Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

U.S. tech giant Meta is giving up on operations with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) amid ongoing turbulence in the crypto space. The company allowed creators to share digital collectibles on its leading social media platforms last year. Meta Platforms Cutting Off Support for Non-Fungible Tokens California-based technology conglomerate Meta is winding down support for digital collectibles on its platforms. The company owns social media networks Facebook and Instagram to which it introduced NFTs less than a year ago. Meta provided the option to share non-fungible tokens amid the growing popularity of this type of digital asset, with sales reaching billions of U.S. dollars, Reuters noted in a report. However, crypto markets were hurt by the bankruptcy of major players like the FTX exchange, later in 2022. The move regarding NFTs, part of the tech giant’s decision to adjust its priorities and seek efficiency, was announced by Stephane Kasriel, head of Commerce and Financial Technologies

A new study shows that payments via central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are expected to reach $213 billion annually by 2030. Furthermore, 92% of the total value transacted via CBDCs will be paid domestically, the research found. $213 Billion Annually Research and market intelligence firm Juniper Research published a report on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) Monday. The firm wrote: The value of payments via CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) will reach $213 billion annually by 2030; up from just $100 million in 2023. This radical growth of over 260,000% reflects the early stage of the sector; currently limited to pilot projects. “Adoption will be driven by governments leveraging CBDCs to boost financial inclusion and increase control over how digital payments are made,” the firm added. “CBDCs will improve access to digital payments, particularly in emerging economies; where mobile penetration is significantly higher than banking penetration.” Furthermore, Junipe

Billionaire Jeffrey Gundlach, aka the “Bond King,” expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its March meeting next week, which “would be the last increase,” he said. In addition, Gundlach cautioned: “The inflationary policy is back in play with the Federal Reserve.” Doubleline CEO Jeffrey Gundlach on Fed Rate Hikes Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive and chief investment officer of investment management firm Doubleline, shared his Fed rate hike expectations in an interview with CNBC Monday. Gundlach is nicknamed “the Bond King” after he appeared on the cover of Barron’s as “The New Bond King” in 2011. According to Forbes, his net worth is currently $2.2 billion. Following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank , many economists have revised their rate hike predictions. Global investment bank Goldman Sachs, for example, no longer expects the Fed to raise interest rates in March. Regarding whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its ne

Bitcoin moved closer to $25,000 on Tuesday, as banking withdrawals rose following the collapse of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank. Reports suggest that withdrawals at the likes of JPMorgan and Citibank are nearing a ten-year high. First Republic Bank has been another major firm to fall, with its stock dropping by over 60% on Monday. Ethereum was also higher in today’s session. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) extended recent gains on Tuesday, as prices rose higher for a fourth consecutive session. Banking stocks were significantly lower to start the week, with investors seemingly moving capital towards cryptocurrencies. Following a low of $21,918.20 in yesterday’s session, BTC /USD surged to an intraday peak of $24,851.62 earlier in the day. As a result of the surge, bitcoin rose to its strongest point since February 21, recovering from a recent two-month low in the process. Overall, it appears that bulls are adamant and on a collision course with a ceiling at $25,000, however mom

The government of Spain has approved the resources for a new issuance of gold bullion coins, which will be directed to satisfy a higher estimated demand for these instruments. The Spanish National Coin Factory will purchase 40 million euros in high-quality gold pieces for this batch, a significantly higher amount of gold compared to the two series issued before. Spanish National Coin Factory Prepares Gold Bullion Coin Issuance Spain is preparing the issuance of a new gold bullion coin to satisfy the demand of the market for such instruments. In February, the government of Spain approved a budget of 40 million euros (almost $43 million) for the issuance of a new batch of gold coins. Most of the budget will be used by the National Coin Factory to purchase high-purity and quality gold to mint these coins. According to reports, the amount approved for this task is unusually high, something that hints at the demand the institution estimates the products will have when issued. Analysts

The Egyptian police are reported to have recently arrested 29 individuals associated with the Hoggpool cryptocurrency mining app scam. In addition to seizing 95 mobile phones and 3,367 SIM cards, the police said domestic and foreign currency valued at $194,000 was recovered during the arrests. According to a lawyer representing over 1,000 victims, as many as 800,000 people may have fallen prey to the scam. 88 Digital Currency Wallets Used to Receive Funds From Investors Egyptian police recently arrested 29 individuals thought to be the masterminds of the Hoggpool cryptocurrency investment scam, a report said. During the arrests, the police reportedly said as many as 95 phones and 3,367 SIM cards were seized. Domestic and foreign currency worth $194,000 was also recovered, the report added. According to a CBS News report that quotes from a statement issued by police, the alleged masterminds behind the cryptocurrency mining app scam used a total of 88 digital currency wallets to rec

A recent study made by Fiserv, a global payments company, shows that QR and digital wallets have grown significantly as payment options in Argentina. While credit card preference has stagnated, the use of cash for payments has decreased, with only 14% of the polled choosing to use it over other options in the country. Argentina Goes Digital in Payments Arena Argentines are slowly turning to digital payments, including QR code and digital wallet transfers, as part of their everyday arsenal to settle payments, according to a recent study made by Fiserv, a global payments company. The study found that the payment preferences of Argentines have shifted, abandoning legacy options for digital payment methods. According to the study, 34% of Argentines prefer to use QR and digital wallets for their payments, reaching the same preference percentage that debit cards have. The preference for credit cards has stagnated, while cash payments have decreased, with only 14% of Argentines preferring

The British government and the central bank, the Bank of England, have facilitated a private sale of Silicon Valley Bank UK to HSBC, according to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt. He stressed that “Deposits will be protected, with no taxpayer support.” British Government Announces Acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank UK by HSBC HSBC has acquired Silicon Valley Bank UK (SVB UK), the British subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) that was shut down by U.S. regulators on Friday. British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt tweeted Monday: This morning, the government and the Bank of England facilitated a private sale of Silicon Valley Bank UK to HSBC. Deposits will be protected, with no taxpayer support. In a filing with the London Stock Exchange Monday, HSBC stated that its U.K. subsidiary, HSBC UK Bank plc, is acquiring Silicon Valley Bank UK Ltd. for £1 ($1.22). The filing details that as of March 10, “SVB UK had loans of around £5.5bn and deposits of around £6.7bn.” M

The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced that clients of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank (SBNY) can access their funds during normal banking hours on Monday, March 13, 2023. The FDIC stated that both banks’ deposits were made whole under the “systemic risk exception” approved by the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury Department. Details on the Creation of Full-Service FDIC-Operated Bridge Banks Customers who utilized Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank (SBNY) will have access to their funds on Monday, following the FDIC’s actions to transform both banks into newly created full-service FDIC-operated bridge banks. SVB will now be known as “ Silicon Valley Bank N.A. ,” while Signature’s new name is “ Signature Bridge Bank N.A. ” Both bridge banks are chartered national banks operated by the FDIC with the goal of stabilizing the institutions and implementing an orderly resolution. Regarding both U.S. banks, depositors and borrowers will

Bitcoin moved back above $22,000, as the U.S. Treasury moved to avert a regional banking crisis, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The government confirmed that it will backstop depositors’ funds, giving full access to their capital. Ethereum also moved higher on the news. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) rose back above $22,000 on Monday, as the U.S. Treasury confirmed it will backstop depositors’ funds. This will be for both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which become the second and third biggest banking failures in U.S. history. Following a low of $20,475.60 on Sunday, BTC /USD surged to an intraday high of $22,728.52 to start the week. Bitcoin chart by TradingView The rally comes as bitcoin moved back above a floor at $20,000 on Saturday, surging to a ten-day high on Monday. One of the catalysts of this move was a breakout of the 14-day relative strength index (RSI), which rose past a ceiling at 44.00. As of writing, the index is tracking at 47.89, whic

Binance, the cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a prepaid cryptocurrency card in Colombia, expanding its reach in Latam. The card, which will allow customers with their identity verified to make payments with crypto, establishes the country as one of the leading markets for the exchange in Latam behind Brazil and Argentina. Binance Announces Crypto Prepaid Card in Partnership With Movii Binance, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in volumes traded, is making moves to expand its services in Colombia. The company announced the launch of a new prepaid cryptocurrency-linked card, that will allow users to pay with crypto in all merchants accepting standard debit and credit cards. The product is part of a partnership with Movii, a Colombian neobank that also issues its own Mastercard card. Among the currencies supported by the card will be BNB , BTC , ETH , ADA , DOT, SOL, SHIB, XRP , MATIC, LINK, and other stablecoins, with the user being able to configure which currency will be sp

The FBI has issued a public service announcement (PSA) warning on the utilization of play-to-earn games as part of a scheme to defraud users of funds stored in the form of cryptocurrency. Criminals are introducing victims to this kind of game and then use malware to extract the funds from cryptocurrency wallets linked to the game, according to the bureau. FBI Issues PSA on Play to Earn Games Crypto Scheme The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning about the introduction of play-to-earn games in schemes destined to steal funds from unsuspecting users. On March 9, the institution issued a PSA on this, explaining how criminals are luring users to put funds behind play-to-earn games. According to the PSA, criminals establish a relationship with the selected victims, in order to gain their trust. After this, they lure them to participate in online play-to-earn games, that offer rewards for their actions, and to put funds in a cryptocurrency wallet as a form of staking mechani

PRESS RELEASE. T aipei, March 13, 2023 – Bloxmith, the player-first Web3 gaming studio, today announced that the open beta for Raiders Rumble , its unique 1v1 squad battler game for mobile powered by the Flow blockchain, is now available for download on Google Play and Apple App Store . Raiders Rumble challenges players to apply fast-paced strategic decision making in countering the moves of their opponents. Built as a strategic esports game for the masses, it features a daily rotation of tournament modes where the top 50 percent of participants can win in-game items or RUMB tokens, Raiders Rumble’s project token. Furthermore, players do not need a crypto wallet or digital collectibles (NFTs) to start playing and enjoying the game. To maintain competitive integrity, digital collectibles in Raiders Rumble do not provide any in-battle advantage, though they have several other unique features that make them highly valued by collectors. “For our first game, we wanted to pioneer a new

The Central Bank of Russia has added another entity to its register of authorized issuers of digital financial assets. The platform, called ‘Masterchain,’ becomes the fifth ‘information system operator’ in the country that can legally tokenize traditional assets and organize their trade. Number of Licensed Digital Asset Issuers in Russia Grows to Five The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has included the company Distributed Registry Systems, with its Masterchain platform, to the register of operators of information systems which can be used to issue digital financial assets ( DFAs ), the business news portal RBC reported. Four other issuers have been registered so far. These are the tokenization service Atomyze , the fintech company Lighthouse , as well as Sberbank and Alfa-Bank , the largest state-owned and private bank in the Russian Federation, respectively. Established in April, 2021, Distributed Registry Systems is an IT company specialized in developing blockchain-based solutio

Crypto exchange Binance has organized training courses for representatives of law enforcement authorities in Ukraine. The leading coin trading platform has been involved in dozens of similar initiatives over the past year, in a number of countries. Binance Provides Crypto Training to Security Officials in Ukraine The world’s largest digital asset exchange, Binance, has provided training to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies in the form of online seminars for their staff devoted to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. A representative of the crypto trading platform informed the participants about Binance’s anti-money laundering policy, the crypto news outlet Forklog reported. Methods developed by the exchange to detect and prevent fraud were also presented. Employees of the Ukrainian Cyberpolice, which is the cybercrime combatting unit of the National Police of Ukraine (NPU), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Asset Recovery and Management

It’s been a turbulent week in finance with the so-called crypto-friendly Silvergate Bank announcing its liquidation, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren blaming the event on “crypto risk,” and individuals on social media pointing out that Warren is “terribly misinformed.” Additionally, U.S. Regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank after reports of a bank run and other troubles. In other developments, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s address allegedly sold trillions of airdropped ERC20 tokens, causing negative price moves, and India-Russia oil deals could be challenging U.S. dollar dominance. All this and more, just below, in the Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. Elizabeth Warren Blames ‘Crypto Risk’ for Silvergate Bank’s Liquidation, Critics Dismiss Senator’s Claims as ‘Terribly Misinformed’ After Silvergate Bank announced its voluntary liquidation, U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren is attributing the financial institution’s downfall to “crypto risk.” According to Warren, she had previously

Just a few weeks after tapping its best exchange rate versus the greenback in 2023, the South African rand fell to a new 2023 low of 18.636 local currency units for every dollar on March 7. South Africa’s power shortages as well as the country’s recent grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) are believed to be fueling the rand’s slide. 10-Hour Power Outages The exchange rate of the South African rand versus the U.S. dollar recently plunged to a new 2023 low of 18.636 units for every dollar on March 7, 2023, the latest data has shown. Before the latest plunge, the rand soared to 16.721 per dollar on Jan. 12, 2023, the currency’s best performance since the start of the year. However, since then, the rand has depreciated by almost 10% making it one of the worst-performing African currencies in 2023. According to reports, the rand’s slide is blamed on South Africa’s unending electricity woes which have seen many homes and businesses go for more than 10 hours without pow

A draft law designed to regulate crypto mining in Russia introduces harsh penalties for miners failing to report digital assets to the state. In its latest revision, the bill also threatens to punish those who organize illegal trading of cryptocurrencies with imprisonment and hefty fines. Forced Labor Awaits Miners and Traders Who Operate Outside Law, According to New Bill Russian crypto miners will have to report their income and provide tax authorities with detailed information about their digital assets, including wallet addresses, to avoid being prosecuted by the state. That’s according to draft legislation that’s currently undergoing revision in Moscow. A bill meant to regulate Russia’s growing coin minting industry was initially submitted to parliament in November. However, its adoption was later postponed for this year and lawmakers now plan to resubmit it with amendments envisaging serious consequences for miners that don’t abide by the rules. The Russian Ministry of Fi

Use of cryptocurrencies is increasing in Russia, the head of the country’s financial watchdog has informed President Putin. The agency, Rosfinmonitoring, is following thousands of participants in digital asset transactions with a new blockchain analytics system, the official revealed. Volume of Crypto Transactions in Russia Almost $13 Billion, Financial Authority Says The turnover of crypto assets in Russia is growing, according to Yury Chikhanchin, director of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation ( Rosfinmonitoring ), who reported to President Vladimir Putin about the agency’s current operations. The watchdog is monitoring the activities of over 25,000 participants in crypto transactions, the executive revealed at a meeting with the head of state. The service has also identified around a dozen financial organizations that provide assistance to them. Quoted by the business news portal RBC, Putin remarked that wherever money or new financial instrument

Billionaire Bill Ackman has warned of “vast and profound” consequences of the U.S. government letting Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) fail without protecting all depositors. “No company will take even a tiny chance of losing a dollar of deposits as there is no reward for this risk. Absent a systemwide FDIC deposit guarantee, more bank runs begin Monday am,” he cautioned. Government Has Until Monday Morning to Fix Its ‘Soon-to-Be-Irreversible Mistake’ Billionaire Bill Ackman, CEO and portfolio manager of Pershing Square Capital Management, has warned of “vast and profound” consequences of the U.S. government allowing Silicon Valley Bank to fail without protecting all depositors. He tweeted Saturday that the government has until Monday morning to fix its “soon-to-be-irreversible mistake,” elaborating: By allowing SVB to fail without protecting all depositors, the world has woken up to what an uninsured deposit is — an unsecured illiquid claim on a failed bank. He stressed that unless

Bitcoin rose back above $20,000 on Saturday, despite markets still being spooked by the collapse of yet another banking institution. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by U.S. regulators on Friday, causing many institutions to lose access to capital. This includes USDC issuer Circle, which led to a USDC depegging. Ethereum also rebounded on Saturday. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) rose back above $20,000 on Saturday, despite overall volatility in financial markets being at historic highs. This comes as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) confirmed it was shutting down Silicon Valley Bank . Despite this, BTC /USD raced to an intraday high of $20,792.53, less than 24 hours after trading at a low of $19,628.25. Overall, today’s marginal rally in price comes as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) found a floor at the 27.00 level. At the time of writing, the index is tracking at 28.46, with bitcoin at $20,279.45, as earlier gains have eased. Market volatility will likely r

The Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea has approved investments of $51 million in various metaverse projects, doubling down on its metaverse bet for the future. The investment includes a fund for supporting the growth of metaverse companies and another special investment to build several services including region-specific projects. South Korea Continues Investing in the Metaverse While the interest in the metaverse by some private companies has started to cool off, South Korea is doubling down on its bet to keep supporting the local metaverse economy. The country announced a pair of initiatives directed to support metaverse projects and companies to build products on top of virtual worlds. The first of these projects, announced on March 8, constitutes a metaverse growth fund that will allow companies that want to develop virtual projects to get funding directly from the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea. For this, the institution has allocated $30 million. The se