Connect with us

Media OutReach

Octa broker’s take on CBDCs vs. crypto: key insights for traders in 2025

Published

on

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 April 2025 – Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have moved from being merely theoretical concepts to a stage when dozens of countries throughout the world are actively testing them in various pilot schemes. Designed as a government-backed digital version of fiat money, CBDCs combine the trust of centralised monetary systems with the flexibility of digital payments. Unlike cryptocurrencies, which fluctuate based on market sentiment and are often decentralised, CBDCs are state-issued, pegged to national currencies, and intended to offer price stability and legal certainty—features that make them particularly relevant in a time of growing demand for secure digital payment systems.

According to recent data, over 130 countries representing 98% of global GDP are now exploring CBDCs in some form, including pilots, development, or research (albeit few have fully adopted them). This rise reflects both technological momentum and regulatory intent to reclaim control over digital currency ecosystems, especially as private stablecoins and decentralised crypto assets have proliferated.

Source: https://cbdctracker.org/
Source: https://cbdctracker.org/

The main differences between CBDCs and cryptocurrencies

Stability and trust

While cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum operate in highly volatile and speculative environments, CBDCs are anchored to fiat currencies and issued by central banks. This offers higher value stability and institutional backing, reducing the risk profile for users.

Design and oversight

CBDCs are programmable but centrally managed. Governments can impose compliance measures and offer consumer protection in ways decentralised crypto systems cannot. Moreover, unlike crypto assets, CBDCs are not mined or privately issued, ensuring state control over monetary supply and transaction oversight.

Kar Yong Ang, financial market analyst at Octa, notes: ‘CBDCs offer a new model of digital liquidity—blending state trust and legal tender with tech efficiency. For traders, this opens doors to a more secure and transparent digital finance ecosystem.’

The global race to develop CBDCs and the drivers behind it

Here are three key reasons why central banks invest resources in CBDSs:

  • The decline of cash and rise of digital payments. As societies increasingly favour digital over physical money, central banks face pressure to modernise public currency formats. In Sweden, for example, cash transactions make up less than 10% of payments. CBDCs are seen as a public alternative to private payment apps and platforms, ensuring monetary sovereignty in the digital realm.
  • Controlling private stablecoin risks. Private stablecoins like USDT and USDC have raised concerns over systemic risk and shadow banking practices. A CBDC can serve as a stable counterbalance to these instruments, offering liquidity and legal clarity in fast-evolving financial markets.
  • Financial inclusion and transparency. CBDCs can increase financial inclusion by offering digital wallets to unbanked populations, especially in developing economies. They also offer governments more visibility into money flows, enhancing tax collection and curbing illicit finance—though this has sparked debate around surveillance and privacy.

Pros and cons of CBDCs

CBDCs offer notable advantages: their value is typically pegged to fiat currencies, ensuring greater price stability than most cryptocurrencies. With full state backing, they function as legal tender and may include programmable features like conditional payments. For underbanked populations, they also present a path toward improved financial access.

However, concerns remain. Privacy is a major issue, as CBDCs could give governments visibility into personal transactions. They also pose cybersecurity risks, potentially becoming targets for large-scale attacks. Moreover, they could interfere with traditional monetary policy and financial market dynamics if not carefully designed. For instance, commercial banks could experience deposit runs if individuals perceive CBDCs as a safer alternative to traditional money for savings.

Real-world cases

Although the majority of countries still research CBDC and their application in the economy, some have already implemented them.

  • Bahamas. The Sand Dollar became the first nationwide CBDC in 2020. It now serves all islands through a network of mobile-based wallets.
  • Nigeria. The eNaira, launched in 2021, has seen a slow adoption of less than 0.5% as of 2025. The government continues to offer incentives to boost usage.
  • China. The e-CNY has been piloted in over 25 cities and integrated into public transit and e-commerce platforms. Its scale makes it the most advanced major-economy CBDC.

Looking ahead: the road to adoption

While CBDCs promise greater efficiency and offer more tools for governments to implement social objectives, they also pose new governance challenges. To thrive, states will have to balance innovation with civil liberties, infrastructure resilience, and global interoperability. As the world of digital currencies continues to develop, CBDCs are increasingly important for progressive traders to grasp. Keeping up with developments can give a vital advantage in understanding the future of money.

___

Disclaimer: This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to engage in any investment activity. It does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation, or individual needs. Any action you take based on this content is at your sole discretion and risk. Octa and its affiliates accept no liability for any losses or consequences resulting from reliance on this material.
Trading involves risks and may not be suitable for all investors. Use your expertise wisely and evaluate all associated risks before making an investment decision. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Availability of products and services may vary by jurisdiction. Please ensure compliance with your local laws before accessing them.

Hashtag: #Octa

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Octa

is an international CFD broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and various services used by clients from 180 countries who have opened more than 52 million trading accounts. To help its clients reach their investment goals, Octa offers free educational webinars, articles, and analytical tools.

The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charitable and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure and short-notice relief projects supporting local communities.

In Southeast Asia, Octa received the ‘Best Trading Platform Malaysia 2024’ and the ‘Most Reliable Broker Asia 2023’ awards from Brands and Business Magazine and International Global Forex Awards, respectively.

Media OutReach

Dorsett Wanchai and Dorsett Mongkok Promise a Fantastic Summer Vacation for Families

Published

on

Enjoy up to 35% off for family rooms with complimentary breakfast and delightful amenities for the little ones

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 May 2025 – As summer approaches, the award-winning Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong, and Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong under Dorsett Hospitality International, are thrilled to introduce the Family Stay & Play experience for family travelers. With the Fantastic 4 Family package, guests can enjoy up to 35% off family rooms, complimentary breakfast for the entire family, and a wide range of thoughtful and delightful amenities for the little ones.

A Beyond Thoughtful Family Stay & Play Experience

From the moment guests step into the hotel, they are welcomed by a complimentary candy bar (available daily from 6-7 pm). Upon check-in, children receive a surprise “Little Foodies” snack box and the hotel’s signature Jasper teddy, providing adorable companionship throughout their stay in Hong Kong.

Inside the rooms, families will find a range of kids’ amenities, including kid-size slippers and branded shower products. For families traveling with babies, the hotels offer complimentary rentals of baby cots, feeding amenities, and bathing and hygiene essentials, ensuring a hassle-free stay. To keep kids entertained, Teddy Jasper’s Adventure Kit, complete with board games and a music night light, is also available.

At Dorsett Wanchai, children will be delighted with an in-room piñata surprise (for selected bookings) and the Star Wars pinball machine in the hotel lobby.

Enjoy up to 35% off stays in our spacious family rooms, including Triple Rooms, Family Quad Rooms, and Interconnecting Rooms with our Fantastic 4 Family package. Additional benefits include:

  • Complimentary daily breakfast for the whole family
  • Flexible check-in/out times and a full 26-hour stay (exclusive to official website bookings)^
  • Branded bath amenities and personalized slippers for kids
  • Welcome gifts such as the “Little Foodies” Snack Box, Jasper Teddy and in-room surprise sweet treats
  • Free Baby Gear Rentals, including baby dining essentials, bathing and hygiene amenities, and Jasper’s Adventure Kit for a fun stay experience

BOOK NOW to take advantage of these fantastic offers and enjoy a truly memorable stay! For more information and reservation, please visit:

^Not applicable to Family Quad Room bookings at Dorsett Mongkok. Above offers are available from now until December 31, 2025. Please refer to the hotel website for details.

Hashtag: #DorsettWanchai #DorsettMongkok

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Continue Reading

Media OutReach

Vessira Announces Global Debut at Dubai INDEX 2025: Italian-Asian Luxury Furniture Brand Targets Southeast Asian Growth

Published

on

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 May 2025 – Vessira, the Shanghai-rooted luxury furniture brand blending Italian craftsmanship with refined Asian aesthetics, will make its international debut at the Dubai INDEX Exhibition 2025, held from May 27–29 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event marks a pivotal launchpad for the brand’s expansion across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including key markets such as Indonesia and Singapore.

Ms. Lim

Positioning itself at the intersection of global luxury and cultural craftsmanship, Vessira offers collections that unite the precision of Italian materials—including Carrara marble, walnut, and brass—with a design language inspired by Asian minimalism and warmth. The result: timeless, curated furniture that elevates space through elegance, subtlety, and intention.

Design Without Borders Vessira’s entry into the Middle Eastern market is a critical milestone in its global strategy. “Dubai is the gateway,” says a company spokesperson. “It connects East and West, and reflects the kind of cross-cultural fluency Vessira stands for.” Following its showcase at INDEX, the brand plans to build regional partnerships in hospitality, luxury residential, and boutique design, supported by future showrooms and curated project collaborations.

With operations based in Shanghai, Vessira draws on its strategic location to work closely with Asia’s design capitals, while maintaining its commitment to quality through longstanding relationships with Italian ateliers and global artisans.

Crafted for a New Era of Luxury Vessira isn’t just a brand—it’s a philosophy of modern living. Each piece is created with enduring value in mind: sustainable, ethically sourced, and crafted to age gracefully over time. The brand avoids short-term trends, opting instead for designs that reflect calm sophistication and architectural depth.

Its signature aesthetic embraces soft silhouettes, creamy marbles, earthy tones, and artisanal joinery, curated for clients who seek more than decoration—they seek identity and emotion in every detail.

Legacy Reimagined Founded by Fransisca Lim, a Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur with family roots in luxury property and hospitality development across Shanghai and Jakarta, Vessira channels a legacy of refined living into tangible form. While Lim’s name is not the focus of the brand, her vision—shaped by both heritage and a global perspective—continues to guide its direction.

Looking Ahead Following its debut in Dubai, Vessira will continue expanding into markets with a strong appetite for design-led luxury, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Long-term plans include establishing regional showrooms and flagship experiences that bring the brand’s cross-cultural ethos to life.
Hashtag: #vessira #vessiradubai #vessirainternational #luxuryliving #homeliving #italianfurniture #indexexhibitiondubai #indexexhibition2025


The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Vessira

Vessira is a Shanghai-based luxury furniture brand that fuses Italian materials with Asian design sensibilities. Focused on sustainable craftsmanship and global storytelling, the brand serves high-end residential and hospitality markets with a vision rooted in heritage and shaped for the future of living.

Continue Reading

Media OutReach

‘Buy gold, ask questions later’. Octa broker comments on Trump’s first 100 days in office

Published

on

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 May 2025 – Donald Trump’s rise to the U.S. presidency was marked by a series of bold and unconventional policy proposals that many pundits deemed radical at the time. Given the length of the campaign and the public nature of his platform, one would think that the market had plenty of time to prepare and price in the potential policy shifts well in advance. However, it turned out that investors were caught off guard by the extent of the upheaval that ensued. Indeed, the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency were characterised by extreme volatility and uncertainty for the global financial markets. In this article, Octa broker reviews Trump’s policies and analyses their consequences for the global financial markets.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Donald Trump assumed office on 20 January 2025, and market volatility has been rising ever since. Some of Trump’s initiatives, particularly his aggressive trade policies, have sent shockwaves through equities, currencies, and commodities, leaving retail forex traders scrambling to adjust. Meanwhile, larger investors struggled to adapt to the rapid pace of proposed reforms and their far-reaching consequences. Overall, the first 100 days of President Trump saw heightened risk aversion and widespread uncertainty, which resulted in sharp fluctuations in asset prices and currency exchange rates as traders reacted to every policy announcement, tweet, and speech from President Trump and his new administration. Below is a list of just a few of the notable days that shook the markets.

Major currencies’ performance since Donald Trump took office

Source: Octa
Source: Octa

Major market-moving events

  • 20 January. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) dropped by more than 1.20% after news surfaced that the new administration will not immediately impose trade tariffs, prompting a rally in the currencies of some U.S. trading partners: notably, the Mexican peso (MXN), the Euro (EUR) and the Canadian dollar (CAD). It should be noted that prior to the sharp decline, the greenback had been rising almost uninterruptedly since September 2024, almost reaching a three-year high ahead of Trump’s inauguration as the market assumed that higher tariffs would spur inflation, prompting the Federal Reserve (Fed) to pursue a more hawkish monetary policy.
  • 1–3 February. In the future, historians may label 1 February as the official start of a global trade war. On this day, Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on China. The market’s reaction was highly negative. U.S. stock futures slumped in early Asian trading on Monday, 3 February, with Nasdaq futures down 2.35% and S&P 500 futures 1.8% lower. U.S. oil prices jumped more than $2, while gasoline futures jumped more than 3%. Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso weakened substantially, with USDCAD surging past the 1.47900 mark, a 22-year high, and USDMXN touching a 3-year high as economists warned that both countries were at risk of recession once the tariffs kick in. Later that day, Trump agreed to delay 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a month after both countries agreed to take tougher measures to combat migration.
  • 3–5 March. This is when the market began to seriously worry about the health of the global economy and a risk-off sentiment became evident. As fresh 25% tariffs on most imports from Mexico and Canada, along with the 20% tariffs on Chinese goods, were scheduled to take effect on 4 March, investors started to sell-off the greenback and flock into gold (XAUUSD) as well as into alternative safe-haven currencies, such as the Swiss franc (CHF) and the Japanese yen (JPY). In just three trading sessions (from 3–5 March), DXY plunged by more than 3% while the gold price gained more than 2%.
  • 6 March. Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a U.S. cryptocurrency reserve. However, it was unclear how exactly this reserve would work and just how much it would differ from Bitcoin holdings already in place. Many crypto enthusiasts were disappointed, which triggered a five-day downturn in BTCUSD, culminating in Bitcoin briefly dipping below the crucial $80,000 level on 10 March.
  • 2 April. The trade war entered the next stage when Trump unveiled his long-promised ‘reciprocal’ tariffs strategy, essentially imposing import duties on more than a hundred countries. The market route began with equity markets losing billions of dollars in valuation. S&P 500 lost more than 11% in just two days, while DXY dropped to a fresh six-month low.
  • 9–11 April. Trade war drama continued to unfold. Financial markets were stunned by President Trump’s abrupt reversal on tariffs. Duties on trading partners, which had taken effect less than 24 hours prior, were largely rolled back as the President announced a 90-day freeze on the reciprocal tariffs. However, a 10% blanket tariff was still applied to most nations. In contrast, the trade conflict with China escalated sharply. Following China’s 84% retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods, the U.S. increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 125%. This, combined with existing duties, brought the total U.S. tariff burden on Chinese imports to 145%. Kar Yong Ang, a financial market analyst at Octa broker, comments: ‘I will remember that day for a long time. Traders were stunned by Trump’s sudden U-turn on trade policy and really struggled to make sense of it all. A knee-jerk reaction was to simply buy gold and ask questions later.’

Apart from country-based tariffs, Trump also introduced additional import tariffs on aluminium and steel and ordered a probe into duties on copper imports. Overall, his aggressive trade policies have fueled speculation about the global recession, which explains why gold has been one of the best-performing assets since Trump took office. Kar Yong Ang comments: ‘We are dealing with a rather unusual situation. Even a global depression is not out of the question as tariffs may disrupt supply chains, hurting global output while also contributing to stronger inflationary pressure. This will certainly complicate monetary policy decisions. If I were to describe Trump’s first 100 days in just two words, it would be “run for safety”.’ Indeed, Trump’s recent public criticism of Jerome Powell, the Fed’s Chairman, added more fuel to the fire of nervous investor sentiment.

Overall, the full effect of Trump’s policies is yet to materialise, but the potential impact on global trade and the macroeconomy is substantial. The IMF, citing escalating trade tensions, downgraded its 2025 global growth forecast to 2.8% and warned of potential stock market crashes and a 7% contraction in the world economy should trade wars persist. Although Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, hinted at de-escalating U.S.-China trade tensions, it is clear that investors should still get used to living in a period of heightened volatility and uncertainty. Kar Yong Ang has this advice for an average retail trader: ‘Focus more on short-term trades with tight stop-losses as opposed to long-term position-trading, cut exposure to U.S. equities, diversify into gold and other safe-haven currencies like Swiss franc and most importantly, keep your mind clear and be ready to quickly switch from one position to another’.

___

Disclaimer: This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to engage in any investment activity. It does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation, or individual needs. Any action you take based on this content is at your sole discretion and risk. Octa and its affiliates accept no liability for any losses or consequences resulting from reliance on this material.
Trading involves risks and may not be suitable for all investors. Use your expertise wisely and evaluate all associated risks before making an investment decision. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Availability of products and services may vary by jurisdiction. Please ensure compliance with your local laws before accessing them.

Hashtag: #Octa

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Octa

is an international CFD broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and various services used by clients from 180 countries who have opened more than 52 million trading accounts. To help its clients reach their investment goals, Octa offers free educational webinars, articles, and analytical tools.

The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charitable and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure and short-notice relief projects supporting local communities.

In Southeast Asia, Octa received the ‘Best Trading Platform Malaysia 2024’ and the ‘Most Reliable Broker Asia 2023’ awards from Brands and Business Magazine and International Global Forex Awards, respectively.

Continue Reading

Trending

https://businesspost.ng/DUIp2Az43VRhqKxaI0p7hxIKiEDGcGdois8KSOLd.html