Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Kevin Durant, is joining Coinbase according to a recent report from Bloomberg. According to the report, Durant will appear as “a face of the brand” and will help promote the exchange’s advertising content. Kevin Durant Joins Coinbase NBA legend Kevin Durant, otherwise known as “KD,” has joined Coinbase in an advertising deal that will feature Durant as a Coinbase spokesperson. Durant plays for the Brooklyn Nets as a power forward and is widely considered one of the best professional basketball players of all time. The Brooklyn Nets star will join Coinbase as “a face of the brand” according to Durant’s manager, Rich Kleiman, speaking with Bloomberg. While Kleiman says that KD does minimal amounts of brand partnerships, off-court, the Nets’ forward is one of the highest-paid basketball players in the world thanks to his deals with Nike and Foot Locker. “Kevin does very, very few brand deals and th...

YouHodler is a fintech platform that helps people access the benefits of the crypto economy. It allows users to get instant cash and cryptocurrency loans, exchange crypto, and earn up to 13% APY by depositing crypto in their reward account. Ilya Volkov is the CEO and Founder of YouHodler . He recently joined the Bitcoin.com News Podcast to talk about the business: Ilya has more than 15 years experience in the fintech industry. Prior to his entry into the cryptocurrency and DLT industry, he got his expertise in different financial market segments such as commercial finance and online trading with various financial assets — for almost 6 years he was a Member of the Management Board of Libertex Group (Forex Club Group). Currently, Ilya is Member of the Board of the Crypto Valley Association, Switzerland, and its Western Chapter Chair, coordinating the CVA’s activity in this region and abroad. The Bitcoin.com News podcast features interviews with the most interesting leaders, fou...

Global markets have defied predictions as the U.S. Federal Reserve and several central banks worldwide are prepping to slow down monetary easing policy. On Wednesday, the U.S. central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said it plans to taper quantitative easing (large monthly asset purchases) and end the program by March 2022. Moreover, the FOMC members decided to keep interest rates at zero but expect at least three rate hikes next year. Federal Reserve Outlines Asset Purchase Tapering Plan and Rate Hikes for 2022 Since the onset of Covid-19 in the United States, the U.S. Federal Reserve initiated a monetary easing policy like no other in history. The move has led to a surge in inflation and analysts and economists worldwide have criticized the Fed’s decisions in recent times. The FOMC concluded a two-day meeting on Wednesday and the central bank explained that it plans to shrink its bond purchase program to $30 billion per month by January. This month the Fed will leve...

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says that he does not see cryptocurrencies as a financial stability concern. However, he noted that they are risky and “there’s big consumer issues for consumers who may or may not understand what they’re getting.” Fed Chair Powell Says Cryptos Are Risky but Currently Not a Financial Stability Concern Fed Chairman Jerome Powell talked about cryptocurrency in a press conference Wednesday. Commenting on whether cryptocurrencies are a threat to the country’s financial stability, he said: I don’t see them as a financial stability concern at the moment. I do think they are risky. They’re not backed by anything. “I think there’s big consumer issues for consumers who may or may not understand what they’re getting,” Powell continued, adding that “There are certainly developments in the markets that are worth following, which are really not in our jurisdiction.” Powell also discussed stablecoins. He noted that he supports the view expressed in the ...

The Indian government is reportedly making additional changes to the country’s crypto bill. The bill, which is listed for the current session of parliament, may be taken up in the budget session instead. According to reports, the government could also “consider bringing an ordinance or special order after the session.” Indian Crypto Bill Needs More Work The government of India is reportedly planning to make additional changes to the crypto bill. The “Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2021” is currently listed to be considered in the winter session of parliament. However, a senior government official told Business Today Thursday that the government is considering reworking the bill and will likely introduce it in the budget session in February. According to the unnamed official: Discussions are ongoing and key issues like the treatment of private cryptocurrencies, the rationale of regulation and global practices is being looked into once again. The...

Minereum, the project behind the first self-mining smart contract, welcomes you to The Minereum World – an exciting and interactive play-to-earn 3D game venture where users can come together virtually in the metaverse! The goal of the game is to grab and own as much land as possible! The more land you own, the more cubes you will get, leading to more and more Minereum. Want to know more? Find out below. Introducing the Minereum World Metaverse Minereum has recently announced to the community that its entering the Metaverse race with the launch of Minereum World . The Minereum World consists of a finite number of land plots, these land plots are NFTs, and once minted by the users, they can be traded on open markets like opensea.io. The Land Pre-Sale is live, so anyone can now mint Minereum Land for the ETH , BSC , and Polygon Chains. 20,000 plots of land are available for meeting on each blockchain and can be minted by anyone via the Minereum web3 platform. The costs to mint NF...

A court in Beijing has ruled that three investment agreements for bitcoin mining operations in Sichuan are “invalid.” A compensation claim has been rejected in the case, viewed as an indication that the Chinese judiciary would not provide protection for crypto-related interests. Beijing Court Invalidates Bitcoin Mining Contracts The Chaoyang District People’s Court in the Chinese capital has recently rejected a lawsuit seeking damages from a crypto company. It was filed by one of its clients who failed to make a return on his investments in bitcoin mining, the Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post reported, quoting state-run media in the mainland. Beijing Phonf Marketing Technology, the plaintiff, entered into three agreements with Zyzc Blockchain Technology in May 2019 for the deployment of mining hardware in Sichuan, paying 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) for the job. At the time, the central government was still tolerant of crypto mining, while some local authorities, includin...

The pace of the crypto industry’s acceleration in 2021 has surprised many, including Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Luno. Swanepoel recently remarked: “We knew it was coming, but just not that fast, particularly in certain subsectors like NFTs and some altcoins.” Subsectors at ‘Top of Their Hype Cycle’ The acceleration of the crypto industry in 2021 surprised some players in the space, including Marcus Swanepoel, co-founder and CEO of crypto exchange platform Luno. Although Swanepoel notes this acceleration was expected, he nonetheless concedes that the pace of the growth was not anticipated. In remarks published by the Daily Maverick, the CEO offers his thoughts on what may have caused the rapid acceleration. “The industry accelerated a lot faster this year than we anticipated. We knew it was coming, but just not that fast, particularly in certain subsectors like NFTs and some altcoins,” Swanepoel is quoted explaining. However, Swanepoel opines that some of th...

Along with the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, Ukrainians are enjoying an expanding range of related services and products. Besides new options to buy and trade coins, crypto users in the country will be offered two cards that will allow them to spend their digital currencies in stores and online. Wirex Gives Ukrainians Access to Over 20 Cryptocurrencies, Promises Crypto Card U.K.-based crypto payment processor Wirex has allowed residents of Ukraine to purchase and exchange cryptocurrencies on its platform. The company supports more than 20 cryptocurrencies, including major coins such as BTC and ETH as well as popular altcoins like DOGE. Ukrainians will also be able to open crypto savings accounts based on defi products, Wirex told Forklog this week. These will return up to 16% compound interest on selected currencies annually, the provider explained, noting that the interest can also be credited in the native WXT currency. Wirex also plans to issue its card to Ukrainia...