Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The Ghanaian government’s proposal to introduce a 1.75% levy on digital transactions was recently rejected by a minority of lawmakers who insist the new tax derails efforts to help increase the number of adults that are financially included. The Digital Transactions Tax A minority of lawmakers in the Ghana legislature recently rejected a government proposal to introduce a 1.75% levy on digital transactions including mobile-money payments. The lawmakers argued such a levy would slow down the country’s plan to increase the proportion of financially included adults from 58% to 75% by 2023. According to a report , the proposed levy, which was tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, was (or is) expected to become effective from February 2022. The Ghanaian government argues that the proposed levy would help reduce the country’s deficit from an estimated 12.1% of gross domestic product this year to 7.4% in 2022. However, the minority lawmakers in Ghana’s hung parliament

Authorities need to expand the regulatory framework for cryptocurrency miners, a member of the parliament in Kazakhstan has suggested. The additional rules should streamline their activities and help correct the forming public opinion that they are responsible for the country’s electricity deficit. Crypto Mining in Kazakhstan Needs Additional Regulations, Lawmaker Says New regulatory requirements and criteria for the crypto mining industry must be adopted to streamline its operations while developing a comprehensive ecosystem for digital assets. That’s according to a recent statement by Dyusenbay Turganov, member of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament. Quoted by the local business news portal Inbusiness.kz, the deputy noted that mining has been a legal industrial activity since the adoption of legislative amendments in 2020. He also reiterated that starting from January 2022, miners operating in accordance with the law will pay a new type of tax to the budget

With the growing capitalization of the crypto economy, Russians have been making crypto transactions worth billions of dollars a year, data gathered by the Central Bank of Russia shows. Russian residents are some of the most active participants in the crypto market, the regulator has acknowledged. Russians Among Most Active Crypto Users, Central Bank Admits True to its hardline stance on decentralized digital money, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has recently stated that cryptocurrency operations “carry significant risks for financial stability and investors as well as climatic risks.” The warning has been issued with its Financial Stability Overview for the second and third quarter of 2021. The monetary authority has recognized the rapid growth in the capitalization of the digital currency market this year. According to its analysis , quoted by Forklog, increased investor interest in technologies such as blockchain, smart contracts, decentralized finance, and stablecoins has pl

Florens Luoga, the governor of the Bank of Tanzania, said the apex bank has kickstarted preparations for a central bank digital currency. He said the bank was doing this to ensure Tanzania is not left behind as other countries adopt digital currencies. Keeping Abreast With Developments on the Continent The Bank of Tanzania (BOT) has started preparations for its digital currency to ensure the country is not left behind others in adopting central bank digital currencies (CBDC), a Bloomberg report has said. The announcement follows reports that Zanzibar — an autonomous Tanzanian region off the coast of East Africa — is also keen on adopting digital currencies. The move by the BOT, which was confirmed by governor Florens Luoga, also comes almost a month after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) became the first central bank on the continent to launch a CBDC. Explaining why the BOT is now eager to launch its CBDC, Luoga is quoted highlighting the importance of not being left behind, sa

The German multinational shoe and sportswear corporation Adidas recently announced the company has partnered with the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Two days prior, The Sandbox tweeted about the popular shoe company and showed a video clip of Adidas real estate in the Sandbox metaverse. Metaverse Is an ‘Interesting Platform for Adidas’ According to a recent statement from an Adidas spokesperson speaking with City A.M.’s Lily Russell-Jones, the company is very focused on the metaverse. “The Metaverse is currently one of the most exciting developments in digital, making it an interesting platform for Adidas,” the company spokesperson explained to Russell-Jones on Thursday. It all started on Monday, November 22, when The Sandbox tweeted about the multinational shoe and sportswear firm. “Hey @adidasoriginals, impossible is nothing in the Metaverse. What if we invite all of the original thinkers and do-ers to design our future together?” The Sandbox tweeted . The Sandbox is a blo

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, says he has zero interest in investing in anything with litigation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “That is a very bad idea,” he said. Discussing the SEC lawsuit against Ripple over XRP , he emphasized: “I have no interest in being a crypto cowboy … I have to be compliant.” Kevin O’Leary Says He Must Not Upset Regulators Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, the chairman of O’shares ETF, talked about cryptocurrency, bitcoin, XRP , Ripple’s lawsuit, and crypto regulation in an interview with CNBC published Friday. He explained that he prefers to consult with regulators regarding cryptocurrency in order to find out “what’s possible and what isn’t.” Commenting on the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Ripple over the sale of XRP , O’Leary stressed: I have zero interest in investing in litigation against the SEC. That is a very bad idea. The SEC sued Ripple, its CEO Brad Ga

A major tech-focused e-commerce platform, Newegg, has announced that SHIB is coming soon to its platform. Newegg currently accepts cryptocurrencies via Bitpay. The crypto payment service provider is expected to add SHIB support soon, according to AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron who said his company will start accepting SHIB for payments in the first quarter. SHIB Is Coming Soon to Newegg, the Company Says E-commerce platform Newegg announced on Twitter Friday that SHIB is coming soon to Newegg. Newegg Inc. is one of the leading tech-focused online retailers in North America, with a global reach in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East. Its platform focuses on computer parts, PC components, laptops, gaming systems, automotive parts, and office supplies. Newegg did not elaborate further on its SHIB announcement. However, the platform currently accepts a number of cryptocurrencies via Bitpay. The crypto payment service provider is expected to add shiba inu to its list

As reports of a new Covid-19 strain spread, tanking the price of many cryptocurrencies, El Salvador bought the dip. The country has added 100 more bitcoins to its treasury despite a recent warning by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), bringing the total number of bitcoins purchased to 1,220. El Salvador Buys the Dip: 1,220 Bitcoins Purchased to Date El Salvador has taken advantage of the Friday sell-off and purchased 100 more bitcoins as reports of a new coronavirus variant spread. The Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, tweeted on Black Friday that his country has bought the dip. “100 extra coins acquired with a discount,” he wrote. An advisory panel of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday classified the new Covid-19 variant, first detected in South Africa, as a highly transmissible virus, naming it “Omicron.” The crypto market shed billions of dollars on Friday amid reports of the new coronavirus strain. The price of bitcoin fell from $59,165 Thursday afternoon

South Park’s recent episode called the “Post COVID” special mocks a future where the only currency accepted is bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The hour-long animated sitcom picks up years into the future where the main characters are now all grown up, except Kenny McCormick who is dead. Stan Pays for a 1 Night Stay at the ‘Super 12 Motel Plus’ in the Future Using Bitcoin The popular television sitcom South Park featured on Comedy Central is extremely well known in today’s pop culture ever since Trey Parker and Matt Stone created the show in 1997. Over the last 24 years, the animated sitcom has aired more than 300 episodes and in more recent times, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick have been dealing with an interesting world. In the latest episode called “Post COVID,” Stan, who is now an online whiskey consultant, is told by Kyle that Kenny had passed away. When Stan decides to go to Kenny’s funeral services, he spends his stay at the Super 12 Motel

30 days ago on October 28, the total value locked (TVL) in cross-chain bridges to Ethereum was around $22.48 billion and in the face of the recent market dump, the TVL still increased by 9.56%. At the time of writing, there are 135,148 unique depositors and Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge holds the largest TVL. Cross-Chain Bridge TVL Continues to Climb While the total value locked in decentralized finance (defi) is $258 billion , the TVL is split among a myriad of blockchains. This includes blockchain networks such as Ethereum ( ETH ), Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), terra (LUNA), tron (TRON), Fantom (FTM), and Polygon (MATIC). Today, Ethereum commands $170.48 billion of the $258 TVL in defi or 65.89% of the aggregate. Binance Smart Chain captures $19.11 billion on Saturday, which is only 7.40% of the TVL. Solana commands a $13.86 billion TVL this weekend or 5.37% of all the value locked in defi. Many of these defi networks leverage a connection to the Et

As the end of the year approaches, digital currency values have risen a great deal in 2021 and crypto asset miners have been profiting as a result. According to statistics, the most profitable coin to mine at the end of November is kadena, as an 18 terahash (TH/s) machine can get up to $326 per day. Scrypt coins are the second most profitable these days with up to $110 per day and Ethash miners can make up to $105 per day. Kadena, Scrypt, Ethash, and Eaglesong Mining Far More Profitable Than SHA256 Mining Close to 13 years ago when Bitcoin first launched, the cryptocurrency could be mined with a central processing unit (CPU). This means that anyone with a decent computer at the time could mine and find bitcoin ( BTC ) block rewards. After that phase, people started to leverage devices with specialized electronic circuits called graphics processing units (GPUs). Today, bitcoin miners utilize application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices to mine BTC . Bitcoin mining rigs ded

Bitcoin’s hashrate has been volatile in recent times following the same patterns as the crypto asset’s price. Three days ago, Bitcoin’s hashrate neared the 180 exahash (EH/s) zone only to plummet to 128 EH/s two days later. The recent shifts have taken place before the upcoming network difficulty adjustment, which is due to change on Sunday. After nine increases in a row and for the first time since mid-July, the difficulty will drop lower instead of increasing. Bitcoin Hashrate Slides Following Price Drop — Mining Difficulty Decrease Expected The fiat value of bitcoin ( BTC ) has caused the network’s processing power to slow down toward the end of November. Seven days ago, Bitcoin.com News reported on how Bitcoin’s hashrate was steadily climbing higher during the last three months. Today, BTC ’s hashrate is coasting along at 168 EH/s after reaching a high of 178 EH/s on November 24. After reaching that high on Wednesday, on Friday the hashrate dropped to a low of 128 EH/s, losing 2

Nigerian artist Davido has launched a fan token, the Echoke Social Token, that he says gives “power” to his millions of fans. Eliminating the Middlemen A Nigerian pop artist and celebrity, Davido, recently announced the launch of his fan token, the Echoke Social Token, via his Instagram account. According to Davido’s Instagram post , this token not only eliminates unnecessary third parties, but also allows him to directly connect with fans. Davido explained: Happy to finally announce this thing we’ve been working on for a while. It’s the ‘Echoke Social Token’. Everyday, millions of fans create value that is captured by a few execs in a boardroom. Not any more. We’re giving the power back to the fans. He added that holders of the token will get free access to giveaways, NFTs, backstage passes, jobs, festivals, exclusive merchandise, media, and hospitality benefits. Partnership With Crypto Company For the launch of this token, Davido — who previously expressed a desire to star

The concept of the metaverse is starting to blow up, and many of the early companies that are invested in it are already reaping some of the benefits from this new trend in the market. Digital land plots in virtual worlds are now selling for millions of dollars on different platforms, including Decentraland and Axie Infinity. Some prices are higher than many physical properties, even in expensive cities. Digital Land Picking Up Value in Metaverse Projects The rise of the metaverse concept and all the companies that are taking it seriously is starting to affect the sales and prices of metaverse-related key elements, like tokens and digital land. This week there have been sales of digital land plots for millions of dollars in key metaverse inspired projects. The first sale of this kind was reported in February by Axie Infinity, a virtual world game, where 8 plots of land were sold for 888 ETH , or $1.5 million dollars. At the time of the sale, Axie Infinity’s team reported this to

Grayscale, a leading cryptocurrency asset manager, seems to have set its gaze on the metaverse as a business opportunity. Yesterday the company released a report where it examined the feasibility of this interconnected virtual world and how these economies can provide a profitable entry for investors, considering this area could grow to be a $1 trillion business in the near future. Grayscale Metaverse Report Paints a Bullish Picture Grayscale, one of the leading crypto asset managers, stated that the metaverse, a concept of an interconnected alternate virtual world, could be a $1 trillion business opportunity for the future. This conclusion is derived from a report titled “The Metaverse. Web 3.0 Virtual Cloud Economies,” issued by the company yesterday, where it analyzes the potential that this initiative could have for early investors. In this report, Grayscale profiles the metaverse as the start of a new paradigm, that will kickstart much innovation in Web 3.0. About the possibi

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its latest report on “digital currency governance” this month, addressing stablecoins, cryptocurrencies, and “barriers to financial inclusion.” Like most central banks, regulators, think tanks, and politicians, the WEF publication gives lip service to the power of crypto, but never addresses the elephant in the room: instead of actual access to the utility cryptocurrencies already freely provide, the “unbanked” and impoverished individuals of the world are forced to use a co-opted, fiat 2.0. ‘Financial Inclusion’ and ‘Sensible Regulation’: Freedom for Me, Compliance for Thee According to the World Economic Forum’s November 2021 White Paper Series Report “What is the Value Proposition of Stablecoins for Financial Inclusion”: Financial inclusion is a complex global problem that existing systems and offerings have so far failed to solve. Financial inclusion is not really that complex, but existing systems most definitely are failu

The founder of Paytm, a major digital payment company in India, is “very positive about crypto.” Noting that cryptocurrency is here to stay, he expects it to become a mainstream technology in a few years. Paytm Founder Is ‘Very Positive About Crypto’ Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder of Paytm, said at a virtual conference organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Thursday that cryptocurrency is here to stay, PTI reported. He added that crypto is Silicon Valley’s answer to Wall Street. Paytm is an Indian multinational technology company that specializes in digital payments. The company completed an initial public offering (IPO) last week. In its IPO filing, Paytm revealed that it has 337 million registered consumers and 22 million merchants. Sharma opined: I am very positive about crypto. It is fundamentally based on cryptography and will be the mainstream technology in a few years like the internet which is (now) part of daily life. The Paytm founder admitted that cry

The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance says that he and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett share a similar investment strategy. However, he said he would not convince the Oracle of Omaha to invest in cryptocurrency. “I get worried if he uses crypto. He may not have the necessary skills or the knowledge on how to keep his own crypto safe,” the Binance CEO stressed. Binance’s CEO on Warren Buffett and Crypto Investing Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) talked about Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and cryptocurrency investing on Yahoo Finance Wednesday. Zhao recently praised Buffett’s investing skills after reading a book about him titled “Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind.” The book provides “a deep analysis of Buffett’s essential wisdom, an intricate mosaic of wide-ranging ideas and insights that Buffett calls a Money Mind,” according to its description. The Binance boss was asked if he were sitting in a room with Buffett, what he would tell the Oracle of Om

One of the largest banks in Estonia, LHV, is now offering cryptocurrency trading directly from its app through crypto exchange Bitstamp. The bank says it is the “first bank in the Baltics to start offering crypto trading.” Large Estonian Bank Now Offers Crypto Trading LHV announced this week that it has become “the first bank in Estonia to offer its clients the opportunity to trade in crypto assets.” Starting Monday, LHV customers can trade major crypto assets directly on its mobile app. Transactions are carried out on the cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp. Clients’ crypto assets are held on the Bitgo platform, which is part of the Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Galaxy Digital Group. The bank started experimenting with blockchain technology in 2015. Since then, “We have been waiting for the regulatory environment to evolve, for the market to become organized, and for professional market players to emerge,” the bank noted. Madis Toomsalu, chairman of the management board of LHV Grou

A recent study suggests that 99% of people from Mexico and Brazil and 96% of Americans fail to grasp the basic concepts of cryptocurrencies. Out of all the survey respondents aware of bitcoin, 17% in the U.S., 15% in Brazil, and 14% in Mexico own the crypto asset. The report published by cryptoliteracy.org further explains that 9 out of 10 survey respondents did not know that Bitcoin’s supply is capped off at 21 million. Despite the Bull Run in 2021, Study Shows Crypto Knowledge Is Lacking in the US, Mexico, Brazil According to a study published by cryptoliteracy.org comprehension of cryptocurrency fundamentals is low in 2021. The researchers leveraged a Yougov survey to sample roughly 1,000 participants who are aware of cryptocurrencies from each country. The study consisted of 17 questions pertaining to cryptocurrency, bitcoin, decentralized finance (defi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and general sentiment. One of the key findings in the survey notes that “ownership is the best t

A Nigerian crypto exchange, Busha, recently raised over $4 million in a funding round led by Jump Capital. Busha, a Nigerian cryptocurrency exchange, is reported to have raised a $4.2 million seed funding round recently. These funds, according to the exchange, will be used to expand its operations across Africa. Financial Freedom According to a report by Disrupt Africa, Jump Capital led the funding round that also featured Cadenza Ventures, Blockwall Capital, CMT Digital, Greenhouse Capital, Raba Capital, and other investors. In his comments following the announcement, Busha co-founder and CEO Michael Adeyeri is quoted explaining the exchange’s key objective and how the latest funding round helps the company. He said: Our immediate mission is to onboard the next one million Africans into the crypto economy. We have seen the significant difference in financial freedom that crypto can make in the lives of our over 200,000 users, and we are very motivated to extend this to more pe

A great number of digital currencies have swelled in value this year and as the end of 2021 approaches, the market capitalization of all 11,000+ crypto assets in existence is roughly $2.6 trillion. These days, it’s safe to say that dollar-pegged tokens, otherwise known as stablecoins, have a strong presence in the crypto market. Today the market capitalization of all the stablecoins in the world is more than $152 billion or 5.84% of the crypto economy’s USD value. Stablecoins Have Seen Massive Growth Within the Crypto Economy Stablecoins have been a hot topic in the cryptocurrency world as the growth of these dollar-pegged tokens in 2021 has been quite significant. Basically, a stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that leverages the value of an external reference such as the U.S. dollar or another fiat currency. The largest stablecoin today in terms of market capitalization is tether ( USDT ) as its current market valuation is $73.95 billion. During the last 30 days, USDT ’s mark

During the last 24 hours, the crypto economy has lost 8% in value as a great number of crypto asset prices dropped significantly during the overnight trading sessions. Crypto markets lost more than $22 billion in value as the leading digital currencies in the top 20 standings lost anywhere between 6% to 20%. Global Markets Lurch in Fear Over B.1.1.529 Variant Global markets are shaken today as headlines declare that a new Covid-19 variant called B.1.1.529 is spreading beyond South Africa where it was discovered. The B.1.1.529 variant is said to be more contagious than the Delta variant and it is said to have around 30 mutations . As soon as the headlines broke, markets in nearly every nation worldwide started to tank, and investments tied to the oil and gas sector dive-bombed. For instance, the international benchmark for a barrel of Brent crude slipped in value by 5.3%. On Friday, the economist and bitcoin advocate Alex Krüger tweeted about how the new variant has roiled global ma