Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Mercadolibre, one of the biggest Latam-based unicorns, has announced strategic investments in two cryptocurrency exchanges: Paxos and Mercado Bitcoin. With these investments, the platform gets closer to cryptocurrency, having already bought bitcoin as a direct investment for its treasury, and offering the possibility of investing in crypto for its users in several countries in Latam. Mercadolibre Puts More Money Behind Crypto Mercadolibre, one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in Latam, with more than 70 million customers, announced strategic investments in two exchange platforms. The Latam-based unicorn announced on January 20th it had acquired shares of 2TM, the parent company of Mercado Bitcoin, one of the leading exchanges in Brazil, with three million customers. The company also invested in Paxos, a stablecoin issuer and blockchain infrastructure provider. The amounts invested in each of these companies were not provided, but the company informed that the objective of the i

UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, has warned about a crypto winter where prices crash and may not recover for years. The bank’s analysts explained several major reasons affecting the prices of cryptocurrencies. UBS Expects Crypto Winter That Could Last Years Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, has warned of a crypto winter where prices crash and may not recover for years. The bank’s analysts, led by James Malcolm, recently explained in a note to clients several reasons why cryptocurrency may lose its attractiveness to investors this year. Firstly, the UBS analysts detailed that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes are set to reduce the appeal of cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, for many investors who see the asset class as a good alternative store of value. The analysts added that if central banks move to get a handle on inflation, investors may not be holding bitcoin as protection against rising prices. They noted that government stimulus was a key factor boosting the prices

The Biden administration is reportedly drafting a government-wide cryptocurrency strategy as an executive order. The directive is expected to be presented to President Joe Biden in the coming weeks. The strategy could be released as soon as next month. US Government-Wide Crypto Strategy The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to release an initial government-wide strategy on digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. The strategy is being drafted as an executive order, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, who revealed that senior administration officials have held multiple meetings on the plan. The finalized executive order is expected to be on President Joe Biden’s desk in the coming weeks, the publication conveyed, adding that the strategy could be released as soon as next month. The directive will detail economic, regulatory, and national security challenges posed by cryptocurrencies. It will direct various federal agencies to weigh in wi

Russia can legalize cryptocurrency mining and stablecoins backed by gold under government control, a high-ranking member of the Russian parliament has suggested. The statement comes after Bank of Russia proposed a wide-ranging ban on the use of cryptocurrencies, and their trading and mining. Mining and Some Stablecoins Can Be Legalized in Russia, Duma Deputy Insists The free circulation of cryptocurrencies must not be allowed as they carry risks for unqualified investors, but Russia may permit the use of gold-backed stablecoins and the mining of cryptocurrencies under government control, the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, Vladimir Gutenev, told the RIA Novosti news agency. On Thursday, The Central Bank of Russia ( CBR ) published a consultation paper in which it presented its comprehensive view on cryptocurrencies. The monetary authority proposed to prohibit coin operations through the Russian financial system, crypto investments, exchange, and mining

The New York-based multinational investment management corporation Blackrock has filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a blockchain tech exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Ishares blockchain tech ETF aims to track the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) index called the Factset Global Blockchain Technologies Index. Blackrock Files to Launch a Blockchain ETF The investment firm with $10 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as of January 2022, Blackrock, hopes to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the Ishares blockchain tech ETF. That’s according to a SEC filing submitted by Blackrock which says the fund will track the ICE index called the NYSE Factset Global Blockchain Technologies Index (NYFSBLC). According to documents, NYFSBLC was initiated on December 31, 2021. Blackrock’s ETF filing investment objective says the “Ishares Blockchain and Tech ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. and non-U.S. companies

One of the largest banks in the Philippines, Unionbank, is reportedly launching cryptocurrency trading and custodial services. “It’s a way to future-proof our banking business,” said a Unionbank executive. Philippines’ Unionbank to Offer Crypto Trading and Custodial Services Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP), also known as Unionbank, plans to offer cryptocurrency trading and custodial services, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Unionbank is one of the largest universal banks in the Philippines with over $15 billion in assets under management (AUM). The bank is one of the first financial institutions in the Philippines to adopt cryptocurrency. Cathy Casas, head of the bank’s blockchain and application programming interface group, explained that the average Filipino investor currently holds about 1% to 2% of their personal assets in cryptocurrency, like bitcoin. She added that if the markets are “stable,” investors would hold between 3% and 5% in 5 years. The Unionbank executive estim

Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk has criticized Twitter for using its engineering resources to provide a non-fungible token (NFT) profile picture service. “Twitter is spending engineering resources on this bs while crypto scammers are throwing a spambot block party in every thread,” Musk said. Elon Musk Criticizes How Twitter Uses Engineering Resources Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized Twitter Friday regarding its new non-fungible token (NFT) profile picture service. “This is annoying,” Musk wrote. “Twitter is spending engineering resources on this bs while crypto scammers are throwing a spambot block party in every thread!?” Twitter launched the NFT profile picture service Thursday to allow users to set up an NFT as their profile picture. NFT profile pictures are displayed with a special hexagon shape. “Right now Twitter only supports static image NFTs (JPEG, PNG) minted on the Ethereum blockchain,” the company clarified. Musk’s tweet received many comments. Some agreed with the Tesl

El Salvador bought the dip as the price of bitcoin plunged to a record low. President Nayib Bukele said Friday that his country has purchased 410 more bitcoins. The Salvadoran government has bought a total of 1,801 bitcoins since the cryptocurrency was made legal tender in the country. El Salvador Buys the Dip The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, tweeted Friday that his country just bought 410 BTC for $15 million. Having paid about $36,585 per coin, Bukele wrote, “Some guys are selling really cheap.” In the same tweet, Bukele also stated that he did not miss the dip after all. “Nope, I was wrong, didn’t miss it,” the Salvadoran president wrote in response to his own tweet on Jan. 14 that says, “I think I might have missed the dip this time.” The price of bitcoin began a steep decline in early November last year from above $67K, based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. BTC started the year around $47K but fell below $41K on Jan. 8. The crypto then slowly crept back up and

Following the large string of block rewards from 2010 spent in November 2021, no block rewards from that year were discovered in December and throughout the next month up until January 21. On Friday, an 11-year-old block reward originally mined on November 22, 2010, was transferred for the first time since being idle for more than a decade. Block 93,276: The First 2010 Block Transferred in 2022 The first recorded 2010 block subsidy reward has been transferred on Friday, after close to two months of zero 2010 block reward spending. The block reward of 50 BTC was worth roughly $1.8 million at the time of transfer. The owner of the BTC address , however, did not spend the corresponding bitcoin cash (BCH) and bitcoinsv (BSV) , which equates to a touch less than $20K for the 100 unspent coins. The very last 2010 block reward spends occurred when the mega whale spent 20 BTC block rewards with 1,000-decade-old bitcoins when BTC tapped an all-time price high. The 50 BTC spend on Janua

2022 is ramping up to a buzzing year for the metaverse . Upcoming projects like Next Earth aim to usher in a new era of user-governed virtual worlds. Next Earth is a metaverse that uses blockchain technology to manage virtual land NFTs on a 1:1 replica with Earth. This allows users to buy, sell, and trade virtual land as they please. The platform also has a built-in marketplace where users can buy and sell digital assets, from the virtual Pyramids to pixel-colored Land Art. One of the most impressive features of Next Earth is its focus on environmentalism. 10% of all transactions on the platform are donated to charities like The Ocean Cleanup , Amazon Watch , Kiss the Ground , and SEE Turtles . This helps to support the platform’s goal of creating a more sustainable metaverse. So far, Next Earth has been a resounding success. The platform has 30,000 virtual land owners and 180,000 registered users. Further, the marketplace has seen 2,418 transactions, worth $717,843. This has resu

Banks in Russia are preparing to dive into the pilot phase of the digital ruble project and some are already testing transactions with the currency. Trials have started with customer-to-customer (C2C) payments and Bank of Russia plans to expand the types of operations in the future. Digital Ruble Pilot Launches With 12 Participating Banks The Central Bank of Russia ( CBR ) completed the prototype of the digital ruble platform in December and is now beginning to experiment with transactions. A dozen banks have been invited to join the first stage of the project’s pilot phase. The monetary authority plans to gradually expand the range of participants to include other financial service providers and types of transactions. Right now, the majority of Russian banks are gearing up to start testing the new central bank digital currency ( CBDC ), Tass reported after contacting the institutions. One of them, Promsvyazbank (PSB), is currently processing C2C payments, Maxim Khrustalev, adviso

Bitdefender, a cybersecurity and antivirus company, has detected BHUNT, a new kind of malware that targets cryptocurrency wallets via software installs. The malware works on top of installs of unsecured or cracked software, that already comes packaged with the system to be deployed on desktop environments. Once installed, the software extracts passphrases and seeds from popular wallets. BHUNT Malware Spotted in the Wild Bitdefender, a leading cybersecurity firm, has issued a report regarding a new kind of password stealer that focuses on cryptocurrency wallets users have on their PCs. BHUNT, as this new malware is called, enters computers through infected software installs, mostly of cracked software. According to the technical document issued on the software, BHUNT attacks Exodus, Electrum, Atomic, Jaxx, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Litecoin wallets. Once installed, the software can transfer the funds of the users to another wallet, and also steal other private data residing in the infe

The Central Bank of Iran soon plans to launch the pilot phase of its digital currency project, an official unveiled. The Islamic Republic hopes to a join a growing club of nations that want to take advantage of having a sovereign coin, while it also seeks to implement blockchain technology in other areas. Iran to Begin State-Backed Digital Currency Trials The monetary authority of Iran intends to pilot its central bank digital currency ( CBDC ) in the near future, a high-ranking representative of the financial regulator said, quoted by the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA). The news comes in the fourth year since the initial announcement of the project. According to a statement by Mehran Moharamian, deputy governor for IT at the Central Bank of Iran, the CBI sees digital currencies as a solution for resolving certain inconsistencies and decentralizing resources. Other countries have already begun to benefit from CBDCs, he noted. Moharamian did not provide specific details about t

The Botswana government is set to present a “Virtual Asset Bill” to the country’s parliament, a move that could see it become one of the first countries in Africa to have laws regulating cryptocurrencies. Preventing the Proliferation of Risks Associated With Cryptos A Botswana government draft document that proposes to regulate new and developing virtual assets businesses, as well as to provide a regulatory body with its functions and powers, is now set to be presented before the country’s lawmakers, a recent government gazette has shown. The planned presentation of the Virtual Asset Bill alongside other bills such as the Financial Intelligence Bill comes just over two months after the country’s central bank warned residents engaged in cryptocurrency trading that Botswana does not have a regulatory framework to govern such trading. Yet, in the draft that was published in the Extraordinary Government Gazette on December 23, Botswana authorities suggest they are not only seeking t

Trading platform Robinhood has begun rolling out crypto wallets to 1,000 customers. Users can send and receive their cryptocurrencies from Robinhood to external crypto wallets, the company explained, adding that by March, 10,000 customers will be testing the wallets before rolling out to the rest of the waitlist. Robinhood Lets 1,000 Customers Test Its Crypto Wallets Popular trading platform Robinhood announced Thursday that its “crypto wallets beta program” is now live. The announcement details: Starting today, we’ll begin rolling out crypto wallets to 1,000 customers from the top of the wallets waitlist (subject to owning an external wallet for testing and some safety checks). “By March, we will expand the program to 10,000 customers before rolling out to the rest of the Wenwallets waitlist,” the announcement adds. The company explained that in the beta testing phase, its customers can send and receive their cryptocurrencies from Robinhood to external crypto wallets. There is

The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, has received his first paycheck in bitcoin and ether via Coinbase. “Promise made, promise kept,” the mayor said, referring to his promise to take his first three paychecks in cryptocurrency. Mayor of New York City Takes Paycheck in Cryptocurrency With the Help of Coinbase New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made good on his promise about getting paid in bitcoin. In a video he posted on Twitter Thursday, the mayor said: Promise made, promise kept. Took my first check in bitcoin and ethereum. “This is a reason to highlight. New York must be the center for innovation and new ideas. I want my young people to thrive in every industry,” the mayor emphasized. The official website of the city of New York also announced Thursday that Mayor Adams will “receive [his] first paycheck in cryptocurrency.” The mayor’s first paycheck “will automatically be converted into cryptocurrency via Coinbase … before funds are made available,” the announcement deta

Autograph, the NFT agency co-founded by famous NFL player Tom Brady, has raised $170 million in its series B funding round. The company revealed that the funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins, with the participation of other notable companies in the field. The funds raised will contribute to the expansion of the company with new, undisclosed partnerships reportedly on the way. Autograph Raises $170 Million Autograph, the NFT firm that NFL star Tom Brady co-launched last year, has raised $170 million in its latest funding round. The Series B was led by two companies: a16z and Kleiner Perkins, with the participation of Katie Haun’s new fund and Lightspeed partner Nicole Quinn. This marks a milestone for the startup, which raised $35 million in its Series A funding round, reaching a valuation of $700 million at that time. The company did not disclose its new valuation this time. Tom Brady, co-founder of the platform, was very optimistic about the future of

The creators of the Flow blockchain network and NBA Top Shot, Dapper Labs, announced the launch of a new non-fungible token (NFT) compilation called “UFC Strike.” According to Dapper Labs, the new NFTs will launch on Sunday, January 23, and feature “amazing displays of striking and grappling from UFC fighters.” MMA Entertainment Giant Partners With Dapper Labs to Introduce ‘UFC Strike’ NFT Collection Since 1993, the American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has grown to be one of the world’s most popular sports firms. According to the UFC, it has more than 625 million fans worldwide and broadcasts events on television to 900 million households across roughly 175 countries. In recent times, the MMA entertainment firm has been interested in crypto and blockchain solutions, as it partnered with Crypto.com during the first week of July 2021. Following the partnership announcement, UFC revealed the MMA company’s first NFT collection that

PRESS RELEASE. INTERNET CITY, DUBAI, Jan. 21, 2022 – LBank Exchange , a global digital asset trading platform, will list STEP on January 21, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the STEP/ USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 21:00 (UTC+8) on January 21, 2022. While being used to revolutionize the financial world, crypto can also be used to revolutionize the way for people to keep fit and healthy. As a revolutionary mobile App, Step makes it possible to get rewarded with cryptocurrency when working out and staying fit. Its native token STEP will be listed on LBank Exchange at 21:00 (UTC+8) on January 21, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing Step Step is a revolutionary mobile App that lets its users earn crypto for their fitness efforts. With Step, it’s easy to get fit and earn crypto at the same time, like a gym membership that pays back for every step taken. The mobile App tracks users’ steps and pay out

True to its hardline stance on decentralized digital money, the Central Bank of Russia is now pushing for a wide-ranging ban on crypto-related activities such as issuance, exchange, and mining. A consultation paper published by the regulator cites threats to financial stability and citizens’ wellbeing among the main reasons for the proposed restrictions. Russia’s Central Bank Seeks Public Opinion on Restrictive Crypto Policy The monetary authority of Russia is advocating a ban on an array of crypto activities in a report titled “Cryptocurrencies: Trends, Risks, Measures.” The document was published Thursday and the regulator awaits comments and suggestions on its contents until March 1. In the paper, the Central Bank of Russia ( CBR ) acknowledges the rapid growth of the global crypto market in the past year as well as the annual $5 billion in crypto transactions made by Russians. At the same time, the bank points out that the growth in value is determined mainly by speculative de

Indian government officials reportedly said that India’s cryptocurrency bill will require more time because crypto is a complex subject. The bill is therefore unlikely to be introduced in the upcoming session of parliament. The government reportedly wants to hold more discussions to build a consensus on a regulatory framework for crypto. Crypto Bill Unlikely to Be Introduced in the Budget Session of Parliament The Indian government may not introduce a cryptocurrency bill in the upcoming session of Parliament, the Economic Times reported Wednesday. The government wants to hold more discussions and build consensus on the regulatory framework for cryptocurrency, the publication conveyed, citing unnamed government officials with knowledge of the matter. A senior finance ministry official told the publication: The crypto bill may not be introduced in the budget session. It is a complex subject. This will require more time. A cryptocurrency bill was listed to be considered in the win

JPMorgan has told its clients that ethereum is losing ground to rival cryptocurrencies, such as solana (SOL), in the non-fungible token (NFT) market due to sky-high transaction fees on the network. “It looks like, similar to defi apps, congestion and high gas fees has been inducing NFT applications to use other blockchains,” said JPMorgan. Ethereum Losing Ground in NFT Market, Says JPMorgan Global investment bank JPMorgan sent a note to clients last week explaining that ethereum is losing ground to rival cryptocurrencies, such as solana (SOL), in the non-fungible token (NFT) market. JPMorgan’s analysts, led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, detailed that high gas fees and congestion have pushed NFT apps away from the Ethereum network. The analysts noted that Ethereum’s NFT volume share has fallen from 95% at the start of 2021 to around 80%. Comparing NFT apps to decentralized finance (defi) apps, Panigirtzoglou wrote: It looks like, similar to defi apps, congestion and high gas fees h

The host of Mad Money, Jim Cramer, has warned about dogecoin (DOGE). He said that the meme cryptocurrency is a security and will be regulated. He also questioned the supply of dogecoin. Jim Cramer’s Dogecoin Warning Jim Cramer, the host of CNBC’s Mad Money, warned about investing in dogecoin (DOGE) Thursday. Cramer is a former hedge fund manager who co-founded Thestreet.com, a financial news and literacy website. “Please be careful with dogecoin,” he tweeted, adding that the meme cryptocurrency “is a security” and “will be regulated.” In addition, he wrote: “We will find out how many there are and how many are being created each day to make money for the exchanges.” Cramer’s comment about the popular meme coin, which also aired on CNBC Thursday, has drawn a lot of attention on Twitter. Many people disagreed with Cramer. Some expressed to the Mad Money host that dogecoin is not a security, questioning how he came to the conclusion that it is. Some people slammed Cramer for his la

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has been requested to ban more than 1,600 crypto websites by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The action followed a complete crypto ban recommendation by the central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Meanwhile, the country’s science minister said that the government intends to “regularize” crypto in the country. Pakistan’s FIA Taking Action Against Crypto Websites, Backing Central Bank’s Crypto Ban Recommendation Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has written to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) requesting the telecom regulator to block access to more than 1,600 crypto trading websites, Samaa TV reported Tuesday, citing FIA Director Babur Bakht Qureshi. The director first revealed his intention to approach the Telecommunication Authority about blocking some crypto websites last week. He claims that cryptocurrency is being used for money laundering. In addition, “Qureshi revealed that a list of individua

Mars4 is a multi-tiered project that combines NFTs, Crypto and an immersive survival game together. Through mars4.me , we give you a window to a virtual Mars and a host of investment opportunities via the world’s first revenue-generating NFT. The sale of Mars4 NFTs raised over $250K in a day and saw land plots sell swiftly. Now is the right time to think about becoming a Mars landlord and the profit it will bring in the near future. Epochs: Tiered Crypto Returns Mars4 NFTs represent geographically-exact plots of land across the face of Mars, created with data from NASA and other space agencies, to be fully realised in modern 3D graphics. The Mars4 NFTs are released as part of our Epoch system that uses a scarcity model to establish its pricing. The Epoch system is a tiered system that rewards our investors in stages that see better returns the earlier one decides to invest. To familiarise you with the Epoch system, we have provided greater detail below: Investors who have purcha