Is Cryptocurrency the Answer? Egypt’s Central Bank Limits Daily Cash Withdrawals Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Egypt is facing a severe cash crunch as the country is feeling the economic pressure of the coronavirus outbreak. The central bank of Egypt has instructed local banks to begin restricting daily withdrawals and has instructed citizens not to withdraw so much money. The central bank’s current move is aimed to prevent a cash shortage and to control inflation and hoarding during the spread of coronavirus. So far, the country has about 36 coronavirus deaths and 576 infections. The closures in the nation are likely to be extended indefinitely.

Virus tests the limits of central bank power

Egypt’s central bank is under tremendous pressure as citizens are flooding the local ATMs to withdraw massive sums of cash in panic attempts to stay prepared for the worst-case scenarios. This seems to leave extremely little cash with the central bank. Instead, the central bank has issued directives to the local banks to impose cash withdrawal limits. The central bank’s new guidelines indicate that individuals will have a daily cash withdrawal limit of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($640), while Egyptian companies can withdraw up to 50,000 Egyptian pounds. There will be exceptions for companies in case the money is being utilized to pay employees. Further, the central bank has informed local banks to limit ATM withdrawals as consumers now can only deposit and withdraw 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($316) per day at ATMs.

Moreover, the central bank has told citizens to avoid paper currency and rather to adopt electronic transfers and e-payments so that to control the coronavirus spread. As of 30th March, all banks canceled fees on e-payments and electronic transfers for the citizens’ convenience. The day prior, the central bank began an electronic payments initiative to encourage citizens to stop using physical currency (cash). All bank fees have been canceled in the country as the central bank instructed local banks to delay credit penalties against organizations and customers and not to impose late payments on certain loans.  

Although there is no evidence indicating that Egyptian citizens are turning to Bitcoin amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people seem to validate the need for cryptocurrencies. However, the central bank promotes the use of electronic payments, specifically credit cards and not any digital asset.  

Blockchain as leverage to combat the coronavirus outbreak

While the world continues looking for ways to address the coronavirus pandemic, blockchain technology has proved to provide important solutions. Coronavirus has caused havoc on the world’s economy, with banks not only in Egypt but also in the US, Lebanon, and several countries have imposed cash limits. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is seen to have a lot to offer to the world to combat the coronavirus crisis, like offering a good alternative investment option for people. It remains to see if the coronavirus pandemic is enough to weaken the whole banking sector and make people turn to digital form of money like cryptocurrencies.

Image via Shutterstock

Bank of America Considers Bitcoin and Crypto Transactions to be Equivalent to Cash

Bank of America is considering Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins to be cash equivalent, and will treat crypto-related transactions as cash advances.

An image posted on social network Reddit showed a possible change in credit card terms and conditions of Bank of America regarding cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC).

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other cryptocurrencies were mentioned to be treated as “cash advance,” according to the image of the letter that was posted briefly before it was taken down on Twitter.

Source: Reddit user

Some members of the crypto community speculated that it might be due to the fact that Bank of America could increase the fees related to the types of transactions referred to in the letter. Cash advances transactions have one of the highest fee rates, around 5 percent.

JPMorgan banks crypto firms

However, the Bank of America is not the first to start to embrace cryptocurrencies, as JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, has accepted crypto exchanges Gemini and Coinbase as banking clients. 

This is a sign that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are being embraced in the American financial landscape and Wall Street.

The bank gave Coinbase and Gemini accounts the green light in April, and transactions are just kick-starting. Reportedly, JPMorgan Chase is offering cash-management services to the exchanges, as well as dealing with dollar-based transactions for their US-based clients. 

The bank will also leverage on an electronic funds-transfer system dubbed the Automated Clearing House network to process withdrawals, deposits, and wire transfers. This development will ease transfer handling because most of Gemini and Coinbase customers link their traditional bank accounts to those provided by the exchanges. Nevertheless, the bank will not carry-out any cryptocurrency-based transactions.

Crypto adoption: Result of COVID-19 as a catalyst?

Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones was reportedly looking to buy Bitcoin to hedge against inflation as central banks across the world are printing money to relieve economies affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Jones is one of Wall Street’s most seasoned and successful hedge fund managers, CEO and founder of Tudor Investment Corp, a hedge fund that managed $8.4 billion assets under management as of March 30, based on data from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Jones compared Bitcoin to gold by saying that the digital currency reminds him of the role that gold played in the 1970s. Jones was well known for his correct prediction of the 1987 market crash and shorted Japanese equities several years later before Japan’s economy crashed.

Russia Restricts Anonymous Cash Deposits to Online Wallets

The Russian Government has put strict limits on anonymous deposits made to online wallets. While it is not a complete ban, the initiative by lawmakers is promoted as a step to deter illegal activity such as money laundering and illicit drug transactions and could affect up to 10 million users.

The Russian Federation is imposing a limited ban on anonymous deposits to online wallets, not limited to the cryptocurrency industry. The move is a purported effort by Russia to curb illegal transactions pertaining to terror financing, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

Who will be affected?

According to Russian lawmakers, topping up anonymous wallets and some transport cards will now only be possible from a bank account, and not in cash.

Through services such as Kiwi, PayPal, Webmoney and Yandex, Moscow Region Strelka card online wallets are leveraged in Russia by around 10 million users who top up their accounts anonymously in cash.

Won’t Impact Crypto-Exchanges

The amendments that have come into force will not affect users of crypto-exchanges, said Dmitry Kirillov, Senior Lawyer of tax practice Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Russia) LLP, a teacher at Moscow Digital School.

The new Russian law deals with electronic money operators. By obligating top-ups to online wallets through the Bank of Russia — activities are better regulated by legislation.

Currently, International digital asset trading platforms are outside of such regulation and are not subject to new restrictions. But this may affect those who buy cryptocurrency, for example, through exchanges using ATMs.

Kirillov said, “The channels for crediting funds to accounts in such systems remain traditional, including cash deposits through ATMs or terminals of electronic payment systems. Russian banks and payment system operators will be obliged to comply with the new requirements and stop crediting cash from anonymous users through such channels.”

Russian economist, Antonina Levashenko also agreed that the new legislation will have little effect on the blockchain space.

Levashenko explained that the restrictions on depositing cash on anonymous e-wallets are related to strengthening standards in the field of combating money laundering — particularly due to the FATF reporting that Russia was vulnerable in the use of electronic money due to the risks of anonymity.

Levashenko said, “Will it affect cryptocurrencies? Currently, these changes have been implemented only in relation to electronic money in accordance with the amendments to the law on the national payment system.” She added, But in the near future, undoubtedly, yes. FATF standards are always applied to new technologies by analogy: if at first the standards were prescribed for classic bank accounts, then they were first extended to electronic wallets and prepaid cards, and then to virtual wallets for cryptocurrencies.”

Russian Citizen Use P2P to Escape Monolithic Banking

As reported by Blockchain.News, the Paxful peer-to-peer Bitcoin marketplace has recently released some important data regarding the use of its p2p trading platform in Russia. The study indicates a rising interest in the use of cryptocurrencies in the country. The research comes at an important time when the Russian government has been trying to make it even more difficult for citizens to use crypto assets.

Anton Kozlov, Paxful’s manager from the Russian market, said, “Crisis aside, Russia has always had a monolithic banking system that is dominated by a few players and the sentiment we get is that Russians are increasingly looking to find alternative ways to grow their earnings and participate in the financial markets. Bitcoin within the P2P context allows them much more freedom to do so—and out data is proving it.”

For several years, Russian lawmakers have been contemplating whether to legalize or ban cryptocurrencies. As a result, they created an atmosphere that has left the entire crypto industry in the nation in an uncertain state. Despite these hindrances, Russian users joining Paxful cryptocurrency exchange have risen by 350% over the last 12 months.

Canada-Based Tahini's Restaurants Trades Entire Cash Reserves For Bitcoin

Tahini’s Restaurants recently tweeted that they have just converted their entire cash reserves into Bitcoin. The Middle Eastern restaurant has three outlets across Ontario and is commonly referred to as “the best Middle Eastern Restaurant in the world.”

Bitcoin Flying High Under the Radar

The decision to convert its cash reserves into cryptocurrency originated from the March’s crash due to coronavirus pandemic. During that time, the Canadian government started offering assistance programs for businesses unable to stay open because of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis brought most businesses to a standstill for the first half of the year. The food and hospitality industry was one of the worst-hit industries. Tahini’s was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as it had to lay off a huge number of employees. The company is in its expansion phase, having plans to expand its three new franchise outlets in Ontario.

Since the laid-off employees were getting assistance from the government more than what the restaurant could pay, they did not turn up for work.  The situations were conducive to the laid-off employees as the stimulus programs left them with a lot of money. The employees had enough money, a situation that Tahini’s owners say could make fiat money worthless if everyone has cash in abundance.

With Canada and the US printing money to save their economies from the coronavirus crisis, Omar Hamam, the owner of Tahini’s, began thinking that a significant currency devaluation would soon occur. An influx of cash is making its way into circulation due to the massive stimulus payment given to offset the coronavirus economic shutdown.

Hamam said that the decision to embrace Bitcoin is based on a popular perception that the leading cryptocurrency is widely seen as a safe-haven asset. Just like other smart money investors and businesses, Tahini’s sees Bitcoin as a suitable hedge against the debasement (devaluation) of fiat currencies that is likely to follow as Fed and other central banks across the world are increasing fiat money supplies at an unprecedented rate.

The restaurant owners endorsed Bitcoin as a better alternative to cash savings and plan to continue switching all of its excess cash into Bitcoin. The company embraced cryptocurrency and swapped all of its cash savings into Bitcoin, by coming across various cryptocurrency platforms and influencers, including Raoul Pal, Jeff Booth, Saifedean Ammous, Robert Breedlove, Preston Pysh, and cofounder of Morgan Creek and poplar crypto personality, Anthony Pompliano.

In a long thread, the restaurant chain tagged platforms and influencers that helped them along their journey of embracing the crypto industry and thanked all of them.

Tahini’s seems to follow the same financial planning strategy as listed business intelligence company MicroStrategy, who announced last week that it adopted Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset. MicroStrategy bought 21,454 BTC worth of $250 million. The $1.2 billion company revealed that it now holds Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset instead of cash.

Bitcoin Adoption Rate on The Rise

The adoption of Bitcoin cryptocurrency continues increasing alongside the demand for this finite digital asset among businesses. As the crypto industry continues maturing, several businesses and traders across the globe are turning to embrace Bitcoin as a safe haven against inflation. Within this month, two popular companies (i.e., MicroStrategy Inc., and Tahinis Restaurants) have announced swapping their cash reserves to cryptocurrency. Not only businesses but also general consumers are turning towards crypto assets to retain their wealth. Particularly, developing countries are the most inclined towards cryptocurrency adoption.

Bitcoin Less Risky than Cash or Gold says MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor

MicroStrategy’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Saylor says the Federal Reserve’s new relaxed inflation policy helped convince him to put the remainder of the enterprise-software maker’s cash into Bitcoin.

“We feel pretty confident that Bitcoin is less risky than holding cash, less risky than holding gold,” Saylor said in an interview with Bloomberg.

In the wake of the Fed officials of the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) announcement that they will continue to hold US interest rates close to zero and will continue to push inflation above 2% by 2023—Saylor became convinced that Bitcoin was the best option for another $175 million hedge investment from MicroStrategy.

Saylor believes the US dollar will soon lose significant purchasing power and that asset inflation will surge to more than 20%.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, MicroStrategy had most of its capital, roughly $500 million, invested in short-term United States government securities, a conventional strategy for a public company. But when the pandemic disruption hit and yield began to tumble, Saylor began to feel that MicroStrategy’s investment was on “a $500 million melting ice cube.”

Following a negative 10% yield on MicroStrategy’s treasury, the company considered other safe havens like gold and real estate but found Bitcoin to be a much more rational investment given its scarcity.

In August, MicroStrategy announced its new capital allocation investment strategy with a purchase of 21,454 Bitcoins—making it the first and largest independent publicly-traded business intelligence firm to invest the majority of its treasury into Bitcoin.

After MicroStrategy’s show of confidence in Bitcoin, Max Keiser the prominent RT anchor said that he believes other private companies will likely follow suit. Saylor is predicting this will also happen in the next three to six months.

CEO Could Liquidate All BTC if Needed

While Saylor does not appear to think much of any cryptos besides Bitcoin, he asserts he and his company are not married to Bitcoin either, and that MicroStrategy would not hesitate to liquidate its entire portfolio if necessary.

“We can liquidate it any day of the week, any hour of the day,” Saylor told Bloomberg. “If I needed to liquidate $200 million of Bitcoin, I believe I could do it on a Saturday. If I took a haircut, I believe it would be 2%.”

Thankfully for the Bitcoin price, Saylor does not seem intent on dumping MicroStrategy’s BTC treasury just yet, and he says that so far his 10 largest shareholders have been very supportive of the investment.

Reddit $MOON Tokens Can Now Be Sold For Fiat

Reddit, the social network built upon the interest of its users, launched the $MOON ERC-20 token in May this year. The token is rewarded to users of the cryptocurrency part of the platform for their participation and contribution. These tokens can now be sold for cash, it emerged recently.

Similar to the crypto-based social network platform Relevant, Reddit users earn more $MOON by posting high-quality content to the platform, with $MOON distribution based on the quality and quantity of your contribution.

Users in the r/CryptoCurrency subreddit can use $MOON to unlock exclusive features and have ownership in the community in a governance type utility.

The $MOON ERC-20 tokens run on a testnet version of the Ethereum blockchain, and therefore can’t be swapped for other cryptocurrencies of real value. However, in July, Ethereum developer Austin Griffin devised a method to extract the tokens from one blockchain and place them on another.

This weekend, a Reddit user posted instructions on how to withdraw $MOON tokens and turn them into cash.

By moving tokens from the Rinkeby testnet to the Ethereum sidechain xDai, users can convert $MOON tokens into fiat. The process requires an amount of DAI, ETH, and Metamask to convert the tokens with the use of the xMOON exchange and xMoon tokens.

The news has brought a sense of joy across the Reddit community, with $MOON now being freely exchanged across decentralized exchanges. Decentralized exchange Honeysway has seen More than $402,387 in trading volume of $MOON over the past 24.

Reserve Bank Of New Zealand Wants to Preserve Cash, Monitors CBDC Developments

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand—Te Pūtea Matua—seeks to preserve the benefits of cash for its citizens, while paying close attention to the future of money and central bank digital currency (CBDC) development.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand, (Te Pūtea Matua) seeks “to preserve the benefits of cash for all who need them” for financial inclusion in the economy, while the central bank is also keeping an eye on CBDC developments and the changing nature of money.

Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank, Christian Hawkesby told the Royal Numismatics Society of New Zealand annual conference today Oct. 19:

“Cash is being used less as a means of payment and access to cash is declining. However, cash provides important benefits to many people, including legal tender money, social and financial inclusion, peer-to-peer payments, backup payments, and privacy and autonomy.”

The Reserve Bank is encouraging banking sector participants to consider supporting citizens who depend on cash for everyday needs.

Governor Hawkesby revealed that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is building new policy and governance capabilities to support its strategy, as well as to prepare for the future of money. He said, “In the years ahead, some of the biggest questions facing central banks could well be around the future of money itself.”

The Future of Cash and CBDC

The Reserve Bank’s immediate priority is to support the banking and service industries to ensure that cash systems continue to be fit for purpose. Initiatives include reshaping vaulting arrangements, banknote standards, and building towards a sustainable future. Hawkesby highlighted that ultimately, a more transformational solution might be needed.

Governor Hawkesby said:

“Looking forward, we remain open-minded about how the technology of money and payments will continue to evolve.”

The Reserve Bank Governor highlighted the future of cash as being created by the central banks around the world— who are competing to be the first to release their central bank digital currencies (CBDC). China has been the frontrunner, aggressively piloting its own DCEP (Digital Yuan) and the most powerful central banks including the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank collaborating on research to assess the positives and negatives of CBDC implementation.

While the New Zealand central bank is also researching retail central digital bank currencies, Governor Hawkesby said, “Although we have no imminent plans to issue a CBDC, we are well-connected and considering these developments very closely.”

Reserve Bank of Australia Also Hesitant on CBDC

CBDC development in neighboring Australia also appears off to a slow start with reports in late August that the Payments System Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had found no strong public policy-case to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC) despite the trend of declining cash-use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the latest reports from the RBA’s Head of Payments Tony Richards have revealed that Australia’s central bank may not have entirely given up on the quest to pursue CBDC issuance.

Richards said that due to the bank’s mandate to promote efficiency in the payment system, it will give up on the topic of a potential CBDC rollout. The RBA head executive noted:

“Consistent with the Bank’s mandate to promote competition and efficiency in the payments system and contribute to the stability of the financial system, we will be continuing to consider the case for a CBDC, including how it might be designed, the potential benefits and policy implications, and the conditions in which significant demand for a CBDC might emerge.”  

Missouri Mayor to Airdrop $1,000 in Bitcoin to Cool Valley Residents

Residents of Cool Valley town in Missouri are well on their way to receiving a $1,000 cash gift, following the excess donations received in support of the initiative by Missouri Mayor, Jayson Stewart to fund households as a post-pandemic relief package. 

The cash gift represents amongst many other things Stewart’s positivity about the role Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, in general, have come to play in offsetting the old standards of the world. An environmentalist at heart, Stewart is not bothered by the bad media relations surrounding the energy consumption demands of Bitcoin. According to him, the first-ever digital currency “given me a new way of thinking about humanity in the future.”

Adding; 

“It’s given me a hope, and an optimism that we can overcome some of the worst parts of the system that we’re born into, and actually create a future exactly how we want it to be. There’s a certain level of hope and optimism that I get from Bitcoin.”

With the initiative initially designed to give out $500 to each household in the town, the public attention the program gathered attracted new funding that simultaneously increased the allocation per family. While the excitement amongst residents is imminent, those who choose to HODL their lot are bound to cash out more in the future if the price of Bitcoin grows from its current price of $41,245.

According to Mayor Stewart, a number of workshops will be organized for the eligible recipients of the fund in Cool Valley, with the primary aim targeted at bringing everyone up to speed about the fundamentals of cryptocurrency.

Besides Stewart, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is also an adept fan of Bitcoin, and he has significantly transformed the city into an attractive Bitcoin hub through his initiatives. A number of aspiring Mayoral candidates including Andrew Yang are also making promises to make their respective cities a Bitcoin hotspot if they assume power.

Gensler Alleged Crypto Hypocrisy

The cryptocurrency community has criticized Gary Gensler, the current chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), after a video from 2018 surfaced in which he stated that cryptocurrencies are comparable to commodities or cash and are not securities. This has led to criticism of Gensler from the cryptocurrency community. As a result of this, hypocrisy allegations have been leveled at Gensler since his present position seems to contradict his prior views.

Gensler explained initial coin offerings (ICOs) and the Howey test in the video, which was taken from a seminar entitled “Blockchain and Money” that took place during the Fall Semester of 2018 at the university. He made the observation that “three-quarters of the market are not ICOs or not what would be called securities,” and he identified the markets in the United States, Canada, and Taiwan as countries that adhere to criteria that are comparable to those of the Howey test. The next statement that he made was that “three-quarters of the market is non-securities, it’s just a commodity, cash, and crypto.”

Gensler briefly admitted that initial coin offerings (ICOs) may ignite a discussion over securities, but he ultimately came to the conclusion that “three-quarters of the market is not particularly relevant as a legal matter.” However, in his present capacity as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gensler has adopted a more harsh attitude on cryptocurrencies, with the SEC starting a series of high-profile investigations against crypto businesses in recent months. Gensler’s stance on cryptocurrencies reflects the SEC’s increased scrutiny of the industry.

The crypto community reacted swiftly to Gensler’s apparent shift of viewpoint, and many members were keen to point it out. “Wow” was all that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong had to say in response to a message that was published by cryptocurrency researcher “zk-SHARK.” In a tweet sent at his 658,900 followers, Erik Voorhees, the inventor of the cryptocurrency trading website ShapeShift, inquired as to when someone will be imprisoned for fraud. Farokh Sarmad, the inventor of the Web3 podcast Rug Radio, referred to Gensler as “disgusting” in a tweet that he sent out to his 346,200 followers, and a systems engineer who went by the handle “JD” demanded that Gensler provide an explanation for his shift in position.

On the other hand, not all members of the cryptocurrency community were on board with these comments. U.S. attorney Preston Byrne claimed that Gensler’s opinions as a professor should not be used against him in his present function as a law enforcement, since Gensler works in a different capacity than he did when he was a professor.

The continuous regulatory ambiguity that surrounds the cryptocurrency business is brought to light by the controversy over Gensler’s position on cryptocurrencies. As the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory authorities continue to probe crypto firms, many participants in the industry are advocating for clearer standards and laws to assist enable the growth and development of the sector.

Involved in Cryptocurrency and Cash Corruption, Regional Military Recruitment Heads Were Dismissed by Ukrainian President

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has directed Valeriy Zaluzhny to dismiss all heads of regional territorial centers for recruitment and social support. The decision was announced on the official Facebook page of the President’s Office of Ukraine.

During a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on August 11, the issue of inspecting territorial centers for recruitment and social support was discussed. The council recommended that Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny appoint officers who have directly participated in combat actions to the positions of heads of regional centers, following a check by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The inspection of the centers revealed instances of corruption, particularly during general mobilization, posing a threat to national security and undermining trust in state institutions. Law enforcement officials have opened 112 criminal proceedings against military recruitment officials and announced 33 suspicions.

“Regional ‘military commissioners,’ city, district, medical commission workers, other officials. Abuses in various regions: Donetsk, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odessa, Kyiv, Lviv. Some took cash, some – cryptocurrency. Our decisions are as follows. We dismiss all regional ‘military commissioners.’ This system must be managed by people who know exactly what war is. Warriors who have been through the front or who cannot be in the trenches because they have lost their health, lost their limbs, but have retained their dignity and have no cynicism – they can be trusted with this recruitment system. This decision must be implemented by Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny. Before appointing new heads of the centers, the Security Service of Ukraine will check,” emphasized Zelensky.

In related news, law enforcement officers exposed a large-scale scheme for issuing military-medical commission certificates of unfitness for military service in the Lviv region and nine other regions of Ukraine earlier this month.

Additionally, in February 2022, Oleksandr Tishchenko, who was elected to the Lviv Regional Council from the “Servant of the People” party in the 2020 local elections, was appointed head of the Lviv Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support.

The Ukrainian government has been active in soliciting donations, including those in cryptocurrency, since the start of the Russian invasion. On February 26, 2022, official Twitter accounts belonging to the Ukrainian government posted requests for donations in various crypto assets. They listed addresses for Bitcoin, Ethereum, TRON, Polkadot, Dogecoin, and Solana, inviting supporters to contribute to the cause.

Notable contributors from the crypto community include Polkadot founder Gavin Wood and Tron founder Justin Sun. The transparency and traceability of blockchain technology allow for public verification of these donations.

The Bitcoin donation address is: 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P

The Ethereum donation address is: 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d18A45e14

As of the time of writing, the Bitcoin address has received a total of 648.19097723 BTC, of which 648.00967951 BTC has been used. 

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