Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

According to directives issued by Samuel A. Jinapor, the Ghanaian minister for lands and natural resources, large-scale gold mining companies will be required to “sell 20% of all refined gold at their refineries to the Bank of Ghana.” A gold-for-oil scheme is part of the Ghanaian government’s plan to stop the further dwindling of the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Bank of Ghana to Use Cedi to Pay for Gold Following the revelation that Ghana plans to buy oil products using gold, Samuel A. Jinapor, the country’s minister for lands and natural resources, announced on Nov. 25 that starting in 2023, large-scale mining companies “shall sell twenty per cent (20%) of all refined gold at their refineries to the Bank of Ghana.” Payments for the gold will be made using the local currency — the cedi — and will be “at spot price with no discounts.” According to a Facebook post shared by Ghanaian vice president Mahamudu Bawumia, the Bank of Ghana (BOG) and the Precious Minerals Marketing ...

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether cannot be classified as securities or investment instruments, according to a communication issued by the financial watchdog in Belgium. The authority has tried to clarify the matter, noting that the digital coins may be subject to other regulations. FSMA: Securities Laws Do Not Apply to Bitcoin and Other Decentralized Cryptocurrencies In response to multiple requests for clarification from citizens and businesses, Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority ( FSMA ) has explained why it believes bitcoin, ether and other similar cryptocurrencies cannot be considered securities or investment instruments. According to its position published on Thursday, the country’s securities laws do not apply to such digital assets, which have no issuer and are created by a computer code as opposed to the execution of an agreement between an issuer and an investor. However, the regulatory body pointed out that if these crypto assets have a payment or...

Tesla CEO and Twitter boss Elon Musk says he will make an alternative phone if Apple and Google boot Twitter from their app stores. Many people want him to go ahead with a phone launch even if Apple and Google do not deplatform Twitter. Elon Musk Could Launch Alternative Phone to Compete With Apple and Google Elon Musk revealed Friday the possibility of him launching his own smartphone, which would compete with iPhone and Android, should Apple and Google deplatform his newly acquired social media company. Twitter user Liz Wheeler suggested that Musk should produce his own smartphone if Apple and Google boot Twitter from their app stores, adding that “Half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android.” Musk replied: “I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone.” Musk’s plans for Twitter as a free speech platform could put the social media company in conflict with Apple and Google a...

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, is still bullish on bitcoin despite the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. He stressed that the cryptocurrency cannot be blamed for the actions of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Robert Kiyosaki Still Bullish on Bitcoin The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, discussed the FTX collapse and bitcoin with guest Mark Moss on the Rich Dad Radio Show which aired earlier this week. 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. Moss is a radio host and the author of “Uncommunist Manifesto.” After listening to Moss outlining the problems at FTX and numerous fraudulent actions allegedly conducted by its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Kiyosaki emphasized: I’m still bullish on bitcoin … Bitco...

On Saturday, members of the forum r/cryptocurrency discussed how the current bear market is now the second-longest bear market in the history of bitcoin prices. According to the forum post, the current crypto winter has lasted more than 380 days, just below the longest bitcoin downturn that took place during the 2013-2015 bear market, which lasted 415 days in length. ‘Surviving a Bear Is a Rite of Passage’ — Redditors Discuss Surviving the Second-Longest Bitcoin Bear Run During the last few months people have been curious about how long the crypto winter will last and on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, the Redditor u/partymsl published a forum post on r/cryptocurrency declaring the current downturn as “the second-longest bear market ever for crypto.” The post’s author notes that this crypto bear market is “likely to be the longest” and stressed that “surviving this [bear market] is no joke.” Moreover, u/partymsl also summarized how the author defines a bear market, and explained that it’...

Latam is still unprepared to deal with cryptocurrency-related crimes and scam situations, according to a recent report issued by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington DC-based think tank. The document states that crypto regulation has failed to grow with the adoption of these new technologies and that governments have often failed to detect and punish crypto-related crimes. GFI: Latam Still Vulnerable to Crypto-Related Crime While the adoption of cryptocurrency has grown immensely in Latam due to the unique economic situations and difficulties of the countries in the area, cryptocurrency regulation has failed to develop on par. This is one of the conclusions that a report titled “Cryptocurrencies: A Financial Crime Risk within Latin America and the Caribbean,” issued on Nov. 14, found. Produced by Global Financial Integrity, a Washington DC-based financial think tank, the report examined the legal cryptocurrency developments in Latam and the Caribbean, focusing on countri...

Despite the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Feb. 5, 2021 directive that instructed banks to block crypto entities from the financial system, the demand and use of cryptocurrencies have continued to grow. Not even the central bank’s subsequent crackdown on crypto entities it accused of defying the directive has succeeded in suffocating demand for cryptocurrencies. Africans Need ‘Access to the World of Cryptocurrency’ In contrast, Nigerians appear to have shunned the CBN’s digital currency — the e-naira. Despite the central bank’s attempts to present the e-naira as an alternative to cryptocurrencies, local residents seemingly still prefer the latter. According to Benjamin Eseoghene, the founder and CEO of a local crypto exchange, the residents’ reluctance to use the e-naira could be tied to the CBN’s failure to fully sensitize the masses about it. Eseoghene, whose company Roqqu.com recently received approval to operate in Europe, told Bitcoin.com News that Nigerian residents prefer...

The Bank of Japan is preparing to run a test trial of its own central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yen, with help from three top banks and regional institutions. The pilot program, estimated to last two years, will focus on testing the currency via several transactions, and experimenting with its functionality in environments without internet connections. Bank of Japan to Trial Digital Yen CBDC The Bank of Japan is planning to test the functionality of a version of its CBDC, the digital yen, in partnership with three top banks and several regional institutions, according to Nikkei . The results obtained from the pilot program, reportedly set to run for two years, will be key in the decision of the government to actually develop a digital yen. The pilot program will include different tests for the currency to determine its behavior when doing everyday transactions, such as deposits and withdrawals. Also, the bank will be testing its functionality in emergencies, where i...