Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

On Feb. 17, 2023, Tokyo-based Sony Network Communications announced that it is co-hosting a Web3 incubation program with the multichain smart contract platform Astar Network. The program has started accepting applications, and Sony and Astar will jointly mentor Web3 projects “focused on the utility” of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Sony and Astar to Co-Host Web3 Incubation Program Sony Network Communications , a subsidiary of Japanese technology giant Sony Group, announced Friday that the company is exploring ways to address industry issues using blockchain and Web3 technology. A Web3 incubation program is planned for mid-March to mid-June with Astar Network and Singapore-based Startale Labs to bolster relevant Web3 solutions. Startale was founded by Astar Network CEO Sota Watanabe. The announcement sent to Bitcoin.com News states that Sony and the Astar Foundation will select “10 to 15 cohorts” from the applications. The program is ...

Economist Mohamed El-Erian, Allianz’s chief economic advisor and chair of Gramercy Funds Management, has warned that the Federal Reserve cannot achieve its 2% inflation target without crushing the U.S. economy. “You need a higher stable inflation rate. Call it 3% to 4%,” the economist suggested. The Fed Could Crush US Economy, Economist Warns Economist Mohamed El-Erian warned on Friday that the Federal Reserve cannot achieve its inflation target of 2% without “crushing the economy.” El-Erian is president of Queens’ College, Cambridge University, and chair of Gramercy Funds Management. He is also chief economic adviser at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO, one of the largest investment managers. “You need a higher stable inflation rate. Call it 3% to 4%,” the economist stressed in an interview with Bloomberg Television. He emphasized: I don’t think they can get CPI to 2% without crushing the economy, but that’s because 2% is not the right target. El-Erian’s comments followe...

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned that investing in a well-diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is “very risky” advice. Kiyosaki stressed that gold, silver, and bitcoin are the best investments for “unstable times.” Robert Kiyosaki’s Investment Advice The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, gave some more investment advice 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. Kiyosaki tweeted Friday: For years, I have been saying, ‘Saving money & investing in a well-diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds & ETFs is risky advice.’ Today very risky advice. I still believe gold, silver, bitcoin best for unstable times, although prices will...

Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and UBS have shared their predictions about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates further. Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, for example, now expect the Fed to raise interest rates three more times this year. Major Banks Predict More Fed Rate Hikes As the U.S. Federal Reserve continues its fight against inflation, several major banks — including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, UBS, and JPMorgan — have shared their predictions about how much more the Fed will raise interest rates this year. Goldman Sachs said in a note Thursday that it now expects the U.S. central bank to raise interest three more times this year after data released Thursday pointed to persistent inflation and a resilient labor market. The bank, which previously predicted 25-basis-point rate increases in the Fed’s March and May meetings, now expects another rate hike in June. The firm’s economists, led by Jan Hatzius, head of the Global Investment Research Division and...

The Nigerian crypto payment gateway Fluidcoins was recently bought for an undisclosed sum by Blockfinex, in a deal which the former’s CEO Lanre Adenowo described as an “acquihire deal.” Blockfinex reportedly said it will leverage the acquisition to launch its own platform known as Blockpay. Scaling Blockfinex’s Crypto Payment Processing Business The Nigerian crypto payment gateway, Fluidcoins, was recently acquired for an undisclosed sum by the Seychelles-registered crypto exchange company Blockfinex. According to a Techcabal report , Blockfinex’s acquisition of a 100% stake in the Nigerian firm came some 18 months after Fluidcoins’ last capital raise of $150,000. Commenting on the acquisition that was facilitated by Dan Holdings Limited, Blockfinex founder and CEO Danny Oyekan reportedly said: This acquisition was driven by a decision to venture into wallet as a service business and crypto payment processing and scale it across the world. Blockfinex reportedly said it will lev...

The Brazilian government is preparing to release a decree to fill the blank spaces that the recent approval of the cryptocurrency law has left open. The document, prepared by the Ministry of Finance, will establish the areas of oversight and responsibilities for the Central Bank of Brazil and the national securities regulator (CVM). Brazilian Government to Issue New Crypto Regulation Decree Members of the Brazilian government are working to extend the cryptocurrency rules established by the cryptocurrency law sanctioned on Dec. 21 by outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro. According to reports from local outlets, the Ministry of Finance is working on a decree to fill in the blanks that the general formulation of the law left unaddressed. The document will have to be reviewed by executive aides of president Luis Inacio “Lula” Da Silva before getting sanctioned. The document is being prepared by Gabriel Galipolo, executive secretary of the Ministry of Finance, and by the secretary of ec...