Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. SEOUL – Iskra took the stage at Korea Blockchain Week, outlining their vision of game publishing in the era of Web3. “The technology is now available for us to provide an ecosystem that enables better outcomes for everyone: players, game developers and the platform itself. There is now an opportunity for every stakeholder (especially players) to share in the overall value created by the game experience: from digital asset ownership, fandom development, to overall community participation.”, explains Ben Colayco, Iskra’s Global Managing Director. Iskra plans on distributing up to 100% of all platform fees to every stakeholder, based on their participation. Participation is determined through Iskra’s Community Ranking System that measures everything from running an Iskra network node (Pioneer NFT), staking Iskra’s native token (ISK), to simply using platform services. This form of Game Publishing for Web3 includes the players as stakeholders from the very beginning, cre...

Two of the biggest soccer clubs in Spain, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, have applied to receive trademarks for some elements in the metaverse. The clubs have introduced an application that encompasses different activities and services that they can conduct in the metaverse, including a cryptocurrency wallet and the possibility of selling virtual merchandise. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona Interested in the Metaverse Sports teams are now moving their activities to the metaverse, in order to create new profit sources and also to improve feedback and their relationship with fans. Recently, two of the biggest soccer clubs in Spain, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, have filed a joint trademark application to offer several services in the metaverse. Trademark Attorney Michael Kondoudis first reported about the trademark application on social media, reporting that it was filed on August 5. The trademark filing indicates that the two clubs may be interested in offering their own cryptocurrency...

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen crypto exchange Vauld’s crypto and bank assets worth about INR 370 crore ($46,439,181). Vauld halted deposits and withdrawals last month. The Indian law enforcement agency is reportedly investigating more than 10 cryptocurrency exchanges. Indian Authority Freezes Another Cryptocurrency Exchange’s Assets The Enforcement Directorate (ED), a law enforcement and economic intelligence agency of the government of India, has frozen the assets of another cryptocurrency exchange. The agency announced Friday that it has conducted searches at various premises of Yellow Tune Technologies in Bangalore and has issued an order to freeze its bank balances, payment gateway balances, and crypto balances of Flipvolt Technologies’ crypto exchange totaling 370 crore rupees ($46,439,181) worth of assets. Flipvolt Technologies is the India-registered entity of Singapore-headquartered Vauld, a cryptocurrency trading, borrowing, and lending platform. ED ex...

The central bank of the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, has announced that it will stop accepting crypto license applications for three years, starting next month. The central bank is the primary regulator of the crypto sector in the Philippines. Philippines Halts Accepting Crypto License Applications The Philippine central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, announced Wednesday that it will stop accepting new Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license applications for three years. In a memorandum dated Aug. 10, the central bank explained that it “aims to strike a balance between promoting innovation in the financial sector and ensuring that associated risks remain within manageable levels.” The central bank added, “The Bangko Sentral recognizes that as VAs [virtual assets] offer opportunities to promote greater access to financial services at reduced costs, they also pose varied risks that may undermine financial stability,” elaborating: In this regard, the regular ...

PRESS RELEASE. Zug, Switzerland, 12th August 2022: GAIMIN announces the opening of its gaming and monetization platform to the gaming community. Following recently completed initial testing of its monetisation and gaming platform, GAIMIN.io ltd is opening up its gaming and monetization platform to 10,000 gamers during August and September. GAIMIN’s monetization application enables a user to utilize the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) installed in a PC to participate in GAIMIN’s distributed data processing network, returning up to 90% of rewards generated back to the user. With a specific focus on PC-based gamers as users, GAIMIN’s app allows gamers to utilize their passively generated rewards to purchase in-game assets such as NFTs and native gaming tokens (including V-Bucks and Apex Legends coins) and as well as purchasing accessories and merchandise from GAIMIN Gladiators, GAIMIN’s esports division all of which is designed to deliver true utility for GAIMIN’s GMRX token. Andrew ...

The U.S. government banning the ethereum mixing service Tornado Cash and the enforcement that has followed has the crypto community in an uproar about the event. A large number of crypto and privacy advocates have spoken out against the actions the government has taken so far, and the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future calls the ban “a threat to the future of financial privacy.” Advocacy Group Fight for the Future Says US Government Threatens Financial Privacy — ‘There Are Many Legitimate Reasons to Seek Anonymity in Financial Transactions’ On August 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash. The U.S. government claims that the application was used to allegedly “launder more than $7 billion worth of virtual currency since its creation in 2019.” Following the ban, Github contributors were suspended from the software repository platform and on August 12, the Tornado Cash Discord s...

Mercado Libre, one of the biggest retailers in Latam, has announced that it plans to expand its cryptocurrency trading services to more countries in the region. The company, whose cryptocurrency services are now just available for customers in Brazil through Mercado Pago, its payments and digital wallet, already has more than 1 million customers using these services. Mercado Libre to Expand Crypto Offering in Latam More companies are extending their services to include cryptocurrency in Latam. Mercado Libre, one of the biggest Latam region retailers, has plans to expand its cryptocurrency services to include more countries in the zone. Osvaldo Gimenez, head of Mercado Pago, Mercado Libre’s digital payments and wallet service, informed El Pais about these plans. He declared: We are going to be expanding in the region the possibility of buying, selling and having cryptocurrencies in your account. It works with bitcoin, with ethereum and with the stable currency that reflects the va...

Picpay, a payments and wallet app, is now providing cryptocurrency services to more than 30 million users in Brazil. The company, that had announced this rollout last month, now allows its customers to purchase, hold, and sell digital assets from its platform. The organization partnered with Paxos, the issuer of the pax dollars stablecoin, in order to provide these services. Picpay Launches Crypto Trading Services in Brazil Fintech companies are introducing crypto as a way of getting their customers acquainted with cryptocurrency as an alternative investment opportunity. Picpay, one of the biggest payment and wallet apps in Brazil, has announced the rollout of its cryptocurrency trading services program in the country. The company, which has now more than 30 million active users, will allow them to purchase, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies directly through its app. The exchange and settlement services will be provided by Paxos, a New York-based blockchain services platform. In the...