Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Complying with the latest EU sanctions targeting Russia, well-known cryptocurrency platforms like Localbitcoins, Blockchain.com, and Crypto.com have started to restrict or terminate services for Russian accounts. The moves follow the adoption of new European penalties in response to Moscow’s military escalation in Ukraine. Major Crypto Platforms Conform to EU Measures, Restrict Services for Russian Users Over Ukraine War About a week after the European Union introduced another set of measures aimed at hurting Russia’s economy and finances, including its access to the crypto market, a number of service providers in the industry have taken steps to comply with the new requirements. In April, the bloc banned only high-value services, those for digital assets exceeding €10,000 in value ($11,000 at the time). Last Thursday, Brussels prohibited the provision of all crypto-related services to Russian residents and entities, regardless of the amount. Localbitcoins, the peer-to-peer excha...

A U.S. senator has called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue crypto regulations now “through a transparent notice-and-comment regulatory process.” He stressed that “some digital assets are securities, others may be commodities, and others may subject to a completely different regulatory regime.” US Senator Calls for ‘Transparent Notice-and-Comment Regulatory Process’ to Regulating Crypto Assets U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) has sent a letter to the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, regarding crypto regulations. In his letter dated Oct. 13, the senator told Gensler, “Clear rules promote an environment where investors are protected,” adding: I write to urge the SEC to issue regulations for digital asset securities through a transparent notice-and-comment regulatory process. He stressed: “Currently, digital asset markets do not have a coordinated regulatory framework. This creates uneven enforcement, and deprives ...

Experts from an economic institute in China have circulated the idea of creating a blockchain-powered digital currency that could lower Asia’s reliance on the greenback. The initiative comes against the backdrop of an expanding digital yuan pilot, and after recent trials of cross-border payments with state-issued digital currencies in the region. China Suggests Minting Asia-Wide Digital Yuan Underpinned by Distributed Ledger Technology Chinese government researchers have proposed the introduction of a new digital currency in Asia in order to reduce the region’s dependence on the U.S. fiat money. The common coin would also help safeguard financial stability while enhancing regional monetary cooperation, they say, quoted by the South China Morning Post this week. According to Song Shuang, Liu Dongmin, and Zhou Xuezhi from the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the digital token would be pegged to a basket of 13 currencies, includin...

Quant rose to its highest point since the start of the year on Saturday, as prices climbed for a third straight session. In addition to this, tron was also higher, as the token attempted to break out of a key resistance point. Overall, cryptocurrency markets were down 1.95% as of writing. Quant (QNT) Quant (QNT) was one of the notable movers to start the weekend, as the token surged to a ten-month high. Following a low of $162.00 on Friday, QNT/USD surged to an intraday peak of $184.98 earlier in today’s session. This move saw the token climb to its highest point since January 8, and comes following three days of gains. As of writing, the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is now deep in overbought territory, and is tracking at 80.19. This is marginally above a ceiling of 79.00, and this could mean that bears could be looming, looking for any slips, before reentering. Should bullish momentum remain high, we could see traders target an exit around the $190 level. Tron ( TRX )...

Bearish sentiment returned to cryptocurrency markets on Saturday, as bitcoin was once again in the red. The world’s largest token moved lower to start the weekend, following yesterday’s surge towards $20,000. Ethereum was also down today, falling below $1,300 in the process. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) was in the red to start the weekend, as bearish sentiment returned to cryptocurrency markets. BTC was higher on Friday, as market uncertainty eased, following the latest U.S. inflation report, however it seems as though this turbulence has returned this weekend. As a result, BTC /USD fell to an intraday low of $19,076.63 earlier in the day, less than a 24 hours after hitting a peak of $19,821.40. Looking at the chart, the drop in price has pushed the 10-day (red) moving average (MA) close to an imminent downward crossover with its 25-day (blue) counterpart. In addition to this, the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is now back below the 50.00 mark, after failing to move past its c...

This week researchers from the Bank of Canada published the central bank’s Financial System Review which highlights five key statistics tethered to Canadian bitcoin owners. According to the Bank of Canada’s metrics, 13% of Canadians own the leading crypto asset bitcoin, and “most Canadians are aware of bitcoin.” Bank of Canada’s Financial System Review Highlights Bitcoin Ownership Among Canadians On October 12, 2022, the Bank of Canada published the financial institution’s Financial System Review , which highlights some key points tied to the crypto asset ecosystem. A blog post specifically discussing the crypto asset industry and markets, in general, written by Daniela Balutel, Walter Engert, Christopher Henry, Kim Huynh, and Marcel Voia explains that “large price corrections are the most common incident reported by crypto asset owners.” Furthermore, the five researchers added that “bitcoin ownership among Canadians increased sharply in 2021.” “The share of Canadians owning bitc...

Konami, one of the most influential Japanese game development and publishing companies, has announced it will be introducing Web3 and metaverse technologies into its games. The company opened 13 different job openings for three departments that will be responsible for developing the new projects to spearhead Konami’s latest business strategy. Konami to Enter Metaverse and Web3 Arena Konami, one of the biggest AAA game developers and publishers in Japan, is showing interest in jumping on the metaverse and Web3 entertainment bandwagon. The company recently published a series of job openings for the production of experiences that include this type of technology in its next games. The company is recruiting via 13 different job openings in the areas of infrastructure development, production and operations, and support. These new openings will help to “provide new experiences such as Web3 and Metaverse,” according to Konami’s news release. While there have been no statements about the I...

The deadly conflict that started with Russia’s assault on Ukraine has increased crypto-related activity in both countries, according to Chainalysis. Fiat inflation and sanctions pressure led to several spikes in transaction volumes this year, the blockchain forensics firm has found, while Eastern Europe as a whole sustained its role in the global crypto ecosystem. Russians and Ukrainians Turn to Crypto Amid Consequences of Escalating Military Clash The Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing military conflict that’s currently escalating have affected all aspects of life in the two nations, and cryptocurrency is no exception, Chainalysis said in an excerpt from its upcoming 2022 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report. Citizens of both countries have felt the war’s economic impact and experienced high inflation. Shortly after the hostilities began in late February, Russian and Ukrainian cryptocurrency transfers saw an increase. In the following weeks and months trends diverged, and while...