Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Privatbank, the largest commercial bank in Ukraine, has temporarily halted transfers in national currency to digital asset exchanges. The financial institution explained the move with restrictions imposed by the country’s central bank under the current martial law. Leading Bank in Ukraine Bans Clients From Sending Hryvnia to Crypto Trading Platforms Ukraine’s largest bank in terms of assets, Privatbank, has prohibited its clients from transferring funds in Ukrainian hryvnia, the national fiat currency, to exchanges trading cryptocurrencies. The temporary ban has been introduced on March 16. According to a statement, quoted by the crypto news outlet Forklog, the measure stems from a resolution issued by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) on Feb. 24, the day when Russia launched its military invasion of the country. Although it does not specifically mention crypto-related transactions, the document regulates the operation of the banking system under martial law and introduces strict...

Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority has licensed two cryptocurrency exchanges: Binance and FTX. The regulator was formed last week when Dubai approved its first law to regulate crypto assets. Dubai Licenses Binance and FTX Cryptocurrency exchanges FTX and Binance have been licensed by Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). The regulator was established last week when the first law to regulate crypto assets was adopted in Dubai. Binance announced Wednesday: We have been granted a virtual asset license from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). With this license, “Binance will be able to operate within Dubai’s ‘test-adapt-scale’ virtual asset market model as a base for expansion into the region,” the company explained. “All licensed VARA service providers will be monitored progressively to open access to the retail market,” Binance noted, adding that in the future, it “will be permitted to extend limited exchange products and services to pre-qua...

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and 10 other lawmakers have introduced the “Digital Asset Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Act of 2022.” The bill “would place sweeping restrictions on persons who build, operate, and use cryptocurrency networks even if they have no knowledge or intent to help evade sanctions,” an expert said. Lawmakers Unveil Digital Asset Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Act U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill titled “Digital Asset Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Act of 2022” during a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday. The bill is co-sponsored by 10 other Democratic senators, including Mark Warner, Jack Reed, and Jon Tester. The aim of the bill is “to ensure that Vladimir Putin and Russian elites don’t use digital assets to undermine the international community’s economic sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine,” the senators explained in a joint press release. Noting that the bill will “strengthen our sanctions program and c...

Luno cryptocurrency exchange recently announced the launch of an investment arm, Luno Expeditions, whose objective is to invest in fintech, crypto, and Web3 startups globally. The investment arm will target digital assets and later-stage companies starting from Series A upwards. Funding Over 200 Startups per Year One of Africa’s pioneering cryptocurrency exchanges, Luno, recently announced the launch of an early-stage investment arm whose objective is to back fintech, crypto, and Web3 startups. Known as Luno Expeditions, the investment arm is expected to fund somewhere between 200 to 300 startups each year, a report has said. According to a report by Techcrunch, CEO Jocelyn Cheng will lead the all-female team of five at Luno Expeditions. The report added that Barry Silbert, the founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), and Marcus Swanepoel of Luno, will be a part of the new venture capital company’s Investment Committee. Also in the report, Cheng — who has previously held i...

As western sanctions increase the pressure on their country’s economy, many young Russians consider cryptocurrency to be a “reliable and profitable” investment option. According to a recent study, the share of Russian citizens who know about bitcoin has reached two thirds of the population. Under Sanctions, Russians Consider Buying Property, Gold, and Crypto Financial and other penalties imposed by the West over Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine are already affecting the economic situation in Russia. Despite the bleak perspectives, for many Russians property and gold continue to be — just like before — the most desired investment. The share of those who regard the purchase of real estate as the most reliable investment has been declining in the past few years but it’s still 33% in 2022, the Russian analytical center NAFI revealed in a new report. And 36% of the respondents in its study believe it’s the most profitable option. At the same time, gold has been gaining recognition a...

During the last 24 hours, the cryptocurrency community has been discussing the launch of a new token called apecoin (APE), released by the newly-formed Apecoin DAO. At launch, the token exchanged hands for $10.36 per coin, but dropped more than 40% to $6.21. Since the token’s all-time low and Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) owners getting a sizable airdrop, the price of APE moved closer to the price it saw when it first came out. Apecoin DAO Airdrops Tokens to NFT Owners, Forms the Ape Foundation There’s a new crypto token among the 13,243 cryptocurrencies in existence and it’s already positioned itself in the top 100. Apecoin (APE) was launched after the creation of a decentralized autonomous organization called Apecoin DAO, initiated by the firm Yuga Labs. According to the non-fungible token (NFT) startup, the Apecoin DAO will be managed by council members. Additionally, the formation of an Ape Foundation has been constructed in order to help manage the DAO’s governance process. “Ap...

Qatar Central Bank is presently examining the possibility of issuing a digital currency as well as digital bank licensing, an official has said. The official adds this study will help the central bank get an understanding of what its area of focus should be. The Growing Significance of CBDC An official with the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has said the institution is presently studying digital bank licensing as well as digital currencies. The official, Alanood Abdullah Al Muftah, the head of the bank’s fintech division, adds the study will enable the QCB to gain a better understanding of what its area of focus should be. In her remarks to The Peninsula, Al Muftah said the study will look into “the different aspects and verticals of fintech.” The study will also determine if it is feasible for Qatar to have a central bank digital currency (CBDC) or not. “In the next couple of months, there will be [a] greater understanding about the future focus of [the] QCB. Each central bank should ...