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Showing posts from March 18, 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...
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Ethereum whales refuse to sell as more ETH flows into DeFi

The number of wallets holding over 10K ETH has hardly dropped in four weeks. The number of addresses holding more than 10,000 ETH has hardly changed since the asset hit an all-time high of $2,050 on Feb. 20. In fact, according to data from Santiment, the number of wallets holding over 10K ETH — worth around $17.7 million at current prices — has declined by just 0.9% over the past four months. That compares to a 7.2% fall in the number of wallets holding 100 to 10K ETH according to the analytics provider . A possible explanation for the divergence is that the whale addresses may be owned by entities such as exchanges, large companies, or institutional funds that need to keep the asset on hand or locked up for investment purposes. ETHhub co-founder Anthony Sassano noted that large companies and institutions are increasingly buying and holding ETH in his March 18 newsletter . “I also expect to see many more public companies announce ETH purchases in the coming months for different r...
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Grumpy Cat meme coin raises $70K for animal shelters

A Grumpy Cat NFT fetched more than $80,000 while the Grumpy Cat coin community raised more than $70,000 for an animal shelter. The community behind meme cryptocurrency Grumpy Cat Coin, or GRUMPY, has donated 39 ETH worth almost $70,000 to the Sterling Animal Shelter in Massachusetts. (Owing to the fluctuating price of GRUMPY, that's about $10,000 less than estimated in their social post below.) Our very first charity drive has now ended. 150 Billion- roughly $80,000 in $Grumpy was raised to save kittens for Sterling Animal Shelter, I mean Meow! https://t.co/cTKjKPwrrT $link $bnb $shib $sxp $xrp $doge $rfiii $feg $hoge $bunny $eth $bao $scat $pika $poodl $chow $kangal pic.twitter.com/mm87EAHmAQ — Grumpy Cat (@GrumpyCatToken) March 17, 2021 The meme coin is based on Tardar Sauce, the internet celebrity cat famous for her perpetual grumpy appearance. On the project’s website grumpy.finance , the team states their focus is on “making successful efforts for all ...
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SmartKey Shows There Is Real Value and Utility in NFT Tokens

NFT tokens are taking over the investment scene these days, with unbelievable valuations and all kinds of brands and major artists rushing in. On the technology side SmartKey shows that NFT tokens can be used for more than just speculation, bringing real value and utility to the world. The project is now listed on KuCoin, with support for trading SKEY starting on March 19, 2021. SmartKey Brings Blockchain Technology to Real Life SmartKey is a platform that connects the DeFi revolution with real world objects. Unlike so many projects in the field that promise a lot but have nothing real to show for it, SmartKey has working blockchain technology that is already being used not only by companies but also by government emergency services to save lives. Last year it made headlines around the world when the city of Olsztyn in Poland used blockchain technology to streamline its fire, ambulance and police teams, reducing critical response times – using SmartKey. The advanced technologies...
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Putin Asks Russian Attorney General Office to Combat Illegal Cross-Border Crypto Transfers

The Russian President held a meeting with the attorney general’s office where cryptocurrencies came to the discussion table. Vladimir Putin raised red flags toward taking measures to prevent illegal activities on cross-border transfers with cryptos. Putin Calls Other Offices to Join the Fight Against the Usage of Cryptos for Illicit Purposes According to a transcript made public on the Kremlin’s official site, Putin considered that the General Prosecutor’s Office should keep engaged in strengthening financial monitoring. That being said, the Russian President pointed directly to cryptocurrencies: There is one more point — quite new, but essential: to take additional measures to suppress the illegal cross-border movement of funds of digital financial assets. Criminal elements are increasingly using these digital financial assets, and this certainly needs to be paid close attention to with colleagues from other departments, including Financial Monitoring. Financial Monitoring, or...
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After painful birth, NEM’s tokenization blockchain ‘Symbol’ is live

NEM has launched its tokenization chain, Symbol, despite pre-mainnet configuration issues pushing the launch back by two days. Veteran crypto team NEM Group has announced the successful launch of its Symbol mainnet. According to a March 17 announcement , NEM now comprises a “two chain ecosystem,” with NEM’s existing NEM NIS1 chain continuing to operate alongside Symbol. Symbol’s launch wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, with the mainnet going live two days late. Despite the team announcing the launch would be delayed due to the need to investigate unexpected node behavior amid its pre-mainnet rollout, sponsored posts celebrating Symbol’s launch were prematurely published by a number of crypto media outlets. The issue preventing Symbol’s launch was identified within 24 hours, with NEM announcing on March 16 that a “network config issue” had resulted in its pre-mainnet forking on startup. NEM describes Symbol as an interoperable Proof-of-Stake blockchain designed to support asset t...
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Flow's fully diluted market cap tops $40B as non-fungible tulips go on sale

NFT related tokens are surging as digital tulips make an appearance. The NFT craze is showing no signs of slowing down with a newly launched NFT tulip collection epitomizing how some view the current state of the crypto art ecosystem. The NFT collection appears to be an ironic reflection of the tulip mania-like status of the current NFT scene . The collection is on sale on the OpenSea NFT market place as “113 unique algorithmically generated collectible Tulips.”  The NFTs were created by a digital artist going by the Twitter handle @jtbxl who has a number of pieces for auction on the Rarible platform . 'Tulip mania' refers to a period during the Dutch Golden Age when prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulips reached extraordinarily high levels, and then dramatically collapsed in February 1637. Angel investor Brad Mills made the comparison to his 26,000 followers on Twitter on March 11. "In 5 years, people will look at the 2021 NFT cra...
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Nifty News: Tony Hawk’s ‘final’ ollie, man auctions farts, Star Wars and Marvel NFTs

Tony Hawk auctions tokenized ollie, NY man sells NFT farts (with low 'gas fees'), Star Wars and Marvel NFTs to be burned by the artist and Ripple wants to cash in on the NFT craze. Retired pro skateboarding icon Tony Hawk is the latest celebrity riding the NFT boom, announcing the imminent release of a tokenized video depicting his final ever 540-degree ollie via Ethernity Chain . This will be the last time fans will be able to see Hawk perform the trick, after landing his first one 32 years ago in 1989. Now 52, Hawk became one of the world’s top skateboarders at 16 years old and is renowned for completing the first ever 900-degree spin at the 1999 X-Games. He also holds a place in many people’s hearts for the highly successful Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater video game series. He revealed the NFTs will drop in the coming weeks and shared a video showing him practicing the stunt which left tears in his eyes after completion. The former pro noted that at his age, the 540-ollie has “g...
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Bank of America Says the Only Good Reason for Holding Bitcoin Is ‘Sheer Price Appreciation’

Bank of America sees no good reason to own bitcoin other than “sheer price appreciation.” The firm’s strategists found that the cryptocurrency’s “inflation hedging benefits are not particularly apparent.” Bank of America also claims that bitcoin does not offer diversification benefits and is “impractical as a store of wealth or payments mechanism.” Bank of America Sees One Good Reason to Own Bitcoin A Bank of America team led by strategist Francisco Blanch said in a report published Wednesday that there is “no good reason to own bitcoin unless you see prices going up.” Blanch is head of Global Commodities, Equity Derivatives, and Cross-Asset Quantitative Investment Strategies at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research. The strategists wrote that “Bitcoin has … become correlated to risk assets, it is not tied to inflation, and remains exceptionally volatile, making it impractical as a store of wealth or payments mechanism.” They continued: The main portfolio argument for hol...
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Bank of America claims it costs just $93 million to move Bitcoin’s price by 1%

Bank of America strategists have estimated that it takes in-flows of just $93 million to move Bitcoin’s price by one percent. The now infamous Bank of America research note slamming Bitcoin also contains research suggesting that it takes just $93 million worth of inflows to move Bitcoin’s price by one percent. “Bitcoin is extremely sensitive to increased dollar demand,” said the note authored by Bank of America strategist Francisco Blanch, featuring contributions from Philip Middleton and Savita Subramanian. The analysis found that it would take at least $2 billion worth of inflows to move the price of gold by a single percentile, while more than $2.25 billion would be needed to exert the same price impact on 20-year-plus treasury bonds. “We estimate a net inflow into Bitcoin of just $93 million would result in price appreciation of 1%,” the report concluded, adding: “What has created the enormous upside pressure on Bitcoin prices in recent years and, particularly, in 2020? The...
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Chinese Public Company Meitu Buys More Bitcoin — Treasury Now Holds $90 Million in Cryptocurrencies

One of China’s top internet app makers, Meitu Inc., has purchased more bitcoin for its treasury. The company now holds about $90 million in cryptocurrencies. Meitu is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and its flagship app has more than 1 billion users worldwide. Chinese Publicly Traded Company Increases Bitcoin Holdings in Its Treasury Meitu Inc. announced Wednesday that its wholly owned subsidiary Miracle Vision has acquired more bitcoin and ether in open market transactions. This is the second purchase announcement by the company. Meitu is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under the stock code 1357.HK. The company has bought 386.08581655 more BTC “at an aggregate consideration of approximately US$21.6 million” and 16,000 more ETH at “an aggregate consideration of approximately US$28.4 million,” the announcement details, adding: The group has accumulated a net purchase of approximately US$90 million worth of cryptocurrencies. “Settlement of the cryptocurrencies acq...
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SEC issues first ever charges over phoney ‘insider information’ on darknet

The SEC has taken action against a Californian man for fraudulently offering insider stock trading tips on a darknet marketplace. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has announced charges against California resident James Roland Jones in the first-ever enforcement action from the commission to target securities fraud on the darknet. According to the March 18 complaint , Jones is accused of accessing a darknet-based insider trading forum in late 2016 to seek material non-public information, or MNPI, on which to trade securities. He was unsuccessful in obtaining any useful MNPI from the forum, but in the spring of 2017, Jones allegedly began selling insider stock tips himself under the false pretext he was privy to MNPI obtained both from the forum and corporate sources he claimed to be personally affiliated with. Jones is believed to have received roughly $27,000 worth of BTC for the fraudulent tips. Jones’ tips were believed to be general predictions as to whether a stock...
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Here’s why Siacoin, Basic Attention Token and Linear (LINA) are soaring

Exchange listings, bullish announcements and real-world use cases are driving Siacoin, Basic Attention Token and Linear price higher. This week CNBC reported that Morgan Stanley will give its millionaire clients access to Bitcoin ( BTC ) starting in April and this shows that traditional financial powerhouses are under pressure from their clients who are demanding exposure to cryptocurrencies. This suggests that the rate of institutional adoption may still be at a nascent stage. Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360 Chinese tech company Meitu also announced a new purchase of $21.6 million worth of Bitcoin and $28.4 million worth of Ether ( ETH ) on March 17. The company said its board believes “cryptocurrencies have ample room for appreciation in value” because the blockchain industry is still in its early stages and can disrupt existing technology and financial sectors. Other than the major cryptocurrencies, there are several lesser-known tokens that show potential. ...
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Finance Redefined: The crypto renaissance is finally here, March 3–17

DeFi and crypto have weathered the storm, looking poised for a fiery 2021. Editor's note After taking a bit of a break and skipping a week for the newsletter, I’ve returned with the feeling that something big is brewing for the crypto space. To people who follow me on Twitter or here, it is probably no secret that I believe the fate of the crypto market is strongly tied to that of the tech sector and stock market as a whole. After showing really strong signs of a pending crash, it seems that markets are well on their way to a recovery. If you look at the S&P 500, it’s actually been making new highs last week. The actual source of the uncertainty was the Nasdaq 100, the tech-heavy index, which is now making a solid recovery as well. A favorable stock market environment is key to maintaining the crypto bull run. We obviously don’t know how long all this will last, but it seems that the initial panic subsided and likely won’t return for at least a month or two. As always, not...
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Bitcoin can be sent with a tweet as Bottlepay Twitter app goes live

Users can send Bitcoin to and from their Twitter accounts following the launch of Bottlepay's disruptor payments app. Twitter users can now send Bitcoin ( BTC ) with a single tweet, after digital payments app Bottlepay launched its integrated Bitcoin social media feature. Transactions between Twitter users can now apparently take place using the simple tweet template “@bottlepay send 1,000 sats to @twitteruser.” The command can be executed from directly within the Twitter app, and the Bitcoin is transferred from one user to another automatically. Bottlepay describes itself as a global payments disruptor, and raised $15 million in a seed funding round towards the end of February. The Bottlepay app can also be used with other social media platforms, such as Reddit and Discord. The beta version of the app reportedly attracted 20,000 users without marketing and processed $2.4 million worth of transactions in just over a month since launching on Feb. 10. Given the extent to which ...
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ATM Network Bitcoin of America Partners Announces Partnership With Non-Profit Organization Jambos

PRESS RELEASE. Bitcoin of America, a popular virtual currency exchange, has announced its partnership with Jambos. Jambos is a non-profit organization that helps bring comfort to thousands of children in the foster care system. Even though Jambos and Bitcoin of America differ in their services, it is their passion for working together for a greater cause that unites them. About Bitcoin of America: Bitcoin of America is a digital currency exchange, registered as a money services business with the United States Department of Treasury. Apart from ensuring a fast and hassle-free transaction, their customer support makes them the best in the industry. Their mission is to provide their customers with a fast and easy transaction process, while ensuring the best rate in the market. To date, Bitcoin of America has over 900 Bitcoin ATM locations. They are located in major cities across the USA. About Jambos: Jambos is an amazing nonprofit organization that helps bring comfort to children a...
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Morgan Stanley Making 3 Bitcoin Funds Available to Clients

One of the largest U.S. investment banks, Morgan Stanley, will be offering its wealth management clients access to bitcoin funds. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America’s wealth management divisions do not currently allow their advisors to offer direct investment in bitcoin funds. Morgan Stanley to Offer Wealth Clients Access to Bitcoin Funds Investment bank Morgan Stanley, with $4 trillion in client assets, has become the “first big U.S. bank to offer its wealth management clients access to bitcoin funds,” CNBC reported Wednesday. The firm reportedly told its financial advisors in an internal memo that it is launching access to three funds that allow exposure to bitcoin, the publication conveyed, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. According to the people, clients have been demanding exposure to the cryptocurrency, adding: Clients can likely make investments as early as next month, after the bank’s financial advisors complete training courses tied to t...
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Fireblocks crypto startup raises $133M in funding round with BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon, the oldest bank in the United States, continues to aggressively invest in the digital asset industry. According to a March 18 report by the Wall Street Journal, cryptocurrency startup Fireblocks has raised $133 million in a Series C funding round featuring BNY Mellon as well as hedge-fund firm Coatue Management, venture-capital firm Ribbit Capital, and Stripes. BNY Mellon’s strategic investment in Fireblocks is reportedly part of the bank’s plans to implement Fireblocks’s technology in its upcoming crypto custody platform. As previously reported , BNY Mellon officially announced the formation of a dedicated digital asset unit to create a multi-asset custody and administration platform for traditional and digital assets. Fireblocks was founded in 2018 by veterans of Israeli military intelligence including Michael Shaulov, who previously co-founded a mobile security startup, Lacoon Mobile Security. The firm specializes in digital asset custody and also works on acce...
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Chiliz (CHZ) scores 1,600% gains in March as fan tokens outperform everything

A mesmerizing performance over the past two-and-a-half weeks brings serious returns to those who bought in February or earlier. Blockchain-based sports platform Chiliz (CHZ) is leading a boom in one sector of the altcoin world which is putting Bitcoin ( BTC ) and Ether ( ETH ) to shame. According to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro , CHZ is consolidating on March 17 after month-to-date gains which topped 1,600%. Chiliz up 1,650% in 2 weeks With altcoins firmly back in the spotlight as Bitcoin itself is nearing all-time highs, anticipation is building that the coming months will produce an “altseason” like no other. This month, however, one group of tokens is already spawning gains which far outpace the rest. Sports tokens, including Chiliz and those tied to specific teams, have seen a dramatic reversal of fortune in recent weeks. Chiliz forms the underlying infrastructure for a large number of fan tokens, including major football clubs such as Barcelona FC and Paris Saint-Ger...
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South African Exchange Ice3x Suspends Trading After Noting Discrepancies in Balances of BTC and LTC

A South African crypto exchange, Ice3x, suspended trading on its platform on March 16 after noting discrepancies in balances of bitcoin and litecoin held on the platform. At the time of writing, the exchange had not revealed the cause of the mismatches in balances or when it expects trading to resume. In the meantime, a report that quotes the exchange’s CEO, Gareth Grobler, adds that BTC and LTC withdrawals have similarly been suspended. However, in his statement following the suspension of trading, Grobler reveals that subsequent consultations and deliberations on the issue with its partner, Merkeleon.com, did not yield “a satisfactory conclusion.” According to Grobler, this ultimately forced the exchange to take action that is intended to protect users. Meanwhile, as investigations into the cause of the discrepancies continue, the exchange is also urging holders of other coins to immediately withdraw. The statement reads: Currently, clients who hold any other currency (exclud...
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SEC has 45 days to respond to VanEck Bitcoin ETF filing

It is Bitcoin ETF decision season once again for America’s securities regulator amid a changing of the guard at the commission. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission now has 45 days to deliver an initial decision on the VanEck Bitcoin ( BTC ) exchange-traded fund filing having officially published the company’s submission on its website on March 15. Now, the SEC has to approve, decline or extend the review period for the Bitcoin ETF filing within the 45-day window. The SEC can extend the deliberation window up to 249 days before delivering a final decision. The public also has a three-week period to submit comments on the SEC website. As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, or CBOE, filed to list the VanEck Bitcoin ETF back in January. VanEck was one of the BTC ETF hopefuls back in 2017 when several companies were looking to gain SEC approval for a Bitcoin ETF. At the time, the asset management outfit partnered with blockchain ...
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