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Latam Insights — Javier Milei’s Victory Divides Argentina; Bitso Launches Cross-Border Institutional Payment Service
21.8.2023
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: Javier Milei’s victory in Argentina causes a devaluation maelstrom, and Bitso launches a cross-border institutional payments service. Javier...
Farmington Bank Faces Fed Wrath: Alameda-Backed Financial Institution Ordered to Shutdown
21.8.2023
In a statement released August 17, 2023, Farmington State Bank, with an investment from Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research, consented to a cease and desist order from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Alameda invested $11.5 million into the bank’s coffers in January 2022. Government seizure...
Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman States Argentina Should Adopt the Euro Instead of the US Dollar
21.8.2023
Economics Nobel laureate Paul Krugman recently stated that Argentina might be better off adopting the euro instead of the U.S. dollar amidst the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Krugman argued that Argentina has almost twice as much trade with the European Union as it does with the U.S., stating...
Volatility in Chinese Yuan, Russian Ruble Makes De-Dollarization Harder, Market Analyst Says
21.8.2023
A market analyst says that the recent decline and volatility in the Chinese yuan, the Russian ruble, and to a lesser extent the Argentine peso, “will only add further challenges to the idea of de-dollarization.” He stressed that countries are “unable to agree on a clear path to de-dollarization...
BRICS Bank Could Issue Digital Currency for the Economic Bloc, Analyst Says
21.8.2023
A Trace Finance analyst has suggested that the BRICS nations could launch a single digital currency issued and regulated by the New Development Bank, also known as the BRICS Bank. He stressed that the U.S. is facing the biggest crisis in history. Many expect a common BRICS currency that would...
SEC Files Motion to Certify Interlocutory Appeal of Ripple-XRP Ruling
21.8.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a motion to certify an interlocutory appeal of two rulings in the Ripple case regarding XRP. According to the securities regulator, “Immediate appeal of these rulings is warranted … because they involve controlling questions...
Consensus Pause: Majority of Economists Predict No Rate Hikes for 2023, With Cuts Delayed Until March 2024
20.8.2023
A newly published Reuters poll reveals that most economists concur: the U.S. Federal Reserve has likely capped its rate hikes. Yet, rate cuts aren’t anticipated until March 2024. This survey drops just as markets approach the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium scheduled for next week. All eyes...
Legendary Investor Jeremy Grantham Predicts Inevitable US Recession, Challenges Fed’s Forecast
20.8.2023
A significant portion of investors and financial organizations surmise that the U.S. could avert a recession, but Jeremy Grantham, the co-founder of investment firm Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo (GMO), deems it inescapable. Grantham contends that the Federal Reserve’s optimistic prognosis...
Bitcoin’s Transaction Backlog Surges Past 400,000
20.8.2023
A fortnight ago, unconfirmed BTC transactions dipped under 300,000. However, they’ve since rebounded, surpassing the 400,000 mark. While the average network fee remains under $1, since August 6, it’s fluctuated from $0.77, peaking at $2.59 per transaction just two days later on August...
Weekly NFT Sales Dip by 1.18% Despite Rising Buyers and Transactions
20.8.2023
Based on the most recent week-long data, non-fungible token (NFT) sales experienced a slight decline of 1.18% from the previous week. Despite a recorded $107.05 million in NFT sales, there was a noteworthy rise of 86.71% in the number of buyers. Additionally, NFT transactions increased by...
Kiyosaki: Buy Silver Before It’s Gone; Michael Burry Bets Against Stocks — Week in Review
20.8.2023
Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki urges buying silver before it’s gone, hedge fund manager Michael Burry has bet $1.6 billion on the stock market collapsing, and mining rig manufacturer Bitmain is set to reveal a cutting-edge BTC miner at the 2023 World Digital Mining Summit. This...
Banks Allowed to Issue Crypto Mastercard Cards in Uzbekistan
20.8.2023
Authorities in Uzbekistan have authorized two local banks to issue payment cards allowing users to spend their digital coins. The move is part of a pilot project to launch virtual cards linked to cryptocurrency wallets on an exchange that will facilitate instant conversion to fiat money. Uzbekistan...
Canaan Cuts Bitcoin Mining Power by 2 EH/s Amid US, Kazakhstan Challenges
20.8.2023
Canaan, a leading high-performance computing firm and mining rig producer, recently disclosed hurdles set to dent its bitcoin mining activities and revenue from Q3 2023 onward. These setbacks primarily stem from diminished operational hours of their mining devices. This revelation comes hot on...
Morocco Denies South Africa’s Claim That It Has Applied to Join BRICS: Report
20.8.2023
Morocco has reportedly denied the claim made by South Africa, the host of the BRICS summit this year, that it has formally applied to join the economic bloc. According to South African officials, over 40 countries are interested in joining the BRICS group, including 23 nations that have formally...
Dollarization Can Lead to ‘Economic Contraction and Collapse’ of Argentine Economy — Former US Treasury Official
20.8.2023
The U.S. chairperson of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) has characterized the Argentinian presidential hopeful’s plan to fully dollarize the economy as “a far too risky gamble.” Mark Sobel said full dollarization without an exit policy “could...
BRICS Expansion Will Speed Up De-Dollarization, Chinese Expert Says
20.8.2023
As more countries join the BRICS economic bloc, there will be a significant increase in settlements using national currencies, leading to an acceleration in the de-dollarization process, a Chinese expert says. “For most developing countries, development is a top priority. That is why the BRICS...
Economist Lord Jim O’Neill Calls BRICS Currency Idea ‘Ridiculous’ — Says China and India Never Agree on Anything
20.8.2023
Lord Jim O’Neill, the British economist credited with coining the acronym BRIC, calls the creation of a common BRICS currency “ridiculous,” emphasizing that the BRICS nations have “never achieved anything since they first started meeting.” He added: “It’s a good job for the West that...
Bankman-Fried Wants to See His Lawyers Outside Jail Five Days a Week
20.8.2023
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is asking to be released from jail five days a week to work on his defense for the fraud trial against him set to begin in October. On Friday, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers complained to a judge in Manhattan that the currently proposed preparation time and regime...
Ethereum Gears Up for ‘Holesky’ Testnet Launch With 1.6 Billion Testnet Ether
19.8.2023
Ethereum developers plan to roll out a new testnet named Holesky, intending to bring 1.6 billion Holesky testnet ether to the network. The core devs of Ethereum highlighted that 1.4 million validators were evaluated for Holesky, with the aim of enhancing the blockchain’s comprehensive...
US Court Classifies Tornado Cash as ‘Person’ in Verdict Echoing Ooki DAO Designation
19.8.2023
A recent ruling by a U.S. judge declared that Tornado Cash holds the legal status of a “person.” This development came on the heels of a previous verdict in June, which recognized the decentralized autonomous organization Ooki DAO in a similar manner. U.S. Judiciary Designates Tornado Cash...