Skip to main content

MLB Team Washington Nationals Partners With Terra Blockchain Community, Ballpark Plans to Accept UST

On February 9, the American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C., the Washington Nationals, announced the team has partnered with Terra, the open-source blockchain platform and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The Washington Nationals detail that the team is a “leading innovator” and is “consistently introducing new technologies to enhance the fan experience.” Washington Nationals Ink Long-Term Deal With Terra Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Washington Nationals has partnered with the blockchain platform and DAO Terra, according to an announcement published by the team on Wednesday. The deal with Terra follows a slew of sports-related deals with crypto firms, but the MLB team will be the first to partner with an open-source blockchain project. In addition to the partnership, the algorithmic stablecoin UST that’s issued on the Terra blockchain will be “accepted as a payment method at Nationals Park as early as next season.” “The Nationals continue t...

$1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Passes Senate With Troubling Crypto Requirements

$1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Passes Senate With Troubling Crypto Requirements

The U.S. Senate has passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with a crypto reporting requirement provision that has been described as “unworkable.” Senator Ted Cruz warned: “This infrastructure bill has in it a portion that is designed to obliterate crypto. That would be a tragic mistake.”

Senate Passes Infrastructure Bill With ‘Unworkable’ Crypto Tax Provision

The U.S. Senate voted 69-30 to approve the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Tuesday without a crypto amendment.

Many people have raised concerns about the cryptocurrency provision in the bill. Senator Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania called it “unworkable.” Two amendments were put forward to rectify the situation. On Monday, the senators who sponsored the two amendments reached an agreement with the Treasury Department and a compromise crypto amendment was born.

The Senate voted on the compromise amendment Monday afternoon. However, it required a unanimous consent agreement and Senator Richard Shelby from Alabama objected after he failed to get support for his own amendment.

Senator Ted Cruz from Texas tweeted Tuesday:

This infrastructure bill has in it a portion that is designed to obliterate crypto. That would be a tragic mistake.

Senator Mike Lee from Utah warned during the Senate session Saturday that if this bill passes, “it’s going to have a chilling effect on innovation within this sector … Places outside the United States may well be the ones to reap the benefit associated with the laws here in the United States if we adopt an unproven, untested, unknown strategy. What you’ll see is the flight of innovation, and investments related to innovation, to offshore locations around the globe.”

Many people in the crypto community agree, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who wrote, “We will see future development of blockchain technology move offshore to countries like China that are currently embracing it.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk concurred, emphasizing that “There is no crisis that compels hasty legislation” for cryptocurrency.

A major problem in the bill is the definition of a “broker” who must file reports with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As it stands, a broker could include software developers, transaction validators, and node operators who do not collect the information the IRS requires.

NBC’s Jake Sherman reported Tuesday:

Sen. Shelby just told us he’s actually for the [crypto] amendment he blocked yesterday, but blocked it simply because he didn’t want them to get an amendment unless he got his defense amendment.

The bill has now moved to the House of Representatives, which does not return from recess until Sept. 20.

Despite the setback, crypto supporters are not giving up. After the compromise crypto amendment failed to pass in the Senate, four congressmen began their efforts to lessen the impact of the bill.

Rep. Tom Emmer wrote: “I, along with bipartisan Blockchain Caucus co-chairs Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. David Schweikert, and Rep. Bill Foster sent a letter to every single representative in the House raising concerns about the Senate infrastructure bill being paid for by our crypto industry.” He elaborated:

The House must consider amendments to this provision that exempt entities that don’t conduct crypto transactions and keep blockchain software development, cryptocurrency mining, and more in the United States.

What do you think about the Senate passing the infrastructure bill without a crypto amendment? Let us know in the comments section below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Blockchain Software Firm Consensys Acquires Mycrypto Ethereum Wallet

On February 1, the blockchain infrastructure firm Consensys has revealed it has acquired the Ethereum-based wallet Mycrypto and plans to merge the wallet into Metamask. The price Consensys paid for Mycrypto was not disclosed but the announcement notes that the acquisition will “further improve the security of all the products.” Consensys Obtains Mycrypto Ethereum Wallet, Plans to Merge With Metamask in the Future Consensys has acquired the Ethereum-based wallet Mycrypto for an undisclosed sum according to an announcement released on Tuesday. The deal aims to strengthen the company’s Ethereum wallet Metamask and “enhance Web3 experiences.” The eventual merger between the two Ethereum interfaces will “provide users with a heightened experience that is even more extensive and secure,” according to Consensys. Consensys is an Ethereum software company led by one of the Ethereum co-founders Joseph Lubin. The Web3 wallet Metamask, with 21 million monthly active users (MAUs) is owned by C...

The Congolese Mountain of Gold: Surprise Discovery in Africa Shows Metal’s Scarcity Is Hard to Prove

A myriad of gold bugs like to compliment the yellow precious metal for its ostensible scarcity, as estimates say only 2,500 to 3,000 tons of new gold is produced annually. While new gold discoveries have seemingly slowed, investigative studies also show that in some areas, gold is being smuggled into the economy by the ton, and often never accounted for as far as per annum issuance estimates. Recently, reports show a whole mountain of gold was discovered in the Congo, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo is well known for being a region that sees tons of smuggled gold filtered into the global financial system unreported. Surprise Gold Deposits Continue to Crack the Precious Metal’s Scarcity Proposition It has always been said that the precious metal gold (Au) is scarce, and some reports even say that gold mining on earth will end by the year 2050 . Additionally, estimates also show that there’s roughly 2,500 to 3,000 tons of new gold that is accounted for and enters into the fin...

Bitcoin Legal Tender in 3 Days but Survey Shows 7 Out of 10 Salvadorans Want Bitcoin Law Repealed

Bitcoin is becoming legal tender in El Salvador in three days. However, a nationwide survey conducted by the University Institute of Public Opinion (Iudop) shows that seven out of 10 Salvadorans want the government to repeal the Bitcoin Law. El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law Goes Into Effect in 3 Days The University Institute of Public Opinion (Iudop) in El Salvador conducted a study between Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 of how the public views the country’s upcoming Bitcoin Law. The institute is a research center of the José Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA). El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law is set to go into effect on Sept. 7 , when BTC will be legal tender in the country alongside the U.S. dollar. A total of 1,281 respondents ages 18 and over participated in this national survey that “represents the entire adult population residing in the country,” according to the institute. Out of all the respondents, 62.4% said they were aware of the approval of the Bitcoin Law by the deputies of the ...