Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Software giant Microsoft is shutting down one of its most significant groups dedicated to the development and promotion of the industrial metaverse. According to reports, the company terminated its whole Industrial Metaverse Core group, which was composed of 100 employees, as part of the 10,000-person layoff rounds announced in January. Microsoft Reportedly Terminating Industrial Metaverse Group Microsoft, the Washington-based software giant, seems to be abandoning the metaverse in favor of other initiatives. According to reports from The Information, the company announced internally the disbandment of the Industrial Metaverse Core group, a division of the company directed to bring the metaverse to industrial environments. The group, which was formed just 4 months ago, served as a bridge for the implementation of metaverse interfaces to control electrical power plants, industrial robotics, and transportation networks. The division was part of the efforts directed to bring the meta...

A new study on digital currency-related lawsuits since 2018 shows a 42% increase in crypto lawsuits in 2022. The highest number of claims in a single year was recorded last year, with 41 total claims in the United States. The research also shows that the majority of lawsuits came from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Rise in U.S. Crypto Lawsuits Tracked Since 2018: Report Similar to the price cycles experienced by cryptocurrencies, there are fluctuations in the number of U.S. crypto-related lawsuits filed each year, according to new research published by hedgewithcrypto.com. The study notes a 40% increase in crypto lawsuits between 2018 and 2022, but there have been some decreases between the highs. Out of all the years, 2022 saw the highest number of lawsuits in the United States, with a total of 41. “In 2019, there was a 30% decrease as the number of lawsuits dropped from 30 to 21,” the hedgewithcrypto.com researchers explain. “This was followed by a dramatic i...

Bridgewater Associates’ co-chief investment officer has warned about a recession that is “much more difficult” and “much more painful” than what we’ve been accustomed to. “The dam has been broken where fiscal policymakers are now part of the story,” said the executive of the world’s largest hedge fund. Bridgewater Executive’s Recession Warning Karen Karniol-Tambour, Bridgewater Associates’ co-chief investment officer, warned about recessions that are very different from previous times in an interview with Bloomberg last week. Founded by billionaire Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates is the world’s largest hedge fund, with about $130 billion in assets under management. When asked about the next big risk she sees coming over five to 10 years, Karniol-Tambour replied: The next big risk is recessions that are deeper and longer than what we’ve been accustomed to. In previous economic downturns, “central banks could just hop right in and reverse it,” she noted, adding that when centra...

Crypto-focused investment firm Pantera Capital says bitcoin has seen its lows and “we’re in the next bull market cycle.” Dan Morehead, the firm’s founder and managing partner, noted: “Over the long-term, bitcoin price has been in a secular uptrend of 2.3x annually over the past twelve years, on average.” Pantera Capital on the Next Bull Market Pantera Capital published its February Blockchain Letter last week. The letter, titled “The Seventh Bull Cycle,” is authored by founder and managing partner Dan Morehead and investment associates Ryan Barney and Sehaj Singh. Pantera Capital is an investment firm that specializes in cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and blockchain technology. Referencing his analysis of bitcoin price cycles in the letter, Morehead tweeted Thursday: I believe that blockchain assets (using bitcoin as a proxy) have seen the lows and that we’re in the next bull market cycle — regardless of what happens in the interest-rate-sensitive asset classes. “That would ...

South Korea has imposed sanctions on the North in relation to a number of cyberattacks often resulting in the theft of cryptocurrency. The authorities in Seoul say the regime in Pyongyang is using the digital assets to fund its nuclear and missile development projects. South Korea Hits North Korean Hackers With First Cybercrime Sanctions The South Korean government has introduced sanctions in response to cyberattacks allegedly carried out by North Korea to finance its military programs. The measures target four North Korean individuals and seven entities, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Friday. The sanctions, which are South’s first independently imposed, are aimed at actors associated with North Korea’s main intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is considered responsible for Pyongyang’s cyberwarfare operations. Among them are the hacking collective Lazarus Group, linked to hundreds of millions of dollars of stolen crypto, and one of its members, P...

According to a recent mission statement published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), El Salvador has adopted bitcoin as legal tender and has avoided risks so far. The IMF states that the risks have not materialized due to the limited use of bitcoin. However, the United Nations financial agency warns that if its legal tender status drives growth, it could pose risks to the country’s “financial integrity and stability.” IMF Discusses El Salvador’s Bitcoin Legal Tender Status: Limited Use Averts Risks, but Growth Could Fuel Concerns On Feb. 10, 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a concluding mission statement regarding El Salvador and its economy. The IMF visited San Salvador from Jan. 30 to Feb. 8 for the 2023 Article IV consultation. In the statement, the IMF discusses bitcoin adoption in El Salvador and states that “risks should be addressed.” Currently, the IMF acknowledges that the risks it raised in 2021 have mostly been avoided. “While risks have not ...