Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

As enthusiasm for cryptocurrency mounts amid strong demand from retail and institutional investors, financial service providers Simplex and Skrill are building more inroads into the ecosystem, focusing on improving transactability and convenience. The digital payment services continue to expand the accessibility of the cryptocurrency landscape by backing direct token withdrawals and support for in-browser wallets. Expanded In-Browser Wallet Capabilities Simplex is partnering with privacy-oriented web browser Opera to provide cryptocurrency support for its in-browser wallet. The wallet will grant Opera users an easy onramp and offramp convert from fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat. Opera, which holds the title of the first web3 and blockchain-ready browser , already has a native wallet that supports bitcoin, ethereum, and tron. Now with the Simplex onboard process, Opera is expanding the range of supported tokens and coins of its wallet while adding functionality for fiat deposits

A number of forum posts and tweets say that the website bitcoinpaperwallet.com is compromised and people have said they have lost bitcoin using the paper wallet generator. Three years ago the website domain changed ownership and ever since then losses have been reported on Reddit forums, bitcointalk.org, Twitter, and other public venues. The owner of the paper wallet generating web portal denies the platform’s codebase is compromised and claims it has been audited by a security expert. Bitcoinpaperwallet.com Wallet Generator Site Accused of Being Compromised and Unsafe Years ago, a website that was once operated and owned by, Canton Becker, called bitcoinpaperwallet.com was once an extremely popular paper wallet generator. However, when the website was sold in 2018, bitcoinpaperwallet.com’s reviews became very negative. The complaints continue to this day and a month ago on Reddit, a user named u/heroiclife created a thread asking people to help him shut down the website. “Help me

PRESS RELEASE. BitMax.io (BTMX.com), an industry-leading digital asset trading platform built by Wall Street quant trading veterans, has announced the joint primary listing of the Oxygen token (OXY) with auction facilitation for its platform users. The auction will begin on Bitmax on March 11 at 9:00 a.m. EST and the listing will go live on March 16 at 9:00 a.m. EST. Oxygen Protocol is an on-chain, decentralized, non-custodial prime brokerage built on the Serum DEX and ecosystem, running on fast Solana public blockchain, and seeded by the Maps.me 2.0’s massive userbase. Oxygen will start with a borrow-lending protocol before moving to recreate quasi-marketplace- business units that are typically part of investment banks and making them accessible to everyone. Oxygen is built upon a pools-based infrastructure, wherein users can create a pool by depositing their assets and marking which ones to lend. The clearing price for Oxygen’s borrow-lending is market-based through on-chain ord

According to a new study conducted by Crypto.com, the total number of global cryptocurrency users has surpassed 100 million for the first time ever. The study, which measured the cryptocurrency marketplace’s size using onchain metrics, survey analysis, and internal data, recorded 106 million cryptocurrency users in January 2021. January’s Bitcoin Rally Accumulated a 15.7% Jump in Global Users Compared to December 2020, the 106 million users represent a 15.7% increase in just one month. What’s fueling the growth of the crypto market? According to Crypto.com’s research , it comes down to bitcoin adoption momentum. Eric Anziani, Crypto.com COO had this to say to Bitcoin.com regarding the research’s findings: Our study improves upon previously used methods to find a clear trend of growing cryptocurrency ownership. As more companies and merchants adopt cryptocurrencies as a treasury asset and means of payment, we expect 2021 to be a banner year for crypto mass adoption, bringing us ev

In the evolution of digital payments, it’s clear that financial institutions and payment providers will continue to adopt blockchain technology to drive real-time, cross-border payments growth. This digital ledger infrastructure, which integrates with bank accounts, digital wallets and even cash payout channels will become the engine to provide the convenience, speed, ease of access, transparency … Continued The post Setting the Stage for Digital Global Payments appeared first on Ripple. http://dlvr.it/RtV9rT

Craig Wright, the individual that claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, seems to be planning to initiate legal action against a number of open-source blockchain developers. Wright’s legal team, Ontier LLP, has allegedly sent letters to programmers who work on blockchains like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Bitcoinsv as well. The self-styled Bitcoin inventor’s legal action letters claim 111,000 bitcoin was stolen from his “computer network” back in February 2020. The So-Called Fiduciary Duty: Regaining Access to the Alleged Stolen Keys The Australian businessman who has claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto for years now, has announced he may be initiating legal action against open source developers. Despite the fact that many experts , the media , and the greater crypto community believe Wright’s Satoshi Nakamoto claims are false , Wright has continued to stand behind his word. Bitcoin Developers face £3.5bn legal action from Bitcoin inventor #DrCraigWright https://t.co/5J2141jRxT ONTIER team le

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has filed for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company has chosen the direct listing route and has applied for its shares to be listed on Nasdaq. Coinbase filed Form S-1 Registration Statement for its IPO with the SEC on Thursday. The company revealed in December that it had confidentially applied to go public. The company explained that it is offering “Class A common stock for sale via a direct listing,” which means “any person or business with a brokerage account” can place an order for the shares in the opening order book. The SEC filing explains that Coinbase has applied to list its Class A common stock “on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol COIN.” Coinbase states that it currently has “approximately 43 million retail users, 7,000 institutions, and 115,000 ecosystem partners in over 100 countries.” As of Dec. 31, 2020, the platform had executed $456 billion in trading v

India’s central bank governor Shaktikanta Das has revealed that the bank has “major concerns” about cryptocurrencies, and it has informed the government of them. He expects that the government will soon make a decision on cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is giving its full attention to the digital rupee. RBI Has Major Concerns About Cryptocurrencies The governor of India’s central bank expressed concerns over the possible impact made by cryptocurrencies on the country’s financial stability and the economy Wednesday. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das shared: We have certain major concerns about cryptocurrencies. We have communicated them to the government. It is under consideration in the government. He elaborated: “On crypto, we have major concerns from the financial stability angle and we have shared it with the government.” The governor further clarified: “I do expect and I think sooner or later the government will take a c

PRESS RELEASE. 25 February 2021 – Animoca Brands, the developer and publisher of the successful blockchain games F1® DeltaTime and The Sandbox, is further expanding its push to bring mainstream consumers to blockchain by announcing that MotoGP ™ Ignition , the competitive management and collectibles game platform based on MotoGP ™ , will be built on the Flow blockchain, with the first content sale to begin 26 March 2021. Flow was originally created by Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot and CryptoKitties . MotoGP ™ , managed by Dorna Sports, S.L., is the oldest motorsports championship in the world, featuring the fastest riders and the most technologically advanced prototype racing motorcycles on the planet. MotoGP ™ Ignition will allow fans to own and trade collectibles of their favorite MotoGP ™ bikes and personalities on blockchain. MotoGP™ Ignition will deliver two forms of MotoGP ™ branded experiences centered around limited-edition non-fungible tokens

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it has revoked the registered securities of Long Blockchain Corp (LBCC) after the company failed to file annual reports since Dec. 31, 2017. In addition, the SEC says LBCC, which made the switch from soft drink production to activities related to blockchain technology in December 2017, is also “delinquent in filing quarterly reports.” Non-Existent Blockchain Business In a document that reveals the proceedings against LBCC, the SEC, which cites the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, says its decision (to revoke securities) is intended to protect investors. The SEC adds that an investigation had found that after the name change from Long Island Iced Tea Corp to LBCC, the listed company’s “blockchain business never became operational.” Meanwhile, concerning the status of LBCC’s common stock, the SEC said the following: The common stock of LBCC was registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and traded on Nasdaq until Nasda

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly hit several entertainment routines of the people worldwide, and South Korea is not an exception. PC gaming rooms had to shut down in the country, but their owners found a way to make profits during the lockdown by participating in crypto mining. A PC Bang Owner Made Over $3,000 Worth of Ethereum in Two Weeks According to Chosun , operators of the “PC bangs,” a common term used for the PC gaming rooms in South Korea, leverages their computers to take advantage of the pandemic-driven restrictions. In fact, owners don’t have certainties on whether or not they can re-open their businesses, and that’s why crypto mining is now an alternative to deal with right now. Some PC bang owners in Seoul are mining ether ( ETH ) by relying on highly-equipped computers with top-notch graphic cards. A 34-years-old man named Kim stated that the number of customers reduced significantly due to the pandemic, and his PC bang couldn’t be sustainable with such a

Thailand seeks to introduce a new set of rules for retail crypto investors, specifically targeting those who want to open accounts. The Thai financial watchdog could require domestic crypto exchanges to ask traders for proof of income. Thai SEC Could Also Ask Crypto Investors to Prove Their Knowledge of the Market According to a Bloomberg report , the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand is likely preparing the ground to require investors to show their income or assets before opening accounts. Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol, the secretary general of the country’s financial watchdog, pointed out that anyone who isn’t allowed to trade cryptocurrencies via their accounts can invest through licensed managers. She added: It’s a big concern as most crypto investors on domestic exchanges are very young, such as students and teenagers. We realize those people love innovations and technology, but investments in these assets have enormous risk. Moreover, the general secretary sai

The start of the week saw digital currency markets drop significantly in value, as billions of dollars were shaved off the entire crypto economy’s capitalization. A weekly report from Luno and Arcane Research shows February 23 captured the third-largest bitcoin daily trade volume in crypto history, as spot market volume saw $18 billion change hands. Moreover, crypto derivatives are surging as bitcoin futures open interest commandeered $19.1 billion on Tuesday. Volatile Bitcoin Price Fluctuations Sees Intraday Swings Close to 20% for Two Days In a Row After bitcoin ( BTC ) touched an all-time price high on Sunday, hitting $58,354 per unit, bitcoin’s value slipped below the $50k handle touching bottom at $44,846 per coin. The loss between these two price ranges saw over 23% shaved off BTC ’s market valuation. While heavy losses were seen across the board throughout the entire crypto-economy , a report from Luno and Arcane Research shows that Tuesday’s trade volume was the third-lar

Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol has said that crypto assets like bitcoin have no intrinsic value – put simply, a measure of what an asset is actually worth. ● Speaking in the National Assembly on Feb. 23, Lee forecast that bitcoin ( BTC ) will see increased price swings going forward, the local news agency Yonhap reported . ● “It is very difficult to predict the price, but its price will be extremely volatile,” said the bank chief in response to a question from a lawmaker who wanted to know whether bitcoin’s recent bull run, where its price reached a record high above $58,000, was temporary. ● Lee also spoke about the possible reasons supporting bitcoin’s recent rally. He believes that rising corporate interest in BTC , as well as concerns over looming excessive inflation due to too much fiat money printing by world governments, has given the crypto a leg up. ● “These assets saw a steep rise in the shortest period of time. I would say institutional investors’ assessment of usin

A Manhattan federal judge has dismissed a securities fraud class action against Bancor after ruling that the plaintiff’s allegations were not enough to give the court jurisdiction. According to a report, the dismissal of the case against represents the first such ruling “in a suite of similar cases filed by crypto investors represented by Selendy & Gay and Roche Cyrulnik.” US Courts Have no Jurisdiction In their motion against Bancor, which has offices in Switzerland and Israel, the plaintiffs led by Timothy Holsworth, had argued that the protocol’s “BNT token is a security and thus falls under U.S Securities law.” In addition, the plaintiffs also alleged that Bancor had “made numerous false statements and omissions that led reasonable investors to conclude that the BNT tokens were not securities.” However, in their defense, Bancor countered by arguing that a U.S. trial would be “inappropriate due to the company’s international and geographical nature.” According to a report ,