This week, Blockchain.com, a London-based supplier of digital wallets, announced that it is moving into the trading side of cryptocurrencies with a London-based exchange. The exchange will offer Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash, Tether Litecoin and Paxos Standard (PAX), with customers being able to deposit funds immediately and trading to begin shortly thereafter. This week Bittrex announced that it is partnering with a Bahrain-based cryptocurrency exchange and custodian to launch a digital asset trading platform for customers in the Middle East and North Africa. The platform will offer all tokens that are currently available on Bittrex, including four bitcoin trading pairs with local fiat currencies.

This week Prime Trust, a crypto custodian and trust company, issued a press release announcing new features that reportedly allow its account holders to "instantly transfer any crypto asset with other account holders in real time." Another announcement this week provided details on a partnership between bitcoin rewards company Lolli and a major U.S. grocery store chain. The partnership will allow users of the rewards company to receive fractional amounts of bitcoin for all online purchases the users make with the grocery chain. It marks the first major collaboration between a major grocery chain and a bitcoin rewards company in the United States. A final development on cryptocurrency payments comes from Brazil, where the city of Fortaleza is reportedly exploring an option to allow bitcoin payments on its public transportation network.

In the traditional financial services sector, this week one of the world's largest money transfer platforms announced a two-year partnership with a well-known blockchain technology payments and remittance firm. The partnership will reportedly include cross-border payments and foreign exchange settlements via digital assets, with the goal of providing increased liquidity and settlement. In related news, an international bank this week announced the launch of a payment-focused stablecoin pegged to the Philippine peso. The stablecoin is intended to provide transparency and automate payment executions by resolving reconciliation issues and easing audit and compliance issues.

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