This week in Crypto News Recap, Binance integrates Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, Turkey tests Digital Lira, and Australia overtakes El Salvador to become the 4th biggest crypto ATM hub! Let's dive in.
Australia Surpasses El Salvador to become 4th largest crypto ATM hub
El Salvador, the first nation to legalize Bitcoin, has dropped yet another position in terms of the total number of crypto ATM installations as Australia reports 216 ATMs as we approach 2023.
Spain installed 215 crypto ATMs, according to Cointelegraph, making it the third-largest hub for crypto ATMs. However, Spain kept up its installation drive and, as of this writing, had 226 crypto ATMs. El Salvador's reign as the fourth-largest hub for crypto ATMs was brief because Australia improved over the ensuing months.
According to CoinATMRadar data, Australia installed 99 cryptocurrency ATMs in the final three months of 2022. Australia had 219 active crypto ATMs as of January 1, 2023, outnumbering El Salvador by 7 ATMs as of this writing.
Huobi to launch the Huobi Visa Card
On December 22, Huobi, one of the largest virtual asset exchanges in the world, announced plans to launch the Huobi Visa Card globally, with the goal of providing a more effective fiat-to-crypto gateway for its users and fostering the growth of the virtual asset sector.
Several European markets will have access to the Huobi Visa Card during the initial rollout phases; other regions will get it soon after. The Huobi Visa Card's introduction demonstrates Huobi's steadfast commitment to fostering the global adoption of virtual assets.
Binance Integrates Apple Pay and Google Pay
According to a tweet on December 29, Apple Pay and Google Pay have been integrated as payment methods by Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by the number of users.
#BinanceBuild update:
— Binance (@binance) December 29, 2022
Apple Pay and Google Pay payment options are now available on #Binance!
Purchase crypto, with ease ? pic.twitter.com/iXKUtvLYeG
In recent years, Apple Pay and Google Pay have become well-liked and widely accepted. The exchange increases adoption by making it simpler for users to hold and trade cryptocurrencies by adding support for these payment methods.
Turkey is Testing of Digital Lira
The first phase of testing for the Central Bank of Turkey's digital currency has been completed, and further testing of the digital lira is scheduled for the upcoming year.
According to the announcement, testing in later stages will concentrate on utilizing distributed ledger technology in payment systems and fusing this technology with instant payment systems.
For a number of years, the Central Bank of Turkey has been creating its own Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a digital version of the nation's legal tender.
In contrast to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are decentralized and not under the control of a single entity, CBDCs are digital assets that are issued and backed by a central bank. The central bank has overall control over CBDCs.
