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US Lawmakers Slam SEC and Chair Gensler for Refusing to Provide Clear Regulation for Crypto Industry
17.12.2023
U.S. lawmakers have slammed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its chairman Gary Gensler for refusing to provide clear crypto regulation. “SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s continued refusal to provide clarity for the digital asset ecosystem is shameful,” one congressman said....
Goldman Sachs: Don’t Expect Immediate BTC Spike After Spot Bitcoin ETF Approvals
17.12.2023
Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has advised investors against anticipating a sudden and immediate surge in the price of bitcoin upon the approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Nonetheless, Goldman Sachs highlighted that...
SEC Denies Coinbase’s Petition for Clear Crypto Regulation — Exchange Responds by Taking the Regulator to Court
17.12.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rejected cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase’s petition for regulatory clarity in the crypto industry. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler backs his agency’s decision to deny Coinbase’s petition. In response, Coinbase has pursued legal...
Blackrock Meets With SEC 4 Times to Discuss Spot Bitcoin ETF Application
17.12.2023
Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, has met with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the fourth time recently to discuss its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said this week that the securities regulator is “taking...
Safemoon Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection Amid Securities and Wire Fraud Charges
17.12.2023
In the latest development, Safemoon, a crypto company, voluntarily initiated Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings in the District of Utah, as stated in their bankruptcy documentation. This action comes on the heels of the company’s founders facing indictment for securities fraud, wire fraud,...
Crypto App Shakepay Reveals Data Breach Affecting a ‘Small Number’ of Customers
16.12.2023
In a recent announcement, Shakepay, the Canadian crypto app, disclosed a data breach involving unauthorized access to personal information of a select group of its customers. The breach, detected on Dec. 13, 2023, compromised data but did not affect any bank accounts, crypto wallets, or customer...
Bitcoin Transaction Fees Soar to $40, Sparking Debate and Push for L2 Solutions Amid Mempool Backlog
16.12.2023
On Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Bitcoin’s transaction fees spike to a high of $40 per transaction at 1:48 p.m. Eastern Time. The jump in onchain fees surpassed the high reached on May 8, 2023, when the average transfer cost topped $31 per transfer. Skyrocketing Bitcoin Fees Surpass $40 Bitcoin...
Echoes of 2013: Bitcoin Mining Concentration Reaches Decade-High Levels
16.12.2023
In the past 72 hours, Antpool has dominated 26.48% of Bitcoin’s overall hashrate, closely followed by Foundry USA at 24.95%. Together, these two mining pools wield 51.43% of the prevailing 502 exahash per second (EH/s) total hashrate. This level of concentration in bitcoin mining pools...
NFT Sales Soar to Over $500M; Bitcoin Leads With Unprecedented Growth
16.12.2023
Sales of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have surged by 52.81% over the past week, reaching a total of $503.35 million. Bitcoin has emerged as the frontrunner in this week’s NFT market, generating $276.79 million in sales, surpassing Ethereum’s $99.67 million, which previously held the...
Bitcoin Difficulty Set for Upturn Amid Escalating Hashrate and Soaring Miner Fees
16.12.2023
After the last adjustment that resulted in a slight 0.96% reduction, the upcoming difficulty retarget on Dec. 23, 2023 is anticipated to bring about an increase, eclipsing the previous decline, as the hashrate regains its upward trajectory. The seven-day average hashrate reached a low of...
Lesotho’s Entire Payment System Reportedly Goes Offline After Cyberattack
16.12.2023
The Central Bank of Lesotho recently confirmed that its payment system was attacked by unknown cybercriminals. The bank also acknowledged that the resulting downtime is making it “impossible for all local banks to honor inter-bank transactions in the country.” No Financial Loss Suffered...
Circle CEO Says Investors Should Have Exposure to Bitcoin in Complex Geopolitical Environment
16.12.2023
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire says in a complex geopolitical environment, bitcoin is an asset that investors should have some exposure to. He emphasized that “digital commodities are here to stay,” noting that bitcoin is the largest digital commodity asset. The executive also believes...
Bank Of China Completes First Cross-Border Digital Yuan Commodities Trade
16.12.2023
The Bank of China Hong Kong, the second largest bank in the region, has completed its first cross-border digital yuan-based trade. The transaction, finalized with its sibling bank, the Bank of China, served to receive the payment for an imported iron ore commodity bulk trade, establishing...
Australian Bitcoin Miner Iris Energy Set to Acquire 8,380 New-Generation T21 Miners
16.12.2023
Bitcoin mining company Iris Energy Limited said on Dec. 15 that it expects to take delivery of 8,380 new-generation T21 miners from Bitmain. Delivery of the mining machines is expected to help Iris Energy fulfill its goal of increasing its self-mining capacity to 10 EH/s (exahash per second)....
Government of Russia Eyes Commodity-Like Crypto Exports
16.12.2023
The government of Russia might allow crypto miners to sell their cryptocurrency like other exports such as gas. Ivan Chebeskov, deputy minister of finance, specified that this option was part of a bill to legalize cryptocurrency mining introduced in 2022, that could allow miners to proceed with...
IMF Chief Calls for Clear Crypto Regulation — Warns High Crypto Adoption Could Undermine Financial Stability
16.12.2023
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for clear crypto regulations worldwide, cautioning that high crypto adoption could undermine macro-financial stability. “Our goal is to make a more efficient, interoperable, and accessible financial system by providing rules...
Finance Professor Blasts SEC’s Potential Cash-Only Rule for Spot Bitcoin ETFs Citing Benefits of In-Kind Model
16.12.2023
A finance professor at Georgetown University has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to avoid micromanaging the creation/redemption process for spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). While the SEC proposed the cash creation method, applicants like Blackrock and Fidelity have...
SEC Chair Gensler Reveals Regulator Is ‘Taking a New Look’ at Spot Bitcoin ETF Filings
16.12.2023
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler has revealed that the regulator is taking a new look at spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications based on recent court rulings. “We had in the past denied a number of these applications, but the courts here in...
Crypto Crimes Highlighted in IRS Criminal Investigation’s 2023 Top 10 Criminal Cases
16.12.2023
In the IRS’s list of top 10 criminal cases for 2023, cryptocurrency frauds are featured, ranging from multi-million dollar tax evasions to elaborate money laundering schemes. Crypto Scams Among Most Significant Financial Crimes in IRS Criminal Investigation’s 2023 Report The...
Bitcoin Miner Hive Diversifies Into AI, Acquires 96 Nvidia GPUs to Boost High-Performance Computing Operations
15.12.2023
On Friday, Hive Digital, based in Vancouver and specializing in bitcoin mining and high-performance computing (HPC), announced its foray into artificial intelligence (AI) and HPC technologies. This strategic move involves acquiring 96 Nvidia H100 graphics processing units (GPUs). From Bitcoin...