(Adds Lane comments from Q&A)
OTTAWA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to the Bank of Canada’s development of a digital currency and a decision could come sooner than previously thought, a senior policymaker said on Wednesday, though he noted that a launch was not a “foregone conclusion.”
Bank of Canada deputy governor Tim Lane, speaking to a digital intelligence audience, also noted that while the pandemic has boosted cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, recent prices spikes look like “speculative mania” and said the offerings are not plausible as the currency of the future.
“For several years, the Bank of Canada has been analyzing which circumstances might lead Canada to decide to issue a digital currency. The pandemic may bring us to a decision point sooner than we had anticipated,” said Lane.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to the Bank of Canada's development of a digital currency and a decision could come sooner than previously thought, a senior policymaker said on Wednesday, though he noted that a launch was not a "foregone conclusion."
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday it aims to develop 15 electronic component producers with revenues in excess of 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) by 2023.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - At least three recruiters approach Singapore-based software engineer Xiao Yuguang every day with job offers.
FILE PHOTO: A view of the city skyline in Singapore January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Demand for Xiao’s skills has soared since he graduated in 2014 with a computer engineering degree but now he just ignores the offers, having recently joined TikTok owner Bytedance after several years with Southeast Asia’s Grab.
“It’s not like I want to change jobs frequently,” said Xiao.
Singapore is aiming to become a regional tech hub but faces a severe talent crunch as more firms move in, interviews with more than a dozen recruiters, companies and workers show.
(Adds executive comment from interview)
SINGAPORE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Private exchange iSTOX, backed by Singapore Exchange and other investors, said on Thursday it is raising $50 million in its first major funding round, led by two Japanese state-backed firms.
The financing will enable iSTOX to expand in Asia and offer a range of investment products, Oi Yee Choo, chief commercial officer of the Singapore-based regulated trading platform told Reuters in an interview.
Choo, formerly the Singapore investment banking chief of UBS till late 2019, said iSTOX expects more than 20 listings on its platform this year from the current six.
Japan Investment Corporation’s venture capital arm and Development Bank of Japan agreed to come in as new investors, while existing backers such as Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings and Singapore Exchange also joined the Series A funding, iSTOX said.