Crypto On LYO: The Blend — Bitcoin on The Rise Again, Hong Kong Government Raises Over $100 Million Through Digital Green Bonds, Japan to Launch Pilot for Digital Yen

What happened in the crypto world in the last week? Let’s see some interesting news together!

Bitcoin Is on The Rise Again As ‘Crypto Winter’ Shows Signs of Thawing

The price of bitcoin is up by almost a third since the start of the year, leading to speculation that the prolonged ‘crypto winter’ is finally beginning to thaw.

The world’s leading cryptocurrency was trading above $21,000 on Thursday, pushing its market cap higher than $400 billion for the first time since November.

The latest gains come amid easing inflation and signs that the US Federal Reserves will slow interest rate rises over the coming months, leading to improved sentiment and an increased appetite for assets like cryptocurrencies.

Hong Kong Government Raises Over $100 Million Through Sale of Digital Green Bonds

The Hong Kong government successfully issued HK$800 million (US$102 million) worth of tokenized green bonds, the first such sale by a government globally, paving the way for digital bond offerings in the city.

The one-year Hong Kong dollar-denominated tokenized green bond, priced at 4.05%, was offered to global institutional investors after virtual roadshows arranged by Bank of China (Hong Kong), Credit Agricole, Goldman Sachs and HSBC earlier this week.

“The successful issuance of this tokenized green bond marks an important milestone as it demonstrates Hong Kong’s strengths in combining bond market, green and sustainable finance as well as fintech,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in a statement.

Japan Will Launch Pilot for Issuing Digital Yen in April

Japan will launch a pilot program in April to test the use of its version of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) known as the digital yen, the central bank said on Friday.

“We plan to develop a system for experiments,” Bank of Japan (BoJ) Executive Director Shinichi Uchida said in remarks during the fifth meeting of the BoJ Liaison and Coordination Committee on Central Bank Digital Currency.

“The aim of the pilot program is twofold: first, to test the technical feasibility … and second, to utilize the skills and insights of private businesses in terms of technology and operation for designing a CBDC ecosystem in the possible event of social implementation,” Uchida said.

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