WAO ART #444

BNP Paribas, Europe's largest bank, has invested around $40,000 in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF. This move marks one of the first instances of a major European bank entering the BTC market. The BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF has seen significant success, with over $200 billion in traded volume.

MicroStrategy is building a Bitcoin-based decentralized identity platform called MicroStrategy Orange. The platform aims to provide trustless, tamper-proof, and durable decentralized identities using the public Bitcoin blockchain. Decentralized identifiers (DIDs) will enable pseudonymity.

MoonPay and PayPal have partnered to offer a new fiat-to-crypto transaction service for US users. MoonPay becomes the first on- and off-ramp provider to incorporate PayPal's. US-based PayPal users can now buy crypto directly on MoonPay using PayPal Balance, bank withdrawals, or debit cards.

The research paper suggests that Citibank collaborated with Ripple to develop a private blockchain network for cross-border payments. Citibank implemented blockchain solutions to improve cross-border payment services, aiming to reduce settlement times and expenses.

Zijin Mining Group's subsidiary, Jinteng (Singapore) Mining, will acquire Pan American Silver's La Arena mine in Peru. The deal includes a $245m upfront cash payment, a $50m contingent payment, and a net smelter return royalty. The acquisition will expand Zijin's presence in Peru's mining sector.

India and New Zealand are focusing on collaboration. They plan to set up working groups in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, storage & transportation, forestry, and pharmaceuticals. The two countries aim to adopt inspection reports from comparable overseas regulators.

Nigeria calls for joint regional protection of undersea cables in West Africa. Recent undersea cable cuts have disrupted connectivity in many West African countries. Nigeria wants a coordinated and multilateral approach to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure.