Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. PotCoin (Ᵽ) is migrating over from their legacy blockchain to Nexus (NXS). PotCoin has made Nexus their platform of choice, with the confidence that together they will best serve the growing cannabis industry. The recreational and medical cannabis market in North America already accounts for roughly $17.7 billion in 2021 and is forecast to reach 47.3 billion by 2027 [1] , an estimated 44% annual increase. As cannabis continues to be decriminalized and legalized around the world, the potential for economic growth is exponential. After much consideration, PotCoin recognized Nexus as being the best suited platform to support their ambitions in this rapidly growing industry. “With the huge growth predictions for the industry, we required a platform that could handle future transaction volume. A scalable architecture, DApp development through APIs, the replacement of static private keys with One-Time Signatures (OTS), and use of leading post quantum cryptography were all d...

The string of dark web gangs being cracked down by law enforcement is still alive across the world. Recently, the British authorities dismantled an unnamed dark web band known for selling ecstasy and gathering millions of dollars worth of crypto. Gang Sold Ecstasy, Amphetamine, and Diazepam in Several Darknet Forums According to The Independent , the National Crime Agency (NCA) deployed an operation that targeted several houses in North East England, specifically in the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside. Authorities were concerned and raised red flags last year after intercepting large shipments of ecstasy. All parcels had as final destinations like the United States, Israel, Norway, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and even the UK, said the NCA. Also, law enforcement traced encrypted messages exchanged between suspects, who allegedly talked about illegal transactions with drugs and money laundering via cryptocurrency trading. The NCA seized 90 kg of ecstasy, 134 kg of ampheta...

Bitcoin futures open interest on Monday has crossed $23 billion according to data recorded on April 5. The crypto asset exchange Binance has taken the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures is concerned with a massive $10.5 billion in open interest. Binance Captures the Bitcoin Futures Lead Not too long ago, Bitcoin.com’s newsdesk reported on CME Group capturing the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures. Today, that’s no longer the case, as Binance has jumped ahead of the pack as far as delivering futures derivatives products for BTC . Skew.com analytics indicates that Binance is ahead of Bybit, Okex, CME, Huobi, FTX, Deribit, Bitmex, Kraken, Bakkt, and Coinflex respectively. Binance, Huobi, Okex, and Bybit are also leaders when it comes to BTC futures daily volumes. Coingecko data is a touch different and shows bitcoin futures 24-hour total volumes at around $22,984,388,835 on Monday. Stats show Binance has $10.5 billion in open interest and $47 billion in 2...

Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, says he will only buy “clean” bitcoins that are mined sustainably in countries that use clean energy. He says institutional investors are concerned about where bitcoins are mined and will not buy “blood coins” from China. Clean Bitcoins vs. ‘Blood Coins’ Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary talked about an emerging challenge with bitcoin investing for institutional investors and clean energy in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “What’s really emerging as a bit of an issue” regarding bitcoin investing for institutions concerns where the coins are mined, he began. “We have compliance on large institutions. We have covenants around how assets are made, whether carbon is burned, whether human rights are involved, whether it’s made in China,” he described, elaborating: All these issues … have now come to the fore on bitcoin. Institutions will not buy coin mined in China, coin mined using coal to burn for electricity, coin mined in countries with sanctions on...

JP Morgan says that bitcoin’s volatility has decreased in recent weeks, making the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors. The investment bank has also revised its bitcoin price target to $130,000. Increased Institutional Adoption, New Price Prediction for Bitcoin JPMorgan said last week that bitcoin’s price volatility has been declining in recent weeks, noting that this has made the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors seeking low-correlation assets to diversify their investment portfolios. Bitcoin’s high volatility has been one of the biggest barriers to BTC adoption by institutions, JPMorgan explained, adding that it now sees signs that the cryptocurrency’s volatility is normalizing. “The recent change in the correlation structure of bitcoin relative to traditional asset classes” will likely increase the institutional adoption of bitcoin, JPMorgan elaborated. Based on the current gold price of $1,700 per troy ounce, the bank says, “Mechani...

PRESS RELEASE. Silver Spring, MD – (Globe Newswire – April 5, 2021) – BTCS Inc. (OTCQB: BTCS) (“BTCS” or the “Company”), a digital asset and blockchain technology focused company, today announced the appointment of Litecoin creator Charlie Lee to its Board of Directors as its newest independent member. “We are honored to welcome Charlie Lee to our board,” stated Charles Allen, Chief Executive Officer of BTCS. “A true innovator and visionary in the blockchain space, his decision to join our board is a strong vote of confidence in our multi-faceted strategy. We look forward to working closely together to execute on our vision for long-term success.” Mr. Lee, a computer scientist best known as the creator of Litecoin, the ninth-ranked cryptocurrency globally with a market capitalization in excess of $13 billion, currently serves as managing director of the Litecoin Foundation. Previously, Mr. Lee served as the director of engineering at Coinbase from 2013 to 2017 after working at Googl...

As cryptocurrencies keep gaining adoption in Argentina, there are discussions on how the national regulatory bodies should regulate the industry. The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) seems to have taken a step forward in making the picture clearer. Banks Should Provide Data Such as National Identification Numbers and Home Addresses According to Infobae , the BCRA asked domestic banks to forward them information about its customers who deal with bitcoin ( BTC ) and perform any other kind of crypto transactions. The measure aims to evaluate whether the crypto market “should be required for an even bigger regulation or not.” Citing sources inside the central bank, Infobae details that the BCRA has sent an internal mail to the associated banks, requesting them the following data: Information that allows identifying customers who have accounts for holding crypto assets or who have declared or are known to carry out purchase and/or sale cooperation and/or management of payments through...

Digital currency markets have seen some significant gains on Monday as the entire market capitalization of all 8,500+ cryptocurrencies in existence has jumped a few percentages. Bitcoin’s price has spiked a touch over 1.5%, but a number of other coins have seen much larger gains during Monday’s trading sessions. Market aggregators show the crypto economy’s overall valuation is steadily approaching the $2 trillion handle . Crypto-Economy Jumps 3% and Nears $2 Trillion in Valuation Crypto assets have seen their values jump northbound on Monday as the entire crypto-economy has spiked 3% during the morning trading sessions (EST). Bitcoin ( BTC ) has risen by 1.9% and during the last seven days, BTC has gained 2.3%. The leading cryptocurrency, in terms of market valuation, BTC is currently exchanging hands for over $59k per unit. Ethereum ( ETH ) has done much better as the crypto asset has jumped over 16% this week and ether is swapping for $2,117 per coin. Binance coin ( BNB ) pric...

The publicly listed firm Microstrategy purchased more bitcoin according to a tweet from the company’s chief executive officer Michael Saylor and a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. The firm spent $15 million in cash and now holds 91,579 bitcoin in the company’s reserves. Business Intelligence Firm Microstrategy Continues to Stack Bitcoin Month after month, the company Microstrategy has continued to purchase bitcoin ( BTC ) and add it to the firm’s balance sheet. On Monday, the company revealed yet another BTC purchase when it disclosed to the SEC in a Form 8-K that it purchased 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash. The SEC filing notes: On April 5, 2021, MicroStrategy Incorporated announced that it had purchased approximately 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash, at an average price of approximately $59,339 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses. As of April 5, 2021, the Company holds approximately 91,579 bitcoins that were acquired at an aggregate p...

On Monday, the digital currency asset manager Grayscale Investments announced intentions to file for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) when permissible. The subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (DCG) says in regard to its crypto trust products that it always been the company’s intention “to convert these products into an ETF.” Transforming Grayscale’s $34 Billion Bitcoin Trust Into an Exchange-Traded Fund It looks like Grayscale Investments is planning to join the race of firms looking to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. Grayscale announced intentions for a bitcoin ETF on April 5, 2021, by leveraging the company’s blog. Established in 2013, Grayscale Investments launched the firm’s bitcoin trust (GBTC) and today GBTC has $34 billion in assets under management (AUM). Grayscale also offers a number of other publicly traded crypto products and the business is the world’s largest asset manager for digital currencies. “In recent months there’s been a growing...

Starbucks customers can now pay for items with bitcoin by leveraging the Bakkt digital wallet application. Bakkt’s CEO, Gavin Michael explained that 500,000 users participated in testing before the launch, as the company says it looks forward to expanding crypto assets to everyone. You Can Now Pay for Goods at Starbucks With Bitcoin You can now pay with bitcoin by leveraging the Bakkt wallet at the popular chain of coffeehouses called Starbucks. With over 30,000 locations worldwide, Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain and pulls in around $26.50 billion in revenue yearly. According to Bakkt executives, 500,000 customers participated in Bakkt’s invitation-only early access program, and now anyone can download the application via the App Store and Google Play Store and use it to make purchases. “The average consumer holds a wealth of digital assets – from gift cards to loyalty points to bitcoin – but lacks the tools to adequately track and utilize their value,” Bakkt’s ...

PRESS RELEASE. Pioneering clinical trials platform ClinTex is giving away $1 million USD worth CTi tokens through a unique staking program, which is running from April 1st to September 30th, 2021. London, United Kingdom – Following a successful launch in 2020 ClinTex has been developing CTi-OEM, a blockchain app focused on using data analytics to enhance operational efficiency in clinical trials. Due to the success of the CTi presale (in which the soft-cap target was achieved) and the swift development of the platform, ClinTex chose not to go ahead with the final stage of its IEO. Instead the company chose to continue with a secure CTi token listing on top cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin and sustain the impressive momentum that the project had started to gather. CTi Growth Since its listing on KuCoin both the project has seen significant growth. Humbled by the level of support that the project has gathered in a relatively short period, ClinTex have decided to reappropriate the...