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Latam Insights: El Salvador Passes Bitcoin Citizenship Law, Argentina to Allow Crypto Denominated Contracts
25.12.2023
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: El Salvador passes a Bitcoin donation citizenship law, Argentina will allow the settlement of crypto-denominated contracts, and President Milei moves...
Former Bitmex CEO Arthur Hayes: ETF Success’ Might ‘Destroy Bitcoin’
25.12.2023
Arthur Hayes, former CEO of Bitmex and cryptocurrency market analyst, pondered about the success of an upcoming spot bitcoin ETF and its effect on the future of bitcoin. Hayes states that the popularity of these ETF derivatives might concentrate the custody of all the bitcoin in a few hands that...
Epic Games Store Changes Policies to Allow Blockchain Games in Its Platform Again
25.12.2023
The Epic Games Store, the digital distribution storefront owned by Epic Games, has made changes that will allow some blockchain games to be listed on its platform again. Epic Games has announced that it will now admit games rated as “Adults Only” due to having non-fungible tokens (NFT)...
Bitcoin Fork Discussions Surface Over Block Space Constraints and Ordinals
24.12.2023
While no formal announcement has been made, murmurs of a potential Bitcoin fork are emerging amidst discussions on block space, Ordinal inscriptions, and escalating fees. Such speculation has led some to believe that a significant Bitcoin fork might occur in 2024. Talks of a Bitcoin Fork Appear...
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Record 72 Trillion Amid Hashrate Surge and $600M Spent on ASICs in December
24.12.2023
On Dec. 23, 2023, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty soared to a record level at block height 822,528. The difficulty surged by 6.98%, marking the most substantial escalation in nine months, since March 23. This increment set a new precedent, making the discovery of block rewards more arduous than...
Bitcoin Options Open Interest Skyrockets Past $18 Billion as Traders Anticipate SEC ETF Decision
24.12.2023
Bitcoin options open interest has soared to unprecedented levels, surpassing the $18 billion threshold on Dec. 22, 2023. Currently, evidence indicates that bitcoin traders are leveraging bitcoin options to mitigate risk and speculate on the future price trajectories of bitcoin, particularly...
NFT Sales Dip — Bitcoin Dominance and Solana’s Rise Challenge Ethereum’s NFT Authority
24.12.2023
In the last week, sales of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have fallen by 12.26%, totaling $463.87 million, marking a decrease from the previous week. NFTs centered around Bitcoin topped the chart, amassing $265.61 million in sales, despite a 13.71% decline from the preceding week. Meanwhile, Solana...
Brandt Bucks BTC Halving Hype, Vitalik’s Big Transfer, Spot Bitcoin ETF Developments, and More — Week in Review
24.12.2023
Trader and financial analyst Peter Brandt says that BTC “halving hype is a whole lot of excitement over nothing,” while developments point to imminent SEC action on the spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) front. In other popular news this week, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin...
Argentine Foreign Minister: Financial Contracts Can Now Be Denominated in BTC
24.12.2023
According to Argentina’s Foreign Minister, financial contracts can now be denominated in bitcoin or any other medium of exchange that the parties to the contract so choose. In addition, debtors will be obligated to “deliver the corresponding amount of the designated currency, whether...
Law Offers Fast-Track Citizenship for Bitcoin Donations to El Salvador, Report Says
24.12.2023
Under El Salvador’s recently approved immigration reform law, foreigners who donate to the government’s social and economic development programs will be eligible for expedited citizenship. However, the reform law does not reveal the amount of bitcoins that foreigners must donate...
Hive Amplifies Bitcoin Mining Might With 7,000 Bitmain S21 Units
24.12.2023
The publicly-listed company Hive Digital Technologies, based in Vancouver, has announced the acquisition of 7,000 new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) bitcoin mining rigs from Bitmain. The ordered Antminer S21 units are slated for arrival from January through June next year. Hive...
SEC ‘Deeply Regrets’ Errors in Case Against Crypto Firm But Tells Court Sanctions Are Not Warranted
24.12.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says that it “deeply regrets” the errors made in the case against crypto firm Debt Box after the court found that the agency made “materially false and misleading representations.” However, the SEC claimed that sanctions are...
Former SEC Official Says Gary Gensler’s Legacy Could Be the Approval of Spot Bitcoin ETF
24.12.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s former head of internet enforcement, a crypto skeptic, now believes that the SEC is likely to approve a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). He further expressed that “the legacy of SEC Chair Gary Gensler could be the approval of a spot...
Blackrock Reveals Plan to Seed Spot Bitcoin ETF With $10 Million on January 3
24.12.2023
Blackrock has revealed a plan to seed its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) with $10 million on Jan. 3. The world’s largest asset manager has engaged in six recent meetings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to address its filing. In response to the SEC’s...
Solana Tops $100 After Monumental 764% Growth This Year
24.12.2023
On Saturday, the smart contract platform Solana’s token, solana (SOL), eclipsed the $100 threshold, achieving a weekly growth exceeding 36% against the U.S. dollar. Throughout the year, investor sentiment toward solana (SOL) has remained overwhelmingly positive, intensifying following...
Petition to Stop Proposed Crypto Ban in US Gains Traction
24.12.2023
A petition to stop a proposed crypto ban in the U.S. has gained traction. The Chamber of Digital Commerce explained that the Digital Asset Anti Money Laundering Act, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren and currently supported by 19 U.S. senators, is “a crypto ban” that...
Nigerian Central Bank Lifts February 2021 Crypto Prohibition Order
23.12.2023
The Nigerian central bank has reversed its Feb. 5 order which barred banks and financial institutions from extending their services to crypto entities. The central bank said new guidelines align with the Financial Action Task Force’s updated recommendation 15, which calls for the regulation...
Forecast Frenzy — Bitcoin Price Predictions Surge as 2024 Approaches
23.12.2023
As 2023 winds down with bitcoin soaring by 165% since January, numerous luminaries, visionaries, speculators, and market players predict that the leading cryptocurrency’s value will soar even higher in 2024. This week, Markus Thielen, leading Matrixport’s research division, shared...
Bitcoin Miner Stronghold Secures $15 Million Equity Raise Amidst Hashrate Curtailment Challenges
23.12.2023
In a recent disclosure, the publicly-listed bitcoin mining corporation Stronghold Digital Mining publicized its entry into a $15 million securities purchase agreement with an institutional investor. Furthermore, Stronghold elaborated that the firm’s Panther Creek Plant encountered unforeseen...
Bitcoin Solidifies Lead Over Ethereum in 2023 — Dominates in Market Cap, NFT Sales, and Fee Generation
23.12.2023
In the past year, the leading cryptocurrency, bitcoin, has eclipsed ethereum in multiple key areas. From the beginning of the year to date, the value of ether has diminished by 27.65% relative to bitcoin’s price, falling from 0.073 ether to its current level of 0.052 ether. Bitcoin Reigns...