Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The number of bitcoin ATMs has been on the rise in Russia’s capital and the rest of the country, a press report revealed this week. There is demand for the service as it offers easy access to cryptocurrencies, although not at the best exchange rates and still amid regulatory uncertainty. More Crypto ATMs Installed in Russian Federation Despite Absence of Regulations With growing interest in cryptocurrencies, the number of devices offering automated teller services for digital assets is increasing, the Russian business daily Kommersant noted in article. Several dozen bitcoin ATMs (BATMs) are now operating across the country, despite the lack of clarity in terms of regulation. Moscow has taken the lead when it comes to new installations. Quoting one of the companies behind them, Rusbit, the newspaper revealed that 14 new ‘cryptomats’ have appeared in the capital city this year, bringing the total across the Russian Federation to 52 units. Given Russia’s territory and population, that...

Phil Spencer, CEO of gaming at Microsoft and head of Xbox, directed some criticism at the idea of the metaverse and how it is being executed. Spencer remarked that for him, the current metaverse is a “poorly built video game,” but also that the sector was still in its early stages and will surely evolve. Phil Spencer Blasts Today’s Metaverse While the still unclear concept of “the metaverse” has been harnessed by several companies that want to leverage the advantage of being pioneers in an industry, other important personalities have criticized the current sector. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, blasted today’s metaverse technology during the WSJ Live Convention, noting that it was still unpolished. About today’s metaverse, Spencer stated: It’s a poorly built video game. Many interpreted this statement as an indirect jab at Meta, which has been criticized before due to the poor graphics its flagship metaverse app Horizon Worlds presented compared to modern video game...

PRESS RELEASE. LD Capital was established in 2016. Its main business involves direct investment and trading. It has established LD Capital X Ecological Fund, Web3 Alliance Incubation Accelerator, and Hero Group Secondary Hedging Asset Management. In the future, LD Capital’s investment in the field of Web3 will mainly focus on the Ethereum ecosystem, new public chains, GameFi ecosystems, DeFi ecosystems, etc. LD Capital’s investment philosophy is to grow together with industry pioneers, and to support Web3 entrepreneurs from multiple dimensions such as macro trends, strategic consulting, market branding, and industry relationships. It is the first investor in projects including 50 top industry titles. Regarding the prediction of future industry development, Jack Yi said that the price of Ethereum in the first two bull and bear cycles has grown dozens of times, and the price will continue to grow dozens of times in the next bull market. At the same time, we will focus on investing ...

After authorities in Egypt announced the adoption of a more flexible exchange rate regime, the pound exchange rate versus the U.S dollar plunged to 23.09:1, a new low for the currency. Cairo’s apparent devaluation of the Egyptian pound met a key condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before it eventually approved a $3 billion bailout package for Egypt. The IMF’s Key Condition A report has said that the official exchange rate of the Egyptian pound versus the U.S dollar plunged by 15% to 23.09 per dollar after the central bank announced the adoption of a more flexible exchange rate regime. Cairo’s apparent devaluation of the currency came as news broke that Egypt had reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which will see it receive a $3 billion financial bailout. Before the pound’s latest slip, the currency had traded at just under 20 units per dollar. Some banks in Egypt, as well as the IMF, argued that the exchange rate, which was last adjust...

According to a study jointly published by KPMG China and Aspen Digital, about 58% of Singapore and Hong Kong’s family offices and high-net-worth individuals have invested in digital assets. Reports suggest the info shows the crypto market downturn has not diminished the super-rich’s interest in digital assets, and is unlikely to dissuade them from increasing their holdings of these assets. Singapore and Hong Kong’s Super-Rich Increasingly Interested in NFTs Nearly 60% of family offices and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) from Hong Kong and Singapore have invested in digital assets, while 34% are planning to do the same, a new study has found. Besides holding BTC and ETH , the study found the two regions’ super-rich have also shown increased interest in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (defi) products. Commenting on the study’s findings, jointly published by KPMG China and Aspen Digital, the latter firm’s CEO Yang He said: NFTs have seen an explosion in inte...

Costa Rica could be one of the next countries to adopt bitcoin as a regulated payment method. This week, Congresswoman Johana Obando introduced a bill to allow bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to serve as a form of payment. The bill also proposes that traditional banking institutions be able to serve as crypto exchanges, including custody and wallet services for their customers. Costa Rica to Regulate Cryptocurrency Costa Rica could be on the path to integrating bitcoin as part of its economy. This week, congresswoman Johana Obando introduced a bill that seeks to approve bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as a regulated payment method in the country, as a means of modernizing the economy. The bill, number 23,415, also includes the definition of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as virtual private currency and protects the rights of citizens to possess such assets. One of the objectives behind this bill is to offer clarity and protection to the people and companies that investing in c...