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Corn cards
Santander is revamping its European card strategy by reducing the number of card options by 30% and setting a 2025 goal to use sustainable materials to construct all debit, credit and prepaid cards.
The cards will instead be made from recycled materials or a corn-based plastic substitute and are part of a broader Santander goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The bank estimates this will save more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Reducing card options will simplify the customer experience, the bank said.
Fiat currency
Automaker Stellantis has partnered with U.K. crypto startup Kiri Technologies to offer an incentive that rewards drivers one KiraCoin (about 5 US cents) for every kilometer they drive in the Fiat 500 electric car.
Stellantis is Fiat's parent company, and Kiri will deposit the crypto in a virtual wallet that's accessible through Fiat's smartphone app, reports
The reward program is scheduled to start in late spring. Drivers will be scored based on energy consumption, and the top score will draw extra rewards.
Noteworthy
The Bank of England has issued a new design for the £50 polymer banknote that honors Alan Turing, a scientist who worked as a codebreaker during World War II but was nonetheless persecuted because he was gay.
The central bank hopes to both honor Turing and draw attention to the value of diversity and the work that remains to become inclusive.
The polymer notes are designed to combat counterfeiting, and are considered more durable than paper notes, the BofE said. While cash is in decline in the U.K., it's still prevalent enough for counterfeiting to be a risk, and the
Going global
The People's Bank of China is pushing for global rules to govern central bank digital currencies as many countries have projects underway.
The PBoC proposes CBDC flows be synchronized to help regulators monitor the market, reports
China is further along in its CBDC project than most nations, and is conducting
From the web
TECHCRUNCH | Friday, March 26, 2021
The young startup, now valued at about $90 million, helps brick and mortar stores sell to customers online and collect payments digitally.
THE VERGE | Thursday, March 25, 2021
If you’re watching Thursday’s House hearing on misinformation, where Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are testifying, you might have noticed a clock-like device prominently displayed over Dorsey’s right shoulder.
REUTERS | Thursday, March 25, 2021
Wealthy baby boomers will be the next generation to jump into cryptocurrencies as they become more mainstream, potentially bringing billions of dollars to the rallying sector, said Mike Novogratz, founder of crypto firm Galaxy Digital.
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