The Italian Banking Association (ABI) has started experimentation with a digital euro based on distributed ledger technology.

• Comprised of over 700 Italian banking institutions, the ABI said Tuesday the work would examine the technical feasibility of a digital euro and further look at "new value-added services" that would become possible due to the programmable nature of the technology.
• "The aim of the initiative is to proactively contribute to public debate and support banks operating in Italy as they prepare for the future," said the ABI in a statement.
• The experiments will be divided into two parts: one looking at the infrastructure and distribution model to gauge technical feasibility, and another assessing how programmability could provide use cases that differentiate a central bank digital currency from existing electronic payments systems.
• In November, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said she believes the region’s monetary authority will move to launch a digital version of the euro in the next two to four years.
• Along with other central banks, the ECB is actively working on how the digital euro might be designed and how it might function if launched.

Also see: Italian Banks Are Ready to Trial a Digital Euro

Cryptocurrency project Verge, previously adopted for payments by Pornhub, is forging a new role as a means to pay for mobile charging.

• Verge Currency announced Tuesday it has teamed up with a U.S.-based firm called Voice Life to develop a new mobile charging device that accepts verge (XVG) as payment.
• The tech will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2021.
• When launched, users will be able to use the VergePAY platform to fund a two-minute charge of mobile devices. XVG is the only cryptocurrency the system will use, a Verge representative told CoinDesk.
• The system will use a Far-Field Wireless Power Charging System from Voice Life. This "will ultimately convert ambient terahertz waves into storable energy," according to the firm's website.
• Voice Life CEO Robert Smith said, "The 'holy grail of blockchain technology' is going to be a real-time application that extends its utility beyond just improving financial transactions. We believe we are developing that application with Verge."
• Pornhub previously used verge as its only cryptocurrency option for performer payouts after PayPal withdrew its services from the company. It has since added the tether (USDT) stablecoin and tron (TRX). More recently, it added bitcoin and litecoin payments.

Also see: PayPal’s Axing of Pornhub Model Payments May Boost Crypto Conversions

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