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Showing posts from March 8, 2021

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...

South African crypto firms warn opaque regulations are harming the industry

South African crypto firms are threatening to move operations abroad if lawmakers don’t provide clear regulatory guidelines. South African crypto firms are threatening to move abroad if local lawmakers are unable to provide regulatory clarity to its domestic digital asset industry. Speaking to Bloomberg , Sean Sanders, the CEO of local crypto investment platform Revix — who plan to relocate their head office to the United Kingdom, described the South African government as being “incredibly slow” in clarifying regulatory guidelines for the crypto industry. “That leads to businesses looking internationally. In an unregulated environment, a customer arrives at our platform with skepticism, and rightfully so,” he said, adding:  South Africa seems to go in the opposite direction of some of the more developed market pioneers and innovators in this space. For regulators to apply hundred-year-old securities regulations to the novel cryptocurrency asset class seems lazy.” Revix is als...

Private Blockchain Project Funding Accelerates as Companies Race to Address New Needs

Blockchain operations are increasingly embracing more traditional financing from big-name venture funds to leverage these strategic stakeholders’ benefits instead of crowdfunding avenues popularized during the last blockchain hype wave. Funding Roundup: Concordium, StakeWise, and Automata Reveal Private Capital from Leading Funds In a significant departure from the last crypto startup wave focused on raised public capital in the form of initial coin offerings (ICO), token sales, and exchange launches, today’s advancing blockchain initiatives are increasingly tapping private capital from venture funds. Though the sums awarded aren’t eclipsing the billions raised by projects in previous years, the latest developments are positive for companies, funds, and users at large. A blockchain VC investment leverages the expertise and due diligence of the fund itself, lending greater credibility to the underlying project. Accordingly, companies turn to these more traditional funding outlets t...

NuCypher and Keep Network propose ‘world’s first decentralized protocol merger’

Data encryption and protection protocols Keep Network and NuCyper have announced plans to integrate around a new network dubbed “Keanu.” The communities of crypto projects Keep and NuCypher are proposing a “hard merge,” with onlookers describing the move as “the world’s first decentralized protocol merger.” Proposals were published to the respective forums of Keep and NuCypher’s DAO on March 8, revealing discussions have been underway between the two projects for several weeks. If passed, the merger is expected to see the two projects integrated into a new interoperable network dubbed “Keanu.” 1/ Recently, a couple @keep_project and @nucypher community members reached out to broker a call. Two whirlwind weeks later, and the teams are putting a joint proposal in front of our communities. The proposal? To join forces in the first on-chain protocol hard merge. — Matt Luongo (@mhluongo) March 8, 2021 The Keep Network is a protocol allowing blockchain users to privately store an...

This trading platform has a novel approach to welcoming new users

A fully regulated brokerage has unveiled a novel approach for attracting new users — and vows to put traders “on an equal footing with everyone else.” A fully regulated brokerage with more than 100,000 users globally has introduced a novel way of welcoming new customers to its platform. Quantfury says users who invite their friends to join the platform will receive stock or cryptocurrency as a reward — with a value of anywhere between $10 and $250 — and their friends will receive the same. According to the company, this could deliver some interesting opportunities that a user may not have contemplated before… such as owning Facebook or Google stock, or gaining exposure to Bitcoin or Ethereum. In a move to stand head and shoulders above the competition,  Quantfury says that users could receive up to $750 of rewards in a single calendar year, depending on how many friends they end up inviting. A compelling philosophy Quantfury’s main motivation is enabling trading and invest...

Southeast Asia's first Bitcoin fund launches to meet local institutional demand

The BCMG Genesis Bitcoin Fund-I will be available to accredited Asian investors. The Malaysia-based BCMG Genesis Bitcoin Fund-I, or BGBF-I, has officially launched, claiming to have become the first insured institutional crypto product available in the Southeast Asian region. An  announcement  states the fund launched in response to a growing demand for institutional crypto products in Southeast Asia . The fund leverages an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered blockchain-based platform provided by Calfin Global Crypto Exchang, which purports to offer increased security for customer holdings. BGBF-I is regulated in Labuan, Malaysia, where IBH Investment Bank serves as the fund’s main advisor. Professional financial services provider, Hong Kong-based Alpha Calibration, will provide regulatory compliance services, and be audited by HLB Hodgson. The investment vehicle also offers insurance coverage and underwriting for Public Offering Security Insurance. Fund Manager, Subbu V...

Former DC comic book artist fetches $1.85M auctioning Wonder Woman NFTs

Former DC comic artist, José Delbo, made $1.85 million in four days auctioning 914 NFTs depicting the popular fictional heroine Wonder Woman. José Delbo, an artist who illustrated the comic book series Wonder Woman during the late 1970s, has made $1.85 million in an auction selling non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, depicting the popular heroine. The 87-year-old Argentian, who also worked on Batman , Transformers , and The Beatles ' Yellow Submarine comic book, collaborated with Milan-based crypto art duo Hackatao to produce the NFT drop, dubbed " Heroines ." In total, 914 individual NFTs were auctioned , with the tokens each featuring one of seven illustrations or animated gifs depicting Wonder Woman in scenes invoking themes relating to the empowerment of women . The tokens auctioned included two one-of-a-kind editions, four "open limited editions " — where an unlimited amount of NFTs can be minted only while the auction is ongoing, and one edition for whi...

Glassnode: $47k showed strongest on-chain support since BTC broke $11k

Approximately 6.5% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply moved on-chain while the markets found support at $47k, representing “one of the largest on-chain BTC accumulation levels” ever. On-chain crypto analytics firm Glassnode has reported significant on-chain support was found for BTC at the roughly $47,000 level, describing the event as the largest on-chain support identified since Bitcoin broke above $11,000 in late 2020. According to a March 8 report from Glassnode, approximately 1.2 million Bitcoin were moved on-chain as BTC’s price traded between $45,500 to $48,900 after bouncing off a local low near $45,000 last week. Glassnode CTO Rafael Schultze-Kraft noted that roughly 6.5% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply moved on-chain as support was established. This support is holding nicely. And it got stronger! We now have a wall of 1.2M $BTC that moved on-chain between $46.6k and $48.6k. That's 6.5% (!) of the circulating supply. I'd be surprised if we go below anytime ...

South Korean Crypto Transactions Command an Average of $7 Billion per Day on Domestic Exchanges

An investigation unveiled a growing fever among crypto traders in South Korea, who actively transact cryptocurrencies every day. Local media outlets are returning to adopt the term “crypto fever” as the recent billion-dollar figures confirm such a trend. Figures Are Now Higher Than 2018 According to the report made by Dong-A , a major South Korean newspaper, domestic crypto investors transacted around $7 billion per day in the period ranging from January 1 to February 25, 2021. Kim Byeong-wook, a parliamentary member of the Democratic Party, compiled the numbers by extracting data from Bithumb, Upbit, Korbit, and Coinone, the most prominent local crypto exchanges. Per the study, 42% of the average volume was traded on the KOSPI stock exchange. The newspaper pointed out that this is the first time that investors’ statistics of the four major South Korean crypto exchanges see the light. In the same period, the study showed that users of the four exchanges transacted approximately $...

Ripple and MoneyGram to 'wind down' partnership

While the partnership between Ripple and MoneyGram has been officially terminated, the two firms have expressed they are open to resuming collaboration in the future. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has issued a statement announcing the fintech firm and MoneyGram International have together decided to “wind down” their partnership. However, the March 8 statement noted that both companies are committed to revisiting some form of partnership together in the future. Garlinghouse noted that together, Ripple and MoneyGram International (MGI) processed billions of dollars through Ripple’s RippleNet and On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) services, stating: “While the lack of a crypto reg framework has needlessly muddied the waters for U.S. businesses & consumers, there’s no denying what Ripple and MGI have achieved together.” The Ripple CEO has repeatedly accused U.S. lawmakers of stifling the crypto sector by failing to establish clear regulatory guidelines. Speaking to financial outlet Axios...

NFT-related altcoins hit new highs after Bitcoin price rallies to $53K

Bitcoin's daily close above the key $52,000 level signals that bulls intend to make a second attempt at securing a new all-time high. The cryptocurrency market saw an influx of activity on March 8 that provided a lift to the vast majority of the top tokens as the world celebrates International Women’s Day.  Bitcoin’s ( BTC ) recovery back above $50,000 was followed by a new wave of bullish optimism and analysis from Bloomberg senior commodity strategist Mike McGlone suggested that Bitcoin is pushing gold aside as a store of value in investors' portfolios. Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows the price of BTC has increased 4.6% from a low of $49,272 during the early trading hours of March 8 to $53,300 at the time of writing. BTC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView Recent analysis shows that while professional traders remain hesitant to open new BTC long positions due to a strengthening dollar index and rising Treasury yields, large corporations a...

Publicly Listed Maker of Billion-User Chinese App Meitu Buys $40 Million of Bitcoin and Ether for Its Treasury

One of China’s top internet app makers, Meitu Inc., is adding up to $100 million worth of cryptocurrencies to its treasury, joining a growing list of companies worldwide to do so. The company has already purchased $40 million worth of bitcoin and ether for its balance sheet. Chinese Public Company Adds Bitcoin and Ethereum to Treasury Reserves Chinese public company Meitu Inc. announced Sunday: The group has purchased 15,000 units of ether and 379.1214267 units of bitcoin ( BTC ), both cryptocurrencies, in open market transactions at an aggregate consideration of approximately US$22.1 million and US$17.9 million respectively, on March 5, 2021. Founded in 2008, Meitu is one of China’s top internet enterprises utilizing AI-driven image-and-video processing technologies for editing user-generated mobile content. According to its website, Meitu’s flagship app has accumulated more than 1 billion users worldwide. As of June 2020, there are 2.08 billion unique devices with Meitu’s pro...

Chiliz (CHZ) rallies 60% to a $1B market cap as fan token offerings expand

The success of the AC Milan Fan Token launch and plans to expand to the United States support Chiliz's 1,000% rally over the past month. Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (DeFi) are two of the hottest concepts in the crypto sector, and each is altering the way projects and companies interact with the public on a wide scale.  One project that is looking to apply these concepts into a framework for sports fan engagement is Chiliz, a blockchain platform created by the Socios fan engagement platform. The project is designed to allow fans to purchase branded Fan Tokens that let them influence their teams through the popular vote. According to the project website, all Fan Tokens are minted on the Chiliz blockchain with on-platform voting being executed through a series of smart contracts. Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows that over the past month, the price of Chiliz (CHZ) has increased 760%, going from $0.022 on Feb. 8 to a new all-time high ...

Active user wallets on Ethereum DeFi have dipped 40% in one month

Wallets interacting with Ethereum-based decentralized finance protocols have dipped significantly since mid-February. According to DappRadar, the unique active wallet count on the Ethereum DeFi market has seen a significant drop. Between mid-February and the time of writing, unique active wallets on Ethereum DeFi have dipped almost 40%. While Ethereum (ETH) gas fees seem to have bottomed out, the high transaction costs that have characterized the network over the past few weeks appear to have resulted in a marked effect on DeFi user statistics. Source: DappRadar.com Major DeFi protocols like Synthetix and Curve have also seen between 10 and 15% in 24-hour active user count decline. Indeed, Cointelegraph previously reported that daily DeFi volumes have retreated significantly amid high gas fees. However, popular decentralized exchanges like Uniswap and 1inch have seen an influx of new users over the past month. DappRadar data shows Uniswap’s user base growing by 22%, while 1in...

Bitcoin price breakout imminent: Why BTC bulls and bears are battling at $52K

Bitcoin must overcome a big hurdle at $52,000 for any chance to break new highs in the short term. Bitcoin's ( BTC ) price has been consolidating in the previous weeks as the sentiment and momentum have slowed to a crawl. That's very natural as it's also impossible to throw a six every time.  Therefore, consolidation and correction are necessary for the market to recharge before resuming the uptrend. Several reasons were given for such a corrective move in the previous weeks. The primary ones being whales selling in addition to macroeconomic factors, particularly the surge in Treasury yields . However, Bitcoin's price is back at a critical resistance zone for continuation. If that resistance zone breaks, new all-time highs are in play once more. Bitcoin’s critical resistance zone at $52K  BTC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView BTC’s price is having a tough time cracking the resistance zone at $52,000, as the chart above shows. This resistance zone is crit...

NYDIG raises $200M from strategic partners as total Bitcoin custody tops $1B

NYDIG and its strategic partners will work together on Bitcoin-related initiatives following a $200 million funding round. New York Digital Investment Group announced the completion of a $200-million growth capital funding round for business initiatives relating to Bitcoin ( BTC ). The funding round was led by NYDIG strategic partners Morgan Stanley, Stone Ridge Holdings Group, Soros Fund Management and MassMutual, among others. NYDIG, a provider of Bitcoin-related technology and investment services, will work alongside its strategic partners in applying Bitcoin-focused solutions to the insurance, banking and clean energy industries. NYDIG's co-founder and CEO, Robert Gutmann, said : “The firms participating in this round are more than investors — they are partners, each well known to us for years. NYDIG will be working with these firms on Bitcoin-related strategic initiatives spanning investment management, insurance, banking, clean energy, and philanthropy.” Following on fro...

40% of Goldman Sachs’ clients already have exposure to crypto, survey shows

American investment bank Goldman Sachs confirms its crypto desk plans, reports that 40% of its surveyed clients already have exposure to crypto. American banking giant Goldman Sachs has officially confirmed its plans to revive a cryptocurrency trading desk amid the increasing demand from investors. Matt McDermott, global head of digital assets for Goldman Sachs global markets division, announced that the company will provide access to CME Bitcoin ( BTC ) futures on their upcoming crypto platform. In a Friday Exchanges at Goldman Sachs podcast , the exec also noted that Goldman Sachs will offer crypto services with non-deliverable forwards, or NDFs, which stand for cash-settled, and usually short-term, forward contracts. McDermott noted that initially Goldman Sachs’ crypto platform will be limited to these two products, stating: “We’re actually going live with that crypto trading desk which would be quite narrow initially but we will focus on CME futures and non-deliverable forwar...

Beware the ides of March: Bitcoin slumps as Treasury yields and the Dollar rise again

Bitcoin sees weakening momentum as the U.S. dollar recovers and Treasury yields rise. The price of Bitcoin ( BTC ) is struggling to break past $51,000 on March 8 as the U.S. Treasury yield is rising again while the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) is at the highest levels in over three months. The global stock market, including equities in the U.S. and Asia, have pulled back in tandem as the Senate's stimulus approval sparked inflation fears. BTC (orange) vs. DXY (green) vs. Treasury yield (blue). Source: Tradingview Why is Bitcoin dropping off of inflation fears As Welt market analyst, Holger Zschaepitz, explained, the bond market turned into turmoil as the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield surged to 1.6% after the stimulus news broke. The instability in the bond market naturally led to a sell-off of risk-on assets, affecting both stocks and cryptocurrencies. The analyst wrote : "Bond turmoil continues w/US 10y yields jump to almost 1.6% as the $1.9tn US fiscal package alongside r...

Hosting a CBDC? Only one of Bitcoin, Ethereum or XRP can do it, says report

Not all cryptocurrencies have the attributes desired by central banks for hosting CBDCs. A 44-page report commissioned by CPA Australia delves into the status of Central Bank Digital Currency development worldwide, while exploring viable blockchain candidates for hosting CBDCs in the coming years. The report offers up evaluations of the three most transacted cryptocurrencies in Bitcoin ( BTC ), Ethereum ( ETH ) and XRP ( XRP ), and analyses their suitability (or lack thereof) for use by central banks. Bitcoin’s decentralized network and lack of oversight by banks or governments makes it generally unsuitable for use in a national CBDC network, notes the report. Although Bitcoin is still accepted as a medium of exchange the world over, its volatility and unpredictability has resulted in a lack of trust among central banks. The report states: “Despite it not being legal tender, Bitcoin is popular, and it is accepted as a medium of exchange in many places. Bitcoin’s price has been su...

Indian Government Open to Exploring Cryptocurrencies — Finance Minister Offers New Clues About Crypto Regulation

The Indian finance minister has finally revealed clues about what is in the cryptocurrency bill that is due to be introduced in parliament. Mentioning no crypto ban, she said that the government will take “a very calibrated” approach to cryptocurrencies. Indian Finance Minister Provides Clues on Upcoming Crypto Regulation Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shed some light on the upcoming crypto regulation in her country during CNBC-TV18’s IBLA townhall Friday. This is the first time she talked about the content of the bill and the Indian government’s plans on regulating cryptocurrencies since the bill was listed to be introduced in parliament. “On the cryptocurrency, yes a lot of negotiations [and] discussions are happening with the Reserve Bank because the supreme court order had very clearly told that the government has to take a call on the matter. We are talking with the Reserve Bank,” she confirmed. “Well, I am not sure, much before the cabinet takes a call on it, I w...

Galaxy Digital Bitcoin ETF to launch this week as exec eyes 'compelling opportunities'

The latest Bitcoin ETF to hit the market comes as the United States is yet to approve any homegrown competitors. Bitcoin ( BTC ) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continue to multiply as a new entrant hits the Canadian market on March 9. In a press release on Monday, Galaxy Digital Capital Management, a subsidiary of financial services and investment management company Galaxy Digital, confirmed that the CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF would likely start trading this week. Purpose ETF gets major competitor The launch will see Galaxy join the TSX Purpose Bitcoin ETF as one of the pioneering ETF products in North America, with United States regulators yet to approve a single application. As Cointelegraph reported , Purpose has seen huge interest and associated volumes since its ETF went live last month, around the same time that Galaxy filed with regulators. “We believe the emerging digital asset class presents compelling growth and diversification opportunities,” Steve Kurz, Partner and Head o...

Argo Blockchain buys 320 acre land plot in Texas to expand mining operations

The acquisition will provide Argo with access to up to additional 200MW of cheap and renewable electrical power. Publicly-listed mining company Argo Blockchain has finalized its acquisition of a new, 320 acre land plot in West Texas, United States, which it plans to use for the construction of a new 200NW cryptocurrency mining facility. News of the planned acquisition first broke in mid-February, after Argo entered into a Letter of Intent with DPN LLC of New York. Details of the deal indicate that the acquisition was completed at an initial  price of $5 million, satisfied by the issue of roughly 3.5 million new shares in Argo to DPN shareholders. A further payment of shares worth up to $12.5 million will occur once milestones related to the project are fulfilled. The cryptocurrency miner, which is based in London and trades on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker ARB, has until now  tapped cheap hydroelectric power in Quebec, Canada, for its  cryptocurren...

YIELD App Launches Ethereum Fund, Gives Users up to 20% APY

PRESS RELEASE. ESTONIA — MARCH 8, 2021 — YIELD App , the DeFi wealth management platform bridging traditional and digital finance, is pleased to announce the launch of its Ethereum fund, allowing users to earn high-interest returns on their Ether ( ETH ). Following a successful public launch and token listing (YLD), YIELD App can now offer its users up to 20% APY on their ETH and stablecoins. Ethereum deposits will be gradually open to YIELD App users over the next several days. The platform now accepts deposits of USDC, USDT , ETH , and YLD. YIELD App has seen notable progress since the public launch of its web application on 12 February 2021. Over 10,000 users have already registered, helping the platform reach more than USD $5 million AUM. Currently, over 33 million YLD tokens are held in YIELD App wallets – accounting for over 30% of the current supply – and more than 500 users have “Tier 5” accounts (20,000+ YLD), granting them a 10% APY boost. Designed for both the retai...