Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

At the Starkware Sessions 2023 event, held at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv, Israel, Starkware co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson informed the audience that the company intends to open source “key tech” linked to the Starknet Prover. During the event, the co-founder of the Ethereum scaling project stated that this marks a “significant step for scaling Ethereum and cryptography.” Starkware to Open Source Key Component of Ethereum Scaling Project The Ethereum scaling project, Starkware , has declared that the team intends to open source the component of Starknet known as the Starknet Prover. This component generates cryptographic proofs for compressed groups of transactions. Starkware has already open-sourced the project’s software, Papyrus , and the programming language, Cairo 1.0 . The announcement of the open sourcing of the Starknet Prover was made at the Starkware Sessions 2023 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. At the event, attendees learned about technologies such as storage proofs a

The International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol, is working on how to police the metaverse, a digital world that is projected as an alternative to the real world. Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock believes the organization must be ready for this task in order to not be left behind by the metaverse and its related technology. Interpol Preparing to Police the Metaverse Police organizations are facing difficulties when adopting certain policies to enforce the law in the metaverse. However, Jurgen Stock, the secretary general of the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol, believes the organization must be prepared to act on crimes that are happening in the digital world. The organization is currently preparing to bring its action to metaverse platforms, which are already being used by some groups to commit crimes. In an interview with the BBC, Stock stated : Criminals are sophisticated and professional in very quickly adapting to any new technological t

The Indian government is planning to introduce “measures around crypto” this year, according to the country’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth. India’s finance minister says cryptocurrency regulation will be discussed in her upcoming G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. India Could Introduce Crypto Measures This Year India’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth reportedly said Saturday at a post-budget press conference in Mumbai that India will introduce “measures around crypto” this year. “The technology of crypto assets like blockchain and others can be used but its use in the financial sector can have several risks,” he was quoted by local media as saying. The official elaborated: In the course of this year, measures around crypto would be brought out. The Economic Affairs secretary added: “In India, nobody is talking about using crypto as a currency. The risks are with using it as a token.” The Indian government has been working on crypto legisl

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, says he likes bitcoin, calling the cryptocurrency “people’s money.” While admitting that he does not know much about bitcoin, he said: “I’m just glad I bought it at six.” Robert Kiyosaki Says Bitcoin Is ‘People’s Money’ The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, talked about bitcoin while discussing “Why cash is trash in 2023” during his Rich Dad Radio Show podcast published on Wednesday. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. During the podcast, Kiyosaki called gold, silver, and bitcoin “the hottest subject on the market today,” noting that real estate is no longer a hot topic. Emphasizing that the U.S. dollar is “ fake money ,” the famous author said: I like Bitcoin. I call it peo

As the first month of the new year is behind us, things continue to heat up on the world stage in regard to crypto price predictions, social media hype surrounding meme coins like dogecoin, warnings of macroeconomic peril, and more and more political powers attempting to control permissionless cryptocurrencies via regulations and policy. For an institutional investors’ perspective on bitcoin, Elon Musk and McDonald’s news, warnings of a “global recession,” and more, see just below, in this latest issue of the Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. Institutional Investors Forecast ‘Strong Year’ for Bitcoin — 65% Expect BTC to Hit $100K, Survey Shows A new survey shows that institutional investors expect “a strong year ahead for bitcoin” and are confident about the cryptocurrency’s long-term valuation. In addition, 65% of institutional investors surveyed agree that bitcoin could reach $100,000. Read More Elon Musk Reaffirms Offer to Eat Happy Meal on TV if McDonald’s Accepts Dogecoin

The Australian government has said it will take steps to ensure the “regulation of crypto assets protects consumers” and one of these steps will be the reforming of “the licensing and custody of crypto assets.” The Anthony Norman Albanese-led government also said it has released a consultation paper that explores “which elements of the crypto ecosystem are sufficiently regulated and which require additional attention.” Prioritizing Protection of Consumers The Australian government has said it is working to “ensure the regulation of crypto assets protects consumers” as well as to position the economy “to take advantage of new digital products and services.” To achieve these goals, the Aussie government said it plans to “reform the licensing and custody of crypto assets.” Special emphasis will be given to a subset of cryptocurrencies “that currently fall outside the financial services regulatory framework,” the government said. In a statement issued on Feb. 3, the Anthony Norman Al

Protocol Labs CEO Juan Benet published a blog post on Friday announcing that 21% of the company’s staff will be laid off. Protocol Labs is the creator of the blockchain network Filecoin. Benet emphasized in the blog post that it has been an “extremely challenging economic downturn, worldwide, and especially in the crypto industry.” Protocol Labs Cuts Jobs in Response to Macro Winter and Crypto Market Decline Protocol Labs , the company behind the file storage blockchain network Filecoin , announced on Feb. 3 that it will lay off a number of employees. CEO Juan Benet wrote a blog post, titled “Focusing Our Strategy to Weather Crypto Winter,” to explain the layoffs. He cited the “extremely challenging economic downturn” as hitting the crypto industry particularly hard. “The macro winter worsened crypto winter, making it more extreme and potentially longer than our industry expected,” Benet wrote. “Although we worked extremely hard to avoid this, we’ve made the difficult decision to r

Digital asset exchange Binance has agreed to help Georgia to develop its cryptocurrency sector by launching educational and other blockchain initiatives. The leading coin trading platform has been expanding its presence in the region with similar projects in other countries. Binance and Georgian Tech Agency to Jointly Develop Country’s Crypto Economy The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Georgia’s Agency for Innovation and Technology ( GITA ). The sides intend to work together on the implementation of educational and community initiatives in the blockchain space and the further development of the nation’s crypto industry. The agreement comes after a meeting between the trading platform’s CEO Changpeng Zhao and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in November, during which investments were also discussed. The cooperation will cover projects by both Binance Academy and Binance Charity as well as organizing loca

Billionaire investor and venture capitalist Tim Draper has reportedly attempted to convince the Sri Lankan government to adopt bitcoin. However, the governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka rejected his recommendation, emphasizing: “Adoption of 100% bitcoin won’t be a Sri Lanka reality ever.” Tim Draper Suggests Sri Lanka Adopts Bitcoin Billionaire investor and venture capitalist Tim Draper reportedly tried to convince the Sri Lankan government and central bank to adopt bitcoin during his visit to the south Asian country earlier this week to shoot an episode of his “Meet the Drapers” TV show with local entrepreneurs. The billionaire met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe Tuesday to pitch bitcoin adoption, Bloomberg reported, adding that he then visited the Sri Lankan central bank the next day with the same pitch. Wearing a bitcoin tie, Draper was quoted as saying: “I come to the central bank with decentralized currency.” However, Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Nanda

Billionaire Ray Dalio, the founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, says it’s “amazing” what bitcoin has accomplished but believes the cryptocurrency is not going to be an effective money, a store of value, or a medium of exchange. Nonetheless, he stressed that “we are in a world in which money as we know it is in jeopardy.” Billionaire Ray Dalio on Bitcoin Billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, who founded the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, and previously served as its co-chief investment officer, has offered his view on bitcoin in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Referring to the world’s largest cryptocurrency, he said: I think it’s been quite amazing that for 12 years it’s accomplished … But I think it has no relation to anything … It’s a tiny thing that gets disproportionate attention. Noting that bitcoin’s total market value is less than a third of Microsoft’s stock, whose market cap stood at $1.92 trillion on

Ethereum continued to trade close to a key resistance level of $1,700 on Saturday, following Friday’s U.S. non-farm payrolls (NFP) report. Yesterday’s report showed that 517,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in January, better than the 185,000 many were expecting. Bitcoin mostly consolidated however, as traders moved to take recent profits. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) moved lower to start the weekend, as traders continued to secure gains following a recent climb to a six-month high. Following a high of $23,678.10 on Friday, BTC /USD fell to an intraday low of $23,279.96 earlier in Saturday’s session. Today’s decline sees bitcoin fall for a third straight day, and comes following Thursday’s high of $24,262, which was BTC ’s highest point since early-August last year. As a result of recent declines, bitcoin’s 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is now tracking at 68.41. This is marginally above a point of support at 68.00, which is a level that has not been broken since January

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan announced on Feb. 1 that it had raised over $340 million via debt and equity and it expects to raise an additional $60 million from leading international investors. The latest funding round sees MNT-Halan’s valuation rise to over $1 billion which reportedly makes it the country’s “only private billion-dollar company.” ‘Egypt’s Greatest Fintech Success Story’ MNT-Halan, an Egyptian fintech serving the country’s unbanked population, announced on Feb. 1 that it had raised close to $ 340 million via debt and equity financing. The fintech also said it is “in the advanced stages with leading international investors to raise $60 million of primary capital.” This will bring the total capital secured to over $400 million. At the completion of this funding round, MNT-Halan’s valuation will subsequently rise to over $1 billion, the fintech said. According to a statement , Chimera Abu Dhabi, a private investment firm that oversees a portfolio consisting of listed and

Samsung, the Korean electronics company, has revealed it is working to build its own metaverse and extended reality devices, hinting at the possibility of the launch of a VR headset in the near future. TM Roh, head of Samsung mobile experiences business, stated that the device will be built in partnership with Google and Qualcomm. Samsung to Enter the Metaverse Hardware Business Samsung, the Korean mobile company, revealed it will be joining the market of metaverse and VR (virtual reality) headsets soon. The company announced that it is already working on what it calls “extended reality” hardware, hinting at the production of a VR headset. TM Roh, Head of Samsung mobile experiences business, confirmed that such a device is in the works, but did not offer a launch window for the hardware. However, he reported the involvement of Qualcomm, the fabless chip maker, and Google, as partners. On Feb. 1, Roh told The Washington Post: Many different companies … have been making these anno

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, has shared its fourth quarter results, reporting better numbers than expected. While the company beat revenue estimates, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared 2023 a “Year of Efficiency,” hinting at a further restructuration of the company to focus on its AI (artificial intelligence) and metaverse projects in the longer term Meta Reports Better Than Expected Q4 2022 Results Meta, the social company, reported mild positive results for Q4 2022, beating revenue expectations, and giving a deeper explanation of the direction that the company will take during 2023. The company received revenues of $32.17 billion, higher than the $31.53 billion estimated, giving hope to investors about the recovery of the company in the future. The company, which has been criticized for the pivot of its business model to the metaverse, a digital representation of the real world, is now trying to refocus after the heavy losses that R&D in this tech

Binance has announced that Indian crypto exchange Wazirx can no longer use Binance wallet services. Zanmai, the operator of Wazirx, has until Feb. 3 “to remove the funds from the accounts that they used for Wazirx’s operations.” The move followed a public dispute regarding the relationship between Binance and Wazirx. Binance Ends Wallet Services to Wazirx Cryptocurrency exchange Binance said Friday that Indian crypto exchange Wazirx “can no longer use Binance wallet services.” Noting that it “has no control over Wazirx user funds or any aspect of the Wazirx exchange’s operations,” Binance explained: We provided wallet and related technology services to the exchange’s operator, Zanmai Labs (Zanmai), – a service we are terminating. While Zanmai has conveyed its intention to withdraw funds from relevant accounts, Binance noted that at the time of its announcement, the Indian company “has not fully withdrawn assets held in the Binance wallets that it uses for Wazirx’s operations.”

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis says 2022 was “the biggest year ever for crypto hacking,” with $3.8 billion stolen from cryptocurrency businesses. The firm added that decentralized finance (defi) protocol hacks accounted for 82.1% of all cryptocurrency stolen by hackers during the year. Crypto Hacking Hit Record High in 2022 Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis published a section of its upcoming 2023 Crypto Crime Report on Wednesday, stating: 2022 was the biggest year ever for crypto hacking, with $3.8 billion stolen from cryptocurrency businesses. The firm explained that crypto hacking activity significantly increased in March and peaked in October — the month which “became the biggest single month ever for cryptocurrency hacking, as $775.7 million was stolen in 32 separate attacks,” Chainalysis described. The firm added that “82.1% of all cryptocurrency stolen by hackers — a total of $3.1 billion” came from decentralized finance (defi) hacks. Noting that this percent

Binance has returned to the South Korean cryptocurrency market after two years with a “meaningful” investment in a local, licensed crypto exchange. Gopax fell into trouble following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and the bankruptcy filing of crypto lender Genesis Global. Binance Invests in Troubled Korean Crypto Exchange Cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced Friday that it has invested in Gopax, a licensed crypto exchange in South Korea. The investment marks Binance’s return to the Korean crypto market, which the company exited two years ago, citing low usage and trading volume. Gopax halted withdrawals of both principal and interest payments from its decentralized finance (defi) service “Gofi” in November last year “as a consequence of the upstream challenges experienced by Genesis Global Capital LLC,” Binance detailed. “Since then, Gopax has been working closely with local regulators and industry partners in an effort to raise funds to make affected users whole.” The glo

While operations with digital assets are not taxed in Uzbekistan, the government is receiving a growing amount of revenues from the industry. The increase in budget receipts has been attributed to the licensing regime and the introduction of fees for crypto companies. Crypto Exchange in Uzbekistan Pays Over $10,000 a Month to the State Coffer Licensed crypto firms have paid 3.5 billion Uzbekistani som (more than $310,000) to the budget in the course of 2022, Uzbekistan’s regulatory authority responsible for the oversight in the sector revealed during a press conference, quoted by the crypto news outlet Forklog. At the briefing , the National Agency of Perspective Projects ( NAPP ), a body subordinated to the president, announced the results of its activities. Officials said that the government has been able to collect the money thanks to the revamped licensing system and the imposing of fees for businesses working with digital assets. Five crypto platforms are currently authorized

Egyptian lawmakers recently hailed the parliament’s endorsement of a pact that allows the country to join the New Development Bank, a report has said. According to the report, the lawmakers believe joining this BRICS-backed institution will help Egypt reduce its demand for dollars and enable it to preserve its forex reserves. Joining BRICS Following the Egyptian parliament’s recent endorsement of an agreement that paves the way for the country to join the New Development Bank, lawmaker Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, reportedly said the move helps reduce demand for U.S. dollars. Set up by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa or BRICS nation states, the New Development Bank seeks to support “public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments.” In addition to helping Egypt preserve its foreign currency reserves, Abdel-Hamid, who is the deputy chairman of the parliament’s economic committee, said joining the institution enables the

Russian banks may be the main losers from the introduction of a digital ruble while retailers will save on acquiring fees, analysts have predicted. The benefits for consumers using the new digital currency are not that obvious as they may not be paid any interest or cashback. Launch of Russia’s Digital Ruble Said to Result in Losses for Banking Institutions Commercial banks may lose up to 50 billion rubles annually (almost $715 million) when a digital version of the ruble is introduced, according to a forecast produced by financial experts at Yakov and Partners, the former Russian division of management consultancy McKinsey. Meanwhile, retail chains could potentially increase their income by up to 80 billion rubles each year, believe the authors of the research, quoted by the Russian edition of Forbes. At the same time, consumers may receive no interest on their balances or cashback for their transactions. The specialists see the digital ruble occupying a niche in the domestic ret

The online marketplace giant, Ebay, is seeking to fill several positions in the area of Web3 and non-fungible token (NFT) technology, according to several Linkedin job postings. Ebay is looking for a “creative crypto attorney” for the marketplace, Knownorigin, which it acquired in June 2022. Big Corporations Still Seek Workers to Manage Crypto and Blockchain Services Amid Widespread Layoffs According to Ebay job postings published on Linkedin, the e-commerce company is seeking to fill several positions in the non-fungible token (NFT) technology and Web3 space. This follows Ebay’s acquisition of the NFT marketplace Knownorigin and the company’s filing for trademark applications for various NFT and metaverse services in the same month. The new job openings include positions such as “ crypto counsel ,” “ head of community ” for Knownorigin, and “ marketing campaign executive ” for Knownorigin. So far, over the last 24 hours, 17 people have applied for the crypto attorney position, 3