Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

A former Coinbase employee’s brother has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in what the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) called a “groundbreaking cryptocurrency insider trading case.” ‘Groundbreaking’ Crypto Insider Trading Case The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that Nikhil Wahi “was sentenced to 10 months in prison” in a “groundbreaking cryptocurrency insider trading case.” He pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Justice Department explained that Wahi was sentenced “for his participation in a scheme to commit insider trading in cryptocurrency assets by using confidential information from his brother, a former product manager at Coinbase Global Inc. (Coinbase), about which crypto assets were scheduled to be listed on Coinbase’s exchanges.” Referring to the case as “the first-ever insider trading case involving cryptocurrency markets,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams commented: At a time when the cryptocurrency markets have been...

The asset purchase agreement between Binance US and bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital has reportedly received initial court approval despite objections from various regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Court Lets Binance US Buy Voyager’s Assets The proposed asset purchase deal between the U.S. arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance (Binance US) and bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital reportedly received initial court approval Tuesday. The court greenlighted the deal despite objections by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a number of state securities regulators. In addition, the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency body that reviews the national security risks of foreign investments in U.S. companies, has voiced concerns regarding the Binance US-Voyager deal. CFIUS said in a Dec. 30 court filing that its review “could affect the ability of the parties to complete the transac...

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman says while “cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks,” the Fed does not want to “hinder innovation.” She added: “B y inhibiting innovation, we could be pushing growth in this space into the non-bank sector, leading to much less transparency and potential financial stability risk.” Fed Governor on Crypto, US Economy, and Inflation Michelle Bowman, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, talked about cryptocurrency, the U.S. economy, and the Fed’s effort to lower inflation Tuesday at a Florida Bankers Association Leadership event in Miami. Commenting on the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and other recent events in the crypto space, the Fed governor said: “These events have made it clear that cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks to consumers, businesses, and potentially the larger financial system.” Noting that she expects some banks to continue exploring “how to engage in crypto-related ...

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he “shouldn’t ever use the word hurricane” when warning about the U.S. economy. However, he insisted that there are “storm clouds” that “could be a hurricane.” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon on US Economy The chief executive of global investment bank JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, discussed the U.S. economy in an interview with Fox Business Tuesday. Regarding his previous warning about an incoming economic hurricane that everybody should brace for, Dimon said: I shouldn’t ever use the word hurricane. He clarified: “What I said was there were storm clouds which may mitigate, and people said, ‘Oh, he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.’ So I said, ‘No, those storm clouds could be a hurricane.'” The JPMorgan boss emphasized that he is not predicting a specific scenario, adding that what he is warning about could “be nothing” or “could be bad.” He stated: “I think we should understand that I’m not predicting one or the other, I’m just saying, be a littl...

Bitcoin raced to a fresh multi-week high on Wednesday, as markets turned their attention to tomorrow’s U.S. inflation rate report. Thursday’s report is expected to show that consumer prices have fallen to 6.5%, down from 7.1% the month prior. Ethereum also rose marginally higher in the day. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) rallied above a key resistance level on Wednesday, ahead of tomorrow’s U.S. inflation report. Following a low of $17,226.64 on Tuesday, BTC /USD raced to a peak of $17,493.32 earlier in today’s session. As a result of the move, the world’s largest cryptocurrency climbed to its strongest point since December 15. Looking at the chart, today’s price surge came as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) broke out of a resistance point at the 60.00 mark. Currently, the index is tracking at 63.80. This comes as BTC continues to hover around its own ceiling at the $17,400 mark. In order to move closer to the $18,000 zone, the RSI will first need to move beyond a ceiling of...

Brazilians are turning to stablecoins as a way of shielding themselves from the volatility of economic circumstances. This is happening now in the wake of the inauguration of the new government of Luis Inacio “Lula” Da Silva. According to statements coming from exchange executives, the trading volumes of stablecoins have soared in 2022, especially during the last two months of the year. Brazilians Harness Stablecoins as Dollar Replacement The popularity of stablecoins in Brazil is soaring as investors and companies are looking to take refuge in the U.S. dollar to hedge against the volatility of the asset market. Executives from several exchanges have declared that demand for stablecoins has skyrocketed during 2022, and exploded during the last months of the year. Jose Artur Ribeiro, CEO of Coinext, a national exchange, told local newspaper O’Globo about the benefits that using stablecoins presents, versus using dollars in bank accounts. He stated : Stablecoins do not pay an admin...

The Central Bank of Russia has detailed two methods for implementing the digital ruble and other state-backed coins in international settlements. The monetary authority also plans to start testing consumer-to-business (C2B) operations in the first quarter of the year. Russia’s Central Bank to Propose Platforms for Digital Currency Payments in Foreign Trade Moving forward with efforts to introduce its central bank digital currency ( CBDC ) amid sanctions and financial restrictions, the Bank of Russia is preparing to offer solutions for processing cross-border CBDC payments, the Russian press unveiled. The proposals are part of a presentation seen by the business daily Kommersant. The document outlines two potential payment models which the Russian monetary policy regulator intends to develop in the first quarter of 2023. The first one relies on bilateral agreements between countries to integrate their digital currency platforms. This approach puts an emphasis on ensuring convertibi...