5 news from the crypto world - May 22

The French central bank , Banque de France, reported that it successfully tested a digital euro, its central bank digital currency (CBDC), operating on a blockchain, on May 14. The bank, which cooperated with Société Générale Forge in this trial, said more tests will be conducted in future in cooperation with other players, based on requests received as part of the open call in March to test the use of a digital euro. of the central bank in interbank regulations.

Cryptocurrency payment processor CoinPayments has announced a strategic partnership with global commerce company Shopify, bringing the payment processing platform to all Shopify merchants. CoinPayments will now be a visible payment option for merchants on the trading company's platform, making cryptocurrency transactions more accessible and lower transaction fees. The association also allows cross-border payments, simplifying work with multiple payment processors in different jurisdictions.

Could 5G help improve blockchain functionality ? According to the Chinese media outlet Sina, the telecommunications companies of the Asian giant that are prepared to implement "blockchain + 5G" solutions are trying to answer this question. The companies are looking to improve their blockchain offerings, which will likely use 5G distributed application protocols, as well as improved transaction speeds and traceability features.

The Russian mining Bitcoin (BTC) are using old Soviet - era infrastructure to extract criptomonedas. According to local media, the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, which was the crown jewel of the USSR in Eastern Siberia, was sold as a trading company in 2018, and is now home to some 25,000 mining platforms. The power plant was built during the government of Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev in the 1960s.

Today marks a new anniversary for the  first Bitcoin transaction , the one in which  Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two pizzas with BTC 10,000 . The Bitcoin Pizza Day, an event that beyond the anecdote of the sale, marks a milestone, a before and after in the history of adoption of the main cryptocurrency.