Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The central bank of Ukraine has adjusted the fixed exchange rate of the national currency in U.S. dollars and introduced stricter limits on hryvnia transactions for citizens. The measures are likely to turn more Ukrainians to cryptocurrencies, according to a representative of the local crypto sector. War-Time Hryvnia Limits Expected to Increase Interest in Cryptocurrency The National Bank of Ukraine ( NBU ) has introduced new rules in response to the changing fundamentals of the country’s economy during an ongoing military conflict with Russia. The monetary authority devalued the Ukrainian hryvnia against the strong U.S. dollars by 25% on Thursday and set new limits on banking operations with the national fiat. According to the updated regulations for private individuals, enforced on July 21, banks can sell non-cash foreign currency to their customers only if the amounts are deposited for a period of at least three months, without an option to terminate the contract. The 50,000-...

The founder and CEO of the leading exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried has offered to give early liquidity to Voyager Digital’s customers, according to an announcement FTX published on July 22. Furthermore, Bankman-Fried discussed the crypto industry with CNBC in an exclusive interview, and noted that he was willing to deploy “hundreds of millions beyond what we have thus far” to help digital currency companies affected by the crypto market downturn. FTX Plans to ‘Provide Early Liquidity to Customers of Voyager’ Not too long ago on June 28, Sam Bankman-Fried told Forbes author Steven Ehrlich that some crypto firms were “secretly insolvent” and he warned more insolvencies were coming. The FTX CEO’s words came true, as more companies with financial issues followed the problems customers were having with Celsius freezing withdrawals . Celsius eventually filed for bankruptcy protection alongside Three Arrows Capital , and Voyager Digital . happy to do what we can to get liquidity to Voy...

Finland has sold 1,889 bitcoins seized in narcotic cases for 46.5 million euros ($47.4 million). The country’s finance minister previously said that the bitcoin sale proceeds will go to Ukraine for humanitarian aid and reconstruction as its war with Russia continues. Finland Sells Bitcoin Seized From Narcotic Offenses Finnish Customs (aka Tulli), the customs service of the government of Finland, announced Thursday that it has sold “legally forfeited” bitcoins. “During the summer, Finnish Customs has realized its cryptocurrencies that had been legally forfeited to the state,” the announcement details, elaborating: The realization concerned 1,889.1 bitcoins. The state gained about 46.5 million euros in total in proceeds from their sale. The customs service explained that the bitcoins were seized “in connection with investigations into offenses related to narcotics and doping substances.” The coins “were sold by the two cryptocurrency brokers selected by Customs through competiti...

Nasdaq-listed crypto exchange Coinbase has disputed the allegation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that nine of the crypto assets traded on its platform are securities. The company’s chief legal officer stressed: “Coinbase does not list securities. End of story.” Coinbase Insists It Does Not List Crypto Asset Securities The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged that cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase listed nine crypto asset securities in a complaint filed Thursday. The securities regulator charged a former Coinbase employee with “violating the antifraud provisions of the securities laws” related to insider trading. The SEC stated in its complaint that crypto tokens AMP, RLY, DDX, XYO, RGT, LCX, POWR, DFX, and KROM are unregistered securities. However, Coinbase immediately disputed the SEC’s allegation that some coins traded on its platform are crypto securities. The exchange’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, stressed in a blog post Thursday: ...

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned of the “biggest bond crash since 1788.” He stressed that the “real problem” is in the bond market, which is “40 times larger” than the stock market. He is waiting for the price of bitcoin to fall further to buy some. Robert Kiyosaki Warns Bond Market Is Crashing The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has made several fresh predictions about the stock and bond markets. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. The famous author tweeted Friday: U.S. bond market crashes. Biggest bond crash since 1788 … Bond markets bigger than stock market. I am buying more gold, silver now, and waiting for bitcoin to go lower. He also stressed that China’s real estate market is crashing,...

A federal jury has convicted the founder of “My Big Coin” in a fraudulent scheme that swindled $6 million from cryptocurrency investors. The defendant made several false claims, including that the coins were backed by gold and that the company had a partnership with Mastercard. My Big Coin’s Founder Convicted The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that the founder of My Big Coin Pay Inc. (aka My Big Coin), Randall Crater, has been convicted in a cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The 51-year-old from East Hampton, New York, defrauded investors of over $6 million, the DOJ alleged. Crater has been “convicted of four counts of wire fraud, three counts of unlawful monetary transactions, and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business,” the Justice Department detailed. Eric Shen, the inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group who worked on the case, commented: The defendant preyed on victims with what appe...

Telefonica, one of the largest communication companies in Spain, has decided to invest in Gamium, strengthening its metaverse push. The company will allocate a non-disclosed amount of funds to this metaverse initiative through Wayra, its innovation-based incubator arm. The company is also collaborating with Meta in the creation of a metaverse innovation hub for startups. Telefonica To Invest In Spanish Metaverse Gamium Metaverse initiatives have become popular for companies and VCs to invest in during this market downturn. Telefonica, one of the biggest communication companies in Spain, has announced it will fortify its metaverse investment by supporting Gamium, a Spanish virtual world initiative. This Barcelona-based company has raised a million euros with the sales of land on its platform in just ten days, and it is advertised as the first decentralized metaverse. The investment, whose numbers were not disclosed, will be made through Wayra, an open innovation platform of Telefon...

U.S. authorities have withdrawn their request to extradite the alleged operator of crypto exchange BTC-e Alexander Vinnik from France, his French lawyer informed Russian media. Vinnik’s defense suspects, however, that the move is intended to actually speed up his extradition through Greece. Lawyer Says Washington Wants Vinnik to Remain in Prison The United States withdrew a request submitted in 2020 to extradite Alexander Vinnik from France, according to Frederic Belot, who is defending him in French courts. The Russian IT specialist has served a five-year prison term in the country where he was sentenced for money laundering. Vinnik’s international defense team has been trying to secure his release but France is more likely to send him back to Greece, where he was arrested in the summer of 2017 on a warrant from American prosecutors who accuse him of laundering at least $4 billion through the infamous cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e . This week, Belot told RBC Crypto that the Fre...

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Spacex, said that remote work was no longer acceptable for Tesla workers in May. According to Qatalog and GitLab, remote workers spend extra time weekly trying to prove they are online and working to their employers. But metaverse environments, a futuristic approach to remote work solutions, also raise concerns for workers about the ability their bosses have to monitor their actions. Elon Musk’s Dislike for Remote Work, ‘Digital Presenteeism’ Seen as Problem Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Spacex, is not a fan of remote work. In a leaked memo directed to workers of Tesla, Musk stated that remote work wasn’t acceptable anymore, telling them they had to spend 40+ hours in the facilities of the company weekly or they will be fired. Musk even criticized other companies that allow remote work, saying they had not shipped an amazing product for “a while.” New data indicates that Musk’s concerns are not unfounded. According to a study completed by Qatalog and Git...