Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The largest stablecoin by market capitalization will be the first to enter the ecosystem as the Kusama canary network adds support for tether before the eventual deployments to parachains. Tether Inclusion Complements Polkadot’s Efforts to Attract More Defi Applications With cryptocurrency once again on the ascent and the aggregated market capitalization nearing $2 trillion , tether ( USDT ) is increasingly playing an outsized role in many of the ecosystem’s activities. Since emerging as the stablecoin of choice for many participants and applications alike, Tether’s market capitalization has eclipsed $40 billion , underscoring its large footprint, which outstrips any competing stablecoins by a large margin. Now, as decentralized finance (defi) applications expand new horizons while hunting for more cost-effective and scalable platforms, support for USDT in the Polkadot ecosystem will grant the stablecoin new avenues for growth. A Partnership to Catalyze Adoption Polkad

While a great number of spot exchanges have seen consistent prices in a few select areas in the world, bitcoin is selling for a premium. That’s the case in South Korea right now as there’s a price gap, otherwise known as the ‘kimchi premium’ on domestic South Korean exchanges in comparison to foreign exchanges. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash See Premiums in South Korea Bitcoin prices on domestic South Korean crypto trading platforms are much higher than they are across a majority of exchanges worldwide. For instance, on Tuesday morning (EST) the price per bitcoin ( BTC ) has been coasting along at $58,500 per unit. However, in South Korea, BTC prices have a much larger premium than the rest of the world. At the time of publication, the price of BTC on Bithumb is 77,804,000 KRW or $69,423 per unit. That’s a premium of more than 18% higher than the global average. Exchange rates via the South Korean exchange Bithumb on April 6, 2021. Similarly, the South Korean exchange Kor

PRESS RELEASE. Leading Crypto comparison site, Cryptowisser have just announced their NFT marketplace list . The list details the current marketplaces that NFT Artists, collectors and traders can list, sell and buy non-fungible tokens on. With the recent hype and surge in the NFT space, different NFT niches are emerging and with those niches comes the need for somewhere to sell and buy them, enter NFT marketplaces. Market leaders emerge According to the report, there are currently thirty active NFT marketplaces selling digital art and collectibles, from CyrptoPunks to NBA highlight reels. Current industry leaders and first off the start line OpenSea , reported over $80 million in transactions in March 2021 alone. Their strongest competitors – Rarible were neck and neck till the new year with over $25 million in transactions in March 2021. The NBA have taken an active interest in the NFT space and partnered with Dapper labs ( responsible for Cryptokitties ) to capitalize on th

According to data analysis firm, CB Insights, about $2.6 billion was raised by some 129 blockchain-focused start-ups during the first quarter of 2021. This figure easily surpasses the $2.3 billion raised from a total of 341 deals that were seen in the whole of 2020. Large Capital Raising Rounds Dominate As noted by one report , the capital raised in this period provides further evidence that “venture capitalists are pouring money into cryptocurrency-related companies at the fastest clip in years.” However, the data also shows that this increase has largely been “fueled by several large rounds for startups including crypto lender Blockfi Inc, Dapper Labs and Blockchain.com.” In March, Blockfi revealed it has closed on a massive $350 million Series D funding which valued the company at $3 billion. Before that, Blockfi raised $50 million in August of 2020. Meanwhile, following this latest financing round, Blockfi has now raised about $450 million since its inception. Similarly, gam

PRESS RELEASE. PotCoin (Ᵽ) is migrating over from their legacy blockchain to Nexus (NXS). PotCoin has made Nexus their platform of choice, with the confidence that together they will best serve the growing cannabis industry. The recreational and medical cannabis market in North America already accounts for roughly $17.7 billion in 2021 and is forecast to reach 47.3 billion by 2027 [1] , an estimated 44% annual increase. As cannabis continues to be decriminalized and legalized around the world, the potential for economic growth is exponential. After much consideration, PotCoin recognized Nexus as being the best suited platform to support their ambitions in this rapidly growing industry. “With the huge growth predictions for the industry, we required a platform that could handle future transaction volume. A scalable architecture, DApp development through APIs, the replacement of static private keys with One-Time Signatures (OTS), and use of leading post quantum cryptography were all d

The string of dark web gangs being cracked down by law enforcement is still alive across the world. Recently, the British authorities dismantled an unnamed dark web band known for selling ecstasy and gathering millions of dollars worth of crypto. Gang Sold Ecstasy, Amphetamine, and Diazepam in Several Darknet Forums According to The Independent , the National Crime Agency (NCA) deployed an operation that targeted several houses in North East England, specifically in the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside. Authorities were concerned and raised red flags last year after intercepting large shipments of ecstasy. All parcels had as final destinations like the United States, Israel, Norway, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and even the UK, said the NCA. Also, law enforcement traced encrypted messages exchanged between suspects, who allegedly talked about illegal transactions with drugs and money laundering via cryptocurrency trading. The NCA seized 90 kg of ecstasy, 134 kg of ampheta

Bitcoin futures open interest on Monday has crossed $23 billion according to data recorded on April 5. The crypto asset exchange Binance has taken the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures is concerned with a massive $10.5 billion in open interest. Binance Captures the Bitcoin Futures Lead Not too long ago, Bitcoin.com’s newsdesk reported on CME Group capturing the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures. Today, that’s no longer the case, as Binance has jumped ahead of the pack as far as delivering futures derivatives products for BTC . Skew.com analytics indicates that Binance is ahead of Bybit, Okex, CME, Huobi, FTX, Deribit, Bitmex, Kraken, Bakkt, and Coinflex respectively. Binance, Huobi, Okex, and Bybit are also leaders when it comes to BTC futures daily volumes. Coingecko data is a touch different and shows bitcoin futures 24-hour total volumes at around $22,984,388,835 on Monday. Stats show Binance has $10.5 billion in open interest and $47 billion in 2

Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, says he will only buy “clean” bitcoins that are mined sustainably in countries that use clean energy. He says institutional investors are concerned about where bitcoins are mined and will not buy “blood coins” from China. Clean Bitcoins vs. ‘Blood Coins’ Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary talked about an emerging challenge with bitcoin investing for institutional investors and clean energy in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “What’s really emerging as a bit of an issue” regarding bitcoin investing for institutions concerns where the coins are mined, he began. “We have compliance on large institutions. We have covenants around how assets are made, whether carbon is burned, whether human rights are involved, whether it’s made in China,” he described, elaborating: All these issues … have now come to the fore on bitcoin. Institutions will not buy coin mined in China, coin mined using coal to burn for electricity, coin mined in countries with sanctions on

JP Morgan says that bitcoin’s volatility has decreased in recent weeks, making the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors. The investment bank has also revised its bitcoin price target to $130,000. Increased Institutional Adoption, New Price Prediction for Bitcoin JPMorgan said last week that bitcoin’s price volatility has been declining in recent weeks, noting that this has made the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors seeking low-correlation assets to diversify their investment portfolios. Bitcoin’s high volatility has been one of the biggest barriers to BTC adoption by institutions, JPMorgan explained, adding that it now sees signs that the cryptocurrency’s volatility is normalizing. “The recent change in the correlation structure of bitcoin relative to traditional asset classes” will likely increase the institutional adoption of bitcoin, JPMorgan elaborated. Based on the current gold price of $1,700 per troy ounce, the bank says, “Mechani

PRESS RELEASE. Silver Spring, MD – (Globe Newswire – April 5, 2021) – BTCS Inc. (OTCQB: BTCS) (“BTCS” or the “Company”), a digital asset and blockchain technology focused company, today announced the appointment of Litecoin creator Charlie Lee to its Board of Directors as its newest independent member. “We are honored to welcome Charlie Lee to our board,” stated Charles Allen, Chief Executive Officer of BTCS. “A true innovator and visionary in the blockchain space, his decision to join our board is a strong vote of confidence in our multi-faceted strategy. We look forward to working closely together to execute on our vision for long-term success.” Mr. Lee, a computer scientist best known as the creator of Litecoin, the ninth-ranked cryptocurrency globally with a market capitalization in excess of $13 billion, currently serves as managing director of the Litecoin Foundation. Previously, Mr. Lee served as the director of engineering at Coinbase from 2013 to 2017 after working at Googl

As cryptocurrencies keep gaining adoption in Argentina, there are discussions on how the national regulatory bodies should regulate the industry. The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) seems to have taken a step forward in making the picture clearer. Banks Should Provide Data Such as National Identification Numbers and Home Addresses According to Infobae , the BCRA asked domestic banks to forward them information about its customers who deal with bitcoin ( BTC ) and perform any other kind of crypto transactions. The measure aims to evaluate whether the crypto market “should be required for an even bigger regulation or not.” Citing sources inside the central bank, Infobae details that the BCRA has sent an internal mail to the associated banks, requesting them the following data: Information that allows identifying customers who have accounts for holding crypto assets or who have declared or are known to carry out purchase and/or sale cooperation and/or management of payments through

Digital currency markets have seen some significant gains on Monday as the entire market capitalization of all 8,500+ cryptocurrencies in existence has jumped a few percentages. Bitcoin’s price has spiked a touch over 1.5%, but a number of other coins have seen much larger gains during Monday’s trading sessions. Market aggregators show the crypto economy’s overall valuation is steadily approaching the $2 trillion handle . Crypto-Economy Jumps 3% and Nears $2 Trillion in Valuation Crypto assets have seen their values jump northbound on Monday as the entire crypto-economy has spiked 3% during the morning trading sessions (EST). Bitcoin ( BTC ) has risen by 1.9% and during the last seven days, BTC has gained 2.3%. The leading cryptocurrency, in terms of market valuation, BTC is currently exchanging hands for over $59k per unit. Ethereum ( ETH ) has done much better as the crypto asset has jumped over 16% this week and ether is swapping for $2,117 per coin. Binance coin ( BNB ) pric

The publicly listed firm Microstrategy purchased more bitcoin according to a tweet from the company’s chief executive officer Michael Saylor and a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. The firm spent $15 million in cash and now holds 91,579 bitcoin in the company’s reserves. Business Intelligence Firm Microstrategy Continues to Stack Bitcoin Month after month, the company Microstrategy has continued to purchase bitcoin ( BTC ) and add it to the firm’s balance sheet. On Monday, the company revealed yet another BTC purchase when it disclosed to the SEC in a Form 8-K that it purchased 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash. The SEC filing notes: On April 5, 2021, MicroStrategy Incorporated announced that it had purchased approximately 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash, at an average price of approximately $59,339 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses. As of April 5, 2021, the Company holds approximately 91,579 bitcoins that were acquired at an aggregate p

On Monday, the digital currency asset manager Grayscale Investments announced intentions to file for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) when permissible. The subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (DCG) says in regard to its crypto trust products that it always been the company’s intention “to convert these products into an ETF.” Transforming Grayscale’s $34 Billion Bitcoin Trust Into an Exchange-Traded Fund It looks like Grayscale Investments is planning to join the race of firms looking to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. Grayscale announced intentions for a bitcoin ETF on April 5, 2021, by leveraging the company’s blog. Established in 2013, Grayscale Investments launched the firm’s bitcoin trust (GBTC) and today GBTC has $34 billion in assets under management (AUM). Grayscale also offers a number of other publicly traded crypto products and the business is the world’s largest asset manager for digital currencies. “In recent months there’s been a growing

Starbucks customers can now pay for items with bitcoin by leveraging the Bakkt digital wallet application. Bakkt’s CEO, Gavin Michael explained that 500,000 users participated in testing before the launch, as the company says it looks forward to expanding crypto assets to everyone. You Can Now Pay for Goods at Starbucks With Bitcoin You can now pay with bitcoin by leveraging the Bakkt wallet at the popular chain of coffeehouses called Starbucks. With over 30,000 locations worldwide, Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain and pulls in around $26.50 billion in revenue yearly. According to Bakkt executives, 500,000 customers participated in Bakkt’s invitation-only early access program, and now anyone can download the application via the App Store and Google Play Store and use it to make purchases. “The average consumer holds a wealth of digital assets – from gift cards to loyalty points to bitcoin – but lacks the tools to adequately track and utilize their value,” Bakkt’s