Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to hike three of its key interest rates by 50 basis points (0.5%) as part of its ongoing war against inflation. The organization stated that further increases are likely to happen “because inflation remains far too high and is projected to stay above the target for too long.” ECB Follows Federal Reserve, Hiking Interest Rates by 50 Basis Points The European Central Bank (ECB) has explained its economic policy in its war against inflation. The governing council of the body decided to hike the interest rates on its main refinancing operations, its marginal lending facility, and its deposit facility by 50 basis points (bps) across the board. In a press release , the organization explained that this rise is part of a plan to ensure a “timely return” to the 2% levels of inflation formerly faced by the bloc. This hike is similar to the one applied by the U.S. Federal Reserve on Dec 14, when it also hiked its interest rates by 50bps. Inflation lev...

As blockchain developers compete for traffic and resources for their respective dapps (decentralized applications), the downside to this, according to some in the industry, can be a poor user experience which in turn undermines the mass adoption cause. Therefore, unless current blockchains — both Layers 1 and 2 — can overcome niggling issues like high gas fees or poor network speed, it will be difficult to convince traditional organizations that they need the tech, according to Ankr’s Josh Neuroth. Overcoming Blockchain Scalability Challenges In cases where an attempt to improve a blockchain’s transaction throughput is made, history has shown that compromises that might affect the chain’s security may have to be made. Alternatively, developers can consider overcoming this problem, known as the blockchain trilemma, using sidechains or application-specific blockchains (Appchains). As Josh Neuroth, head of product at the decentralized Web3 infrastructure platform Ankr explained, the ...

The Central Bank of Russia has introduced measures to protect entities working with digital assets from sanctions pressures. These businesses will be exempted from some reporting requirements as part of a regulatory relief intended to minimize the burden on financial organizations. Russia’s Central Bank Eases Supervision of Digital Asset Platforms Amid Sanctions The Central Bank of the Russian Federation ( CBR ) has allowed issuers of digital financial assets (DFAs) not to disclose information sensitive in the light of sanctions risks. The exemption, valid until July 1, 2023, concerns data revealing the beneficial owners of such entities. According to an announcement quoted by Russian crypto media, the temporary reporting relief is part of a package of measures meant to help persons and organizations operating within the Russian financial market infrastructure. While Russia is yet to regulate cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, the existing law “On Digital Financial Assets” permits co...

Two U.S. senators, including Elizabeth Warren, have introduced a bipartisan bill for the regulation of cryptocurrency. The bill, titled “Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act,” is “the most direct attack on the personal freedom and privacy of cryptocurrency users and developers we’ve yet seen,” according to crypto advocates. Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022 Launched U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced new legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency sector Wednesday. Their bill , titled “Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022,” seeks to crack down on money laundering in the crypto industry. Senator Warren tweeted Wednesday: By closing some loopholes and applying some common-sense rules, we can crack down on the ways rogue nations, oligarchs, and drug lords use crypto to launder billions, evade sanctions, and finance terrorism. I’ve got a bipartisan bill for that. The legislation directs the Treasury Department’s Fin...

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Germany’s financial watchdog has issued a call for global regulation of the crypto industry in the aftermath of the FTX collapse. The hands-off approach was wrong, the head of the agency says, insisting it’s time to protect consumers as the sector expands links with traditional finance. Bafin President Convinced Self-Regulation Won’t Work for Crypto The man at the helm of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority of Germany ( Bafin ) has urged for global regulation of the cryptocurrency space. This would ensure better protection for consumers, prevent money laundering and preserve financial stability, according to Mark Branson. A hands-off approach that would “just let the industry grow as a playground for grownups” was the wrong tactic, the executive told reporters in Frankfurt on Tuesday, shortly after U.S. authorities charged Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of failed crypto exchange FTX , with fraud and other crimes. A “crypto spring” may follow what has been a “crypto winter” bu...

Decentralized applications (dapps) are prone to data tampering because they “are largely built on top of centralized databases and services,” the CEO of Space and Time Nate Holiday has said. The CEO also shared a list of data tampering risks which he said are specific to data warehouses. Companies Relying on Centralized Databases and Services According to Nate Holiday, the CEO of decentralized data warehouse Space and Time, the recent draining of funds on the defi (decentralized finance) lending platform Lodestar Finance, and Axie Infinity’s Ronin network attack before that, are key events reminding users that decentralized apps (dapps) are prone to data tampering. Although he concedes that many dapps are powered by blockchain, Holiday nevertheless claimed many of these applications “are largely built on top of centralized databases and services.” As recently reported by Bitcoin.com News, the hacker behind the siphoning of $6.9 million from Lodestar Finance had tampered with “the...

Russia’s largest social network, Vkontakte, has launched a feature allowing users to upload digital collectibles to the platform. Account holders will also be able to buy and sell them in the future as the company intends to establish a marketplace for non-fungible tokens. Vkontakte Users to Showcase Their NFTs, Set Them as Avatars The leading social media network in the Russian-speaking segment, Vkontakte ( VK ), has introduced an NFT service along with an educational course on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the crypto page of the Russian business news portal RBC reported, quoting the company. The new features will be available to all users within a few days, VK’s CEO Marina Krasnova and Chief Technology Officer Alexander Tobol announced during a presentation in Moscow. The VK NFT option will allow owners of digital collectibles to transfer them to their accounts. Furthermore, the tokens can be employed as avatars or presented in a special showcase in the profile. In order to do tha...