Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

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

A Zimbabwean fintech lawyer, Prosper Mwedzi, recently initiated a process that seeks to bring recognition and regulation of cryptocurrencies. Under this private member bill procedure, a legislative proposition initiated by private citizens will be debated in the Zimbabwean parliament. If the crypto regulation bill succeeds in garnering the required support, it will become part of the country’s national laws. Meanwhile, Mwedzi’s attempt to use the private bill to bring regulation to Zimbabwe’s crypto space comes more than two years after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) issued a public advisory against cryptocurrency trading. For an update on the private bill’s progress, Terence ZImwara of Bitcoin.com News recently reached out to Mwedzi. Below are Mwedzi’s responses to a set of questions that were sent to him. Bitcoin.com News (BCN): Can you start by telling us what prompted you to go the route of a Private Member’s Bill? Prosper Mwedzi (PM): We have been trying to get regulator

According to data from Skew Analytics, more than 55,000 bitcoin options contracts worth $2.2 billion will expire on Friday. Statistics further show, as far as options are concerned, Deribit captures the lion’s share of contracts with 48,469 bitcoin options contracts ($1.95 billion notional) set to expire. 55K in Bitcoin Option Set to Expire, Deribit Carries $1.95 Billion Notional Another large options expiry is set to happen on May 28, 2021, following last week’s bitcoin (BTC) market sell-off. The analytics provider’s Twitter account from skew.com revealed on May 25, 2021, that over “55k bitcoin options expiring this Friday with $40k strike open in $130mln notional.” Skew data shows approximately 55,900 contracts ($2.2 billion) will expire around 4 a.m. (ET) on Friday. The options expiry follows the recent market carnage stemming from China, significant leverage , and environment FUD during the last two weeks. However, Skew Analytics said that bitcoin ( BTC ) markets absorb

Like Bitcoin, DeFi’s ambition to build a fully decentralized global network is the fundamental source of its revolutionary characteristics – that of being trustless and enabling disintermediation. It is these two characteristics that build the core value of DeFi and determine its long-term market growth. It’s easy to see why this is so: On the one hand, the core model of any DeFi project must be zero-centric in order to carry unlimited trust, exhibiting the value of a decentralized network beyond the market value of one single product or a brand. On the other hand, a decentralized network must also be disintermediated, in order to compete with centralized products and retain its most critical competencies. A non-cooperative network is a naturally robust decentralized network model. Shield is building a decentralized non-cooperative game theory based, derivatives trading network consisting of traders, dual liquidity pools, liquidators and brokers. Shield Decentralized Network Ba