Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The American chain of convenience stores and coffee shops, Sheetz, announced on Thursday that the firm would be accepting digital currencies like bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin for payments. The major Mid-Atlantic chain’s executive payments manager says accepting crypto-asset acceptance bolsters Sheetz’s mission to provide customers with the “ultimate one-stop-shop.” Convenience Store Chain Sheetz Adds Digital Currency Payments, Fuel Pump Crypto Payments to Roll out This Summer On May 27, Sheetz revealed the company will be accepting crypto payments via the digital payments network Flexa. The company, headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania, operates 622 convenience stores and coffee shops in Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. Sheetz has locations in a number of states in the U.S. and was founded by G. Robert “Bob” Sheetz in 1952. Bob and and his brother Steve Sheetz had opened 100 stores by 1983 and today the chain has 622 stores. Sheetz n

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has urged Congress to pass cryptocurrency legislation to protect investors, the new SEC chairman has revealed. The securities regulator is also working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the U.S. Treasury Department to combat criminal activity facilitated by cryptocurrencies, the chairman noted. SEC Working With CFTC, Treasury on Crypto Regulation, Urges Congress to Pass Legislation The new chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has asked Congress to take action regarding cryptocurrency legislation, he told the House Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday. Gensler explained to the subcommittee that there were “gaps” in the regulation of cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin and ether. Noting that there are “thousands” of cryptocurrencies in existence right now and many of them are operating as unregistered securities, he emphasized : We’ve only been able to bring 75 actions an

Apple Inc. has posted a job notice for a business development manager with cryptocurrency experience. “This position will be responsible for the end-to-end business development, including screening partners, negotiating and closing commercial agreements, and launching new programs,” the job posting describes. Apple to Hire Manager With Crypto Experience to Lead Its Alternative Payments Efforts Apple Inc. posted a job notice on Tuesday for a “business development manager – alternative payments.” The job posting states that “The Apple Wallets, Payments, and Commerce (WPC) team is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to lead Alternative Payments Partnerships. We are looking for a proven professional in global alternative and emerging payment solutions.” It further details: This position will be responsible for the end to end business development, including screening partners, negotiating and closing commercial agreements and launching new programs. Among the key qua

Following the recent developments in China and the environmental concerns about bitcoin’s energy consumption, the Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda criticized the leading crypto asset bitcoin in an interview on Thursday. BOJ’s Kuroda Says Bitcoin ‘Volatility Is Extraordinarily High’ Bitcoin prices have slumped again on Friday after a tumultuous week. After tapping a daily high on Thursday at $40,125 per unit, bitcoin (BTC) dropped to a low of $35,146 losing more than 12% in value. Since then, however, BTC has managed to regain some losses and climb back above the $36k handle . While addressing inflation and climate change concerns, the Bank of Japan’s Governor Haruhiko Kuroda blasted bitcoin for being speculative and volatile. The BoJ Governor also said that bitcoin was not used for payments. According to Bloomberg, some of the recent sell-off during the early Friday morning hours (ET), may have been due to comments stemming from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko

PRESS RELEASE. Bitcoin.com Exchange is thrilled to announce the listing of SUPERBID, being available to trade on the 28th May 2021 at 12:00 UTC. The SUPERBID token was created by its respective team to fuel it’s social-auction app enabling its users to connect influencers with their fans in exchange for items, experiences, and NFTs. SUPERBID will start trading with a USDT pair . What is SuperBid? The SuperBid auctioning app gives influencers a network to earn significant revenue for their content. On SuperBid, influencers will be able to auction off physical goods, digital items such as NFTs (non-fungible tokens), while also auctioning unique experiences to fans, allowing them to discover, support, and even chat directly with their favorite influencers while their auctions are running. SuperBid is discovering a new way to connect fans to both their favorite influencers, and the blockchain space, enabling bids via cryptocurrency. Effectively utilizing the technical benefits of b

While cryptocurrencies experienced their fair share of ups and downs over the week, nothing is holding back the stratospheric rise of NFTs. As another busy week comes to a close, a lot has unfolded in the world of NFTs. Here’s a quick rundown of the top events of this week. Bluzelle Revamps Itself to Overcome NFTs’ Critical Storage Problems Bluzelle , the decentralized data network for dApps, undergoes a massive transformation to bring forth a new and updated version, Bluzelle 2.0. While it started as a decentralized database, the platform has added several new modules alongside a brand redesign. To cater to the rising demand for tamper-proof, secure, and scalable storage for NFTs, Bluzelle 2.0, in collaboration with Mintable, has added file storage to its existing services. The new feature allows you to store NFT files over its decentralized network, replicating the files across several validator nodes, ensuring scalability, security, and availability. Marvel and DC Artist Rob Pr

Venezuela has been listed as the third country with the most cryptocurrency adoption in the world by Chainalysis in its 2020 report. With its citizens coping with crippling inflation and losing purchasing power, the country has taken a turn for these assets to survive. But what are the real numbers behind this crisis that made Venezuelans change their whole way of living? How Venezuela Adopted Crypto: The Numbers It is a popularly known fact that Venezuela is one of the countries that have adopted cryptocurrency with the most force in LATAM. This was corroborated by Chainalysis in its latest 2020 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report, where it states that Venezuela is in fact the third country with the most cryptocurrency adoption in all the world. There is no doubt in what caused this: the economic disaster that was the result of years of wrong monetary policies, exchange controls, and corruption. But how deep is the hole that Venezuelans are living in today? How Venezuela went fro

The Nigerian naira currency lost further ground against major currencies after it depreciated to 493 nairas for one dollar on the black market on May 25, 2021. Before the latest depreciation, the currency had stabilized at around 485 nairas to the dollar. This was shortly after the exchange rate dropped to a three and a half year low rate of 500 nairas for one dollar back in November 2020. Renewed Pressure on the Naira As one report explains, the naira’s latest depreciation comes just a week after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) devalued the currency by over 5%. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, the CBN recently allowed the naira’s exchange rate to slide from 393 per dollar to around 410 per dollar. However, the same currency devaluation appears to have prompted the latest depreciation of the naira on the parallel market. Meanwhile, a different report is attributing the renewed pressure on Nigeria’s currency to “black market speculators who have taken advantage of th

Law enforcement authorities in Kyrgyzstan have confiscated thousands of crypto mining machines as part of a new offensive against illegal cryptocurrency mining in the country. Investigators have also identified industrial enterprises that have been supplying the bitcoin farms with electricity. Security Service Conducts Operation Against Illegal Mining in Kyrgyzstan The State Committee for National Security (GKNB), Kyrgyzstan’s organized crime-fighting agency, has recently found and raided a number of facilities mining cryptocurrency outside the law. The special operation has been conducted in the capital Bishkek and Chuy Oblast, the country’s northernmost region. During the offensive against illegal mining activities, law enforcement agents have seized around 2,000 cryptocurrency mining units, GKNB announced, quoted by Sputnik Kyrgyzstan. Pretrial proceedings are underway, the agency’s press service added. Ala-Too square in Bishkek. The process of cryptocurrency mining inflicts

Ledn, a cryptocurrency lending and savings platform based in Canada, has managed to raise $30 million in its latest funding round. The money raised will be used to expand its offer of lending products, and to expand its reach in more countries. Ledn could take advantage of the recent problems that Blockfi, one of its contenders, is facing now to increase its share in the sector. Ledn Raises $30 Million in Latest Funding Ledn, a Canada-based cryptocurrency lending platform managed to raise $30 million in its Series A funding round, a more than tenfold increase from its first funding round. The round was led by Kingsway Capital, a London-based investment firm with a focus on digital assets and mobile internet investments. The round also had participation from other investors: Alan Howard, Hashed, Susquehanna Private Equity Investments LLLP, ParaFi Capital, Alexis Ohanian, and John Pfeffer. According to the press release statement , all of the first backers of the company also chipped

Pocketnet is a fundamentally new way to build a social media platform powered by the cryptocurrency Pocketcoin (PKOIN). It is a mix of traditional social media platforms and Bitcoin with some cutting-edge new features, such as the ability to auction off your content through NFT-Scarce. Pocketcoin (PKOIN) is a Proof-of-Stake token that allows authors to earn crypto for their content and protects them from arbitrary censorship through community moderation. Blockchain tracks reputation and high reputation users moderate the platform. PKOIN is for decentralized advertising, boosting posts, buying unique fonts and themes in Pocketnet, as well as auctioning off NFT-Scarce tokens in the upcoming releases. Pocketnet is a network of fully decentralized equal nodes ran by users (hundreds of nodes around the world are already in operation). Take Back the Internet with Pocketnet: Exclusive Live Crypto Challenge Pocketnet announces a limited space exclusive live event for cryptocurrency buffs

Virtue Poker revealed plans to organize a high-stakes 12-player celebrity poker tournament on its platform, live-streamed on Twitch, with the winner donating the event’s proceeds to their preferred charitable organization. Celebrity Charity Tournament Features NFTs & Giveaways Virtue Poker , one of the first decentralized casinos to use Ethereum and peer-to-peer networking, will soon host a charity poker tournament on its platform. Scheduled for June 22nd, the event will feature several renowned industry personalities alongside exclusive prizes and giveaways. Poker pro players Brian Rast, Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey, NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, Consensys Co-Founder Joe Lubin, crypto entrepreneurs Nick Rose from Ethernity and Elliotrades from Superfarm, and other influencers will be participating. In addition to the celebrities, Virtue Poker will also select three lucky community members, one each from Ethernity, Virtue Poker, and Superfarm, to compete at the table. The ev

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, the founder of Icahn Enterprises, says that his company is exploring how to get involved in cryptocurrency “in a relatively big way,” which he said could be an investment of about $1.5 billion. Carl Icahn Exploring Getting Into Cryptocurrency Carl Icahn, the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a diversified conglomerate holding company based in New York City, revealed his cryptocurrency plan in an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday. He said: I’m looking at the whole business and how I can get involved in it with Icahn Enterprises in a relatively big way because, I think, it’s here to stay in one form or another. Icahn is one of Wall Street’s most successful investors. In 1678, he formed Icahn & Co., a securities firm focusing on arbitrage and options trading. In 1978, he began taking substantial positions in individual companies, including RJR Nabisco, Texaco, Phillips Petroleum, Western Union, Gulf & Western, Via

Denmark’s central bank governor Lars Rohde says that he can be tempted to ignore cryptocurrency, stating that it is not a threat to the central bank at present. However, he pointed out that the real threat could come from big technology companies “invading the currency area or the transaction means.” Denmark’s Central Bank Governor Tempted to Ignore Cryptocurrency Danish central bank governor Lars Rohde discussed cryptocurrencies on Bloomberg from Copenhagen on Wednesday. He was asked whether the central bank sees the rise in cryptocurrency trading as a serious economic threat. The governor was specifically asked if the central bank is taking the matter seriously or whether it largely continues to ignore cryptocurrency. Governor Rohde replied: I could be tempted to ignore it. I think the term currency is badly used here. Most currencies are stores of value or means of transactions. He added, “There is no stability and no guarantee from any side about the value of cryptocurrenci