Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

South African cryptocurrency exchange Valr announced recently that it has raised $50 million in a Series B round led by Pantera Capital. The capital raise means Valr is now valued at a reported $240 million. Funds Raised to Finance Valr’s Expansion Into Other Markets The South African cryptocurrency exchange, Valr, recently announced that it raised $50 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Pantera Capital, while Alameda Research, Cadenza, CMT Digital, Coinbase Ventures, Distributed Global, GSR and Third Prime also took part. According to a report by Globalcryptotv, the cryptocurrency exchange’s latest capital raise dwarfs the $3.4 million that it raised in July 2020 and places Valr’s value at $240 million. The report added that Valr, which entered the South African crypto market more than three years ago, will use the capital raised to fund the platform’s expansion into other markets across Africa and into emerging markets such as India. Remarking on the exch...

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is worried that “cryptocurrencies risk undermining sanctions against Russia.” She urges financial regulators “to take this threat seriously and increase their scrutiny of digital assets.” Senator Elizabeth Warren Worried Russia Could Use Cryptocurrency to Evade Sanctions As governments worldwide are placing sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is worried that cryptocurrency could give Russia a way to evade sanctions. The senator from Massachusetts tweeted Monday: Cryptocurrencies risk undermining sanctions against Russia, allowing Putin and his cronies to evade economic pain. “U.S. financial regulators need to take this threat seriously and increase their scrutiny of digital assets,” she added. Senator Warren’s tweet was heavily criticized in the crypto community. Some people called her ignorant while others said she lied. One person tweeted: “So what you’re saying is that a stateless, permissionless,...

Mobile network operator MTN recently staked claim to its status as one of the first South African companies to enter the metaverse, after it purchased 144 plots of digital land in the virtual world Ubuntuland for an undisclosed amount. MTN Seeks to ‘Amplify Consumers’ Digital Experiences’ South Africa’s mobile network operator, MTN, recently bought 144 plots of digital land in the Ubuntuland metaverse, a report has said. The purchase reportedly makes MTN one of the first companies from South Africa to enter the metaverse. As the Mybroadband report explained, MTN now owns 144 plots with an area of 12 square meters. Commending the company’s pivot to the metaverse, MTN’s group executive for marketing, Bernice Samuels, is quoted explaining how this dovetails with its Ambition 2025 strategy. The executive said: This is exactly what our Ambition 2025 strategy is premised on — leveraging trends that amplify consumers’ digital experiences and engagement. We have always been at the fore...

Spacex has managed to deliver Starlink equipment to Ukraine as promised by its founder, Elon Musk. The hardware will provide access to high-speed internet for users in the country, which has been experiencing disruptions in communications as a result of Russia’s military invasion. Ukrainians Get Starlink Internet Amid Ongoing Russian Offensive Ukraine has received a batch of terminals needed to connect to the satellite internet constellation Starlink. The network is operated by Spacex, the aerospace manufacturer founded and managed by U.S. tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, and offers high-speed broadband internet across the globe. The arrival was announced by Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation. “Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk,” the Kyiv official tweeted on Monday, posting a photo of a truck full of antennas and routers used to connect to the satellites. On Saturday, Fedorov took to Twitter to ask the billionaire to provide Ukra...