Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Bitcoin prices have dropped below the $50k region during this week’s trading sessions sinking to a low of $47,555 on Friday. The popular creator of the stock-to-flow (S2F) bitcoin price model, Plan B has discussed the recent price dip and stressed that “nothing goes up in a straight line.” Plan B believes this price drop might be a “mid-way dip,” similar to the crypto bull runs in prior years. ‘Looks Like the Mid-way Dip,’ Says Plan B During the first week of March, Bitcoin.com News reported on Plan B’s popular but also controversial stock-to-flow (S2F) price model . In that report, Plan B was very confident and BTC ’s price surpassed the model by 26%. People believe that the S2F price model predicts bitcoin’s price reaching six-digit price ranges in the future. Since that report in March, however, BTC ’s price has dropped -26.72% after the crypto asset’s all-time high of $64,895 per unit. Plan B doesn’t seem phased by the drop and after prices fell, the S2F creator consoled hi

Ripple Labs cofounder Chris Larsen has a bone to pick with bitcoin and crypto networks that leverage proof-of-work (PoW). Larsen’s latest write-up explains that the crypto industry needs to reconsider PoW because of the effects on the environment. The Ripple executive believes that other types of consensus algorithms have been effective at being secure while only “using a tiny fraction of the energy.” Ripple Cofounder Believes Crypto Networks Leveraging Proof-of-Work Should Consider Alternatives While the global economy struggles after a year of Covid-19 lockdowns and business shutdowns, a great number of people are very interested in tackling climate change. Ripple Labs cofounder Chris Larsen has written a blog post about the environment and why the crypto industry should reconsider leveraging PoW. Larsen believes that if the Bitcoin ( BTC ) network’s verification model doesn’t get addressed, then at some point, it will lose out to a crypto asset network that does. “With more ind

On May 3, tokens stemming from the Chia network, a smart transaction blockchain created by the Bittorrent creator Bram Cohen, will start trading and transactions will be fully enabled. Rather than leveraging the proof-of-work consensus algorithm, Chia will utilize a model called proof-of-space which relies on storage. With Chia’s transactional launch pending, the project has sparked shortages over the demand for hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Chia Network Fuels High-End Hard Drive and SSD Shortages Bram Cohen , the inventor of the popular torrenting application Bittorent has created a cryptocurrency that’s set to launch next month. Because Cohen is behind the Chia project , the pre-stages of the digital currency network have seen significant exposure since Chia was announced. Chia’s team believes that the project can allow anyone the ability to verify transactions without being dependent on “single-use hardware or a big electricity bill.” Chia released the project’s Bus

A Kenya-based digital media company, Picha Images, is reportedly set to hold one of the first non-fungible token (NFT) auctions in Africa. The auction event, which is set to be held between April 26 through May 3, 2021, will initially feature the works of Rich Allela, the award-winning photographer and filmmaker from Kenya. Perpetual Royalties According to a report , in return for purchasing the NFTs, the buyers will get a “hacker-resistant proof of ownership of a digital piece of art.” Inversely, the NFTs give artists, who have been getting “a raw deal,” a chance to earn more. Meanwhile, in its own statement, Picha Images claims the creation of NFTs shows that the company is “placing the wellbeing of their creative artists first by exposing them to a way to secure their work, maintain the copyrights to their creations and earn royalties in perpetuity.” NFTs Empower Artists On the other hand, Allela is quoted commending Picha Images, which harnesses artificial intelligence

A dogecoin investor has shared his story of how he became a crypto millionaire in a little over two months after learning about the meme cryptocurrency and pouring all his savings into it. He said he was inspired by Elon Musk’s tweets about dogecoin. A Doge Millionaire Shares His Story Glauber Contessoto, a 33-year-old who works at a music company in Los Angeles, has shared his story of how he became a dogecoin millionaire in just a little over two months. He invested over $180,000 in dogecoin on Feb. 5 when its price was about 4.5 cents, the investor told CNBC Make It in an interview published Friday. He learned about the meme cryptocurrency on Reddit and was inspired by Tesla’s technoking Elon Musk who tweeted about DOGE on several occasions. Contessoto explained that he was drawn to dogecoin for a few reasons. Besides loving the Reddit community surrounding dogecoin, he said he appreciates that the crypto was inspired by Shiba Inu “Doge” meme. He is also very bullish on the co

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce believes that the U.S. government cannot ban bitcoin, stating that “it’s very difficult to ban something that’s essentially a peer-to-peer technology.” The commissioner is hopeful that with the new chairman who has deep knowledge of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, the SEC can take a fresh look at some of the reasons used to reject bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). SEC Commissioner Says ‘Very Difficult’ to Ban P2P Technology Hester Peirce, a commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) who is also known in the crypto community as “crypto mom,” was asked whether there is a possibility that the Biden administration could ban bitcoin in an interview with Fox Business’ Charles Gasparino on Thursday. With new cryptocurrency regulations in the works, investors are concerned whether the government will ban cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Some people have warned that governments can outlaw bitcoin if it becomes a risk to their fina

The digital currency and stablecoin issuer Paxos has been granted conditional approval for a bank charter under the Paxos National Trust in New York. The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a preliminary conditional approval which means the regulating entity still has to authorize the firm’s future banking plans. Paxos Granted Preliminary Conditional Approval for a US Bank Charter The New York-based financial institution and technology company Paxos has been granted preliminary conditional approval for a bank charter by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC published information on the conditional approval on April 23, 2021, showing authorization of the company’s application to charter the Paxos National Trust. “The OCC granted a national trust bank charter to Paxos after [a] thorough review of the company and its current operations,” the OCC’s press release notes. “In granting this charter, the OCC applied the same rigorous review and sta

PRESS RELEASE. Blockchain-powered supply chain management platform, Morpheus.Network, has launched an updated platform, forged an Agribusiness agreement with the Argentinian government, and was a winner in the 2021 “Future of Ports” competition. Burlington, ON — Morpheus.Network is one of the world’s leading supply chain ecosystems and is changing the face of the global trade industry in 2021. The company has just launched its updated enterprise-grade, next-generation supply platform, agreed to a global Agribusiness project with SENASA and was one of the 5 winners of this year’s prestigious Gulftainer “Future of Ports” competition. What is Morpheus.Network? Morpheus.Network is a supply chain ecosystem with the ability to extend itself on top of existing industry technologies through its blockchain technology. The Morpheus.Network platform exists on the cloud in between blockchain and IoT, with the potential to be integrated with different technologies and devices in one single f

Bitcoin’s global hashrate dropped ten days ago following a coal mine accident that caused significant grid blackouts in Xinjiang, China. While initial estimates had shown more than 40% of the hashrate dropped, statistics from a five-day average show the hashpower only lost around 25%. Meanwhile, Chinese miners located in Sichuan may put more pressure on hydropower, as province officials have revealed electricity rates are scheduled to increase 150% this year. Sichuan Electricity Trading Division Report Notes Electrical Prices in the Region Will Increase by 150% Mining bitcoin is extremely competitive and miners are spread out all around the world in order to obtain the cheapest electricity rates they can acquire. Because electrical costs in China are far less than a great number of regions around the world, a large portion of bitcoin miners reside in the country. At one time years ago it was estimated that more than 65% of the hashrate was in China, while more recent studies have s

The U.S. state of Louisiana has passed a resolution to commend bitcoin for its success as well as commend the cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, “for his contribution to economic security.” State Resolution Recognizing Satoshi and Bitcoin The Louisiana House of Representatives resolution by Representative Mark Wright entitled, “Commends Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency industry,” has been enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House. House Resolution 33 (HR 33) reads: Resolution to commend Bitcoin for its success in becoming the first decentralized trillion dollar asset and to encourage the state and local governments to consider ways that could help them benefit from the increased use of this new technology. The resolution proceeds to describe various attributes of bitcoin, starting with its creation in 2008 “by the pseudonymous author Satoshi Nakamoto.” Noting that the cryptocurrency “could potentially replace gold as a monetary reserve,” the document h

A Turkish cryptocurrency exchange with about 400,000 users has been accused of pulling an exit scam. Its CEO has reportedly fled Turkey, allegedly taking $2 billion of customer funds with him. The police have an arrest warrant for the CEO and 62 people have already been detained in connection with the case. Crypto Exchange Accused of Exit Scam Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex is offline and its CEO has reportedly gone missing. Thousands of investors are worried that their funds have been stolen since they are unable to access their accounts. A statement on the exchange’s website details that the platform is “temporarily closed” to address an “abnormal fluctuation in the company accounts.” Local media reported that Thodex’s founder, Faruk Fatih Ozer, has fled the country to Albania, allegedly taking $2 billion of investors’ funds with him. Demiroren News Agency published a photo which it claims to be Ozer leaving Istanbul Airport. Turkish authorities have issued an internati

The tax department of the Seoul metropolitan government in South Korea has reportedly seized cryptocurrencies worth about $25 million from hundreds of crypto investors with delinquent taxes. The cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, were seized from three exchanges. The tax authority is now going after hundreds more taxpayers who are delinquent on paying their taxes. Crypto Seizure for Tax Payments The Seoul metropolitan government announced Friday that it has seized cryptocurrencies from hundreds of individuals who are delinquent on their tax payments, Yonhap reported. Cryptocurrencies belonging to 1,566 individuals, including heads of companies, have been identified by the city government’s tax collection department at three cryptocurrency exchanges. So far, the tax authority has seized the coins from 676 people who owe the government 28.4 billion won (approximately $25.47 million) in overdue taxes. It will soon go after the crypto assets of the other 890 people. Since the crypto

Sevilla is becoming a crypto-friendly city in Spain at a fast pace, with two prominent local hotels announcing they will start accepting crypto payments. Hotel Bécquer and Hotel Kivir have joined the crypto adoption bandwagon by allowing customers to book rooms with digital assets. Hotels Will Receive 100% of Funds in Fiat Euros According to Diario de Sevilla , both hotels signed a partnership agreement with the domestic exchange Criptan to enable crypto payment gateway for their customers. Bécquer is a 134-room hotel located in the former place of the Marquises of Las Torres while the 31-room Hotel Kivir is based in the city’s Old Town. With both four-star hotels partnering with the exchange, Criptan has increased its portfolio of retail stores and even tourism businesses across Spain that now accept cryptos, such as bitcoin ( BTC ), as a means of payment. Alejandro Rodríguez, general manager of both hotels, is optimistic about the extensive future adoption of cryptos across the

PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX, formerly BitMax, an industry-leading digital asset trading platform built by Wall Street quant trading veterans, has announced the listing of the Crowny Token (CRWNY) under the pair USDT/CRWNY on Apr 21 at 1:00 p.m. UTC. Crowny has created a new platform by aligning blockchain and digital assets with the world of advertising. The platform will allow brands to develop effective campaigns to reach audiences who are enticed to listen to their messages. Users will be able to connect to their favorite brands through a smartphone application without the risk of privacy breaches. It has become a challenge for brands to reach and interact with their potential customers through digital and traditional media. The Crowny proposition brings the right tools to help advertisers reach customers with ease while rewarding the customers with tokens for engaging with ads. Rewards play a key role on the Crowny platform driving users to interact with brands. Crowny offer

South Korea’s crypto-sphere has been witnessing a volatile environment in terms of regulatory moves, as bitcoin prices and other altcoins are also having wild moves. Such a scenario hasn’t stopped the country’s middle class to profit from the crypto market, even with very successful stories. One of the Interviewees Risked His Life Savings in Cryptos According to a report published by TV network JTBC, employees from major companies such as Shinhan Card, Samsung, and LG Electronics claimed they collected enough profits to quit their jobs. Testimonies featured in the video report show that the individuals managed to collect millions of dollars worth of cryptos. One of them, a former Shinhan Card worker, told JTBC that he managed to gain almost 3 billion won ($2.7 million) but clarified that he took a high-risk move by achieving such astonishing profits. In fact, he invested his life savings and some loans onto crypto trades, and after he earned the millionaire amount in profits, he

Bitcoin dominance, the metric that measures bitcoin’s overall market capitalization against all the other crypto asset valuations has dropped considerably in recent weeks. At the end of February, bitcoin dominance levels started sliding downward from 61% to today’s 50%. Meanwhile, from the same point in time ethereum’s market capitalization has increased from 11.8% to today’s 14.5% . Bitcoin Dominance Sinks to 50% Ever since the birth of alternative crypto assets, people have used a metric called bitcoin ( BTC ) dominance, a measurement that records BTC ’s entire capitalization against all the market capitalizations held by other coins. Interestingly, minus a few small dips, BTC ’s dominance was above the 80% range from the day it was conceived to February 2017. BTC /USD hourly chart on April 23, 2021. During the first week of January 2018, BTC ’s dominance dropped to an all-time low of 33%. This year, bitcoin dominance levels have been mostly above the 60% region and in Januar