Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Broxus, a leading developer of the FreeTON project, has unveiled the second version of their FreeTON DEX, TON Swap. The update consists of a reworking of existing features, an expansion of functionality and available information and the addition of key new features. The FreeTON project has been busy this summer, expanding the offerings it has for users, working to bring in and support promising, fledgling projects, and making inroads throughout the DeFi industry. The latest update, consisting of an overall of the Broxus -powered TON Swap DEX, is perhaps the most significant due to the enhancements that have been made to the exchange’s user experience and the groundwork that has been laid for the platform to grow into a launchpad for other projects in DeFi. FreeTON started just over a year and a half ago when work on the Telegram Open Network was halted by a court order. A community of people that had studied the technology developed by the Durov brothers decided that, rather than...

The team behind the platform that allows users to track data on the Ethereum blockchain, Dune Analytics, announced the firm has raised $8 million from strategic investors like Union Square Ventures. Dune Analytics detailed the firm plans to leverage the new financing in order to hire more help and monitor other blockchains. Crypto Metrics Provider Dune Analytics Raises $8 Million Crypto data services and analytics has seen massive demand in 2021 as everyone wants to gather factoids on their favorite crypto assets. Bitcoin.com News recently reported on the crypto firm Messari raising $21 million in a financing round. Furthermore, the crypto analytics company Skew was acquired by Coinbase this year and Coin Metrics recently raised $15 million with Goldman Sachs leading the round. Dune Analytics is a set of data tools that users can leverage for free in order to gather insight on Ethereum and decentralized finance (defi) analytics. Last September, Dune Analytics raised $2 milli...

Over three years ago, a Netherlands native made headlines when he told the world he and his minimalist family sold everything for bitcoin. At that time, Didi Taihuttu and his family sold their home, valuables, and vehicles in order to accumulate the digital asset. Taihuttu recently discussed how things have been after three years, explaining that 74% of his crypto holdings are currently held in cold storage. Taihuttu Family Keeps Six Cold Storage Stashes Hidden Across Several Nations Didi Taihuttu and his family are doing quite well in 2021 living like digital nomads and hidden hardware wallets all over the world, according to a recent interview with CNBC. Bitcoin.com News reported on the Taihuttu family on October 10, 2017, as Didi Taihuttu told the press he and his wife sold everything for bitcoin ( BTC ). In his latest interview, Taihuttu told CNBC that the family safeguards a total of six hardware wallets hidden across several nations. Photograph of Didi Taihuttu back in 201...

U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo has asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to amend the crypto provision in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that the Senate passed this week. She urged the House to adopt the bipartisan amendment supported by the Treasury Department that provides a solution. Rep. Eshoo Asks Pelosi to Amend ‘Harmful Language’ on Crypto in Infrastructure Bill Congresswoman Anna Eshoo from California announced Thursday that she is fighting “to fix potentially harmful language on cryptocurrency in bipartisan infrastructure bill.” Eshoo wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday “to express concern regarding the tax reporting requirements for cryptocurrency brokers in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure legislation recently passed by the Senate,” the announcement details, adding: The legislation uses a broad definition of ‘broker’ that could encompass miners, validators, and developers of wallets who are unable to comply w...

A New Era of Global Finance Since Ripple’s inception in 2012, our vision has been to enable the Internet of Value — a world where money moves as seamlessly as information. In the realm of cross-border payments, we’re accelerating that vision to meet the new shape and identity of global finance so that our customers … Continued The post Expanding Crypto Innovation appeared first on Ripple. http://dlvr.it/S5Y1dg

Swiss fintech firm Leonteq has introduced its digital asset products in two neighboring jurisdictions, Germany and Austria. The company is launching its crypto offering with the help of a Frankfurt-based bank and in response to interest from institutional and private investors. Leonteq Provides German and Austrian Investors With Exposure to Major Cryptocurrencies Leonteq is presenting an extensive range of products to investors in Germany and Austria after a successful expansion in its home market, Switzerland. It offers exposure to a total of 18 crypto assets, including bitcoin ( BTC ), ethereum ( ETH ), bitcoin cash ( BCH ), and litecoin ( LTC ), which can be traded in securitized format in the three countries, the fintech announced Thursday. Tracker certificates on these crypto assets are now available for investors as listed products on Börse Frankfurt Zertifikate AG (Open Market), Leonteq detailed in a press release. The company also revealed it’s collaborating with ICF Bank ...

Currently, derivatives exchange Bitget has released its global market penetration plan on Twitter , and at the same time, they published their latest globalization data. Data shows that up to now, Bitget’s global registered users have exceeded 1.6 million, and the user base has extended to 48 countries and regions around the world. Among them, Korean users account for a relatively large number of more than 28%, and the proportion of English-speaking areas has increased significantly, exceeding 21%. This means that Bitget’s globalization strategy has achieved significant results, and its user volume and transaction volume have fully led the derivatives market. We will move to a world of digital currency. Most of the digital currency derivatives trading take place on exchanges, in the form of futures contracts, perpetual contracts, and options. Perpetual contracts are also an alternative to swap products. According to Coingecko’s statistics, the world’s top seven futures exchanges ar...

Miguel Pesce, president of the Central Bank of Argentina, hinted at some kind of regulation coming for bitcoin transactions soon. Yesterday, In a digital financial conference, Pesce also stressed that the bank was working to find effective ways of warning novice investors about the dangers of putting their savings behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Central Bank of Argentina Hints at Regulating Bitcoin Transactions Miguel Pesce, the current president of the Central Bank of Argentina, hinted at a possible regulation for bitcoin and bitcoin transactions in a digital financial conference organized by the Argentine Institute of Finance Executives (IAEF). Yesterday, Pesce stated on the issue it was very important to them to avoid linking bitcoin with the traditional exchange market. Pesce stated: We are going to regulate the intersection of Bitcoin with the payment system and the exchange market. To Pesce, Bitcoin is not a financial asset because it fails to be backed by any asset...

Two days after the notorious Poly Network hack, the hacker continues to send funds back to the project. On August 12, the Poly Network hacker so far has returned millions worth of ether, thousands of uni tokens, 1,032 wrapped bitcoins, and 96 million in stablecoins. The day prior, after returning $260 million in tokens, the hacker explained that the Poly Network has “well enough assets to start the recovery phase.” Poly Network Hacker Returns a Number of Defi Tokens On August 10, Bitcoin.com News reported on the massive decentralized finance (defi) hack that plagued the Poly Network project. The cross-chain protocol lost approximately $611 million from the attack and the news quickly went viral on forums and social media. At first, the Poly Network team sent a message to the hacker in an attempt to communicate with the individual. Furthermore, in the initial stages it didn’t seem like the hacker was going to cooperate and told the team it “ could have been ” a billion-dollar hack. ...

Following this year’s hype toward the meme-based digital currency dogecoin, a team of developers revealed the launch of an augmented reality (AR) mobile game called “Dogemon Go.” Similar to the AR game Pokémon Go, players catch virtual characters dubbed “Dogemons” and while characters level up they can earn dogecoin for rewards. Catching Dogemon and Earning DOGE There’s a new mobile phone video game that leverages augmented reality (AR) and the crypto asset dogecoin (DOGE) . The crypto community caught a whiff of the Dogemon Go game last month when the project’s official Twitter page started tweeting about the new game. The developers of the AR mobile game recently revealed that the game has been launched for iOS devices and an Android application is currently being constructed. The project’s website welcomes visitors to the game and also includes a map of the AR playing field. The web portal dogemongo.com says: Start now and catch your first Dogemon. Combine the playing expe...

Crypto payment service provider Bitpay has updated its wallet app to include Google Pay for U.S. cardholders to spend their cryptocurrencies. The company has already added Apple Pay and Samsung Pay is expected in the near future. Bitpay Updates Wallet App to Include Google Pay Leading crypto payment service provider Bitpay announced Wednesday that it has updated its wallet app with Google Pay. The announcement details: US cardholders of the Bitpay Prepaid Mastercard can add their card to Google Wallet and spend using Google Pay. The company added Apple Pay back in February and Samsung Pay is expected to be added soon. The Bitpay card instantly converts cryptocurrencies into dollars, which are then loaded onto the card. It can be used anywhere Mastercard debit is accepted, as well as online for purchases and to withdraw cash from ATMs. The Bitpay Wallet app supports 12 cryptocurrencies and stablecoins: BTC , BCH , DOGE, ETH , LTC , WBTC, XRP , BUSD, DAI, GUSD, PAX, and USDC. ...

When Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper in October 2008, it likely wasn’t with the idea that governments and central banks needed to recognize, adopt, and regulate Bitcoin for everyone’s benefit. To the contrary, if anything can be taken away from that document and the message encoded in the genesis block, it’s that centralized institutions need not have any place in our financial lives outside our freely chosen, express consent for them to do so. Separating Money From the Church of Politics “A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.” – Bitcoin white paper “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks” -Bitcoin genesis block’s coinbase parameter message In the same way it would be absurd for the Catholic Church — or any church for that matter — to violently force their beliefs on others via a government, it is t...

PRESS RELEASE. The blockchain-based metaverse Dvision Network is set to become part of history in what promises to be an action-packed event. The NFT metaverse will be hosting the ‘’Live debate’’ on the Cryptocurrency Legislation and Improvement Measures organized by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Live Debate to be broadcasted within Dvision Metaverse The live debate will be conducted within the Dvision Metaverse on August 12, 2021, from 14:00 KST to 17:00 KST. The event is a landmark event initiated by the Korean Parliament in collaboration with the legislators from leading political parties such as the Democratic and People’s Power parties. The issue of legislation of cryptocurrencies has emerged as a hot topic globally. Many in the financial sphere see improving existing KYC and AML compliance practices and tax filings as the way forward towards ensuring proper crypto regulations. South Korea is regarded as an industry frontrunner in this aspect, and the de...

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has closed down a number of “underground” crypto exchangers in Kyiv. Officials say the platforms have been making a million dollars in monthly turnover and allegedly sending money to digital wallets operated by Russian payment providers. Law Enforcement Busts Cryptocurrency Exchangers in Ukraine Officers from Ukraine’s main law enforcement agency, SBU, have blocked a network of underground cryptocurrency exchangers operating out of the capital city, Kyiv. According to an announcement , the online platforms have been processing up to 30 million Ukrainian hryvnia (over $1 million) a month this year. The exchangers allowed anonymous payments and withdrawals. Their services were mostly used by private individuals who often received funds to their electronic wallets issued by Russia-based payment service providers such as Yandex.Money, Qiwi, and Webmoney which are banned in Ukraine. Part of the cash, the SBU claims, has been used to finance provoca...

The Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) has put forward a proposal to tax digital asset exchanges operating in the country. The authority calls for the legalization of their activities, fearing restrictions could negatively affect tax collection. Tax Agency Wants to Obtain User Data From Authorized Exchanges Seeing an opportunity to use exchange transactions as a basis for taxation, the INTA has urged regulators in Tehran to legalize crypto trading platforms. In an excerpt from its draft proposal quoted by Iranian media, the tax authority insists: Legalizing crypto exchanges is necessary [for levying tax]. Legal operations must be limited to authorized exchanges that are allowed to convert currency while keeping track of transactions. The tax administration also warns against imposing stringent measures regarding crypto exchanges as it believes they would have “reverse effects” and create conditions for a black market to form. At the same time, the INTA stresses that reg...

Kucoin, one of the leading crypto exchanges, suffered a hacking incident in 2020 where over $250 million was stolen. However, immediately after the hacking was reported, Kucoin began cooperating with various players from the crypto industry. This cooperation ultimately led to the recovery of a large chunk of the stolen funds. Kucoin’s Recovery From Attack It is now close to a year since the hack, yet Kucoin remains one of the leading crypto exchanges in the world and one that is favored by many users in Africa. Kucoin’s quick recovery from the incident can be attributed to many factors. To learn more about this Kucoin experience, Bitcoin.com News recently reached out to the exchange’s CEO, Johnny Lyu. Below are Lyu’s responses to questions sent to him via Linkedin. Bitcoin.com News (BCN): It is getting close to a year since hackers stole from your exchange but as has been widely reported, most of the stolen funds were recovered. So can you now confirm how much was actually stolen ...