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Showing posts from June 2, 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 Exchanges Confirm Receiving Request for Client Data From Tax Collection Body

Three leading cryptocurrency exchanges from South Africa recently confirmed receiving a request for client data from the country’s revenue collector. In a joint statement, the exchanges, (namely Altcointrader, Luno, and Valr) said this request, which targets a “selection of customers”, has been made “in terms of section 46 of the (South African) Tax Administration Act.” Data Needed for Future Action Explaining the tax collector’s move to access crypto traders’ personal information, the statement says the South African Revenue Service (SARS) wants this information “as part of a tax risk assessment exercise on residents involved in “the mining, speculation and/or investment in crypto-assets.” For its part, the revenue collector says the collected data “will inform the need for future action with respect to crypto-assets.” However, according to a report , one of the approached exchanges, Valr, has since expressed its concerns with the tax collector. Its co-founder and CEO, Farzam Ehsa...

New DeFi ‘passport’ could enable under-collateralized crypto loans

Arcx has launched a new version of its “DeFi Passport,” Sapphire, promising the pseudonymous on-chain credit check will enable new decentralized finance products. Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Arcx has announced the launch of Sapphire v3, a DeFi passport allowing crypto users to pseudonymously build and verify their reputation on-chain. Announced June 2, the DeFi passport will score users on a scale between 0 and 1,000, with Arcx advancing that the passport “incentivizes reputation-building and curates on-chain identity into DeFi.” In the absence of a DeFi passport, Arcx asserts that “protocols are left to treat every user the same, occasionally giving preferential consideration to wallet size, institutional backing, or restrictive KYC.” Arcx expects its passport will be integrated onto many DeFi protocols, predicting Sapphire will allow projects to offer “low-collateral loans and high-yield farms” targeting users with high credit scores. As such, Arcx’s passport could fa...

Norton360 antivirus tool will allow its 13 million customers to mine Ethereum

You can now mine Ethereum using Norton’s cybersecurity software. Cybersecurity firm, NortonLifeLock, has launched Norton Crypto, a tool allowing consumers to “safely” mine cryptocurrency through its Norton 360 product. From June 3, select 360 users will be invited to join Norton’s early adopter program for Ethereum mining . Norton also plans to open up the mining service to all of its nearly 13 million 360 customers in the coming months. Norton emphasized that its service allows users to mine without requiring they switch off their antivirus software. Speaking to CNN Business, Norton noted it plans to support mining of other “top cryptos that allow our members to get the highest reward for their computing capacity” moving forward, stating: “While the company will start slow, with a focus on helping customers safely mine Ethereum, NortonLifeLock is considering adding reputable crypto currencies in the future.” NortonLifeLock chief product officer, Vincent Pilette expressed pride i...

SmartKey and Orange Revolutionize the Blockchain of Things

As technology moves forward, you use more and more innovations to facilitate your daily activities. The cooperation of the largest Polish telecommunications operator with the innovative BoT (Blockchain of Things) provider improves the standard of your daily life. With the use of technology provided by SmartKey, Orange’s Live Objects platform puts an end to all the problems that arise when using your devices. ORANGE POLSKA is the largest telecommunications operator in Poland, serving 14.36 million customers, and a leader of M2M. The company plays a huge role in digitalization of the country by implementation of innovative technologies on a national scale. Now, thanks to SmartKey, the Orange Live Objects leads in integrating the cities of the future in the BIoT (Blockchain IoT) model. The platform covers the core functions of the IoT (Internet of Things) project and lets you manage connected devices with the use of decentralized applications (dApps) blockchain. IoT solutions in over...

Satoshi Nakamoto to be immortalized in bronze near the Steve Jobs statue in Budapest

Budapest is set to erect a life-size bronze statue depicting Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The face features a reflective surface that symbolizes the unknown identity of Satoshi. Bitcoin’s anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto is set to be depicted in a life-size bronze statue in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. According to local news outlet Hungary Today, sculptors, Réka Gergely and Tamás Gilly are designing the statue, and have unveiled initial plans depicting a figure with a featureless face wearing a Bitcoin hoodie. Image: Réka Gergely The hood is over the figure's head, and the face will be made from a reflective surface so that viewers can see themselves mirrored back when they look at the statue — emphasizing the idea that “we are all Satoshi.” The project was initiated by crypto enthusiast András Györfi. Speaking with Hungary Today, he emphasized the benefits that Bitcoin and blockchain tech offer to the world: “It is an efficient, fair, and transparent dat...

Beijing to Disperse $6 Million in Digital Yuan in a Red Envelope Lottery

China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) continues to gain further ground as the Beijing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau revealed 40 million worth of the country’s digital yuan ($6.3 million) will be distributed to Chinese citizens. Beijing and China’s Central Bank Launches Digital Yuan Lottery The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and Beijing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau have announced a new digital yuan test for local residents. Bitcoin.com News has reported on China’s last CBDC red envelope test in the past, as the central bank has dispersed millions in digital yuan for testing. Now Beijing plans to disperse $6.3 million worth of the CBDC to citizens by giving out 200,000 digital red envelopes with 200 digital yuan each. As usual, residents can spend the digital yuan at merchants that accept the CBDC like the popular marketplace Jd.com. Residents who want to get some of the red envelopes must enter a lottery system via the Bank o...

Former congressman Ron Paul: Bitcoin is money and should be taxed the same

Former congressman Ron Paul believes Bitcoin should be regulated and taxed the same as money. Former presidential candidate and congressman Ron Paul has renewed calls for Bitcoin to be legalized as money and not taxed. Paul is a staunch libertarian and author of the Bitcoiner favorite “End the Fed,” who has advocated for the legalization of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in the past. The former congressman has also regularly taken aim against the Federal Reserve for its unchecked money printing since the pandemic began. Ahead of his appearance at the Miami Bitcoin conference on June 3, the 85 year-old spoke with  streaming financial news provider Kitco News and noted that his goal is to “help legalize the competition, and then I think the people will sort it out. Freedom of choice will sort it out.” The former congressman described gold and Bitcoin as money and “competition” to the U.S. Dollar — and highlighted that a major reason investors seek out such alternative for...

ConsenSys throws its weight behind Uniswap DeFi lobbying proposal

The controversial proposal is gaining the support of the big players. Ethereum solutions provider ConsenSys has pledged support for a Uniswap governance proposal to set aside tokens for a new decentralized finance (DeFi) fund for political lobbying. The proposal was made on May 27 by the Harvard Law School Blockchain and FinTech Initiative for the creation of a fund that would finance existing and new political groups engaged in crypto policy-making and lobbying to defend DeFi against regulation. The Harvard Law BFI proposal cited concerns that governments around the world may try to regulate DeFi without proper education and suggested a fund of 1-1.5 million UNI. It ledged more than 10 million tokens in support of the idea. The proposal is headed towards a full vote. Some @Consensys thoughts (support) on the recent @HarvardLawBFI Uniswap policy proposal. https://t.co/GuVUlUjXiL cc @RebeccaRettig1 @boironattorney @jchervinsky @ammori — Matt Corva (@MattCorva) June 2, 202...

Ripple seeks docs from 15 offshore exchanges it says could be ‘fatal’ to the SEC’s charges

Ripple believes records held by offshore exchanges will prove its executives did not violate Section 5 of the Securities Act by offloading XRP on the U.S. public. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen, have filed a motion requesting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigate Bitfinex’s parent company, iFinex, and 14 other international crypto exchanges. The June 2 motion requests documents from exchanges including iFinex, Bitforex, Bithumb, Bitlish, BitMart, AscendEX (formerly Bitmax), Bitrue Singapore, Bitstamp, Coinbene, HitBTC, Huobi Global, Korbit, OKEx, Upbit Singapore, and ZB Network Technology The motion’s supporting memorandum notes the letters of request solicit assistance from authorities in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Seychelles, and Malta. The SEC’s amended complaint against Ripple accuses Garlinghouse and Larsen of selling more than two billion units of XRP to “public investors” located “...

Guggenheim Registers Fund That Allows Bitcoin Exposure After CIO Calls Crypto Tulipmania, Predicts BTC Crash

Guggenheim has registered a new fund with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that could have exposure to cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin. The filing came as the asset management firm’s chief investment officer repeatedly made bearish bitcoin predictions, calling cryptocurrency Tulipmania. Guggenheim Launching Fund Which Could Have Exposure to Bitcoin Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors LLC filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Tuesday for the Guggenheim Active Allocation Fund. Guggenheim Investments has about $270 billion in total assets under management across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. The filing describes the fund as “a newly-organized, diversified, closed-end management investment company.” Among the investments that the new fund can invest in are “Cryptocurrency, Digital Assets, or Virtual Currency Investments.” The filing states: The fund may seek investment exposure to cryptocurr...

Asset Manager Sees Bitcoin Price Bottoming out — Says Market Is Mispricing BTC

Fund manager Brian Kelly says that the market is mispricing bitcoin and “when bitcoin gets that mispriced it is the sign of the bottom.” He sees a string of “all positive things” that are reflected in the pricing of the cryptocurrency. Asset Manager Brian Kelly Says Market Is Mispricing Bitcoin Brian Kelly, the founder and CEO of digital currency investment firm BKCM LLC, was asked about where he sees the price of bitcoin heading in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. Kelly manages the BKCM Digital Asset Fund and the REX BKCM Blockchain ETF (NYSE: BKC). He authored “The Bitcoin Big Bang – How Alternative Currencies Are About to Change the World.” In addition, he was previously a hedge fund manager at Shelter Harbor Capital, where he co-founded. He also co-founded MKM Partners, a brokerage firm catering to institutional investment managers. “For me, when you look at bitcoin, it’s all about network effect and address growth,” the asset manager said. “One of the key metrics I look at ...

ECB says digital euro may be needed to combat 'artificial currencies'

The ECB’s annual euro report stressed that a digital euro may be needed to fight off the threat of “artificial currencies” from “foreign tech giants.” The European Central Bank has warned that a CBDC or digital euro may be required to head off the spectre of “artificial currencies” dominating cross-border payments. In ECB’s annual review of the euro dubbed “The international role of the euro”, economists Massimo Ferrari and Arnaud Mehl conveyed concerns over the rise of artificial currencies led by unnamed “foreign tech giants” — likely a veiled reference to Facebook’s Diem project: “One concern could be a situation in which domestic and cross-border payments are dominated by non-domestic providers, including foreign tech giants potentially offering artificial currencies in the future.” “Not only could this threaten the stability of the financial system, but individuals and merchants alike would be vulnerable to a small number of dominant providers with strong market power,” the p...

Goldman Sachs: Bitcoin Is an Alternative Inflation Hedge to Copper, Not Gold

Goldman Sachs’ head of commodities research says bitcoin is more like copper as a hedge against inflation than gold. He explained that they are both “risk-on” inflation hedges whereas gold is a “risk off” asset. Bitcoin Is More Like Copper Than Gold as Inflation Hedge The global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs, Jeff Currie, said in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday that cryptocurrencies are an alternative to copper, not gold, when used as a hedge against inflation. He elaborated: You look at the correlation between bitcoin and copper, or a measure of risk appetite and bitcoin, and we’ve got 10 years of trading history on bitcoin — it is definitely a risk-on asset. He further emphasized that bitcoin and copper act as “risk-on” inflation hedges whereas gold is viewed as a safe haven or a “risk off” asset. The Goldman analyst explained: “There is good inflation and there is bad inflation. Good inflation is when demand pulls it, and that is what bitcoin hedges, that i...

Investors cautiously re-enter crypto funds while ETH vehicles show strength

Investors like the looks of proof-of-stake coins, while Ethereum leads the way. A new report from analytics firm Coinshares shows that while the market dip may not have ended, prices are now at levels where stock market investors are once again showing signs of interest in digital asset funds.  A report published yesterday from Coinshares shows that multiple funds have begun seeing net inflows after weeks of record outflows in the wake of a crippling, market-wide crypto dip. In totally, legacy markets poured in $74 million into crypto investment vehicles, though not all products showed signs of strength. Cryptocurrencies show inflows after record outflows in previous two weeks. Ethereum investment product market share at record high 27%. https://t.co/xhzVCkBjM9 pic.twitter.com/Dw2WrdA2Rs — unfolded. (@cryptounfolded) June 2, 2021 While some analysts are calling for Bitcoin as low as $16,000 per BTC , Bitcoin products were among the weakest performers, with $4 million in...

Canaan Expects $250M Revenue in Q2 — Yields and Mining Rig Deliveries to ‘Increase Substantially’

The mining rig manufacturer Canaan saw steady profits during the Q1 after reporting its unaudited first quarter 2021 financial results on Tuesday. Canaan noted that it expects to at least sustain current profits or rise above to roughly $150 to $250 million in revenue for Q2. Canaan Expects $250M in Revenue for Q2 – Company Recognizes It’s Hard to Predict With Current Bitcoin Volatility On Tuesday, the China-based ASIC mining rig maker Canaan (Nasdaq: CAN) published the firm’s unaudited first quarter 2021 financial results and the company did well this year. The amount of hashrate sold jumped by 122% compared to the same period of 2020. Additionally, Canaan saw a “larger volume of sales orders of bitcoin mining machines” during the first quarter. Total net revenue was around 402 million yuan or $61.5 million according to Canaan’s unaudited financial records. “Our financial performance improved significantly in the quarter, driven by the Bitcoin price rally, higher customer demand ...

Analyst says Bitcoin could see ‘a smaller drawdown and a quicker bottom'

Bitcoin bulls fell short of flipping the $38,000 level to support, and one analyst said on-chain data signals that BTC could see “a smaller drawdown.” The cryptocurrency faithful got a reprieve from recent market struggles thanks to a rally in decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens and Dogecoin ( DOGE ) on June 2. A bit of a breakout in the price of Ether ( ETH ) and Bitcoin ( BTC ) may have also lifted sentiment, but at the moment, the top-ranked digital assets are still meeting pushback at key overhead resistance levels.  Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the price of Bitcoin rallied 7.3% from a low of $35,645 on June 1 to an intraday high at $38,250 on June 2, and Ether saw a similar-sized gain of 7.7% to briefly regain the $2,800 support level. While the uptick in prices has many calling for a continuation of the 2021 bull market, some analysts have highlighted a possible bearish pennant formation on the Bitcoin chart, which could result i...

Bonded.Finance (BOND) Token Is Now Listed on Bitcoin.com Exchange

PRESS RELEASE. Bitcoin.com Exchange is ecstatic to announce the listing of BOND, being available to trade on the 2nd June 2021 at 12:00PM UTC . BOND was created by the Bonded.Finance team, as the driver and receipt of value within their platform. BOND will start trading with BTC and USDT pairs. What is Bonded.Finance? With nearly 7000 trackable assets and some 700 exchanges in crypto, it is an understatement to say that liquidity is scattered and that early stage projects as tradable assets make for capricious token holders. Even the meteoric rise of DeFi has done little to change this as lending/borrowing protocols and the true earning potential of tokens are realized only by a select few cryptos. Bonded Finance sees a massive opportunity in this. With crypto maturing as an asset class, there are scores of well-capitalized projects with solid volume and price histories to go with deliverables, yet, they have not been afforded the opportunity to partake in the decentralized fina...

Market makers in ‘fear mode’ ahead of Friday’s $575M Bitcoin options expiry

Bear's misplaced belief that Bitcoin price would drop to $32,000 allowed Friday's BTC options expiry to become unexpectedly balanced. On June 4, a total of 15,530 Bitcoin ( BTC ) options are set to expire, which represents $575 million in open interest. At the moment, bulls are still heavily impacted by May's 37% BTC price correction, and this has led most call (buy) options to be underwater. Despite the crash, Bitcoin's active supply reached a five-month low as 45% of the coins have not been moved over the past 2 years. This indicator shows that investors who purchased up until the 2019 bull run are unwilling to sell at the current prices. Miners are also avoiding sales below $40,000 as their outflows recently reached a seven-month low relative to the historical average. In the meantime, technical analysts pointed to the 50-week exponential moving average as a strong support level close to $34,000. Still, the price chart has been forming a pattern of sideways tra...

Pepe the Frog Creator Launches NFTs Featuring the Infamous Internet Meme

The infamous Internet meme “Pepe the Frog” will be immortalized in non-fungible token (NFT) collectible form by the frog’s original creator Matt Furie. Of course, Pepe has been featured in blockchain art before and a series of cards were created via Counterparty in 2016. However, despite the number of NFT rare Pepes on the web, Furie says when it comes to his famous frog, “Everything else is a bootleg.” Feels Good Man “Nothing beats the real thing,” the creator of the notorious Pepe the Frog Internet meme told the Washington Post (WP) this week. Matt Furie is well known for creating Pepe the Frog back in 2005 in a comic called “Boys Club.” When the picture hit the web, it went viral on Myspace, Reddit, 4chan and Tumbler, and later was recognized as one of the most popular memes of the last decade . Now Furie is getting into the non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles game and he’s bringing Pepe with him. Furie has launched a web portal called pegz.fun and it features animated 2-D an...

Bonsai bonanza as Zenft studio sells out $2 million NFT drop in one hour

The digital trees are a smash hit amid a demand drought for NFT projects. While the short-term market outlook for many NFT projects look uncertain, and multiple new releases struggle to gain traction, one gardening-themed drop may have set some records by selling 8,888 nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in just under an hour. Nonfungible token studio Zenft released a line of 8,888 unique bonzai NFT plants that quickly sold out on Tuesday, with the studio selling each digital tree for 0.08 Ether ( ETH ), or roughly $220 at the time of publication. The bonsais have augmented reality/virtual reality functionality, and their 3D design is a step up from previous pixelated, 2D projects. The studio celebrated the nearly $2,000,000 sale with a tweet: 8888 Bonsai sold out in under an hour. We are eternally humbled. — ZΞNFT Garden Society (@zenft_) June 1, 2021 The success is somewhat of a surprise, given that NFTs remain mired in a slump following explosive growth earlier this year. New drops...