Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia

Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia

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Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia
Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia
Quantum Roadmap: FinServ’s Shield for Digital Security

Quantum Roadmap: FinServ’s Shield for Digital Security

What does the UNDP know about inclusion that crypto bros with stablecoins do not?

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Rich Turrin
Jul 13, 2025
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Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia
Cashless: Fintech, CBDC and AI at the speed of Asia
Quantum Roadmap: FinServ’s Shield for Digital Security
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The Sower (Sower with Setting Sun), Vincent van Gogh. 1888; Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. The figure of the sower is depicted in a rhythmic motion, with a sense of urgency that may be associated with the ending day. The entire composition resonates with themes of labor, nature, and the cycles of life—motifs that Van Gogh revisited in various forms throughout his career.

Thanks for reading the “Cashless” newsletter, an insider’s view on Asia’s fintech, CBDC, and AI for anyone striving to understand “the Asia Century.” I’m Rich Turrin, and these are my hard-hitting insights designed to educate and inform. Subscribe to get these emerging trends directly in your inbox every Sunday. Every week, I scan thousands of articles to find only the best and most valuable for you. Subscribe to get my expertly curated news straight to your inbox each week. Free is good, but paid is better.

Topics:

  • The BIS's Quantum Roadmap For FinServ: Secure Against Risk NOW!

  • UNDP: CBDCs Boost Financial Inclusion, Why Stablecoins Fall Short

  • DPI Transforms Digital Finance: Global Payments Surge

  • Project Guardian: Ant International’s Tokenized Deposits Go Global

  • Red Teaming AI: Bust Fintech Bots for Better Ethics, Trust, and Equality

  • Bonus Read: AI 2027: Who Shapes the AGI Revolution?

  • The Knowledge Vault: E-Books for Fintech and AI Mastery Premium subscribers only. Become an expert with 2550+ pages of focused best-in-class knowledge to outpace your peers.

  • Money Transformed: The Essential Collection of CBDC Resources Premium subscribers only. CBDCs are coming to Europe, China, Hong Kong, and India; stay ahead, seize the opportunity.


Happy Sunday! (or Monday)

Today’s Van Gogh painting was chosen for its setting summer sun. It seemed to fit my more relaxed mood, and I hope you are all enjoying summer wherever you are!

This week, I had more fun than normal writing. Perhaps it was my good summer mood, or that the stories cover such a wide range of subjects, that they were particularly engaging.

I hope these stories excite you as much as me, as they show just how fast technology is changing our world.

Leading with our story about quantum roadmaps, we see how the BIS now calls it an “imminent threat.” Just a few years ago, quantum was something for a distant future, now it cannot be put off. Without a quantum roadmap as a shield, FinServs are risking their digital security.

Regular readers know how much I love battling hype. That’s why the UNDP article on CBDC and its contribution to financial inclusion is so wonderful. It comes at a time when crypto bros are hyping US dollar stablecoins as the solution for inclusion.

The UNDP clearly knows more about inclusion than the crypto bros, who know that stablecoins under the GENIUS Act require full AML/KYC. Yet still, they suggest that the unbanked, who by definition can’t pass US AML/KYC, use stablecoins for inclusion. How exactly will that work?

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is transforming digital finance. The unstoppable combination of digital ID, payments, and consent-based shared data is changing our world. And it isn’t just for emerging economies.

Tokenization, like quantum, is now not tomorrow. Ant International shows how tokenization is helping it save clients money NOW.

This is a fabulous read showing how Ant International and others are using tokenization under Singapore’s “Project Guardian.” Tokenization is paying dividends now for users.

Now I told you that this week’s stories were all over the place! Would you ever believe that I would recommend all of my readers to “Red Team” and break a fintech AI whenever they can?

That may sound a bit radical, but the objective of red teaming is to help other users who might get a biased or wrong answer, as well as the company running the AI. By catching these errors or biases, we perform a social good.

Today’s bonus read is so much fun, I hope you take a look. It’s a great “beach read” as it is a fictional account of AI’s future. It’s a page-turner but also heavily fact-based with large appendices backing the story.

Thanks once again for reading. I appreciate each and every one of you taking the time to open your inbox for me!

Rich

PS

Thanks for sharing with your friends! It’s a great way to say thanks.

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The BIS's Quantum Roadmap For FinServ: Secure Against Risk NOW!

Quantum is an "imminent threat to the financial system."

The BIS looks at quantum computing and sees that its “ability to break today’s cryptographic algorithms represents an imminent threat to the financial system,” and requires “urgent action.“

At a time when AI and stablecoins are disrupting finservs, they are also getting hit with the threat of quantum, which is triggering yet another system-wide audit.

I never dreamed I’d write these words, but I do feel some pity for bankers!

Read on to see why quantum is so lethal…..

UNDP: CBDCs Boost Financial Inclusion, Why Stablecoins Fall Short

Stablecoins parachuted in from abroad will do little to boost inclusion

The UN Development Program (UNDP) looks at retail CBDCs and sees them as a means of overcoming the barriers to inclusion in emerging economies and an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the financial landscape.

The UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting poverty, and their support for CBDCs is in direct contrast with crypto bros who now promote dollar stablecoins as the solution to inclusion.

Read on to see what the UNDP knows that the crypto bros do not…..

Project Guardian: Ant International’s Tokenized Deposits Go Global

Ant's use of blockchain saves $27 a trade and days in transfers.

A new report sponsored by Ant International and the derivatives body ISDA for Singapore’s Project Guardian shows how tokenized deposits are lowering the cost of cross-border transfers, and Ant’s solution is live and saving clients money right now!

Anyone who thought that Ant’s best days of innovation are behind it is sorely mistaken! Ant is using a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) solution and tokenized bank deposits to provide clients with low-cost, instant, transparent transfers.

Read how trades on the network save up to $27 per trade (excluding FX costs) and 1 to 3 days!

Red Teaming AI: Bust Fintech Bots for Better Ethics, Trust, and Equality

Every AI system out there needs to be red teamed even those in fintech

The news that Grok is in big trouble for its anti-Semitic tirade shows that AIs still need people keeping an eye on them to ensure they stay honest.

That is why this UNESCO paper on Red Teaming for Social Good is something we should all think about and consider contributing to.

Read why If you want to help someone, try your best to break the next AI you see.

Bonus Read

AI 2027: Who Shapes the AGI Revolution?

AI 2027
8.45MB ∙ PDF file
Download
This is a "MUST READ" its fun and shows us what our AI future will look like. It a "page turner" and has all key facts backed up in appendices.
Download

This is one of the finest Weekend Reads I've ever seen that tries to answer the fundamental question: "What happens next with AI?"

It reads like a blockbuster science fiction novel more than a research paper and looks at two paths for AI growth through the lens of fiction based on actual AI development.

One path is a chaotic race, the other a more hopeful vision of the future with coordination between AI companies and even nations. (I wouldn't bet on coordination!)

Will AI gain Super Intelligence (AGI) by April 2028, with an impact on employment beyond our comprehension?

This vision of the future is deeply researched to show what the future of AI might look like — and why society, regulation, geopolitics, and your career may not be ready.

Hot Topics for Premium Subscribers only

Imagine having someone combing through thousands of articles, over 50 RSS feeds, and 25 meticulously crafted Google searches—all to handpick the absolute best reports, just for you.

Each week, I distill this ocean of information into five concise, high-value reports, sharing the most essential knowledge you need to stay ahead.

But that’s not all. I also collect additional exclusive, hard-to-find gems, which I put in the section below—all in PDF format with my brief expert commentary.

To download them, no corporate email is required, no searching, and no links to other places are required. With a paid subscription, these insights are just a click away.

Here’s what you’re missing out on this week in the Premium Subscriber-only section below:

  • Unveiling Megatrends & Predictions in Financial Services

    XXX is a VC firm and show what their picks for the megatrends in finserv and the companies they think will build this future. This is a “grey market” report meaning that it came to me through friends and I can only share it with a limited few.

  • The Future of Global Payments & Fourth Generation Payment Networks (4GPN)

    Now just like the term Fourth Industrial Revolution with its abreviation 4IR, we now have Fourth Generation Payment Networks (4GPN)! I don’t see this term sticking but we’ll have to wait and see. Still the report is correct that the technologies behind 4GPN will continue to change payments.

  • Future encrypted Why post-quantum cryptography tops the new cybersecurity agenda

    This report from XXX is a follow up to today’s lead story and shows how quantum is a cybersecurity must, and cannot be delayed.

  • And that’s just three of SIX PDF reports. You’re also missing the infamous Chart of the Day, which today covers: Chinese EVs Now Almost as Affordable as Gasoline Cars.

    Yes, I want to go to PREMIUM for more insights and DIRECT Access!

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