Welcome to the NiceHash crypto news digest. Let's see what happened these last few days.

Gibraltar Bank Integrates Bitcoin’s Lightning Network Into Payment Cards

Xapo Bank of Gibraltar has integrated the Bitcoin-based Lightning Network and partnered with Lightspark, a company building infrastructure for the Lightning Network to extend the capabilities and utility of Bitcoin, adding another string to the bow of Xapo’s private bank and cryptocurrency custodian.

Users of Xapo Bank can now pay for small purchases of up to $100 instantly in Bitcoin at any vendor accepting Lightning payments, without the usual high transaction fees and long blockchain confirmation waiting times, thanks to the technology of the Lightning Network.

Polygon Launches Web3 Identification Using ZK-proofs

Polygon released a Web3 identification service called Polygon ID that will allow blockchain-based applications to authenticate user credentials without compromising personal information.

The offering can verify user data for blockchain apps while maintaining privacy on-chain. It uses zero-knowledge proofs, which can authenticate data while keeping it encrypted and hidden from the verifying party. Polygon ID could be beneficial in compliance use cases such as the KYC "Know Your Customer" process required for centralized exchanges.

The Goldshell MINI DOGE II 420 MH/s Scrypt ASIC Miner is Now Available

Goldshell has added to their home-oriented mini miners line-up with the release of the MINI DOGE II miner that is now available. The new Goldshell MINI DOGE II ASIC miner, much like the other BOX II devices, comes with dual operating modes: 420 MH/s at 400 Watts or 355 MH/s at 260 Watts on the Scrypt algorithm.

The Goldshell MINI DOGE II comes as a more affordable ASIC mining solution, that you can easily run at home or in a small mining operation. It is pretty silent and easy to operate, placement around the home is easier if using WiFi connectivity and can be used as a compact home heater that kind of covers the whole electricity it uses and earn you some money at teh same time.

If you do get one of these, consider connecting it to NiceHash, where you can earn more than conventional mining by selling your hashrate.

China’s digital yuan CBDC gets off to a bad start

Shenzhen city, China’s southeastern metropolis that connects the mainland to Hong Kong, started issuing digital yuan hard wallets to Hong Kong tourists but so far no one is interested. 

Visitors from Hong Kong can obtain digital yuan hard wallets from ATM machines through KYC registration and top them up with 'Octopus cards'. The wallets can then be used for shopping in over 1,400 merchants in Luohu district of Shenzen, where the users get a 20% consumption subsidy from the government. Despite China’s effort to promote its CBDC, the project faces adoption obstacles, ranging from limited use cases to competition with other established payment services such as Alipay and Wechat.

It is an interesting case study to watch, that so far highlights that's CBDCs do not provide any additional value to consumers, as they are identical to fiat currency in how they are issued. This is in big contrast to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that actually serve a genuine purpose by being decentralized from government control.

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