Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

At the time of publication, there’s more than 69,000 transactions waiting in line to get confirmed by a bitcoin miner. Since bitcoin’s price rise, at certain times, transaction fees have climbed to $10 to $20 per transfer, and people who pay less than the median fee may have to wait a while. However, people might not realize that there’s a tool people can leverage called a transaction accelerator, a platform that increases the probability of getting a transaction confirmed. Bitcoin’s Transaction Backlog and Transfer Fees Ramp Up On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, bitcoin ( BTC ) touched a lifetime price high at $52,640 per unit. Since then BTC ’s value has retreated a hair but the crypto asset has continued to keep steady between the $51,000 to $52,000 price range. Meanwhile, BTC fees have also steadily increased as the cost per transfer is currently $16.62 to get a transaction into the next block according to bitcoinfees.cash data. BTC ’s median fee is lower and around $10.76 per

PRESS RELEASE. Tallinn-based venture capital fund Yolo Investments has announced a new investment in digital marketing company eCartic. 18th February 2021, Tallinn, Estonia – Venture capital fund Yolo Investments has made a significant investment into digital marketing specialists and venture hub eCartic . The Estonian-based investment is a global B2B partner for disruptive companies within the eCommerce value-chain. It successfully scales across a number of verticals, turning ideas into products by using its expertise in digital marketing and branding. It also builds and markets B2C products and services. One such product, BlufVPN®️ , is fast establishing itself as an innovative leader within the competitive virtual private network (VPN) market and is fast-tracked to become the number one online security product in Europe by 2025. Tim Heath, GP at Yolo Investments , stated: “We were hugely impressed by the level of digital marketing know-how in the eCartic team. This type of

According to a website that tracks the price of bitcoin across the globe, the crypto asset’s selling price in Nigeria as of February 18 stood at $ 76,000. At this price, the crypto asset is selling for $20,000 more than the approximately $52,000 that most cryptocurrency exchanges are currently quoting. The Impact of the CBN Crypto Order This spike in the premium charged on bitcoin follows the recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive that targets cryptocurrency traders and exchanges. According to the CBN order, which became effective on February 5, banks and other financial institutions were asked to end relationships with entities that are associated with cryptocurrencies. Since then, many crypto exchanges have seen activity drop drastically as institutions complied with the directive. News.Bitcoin.com reached out to Chiagozie Iwu, the CEO at Naijacrypto cryptocurrency exchange for his perspective on the surging premium. Iwu starts by confirming that different exchanges hav

Global Macro Investor CEO, Raoul Pal, discussed the current economy this week and asked his 394,000 followers if people are using the wrong denominator when it comes to certain economic factors. One thing’s for certain, wages have not increased, no matter the common denominator people use to measure today’s salaries. Pal wholeheartedly believes that bitcoin is the only “life raft” he knows of that has “the optionality to change this [issue] over time.” Macro Strategist Asks: ‘Do We Have the Wrong Denominator?’ Raoul Pal is a bitcoin bull and he’s said many times that the decentralized crypto asset is extremely “hard money.” This week on Twitter, Pal discussed a few denominators people leverage to measure things in economics. He asked his social media followers whether or not they thought we had the wrong denominator. The former Goldman Sachs executive and Global Macro Investor CEO, Raoul Pal. “Many of us believe that Fed money printing is creating an asset bubble. But when we

Two bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been approved in Canada. Evolve Bitcoin ETF has become the second bitcoin ETF to get approval by Canada’s securities regulator. The first approved bitcoin ETF starts trading Thursday. Some believe that the approval of bitcoin ETFs in Canada improves the chances of one being approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Two North American Bitcoin ETFs Approved North America now has two approved bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Evolve Funds Group Inc. announced Tuesday that it has been cleared to launch a bitcoin ETF, becoming the second approved bitcoin ETF in North America. With $1.7 billion in assets under management, Evolve is one of Canada’s fastest-growing ETF providers. The first approved bitcoin ETF in North America was cleared to launch last week by the Ontario Securities Commission. Purpose Bitcoin ETF will begin trading Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Evolve Bitcoin ETF will also trade on the Toronto St

A report has unveiled figures that confirm the bullish run of non-fungible token markets over the last year. Two analytical firms behind the studies stated that the NFT industry grew by 299% in 2020. Total Number of Active Wallets Rose by 97% According to the NFT Report 2020 , published by L’Atelier BNP Paribas and Nonfungible.com, the NFT market tripled in size overall last year, and its total value rose to more than $250 million. The research document stated that the non-fungible token market could be considered the core asset class for the so-called “virtual economy.” With such figures, both firms forecast mainstream adoption of NFTs in the years ahead. Among the reasons explaining the market boost are global brands’ interests in NFTs. Fashion and luxury brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, Breitling, and sports brands like the NBA and Formula 1 have been actively creating NFT-based consumer goods and services. Per the total number of active wallets, the study revealed that it

The international Pionex cryptocurrency exchange has been one of the fastest growing trading platforms in Asia in 2020 and it is now set to capture even more of the global market in 2021. What makes Pionex so popular is the trustworthy team of professionals behind it and the top notch automated trading tools that it offers for free to all clients. A Professional Crypto Exchange You Can Trust With so many platforms, exchanges and protocols competing for your crypto these days it can be hard to know which to choose. The number one principle that should guide you is to find a company you can trust, and one of the best options for that is Pionex . It has around 100,000 users and it is one of the biggest Binance brokers while it aggregate liquidity from Huobi Global at the same time. Pionex already has a U.S. MSB license and is pending for a Singapore MAS license. It never issued its own token like other exchanges and it is more likely to reach NASDAQ with an IPO than just pull another

Coronavirus-driven lockdowns and social distancing limits affect people’s way of entertaining themselves, such as going to karaoke. In South Korea, that activity is too popular, and despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the crypto industry is trying to capitalize on it. Somesing: A Blockchain-Based Karaoke App Per Fn News , Somesing, a blockchain-based karaoke app, already hit the 400,000 users’ milestone. The figure is significant, considering that it’s doubling the user base (195,000) for the last six months. Karaoke’s hobby is like the norm in several Asian countries, and the coronavirus pandemic knocked down this sector heavily. In fact, according to figures published by local media, at least 2,137 “noraebang” businesses had to shut down across South Korea since the outbreak started. The number is the lowest level ever recorded, stated the Shopping Center Information Research Institute. “Noraebang” is the Korean name given to private singing rooms, translated into Western countries’

Tesla is facing more scrutiny over its $1.5 billion dollar bitcoin purchase. A Tesla board member who reportedly approved the company’s bitcoin buy deal is a cryptocurrency investor who also sits on the boards of two major crypto firms. Experts Question Conflict of Interest in Tesla’s Bitcoin Purchase Tesla is further under scrutiny over its bitcoin purchase as experts now question whether there is a conflict of interest surrounding a director who approved the company’s big bitcoin purchase, the Telegraph reported Tuesday. Tesla recently revealed that it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin in January and plans to accept the cryptocurrency as a form of payment for its products in the near future. The conflict of interest question surfaced when it emerged that a Tesla director who approved the company’s bitcoin buy is also a crypto investor with ties to two crypto firms, the publication described. Antonio Gracias is listed on the Tesla website as an independent director and a member

On Tuesday, the cannabis firm Synbiotic SE, a publicly-traded company in Germany that’s listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and Xetra, has announced it is leveraging bitcoin to hedge against the euro. Synbiotic’s chief executive officer, Lars Müller explained that the company decided to hedge with the leading crypto asset in order to protect the firm from further risk of euro and dollar devaluation. Synbiotic CEO: ‘Bitcoin Is the Exact Antithesis of Traditional Currencies’ A German cannabis company is joining the growing list of firms that are adding bitcoin ( BTC ) to their treasuries. Synbiotic SE announced on Tuesday that it is holding BTC in order to hedge against fiat currency inflation. Synbiotic’s CEO, Lars Müller explained that the cannabis firm has already started to shift “free liquidity into bitcoin.” “Our decision focused less on price fluctuations than the risk of devaluation of euro and dollar. Bitcoin is the exact antithesis of traditional currencies: its volume

A U.S. publicly-listed Chinese sports lottery firm is extending its arms into the crypto industry by announcing another related maneuver. 500.com Ltd announced it has acquired Btc.com, the well known bitcoin mining pool. Jihan Wu Is the ‘ Biggest Beneficial Owner’ of the Mining Pool Per the announcement , the online lottery service provider bought the company from Blockchain Alliance. 500.com performed the transaction by issuing newly class A shares, representing almost a 10% stake in the listed Chinese company. According to the filings, 500.com Ltd made the share exchange agreement with Blockchain Alliance Technologies Holding Company, a Cayman Islands-based firm. Currently, the Chinese lottery provider giant has a market capitalization of $860 million, and the transaction specifies some conditions. One of them includes the profits generated by Btc.com, which in case that such net figures are no less than $20 million by the end of 2021, the current shareholders will get up to a 5

PRESS RELEASE. xSigma is a decentralized exchange and liquidity mining platform that supports stablecoin swaps. It enables dollar-pegged assets to be traded onchain with minimal slippage and lower fees than existing AMMs. The project is gearing up for its public launch, when early adopters will have the opportunity to earn rewards for providing liquidity and traders can execute swaps in a highly liquid environment. Backed by a NASDAQ-listed company, and developed by an experienced team that includes former Google engineers, xSigma has secured the support of several high profile figures. These include NBA star Dwight Howard, who has committed to participating in the xSigma launch as an early liquidity provider (LP). Expectations are high ahead of xSigma’s debut, with a sizable community forming on Telegram, aided by extensive media coverage that has fueled interest in the decentralized exchange. The launch of xSigma coincides with the total value locked into defi protocols surpassin

A new poll of finance managers by Gartner Finance finds that a majority are not planning to hold bitcoin as a corporate asset. In their responses, most of the 77 finance leaders interviewed cite bitcoin’s volatility as one characteristic of the crypto asset that is “extremely difficult to mitigate.” The Concerns of Finance Executives The survey’s findings appear to contradict the growing sentiment that many more listed companies will follow in the footsteps of Telsa, Microstrategy, and Square Inc. In a statement released alongside the survey’s findings, Alexander Bant, chief of research at Gartner Finance reveals that 84% of the respondents believe that “bitcoin’s volatility posed a financial risk.” In addition to the cryptocurrency’s volatility, the executives also name six other areas of concern. As shown by the survey’s findings, about 39% of the respondents cite their board’s risk aversion as another factor that contributes to the decision not to hold BTC . About 38% cite the

On Wednesday, as the leading crypto asset bitcoin has been riding above the $50k handle, the well known firm Blockchain.com announced the company has raised $120 million in a strategic financing round. Blockchain.com says the financing comes at a momentous occasion, as the firm’s wallets have seen 65 million created to-date in over 200 countries. London Firm Blockchain.com Raises $120 Million from Macro Investors Blockchain.com is a popular cryptocurrency company that has been around since 2012. On February 17, 2021, the company’s cofounder and CEO, Peter Smith, revealed Blockchain.com has raised $120 million from a number of macro investors. Smith also recalled how the company raised money in 2014 and they only had around two million wallets issued at the time. “Six years later, we’ve come a long way,” Smith wrote on Wednesday. “Bitcoin just crossed the monumental price target of $50k. Over 65 million wallets have been created in 200+ countries. And 28% of all bitcoin transaction

According to various reports, the cryptocurrency network Verge has suffered a 51% attack that led to a massive 560,000+ block reorganization. Analysts believe the Verge network attack could be the deepest blockchain reorganization (reorg) in history with roughly 200 days worth of verge transactions wiped. Reports Show Verge Network Experienced a Massive 560,000+ Blocks Reorg The blockchain Verge and its native token XVG once made headlines for being added to the popular adult website Pornhub. This week, the Verge network has been 51% attacked according to multiple analysts and observers on social media. Verge has suffered from a total of three 51% attacks. One back in April 2018, and then another 51% attack a month later, when a malicious XVG attacker rejected a number of blocks. The network data analyst at Coin Metrics, Lucas Nuzzi tweeted about the issues with XVG on February 15. The past 200 days worth of XVG transaction history just vanished,” Nuzzi told his 9,000 Twitter fo