Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Last March, the comic book publisher DC Comics told freelancers that intellectual property (IP) and characters owned by DC Comics were off-limits in regards to freelancers leveraging the IP for non-fungible token (NFT) asset sales. A recent report indicates that Marvel Comics has also told freelance artists that the sale of NFT products featuring Marvel’s IP is off-limits as well. DC Comics and Marvel Tell Freelance Artists to Hold Off on Auctioning NFTs Featuring Company’s IP A report published on Friday shows that the world’s largest comic book publisher Marvel Comics does not want artists to use Marvel’s products and IP for NFT sales. Back in March, Bitcoin.com News reported on DC Comics’ legal executive sending a letter to staffers and freelance artists telling them to cease and desist NFT initiatives that involved DC Comics’ IP. Before the letter went out, comic book artist José Delgo sold a Wonder Woman-themed NFT collection via Makersplace. “Please note that the offering f

Following El Salvador making bitcoin legal tender, a survey was conducted to ascertain whether U.S. adults support or oppose a similar move in the U.S. Among 4,912 adults who participated, 61% did not oppose. Majority of Adults in US Do Not Oppose Making Bitcoin Legal Tender, Survey Shows Yougov America Inc. conducted a survey Thursday to ascertain whether consumers are for or against adopting bitcoin as legal tender in the U.S. A total of 4,912 adults in the country participated in the survey. Yougov is an international research data and analytics group headquartered in London. Survey respondents were asked: “Would you support or oppose the U.S. making bitcoin a legal form of currency? This would mean that businesses would accept bitcoin in exchange for goods and services, in addition to continuing to accept the U.S. dollar.” According to the results, 11% said they “strongly support” and 16% said they “somewhat support.” Meanwhile, 11% said they “somewhat oppose,” 28% said they “

The chief investment officer of the world’s largest asset manager, Blackrock, says he could see bitcoin going up significantly. “I like assets that are volatile that have upside convexity,” he said. Blackrock CIO Sees Significant Upside to Bitcoin Rick Rieder, Blackrock’s chief investment officer (CIO) of Global Fixed Income, was asked Friday in an interview with CNBC about his view on bitcoin now that the cryptocurrency is legal tender in a country. Blackrock is the world’s largest asset manager, with about $9.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM) at the end of the second quarter. Rieder is also the firm’s head of the Fundamental Fixed Income business and head of the Global Allocation Investment Team. He is responsible for roughly $2.4 trillion in assets. Rieder began by commenting on the popular opinion that cryptocurrency is either “a hedge or an alternative [currency].” Regarding cryptocurrency as a hedge, he said, “I’m not sure it’s a really great hedge,” citing its co

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a warning about fraudulent investment schemes involving cryptocurrencies. The regulator notes that some investors may have fear of missing out (FOMO) given the rise in prices of some crypto assets in recent years. SEC Warns Investors of Crypto Scams The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) and Division of Enforcement’s Retail Strategy Task Force (RSTF) issued an Investor Alert on crypto investment scams last week. The notice explains that “Fraudsters continue to exploit the rising popularity of digital assets to lure retail investors into scams, often leading to devastating losses,” adding: Some investors may have FOMO [fear of missing out], given the rise in price of some digital assets in recent years, that they will miss an opportunity to become very wealthy. The notice outlines some warning signs of a scam. “Guaranteed high investment returns … with little or n

PRESS RELEASE. TALLIN, ESTONIA -T he most interesting event of this fall is the listing of DBX tokens , that will be available around the world at the beginning of the season. The long-awaited listing of DBX will take place on 7 of the world’s most famous exchanges. The good news is that you can buy, sell, and exchange tokens right now. Someone has already purchased them during the presale. Next, you can see the complete list of cryptocurrency exchanges, where the cryptocurrency will be available: DBX DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM BitMart (from September 10, 2021), among the top 20 largest exchanges on the planet; Lbank (from September 15, 2021), Chinese exchange, known all over the world ; WhiteBit (from September 20, 2021), licensed exchange in Estonia; Latoken (from September 25, 2021), a platform that is included in the top-10, due to the turnover since 2019 Probit (from September 30, 2021), one of the largest exchanges in Europe, winner of many awards. More info about DBX It is

The non-fungible token (NFT) industry has exploded in 2021 as millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies continue to be traded for these blockchain collectibles every single day. This week, Bitcoin.com News chatted with the popular American rapper Ja Rule about NFTs as he has partnered with James Cropcho and Robert Testagrossa to build a marketplace called flipkick.io. Ja Rule Speaks About NFTs and Bitcoin, Fyre Festival, and the NFT Marketplace Flipkick.io Yesterday, Bitcoin.com News spoke with recording artist Ja Rule , who is well known for his chart-topping albums and songs like the number 1 hit “ Always on Time ” (featuring Ashanti) in 2002. The musician is now involved with non-fungible tokens and helped form a unique NFT marketplace with serial entrepreneur Robert Testagrossa and engineer James Cropcho. Flipkick.io is a full-service NFT marketplace that caters to artists, celebrities, and creators who want to monetize their work with physical NFTs. I’ve been off my NFT’

Authorities in Iran are continuing their crackdown on unauthorized cryptocurrency mining as electricity demand remains high. The country’s power utility company has so far closed down more than 5,300 illegal mining facilities, seizing an enormous amount of coin-minting machines. Power Utility Confiscates More Than 216,000 Mining Units From Unlicensed Miners in Iran Preventing blackouts remains a priority in Iran where electricity consumption is still higher than usual. Cryptocurrency miners, the majority of which are operating without authorization, have been blamed for electricity shortages throughout the summer. The hot weather this year led to increased use of air conditioning while limited rainfall negatively affected hydropower generation. The Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company, Tavanir , is constantly tracking down illegal mining operations across the country. According to a recent report by the utility, the number of crypto farms the state-run enti

Switzerland’s stock exchange SIX has won regulatory approval to launch its long-awaited bourse for digital assets. This authorization enables the exchange “to go live with a fully regulated, integrated trading, settlement, and custody infrastructure based on distributed ledger technology for digital securities.” SIX Digital Exchange Greenlighted to Launch SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) announced Friday that it has formally obtained two licenses from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) “to operate a stock exchange and a central securities depository for digital assets in Switzerland.” The announcement states: This authorization enables SDX to go live with a fully regulated, integrated trading, settlement, and custody infrastructure based on distributed ledger technology for digital securities. With these licenses, SDX can now offer the highest Swiss standards of oversight and regulation. “The digitalization of financial markets continues apace, and while t

The leader of a cryptocurrency scheme that swindled over $30 million from investors has pleaded guilty to fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said. He now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Leader of $30M Crypto Scheme Pleads Guilty to Fraud The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that Michael Ackerman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The Justice Department described that Ackerman is the leader of a “fake cryptocurrency investment scheme.” He “orchestrated a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency investment scheme” and “admitted to causing victim losses of more than $30 million.” The DOJ elaborated: Ackerman, 52, of Sheffield Lake, Ohio, pled guilty today to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. According to court filings, in or around 2017, Ackerman and others started a purported cryptocurrency investment fund and recruited hundreds of investors. “The fund was an investment club that allowed its membe

The governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das, has once again expressed concerns regarding the impact of cryptocurrencies on India’s financial stability. Crypto Presents ‘Serious Concerns’ to RBI The Indian government is currently awaiting the Cabinet to take up the crypto bill. However, the country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), still has major concerns about cryptocurrencies. Governor Shaktikanta Das reportedly said Wednesday: We have serious, major concerns on cryptocurrency with respect to financial stability, [and] have conveyed the same to government of India. This is not the first time the RBI chief has voiced concerns regarding cryptocurrencies. In June, he similarly said : “We have major concerns on cryptocurrency, which we have conveyed to the government. With regard to advice to investors, well, central banks don’t give any investment advice. It’s up to each investor to make his own appraisal, to do his own due diligence and take a

On Friday, Grayscale Investments, the world’s largest digital currency asset manager in terms of assets under management (AUM), revealed that three trusts have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to become SEC reporting companies. The three trusts include individual crypto asset products such as the bitcoin cash trust, the litecoin trust, and the ethereum classic trust, which will join three other Grayscale trusts that are already SEC reporting companies. Grayscale’s BCH , LTC , ETC Trusts to Join Three Other Products as SEC Reporting Companies Grayscale Investments has detailed that three individual crypto trusts are moving forward with their product growth cycle. The company announced on Friday that the Bitcoin Cash Trust (OTCQX: BCHG), Litecoin Trust (OTCQX: LTCN), and the Ethereum Classic Trust (OTCQX: ETCG) have been registered with the SEC in a new filing. The Form 10 registration will effectively convert the trusts into SEC reporting compan

Law enforcement in the Russian republic of Tatarstan have made new arrests in connection with the crypto Ponzi scheme Finiko. Two women detained this week are believed to have attracted millions of dollars to the pyramid. The now collapsed Finiko lured investors from a number of countries in the post-Soviet space and around the world, including Germany and the U.S. Female Influencers Detained in Ongoing Finiko Investigation Police in Kazan, Tatarstan’s capital city, have arrested two women for their involvement in the massive crypto pyramid Finiko, Realnoe Vremya reported . Lilia Nurieva, founder of a real estate agency who joined the Ponzi scheme, and Dina Gabdullina, a high-ranking Finiko executive, were taken into custody after investigators summoned them for questioning earlier this week. Dina Gabdullina and Lilia Nurieva. Source: social media. The two detainees have allegedly enticed numerous investors to send over $10 million to the scam through multi-level marketing, for

Localcryptos, the noncustodial P2P cryptocurrency market, has added bitcoin cash to its platform. This is the fifth cryptocurrency the platform has taken on for P2P transactions after having rebranded from Localethereum. The market will leverage the OP_CHECKDATASIG opcode, which presents some advantages. Also, users from Bitcoin.com Local will be able to migrate their reputation to the Localcryptos platform. Localcryptos Adds Bitcoin Cash Localcryptos, one of the leading noncustodial cryptocurrency P2P markets, has added support for bitcoin cash transactions on its platform. Now users can deposit, trade, and withdraw bitcoin cash from the Localcryptos platform. This is the fifth cryptocurrency added to the service after its rebrand from Localethereum. Before, the company added litecoin and dash, after bitcoin and ethereum. Localcryptos declared that to construct the noncustodial experience for bitcoin cash, it used the OP_CHECKDATASIG opcode, which presents a series of advantages

A New York IT supervisor is facing a possible sentence of up to 15 years in jail for mining bitcoin in the office. The man, identified as Christopher Naples, allegedly had hidden 46 mining rigs in the offices of the Suffolk County Center in Riverhead, New York. According to the investigation, 10 of these rigs had been installed since February, consuming more than $6,000 worth of energy. But given there were 36 more machines, the total energy cost could be far greater. New York Man Faces Jail Time for Mining in the Office Christopher Naples, an IT technician for Suffolk County in New York, could spend up to 15 years in jail for mining bitcoin in his offices. According to reports , the man introduced 46 mining machines into the offices of the county, hiding these underneath floorboards. Naples is now facing charges of public corruption, grand larceny, computer trespass, and official misconduct. Prosecutors state the machines spent at least $6,000 worth of power, with the temperature

A slew of late court filings by lawyers representing Mirror Trading International (MTI) investors has forced a South African judge to postpone the hearing of the liquidators’ application to have the online bitcoin scam declared an illegal business. Concern Over Implications of Declaration Order As a Mybroadband report explains, the investors’ belated decisions to oppose the motion stems from growing concerns that such a declaration would give liquidators too much power. Before the latest counter applications, only Clynton and Cheri Marks — the co-masterminds of MTI — had opposed the liquidators’ motion. However, as the report states, other investors have now come to the conclusion that the liquidators could be “seeking powers that would allow them to claw back the withdrawals of all members, even if they lost money in the scheme.” In other instances, investors have been warned if “MTI is declared a pyramid or Ponzi, then all profits would be declared proceeds of a criminal enterp

The British-founded American multinational corporation headquartered in New York City, Sotheby’s, closed the Yuga Labs “101 Bored Ape Yacht Club” non-fungible token (NFT) collection auction at $24.3 million for the lot. The auction ended on September 10 and surpassed the expected settlement for the NFT lot which was estimated to be around $12-18 million. The ‘101 Bored Ape Yacht Club’ and ‘Mutant Serum’ NFT Collection Auctions for $24 Million NFT project the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has been a popular non-fungible token collection since the project’s inception. Many of the NFTs have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single BAYC NFT. There are approximately 10,000 BAYC NFTs in the original collection and 5,423 unique ethereum addresses own at least one BAYC NFT. Onchain statistics show one address owns approximately 105 Bored Ape Yacht Club units and data shows the collection is the fourth largest in seven-day sales this week. Dappradar.com stats indicate that t

Mining and trading of cryptocurrencies are illegal in Nepal, the country’s central bank has reminded citizens of the Himalayan nation. The regulator also warned that participating in such activities would entail penalties as per the current legislation. Despite its position, however, the Nepalese have continued to invest in bitcoin, media reports reveal. Engaging in Illegal Crypto Activities is Punishable by Law, Nepal Rastra Bank Says in Notice Cryptocurrency trading and mining are punishable as they are illegal in the country, the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) remarked in а recently published warning titled “Cryptocurrency transactions are illegal.” In the notice , which appeared on the central bank’s website on Thursday, the financial regulator refers to Nepal’s Foreign Exchange Act which was adopted in 2019. Quoted by the online news outlet Khabarhub, the NRB stated: Cryptocurrency trading and mining and encouraging the illegal activities is punishable as per existing laws. “Like

Bastyon’s messaging app would include end-to-end encryption, no link to phone number or any other metadata making it the most private messenger. Pocketnet, the social network based on proof-of-stake blockchain technology, enters a new phase of growth by changing its name to Bastyon and by releasing a brand new private messaging component. This new crypto chat app contains state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption and will not use any personally identifiable information from the user. One of the most interesting features of this messenger is its ability to send crypto payments just like any other message. The Bastyon network now includes: a decentralized social network app a decentralized video and live-streaming platform a private messenger app that is also… you guessed it… decentralized The underlying blockchain containing all the data used by Bastyon is still named PocketNet and the network token that is used to compensate node operators and network participants is still the P

The stablecoin giant tether is by far the largest dollar-pegged crypto asset in the crypto economy and today, the number of tethers in circulation is nearing $70 billion. 90 days ago on June 12, 2021, the number of tethers in circulation was around 63 billion tokens and the supply has swelled by 9.99% since then. Circulating Tether Economy Nears $70 Billion, 1 Billion Tethers Minted on Solana The largest stablecoin today, in terms of market valuation is tether ( USDT ) and on Friday, September 10, USDT ’s market capitalization is $69.3 billion, according to the company’s transparency balance web page . The number is similar to most crypto market aggregation web portals tallying up the value of each coin market. Below USDT ’s market valuation is usd coin (USDC) with $29 billion and the Binance dollar-pegged token BUSD with $12.4 billion. The top four stablecoins by market valuation on September 10, 2021. According to the USDT transparency page, the token is issued on several bl