Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The Botswana government is set to present a “Virtual Asset Bill” to the country’s parliament, a move that could see it become one of the first countries in Africa to have laws regulating cryptocurrencies. Preventing the Proliferation of Risks Associated With Cryptos A Botswana government draft document that proposes to regulate new and developing virtual assets businesses, as well as to provide a regulatory body with its functions and powers, is now set to be presented before the country’s lawmakers, a recent government gazette has shown. The planned presentation of the Virtual Asset Bill alongside other bills such as the Financial Intelligence Bill comes just over two months after the country’s central bank warned residents engaged in cryptocurrency trading that Botswana does not have a regulatory framework to govern such trading. Yet, in the draft that was published in the Extraordinary Government Gazette on December 23, Botswana authorities suggest they are not only seeking t...

Trading platform Robinhood has begun rolling out crypto wallets to 1,000 customers. Users can send and receive their cryptocurrencies from Robinhood to external crypto wallets, the company explained, adding that by March, 10,000 customers will be testing the wallets before rolling out to the rest of the waitlist. Robinhood Lets 1,000 Customers Test Its Crypto Wallets Popular trading platform Robinhood announced Thursday that its “crypto wallets beta program” is now live. The announcement details: Starting today, we’ll begin rolling out crypto wallets to 1,000 customers from the top of the wallets waitlist (subject to owning an external wallet for testing and some safety checks). “By March, we will expand the program to 10,000 customers before rolling out to the rest of the Wenwallets waitlist,” the announcement adds. The company explained that in the beta testing phase, its customers can send and receive their cryptocurrencies from Robinhood to external crypto wallets. There is...

The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, has received his first paycheck in bitcoin and ether via Coinbase. “Promise made, promise kept,” the mayor said, referring to his promise to take his first three paychecks in cryptocurrency. Mayor of New York City Takes Paycheck in Cryptocurrency With the Help of Coinbase New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made good on his promise about getting paid in bitcoin. In a video he posted on Twitter Thursday, the mayor said: Promise made, promise kept. Took my first check in bitcoin and ethereum. “This is a reason to highlight. New York must be the center for innovation and new ideas. I want my young people to thrive in every industry,” the mayor emphasized. The official website of the city of New York also announced Thursday that Mayor Adams will “receive [his] first paycheck in cryptocurrency.” The mayor’s first paycheck “will automatically be converted into cryptocurrency via Coinbase … before funds are made available,” the announcement deta...

Autograph, the NFT agency co-founded by famous NFL player Tom Brady, has raised $170 million in its series B funding round. The company revealed that the funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins, with the participation of other notable companies in the field. The funds raised will contribute to the expansion of the company with new, undisclosed partnerships reportedly on the way. Autograph Raises $170 Million Autograph, the NFT firm that NFL star Tom Brady co-launched last year, has raised $170 million in its latest funding round. The Series B was led by two companies: a16z and Kleiner Perkins, with the participation of Katie Haun’s new fund and Lightspeed partner Nicole Quinn. This marks a milestone for the startup, which raised $35 million in its Series A funding round, reaching a valuation of $700 million at that time. The company did not disclose its new valuation this time. Tom Brady, co-founder of the platform, was very optimistic about the future of...