Today in crypto: Bitcoin miner HIVE Digital Technologies made its debut on the Colombian Stock Exchange. Norway said a digital-krone CBDC isn’t needed for now, citing strong payment systems and unclear benefits for retail and wholesale models. And US regulators reported that major banks had debanked parts of the crypto sector.
HIVE tests investor appetite for AI-Bitcoin infrastructure in Andean markets
HIVE Digital Technologies has debuted on the Colombian Stock Exchange under the ticker HIVECO, becoming the first Bitcoin and AI infrastructure company to trade publicly on a Latin American exchange. The move marks another sign of the sector’s expansion as Bitcoin miners and high-performance computing (HPC) companies push deeper into global capital markets.
Announced on Thursday, the listing makes HIVE available to investors across the Andean market system, which links the exchanges of Colombia, Peru and Chile.
For a region traditionally dominated by energy and natural-resources issuers, the addition of a digital infrastructure company offers exposure to a growing sector that sits at the intersection of high-performance computing, renewable power and Bitcoin (BTC).
Colombia’s exchange is one of the Andean marketplace’s most institutionally connected platforms, giving HIVE access to a broader, more integrated investor base than is typical elsewhere in Latin America.
HIVE shares are already traded in North America and Europe, including on the TSX Venture Exchange, the Nasdaq and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
On the Nasdaq, HIVE shares slipped more than 1% on Thursday, though they remain up for the year.
Norway’s central bank says CBDC “not warranted,” cites strong payment system
Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, concluded that introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is “not warranted at this time,” marking a clear signal that the country is reconsidering the urgency of retail and wholesale CBDCs.
The central bank said Wednesday that Norway’s existing payment system already offers secure, efficient and low-cost transactions, reducing the need for a CBDC in the near term. Still, the bank remains open to launching a CBDC in the future.
“Norges Bank has concluded that introducing a central bank digital currency is currently not warranted,” said Norges Bank Governor Ida Wolden Bache. “The need for such a currency may, however, change in the future.”
Bache added that the central bank will be ready to introduce a CBDC in the future if it becomes a requirement for maintaining an efficient and secure payment system.
The bank’s updated stance follows several years of experimentation with both retail and wholesale CBDC models, including token-based settlement tests on blockchain infrastructure.
Crypto among sectors “debanked” by major banks: OCC
The nine largest US banks restricted financial services to politically contentious industries, including cryptocurrency, between 2020 and 2023, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said in preliminary findings on Wednesday.
The banks implemented policies restricting access to banking or requiring escalated reviews and approvals before giving financial services to certain customers, the OCC said.
It added that banks’ actions toward crypto included restrictions on “issuers, exchanges, or administrators, often attributed to financial crime considerations.”
“It is unfortunate that the nation’s largest banks thought these harmful debanking policies were an appropriate use of their government-granted charter and market power,” said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould.
The OCC named JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, US Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank and BMO Bank. The regulator added it’s continuing its investigation and could refer its findings to the Justice Department.