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The Royal Canadian Mint has joined a blockchain platform run by Goldmoney Inc, the first time in the world that mint-vaulted bullion has been traded on such a private digital ledger, the Canadian fintech company said on Wednesday. The deal "lays the groundwork for further integrations by other countries and other mints," Roy Sebag, Goldmoney's chief executive officer, said in a phone interview. Blockchain first emerged as the system underpinning digital currency bitcoin. The technology creates a shared electronic ledger that allows all parties to track information through a secure network, with no need for third-party verification. "It's no different than what gold or silver used to do, but in digital form," Sebag said. "You're circumventing the banking system and you're able to exchange value instantly with no settlement delays." The Mint plans to extend its relationship with Goldmoney in order to promote Canada's "lea...

    BANJUL Dec 21 - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said he would not step down and condemned mediation by West African regional bloc ECOWAS that aims to get him to leave power after he lost a Dec. 1 election to challenger Adama Barrow.     The comments on state television late on Tuesday were a hardening of the veteran president's position after days in which hopes mounted he could be persuaded to hand over power at the end of his mandate on Jan. 18, when Barrow is due to be inaugurated.     "I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and violated. This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory except the Almighty Allah," Jammeh said.     "Already the ECOWAS meeting was a formality. Before they came, they had already said Jammeh must step down. I will not step down," he said.     Jammeh initially accepted the results of an election whose outcome was seen across Africa as a moment of hope. He is accused by human...