Panama City’s Public Services, Russia’s Potential New Policy & the Push for Practical Payments

Panama City embraces crypto payments for public services (0:39), Russia drafts new rules to seize digital assets in criminal cases (2:08), and Alabama lawmakers take a cautious approach to blockchain and state investments (3:28). Plus, we unpack Circle’s Refund Protocol—an on-chain innovation designed to make stablecoin transactions safer and smarter (4:55).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what’s next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Diving into Digital: Panama City’s Bold Leap into Cryptocurrency for Public Payments, by Kira Jantz, Coletivo Metranca.

https://www.coletivometranca.com.br/en/news_en/diving-into-digital-panama-citys-bold-leap-into-cryptocurrency-for-public-payments/45008/

Russia plans to add cryptocurrency terms to the criminal code, Digwatch.

https://dig.watch/updates/russia-plans-to-add-cryptocurrency-terms-to-the-criminal-code

House committee punts on embracing cryptocurrency, by Chance Phillips, Alabama Political Reporter.

https://www.alreporter.com/2025/04/17/house-committee-punts-on-embracing-cryptocurrency/

Refund Protocol: Non-Custodial Dispute Resolution for Stablecoin Payments, Circle Developer’s Blog.

https://www.circle.com/blog/refund-protocol-non-custodial-dispute-resolution-for-stablecoin-payments

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti