Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Recently, Messari Crypto Researcher, Mira Christanto published a report that looks into Asia’s cryptocurrency landscape in-depth, as 60% of the world’s population resides in the region. Christanto’s study shows that six out of the top ten largest cryptocurrency unicorns are located in Asia. Moreover, 98% of ethereum-based futures and 94% of bitcoin futures volumes stem from Asia. Asia’s Financial Landscape Is Ripe for Disruption When it comes to cryptocurrencies, Asia accounts for a huge number of crypto users, companies, miners, traders, and more. The cryptocurrency and blockchain researcher from messari.io , Mira Christanto , explains that Asia has a “history of dictators, currency depreciation, [and] capital controls – all ripe for disruption.” This has likely led to Asia being the most active cryptocurrency markets, according to Christanto’s recent findings. Her recently published study called “ Asia’s Crypto Landscape ” covers the “key exchanges, funds, and market makers that...

After saying that cryptocurrencies “rank as the poorest hedge for major drawdowns in equities, with questionable diversification benefits,” JPMorgan says investors can put 1% of their portfolios in cryptocurrencies. This can help “achieve any efficiency gain in the overall risk-adjusted returns of the portfolio,” the firm’s strategists explained. Investors Can Allocate 1% of Portfolios to Bitcoin, Says JPMorgan JPMorgan Chase now sees benefits in adding a small percentage of bitcoin to a multi-asset portfolio. The firm’s global head of research, Joyce Chang, and vice president of strategic research, Amy Ho, wrote in a note to clients Wednesday: In a multi-asset portfolio, investors can likely add up to 1% of their allocation to cryptocurrencies in order to achieve any efficiency gain in the overall risk-adjusted returns of the portfolio. However, the strategists clarified: “Cryptocurrencies are investment vehicles and not funding currencies. So when looking to hedge a macro even...

Harvard Professor of Economics and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kenneth Rogoff says that central banks won’t allow bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to become mainstream. “Eventually over the long course of history, the government first regulates and then it appropriates, and I think we can see that happening here,” he warned. Harvard Professor’s Warning About Bitcoin American economist Kenneth Rogoff shared his views on the future of bitcoin, its regulation, and the recent bull run in an interview with CNBC TV18 last week. Rogoff is the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and a professor of economics at Harvard University. He also served as chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2001–2003. “Zero interest rates can produce a lot of funny asset valuations. So that is certainly part of it,” he responded to a question about the rise in popularity of bitcoin and its recent bull run. “Clearly, there are a lot of wealthy p...

The total assets under management across all crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) worldwide have risen 50% this month to nearly $44 billion. Among listed products, Grayscale’s bitcoin trust tops the list with the most assets under management while Bitwise’s fund was the best performing bitcoin product by market price over the last 30 days. Cryptocompare published its “Digital Asset Management Review” for the month of February on Friday. The report states that the total assets under management (AUM) across all exchange-traded products (ETPs) increased 50% to $43.9 billion from mid-January to Feb. 23. The price of bitcoin was above $50K on Feb. 23. It has since fallen to $46,876 at the time of writing, based on data from markets.Bitcoin.com. The crypto exchange-traded product with the most AUM was Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) with $35 billion in assets under management, according to the report. As of Feb. 26, GBTC’s AUM has dropped to $30.72 billion due to the lower BTC p...

On February 25, onchain analysts noticed two 2010 block rewards that were transferred after sitting dormant for over a decade. A lot of old blocks have been spent in 2021, and after the large strings of 2010 block rewards spent on January 3rd and 10th, another massive string of 20 block rewards from 2010 were moved on the 25th. In addition to these old bitcoin moves, block rewards from 2011 have started to wake in great numbers as well. 80 Block Rewards from 2010 Spent This Year, 4,000 Bitcoin Worth $188 Million For a good portion of 2020 and into 2021, news.Bitcoin.com and a small group of onchain researchers have been combing the Bitcoin ( BTC ) network for old-school spends. The technical term “spend” or “spent” simply means the bitcoins moved from one address to another single address or group of addresses. It doesn’t necessarily mean the person has relinquished ownership of the bitcoins, but most of our 2020 and 2021 discoveries look as though they have been sold on exchanges....

Another firm is joining the bitcoin trust sector, as the California fund manager Arca has filed a registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its Arca Accredited Investor Bitcoin Trust. The trust will compete with a number of competitors including Grayscale’s popular bitcoin investment vehicle GBTC. Arca Files With the US SEC to List Its Accredited Investor Bitcoin Trust The finance manager Arca has filed a Form D registration with the U.S. SEC in order to provide investors with a new bitcoin trust offering. The fund will be called the “Arca Accredited Investor Bitcoin Trust” and it will be taking investments of $25k or more, according to the Arca filing. This is half the value of Grayscale’s GBTC minimum investments set at $50k. Arca has other crypto fund products and the Arca U.S. Treasury Fund. The fund is “a closed-end fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 issuing shares as digital securities that are transferable using blockchai...

In Spain, an investment company has begun to promote what they called the “first crypto hedge fund.” The product has been registered in Malta by Avenue Investment Crypto, headed by a crypto advocate, Martin Huete. Investments Allocated Mainly in Bitcoin and Ethereum According to Infobae , the hedge fund “exclusively” targets qualified investors whose minimum investment starts at 100,000 euros ($120,600). However, anyone who would like to join the crypto hedge fund should prove to the firm that they hold assets for 750,000 euros ($904,900). Although Avenue Investment Crypto just launched the product, it was created by the firm in 2019. Huete was appointed as the institutional relations manager amid the commercialization phase of the crypto hedge fund. Within the portfolio offered by the firm, the total exposure of the crypto hedge fund ranges between 40% and 100% of the fund with investments in ethereum (ETH) , bitcoin (BTC) , and other undisclosed cryptos. Still, the fiat serving...

In an apparent rebuke of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo says the country’s monetary authorities must consider regulating crypto assets. He adds that instead of “killing the goose that might lay the golden egg”, Nigerian monetary authorities must consider providing a “robust regulatory regime” that addresses their concerns. The Importance of Disruptive Technologies Still, in his address at a Bankers Committee meeting, Osinbajo says “he fully appreciates the position” that has been articulated by the CBN. Since the CBN prohibition went into effect, leaders at both the CBN and the Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have defended this decision. However, in his speech, the Nigerian Vice President suggests that the country’s regulators must consider embracing emerging and disruptive technologies. Pointing to the past impact of some disruptive innovations, the Vice President said: “As seen in many other sectors, disruption m...

As China keeps paving the way to adopt its central bank digital currency (CBDC), scammers are also actively emerging on the scene. The police in a Chinese province are now warning about a “sophisticated” CBDC-themed scam. Bogus Platform Is Set to Be Launched in March, Say Scammers According to a post from the cybercrime unit of the Weifang police force in Shandong Province, a scam named “Central Bank’s International Wallet” is claiming to be a digital yuan wallet platform. The bogus platform seems to have caught almost 500 users as of press time. The scam operators are advertising that the platform will give members the possibility to access a “secret CBDC promotion fund” worth $186 million. It should be noted that the Weifang police is quoting a previous report first published by local media outlet Sina on the matter. Scammers claim that the platform’s users could get profits of around $24,800. Although the wallet is not “live,” scam operators say the platform will be launched...

A regional report from China indicates that bitcoin mining rig manufacturers have seen a massive surge in demand since the price of the leading crypto asset skyrocketed. Companies such as Canaan Creative have placed significantly sized mining rig orders while other companies like Bitmain are completely sold out. Bitcoin Mining Rig Manufacturers Experience a Device Demand Boom Bitcoin ( BTC ) prices in February have spiked considerably in value and this has fueled the BTC mining sector a great deal. On Friday, the Bitcoin network hashrate is hovering above the 150 exahash (EH/s) range and there are 21 pools directing hashrate at the blockchain. On Sunday, February 21, 2021, BTC prices touched an all-time high (ATH) at $58,354 per unit but the price has since dropped in value since then. The price per BTC has been hovering around the $47k handle at the time of publication on Friday afternoon (EST). On Thursday, a regional report from China details that Chinese mining device manu...

A 177-year-old bank in Switzerland has enabled cryptocurrency trading within its services, with expectations to expand. Bordier & Cie SCmA added bitcoin and other cryptos to its list of services by partnering with a well-known domestic crypto player. Bordier Customers Can Also Buy and Hold Other Cryptos According to the announcement , the Swiss bank, founded in 1844, argued that a surge in demand from their clients encouraged them to include cryptocurrencies. Bordier & Cie SCmA management believes that they needed to diversify into “alternative asset classes such as digital assets.” Bordier partnered with Sygnum Bank, one of the first Swiss crypto banks, to support the infrastructure management behind the crypto’s offering. It includes the custody of the private keys to control access to the cryptocurrencies and connect with liquidity providers. With the new service, Bordier’s clients will have the possibility to buy, trade, and hold digital assets such as bitcoin ( BTC ),...

228 years ago the U.S. dollar was created and ever since then, the national currency has been both powerful and controversial at the same time. Moreover since 1971, after being backed by precious metals for decades, American dollars have been backed by nothing and estimates say a quarter of the U.S. monetary supply was created in 2020 alone. The U.S. dollar conflict has led a number of analysts and economists to believe the U.S. monetary hegemony is on its last leg. The Story of the US Dollar’s Devaluation When you talk to someone about bitcoin , they often grow confused and say that it is too complicated for them to understand. However, when you ask them if they understand the meaning of fiat currency and how the U.S. dollar operates, they will likely be clueless about that matter as well. It’s likely the reason the very structure of how it operates continues to this day, without question from the citizenry, but has fallen victim to the mistakes of the past. People should underst...