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Bitcoin, Ethereum Technical Analysis: BTC Extends Declines, as Markets Continue to React to Nonfarm Payrolls
8.5.2023
Bitcoin fell below $28,000 to start the week, as markets continued to react to last Friday’s United States nonfarm payrolls (NFP) report. The payrolls report came in at 250,000 versus expectations of 180,000 jobs. Ethereum was also lower, as prices fell back below $1,900. Bitcoin Bitcoin...
Syrian Crypto Dealer Freed From Kidnappers Who Demanded Ransom of Over $1.1 Million
8.5.2023
Spanish law enforcement recently nabbed three individuals who befriended and eventually kidnapped a Syrian cryptocurrency dealer. Following their arrest, the kidnappers, who were demanding a ransom of over $1.1 million, were found in possession of weapons and fake identity documents. Syrian Crypto...
Latam Insights: Bolivia Sells Gold for Dollars, Argentina Bans Fintech Crypto, Fitch Upgrades El Salvador’s Credit Rating
8.5.2023
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia passes a law to sell gold for dollars, the Central Bank of Argentina bans fintech companies from using crypto, and Fitch improves...
Central Bank’s Gold Purchases Make ‘Record Breaking Start’ in Q1 2023; 228.4 Tonnes Added to World Reserves
8.5.2023
Central banks have continued to consistently purchase gold during the first quarter of 2023, according to the latest report of the World Gold Council (WGC), the global gold statistics organization. Central banks added nearly 230 tonnes of gold to their national reserves, representing a 176% rise...
Russia May Take Up 18% of Bitcoin Hashrate in Next Big Migration of Crypto Miners, Experts Say
8.5.2023
Increasing regulatory pressures, tax burden and energy costs in countries like the U.S. and Kazakhstan are likely to result in a new great migration of crypto miners, Russian analysts believe. Under such a scenario, Russia has what it takes to occupy up to 18% of the global bitcoin hashrate, they...
‘Landmark’ Crypto Law Proposed in New York to Establish ‘Strongest and Most Comprehensive’ Crypto Regulations in US
8.5.2023
New York State Attorney General Letitia James has proposed “landmark” crypto legislation that claims to be “the strongest and most comprehensive set of regulations on cryptocurrency” in the United States. “Rampant fraud and dysfunction have become the hallmarks of cryptocurrency and it is time...
Nigerian Payments Provider Nomba Secures $30 Million in Pre-Series B Funding Round
8.5.2023
The Nigerian payments startup, Nomba, is reported to have raised $30 million via a pre-Series B that was led by Base10 Partners. The new solution is expected to help the startup operate more efficiently and deliver “excellent customer experiences.” Plugging Gaps in Payment Processes...
Louisiana Senator Compares Modern Banks to ‘Sophisticated Ponzi Schemes’
7.5.2023
Louisiana Republican senator John Kennedy recently stated in an interview published on Wednesday that the U.S. Federal Reserve may need to increase the federal funds rate to 8-10% to address the country’s inflationary pressures. Kennedy’s remarks come after he criticized the Biden...
Bitcoin Network Overwhelmed by 390,000 Unconfirmed Transactions and Surging Fees
7.5.2023
In just under two weeks, the number of unconfirmed transactions on the Bitcoin network has skyrocketed from 134,000 to over 390,000, causing a bottleneck in the mempool. This surge in unconfirmed transactions has resulted in a staggering 343% increase in transaction fees, which have risen from...
Bitcoin’s BRC20 Token Economy Skyrockets 192% to $279 Million in Just Four Days
7.5.2023
Four days ago, the market capitalization of all the BRC20 tokens built on top of the Bitcoin network was a modest $95 million. However, over the past four days, the BRC20 market valuation has seen tremendous growth, increasing by 192% and reaching $279 million. More Than 13,000 BRC20 Tokens Built...
Upgrade to Bring Bitcoin Cash Smart Contracts, Ted Cruz on BTC, Global De-Dollarization Efforts — Week in Review
7.5.2023
Software developer Jason Dreyzehner says smart contracts “comparable to Ethereum,” but remarkably more efficient will be made possible by the May 15 upgrade coming to the Bitcoin Cash network. In other news, the world’s largest regional organization, the Shanghai Cooperation...
Swedbank Strategist Says US Banking Crisis Is Spreading — Warns of More Banks Failing in ‘Vicious Spiral’
7.5.2023
A strategist at Swedbank, a Swedish bank, has warned that the regional banking crisis in the U.S. is spreading. After several bank failures, he stressed that Pacwest Bank, Western Alliance Bank, and First Horizon Bank have all been “subject to financial meltdowns.” Swedbank on U.S. Banking...
Digital Assets for 1 Billion Rubles Issued in Russia in a Month
7.5.2023
Platforms authorized by the Russian government issued digital assets worth around a billion rubles in April, the local press reported. The spike in the volume has been attributed to Russian companies experimenting with new financial instruments amid limited access to traditional capital. Russia’s...
Binance Reportedly Investigated in US for Russia Sanctions Violations
7.5.2023
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is facing a U.S. probe over suspected violations of sanctions against Russia, according to a media report. The inquiry is looking into whether the trading platform was used by Russians to circumvent financial restrictions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine....
Bitcoin Provides Insurance Against Fiat Currency Failure, Says Validus Power Corp.’s Greg Foss
7.5.2023
On May 4, in a recent Youtube video, Validus Power Corp.’s executive director, Greg Foss, discussed the potential for the banking industry’s failures to wipe out $10 trillion in equity. Foss expressed his support for “hard assets” such as real estate, gold, and bitcoin....
Lawyer Expects SEC to Lose if It Sues Coinbase Due to ‘Fatal Flaw’ of Gary Gensler’s Own Making
7.5.2023
A lawyer has explained why the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will likely lose if the regulator takes crypto exchange Coinbase to court over alleged securities law violations. “The problem is entirely of Gary Gensler’s own making,” he stressed. Lawyer Expects SEC to Lose Against...
Billionaire Bill Ackman on US Banking Crisis: We Are Running Out of Time to Fix This Problem
7.5.2023
Billionaire Bill Ackman has warned that “We are running out of time” to fix the problem that led to the collapses of regional banks. “How many more unnecessary bank failures do we need to watch before the FDIC, U.S. Treasury, and our government wake up?” he stressed, adding that “We need...
Fed Reveals 722 Banks Reported Unrealized Losses Over 50% of Capital as Concerns Over US Banking Crisis Grow
7.5.2023
The U.S. Federal Reserve has revealed that 722 banks reported unrealized losses exceeding 50% of their capital at the end of the third quarter of 2022. “Rising interest rates are creating significant unrealized losses in investment securities and in some cases depressing tangible equity,” according...
UK High Court Rules to Set Aside Interim Proprietary Injunction Against Binance
6.5.2023
A high court in the United Kingdom recently set aside a proprietary injunction that was issued against the crypto exchange Binance. In its application challenging the injunction, Binance said the action had been taken without notice. Binance also said it could not comply with the injunction since...
SEC Probes First Republic Bank Executives for Insider Trading; Lawmakers Dump Bank’s Shares Before Collapse
6.5.2023
After the second largest bank failure in history, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating First Republic Bank executives for allegedly engaging in insider trading. Two sources have claimed that the securities regulator is scrutinizing the bank’s...