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Guatemala's largest bank, Banco Industrial, integrates the blockchain payment protocol SukuPay, supporting instant cross-border remittances

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Guatemala's largest commercial bank, Banco Industrial, announced the integration of blockchain infrastructure service provider SukuPay into its mobile banking app Zigi. Users can instantly receive remittances from the United States for a fixed fee of $0.99, without the need to hold a crypto wallet or an international bank account (IBAN). SukuPay stated that this collaboration marks the first adoption of a native crypto protocol by a large retail bank in Latin America.Banco Industrial was established in 1968 and has over 1,600 service points in Guatemala, with assets reaching 1.5 billion quetzals (approximately $20 million) in 2023. Its operations extend to regions such as Honduras, Panama, and El Salvador. The bank holds a significant position in the local remittance market, while cross-border remittances are a key pillar of the Latin American economy—total remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to reach $161 billion in 2024, but traditional channel fees range from 6% to 10%.SukuPay CEO Yonathan Lapchik pointed out that Guatemala receives $21 billion in remittances annually, and blockchain technology can reduce settlement times from days to instant while alleviating cost pressures. He stated, "The key to achieving large-scale adoption of blockchain is to make the technology invisible to users," emphasizing that stablecoins are a core tool for optimizing cross-border payment efficiency.According to Chainalysis's 2024 report, Latin America is the second-fastest region in the world for cryptocurrency adoption, but Guatemala lags behind neighboring countries like Argentina and Brazil. Currently, over 90% of crypto transactions in the region involve stablecoins, which are better suited for everyday payment scenarios due to their peg to fiat currencies.

HabitTrade Securities supports USDT settlement and two-way staking, enabling instant access to investments in both cryptocurrency and traditional financial markets

ChainCatcher news, HabitTrade is a one-stop global asset trading platform dedicated to enhancing asset utilization efficiency and breaking down investment barriers between the crypto and traditional financial markets. The platform allows users to settle in USDT or release purchasing power through bi-directional staking of stocks and cryptocurrencies, covering a variety of products including US stocks, Hong Kong stocks, ETFs, options, money market funds, and cryptocurrencies. Users can directly deposit mainstream crypto assets such as USDT, BTC, and ETH without the need for conversion, entering the global asset trading scene in 0 seconds, truly realizing "assets as trading power."It is reported that the platform is also actively exploring partnerships with institutions, hoping to serve as a supplement to their trading categories and resource channels, providing Web3 users with a more convenient and efficient investment experience, unlocking the potential for cross-market operations.In addition, HabitTrade has launched a limited-time trading event: users who complete a specified number of trading days can unlock the highest "lifetime commission-free" privilege; users who meet the deposit requirements and maintain the corresponding asset levels during the event period also have the chance to receive additional stock rewards of up to $1,000.
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