Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Who controls your data is a vital and growing concern these days. People are now fully aware of how the giant tech monopolies are extracting value out of users’ private information while they get nothing in return. Regulators, companies and users have all began to challenge the way this happens by limiting the invasion of privacy wherever possible. However, the potential of transferring value to users still remains allusive. Swash changes the paradigm by putting data monetization in the hands of the users themselves. Creating a New Age of User Data Monetization Swash is an ecosystem of tools and services that enable people to unlock the value of data by pooling, securely sharing, and earning while retaining privacy. The core idea behind Swash is that of “Data Unions” – organized structures that optimize individual agency as a collective force by rewarding union members for the value of their data. Inspired by their vision to make easy data monetization possible, the Swash team buil

National Bank of Ukraine is hiring a blockchain expert who will likely support its digital currency project. The vacancy has been announced as the financial institution prepares to pilot e-hryvnia salary payments for government workers as early as this year. NBU Posts Blockchain Developer Ad on Linkedin The central bank of Ukraine is looking to employ a blockchain developer with promises of career growth opportunities and a private sector salary. A job posting describing the role’s responsibilities and the benefits candidates may expect has been recently published on Linkedin by the bank’s IT director, Vladimir Nagornyuk. The blockchain specialist is expected to participate in the “development, implementation and refinement of infrastructure services, highly accessible distributed systems and services (Hyperledger),” the ad details. The future hire will focus on the design and development of microservices and integration solutions, development of smart contracts, registers, and a

According to reports from Nigeria, the official website for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s e-naira digital currency is now up and running. The reports come just a few days before the start of the central bank digital currency (CBDC) rollout. E-Naira Similar to Physical Currency An analysis by regional news outlet This Day suggests that the website had recorded more than a million hits barely 24 hours after it went live. Such a reaction, according to the publication, points “to the level of interest in the proposed digital currency.” As explained on the website , the CBN’s e-naira is expected to serve as both a medium of exchange and a store of value. The digital currency will also “offer better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash payments.” There are claims that the e-naira will accelerate financial inclusion, enhancing both local and international trade. On the other hand, the website reiterates the CBN’s claim that the e-naira will be similar to

Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has announced it will no longer allow the sale of cryptocurrency mining gear on its platform. The sales behemoth made this announcement yesterday via its official website. The move is a direct consequence of the latest ban the Chinese government has applied to cryptocurrency trading and mining. Other institutions and exchanges have also been affected. Alibaba Bans ASIC Miner Sales Alibaba, one of the biggest sales companies in China, has announced it intends to ban the sale of cryptocurrency miners and cryptocurrencies themselves on its platform. The company explained this is a consequence of several circulars and decisions taken by the People’s Bank of China, stating: Alibaba.com will prohibit the sale of virtual currency miners in addition to the prohibition against selling virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, BeaoCoin, QuarkCoin, and Ethereum. The company will terminate two of its product categories to apply this ban — Blockcha

Emurgo, the financial arm of leading cryptocurrency project Cardano, has announced it will invest $100 million in the development of decentralized finance-based products for the ecosystem. The company will spin two subsidiaries for this task, with one being fully dedicated to incentivizing the creation of Africa-based startups that use the Cardano blockchain in the development of their products. Cardano to Push Ecosystem With $100 Million Emurgo, the financial arm of Cardano, is planning to kickstart the development of Cardano-related products by directing $100 million to two new investment vehicles. The subsidiaries will have different focuses, but will both contribute to widening the Cardano ecosystem. The first one, called Emurgo Ventures, will have the task of providing seed funding to interesting companies that involve Cardano in the development of their products. These products could include NFT platforms and decentralized finance (defi) platforms to take advantage of the ne

Yellow Card, an Africa-focused crypto exchange platform, recently announced a capital raise of $15 million from its Series A funding round. The capital raise, which is Yellow Card’s largest, was led by Valar Ventures, Third Prime, and Castle Island Ventures. Square, Coinbase Ventures, and Blockchain.com Ventures also participated in the round. Making Cryptocurrencies Accessible According to the exchange platform’s blog post , part of the funds raised will be used to “ramp up hiring and continue its expansion across the continent.” On the other hand, Chris Maurice, founder and CEO of Yellow Card, said he expects the latest capital raise to help the fintech realize its goal of making cryptocurrencies accessible to everyone. Maurice said: Our mission has always been to make cryptocurrency accessible anywhere and everywhere across the African continent. Now, we have the backing to make that a reality, alongside an amazing team of investors who share our vision. Prior to raising the

PRESS RELEASE. Torum is set to launch a pioneering social metaverse and socially integrated Avatar NFTs through a unique SocialFi platform. 29th September 2021, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Torum SocialFi platform has announced that it will be launching a ‘Social Metaverse’ and the world’s first-ever social-integrated Avatar NFT, following a strategic investment from Huobi Ventures back in August 2021. Torum SocialFi Platform The conceptualization and creation of metaverses has been on the rise since the explosion of the NFT market, and Torum is leading the social side of this emerging industry with its Huobi-backed SocialFi platform and ecosystem. The Malaysian-based SocialFi platform has decided to take the lead and build a Social Metaverse within the crypto and blockchain industry. This evolution will kick off from the launch of the world’s first-ever social-integrated Avatar NFT. Meet your Metaverse Identity Powered by Binance Smart Chain , Torum is releasing 21 sets o

On September 28, reports stemming from social media and crypto-focused forums detailed that China has been blocking a number of cryptocurrency websites. The Twitter handle for 8btc News tweeted that the web portals coinmarketcap.com and coingecko.com have been blocked from mainland China. The ‘Great Firewall,’ as it is often called, has also blocked a number of other sites like tradingview.com as well. Specific Crypto Web Portals Are Currently Inaccessible in China One thing the world knows is that China likes to censor the internet and via the combination of legislative actions and technologies enforced by Beijing, the Great Firewall (GFW) exists in full force today. Through the forces deployed by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), alongside the help of SIIO and the Golden Shield Project, many international web domains are inaccessible to Chinese residents. Mainland Chinese internet users cannot access websites like Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and a large quan

Two U.S. senators have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at improving the oversight of cryptocurrency. The bill requires the Treasury Secretary to submit a report to Congress on cryptocurrencies and their competitiveness globally, including how other countries are using and mining them as well as their impacts on supply chains. New Bill Introduced to Improve Oversight of Cryptocurrencies and Their Uses Globally Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Senator Joni Ernst introduced legislation on cryptocurrency Monday. The bill states that its purpose is “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to submit to Congress a report on virtual currencies and global competitiveness.” The senators described that this bipartisan bill aims “to improve oversight of cryptocurrency,” including “mining operations in foreign countries.” Senator Hassan explained: The bill would require the Treasury Department to report to Congress o

The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, says that cryptocurrency “is not going to end well if it stays outside the regulatory space.” The SEC has been criticized for taking an enforcement-centric approach to regulating the crypto industry. SEC Chair Says Crypto Will Not End Well Staying Outside Regulations SEC Chairman Gary Gensler talked about cryptocurrency regulation Monday during an interview with former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara at Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California. He explained that the crypto sector in the U.S. has many “trading venues and lending venues” with “not just dozens but hundreds and sometimes thousands of tokens on them.” Noting that “people will be hurt” if cryptocurrency markets are allowed to operate outside the purview of regulators, the SEC chairman warned: This is not going to end well if it stays outside the regulatory space. “To think that a field that’s grown 10-fold in the last 18 months — no

Verifone, a global payment system provider with 35 million devices in 150 countries, is rolling out crypto payment support in the U.S. in partnership with Bitpay. Verifone’s platform processes more than $440 billion annually. The company says, “the appetite for crypto payments has exploded this year.” Major Retailers Will Soon Be Able to Accept Cryptocurrency Payments via Verifone Major payment solution provider Verifone announced Tuesday its partnership with Bitpay “to enable consumer cryptocurrency payments on Verifone’s in-store and Ecommerce Cloud Services platforms in the United States.” Verifone provides “end-to-end payment and commerce solutions to the world’s best-known retail brands, major financial institutions, and directly to more than 600,000 merchants alike,” its website describes. The company’s global platform handles more than 10.4 billion online and in-store transactions annually, totaling more than $440 billion. About 35 million Verifone devices are in operation i

While celebrities and athletes have been jumping into the non-fungible token (NFT) scene headfirst, a large quantity of music acts have also entered the NFT industry. On Tuesday, a lineup of world-famous DJs are being represented in a newly launched NFT collection called Djenerates. The NFT collection is supported by prominent DJs like Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Paul Val Dyk, Benny Benassi, Sven Väth, and Blond:ish. Prominent DJs Featured in NFT Collection In 2021, non-fungible token (NFT) assets have become a billion-dollar industry and it seems everyone is trying to get in on the action. Bitcoin.com News has reported on the swarm of celebrities flocking to NFTs quite a bit this year. Popular hip-hop superstars like Snoop Dogg , Lil Pump, Eminem , Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and Ja Rule have also been participating in the blockchain and crypto revolution. Now a slew of popular DJs are being featured in a collection of NFTs called the Djenerates. The collection launched on September

On Tuesday, the crypto firm FTX Trading Ltd, announced that the Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones has joined the company as an FTX Ambassador in a long-term partnership. The collaboration with the NFL player follows the firm’s partnership with seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen. FTX Inks Long-Term Partnership With NFL Running Back Aaron Jones Crypto asset company FTX continues to make deals in the world of professional sports as just last week, FTX partnered with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. FTX has also partnered with Super Bowl champion Tom Brady , the Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen , and became the MLB’s official crypto exchange brand in a long-term deal. FTX also purchased the U.S. professional esports giant TSM for $210 million and it won the naming rights to the Miami Heat arena. Following the deal with Mercedes F1, FTX announced that Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones is now a company ambassador. Accordin

Singapore-based cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitget announced a partnership with Juventus to become its sponsor. According to the agreement, Bitget will act as Juventus official partner and official cryptocurrency exchange partner, and also its first-ever sleeve partner. Established in 1897, Juventus is one of most time-honored and award-winning football clubs worldwide. It was the first club in the history of football to win all the major international trophies with 38 Serie A titles, 2 Champions League titles, and 3 UEFA Cups. Juventus is one of the top ten football clubs in the world, with elite players such as Chiellini, Morata, Dybala and Bonucci. In addition, legendary players like Nedved, Buffon, Zidane, Del Piero, Montero, Baggio and Cristiano Ronaldo have all played for the club, making it one of the most important and successful clubs in Europe and the world. “Bitget has been looking for outstanding partners from the sports world and game community. Juventus has be

On Bitcoin’s 12th anniversary, a mystery miner from the early days spent 1,000 decade-old bitcoins that were mined in 2010. The strange miner was not the only entity that spent 2010 BTC block rewards during the last nine months, but this miner returned on a few occasions to spend strings of ten-year-old block rewards. As the end of 2021 nears, 152 blocks with 7,600 bitcoin worth $319 million today and minted in 2010 have been spent this year after sitting idle for over a decade. Old School Whale Transfers From 2010 Outpace 2011 and 2012 Spends, $977 Million Worth of Sleeping Bitcoins Moved This Year During the last 12 years bitcoins have been lost by a great number of people under different circumstances, and it’s likely these coins will never return to circulation. Then there’s another group of bitcoins the community calls ‘sleeping bitcoins’ or ‘zombie bitcoins’ because they have been sitting idle since the day they were created. At some point, if the owner decides to spend the

The investigation into the Russia-based crypto pyramid Finiko is growing with law enforcement officials in Samara region announcing they have launched eight criminal cases against Finiko associates. Authorities are also working to identify more victims of the Ponzi scheme, Russia’s largest in recent years. Finiko Members Under Investigation in Samara, Russia The Russian Ministry of Interior’s Main Department in Samara Oblast, a region bordering Tatarstan, is investigating eight cases of fraud against Finiko associates. The members of the Ponzi scheme are accused of misappropriating 6 million rubles from investors who were promised high returns on their money between July 2020 and July 2021, the department announced. The crypto scam’s victims in these cases are all residents of Samara, law enforcement officials detailed in a press release quoted by Forklog. They were convinced by the Finiko representatives to deposit their funds worth almost $83,000, according to current exchange

PRESS RELEASE. Triall launches its main utility token TRL on Uniswap following a successful token pre-sale that raised more than 2 million USD. AMSTERDAM, Sept 28, 2021 – Blockchain startup Triall launched its main utility token TRL in an initial DEX offering (IDO) on Uniswap at 13:00 UTC today, after raising more than 2 million USD in its token pre-sale campaign. The company introduces a tokenized ecosystem that helps secure and streamline the development of new vaccines and medicines during clinical trials. As part of its launch, Triall also introduces a staking program powered by DeFi company Ferrum Network, enabling APRs of up to 250% to reward early adopters of TRL. Modern-day clinical trials are increasingly complex, lengthy, and resource-inefficient. As a result, it typically takes 10 years of clinical trials before a new medicine can enter the market. Last year’s exceptionally fast COVID-19 vaccine trials demonstrated that, when stakeholders and efforts align, there are c

The year 2020 may well go down as the year when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, in particular, gained mainstream recognition. The restrictions on movement, as well as the widespread fear of catching a virus, forced many to look for alternative ways of making payments or sending remittances. This search for an alternative inevitably led many to crypto. Although the use of such alternatives to fiat cash continues to grow, many of the intended beneficiaries in places like Africa are still unable to use such digital currencies. Kenya’s Kotani Pay Addresses Lack of Crypto Access The lack of smartphones, misinformation about cryptocurrencies, and poor net connectivity are some of the main reasons why the number of digital currency users is not growing as some crypto proponents would have wanted. As a consequence, some players in this space are now working hard to find solutions to help those that presently cannot use digital currencies. One such player is Kotani Pay, a Kenya

Anthony Scaramucci, CEO of Skybridge Capital, a multi-asset class investment firm, says he thinks the institutional investment boom in cryptocurrencies has been greatly exaggerated. In an interview given to Bloomberg last week, Scaramucci stated that most institutions are still not interested in cryptocurrency as an investment and that only 10% are actively investing in crypto. Anthony Scaramucci Thinks Institutions Are Still Not Big on Crypto Anthony Scaramucci, CEO of Skybridge Capital, thinks there is still a long way until bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are embraced by institutional investors. In an interview offered to Bloomberg, Scaramucci stated that, according to his experience, only 10% of the institutional world is actively investing in cryptocurrency. While this may be a minority, according to Scaramucci, it’s a minority that has some impact. The Skybridge Capital founder says the situation feels like a “feeding frenzy.” The investor stated: The institutions are not the

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of one of the biggest financial institutions of the world, JPMorgan, has once again let the world know about his stance on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Dimon stated that whoever borrowed money to purchase bitcoin was, in his opinion, a “fool.” However, his personal opinion has not clashed with the fact that JPMorgan is now offering access to six cryptocurrency funds for its customers and even created its own digital ledger token for payments, called JPM Coin. Jamie Dimon Blasts Cryptocurrencies JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon blasted crypto and bitcoin yet again. The JPMorgan executive argued about the real value of cryptocurrencies and his take on the cryptocurrency world in an interview with the Times of India last week. Dimon stated that the latest bull market in cryptocurrencies was created by a lot of liquidity in the system, which then leads to speculation. Dimon declared: I am not a buyer of bitcoin. I think if you borrow money to buy bitcoin, you’re a foo

PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX , a global digital asset trading platform, is thrilled to announce the listing of the Refinable token (FINE) under the pair USDT/FINE on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. UTC. Refinable is an interactive, multi-chain capable NFT marketplace with a one-stop solution to create, discover, trade, and leverage NFTs for brands and creators. Refinable is the first NFT marketplace built on the Binance Smart Chain enabling users and established brands to interact with each other by leveraging NFTs. Beyond standard marketplace features, Refinable’s strategy is quite different from other NFT marketplaces. They are actively talking to non-crypto companies to develop unique NFT engagements. Its community’s strength will differentiate the NFT marketplace on Refinable, and they believe the most engaged, long-lasting communities are those of existing and beloved brands. Refinable believes in the idea that each brand would bring with it a whole community of users. The main goal and long

The beauty behind cryptocurrency networks like Bitcoin is the fact that anyone can participate in the field of crypto mining. In fact, two siblings explained in a recent interview that they rake in more than $30K per month mining digital assets. Kid Duo Captures $30K a Month Mining Digital Currencies A 14- and 9-year-old brother and sister pair have made headlines in recent times for explaining how they make over $30,000 a month mining crypto assets. The 9-year-old Aanya Thakur and her brother 14-year-old Ishaan mined three types of digital currencies this summer because they “wanted to learn something new about technology – and also make some money along the way.” The two appeared in a CNBC report published by the reporter Taylor Locke and the CNBC broadcast “Make It.” According to the Thakur siblings, the duo mines bitcoin ( BTC ), ethereum ( ETH ) and ravencoin (RVN). Youtube videos taught Ishaan how to convert his Alienware computer into a mining rig and at first, the siblings