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The GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index measures the performance of 170 countries - representing 99% of the global population - against key enablers of mobile internet adoption: infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, and content and services. This data can help the mobile industry and other stakeholders understand where to focus action in order to drive increased mobile internet adoption. It now includes data from 2014 to 2019. A report accompanies the 2020 update to the Index which highlights the key findings and trends.

The GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index measures the performance of 170 countries - representing 99% of the global population - against key enablers of mobile internet adoption: infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, and content and services. This data can help the mobile industry and other stakeholders understand where to focus action in order to drive increased mobile internet adoption. It now includes data from 2014 to 2019. A report accompanies the 2020 update to the Index which highlights the key findings and trends.

"This article compares some of the main features of the Internet Computer with the following layer one blockchains: Ethereum, Cardano, Solana, Binance Smart Chain, Zilliqa, Algorand, and Avalanche. Although Polkadot is a 0-layer blockchain, known as a multi-chain protocol with heterogeneous sharding, "

Circle Internet Financial, a global Internet finance firm and the issuer of USD Coin (USDC) has entered into an agreement for a $400 million funding round with investments from BlackRock, Fidelity, Marshall Wace LLP and Fin Capital. The funding round is expected to close in the second quarter. In addition to its corporate strategic investment and role as a primary asset manager of USDC cash reserves, BlackRock has entered into a broader strategic partnership with Circle, which includes exploring capital market applications for USDC.

The Central African Republic's (CAR's) parliament has reportedly repealed legislation that made crypto-assets legal tender. A new law amends an April 2022 statute that proved controversial among the CAR's partners in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. The idea was also likely doomed from the outset by the lack of internet connectivity in the region (only about 10% percent of the population have internet access). https://twitter.com/KongoGaetan/status/1638895853913137157

"Crunchfish Digital Cash is all about offline payments. Payers should not have to worry whether they are online or not. Payments should work regardless of banking services are down or lack of internet connectivity. This new version extends the use of Crunchfish Digital Cash even more as it becomes possible to pay anywhere using telecom connectivity, and to anyone on a domestic payment scheme. Although internet may not be present to connect online, often the telecom network is available to make a call or send an SMS."

"An innovation using the cellular network (GSM) could onboard millions of Bitcoin (BTC) users previously unreachable by the internet-dependent Bitcoin protocol. Built by South African developer Kgothatso Ngako, the new SMS-based service is named Machankura, a slang South African word for money."

It will not be enough for central banks to develop an online digital currency transaction network while treating cash as the offline back-up. It should be offline digital cash that is the backup that continues to work when there is no internet, no mobile network and no electricity network. This is one of the aspects of central bank digital currency (CBDC) design that most interests me. Now, obviously, there must be limits on the amount that can be stored in wallets or transferred between them (for all sorts of reasons, ranging from security to consumer protection) but it is entirely feasible to implement schemes that allow for offline device-to-device transfer so that people can still buy a cup of tea when the internet is down or still buy food at the supermarket when the electricity is out. This is the smart way forward for digital currency.

China's State Administration of Market Regulation is seeking feedback on regulations that establish a framework for curbing anti-competitive behavior such as colluding on sharing sensitive consumer data, alliances that squeeze out smaller rivals and subsidizing services at below cost to eliminate competitors. They may also require companies that operate a so-called Variable Interest Entity -- a vehicle through which virtually every major Chinese internet company attracts foreign investment and lists overseas -- to apply for specific operating approval.

At the heart of the initiative, under way for more than a year and code-named Project Libra, is a digital coin that its users could send to each other and use to make purchases both on Facebook and across the internet, according to people familiar with the matter.

Libra's main stated mission is to service the world's poor and unbanked. Facebook's source for the 1.7 billion figure is the World Bank's Global Findex Database 2017. Findex also believes that 1 billion of these have mobile phones and 500 million have internet access. However, Findex also says that over half of the 1.7 billion come from just seven countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan. More than half of these are in places where cryptos are banned, Facebook can't freely operate, the country is under heavy FATF restrictions, or it faces other limitations.

Xpring's Ripple initative invests in, incubates, acquires and provides grants to companies that use XRP and the XRP Ledger. Since the May 2018 launch, Xpring has committed $500M in support of over 20 companies.

A brief outage Tuesday morning at 10:00AM Eastern took down a number of crypto information and trading sites including Coinbase and CoinMarketCap. The issues cleared up around 10:18AM and most sites seem to be running again.

The latest order by Hangzhou Internet Court suggests that owning bitcoin is not illegal in China as it gave the flagship cryptocurrency the status of a "virtual property.

"Governments need to ensure that central banks' monopoly over coins and notes is not replaced by private monopolies over digital money, and they should maintain banks' obligation to keep customer information private, so that the plumbing remains anonymous. Digital firms that use this plumbing to offer services should be free to monetize transaction data, through, for example, advertising, so long as their business model is made explicit to users. The phase-out of cash should be gradual. For a period of ten years, banks should be obliged to accept and distribute cash in populated areas. This will buy governments time to help the poor open bank accounts, educate the elderly and beef up internet access in rural areas."

"Even discounting the large number of unbanked adults who don't have formal ID or mobile internet, and whom Libra won't be able to reach in its initial stages, we estimate that Facebook's digital currency still has the potential to reach between 370 and 800 million unbanked people1 by providing access to financial services, cheap capital, and the open, instant, and low-cost movement of money."

Bitcoin is the first scarce digital object the world has ever seen, it is scarce like silver & gold, and can be sent over the internet, radio, satellite etc. Surely this digital scarcity has value. But how much? In this article I quantify scarcity using stock-to-flow, and use stock-to-flow to model bitcoin's value.

Blockchain-based QuantumCrypt enables users to be identified without biometric information being stored on a centralized system-reducing the risk of highly sensitive data falling into the hands of hackers. It takes iris, fingerprints, and 2D face scans and converts them into a unique biometric code for identification. Eliminating the need for electronic storage is said to make this technology more cost effective for Internet of Things applications, without compromising on security.

No electricity means no bitcoin transactions and no mining. Although people have gotten creative and sent transactions which initially do not require internet, cellular data, or electricity other than batteries, ultimately the system depends on a power source and network connectivity to function long term. So when it comes to the complete lights out scenario collapsitarians are envisioning, crypto would indeed seem to be a largely useless appendage.

SNAP program restrictions for online grocery shopping and delivery contribute to public health threats faced by as many as 35 million low-income Americans during the coronavirus. Major sources of groceries, like Amazon and Walmart, offer online grocery shopping for SNAP benefits through a preexisting USDA pilot program, but only in a handful of states. The incomplete access is another example of social inequity and internet divide exposed by the pandemic.