Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. The global cryptocurrency market is experiencing an unprecedented boom. The market is at $2 trillion dollars and growing. MappedSwap is launching a promotional campaign from April 13th – May 12th. During that period they plan to give more than 800,000 MST in total as well as provide referral and staking rebates in MST to users. MappedSwap also has plans to lower the barrier to entry for new users and referrers to earn MST during this campaign period while attracting users to leverage 10x margin trading function to boost trading and earning possibilities. Participants will also hope to cast a larger net through referrals, by sharing their very own referral code to their audiences to improve individual earnings. Making an entrance into this market is MappedSwap Protocol, a decentralized, on-chain cross-margin trading swap exchange built on Eurus Blockchain, a layer-one, decentralized and secure inter-transfer network based on Ethereum side-chain. To put this growth in...

Terra Bridge, the cross-chain bridge protocol now supports Solana, Fantom, Moonbeam, Osmosis, and Avalanche according to Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon. “Easiest way to move funds in crypto,” the Terraform Labs CEO explained in a tweet. Terra Bridge Adds 5 New Chains On April 12, 2022, Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon told his 352,800 Twitter followers that Terra Bridge, otherwise known as bridge.terra.money , now supports five new blockchain networks. Cross-chain bridge technology has come a long way over the last 12 months and in mid-September 2021, there was over $7 billion total value locked (TVL) across several bridges to Ethereum. Today, cross-chain bridges to ethereum hold $19.51 billion in value across over a dozen blockchain networks. “Bridge.terra.money now supports Avalanche, Solana, Osmosis, Fantom, and Moonbeam Network. The easiest way to move funds in crypto,” Do Kwon said on Tuesday. The Terraform Labs co-founder also shared a screenshot of the protocol in actio...

Blackrock, Fidelity, Marshall Wace, and Fin Capital are investing in crypto firm Circle. In addition, Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, has entered into a broader strategic partnership with the crypto firm. Blackrock, Fidelity, Marshall Wace, Fin Capital to Invest in Circle Circle Internet Financial announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement for a $400 million funding round with investments from Blackrock Inc., Fidelity Management and Research, Marshall Wace LLP, and Fin Capital. Circle is the issuer of USD Coin (USDC). The stablecoin USDC has a market cap of about $51 billion and market dominance of about 2.58% at the time of writing, based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. Expanding on its partnership with Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, Circle detailed: In addition to its corporate strategic investment and role as a primary asset manager of USDC cash reserves, Blackrock has entered into a broader strategic partnership with Circle, which ...

An Ethereum developer, Virgil Griffith, has been sentenced to five years and three months in U.S. prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge brought on by speaking at a crypto conference in North Korea. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), his presentation provided the Kim Jong Un regime with “technical advice on using cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to evade sanctions.” Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Going to Prison for Violating North Korean Sanctions Virgil Griffith, an Ethereum developer, was sentenced to 63 months in prison Tuesday by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan. Griffith pleaded guilty in September last year to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The charge carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison. However, in a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to seek no more than six and a half years. The Ethereum developer was arrested in November 2019 in Los Angeles. He is charged wi...

With the rapid technological advancements, digitalization has witnessed a golden age in the past few years. Concepts we never even heard of are now becoming mainstream. One such example is NFT domains, rising as new web extensions. Quik.com is launching NFT domain names like .doge, .shib, .metaverse, .blockchain, .bored and .vr that are linked to the blockchain via smart contracts. The main characteristic of NFT domains that differentiates them from traditional domains is their decentralized nature. Traditionally, when we purchase a domain name, we are merely renting it for a certain period controlled by centralized servers. However, decentralized domains allow us to maintain self-custody and completely control our assets. NFT domains, like any other cryptocurrency, are verified on the blockchain and stored in a digital wallet. These domains, in addition, offer advantages like the ability to support decentralized internet portals, offer full ownership control of domain managemen...

Hacktivist collective Anonymous claims it has already published millions of leaked Russian emails. The group has been waging a cyberwar on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, carrying out attacks on government institutions, state-run television channels, and the central bank. Russia’s Culture Ministry Becomes Latest Target of Anonymous Anonymous has released well over two million emails obtained in cyberattacks on Russian organizations, the decentralized hacking group announced through social media. “This is just the beginning,” read a message posted on Twitter by the affiliated Anonymous TV account this past Sunday. #OpRussia : Since declaring ‘cyber war’ on Kremlin’s criminal regime, #Anonymous has released over 2 million Russian emails via #DDoSecrets and this is just the beginning. In the coming days #Anonymous collective will release other data related to Russian entities. #FreeUkraine pic.twitter.com/f1povI6uF1 — Anonymous TV 🇺🇦 (@YourAnonTV) April 10, 2022 In th...

Bitfinex, a cryptocurrency exchange, and Tether, issuer of USDT , the largest stablecoin by market cap, have partnered to launch a cryptocurrency fund to support Salvadoran families affected by gang violence. The two companies have donated 25 BTC to start the initiative, and expect many more will join. The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, declared a state of emergency two weeks ago. Bitfinex and Tether Bootstrap Charity Campaign for Salvadoran Families Bitfinex and Tether are worried about the destiny of the Salvadoran people. The two companies have recently announced a crypto fund directed to help Salvadoran families affected by the violence happening in the country. This has been caused by the exacerbation of gang violence that started two weeks ago, when on March 26 more than 60 Salvadorans died as a consequence of gang violence. The two companies have already bootstrapped the aforementioned fund with 25 BTC , almost $1 million at the time of the donation, and expect ma...

The Bank of Ghana has warned businesses and the public against the practice of demanding or making payments in foreign currency without its authorization. The central bank’s warning comes just over a month after Ghana’s currency was rated the worst performing among Africa’s top currencies. Violators Face Possible Prison Time The Ghanaian central bank has reminded the public that the practice of receiving or making payments for goods and services in foreign currency without its express authorization is still prohibited. The bank also similarly warned businesses against “engaging in foreign exchange business without a license issued by the Bank of Ghana.” In a statement, the Bank of Ghana (BOG) said those caught on the wrong side of regulations face hefty fines. Alternatively, those in violation of the respective regulations face “a term of imprisonment of not more than eighteen (18) months or both.” Citizens Urged to Report Violations According to the BOG, only the local currenc...