Category Archives: government

Malaysia’s central bank sets three-year roadmap to pilot asset tokenization

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Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country’s central bank, has unveiled a three-year roadmap to explore and test asset tokenization across the financial sector. The initiative aims to drive innovation and modernization through blockchain-based digital assets, enhancing efficiency and accessibility in financial services.

As part of the roadmap, BNM will launch proof-of-concept (POC) projects and live pilots via its Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH), established earlier this year. The central bank announced this development on Friday, emphasizing its commitment to advancing digital asset technologies.

A key component of the roadmap is the creation of an Asset Tokenization Industry Working Group (IWG). This group will coordinate industry-wide exploration, facilitate knowledge sharing, and identify regulatory and legal challenges surrounding asset tokenization. Co-led by BNM and the Securities Commission (SC), the IWG will initially focus on foundational use cases that demonstrate clear economic value.

### Focus on Real-World Asset Tokenization

BNM clarified that the tokenization efforts will concentrate on real-world assets rather than cryptocurrencies. Highlighted use cases include:

– **Supply chain financing** to expand credit access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
– **Tokenized liquidity management** for faster settlement processes
– **Islamic finance applications** to automate Shariah-compliant transactions

Additional areas of interest encompass programmable payments, green finance initiatives, and 24/7 cross-border trade settlements.

### Exploring MYR-Denominated Tokenized Deposits and Stablecoins

The central bank also plans to study the role of Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)-denominated tokenized deposits and stablecoins. This exploration aims to preserve the “singleness of money” while enabling more efficient digital settlement mechanisms. Furthermore, the integration of wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be examined as part of the broader digital asset strategy.

### Regional Collaboration and Industry Feedback

Malaysia seeks to align with other leading Asian regulators such as Singapore’s Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Hong Kong’s Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) by piloting asset tokenization projects to modernize financial infrastructure across the region.

Industry stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the discussion paper until March 1, 2026, enabling collaborative development of the regulatory and operational framework.

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### Malaysia’s Regulator Proposes Faster Crypto Listings

In a related development, Malaysia’s Securities Commission (SC) proposed a new framework in July aimed at accelerating cryptocurrency listings on approved exchanges. Under the proposal, exchanges would be permitted to list certain digital assets without requiring prior approval from the regulator.

However, listed assets must meet specific conditions, including undergoing public security audits and having been traded for at least one year on platforms compliant with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. This move seeks to balance market innovation with investor protection and regulatory oversight.

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**Related:**
– Malaysia launches Digital Asset Hub to test stablecoin and programmable money
– Tokenized money market funds emerge as Wall Street’s answer to stablecoins

Bank Negara Malaysia’s roadmap signals a significant step toward embracing digital innovation in the financial sector, positioning Malaysia as a key player in the evolving landscape of tokenized assets.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/malaysia-central-bank-roadmap-pilot-asset-tokenization?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Louisiana set aside funds to bridge the SNAP gap — but not everyone will get some

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On the eve of federal SNAP benefits being deposited into recipients’ accounts, Louisiana is taking additional steps to support its residents.

The state is stepping in to fill the gap for the 1 in 5 Louisiana residents who rely on the program. However, this extra assistance will only be available to certain individuals within that group.
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/31/nx-s1-5592911/louisiana-set-aside-funds-to-bridge-the-snap-gap-but-not-everyone-will-get-some

Distressed by Maine health insurance rate hike | Letter

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I have lived over half of my life in Maine, and I consider myself lucky. I have always been employed and had health insurance through my employers. Because of this, I have never had to worry about paying for the health care my family needs. We have never experienced food insecurity or had to choose which bills to pay to make our budget work.

Unfortunately, we are the exception—and it’s about to get worse.

Recently, the Maine Bureau of Insurance approved a 23.9% rate increase for 71,000 Maine residents who get their coverage through the ACA marketplace. Additionally, there is a 17.5% increase for residents covered by small employers with fewer than 50 employees. These rate hikes are driven by multiple factors, including the rising cost of drugs and medical services, as well as the potential loss of premium tax credits at the end of the year.

I can’t turn away from the fact that many families may now have to choose whether to keep their insurance or not. They may have to decide if they can make do with less coverage—or none at all—and hope they don’t experience significant health issues.

This situation makes me wonder: will mothers still get the prenatal care they need? Will children see their primary care providers regularly to avoid long-term health problems?

And those are just my concerns for the coming year. What happens if we experience more rate increases and uninsured patients begin using the emergency room as their primary care?

Who pays for that, and how?

Can we really afford to let this happen in Maine—and across the country?
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/10/31/distressed-by-maine-health-insurance-rate-hike-letter/

Joshua Dunlap deserves confirmation to US Court of Appeals | Letter

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In nominating Maine native Joshua Dunlap for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Senator Susan Collins has made an outstanding choice.

As Josh’s former law partner, I know first-hand of his superb qualifications: his intelligence, thoughtfulness, humility, and love of the law and the Constitution are exceptional. He will work vigorously for the impartial dispensation of equal justice under the rule of law.

In better times, Josh would receive near-unanimous confirmation. However, in today’s hyper-partisan climate, judicial appointments are sadly exploited for more political skirmishing.

Thankfully, we don’t do it that way in Maine. As former Governor Angus King knows first-hand, qualified judicial nominees routinely receive bipartisan support, and Maine’s judiciary is the envy of many states where partisanship infects judicial selections.

Senator King should join Senator Collins in supporting Josh’s nomination. Washington sorely needs another lesson in why Maine is “the way life should be.”
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/10/31/joshua-dunlap-deserves-confirmation-to-us-court-of-appeals-letter/

UNH Poll: Majority of Vermonters support a Gov. Phil Scott reelection campaign

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The latest University of New Hampshire Green Mountain State Poll results, released on Friday, indicate that the majority of Vermonters approve of Governor Phil Scott’s performance in office and want him to run for reelection next year.

The October poll outlined political positioning leading up to next year’s statewide elections, according to Professor Andrew Smith, an author of the poll and director of UNH’s Survey Center. It draws on 880 survey responses collected last week, which are weighted according to demographic information from U.S. Census data and recent election results, Smith said.

The governor has remained relatively popular with Democrats and “mitigated some of the anger” from those farther to his right since the presidential election, Smith noted. “He’s in a pretty good spot for reelection.”

Over 60% of Vermonters approved of Scott’s work as governor, with 57% to some extent in favor of him running for reelection. Slightly less than half believed he actually deserved to be reelected, the survey said.

Scott’s consistently high standing in polling is particularly noteworthy given the state’s strong blue leanings in other areas of politics, Smith added.

The survey found that 80% of Democrats and over half of all Vermonters describe Scott as far or slightly to the right of their own views. Yet, in a question that allowed poll-takers to say they wanted multiple potential candidates to run, Scott registered only slightly lower support—47% among Democrats—compared to the 50% garnered by liberal State Treasurer and rumored gubernatorial hopeful Mike Pieciak. An even lower 38% of Democrats said they wanted State Attorney General Charity Clark, another possible challenger for governor, to run.

However, Scott’s potential Democratic opponents also registered high rates of “don’t know/no opinion” responses to this query. “The major reason for Vermonters’ ambivalence about Pieciak and Clark is they are largely unknown,” the survey authors observed.

For more than 70% of Republicans, Scott sat far or slightly to their left. Just 20% of all Vermonters thought that Scott’s politics are “close to (their) own views,” the survey estimated.

U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vt.) continued to demonstrate strong appeal among the state’s Democrats, with just over half the state saying she deserves reelection, according to the survey. Mark Coester, a Republican who ran against Balint in 2024, has filed to challenge her again next year. Just 6% of Vermonters had a favorable opinion of Coester, and more than three-quarters didn’t know enough about him to say, the survey found.

The survey also included several questions about current state policy decisions, “taking a look at what issues are in the news, what people are paying attention to,” Smith said.

One such question focused on the Scott administration’s much-discussed return-to-office plan for state employees, which has drawn pushback from the Vermont State Employees Association, among others. Overall, 51% of Vermonters supported the policy to some extent, with 13% remaining neutral.

However, public opinion on the governor’s policy ran heavily along party lines: 80% of Republicans and 64% of Independents strongly or somewhat supported the measure, compared with just a third of Democrats.

The governor’s refusal to send Vermont National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. at the request of President Donald Trump was met with relative popularity across the state, Friday’s poll said. The move was opposed to some degree by 70% of Republicans, but affirmed by 98% of Democrats. Combining all responses, 72% of Vermonters approved of the decision.

Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.org. This story was republished with permission from VTDigger, which offers its reporting at no cost to local news organizations through its Community News Sharing Project. To learn more, visit vtdigger.org/community-news-sharing-project.
https://vnews.com/2025/10/29/vermonters-approve-scott-reelection/

Democratic Lawmakers Urge DeSantis To Declare Emergency and Buy Supplies for Food Pantries

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**Florida Democrats Urge Gov. DeSantis to Declare State of Emergency Amid Looming Food Assistance Crisis**

Florida Democrats in the Legislature are imploring Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency and allocate state funds to purchase food for distribution to food pantries. This urgent request comes as nearly 3 million Floridians face losing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to an ongoing federal government shutdown.

Led by Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) and House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), legislative Democrats sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis on Tuesday. They urged him to use his emergency powers to ensure that millions of Floridians who rely on SNAP do not go hungry when their benefits expire this Saturday.

The letter also requests that DeSantis direct the Department of Children and Families—the agency responsible for administering SNAP—to coordinate with local food banks and community partners to distribute food immediately.

> “For families already struggling under record food and housing costs, the loss of this critical support would be catastrophic,” the letter states.
> “Local food banks and pantries have already reported overwhelming demand and depleted supplies. We are days away from a full-blown hunger emergency that will leave families without food during the holiday season. The state cannot stand by.”

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried echoed the urgency in a separate statement:

> “This moment is bigger than politics. This is about showing up for our fellow Americans and keeping Floridians safe and fed.”

### The Scope of SNAP in Florida

SNAP provides essential nutritional support for low-income seniors, people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other individuals and families facing food insecurity. Florida ranks fourth nationwide in SNAP enrollment, with nearly 2.94 million residents relying on the assistance—behind California, Texas, and New York.

Nationwide, approximately 41.7 million people depend on SNAP benefits, according to August 2025 data.

### Federal Shutdown and SNAP Funding Stalemate

The DeSantis administration recently posted a notice warning that SNAP benefits are about to expire, following an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). On Friday, the USDA reported it would not tap into $6 billion in contingency funds to maintain benefits during the government shutdown.

It would take roughly $9 billion to cover SNAP costs through November. However, a federal memo—initially reported by Axios—claims that contingency funds cannot be used to sustain the program during the shutdown. The memo states:

> “Contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”

This partisan impasse has resulted in a 28-day government shutdown, which began on October 1, the start of the federal fiscal year.

### Florida Democrats Demand State Action

In their letter, Florida Democrats emphasized SNAP’s critical role:

> “SNAP is one of the most effective programs for addressing hunger and food insecurity in the state. Especially after the recent cuts stemming from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, Floridians cannot afford another day without action by the state. Florida has the fiscal strength to respond. What’s needed now is the moral will to act. No parent should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids. No child should go hungry because politicians in Washington can’t agree. We urge you to act immediately.”

Senate Leader Lori Berman called the governor’s inaction “heartless”:

> “Florida has $5 billion in its ‘rainy day’ fund that DeSantis could use to avert the food cliff low-income families face. The sudden loss of those benefits would be an economic and humanitarian nightmare. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor can keep food on peoples’ tables. He has a responsibility to the people of this state to put partisanship aside and lead. Refusing to act would be truly heartless.”

House Leader Fentrice Driskell also criticized the governor:

> “He brags about ‘maxing out’ the amount of savings in the state’s ‘rainy day’ fund. If millions of hungry Floridians isn’t an economic storm, I don’t know what is. This is a crisis but an entirely solvable one. We can make sure Floridians do not go hungry. It costs a little more than $6 a day to feed someone. Isn’t every Floridian worth that?”

### Additional Recommendations

The letter further asks Gov. DeSantis to instruct the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement universal school meals programs for the duration of the declared emergency.

As of now, the governor’s office has not responded to requests for comment from Florida Phoenix.

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*Reported by Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix*
https://flaglerlive.com/democratic-lawmakers-urge/

EARLY VOTING: Who’s been participating in the NYC Mayor’s Race so far? Data shows some surprising trends

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More than a quarter-million New Yorkers have already cast ballots in the 2025 NYC mayoral general election. According to an amNewYork analysis of unofficial early voting data, most of these voters appear to be Democrats and/or older individuals.

This trend could be good news for former Governor Andrew Cuomo. At 67 years old, Cuomo is a registered Democrat who is now running an independent campaign. He has consistently led among older voters in recent polls.

Meanwhile, the frontrunner in the race, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, holds the Democratic party nomination. The 34-year-old candidate has garnered strong support from younger voters in those same surveys.
https://politicsny.com/2025/10/28/early-voting-whos-been-participating-in-the-nyc-mayors-race-so-far-data-shows-some-surprising-trends/

City of Austin says Texas has referred one person to shelter during homeless camp sweeps

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After Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state would rely on the city of Austin to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness, the city’s leadership has responded with some clarification.

Despite the governor’s statement, Austin officials report that the state has referred only one person to city shelters so far. This comes as the state continues to conduct homeless encampment sweeps in the capital city.

The discrepancy highlights ongoing challenges and coordination issues between state and local authorities in addressing homelessness in Austin.
https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/city-of-austin-says-texas-has-referred-one-person-to-shelter-during-homeless-camp-sweeps/

Venezuela: President Maduro vows unity with Colombia; President Petro renews call for Constituent Assembly

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This article from The Orinoco Tribune was written in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, and published on October 23. Given the threat of an imminent U.S. military attack on Venezuela, Colombia, and other sovereign countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Workers World is increasing its coverage from that region.

**Caracas:** Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on October 20 that he will always close ranks with Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, was accused without evidence on October 19 by his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, of being a “leader of illegal drug trafficking.”

“At heart, we are Colombia, the profound Great Colombia founded on the Orinoco River by the Liberator Commander Simón Bolívar,” Maduro said during an activity with communal leaders.

“And Colombia knows that we are one, Siamese twins. Whatever happens with Colombia, happens with Venezuela. And whatever happens with Venezuela, happens with Colombia.”

“As a military officer of the Colombian military forces wrote to me two weeks ago: ‘If you touch Venezuela, you touch Colombia.’ We are one homeland of the heart. And we do not say this just for the sake of saying it.”
https://www.workers.org/2025/10/88668/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=venezuela-president-maduro-vows-unity-with-colombia-president-petro-renews-call-for-constituent-assembly

Man who fatally shot Hollywood police officer in 2021 pleads guilty, faces death penalty phase next month

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The man accused of fatally shooting Hollywood Police Officer Yandy Chirino in 2021 has pleaded guilty to all charges.

The plea was entered on Monday morning, coinciding with the scheduled start of jury selection.

This development marks a significant turn in the case that has drawn considerable attention since the incident occurred. Further details on the sentencing and case proceedings are expected to follow.
https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/man-who-fatally-shot-hollywood-police-officer-in-2021-pleads-guilty-faces-death-penalty-phase-next-month/