Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Crypto adoption keeps spreading among the real estate industry in Europe, specifically in Spain. Recently, a leading agency in the Canary Islands announced it would start accepting cryptocurrency payments. Firm Praises Bitcoin’s Decentralized Nature According to Digital Sevilla , Piso Barato Inmobiliaria, a Tenerife-based real estate firm, has enabled the feature that allows customers to acquire properties by paying with bitcoin ( BTC ). Although they mentioned the word “cryptocurrencies,” the firm talked mostly about BTC throughout the announcement. Piso Barato Inmobiliaria argues that a group of experts stated that bitcoin is becoming the “primary currency” of exchange globally, and thus, the firm became interested in digital assets. Future owners of properties, through the real estate agency, can purchase any property in Tenerife. The Tenerife-based agency pointed out: The evolution of expert agents in the real estate market has been so constant that buying a flat in Teneri...

Financial services company Etc Group on Tuesday launched its centrally-cleared ethereum exchange-traded product (ETP) on the Deutsche Borse’s Xetra marketplace . Etc Group Launches Ethereum Exchange-Traded Product The listing follows the success of the firm’s bitcoin ETP , which was launched on the same exchange in June 2020. That bitcoin exchange-traded product now has $1 billion assets under management (AUM), it said. In a press release, London-based Etc Group revealed that the ether exchange-traded product (primary ticker: ZETH), tracks the price of ethereum ( ETH ) and is 100% physically backed by the cryptocurrency. ETPs allow investors to gain exposure to an asset, in this case ether, but without having to buy it directly themselves. Approved by Bafin, the German financial regulator, each unit of ZETH is backed by ethereum stored at custody services provider Bitgo Trust Company, “giving the investor a claim on a predefined amount of the underlying ETH ,” said the company. ...

Crypto adoption is a hot topic in South Korea, and recent figures have been proving it. However, crypto mining activity is also starting to gather interest across the country, per the latest reports from local media outlets. A Single Rig Should Worth $150 ‘or Less’ to Be Considered for Personal Use According to Kyungin Ilbo , custom officials in one of the biggest ports of South Korea, Incheon, are reporting a boost in mining rig hardware imports. The port is also the most prominent air terminal in the nation. During October 2020 and January 2021, authorities from the Incheon Headquarters Customs had intercepted 41 shipments with mining rigs. Although the number is not so high compared to other countries’ reports, in 2019, South Korea had just one case of crypto mining-related shipment interception. Officials believe that the crypto prices plunge seen in 2019 could be the reason behind the little interest among South Korean crypto miners. However, with the current bull-run, miner...

Following in the footsteps of Tesla, the home warranty company American Residential Warranty (ARW) says it will accept cryptocurrency payments for its services. In addition, the company also plans to acquire and hold bitcoin as part of its strategy “to expand its investment portfolio and boost returns on cash.” In his statement following the announcement, Josh Brauser, the company’s chief revenue officer said that by adopting crypto payments, ARW is demonstrating that it is a “tech-forward company that adapts quickly to emergent technologies.” “As businesses around the world embrace this new era of global currency, at American Residential Warranty we are proud to continue being an innovator in the home warranty space with plans to accept bitcoin payments from our increasingly tech-savvy customers,” added Brauser. Concerning the Boca Raton-based company’s plan to add bitcoin (BTC) to its balance sheet, the statement reveals that ARW, which offers its services in all of the 50 U.S ...

On March 10, the hip-hop artist Lil Pump announced the multi-platinum-selling artist has partnered with the non-fungible token (NFT) platform Sweet. The American rapper will drop three unique NFT collectibles in total and he’s also releasing a one-of-a-kind “digital jewelry collectible NFT” collection. Lil Pump Launches Non-Fungible Token Assets via Sweet The multi-platinum-selling hip-hop recording artist, Gazzy Garcia, known professionally as Lil Pump has jumped into the non-fungible token (NFT) assets game by partnering with the company Sweet . Lil Pump got mainstream recognition back in 2017 with the hit single “Gucci Gang” and the single was certified five-times platinum by the RIAA. Since then he’s released the albums like the self-titled “Lil Pump” and the record “Harverd Dropout.” On Wednesday, Lil Pump detailed that he’s collaborated with Sweet, a scalable NFT platform dedicated to the top music, entertainment, and consumer brands. According to the recent announcement, t...

In October 2020, the entertainment software company Atari launched a digital currency and later revealed plans to join the Ethereum virtual reality game Sandbox. On March 8, Atari announced that the company is now launching a casino in Decentraland, another metaverse built on Ethereum. According to the announcement, the firm’s gaming platform in Decentraland will showcase classic video games and Atari-themed non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as well. Software Firm Atari Partners With Decentral Games, Plans to Host a Casino on Decentraland’s Metaverse Back in 1972 and into the early eighties, the brand name Atari was a well known video game console and software firm that created numerous trends. The brand has passed through several owners since its peak in popularity, and Atari Interactive is now a subsidiary of the French publisher called Atari SA. Over the last few years, the company has been planning a comeback and while doing so it discovered blockchain technology and cryptocurrency s...

There are now three bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in North America, all approved within the past month by Canada’s securities regulators. They are currently trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The latest approved bitcoin ETF, backed by Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital, began trading Tuesday. 3 Bitcoin ETFs in Canada Canada’s securities regulators have approved three bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) within the past month. The first approved North American bitcoin ETF was Purpose Bitcoin ETF , followed by Evolve Bitcoin ETF . Both are now trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The third one is CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF, which started trading on the TSX exchange Tuesday. This bitcoin ETF is trading under the ticker symbols BTCX.B and BCTX.U. The former trades unhedged in Canadian dollars while the latter trades in U.S. dollars. The announcement describes: BTCX’s management fee of just 0.40% represents the lowest management fee of any bitcoin ETF in the world today. ...

How can you make sure that your memories and private data are transmitted reliably to the future? Security, durability, respect for integrity: these are all essential components for ensuring the transmission of data. However, the process is often complex , in particular in the event of death. The various steps are not only long and tedious but also expensive. Based on this observation, the French startup Capsule Corp. has had the idea to create Ternoa. Ternoa to Redefine Data Transmission Designed to securely store and transmit data, Ternoa uses the blockchain and all the benefits it brings to redefine data transmission. To achieve this, Ternoa allows its users to create time capsules whose opening and reception procedures are decided by their creators. Entirely open source and decentralized, the Ternoa blockchain is based on Polkadot, a protocol focusing on interoperability by linking several specialized blockchains into a single unified network. This interoperability is th...

JP Morgan is launching a structured investment product based on the performance of its “Cryptocurrency Exposure Basket,” which tracks stocks of publicly traded companies with exposure to cryptocurrencies. The weight of each stock is “determined based in part on exposure to bitcoin, correlation to bitcoin and liquidity,” according to the company’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). JP Morgan to Begin Providing Clients With Bitcoin Exposure In a Tuesday filing with the SEC, JPMorgan Chase revealed a structured investment product that enables its clients to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies. “The notes are unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of JPMorgan Chase Financial Company LLC,” the company explained. The payment on which is “fully and unconditionally guaranteed by JPMorgan Chase & Co.” JPMorgan elaborated: The notes are designed for investors who seek exposure to the performance of the J.P. Morgan Cryptocurrency Exposure Basket (Mar 2021) o...

The cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETP) provider 21shares AG, formerly known as Amun, has announced the launch of two new crypto asset ETPs on Deutsche Boerse’s Xetra. The 21shares ETPs will leverage the cryptocurrencies ethereum under the ticker “21XE,” and bitcoin cash under the ticker “21XC.” Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum Exchange Traded Products Listed on Xetra Following the firm’s two bitcoin ( BTC ) exchange-traded products listed last year, 21shares AG is launching two new ETPs for the popular crypto-assets bitcoin cash ( BCH ) and ethereum ( ETH ). Ethereum is currently the second-largest blockchain, in terms of market valuation, while bitcoin cash holds the eleventh position. On February 3, 2021, the Zurich-based investment provider launched an ETP for the crypto asset polkadot (DOT) on the Swiss exchange SIX. The new bitcoin cash ( BCH ) ETP will be called “21XC” and the ethereum ( ETH ) product will be called “21XE.” Both debuted on the Swiss stock market in mid-20...

PRESS RELEASE. BitMax.io (BTMX.com), an industry-leading digital asset trading platform built by Wall Street quant trading veterans, has announced the listing of UMB Tokens (UMB) under the trading pair of UMB/USDT on March 10th at 9:00 a.m. EST. Umbrella Network is a community-owned, decentralized oracle service providing secure, low-cost, and massively scalable data solutions to blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The UMB native token is utilized for governance and liquidity rewards in a Delegated Proof of Stake system. Umbrella provides access to data previously unavailable to blockchain developers across multiple segments, including mid and long-tail crypto assets and real-world financial data. Current oracle solutions require users to compromise between the security of the data or freshness/liveliness of the data. With Umbrella, developers can have both. Recently, several oracle projects have entered the cryptocurrency ecosystem; however, many of these...

Cryptocurrency adoption among the traditional banking industry keeps spreading across the board, and it has arrived at a bank based in Hamburg, Germany. Donner & Reuschel is set to make its inception into the crypto business by offering related custody services. Bank Will Also Explore Further Blockchain Projects According to the local magazine Asscompact , the Hamburg-based private bank will offer crypto buying and custodial services. Although Donner & Reuschel didn’t provide an exact date of the launch, they are expecting to deliver the products “as soon as possible.” Marcus Vitt, a spokesman of the bank, argued that the decision to enter the crypto business is tied to the surge of interest towards the digital assets: We have been observing the digital assets market for quite some time and are convinced of the potential of blockchain technology also concerning classic securities transactions. Donner & Reuschel is a subsidiary of Signal Iduna, a group that offers in...

A U.S. multinational semiconductor company could be preparing the ground to release its own series of cryptocurrency mining processors. AMD is reportedly looking to introduce a GPU for mining Ethereum. AMD Navi 12 Won’t Have Video Outputs According to PC Gamer , the AMD Navi 12, a graphic processing unit (GPU) first introduced exclusively for Apple Macbook Pro devices, could be the first crypto mining-related specific processor launched by the company. In fact, the new version of the card lacks video outputs. It implies that the Navi 12 GPU won’t support VCN (video core next), a requirement for PC gaming purposes, and making it the proper candidate for crypto mining. Per the report, the card is expected to have the capability to mine Ethereum ( ETH ). If the maneuver becomes a reality, PC Gamer suggests that AMD could be seeking to keep gaming GPUs “in the hands of gamers” and not being used for crypto mining purposes. The possible release of an exclusive crypto mining AMD GPU co...

Portuguese authorities are reportedly planning to take action against social media influencers who provide advice on crypto-related investments. The plans are being discussed in the wake of an online petition signed by thousands of Portuguese. A Crypto Youtuber Already in the Authorities Loop According to Expresso , Portugal’s judicial police, Policía Judiciária, is “analyzing” whether domestic crypto Youtubers commit some illegal activity with their content. In fact, authorities are looking to target the ones who promote crypto scams indirectly, such as fake giveaways. However, a source told the local media outlet that still there is no investigation underway, as they’re trying first to assess the magnitude of the matter: I am not sure what kind of illegality is there. We are trying to understand the case better. But I remember that buying bitcoins is not considered a crime in itself. But Expresso says the police already looked at some allegations against one Youtuber who conf...

While central banks are focusing on creating more stimulus and economists expect inflation in the U.S. to rise, a number of other countries are suffering from considerable inflation right now. On Monday, the chief strategy officer for the Human Rights Foundation, Alex Gladstein, explained that 1.2 billion global citizens are living under inflation rates as high as two to three-digits. Inflation: The Silent Killer of an Individual’s Purchasing Power During the last week, a number of analysts and economists have been discussing the possible inflation rise coming to the U.S., mostly because of the massive amounts of stimulus created in 2020 and 2021. It has led economists to believe that inflation is coming to the U.S. soon, as the Federal Reserve is backed into a corner with plans to keep the easy-money schemes going strong. Inflation is the depletion of a currency’s purchasing power paired against goods and services over time. Inflation can be measured by observing the currency’s ...