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A bill defining quality Italian extra virgin for the first time


For the first time in the world, there will be much more restrictive chemical values than for classic extra virgin olive oil, but also tools to promote the product and the cultural heritage linked to olive growing... From the point of view of business support, the text provides for the allocation of 30 million euros over three years to support Italian olive growing businesses that produce extra virgin olive oil from cultivation to packaging. The non-repayable contribution is also aimed at oil mills and is intended to promote the quality and recognisability of the product on both the domestic and international markets... Two key measures: a research fund and an experimental blockchain platform to ensure product traceability. Starting in 2025, in fact, a 5 million euro fund will be activated to support research projects on sustainable production techniques, quality analysis, artificial intelligence and disease- and pest-resistant olive varieties. An open source platform based on blockchain will be launched in 2026. Better late than never.

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Walmart and Amazon are considering adopting their stablecoins


potentially moving the high volumes of cash and card transactions they handle outside the traditional financial system and saving them billions in bank fees. Stablecoin is a cryptocurrency whose value is tied to a 'stable' asset that can be a traditional currency or a commodity. If stablecoin were to be adopted, it would perhaps be the first entirely private-label payment methods (the others rely on banks). As Clara Mentasti points out, it would also be "a threat to monetary sovereignty" (of the US Central Bank). Meanwhile : Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com tests stablecoins in Hong Kong Compiled 13 June, updated 19 June 2025