Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Till Lindemann, lead singer of the German metal band Rammstein, has angered Russia’s renowned Hermitage Museum with a crypto initiative. The musician seeks over a hundred thousand euros for an NFT collection containing footage and imagery shot in the cultural institution. The tokens have been created without its authorization. German Singer Till Lindemann Sells NFTs of Russian Art Without Permission Rammstein’s vocalist and songwriter Till Lindemann has put up for sale five non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the most expensive of which has a price tag of €100,000. The NFTill collection contains a video clip of his performance of the popular Russian patriotic ballad “Beloved Town” which was shot in May. The world-famous museum in Saint Petersburg allowed Lindemann to record the video as part of the Year of Germany in the Russian Federation which started in August 2020. However, museum officials did not appreciate Lindemann’s NFT initiative, Forklog reported. In a statement released on ...

Crypto trader and investor Scott Melker, also known as “The Wolf of All Streets,” expects the price of bitcoin to hit new all-time highs by the end of the year. “I would not be surprised at all to see bitcoin trading in six figures within the next six to 12 months, or ethereum even pushing towards $10,000 in that time,” he said. The trader also sees the Senate’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill as the biggest advertisement in history for bitcoin. ‘Wolf of All Streets’ Trader Sees Many Upsides to Bitcoin Pushing the Price Toward $100K Scott Melker, the host of “The Wolf Of All Streets” podcast, shared his bitcoin outlook with Kitco News last week. Melker is a trader and investor both privately and at Texas West Capital. He is the author of “The Wolf Den” newsletter and an advisor to a number of blockchain-based projects. In June last year, Binance awarded him the Influencer of the Year Award for North America. Commenting on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that the Senate pa...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban see dogecoin as the “strongest” cryptocurrency when it comes to using it as a means of payment. To promote the use of dogecoin further, the NBA team Dallas Mavericks will be offering “special pricing for those who pay with dogecoin.” Elon Musk Agrees With Mark Cuban That Dogecoin Is the ‘Strongest’ Medium-of-Exchange Crypto Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk and the billionaire owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, have affirmed their belief that the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin is the “strongest” cryptocurrency when it comes to paying for goods and services. Cuban touted DOGE in an interview with CNBC Make It on Friday. Noting that dogecoin is “a medium that can be used for the acquisition of goods and services,” he said: The community for doge is the strongest when it comes to using it as a medium of exchange. Replying to Cuban’s comment about dogecoin, Musk, who is sometimes known as the Dogefather, tweeted: “I’ve ...

British detectives have seized $22.25 million from operators of an international cryptocurrency scam. Among the items seized was a USB stick containing ethereum worth $9.5 million. The police are now attempting to contact the victims of this scam to return their funds. UK Police Seize Crypto in USB Stick The U.K.’s Greater Manchester Police announced Wednesday that its Economic Crime Unit has seized a USB stick containing “huge amounts of ethereum, the second largest crypto currency after bitcoin.” The USB stick was discovered after the police arrested a 23-year-old male and a 25-year-old female for fraud and money laundering offenses. The pair have since been released under investigation. The announcement details: Specialist officers received intelligence that those running the scheme had been in Manchester for a limited time and tracked them down, recovering an encrypted USB stick containing $9.5 million of stolen ethereum. The police said that $12.7 million more were seized...

Ever since the CEO of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey, started appreciating the crypto asset bitcoin, crypto enthusiasts have been following his coattails. However, there are very mixed views about Dorsey because while some people adore him, others are skeptical of his goals as his firm has been accused of mass censorship. Then on August 13, Dorsey tweeted out a URL link to a book called “Anatomy of the State” by the economist Murray Rothbard. The tweet not only attracted likes from bitcoiners but a number of libertarians were also confused by his tweet. While Some Bitcoin Supporters Love Him, Many Other Crypto Advocates Don’t Trust Jack Dorsey For quite some time now, the CEO of Twitter has been a bitcoin ( BTC ) supporter as he sports a Lightning Network emoji next to his username and keeps a bitcoin symbol in his Twitter bio. Jack Dorsey has also talked about the benefits of bitcoin on various occasions and tweeted about the vast number of Nigerians that leverage the crypto ass...

While dogecoin fans saw the first crypto-scented Dogecan body spray made by Axe, Oscar Mayer’s 10-pack of dogecoin branded weenies, and an augmented reality game called Dogemon Go, supporters now have the opportunity to attend a DOGE-centric festival called “Dogepalooza.” The dogecoin-themed event will have live entertainment from major artists like Dionne Warwick, Damon Elliott, and Chloe Flower. Dogepalooza 2021 Fans of the meme-based crypto-asset dogecoin (DOGE) are throwing a festival dedicated to the digital currency and its economy. Dogepalooza 2021 of course borrows the name from the popular music festival Lollapalooza. 🔥SO looking forward to seeing @ChloeFlower perform @Dogepalooza October 9, at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, TX!🔥 🚀 #Dogepalooza #ChloeFlower #Dogecoin #DogecoinToTheMoon #Dogearmy #DogecoinRise 🚀 https://t.co/nyogkykZe2 — Dogepalooza (@dogepalooza) August 13, 2021 According to the event’s web portal , the first Dogepalooza will begin ...

A U.K. judge has reportedly ordered cryptocurrency exchange Binance to identify hackers and freeze their accounts after one of its users claimed to be the victim of a $2.6 million hack. Binance Ordered to Help Recover Funds Allegedly Stolen in a Hack A London high court has ordered global cryptocurrency exchange Binance to identify hackers and freeze their accounts after one of its users, Fetch.ai, claimed to be the victim of a $2.6 million hack, Reuters reported Friday. The judge granted requests by the artificial intelligence (AI) company for Binance to identify the hackers as well as track and seize the alleged stolen assets, the judgment made public this week revealed. Fetch.ai, incorporated in England and Singapore, develops AI projects for blockchain databases. The company claimed that its Binance account was hacked on June 6. “Unable to remove the assets because of account restrictions, they allegedly sold them to a linked third party at a fraction of their value in under a...

2021 has been an incredible year for bitcoin, ethereum, and a great number of the world’s most popular digital assets. While bitcoin has gained around 300% during the last 12 months and ethereum has risen by 630%, a large swathe of crypto assets saw much larger gains. 12-Month Stats Show a Slew of Relatively Unknown Tokens Outperformed the Top Ten Crypto Assets by Market Cap After the March 12, 2020 market crash that wreaked havoc on nearly every commodity in the world, otherwise known as ‘ Black Thursday ,’ the crypto economy ballooned in value. Three months ago, most crypto assets tapped fresh new all-time highs, but quite a bit of these coins have since retreated between 30-55% in value. The lion’s share of crypto supporters dedicate their focus to crypto-assets like bitcoin, ethereum, or assets in the top 20 crypto assets by market valuation. The Game Stars network is an e-sports “blockchain platform that helps to monetize cyber athletes’ professional advancement,” according t...

Computer chip manufacturer Intel Corp. has revealed it holds a stake in the leading U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase. The tech giant purchased the shares worth almost $800,000 after the digital asset trading platform went public earlier this year. Intel Acquires Shares of Crypto Exchange Coinbase Intel has disclosed it owns Coinbase stock in a quarterly report submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) on Friday. The Santa Clara, California-based technology company bought the stake following the listing of the cryptocurrency exchange this spring. According to the filed Form 13F, Intel had 3,014 shares of the platform’s operator, Coinbase Global Inc., as of June 30, valued at over $760,000 at the time. On that date, Coinbase’s stock closed at $253.30 per share, Market Watch details. The price at the end of June was 22.8% lower than the $328.28 closing rate registered on the first day of trading of the COIN shares, April 14. The stocks have since recover...

The global charity organization, CARE, has created crypto-based vouchers that will be distributed to women and select groups in Africa and Latin America. According to CARE, these vouchers will be redeemable for goods, services or cash and linked to the needs of recipients. However, in its statement announcing the launch of the pilot phase, the NGO reveals only groups in Kenya and Ecuador are set to participate. In Kenya, the vouchers will go to the “village savings and loans associations that are coping with the economic impact of COVID-19.” In Ecuador, the crypto vouchers will be distributed “to survivors or women at risk of gender-based violence.” Project Launched in Partnership With Crypto Organizations Commenting on the voucher launch, Christian Pennotti, the senior director for market-based approaches at CARE, said: We are excited to be working alongside Celo and Emerging Impact in Ecuador and Binance’s Blockchain Charity Foundation in Kenya to test new ways that these tech...

A Venezuelan merchant was kidnapped and killed after his family failed to gather a ransom that kidnappers explicitly asked to be paid in bitcoin. The perpetrators asked for a sum of 1.5 bitcoin to release the hostage, later lowering the ransom to 0.5 bitcoin. The family of the victim finally was unable to gather the ransom money. Venezuelan Citizen Abducted, Bitcoin Ransom Demanded A Venezuelan citizen identified as Gustavo Torres González was murdered yesterday when his family failed to gather ransom money that kidnappers requested be paid in bitcoin. Torres was abducted on August 10 when he was presumably heading home in the Zulia state, according to police. The kidnappers quickly communicated with Torres’ family and asked to be paid 1.5 bitcoin to release him, according to local media . However, his family was not able to gather the funds, and in communications with the kidnappers, managed to lower the ransom to 0.5 bitcoin. Still, this was tragically a sum too hefty for his fam...

Lionel Messi, the Argentinian soccer superstar, has opted to receive cryptocurrency as part of his new contract signed with the French club Paris Saint-Germain. The club revealed that the player will receive crypto as part of his $30 million payment, as a “welcome package” given to the player. The proportion of the crypto stash in his payment was not disclosed, but the club stated it was a “significant” portion. Lionel Messi Gets Part of His Contract Paid in Cryptocurrency Lionel Messi, the Argentinian soccer player, will receive part of his contract payment in cryptocurrency, according to reports from his new French club, Paris Saint-Germain. Messi, arriving at the club after spending many years playing for the Spanish Barcelona soccer team, will receive a part of an estimated $30 million in the fan token of the new club as part of a welcome package offered as an incentive to the player. While the total amount of this welcome bonus that will be paid in cryptocurrency has not been...

On Friday, the price of the token cardano spiked over the $2 handle nearing the crypto asset’s all-time high that took place three months ago. Cardano’s price jump derived from a video announcement stemming from Cardano’s Nigel Hemsley when he explained the Cardano network would upgrade on September 12, 2021. The highly anticipated “Alonzo Purple” upgrade aims to boost the Cardano project with fully functional, advanced smart contract solutions. Alonzo Upgrade Scheduled for September 12 Cardano is looking to upgrade the network in the near future, as IOHK’s Nigel Hemsley revealed the project plans to launch the upgrade on September 12 . In a tweet, Input Output (IOHK) also explained the upgrade will happen on the same date mentioned in the video. The name “Alonzo” derives from the mathematician and computer scientist Alonzo Church. The Alonzo implementation has been slowly upgraded by colored-coded stages with the final being purple. “It’s happening,” IOHK said. “We’re targeting 1...

The price of bitcoin jumped over the $47K handle on Friday afternoon and at 4:15 p.m. (EDT) the price tapped $47,929 per unit. Bitcoin has jumped over 8% today and is more than 45% up over the course of the last month. Bitcoin’s Value Jumped 45% Last Month The crypto economy grew to around $1.99 trillion on August 13, increasing more than 7.4% during the course of the day. The price of bitcoin ( BTC ) jumped over 8% and reached a new high for the month of August reaching $47,929 per unit. Seven-day statistics show BTC has climbed more than 11% and during the month more than 45% against the U.S. dollar. While a touch lower than the high this afternoon, BTC is still up 304% during the course of the year. Bitcoin ( BTC ) on Friday, August 13, 2021. Out of the $1.99 trillion, however, bitcoin only holds a 45% dominance among the 10,000+ digital assets in existence. Ethereum ( ETH ) commands 19.4% of the crypto economy dominance, while BNB and ADA hold more than 3% per market. Du...

The United States is facing severe inflation despite the Federal Reserve and mainstream media doubling down on saying the loss of purchasing power is just “transitory.” This week consumer and producer metrics from July have been published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and inflation is growing stronger. July CPI Stats Show a Jump to 5.4%, Producer Prices Skyrocket by 7.8% President Joe Biden has been compared to Jimmy Carter as Americans are witnessing the rebirth of stagflation. The term “stagflation” was very relevant during the Carter administration because America saw slow economic growth and vast unemployment numbers. Economic growth and unemployment numbers in 2021, look a bit more gruesome because of the aftermath of 2020’s Covid-19 lockdowns and government mandates caused. Looks like consumers are no longer buying the Fed's transitory BS. https://t.co/WiGReLiUBa — Sven Henrich (@NorthmanTrader) August 13, 2021 This week’s data from the U.S. Bureau of Labo...

PRESS RELEASE. Charitable company MUNCH will lead a philanthropic effort called Charity Circle, which will donate to charitable global causes using ETH . 13th August 2021, London, UK — Leading DeFi charity platform MUNCH has announced ‘Charity Circle’ – a philanthropic effort led by Munch to encourage DeFi projects to donate to charitable causes through sending Ethereum to Munch’s smart contract, Charity Circle will trustlessly and automatically donate to the current charity selected by the Munch community. MUNCH and Partnerships MUNCH is a DeFi cryptocurrency that uses blockchain technology to build in giving back as an inherent part of every interaction. Through automated, trustless donations from transaction fees. MUNCH has already donated more than $3M to various community-chosen charitable causes. The project are official partners with TheGivingBlock and recently became the first crypto partner with charity: water , joining major corporations such as Google and Amazon. C...

On Friday, a few days after the initial hack for $611 million, the Poly Network project detailed that the company has obtained all the assets stolen minus the frozen tether that was blacklisted by Tether Limited. The Poly Network team said they are in control of the funds along with “Mr. White Hat,” but the repayment process is not complete. Poly Network Hacker Returns Most of the Stolen Crypto Assets According to a message from the Poly Network team, a large majority of the stolen funds from the August 10 hack have been returned. The stash of tether ( USDT ) are the only funds that remain in limbo according to a recent letter from the Poly Network team. The Poly Network hacker stole ​​$611 million worth of ETH , WETH, WBTC, UNI, RENBTC, USDT , USDC, DAI, SHIB, FEI, BNB , and various BEP-20 tokens. All have been returned except the frozen the USDT which equals roughly $33 million in tethers. The Poly Network protocol is a cross-chain service that stems from the NEO blockcha...

The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase says that it wants to be “the Amazon of assets” and list every legal crypto asset out there. The company has outlined two major long-term trends affecting its business. Coinbase Wants to List All Legal Cryptocurrencies Coinbase revealed its plan during the Q2 2021 earnings call Tuesday. CEO Brian Armstrong explained: “We at Coinbase always think about longer-term cycles of crypto … We’re always looking at the long-term trends.” He described two key trends affecting Coinbase. “The first one is that we’re continuing to see this trend of people using crypto for more and more things beyond trading,” Armstrong detailed. He added that “For example, we now have 1.7 million users doing staking in crypto, which is a way to earn a yield on your assets.” The CEO continued, “The second big trend we’re seeing is this idea of Coinbase embracing decentralization,” elaborating: We want to be the Amazon of assets, list every asset out there in c...