Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

On Oct. 31, 2022, the publicly-listed bitcoin miner Argo Blockchain revealed the firm’s attempt to obtain $27 million in a scheduled financing deal fell through. According to the company’s October update, Argo said it did not believe the deal “will be consummated” and now two market analysts have downgraded the company’s shares. Argo Blockchain’s $27 Million Financing Deal Falls Through, Stock Shudders, Wall Street Analysts Downgrade ARBK Shares Bitcoin miners have been facing significant pressures as a couple of publicly-listed mining firms have faced financial hardships and bankruptcies . The recent mining difficulty all-time high has not helped, and the fact that Bitcoin’s hashrate price reached an all-time low, it has crippled specific mining businesses. Following the speculation surrounding mining companies like Compute North and Core Scientific, Argo Blockchain (Nasdaq: ARBK ) has given investors an unsettling update concerning a $27 million financing deal that fell throu

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has filed an amicus brief in support of Ripple Labs in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit over xrp. Coinbase’s support is seen as a significant step in the case given that the crypto exchange was among the first trading platforms to delist xrp following the SEC lawsuit. Coinbase Supports Ripple Against SEC The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase filed an amicus brief on Tuesday in support of Ripple Labs against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The regulator sued Ripple, its CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and co-founder Chris Larsen over the sale of XRP , alleging that the crypto token is a security. Since the SEC lawsuit was filed, “multiple U.S. exchanges delisted XRP , causing its market value to decline by $15 billion, resulting in significant losses to Coinbase’s customers,” the counsel for Coinbase explained in the filing, noting: In the absence of a regulatory framework governing digital assets, Co

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are reportedly working closely with major social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, to police “disinformation.” Leaked documents further show their plans to expand censorship. Leaked Documents Reveal How Department of Homeland Security Plans to Police Disinformation Leaked documents and court records have revealed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s plans “to police disinformation,” according to an article published Monday by The Intercept. The DHS “is getting involved in social media content moderation in a big way,” tweeted Ken Klippenstein, one of the two authors. The other author, Lee Fang, detailed: Docs show Facebook and Twitter closely collaborating w/ Dept of Homeland Security, FBI to police ‘disinfo.’ Plans to expand censorship on topics like withdrawal from Afghanistan, origins of Covid, info that undermines trust in financial institutions. While disinformatio

Tesla, Spacex, and Twitter boss Elon Musk has decided to charge $8 per month for users of the social media platform to have a blue checkmark. “This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” Musk explained, adding that “it is the only way to defeat the bots and trolls.” However, many Twitter users are unhappy about the announced charge. Twitter to Charge $8 per Month for Account Verification Tesla CEO and Twitter boss Elon Musk announced on Twitter Tuesday that he plans to charge $8 per month for Twitter users to have a blue verification checkmark that is currently free. His announcement came after several days of discussion on Twitter following his acquisition of the social media platform. In a followed-up tweet, he explained that the price will be “adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.” Musk further detailed that for $8 a month, users will also get “priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/s

PRESS RELEASE. 1st Nov 2022, Bucharest, Romania — As part of its commitment to democratize access to the next generation of Web 3.0 Financial Services, ZoidPay has announced the launch of ZETA, the first on-demand Metaverse. What is ZETA? Integrating Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR), ZETA allows users to extend their reality with evolving utility. For example, users interested in retail will be able to explore many day-to-day experiences in the Metaverse, besides access to a host of Web 3.0 Financial Services, in a fully immersive digital experience. Eduard Oneci, CEO & Co-Founder at ZoidPay , stated: “Built entirely in-house, ZETA aims not just to let anyone access the Metaverse, but offers an opportunity to be an active part of it. The potential is unlimited. As the first on-demand Metaverse, we offer an open architecture that lets anyone create a customized Metaverse. So, we invite developers to get in touch with us with their re

The victory President-Elect Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva obtained on Oct. 30 over the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil might open the gates for the proposal of a single currency for the countries of Latam. Lula announced this as part of his campaign, preaching the utility of a common currency as a way of fighting inflation and dependence on the U.S. dollar. Brazil’s Lula Might Spearhead Proposal of Single Currency in Latam The tight electoral victory that now-President-Elect Lula Da Silva has obtained on Oct. 30 might bring the rise of a new common currency for Latam, judging by the politician’s statements. The left-wing politician, a member of the Workers Party in Brazil, had commented about the need for a single currency on the continent as part of his presidential campaign, explaining the possible opportunities that such a change might bring. Lula commented on the subject in a rally celebrated on Aug. 30, stating: We are going to restore our relationship with Latin America. Go

The Ethereum blockchain co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, insisted in a recent tweet that crypto is a better bet than gold, which is not only inconvenient, but difficult to use as well. While Buterin asserts that such characteristics make gold less appealing, some crypto opponents argued that gold is better, because unlike the Ethereum blockchain, it is not controlled by only a few entities. Decentralized Issuer of Money The Ethereum blockchain co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, waded into the crypto-versus-gold debate after he posted a tweet suggesting that the former is a better bet than the precious metal. In his Oct. 26, 2022 tweet, Buterin slates author Zach Weinersmith’s assertion which implies that gold fits well with what crypto enthusiasts are advocating for. As suggested by Weinersmith in his tweet posted on the same day, the only meaningful argument put forward by crypto advocates is their call for a decentralized money-issuing authority. Still, the author wondered why gold, given

In 2021, African fintech startups accounted for 61% of the $2.7 billion in venture capital funding that was deployed on the continent, a new study has found. While its share of global fintech funding is just over one percent, the continent’s fintech sector still recorded one of the highest year-on-year growth rates globally. ‘Record-High Number of Deals Closed’ According to the findings of a new Mastercard study , African fintech startups — whose number grew from 311 in 2019 to 564 in 2021 — accounted for “61% of the USD 2.7 billion deployed across Africa in 2021.” The findings also show that fintechs’ share “of the record-high number of deals closed” in that year was 27%. When compared with the $131.5 billion that was raised globally, African fintech’s share of the total remains very low — just over 1% of the 2021 total. However, in terms of the funding growth rate, the study noted that the continent — the Sub-Saharan Africa region in particular — had one of the highest year-on-y