Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

NFTs are showing the brighter side of humanity as real support transcends the boundaries of nations and reaches Ukraine through the metaverse. In light of the ongoing military conflict, people from all around the world send their donations to Ukraine via NFT sales, as artists and activists turn to them over older fundraising methods. Millions in Donations Raised for Ukraine by NFT Sales It feels like NFTs have been taking over the world recently, with more and more types of communities getting involved by the day. From major visual artists to global fashion brands and from video game studios to superstar rappers, everyone is rushing in to join the trend. One aspect of human life in 2022 no one was probably expecting to be drawn into the NFT phenomena is armed conflict between nations, actual war, but here we are. Soon after the start of hostilities in Ukraine, and the countless human tragedies that followed it, NFTs were being used to raise funds for helping refugees and other caus...

The U.S. central bank is expected to raise its target fed funds rate on Wednesday for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Analysts and economists are hyper-focused on this key event, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues in Europe. If the Federal Reserve decides to increase the rate by a quarter percentage point from zero, investors wonder how stock markets, crypto prices, and investments like precious metals will react to the news. A 25 Basis Point Increase Is Expected — Anxiety Revolves Around the Fed’s Next Moves Last week, the world watched as financial sanctions were used against Russia and the price of gold soared to an all-time high reaching $2,060 per ounce. Energy stocks, oil, and a myriad of commodities also jumped considerably in value during the last seven days. Cryptocurrency markets last week were lackluster, volume is down, and action remained flat after a brief price jump on March 9, 2022. Stocks on the other hand suffered a great deal and indexes ...

The Group of Seven (G7) countries issued a joint statement stating that they “will ensure that the Russian state and elites, proxies and oligarchs cannot leverage digital assets as a means of evading or offsetting the impact of international sanctions.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department is “closely monitoring any efforts to circumvent or violate Russia-related sanctions, including through the use of virtual currency.” G7 Committed to Ensuring Russia Cannot Evade Sanctions Using Crypto The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries jointly issued a statement Friday regarding further sanctions on Russia. The statement explains that since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, “our countries have imposed expansive, restrictive measures that have severely compromised Russia’s economy and financial system.” Among the measures the G7 countries have committed to taking further is “maintaining the effectiveness of our restrictive measures, to c...

Abra’s CEO has predicted that the price of ether could reach $40,000. He’s more bullish on Ethereum than Bitcoin. “The use cases are through the roof,” said the executive. Abra’s CEO Predicts Ethereum Price The CEO of crypto trading platform Abra, Bill Barhydt, shared his thoughts on why he is more bullish about Ethereum than Bitcoin in an interview with CNBC Friday. He also predicts that the price of ether ( ETH ) could reach $40,000, a significant increase from the cryptocurrency’s current price. Barhydt explained, “Ethereum’s network effect is based on this idea that it could become the world’s computers. It’s being used for stablecoins, NFTs [non-fungible tokens], defi [decentralized finance] … and gaming now.” The CEO expects that “with staking coming,” there will be “a massive influx of people trying to hold ethereum.” Comparing the network effects of Ethereum to Bitcoin, he opined: The network effects for Ethereum in the short-term are actually more bullish to me because ...

U.S. Senator Cory Booker sees cryptocurrency as “an exciting innovation with the potential to bring growth to the American economy if properly nurtured and regulated.” The senator from New Jersey is encouraged by President Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto regulation. US Senator Sees Crypto Benefiting American Economy U.S. Senator Cory Booker talked about the potential benefits of cryptocurrency to the American economy Thursday. His comments followed President Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto regulation. Booker became the first African American to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate in October 2013. Prior to becoming a U.S. senator, he served on the Newark City Council from 1998 to 2002 and as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. “I’m heartened by the nuanced and optimistic tone of POTUS’ recent executive order on digital assets,” the senator tweeted, elaborating: Cryptocurrency is an exciting innovation with the potential to bring growth to the American economy if ...

Global investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are winding down business in the Russian Federation. The move comes as western sanctions against Moscow over its decision to launch a military invasion of Ukraine continue to expand, supported by leading financial institutions. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Scale Down Russian Operations Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase have become the first major American banks to announce they are leaving Russia, a process that according to industry experts may take months if not years. Their decisions follow the imposing of unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over its military assault on neighboring Ukraine. The restrictions, which have affected the financial sphere, make it harder for banking institutions to operate in the Russian Federation. Reuters notes that while European banks are more exposed to Russia, U.S. banks have significant exposure as well, totaling $14.7 billion, according to data provided by the Bank of International ...

U.K. watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has told firms running crypto ATMs in the country that they are operating illegally and must therefore shut down their machines. Operators that fail to heed the warning will face enforcement action, the FCA said. Crypto ATM Providers Operating Illegally The U.K. financial sector watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has said it asked cryptoasset service providers that operate crypto ATMs to “shut their machines down or face enforcement action.” The watchdog insisted that since none of the crypto firms that it has registered is approved to operate a crypto ATM, any one of these companies that operates one in the U.K. is doing so illegally. In a statement released on March 11, 2022, the FCA suggested that the decision to go after crypto ATM operators of the reported 81 machines came after a U.K. judge had ruled against one crypto ATM operator, Gidiplus. According to the statement, Gidiplus wanted the country’s Upper T...

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela has stated in a recent sentence that the tasks developed by Sunacrip, the national cryptocurrency and bitcoin mining watchdog, have a strategic significance for the country. The sentence also voids certain resolutions taken in a case where another court rolled back the seizure of more than 1,000 bitcoin miners. Sunacrip Role Supported by National Courts in Venezuela A sentence issued by the highest tribunal in Venezuela recognized as strategic the role that the national cryptocurrency watchdog, Sunacrip, fulfills as the organization that controls mining operations. The sentence, which voids some resolutions taken in a prior sentence where another tribunal ordered Sunacrip to return more than 1,000 miners seized in November to its owners, also declares that bitcoin miners have to comply with certain conditions to develop these activities on Venezuelan soil. According to the Venezuelan cryptocurrency-linked attorney Criptolawyer, who ana...