Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The Ethereum layer two (L2) scaling solution Arbitrum has launched a native governance token named ARB and a self-executing decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) governance model. The ARB token will have an initial supply of 10 billion, and coins will be airdropped to the Arbitrum DAO treasury, Offchain Labs (the company behind Arbitrum), Offchain Labs investors, users of the Arbitrum platform, and DAOs that are building with the L2 technology. Arbitrum Launches Self-Executing DAO Governance Model That Aims for Increased Decentralization Arbitrum, the L2 scaling project, has announced the launch of a self-executing DAO governance model and a new governance token called ARB on March 16, 2023. “Today, the Arbitrum Foundation is extremely excited to announce the launch of DAO governance for the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks, alongside the launch of ARB,” the team tweeted on Thursday. The ARB airdrop will be distributed to eligible Arbitrum ecosystem participants, and c...

Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) collapse has had a “limited impact” on the European Union but authorities must still “stay alert” to events as they unfold, European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness has said. Despite McGuinness’ reassuring remarks, stocks of Europe’s largest banks still plunged by as much as 10% on March 15. Silicon Valley Bank’s ‘Limited’ EU Impact According to the European Commissioner for financial services, Mairead McGuinness, the collapse of the U.S. bank Silicon Valley Bank has so far had limited impact on the European Union (EU). However, in her March 15 remarks before the EU parliament, McGuinness said the region’s authorities should “stay alert” to the unfolding events in the international markets. McGuinness also revealed that the European Commission (EC) is currently monitoring the banking situation in the United States and that it hopes to learn important lessons. “The direct impact on the European Union seems to be limited but we should reflect on whether ...

Bitcoin briefly moved back above $25,000 on Thursday, as markets rebounded from a volatile session the day prior. The potential collapse of Credit Suisse was somewhat averted, following an intervention from the Swiss National Bank, which has helped calm markets. Ethereum mostly consolidated in today’s session. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) rose back above the $25,000 level in today’s session, as market volatility eased, as the Swiss National Bank moved to prevent a collapse of Credit Suisse. Following a low of $23,964.91 on Wednesday, BTC /USD rallied to an intraday peak of $25,240.62 earlier in the day. As a result of the move, bitcoin once again broke out of a key resistance level at the $25,050 zone. Overall, BTC is now trading 15% higher from the same point last week, with the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) at its strongest point since February 20. Currently, the index is tracking at 62.54, which is marginally below a resistance point at the 65.00 mark. This ceiling remain...

The Nigerian central bank has said the recently demonetized ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1,000 banknotes will remain legal tender until Dec. 31, 2023. The central bank statement, which reaffirms a Supreme Court ruling that extended the lifespan of the demonetized naira banknotes, followed a rebuke of the CBN by the outgoing Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari. Central Bank’s Silence and the Resulting Speculation The Central Bank of Nigeria finally issued a statement on March 13 reaffirming a Supreme Court ruling which extended the lifespan of the recently demonetized naira notes. In the statement, the CBN said the ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1,000 banknotes would “remain legal tender alongside the redesigned banknotes till December 31, 2023.” After the Nigerian Supreme Court ruled against the central bank’s decision to demonetize the old naira banknotes, the CBN initially did not issue a statement directing banks and the public to accept the old notes. CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, as well as the outgoin...

Meta, the social media company, will continue to shed part of its workforce, recently announcing 10,000 new layoffs to be executed during 2023 as part of its new efficiency policy. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the company, stated that artificial intelligence (AI) was currently the company’s most prominent investment, even over the metaverse. Meta Announces 10,000 Layoffs, Striving to Achieve Sustainability Meta, the parent company of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, has announced a new set of moves as part of its “year of efficiency” policy. In a Facebook post , Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new round of 10,000 layoffs, which will be executed during the remainder of 2023. Furthermore, he stated that 5,000 open hiring spots will be closed. Zuckerberg explained that these layoffs were the consequence of the new economic configuration that the U.S. and the world are currently facing. In this sense, Zuckerberg declared: Higher interest rates lead to the economy run...

The founder of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato has denied guilt in a money laundering case in the United States. Anatoly Legkodymov was arrested in Miami, in mid-January, for his role in running the trading platform which allegedly processed over $700 million in illicit funds. Bitzlato Founder Legkodymov Appears in US Court Anatoly Legkodymov, one of the founders and majority owner of the Russia-linked crypto exchange Bitzlato, has made his first appearance in New York federal court on Tuesday, the Law360 portal reported. He has been ordered held without bail over allegations of laundering millions in criminal proceeds through the platform, which he has denied. The Russian national, a resident of China, was detained by the FBI in Miami on Jan. 17 and charged with unlicensed money transmitting. The defendant was also accused of operating the Hong Kong-registered exchange that failed to implement anti-money laundering safeguards and processed more than $700 million dollars’ worth of...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says cryptocurrency investment fraud rose 183% from $907 million in 2021 to $2.57 billion in 2022, based on data from its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The FBI also warned the public of “a spike in cryptocurrency investment schemes.” FBI’s Crypto Crime Statistics The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published its 2022 Internet Crime Report last week. The report is compiled using data from the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) which “serves as a public resource to submit reports of cyberattacks and incidents,” the bureau described. “In 2022, investment scams were the costliest scheme reported to the IC3. Investment fraud complaints increased from $1.45 billion in 2021 to $3.31 billion in 2022, which is a 127% [increase],” the FBI wrote, adding: Within those complaints, cryptocurrency investment fraud rose from $907 million in 2021 to $2.57 billion in 2022, an increase of 183%. “Crypto-investment scams saw unpre...