Visa to integrate CBDC payments module; Pakistan ready to completely ban digital assets

The crypto market managed to make a reversal, pushing the main coins higher. As a result, they showed a small increase yesterday. The total capitalization of the crypto market remains at $2 trillion. Investors continue to accumulate coins betting on a rally in the crypto market. As I expected, 2022 is becoming a turning year for the crypto market. Now, analysts have two different points of view regarding digital coins.

Pakistan plans to completely ban the use of cryptocurrencies in the country. Local media agencies report that the central bank together with the country's government intends to declare all cryptocurrencies illegal, citing a document submitted to a provincial court. When voicing the reasons for the bank, the watchdog stated the lack of regulation, as well as the use of coins for the financing of terrorism and money laundering. There is a grain of truth in the statements of the central bank. However, according to the latest data, no more than 5% of digital coins were used by terrorists. Therefore, the reason provided by the regulator seems far-fetched.

The Iranian government has taken the opposite approach. It is prone to create a platform for using cryptocurrencies as an international means of payment. Thus, the central bank plans to get out of the economic crisis and neutralize the consequences of a full trade embargo imposed by the United States. Those who are responsible for the project have recently stated that the trading system is almost ready and the first transactions will be carried out soon. This is positive news for the crypto market and bitcoin. The key rate hike in the US will undermine the attractiveness of bitcoin as a hedge asset against inflation. In addition, Iran is making an important decision by integrating cryptocurrencies as it will have an impact on the digital market around the world.

Visa intends to maintain leadership in the market. It announced the development of a CBDC module. It teamed up with Ethereum scaling firm ConsenSys to help central bank digital currency (CBDC) networks bridge the gap with traditional financial institutions. In the future, the launch of this project will significantly simplify the acceptance and use of any digital assets as a means of payment. "Customers will eventually be able to use their CBDC-linked Visa card or digital wallet anywhere that Visa is accepted globally. If successful, CBDC could expand access to financial services and make government disbursements more efficient, targeted, and secure – that's an attractive proposition for policymakers," Catherine Gu, Visa's head of CBDC, said.

The crypto market, as well as coins, resumed a moderate yet steady growth amid positive news. It is too early to talk about the completion of the correction. However, there has been an increase in long positions, which usually signals bullish momentum. The sentiment in the crypto market will depend on bitcoin, which has begun to climb the resistance level of $44k-$45k. The volume of long positions in the market has increased but it is not enough for a long-term rally. Technical indicators also confirm an upward movement. The MACD is moving flat with the narrow range giving signs of the formation of a bullish intersection. The stochastic and RSI indicators have reached a high within the green zone and entered the sideways channel. All these factors indicate that the market is recovering but it still lacks the strength for a strong breakout out of the current range.