Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. NFTs are not a temporary trend. NFTs are here to stay. Although analysts are still in the process of realizing the full potential that the technology behind ‘Non-fungible tokens’ offers, much is already clear. Beyond being used to certify the authenticity of artwork, the applicability of NFT technology extends to many other fields and harbors some natural synergies with the next generation of gaming. Battle Borgz is on top of this trend. Battle Borgz are developing a unique NFT-based PvP and PvE battle game built on the Cardano ecosystem, promising gamers an experience that not only rewards enthusiasts with countless hours of engaging gameplay but also an opportunity to earn some passive income on the side. Traditionally, the relationship between the gamers and the developers has been one-sided – customers enjoy the experience while developers monetize their playtime. Battle Borgz is different. By drawing on the blockchain and NFT technology which has enabled t...

Samsung Group’s investment arm is reportedly set to list a blockchain exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Hong Kong Exchange during the first half of this year. The ETF will have a structure which is similar to that of BLOK, one of Amplify Holdings’s ETF products. Samsung Asset Management’s Stake in Amplify Holdings Samsung Asset Management Company (SAMC) is expected to list a blockchain exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Hong Kong Exchange during the first half of 2022, the parent company Samsung Group has said. The listing of an ETF, which tracks cryptocurrency and blockchain technology companies, will be a first for Asia one report has said. The ETF listing is expected to occur in the first half of 2022 comes a few weeks after SAMC reportedly acquired 20% of the stake in Amplify Holding Company, a U.S. ETF sponsor. As part of a $30 million acquisition agreement with Amplify Holding, Samsung Group’s investment arm will have exclusive rights to provide Amplify products in Asia. Th...

Eurozone’s monetary authority, the Eurosystem, is looking to enlist financial companies willing to develop front-end solutions for the digital euro. The plan is to carry out a “prototyping exercise” this year to test transactions to the back-end developed by the regulator. Eurosystem to Select Front-End Providers for Digital Euro Project Within the ongoing investigation into the possible issuance of a digital euro currency, the Eurosystem intends to conduct an experiment which will, among other objectives, test end-to-end transactions with the central bank digital currency ( CBDC ), the European Central Bank (ECB) announced before the weekend. The authority, which consists of the ECB and the central banks of the eurozone members, is looking for parties interested in offering front-end prototypes for the trials. Transactions will start at their front-end prototype and will be processed through the interface into the back-end, both developed by the Eurosystem. Payment service provid...

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has said new regulations compelling operators of crowdfunding platforms to ensure their products are suitable for clients are set to replace existing rules which were first issued in 2017. Segregation of Client Money From Platform Operators The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has issued new guidelines which apply to operators of crowdfunding platforms for the first time since 2017, a statement from the central bank has said. The new regulations cover principles that govern the operations of a crowdfunding platform as well as the rules that apply to offers and disclosures made by a crowdfunding platform. The new regulations, which are covered under the Crowdfunding Platform Operators Module (Module CFP), also address the “segregation of client money from platform operators and other measures to ensure safe operation of the activity.” Further, the new regulations compel the platform operators “to ensure [the] suitability of the products” that are being...

Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the co-founders of Solana, the proof-of-stake based, smart contracts enabled blockchain, issued a series of statements criticizing bitcoin’s consensus algorithm. In an interview on CNBC, Yakovenko stated that bitcoin might lose adoption if it doesn’t change to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. Other organizations have also attacked bitcoin, hinting at this same change as a possible solution for what are considered drawbacks by some. Solana Creator Believes Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work Consensus Algorithm Will Affect Its Usage Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the co-founders of Solana, the PoS consensus-based blockchain, issued his take when it comes to bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) and how it might affect the leading cryptocurrency in the future. In an interview on CNBC, Yakovenko stated that one of the main differences when comparing Solana to Bitcoin is the energy efficiency of the former. On this, Yakovenko explained: If you look at Solana’s energy rep...

The Indian government is exploring “several commercial use purposes and not just financial inclusion” for its central bank digital currency. India’s finance minister clarified that the aim is for the digital rupee, which will be backed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to be issued by 2023. India’s Finance Minister on RBI-Backed Digital Currency Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital rupee, this week at a business roundtable on “Investing in India’s Digital Revolution” in San Francisco. The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. It was hosted by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). Reiterating that the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) aim to introduce India’s central bank digital currency in 2023, the finance minister described: The government ...