Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. INTERNET CITY, DUBAI, Jan. 25 2022 – LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, will list ADENE (ADEN) on January 27, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the ADEN/ USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 18:00 (UTC+8) on January 27, 2022. The gambling industry has become an empire that is owned by some powerful bodies (centralized casino system) who are solely making profits only for themselves. As the first fully decentralized game system of the 4th generation, ADENE (ADEN) is here to disrupt the gambling culture, end this monopoly, and create its own realm of gambling to bring back equality and justice to the gambling industry. Its utility token ADEN will be listed on LBank Exchange at 18:00 (UTC+8) on January 27, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing ADENE As the first fully decentralized gambling system of the 4th generation, ADENE gives its community access to possibilities...

Myanmar’s military-ruled government is proposing to enact laws that will see users of virtual private networks (VPN) and digital currencies being jailed for up to three years. In addition, offenders will be made to pay fines of up to $2,800. Draft Bill Open for Comments Myanmar’s military-ruled government is proposing to enact a law that outlaws the use of virtual private networks (VPN) and digital currencies in that country. Once enacted, violators of the new law not only face jail time but will be made to pay a fine. According to a report published by The Register, individuals caught using VPNs will face a possible jail sentence of between one and three years. In addition, offenders may also be asked to pay a fine of $2,800 or five million Myanmar Kyats. Digital currency users, on the other hand, face a minimum jail term of six months and a maximum of up to one year. They will also be liable to pay fines of up to $2,800. Besides targeting digital currency and VPN users, the mil...

Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has predicted that the metaverse could be an $8 trillion opportunity. Several others have similarly predicted that the metaverse is a multitrillion-dollar market. Goldman Sachs Says the Metaverse Could Be an $8 Trillion Opportunity Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has predicted that the metaverse could be an $8 trillion opportunity. Goldman Sachs’ analyst Eric Sheridan explained the bank’s metaverse prediction in a recent “Exchanges at Goldman Sachs” episode, titled “Understanding the metaverse and web 3.0.” He was asked about the evolution of the metaverse ahead and how big the potential opportunity could be. The analyst replied: We think this could be as much as an $8 trillion opportunity on the revenue and monetization side. “We look at the digital economy today, which is roughly about 20%, 25% of the global economy … We see the digital economy continuing to grow, and on top of that we see a virtual economy that will grow within and a...

The author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, says he will buy more bitcoin if and when the price of the cryptocurrency tests $20K. He noted that bitcoin’s price crashing is “great news,” adding that the “Time to get richer is coming.” Robert Kiyosaki Plans to Buy More Bitcoin Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, tweeted Sunday about the price of bitcoin and when he will buy more BTC . Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. Kiyosaki wrote: Price of bitcoin [is] crashing. Great news. I bought BTC at $6K and $9K. I will buy more if and when BTC tests $20K. Time to get richer is coming. He added that silver is the best bargain today, emphasizing, “Silver [is] still 50% below high.” Kiyosaki has been warning about a major cras...

Since the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI) project updated its mining map in mid-July, the United States has continued to dominate in terms of the amount of hashpower worldwide. Moreover, data shows that Foundry USA has managed to command the top pool position with 755 bitcoin block rewards mined during the last 30 days. The United States Commands a Large Concentration of Bitcoin Miners, 66 Exahash Recorded in the US on January 24 According to chainbulletin.com’s mining map , there is a large concentration of the Bitcoin network’s hashrate located in the United States. At the time of writing, data shows that 66.22 exahash per second (EH/s) or 35.4% of the global hashrate resides in the U.S., while 17.87 EH/s or 9.55% is located in Canada. Between Canada and the United States, the countries command 44.95% of the global hashrate. Pool operators located in the U.S. include Binance USA, Btc.com, SBI Crypto US, Viabtc US, Poolin US, Slushpool US, Antpool US, F2poo...

Education and awareness campaigns are still viewed as important channels that draw people to cryptocurrencies and blockchain. This has been particularly true in some parts of Africa where bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are proving to be a useful alternative to fiat currency. Blockchain Education and Advocacy From Uganda Despite a surge in the use of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies that started with the pandemic-inspired lockdowns, many people, particularly in Africa, are still unfamiliar with these technologies. To bridge this knowledge gap, many blockchain enthusiasts in Africa have chosen to focus their efforts on educating their fellow countrymen on the basics of the blockchain. In Uganda, blockchain enthusiasts Daniel Mulondo and Killian Mugenyi have created a platform called Nileone , which not only aims to educate but also to help raise awareness about potential crypto scams. In an interview with Bitcoin.com News, Mugenyi explains how their efforts to raise pu...

The Luna Foundation Guard, a new decentralized organization developed to support the Luna ecosystem, has been launched last week in Singapore. The institution will offer funding in the form of grants to support initiatives built on top of the Luna network. One of its biggest functions will be to establish a “forex reserve” that will aid UST, the companion stablecoin of the Luna ecosystem, to maintain its peg. Luna Foundation Guard Launches to Support Terra Ecosystem The Luna Foundation Guard, a non-profit organization, has launched to help support and maintain the Terra ecosystem as a decentralized counterparty to Terraform Labs, the company behind the UST currency. This organization will have different functions, including the promotion of the ecosystem and also the direct financing of different programs through grants , which will be given through its website starting January 31. Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, announced this new initiative via Twitter, informing followe...

Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, has criticized Bank of Russia’s proposal to impose a blanket ban on a range of crypto-related activities. Such move would stifle high-tech development and chase away blockchain specialists, Durov says. Durov Speaks Out Against Bank of Russia Push for Crypto Ban The cryptocurrency ban proposed by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) will destroy a number of high-tech sectors and spark an outflow of IT specialists, Pavel Durov, the man behind the popular-in-the-crypto-community messenger, Telegram, has predicted. The Russian entrepreneur also alerted that the restrictive policy would hinder blockchain development. In a Telegram post , Durov stated: No developed country bans cryptocurrencies. Reason: such a ban will inevitably slow down the development of blockchain technologies in general. These technologies improve the efficiency and safety of many human activities, from finance to arts. Durov emphasized that solutions based on dist...

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...