DeFI News by Thebittimes.Com

Patrick O’Connor, the personal pilot to billionaire Joe Lewis, has pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges related to insider trading. A press release from the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York details how O’Connor “received material, non-public information from Lewis and then traded on the basis of that information.” This information enabled O’Connor to profit from biotech investments, including Mirati.  Lewis, who is the former owner of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, has himself previously pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges related to insider trading.  Lewis made a significant portion of his fortune by shorting the British pound alongside George Soros in 1992.  Lewis is also connected to Bahamian banker Jean Chalopin, who sold him the famous ‘Albany House’ that was featured in the Bond movie Casino Royale. Chalopin’s bank, Deltec Bank and Trust has since been accused in a...

Preliminary outcomes from countries where central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have been introduced show mixed results. Despite widespread exploration and a handful of launched projects, CBDCs are yet to achieve global adoption.  According to an Atlantic Council report, 130 countries and currency unions are exploring CBDCs, with 11 nations having launched their digital currencies.  Сountries launched, testing or developing CBDCs, as of July 2023 | Data source: Atlantic Council This rapid pace of exploration is a significant increase from May 2020, when only 35 countries were considering a CBDC. Now, 64 countries are in an advanced exploration phase, including development, pilot, or launch. The European Central Bank (ECB) is on track to pilot its digital euro, while Australia, Thailand, Russia, and several other nations are continuing their pilot testing. In contrast, the United States’ progress on retail CBDC has somewhat stalled, but it’s forging ahead wit...