National Australia Bank (NAB) is planning to launch AUDN, a fully backed stablecoin, on the #Ethereum network and Algorand blockchain. The coin will be mainly used as a settlement token between multiple transacting parties.

A Hong Kong-based blockchain company Red Date Technology has deployed the Universal Digital Payment Network (UDPN). a payments system aimed at bridging the gap between stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

According to Tether’s Twitter, the USDT processed about $18.2 trillion in transactions in 2022, ranking ahead of either Mastercard or Visa in settlement volume.

The first and largest crypto has surged well above $21,000 as the market hopes for the end of the punishing interest-rate hikes. BTC’s 14-day relative strength index has scaled 90, suggesting that the token’s jump is becoming stretched.

Bitcoin miners are back, with mining difficulty reaching a new all-time high after a 10% surge, according to BTC.com.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said his new hospital called “Hoskinson Health & Wellness Clinic” will accept ADA as payment. Cardano’s native token surged 19% on the news.

Indonesia plans to deploy a national #crypto exchange. While, for now, the rupiah remains the only legal tender in the country, #cryptocurrency and digital assets are recognized as regulated financial securities, and it is legal to trade them in Indonesia.

Global payments giant Mastercard announced a "Mastercard Artist Accelerator". A Polygon-based program is intended to help musicians set up their brand in the Web3 music space.

Better-than-expected December jobs report had Bitcoin touching $17,000 for the first time in 2023. While the crypto market response to the data was slower and less dramatic than the stock and bond assets, the bullish trend continued into Monday morning.