Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The founder of the $3.4 billion crypto Ponzi scheme Bitconnect has been charged in the United States. “If convicted of all counts, he faces a maximum total penalty of 70 years in prison,” said the U.S. Department of Justice. Bitconnect’s Founder Could Go to Prison for 70 Years The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that the founder of the global crypto fraud scheme Bitconnect has been charged. “Bitconnect is an alleged fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platform that reached a peak market capitalization of $3.4 billion,” the DOJ described, adding: A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Satishkumar Kurjibhai Kumbhani, a citizen and resident of India, with multiple crimes for his alleged role in a massive criminal conspiracy involving the cryptocurrency company he founded, Bitconnect. The 36-year-old from Hemal, India, misled investors that the scheme’s “Lending Program” was able to “generate substantial profits and guaranteed returns” using “

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz says one of the reasons he is so bullish on bitcoin is because it is decentralized and not controllable. He added that “China recently banned bitcoin because they can’t control it, which is the exact same reason Elizabeth Warren hates bitcoin.” US Senator Bullish on Bitcoin U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas spoke favorably about bitcoin at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday. Launched in 1974, CPAC “is the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world,” its website describes. During his speech at the event, the senator said: One of the reasons why I’m so bullish on crypto, on bitcoin, is because it is decentralized and not controllable. “Let me give a fantastic example,” he continued. “So Justin Trudeau said I don’t like me some truckers, so we are going to freeze your assets. So the court went to try to freeze the crypto that was being given to the truckers.” Senator Cruz proceeded to read aloud a letter fr

Russia could turn to cryptocurrency if it is banned from the SWIFT payments system. Analysts have warned that if Russia is able to use crypto to evade sanctions, “political support in the U.S. for crypto will fall and regulatory risk will rise.” Crypto Faces Regulatory Risks if Used by Russia to Evade Sanctions Amid growing talk of banning Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payments system after its invasion of Ukraine, some analysts have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could turn to cryptocurrency to evade sanctions. “We believe Washington is worried that Russia will use crypto to evade sanctions,” Cowen Washington Research Group analyst Jaret Seiberg reportedly said Friday. He added: If Russia is able to use crypto this way, then we believe political support in the U.S. for crypto will fall and regulatory risk will rise. Seiberg believes that since most global trade is still dollar-denominated, it could be challenging for Russia to use crypto to evade SWIFT.

Bitcoin and ethereum were both higher to start the weekend, as markets seem to have discounted recent volatility. BTC momentarily passed the $40,000 level, with ETH moving towards $2,800. Bitcoin As of writing, cryptocurrency markets are up by over 3% on Saturday, with bitcoin trading close to 1% higher to start the weekend. This comes following a low of $38,416.53 yesterday, with BTC /USD hitting an intraday high of $40,005.35 earlier in today’s session. Saturday’s move sees BTC break beyond the key $40,000 level, however the move did not last, as profit takers likely closed their positions due to the current market risk. Looking at the chart, the 14-day RSI currently hovers above its long-term ceiling of 44, and is approaching the 45 level. BTC now trades below its recent resistance point of $39,500, as the momentum of the 10-day moving average continues to tumble. However, should price strength remain above resistance, bulls may be targeting an exit at $41,500. Ethereum

The European Parliament will not hold a planned vote on crypto regulations after texts that can be interpreted as an attempt to ban coins with energy-intensive mining sparked negative reactions. The lawmaker leading the legislative effort says the matter needs clarification before MEPs can have a say, but the head of the ECB has insisted that Europe should move quickly to prevent Russia from evading sanctions. European Parliament Postpones Crypto Legislation to Address Concerns Over Possible Proof-of-Work Ban The vote on Europe’s new Markets in Crypto Assets ( MiCA ) proposal will not take place in the European Parliament as scheduled, on Feb. 28. Stefan Berger, the rapporteur for the legislative package, took to social media to announce it will be postponed on his request. The move comes after a draft leaked to the press was found to contain provisions prohibiting the offering of services related to cryptocurrencies relying on “environmentally unsustainable consensus mechanisms.”

The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase says the number of monthly transacting users on its platform rose to 11.4 million at the end of 2021, which was more than four times the previous year. In addition, Coinbase’s trading volume grew more than 8.5 times from the previous year, and the number of verified users has risen to 89 million. A Good Year for Coinbase The Nasdaq-listed crypto exchange Coinbase released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 earnings report Thursday. “2021 was a year of tremendous growth and development in the cryptoeconomy, as well as for Coinbase. We ended 2021 with strong performance across our key metrics that were within our outlook,” the company wrote, adding: We ended the year with 11.4 million Monthly Transacting Users (MTUs). Coinbase noted that the number of MTUs at the end of 2021 was “over 4x compared to 2020.” In addition, the number of verified users on its platform has grown to 89 million. During the year, Coinbase expanded its

The South African Treasury says it expects the amendments to the country’s financial laws — that will see crypto asset service providers being included as accountable institutions — to be finalized in 2022. Aligning Local Laws With FATF Standards The South African Treasury has said it expects the proposals to include crypto asset service providers as accountable institutions within the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Act to be finalized this year. The move to regulate crypto service providers comes as South Africa is attempting to address the “significant weaknesses in the country’s anti‐money‐laundering and counter-financing of terrorism systems” that were identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). In its latest budget review document , the South African Treasury explains that the proposed amendments, which have been open for public input since June 2022, will see the FIC Act become aligned with the standards set forth by the FATF. “This change would address conce

Ertha Metaverse, one of blockchain gaming’s most talked about metaverses has today announced the listing of the ERTHA token on another of the crypto industry’s top exchanges – ByBit. With over 5 million registered users across the globe, ByBit is a fantastic fit for Ertha. In addition to being one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges, ByBit provides an efficient, transparent, and innovative trading environment for its users. By listing on ByBit during challenging market conditions, Ertha aims to strengthen its position as one of the leading metaverse tokens. The project will continue expanding its availability to potential investors and keep momentum up as its development team seeks to launch 2022’s biggest metaverse. Ertha NFT sales remain largely unaffected by the wider industry troubles and have already sold over 22,000 of their revenue-generating land plots . Clearly, the hype surrounding metaverse projects shows no sign of slowing down and plenty of weal

Cryptocurrency donations have poured into a nonprofit organization that provides support to Ukrainian soldiers after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. More than $5 million in bitcoin has already been raised. Meanwhile, the group’s fundraising page on Patreon has been abruptly removed. Crypto Donations Soar After Russia Invaded Ukraine One of the largest non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing support to Ukraine’s military, Come Back Alive, has received over $5 million in bitcoin donations after Russia launched a large-scale offensive against Ukraine. Founded in 2014, the Kyiv-based group provides support to Ukrainian soldiers, including a range of military equipment, training services, and medical supplies. Donations to the BTC address listed on the organization’s website soared Thursday after Russia launched a full-scale military attack on Ukraine. At the time of writing, the wallet address has received 131.78144015 BTC . An analysis of all the donations

The founders of cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitmex, Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo, have pled guilty to violations of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act. “As a result of its willful failure to implement AML and KYC programs, Bitmex was in effect a money-laundering platform,” said the U.S. Department of Justice. Bitmex’s Founders Guilty of Bank Secrecy Act Violations The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that the founders of cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitmex have pled guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The DOJ stated: Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo designed Bitmex as a platform to flaunt U.S. anti-money laundering rules. Hayes, 36, is from Miami, Florida. Delo, 38, resides in the U.K. and Hong Kong. The Justice Department explained that from at least September 2015 through the time of their indictment in September 2020, the two “willfully caused Bitmex to fail to establish and maintain an AML program,” including a know-your-customer (KYC)

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, volatility in bitcoin and ethereum prices intensified, with both falling to one-month lows on Thursday. Both have since moved away from these lows so far today, in what looks like temporal consolidation. Bitcoin As of writing, cryptocurrency markets are up by over 7% on Friday, with bitcoin trading 8% higher heading into the weekend. This comes following a low of $34,997.01 yesterday, with BTC /USD hitting an intraday high of $38,968.84 earlier in today’s session. Friday’s move sees BTC momentarily rebound, and edge closer to the key $40,000 level, which it hasn’t hit since the beginning of the week. Looking at the chart, the 14-day RSI has also tailed off slightly, and now looks to be consolidating below the 43.8 resistance. As long as prices remain between the floor of $37,240 and ceiling of $39,640, market uncertainty will likely extend. However, current sentiment seems to be more bearish, as the 10-day moving average continue

Ankara University has become the first higher education institution in Turkey to organize a course on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The freshly-launched lecture has been attended by high-ranking government officials, local media reported. Leading University in Turkey Begins Course on NFTs Ankara University has added a course on NFTs to its curriculum, becoming the first Turkish university to teach the crypto-related subject. According to a report by the Hürriyet daily, senior officials from the presidential administration and the culture ministry have been present at the first class on non-fungible tokens. “We are happy to teach about NFTs, but our students are happier than us,” Necdet Ünüvar, the rector of the university, said in an opening speech for the event. The “Introduction to NFT” course is taught by Buğra Ayan. Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Özgül Özkan Yavuz and Ali Taha Koç, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Digital Transformation Office, were among the guests at t

On February 8, the multinational luxury auction company Sotheby’s announced the firm would be auctioning 104 Cryptopunk non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles, but before the event started Sotheby’s canceled the event. It seems “0x650d,” the owner of the Cryptopunks NFTs, decided to keep the assets that were estimated to fetch around $20 to $30 million at auction. Cryptopunks Owner Decides to Keep 104 NFTs, Sotheby’s Forced to Cancel ‘Punk It’ Auction The luxury auction house had to cancel an NFT auction dubbed “Punk It” on Wednesday after the consignor decided to back out. During the first week of February, Sotheby’s revealed it would be auctioning 104 Cryptopunks that were estimated to get around $20 to $30 million. The sale would be called “Punk It,” and the NFTs stemmed from the owner “ 0x650d ,” an individual who purchased the 104 Cryptopunks in a single transaction by paying a miner a bribe of five ethereum ( ETH ) in July 2021. Then on the day of the scheduled auction, Sothe

PRESS RELEASE. NoVa Battles is a PlayToEarn mobile MOBA game developed with the core focus on implementing blockchain technology. The company started conceptualizing the prospect of a blockchain game back in 2019, after which they have been experimenting with designs, systems, and partnerships for two years. The drive to build an open ecosystem for all stakeholders requires extensive analysis before implementation. The NoVa Battles team has decided to develop a simplistic game design and game economy controlled by the community’s votes and needs – a decentralized autonomous organization or DAO during the last two years. It is known as the People’s Game. The players drive the game, and the game’s prospects will be decided on the community’s wants. The core value of a DAO has a gradual progression in the transferral of executive power from the initial developing company to the end-users and stakeholders. The implementation of a DAO system will be gradual throughout 36 months. The vis

The Advertising Standards Council of India has released guidelines for the advertising and promotion of crypto assets and related services. “We had several rounds of discussion with the government, finance sector regulators, and industry stakeholders before framing these guidelines.” India’s Crypto Ad Guidelines Published The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) published Wednesday “guidelines for advertising and promotion of virtual digital assets and services.” The guidelines are applicable to all advertisements related to virtual digital assets (VDA) which are “commonly referred to as crypto or NFT [non-fungible token] products,” ASCI explained. ASCI Chairman Subhash Kamath described: We had several rounds of discussion with the government, finance sector regulators, and industry stakeholders before framing these guidelines. Firstly, all crypto-related ads must carry the disclaimer that states: “Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. Ther

The U.S. Secret Service has launched a cryptocurrency awareness hub. The new platform “will feature the latest in the agency’s work combating illicit use of digital assets as well as provide public awareness information on digital asset security and how to ensure it remains secure.” Secret Service’s Crypto Awareness Hub The U.S. Secret Service announced last week that it “has launched a cryptocurrency public awareness hub.” Established in 1865 as a bureau in the Treasury Department to suppress widespread counterfeiting, the Secret Service is now under the Department of Homeland Security. Its website states: “We have an integrated mission of protection and financial investigations to ensure the safety and security of our protectees, key locations, and events of national significance.” The announcement details: The new website will feature the latest in the agency’s work combating illicit use of digital assets as well as provide public awareness information on digital asset securi

On Wednesday, the team behind Solana-based decentralized finance (defi) margin protocol Marginfi, announced Mrgn Labs has raised $3 million in seed funding from investors. With the recently acquired funds, Marginfi aims to build the first cross-margining engine on the Solana blockchain. Mrgn Labs Gets $3 Million in Funding From Strategic Investors Mrgn Labs has revealed the company has raised $3 million from investors in order to bolster defi margin trading, according to a press release announcement on Wednesday. Mrgn Labs is the team behind the defi margin protocol called Marginfi , a protocol that allows traders to access margin in a decentralized fashion. Mrgn Labs disclosed that the funding round was co-led by Multicoin Capital and Pantera Capital. Furthermore, Solana Ventures and Sino Global Capital participated in the fundraising as well. “In 2021, we saw an explosion of innovative financial products emerge across defi,” Edgar Pavlovsky, the founder of Mrgn Labs explained dur

Authorized crypto mining businesses have already taken a third of their coin minting hardware out of Kazakhstan, according to the country’s mining association. The news comes amid electricity shortages and upcoming tax hikes that are turning miners away from the Central Asian nation. Bitcoin Miners Start Pulling Machines Out of Kazakhstan Companies, legally operating mining facilities in Kazakhstan, have already relocated around 30% of their mining equipment elsewhere. The President of the National Association of Blockchain and Data Center Industry of Kazakhstan Alan Dorjiyev told Forklog about the migration. The executive noted that miners have been influenced by the persisting issues with energy supply and an expected tax increase. His organization represents major companies involved in the extraction of digital currencies accounting for 70% of Kazakhstan’s crypto mining sector. The report quotes legislative documents indicating that Kazakhstan’s parliament prepares to impose o

On Wednesday, global markets have been volatile as Ukraine officials declared a state of emergency amid fears of a Russian invasion. Wall Street’s top indexes shuddered during the day’s trading sessions, and cryptocurrency markets slipped more than 4% during the 24 hour period. On the other hand, the price of gold has jumped 1.47% during the last four days, surging to $1,925 per ounce. Global Investors Are Concerned About the relations Between Russia and Ukraine, Wall Street Continues to See Sell-Offs While the globe grows tense over the ongoing issues between Russia and Ukraine, stock markets on Wednesday continued to bleed out more money. According to the U.S. State Department, Russia is not backing down and Ukraine officials have declared a state of emergency. Speaking to the press, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the Russian military is ready to advance. “Russian forces continue to assemble closer to the border and put themselves in an advanced stage of readiness to act

The Stock Exchange of Thailand is getting ready to launch a digital asset exchange. The president of the Thai bourse expects the country’s crypto regulator, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to approve the launch “very soon.” Stock Exchange of Thailand Prepares to Launch a Digital Asset Exchange The president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), Dr. Pakorn Peetathawatchai, discussed the SET’s upcoming digital asset exchange in an interview with Bloomberg, published Sunday. He explained: We expect that our regulator, the SEC, will give an approval very soon, and we hope that we can start operation in the second or third quarter this year. In Thailand, the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is responsible for licensing entities wanting to offer crypto services, including crypto exchanges. The president of the Thai stock exchange detailed: “For our digital asset exchange, we would concentrate on investment tokens and utility tokens — those are

U.S. Senator Rand Paul says “statutes that allow presidents or heads of state to invoke emergencies are very, very dangerous.” Commenting on Canada’s Emergencies Act invoked by the Trudeau government, the senator warned, “We have the same sort of statutes here.” Senator Rand Paul Warns of Emergency Act in the US U.S. Senator Rand Paul warned of statutes in the U.S. similar to the Emergencies Act invoked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week during an episode of the Based Politics podcast that aired Sunday. “I think statutes that allow presidents or heads of state to invoke emergencies are very, very dangerous,” Paul stressed, adding: We have the same sort of statutes here, and I have long-time been an opponent of these. We actually have in the United States an Emergency Act that allows the president to shut down the internet. “I tried, when President Trump was in office, to take this power away,” he noted. However, “I could never get it through,” Paul conceded.

A group of EU nations have reportedly been lobbying to entrust oversight of the crypto space to a new anti-money laundering (AML) agency. Behind the move are concerns that companies dealing with digital assets can be engaged in the processing of illicit funds. Germany Leads Push to Place Crypto Firms Under EU Anti-Money Laundering Supervision Several EU member states, led by Germany, have been urging the European Union to grant a planned anti-money laundering ( AML ) watchdog powers to oversee businesses in the crypto sector. Quoting knowledgeable sources, Bloomberg revealed these nations fear cryptocurrency companies can be used to process illegally obtained funds. EU authorities, such as the European Commission ( EC ), are now negotiating over the design of the regulatory body, expected to launch in 2024 and expand its operations in the next two years. Said group is seeking to ensure a more explicit inclusion of crypto firms in the watchdog’s responsibilities, according to an EU

FTX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, has announced it will enter the gaming field. The company revealed it is launching its own gaming unit to focus on lending crypto services to gaming companies, acting as a middleman. This means that the exchange will support other companies launching tokens and offering NFTs via its platform. FTX Gets Into Gaming FTX, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, is branching out into gaming. The company will reportedly launch a gaming unit that will be focused on offering crypto-related services to traditional gaming companies. This would allow gaming companies to focus on development, leaving token launches and NFT commercialization to FTX. The company began hiring positions this month, seeking programmers with experience using Unity, a popular game engine. An FTX spokesperson commented on the issue, stating: We are launching FTX Gaming because we see games as an exciting use case for crypto. There are 2 billion+ gamers in the world who h

Authorities in Kazakhstan have gone after illegal crypto mining operations amid ongoing issues with electricity supply. Working together with law enforcement, the country’s energy ministry announced the closure of over a dozen facilities minting digital currencies. Government Shuts Down Unauthorized Crypto Mining Operations Across Kazakhstan Local departments of the Committee for Atomic and Energy Supervision of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy have carried out a number of inspections to identify illegal coin mining operations in the country, the department said . Members of the country’s law enforcement and other government agencies also took part in the joint checks. “As a result of the inspections over the past 5 days, mobile groups have identified and stopped 13 mining farms with a total consumption of 202 MW,” the ministry stated in a press release. The closed-down facilities are located in different regions of the Central Asian nation. In the Karaganda region, authorities fou

NFTs have emerged as the biggest trend on the blockchain industry due to their massive popularity with mainstream users. This novelty form of digital assets have enabled artists and creators to mint and monetize their creations without going through complex processes associated with traditional platforms. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the NFT trade volume increased nearly three-fold from $2.67 billion in December 2021 to $6.86 billion in January 2022, according to data from The Block Research . Adoption by social media platforms Twitter, Reddit and Meta, have also accelerated the growth of NFTs. As a result, the demand for social media NFT avatars is at its peak, and Novatar, an innovative NFT project, offers a solution for everyone to own their NFTs. Own your digital avatar Novatars is a unique project that enables users to own digital avatars that can be deployed on social media, play-to-earn protocols and Metaverses. Unlike other NFT platforms, the Novatars enables users

El Salvador’s tourism has grown more than 30% after adopting bitcoin as legal tender, according to the country’s ministry of tourism. “Cryptocurrency multiplies the opportunities to do business with more partners anywhere in the world,” the Salvadoran government explained. El Salvador’s Economy Boosted by Bitcoin Law The Salvadoran government has outlined some economic benefits resulting from adopting bitcoin as legal tender. The country’s bitcoin law went into effect in September last year, making BTC a national currency alongside the U.S. dollar. A notice posted on the government website Monday explains that during the first months of bitcoin being legal tender in El Salvador, “it was possible to identify the advantages of having added innovation and financial freedom.” The notice adds that tourism was one of the first sectors where it was possible to verify how bitcoin has helped the country’s economy. The head of the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), Morena Valdez, commented: “The