Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Moneygram, one of the leaders in the cross-border payments and remittances market, has partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to use the Stellar blockchain for settlements. The company will use the native version of USD coin (USDC), a popular stablecoin, to simplify and accelerate the process of sending remittances. This also means that Moneygram will act as a fiat on and off-ramp service for USD coin users. Moneygram to Use Crypto for Remittances Moneygram, a Dallas, Texas-based payments and remittances company, has announced a partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation, the development and growth arm for the Stellar blockchain, to make use of its capabilities for settling payments and facilitating remittances. The company will use the native version of USDC on the Stellar blockchain to move funds in a more easy and effective way. However, neither Moneygram nor Circle are banks. United Texas Bank will serve as a settlement bank between Circle and MoneyGram, ac

Soros Fund Management, founded by billionaire investor George Soros, has invested in bitcoin. The CEO of the asset management company says bitcoin is not just an inflation hedge: “I think it’s crossed the chasm to mainstream.” Soros Fund Management’s CEO Says Bitcoin Has Gone Mainstream Soros Fund Management, the asset management company founded by billionaire investor George Soros, has invested in bitcoin, the fund’s CEO, Dawn Fitzpatrick, revealed in an interview with Bloomberg, published Tuesday. Fitzpatrick is both the CEO and chief investment officer (CIO) of Soros Fund Management. She is the first person to hold both titles. Discussing inflation, she said, “If you watched gold in September, it was down 5% so I think the fear of the debasing of the U.S. dollar has receded to a degree.” In addition, she noted, “The IMF just came out with kind of reserve currency balances and the U.S. dollar has stopped losing ground.” Nonetheless, bitcoin is trading above $50K. Commenting on

Global investment bank JPMorgan says institutional investors are returning to bitcoin, seeing the cryptocurrency as a better hedge than gold. The firm’s analysts describe three key drivers boosting the price of bitcoin in recent weeks, including assurances that U.S. policymakers will not ban cryptocurrencies. JPMorgan Sees Renewed Interest in Bitcoin JPMorgan published a research note Thursday stating that institutional investors are returning to bitcoin. Citing the trend of money flowing out of gold into BTC , the firm’s analysts wrote: Institutional investors appear to be returning to bitcoin perhaps seeing it as a better inflation hedge than gold. The analysts explained that there are three key drivers pushing the price of bitcoin from about $40K to about $55K in a short period of time. The price of bitcoin is $53,853.14 at the time of writing based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets . The first is “The recent assurances by U.S. policymakers that there is no intention to foll

Investing platform Public, with over 1 million users, is rolling out cryptocurrency trading. “Crypto is gaining momentum as a compelling asset class for millions of investors,” the company said. Public Launches Cryptocurrency Trading Investing platform Public describes itself as “the investing social network where members can own fractional shares of stocks and ETFs [exchange-traded funds], follow popular creators, and share ideas within a community of investors.” The company announced Thursday: Today, we’re adding crypto on Public. Members will be able to buy, sell, and hold crypto assets in the same app they use to manage their stock market portfolios. “Members can now explore ten cryptos in the app: bitcoin ( BTC ), ether ( ETH ), cardano ( ADA ), dogecoin (DOGE), litecoin ( LTC ), bitcoin cash ( BCH ), stellar ( XLM ), ethereum classic ( ETC ), dash ( DASH ), and zcash (ZEC),” the company detailed. “The offering will be rolled out to eligible members gradually over the next

Wall Street is often touted as the place where dreams come to life, but the world’s economic epicenter can also be an absolute nightmare. From brokers screaming at each other across trading floors to the modern electronic trading systems of today, money talks in Wall Street. However, while the NYSE houses over $28.5 trillion in assets, there’s still a lot left unsaid. On Wall Street, it is believed that history doesn’t repeat itself, but rhymes. The world’s financial systems have failed consistently over time, but when Phemex’s founder Jack Tao initially joined Morgan Stanley in 2009, nothing could have prepared him for the restrictive design financial markets utilized towards retail investors. From censoring trades inflating fees to conducting deals with exclusive partners away from the public’s attention, Jack started seeing the system as it was — skewed in favor of the rich and influential. The name ‘Phemex’ comes from two words — ‘Pheme,’ the Greek God of fame, who was a conduit

About five years ago, Bitcoin.com News reported on the notorious Pepe the frog getting added to the blockchain collectible world after the non-fungible token (NFT) cards were minted on the Counterparty protocol in 2016. Now the creator of Pepe the frog, Matt Furie, has added his flare to the mix with a special NFT featuring his original green amphibian creation. Crypto Fans Get Their First Introduction to Counterparty Rare Pepe NFTs in 2016 Back in 2005, when Matt Furie introduced Pepe the frog to the world, he did not expect it to garner such virality across the web. At the time, he didn’t even know what a meme was when he crafted the green frog that is now shared far and wide across the web. More than ten years later, in 2016, Pepe the frog was a legend and cryptocurrencies were in the midst of changing course toward another climactic bull run. In October 2016, Bitcoin.com News reported on the Rare Pepe blockchain cards that were introduced via the Counterparty blockchain . At

Members of the parliament in Kazakhstan have proposed the establishment of a state register for cryptocurrency farms operating in the country. Alarmed by the growing consumption of energy in the sector, the lawmakers also want to charge miners a higher price for the electricity they use. Mazhilis Members Want Miners in Kazakhstan to Register With Government, Pay More for Power A group of deputies from the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s bicameral legislature, have voiced concerns over the growing electricity demand. The parliamentarians believe the surge is due to the influx of crypto mining companies into the country, attracted by its low energy prices. Members of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan have put forward proposals to deal with the escalating situation. According to a report by Tengrinews, the lawmakers have urged Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar to create a special register for crypto farms that mint digital currencies in the country. Zhambyl Ahmetbekov, on

The price of bitcoin soared past the $55K handle on Wednesday for the first time in four months giving proponents hope the crypto bull run has been re-ignited. Speculators are predicting a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) will be approved soon and some believe bitcoin will outperform other crypto assets this month. ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas Discusses Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund Approval Odds While 13 digital currencies outperformed bitcoin ( BTC ) this past week, BTC has been a top performer gathering 34.2% over the last seven days. On Wednesday, statistics indicate that BTC gained more than 7% in value and tapped a daily high of $55,800. One of the reasons behind bitcoin’s price spike is the rumor that an exchange-traded fund (ETF) may get the green light from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas discussed his opinion of the possibility on October 2 and shared a screenshot of the odds. Balchunas also mentioned SEC chairman G

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and after an initial dip, the stock market has performed exceptionally well for such an economically uncertain time. The SPDR S&P 500 electronically traded fund (ETF), which provides a good indicator of the stock market’s overall performance, has increased in value by 32% year-over-year (YoY) and 39% since the beginning of January 2020. While these returns are impressive, the performance of Bitcoin has surpassed expectations and greatly exceeded the performance of the S&P 500. Bitcoin’s value has drastically increased by 554% since the beginning of 2020 and by 352% YoY. As Figure 1 highlights, these are far beyond those of the stock market and most any other asset class. Bitcoin’s price during this time rose from $7,175 and $10,382, respectively, to $46,898. For the past 4 years, Cash2Bitcoin has helped new investors across the United States gain access to this asset by providing physical locations where Bitcoin can be purchased,

Nigerians are hopeful the planned central bank digital currency (CBDC), also known as the e-naira, is going to enhance cross-border payments and make it “easier for the naira to be widely used and accepted.” E-Naira Launch a Boon for Cryptos In fact, according to a VOA report , some Nigerian blockchain experts like Janet Kaatyo believe the e-naira launch will work in favor of cryptocurrencies. Prior to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s February directive , cryptocurrency usage and trading in Nigeria had surged due in part to pandemic-related movement restrictions. However, this growing popularity as well as the depreciation of the naira eventually forced the CBN to act. Soon after ordering banks to squeeze out crypto players, the CBN began promoting the e-naira which it claimed would “ease monetary transactions and improve the long-term value of Nigeria’s currency.” CBDC Role in Fighting Corruption While the CBN has yet to announce the new launch date for the e-naira, some Nige

Zimbabwean crypto and economic experts have suggested Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s positive comments about cryptocurrencies do not necessarily mean monetary authorities are about to remove restrictions that were imposed in 2018. The Case for Blockchain Instead, the experts claim the remarks show that the government is only interested in aspects of blockchain technology that are beneficial to it. They insist, however, that because the Zimbabwean government — just like its peers in Africa — will not countenance ceding monetary control to anyone, it will not lift restrictions on cryptocurrency trading. The experts’ comments, which were published by Aljazeera, follow Ncube’s tweet in September which extolled cryptocurrencies. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Ncube suggested in the tweet that cryptocurrencies could “lower charges for diaspora remittances.” The minister’s pro-crypto remarks are reiterated by Clive Mphambela, chief director of communications for the Minist

The Ukrainian president has sent the recently adopted law “On Virtual Assets” back to the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s legislature. The head of state has come up with his own suggestions and opposed the establishment of a new regulatory body that would require additional financing. Setting Up New Crypto Market Regulator Will Be Expensive, Zelensky Warns Ukrainian parliament adopted the long-awaited law “On Virtual Assets” in early September when lawmakers approved the bill on second and final reading. The legislation, designed to regulate crypto-related activities in the country, passed its first reading last December, after which it was revised and presented again in the Rada in June of this year. In order to enforce the new legislation, authorities in Kyiv need to make amendments to the Tax Code and get the president to sign the virtual assets law. However, Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to return it to Ukrainian deputies and request certain changes. Besides introducing key l

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been extremely popular in recent times as a great number of collections have been dropped and billions of dollars worth of NFTs have been exchanged. Just recently, a collection of NFTs stemming from the Smartbch protocol called “Poolside Puffers” was introduced to the Bitcoin Cash community. The entire collection of 2,100 Puffers sold out in less than three days and all proceeds are being donated to an orphanage in Vietnam. Meet Poolside Puffers — 2,100 Unique Generative Art Collectibles Built With Smartbch The Smartbch protocol has been gathering traction as people are minting a myriad of tokens, leveraging decentralized exchange (dex) platforms like Misty Lake ( lake.mistswap.fi ) and Benswap , as well as discussing new Smartbch ideas across a variety of forums. While blockchain NFT collections like Cryptopunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and others have been all the rage lately, a Smartbch-minted NFT collection sold out in three days this week. The NFT

Leading yield farming platform DeFi Yield Protocol (DYP) has collaborated with KyberDMM to boost DYP token liquidity on Avalanche blockchain. As part of the partnership, $300,000 worth of DYP and KNC tokens have been made available as liquidity mining rewards. A major milestone for DYP The collaboration between DYP and KyberDMM represents a major milestone for the DYP as it continues to make inroads within the DeFi ecosystem. The two protocols have agreed to run joint liquidity mining campaigns to increase the number and liquidity of key token pools and incentivize liquidity providers with attractive yields. KyberDMM is an innovative and capital-efficient DEX protocol that enhances liquidity with amplified pools and optimizes returns for liquidity providers with dynamic fees. As a result, DYP holders can maximize the use of their capital on KyberDMM DEX and access amplified liquidity pools and dynamic fees within a secure platform. Liquidity providers can add any amount of liquidi

On October 5, the youth fashion and retail brand Pacsun announced the company is now accepting cryptocurrencies via Bitpay’s payment services. Pacsun says the company has a youthful audience that is “very tech-oriented” and the firm has seen an “increasing desire towards cryptocurrency.” Pacific Sunwear of California Goes Crypto The American retail clothing brand, Pacific Sunwear of California, LLC, otherwise known as Pacsun, is now supporting crypto-asset acceptance. Founded in 1982, Pacsun has roughly 400 stores in all 50 states and in Puerto Rico. The company has partnered with the crypto payments firm Bitpay and disclosed it will accept 11 different crypto assets including bitcoin ( BTC ), bitcoin cash ( BCH ), ethereum ( ETH ), wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), dogecoin (DOGE), and litecoin ( LTC ). Five different stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar will also be accepted by Pacsun. “With digital sales doubling since last year, we understand the continued importance of creating an exc

The U.S. has launched the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, an initiative of the Department of Justice (DOJ), to tackle and prosecute “criminal misuses of cryptocurrency, particularly crimes committed by virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and money laundering.” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, “The point is to protect consumers.” DOJ’s New Crypto Enforcement Initiative U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) during a virtual speech at the Aspen Cyber Summit Wednesday. The aim of the initiative is “ to tackle complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal misuses of cryptocurrency, particularly crimes committed by virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and money laundering infrastructure actors,” the Department of Justice subsequently detailed. “The team will also assist in tracing and recovery of assets lost to fraud and extortion, includ

The CEO of the world’s largest movie exhibition company, AMC Entertainment, has announced “huge news” for dogecoin fans. While his company works on accepting cryptocurrencies, he said that customers can now “buy AMC Theatres digital gift cards … with dogecoin and other cryptocurrency.” AMC Accepts Cryptocurrencies for Gift Cards After announcing that AMC will “figure out how to” accept dogecoin by year-end alongside four other cryptocurrencies, CEO Adam Aron tweeted Tuesday that he had “huge news” for dogecoin fans. AMC Entertainment Holdings is the largest movie exhibition company in the U.S., Europe, and the world. As of March 31, AMC owned or operated approximately 950 theaters and 10,500 screens globally. The executive wrote: “Huge news dogecoin fans! As we work to accept online crypto payments, now you can buy AMC Theatres digital gift cards (up to $200 per day) with dogecoin and other cryptocurrency using a Bitpay Wallet. Accepted on our website, mobile app, and in theatres

Spellfire , a legendary card-based NFT game powered by Ethereum and incorporating some unique features, has successfully completed its seed funding round. Terranova, x21 and Autonomy Capital have led 360,000 USD investment into the project, with more investors eyeing spellfire’s incoming private round. Spellfire has some unique features which make it stand out among its peers in the industry. NFTs acquired are digital and physical, making it the first NFT based game that allows owners to touch their NFTs. Special NFTs have an “Augmented Reality” feature allowing the owners to interact with their NFTs using gestures. NFTs will be upgradable. Players can create their own NFTs with unique characteristics. Spellfire includes a P2E mechanic which allows owners to generate revenue from their NFTs and from playing the game, with 200,000,000 tokens being distributed through in-game rewards: Tournaments, Special collections, Achievements, and 90 percent of NFT generated profits goin

The 78th United States secretary of the treasury, Janet Yellen, is very concerned about tax evasion, according to statements she made during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that aired on October 5. Yellen claims there’s an “enormous tax gap” and she insists financial information concerning where income derives from can get “hidden.” Janet Yellen Says ‘Collection of Information Is Routine’ The U.S. secretary of the treasury wants lawmakers to push Biden’s “American Families Plan Tax Compliance Agenda” in order to solve the issue. The proposed legislation, if passed, would require banks to report all inflows and outflows of at least $600 to the IRS. In mid-September, Bitcoin.com News reported on Janet Yellen and IRS commissioner Charles Rettig asking lawmakers to pass the “American Families Plan Tax Compliance Agenda.” The proposed legislation aims to get all financial institutions to report deposits and withdrawals of $600 or more to the American tax agency, regardless of tax

American politicians have been clamoring about the U.S. facing a significant debt crisis and the debt ceiling putting the country at risk of default. Joe Biden spoke about the debt ceiling and told Republicans to “just get out of the way” when it comes to the decision. Meanwhile, a number of U.S. bureaucrats are floating the idea of minting a $1 trillion platinum coin in order to magically bolster the treasury with cash. Trillion-Dollar Coin Concept Strongly Considered by US Politicians, Former US Mint Director Says Platinum Coin Can Be Minted in Mere Hours Simply creating new fiat out of thin air these days is an extremely popular trend, and it seems that many politicians worldwide have not considered the history of economies that have been destroyed by excessive monetary expansion. In the U.S., public officials have been discussing the country’s debt ceiling and whether or not America will default on what it owes. Speaking at a White House news conference, U.S. president Joe Bid