Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

NFTs are showing the brighter side of humanity as real support transcends the boundaries of nations and reaches Ukraine through the metaverse. In light of the ongoing military conflict, people from all around the world send their donations to Ukraine via NFT sales, as artists and activists turn to them over older fundraising methods. Millions in Donations Raised for Ukraine by NFT Sales It feels like NFTs have been taking over the world recently, with more and more types of communities getting involved by the day. From major visual artists to global fashion brands and from video game studios to superstar rappers, everyone is rushing in to join the trend. One aspect of human life in 2022 no one was probably expecting to be drawn into the NFT phenomena is armed conflict between nations, actual war, but here we are. Soon after the start of hostilities in Ukraine, and the countless human tragedies that followed it, NFTs were being used to raise funds for helping refugees and other caus...

The U.S. central bank is expected to raise its target fed funds rate on Wednesday for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Analysts and economists are hyper-focused on this key event, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues in Europe. If the Federal Reserve decides to increase the rate by a quarter percentage point from zero, investors wonder how stock markets, crypto prices, and investments like precious metals will react to the news. A 25 Basis Point Increase Is Expected — Anxiety Revolves Around the Fed’s Next Moves Last week, the world watched as financial sanctions were used against Russia and the price of gold soared to an all-time high reaching $2,060 per ounce. Energy stocks, oil, and a myriad of commodities also jumped considerably in value during the last seven days. Cryptocurrency markets last week were lackluster, volume is down, and action remained flat after a brief price jump on March 9, 2022. Stocks on the other hand suffered a great deal and indexes ...

The Group of Seven (G7) countries issued a joint statement stating that they “will ensure that the Russian state and elites, proxies and oligarchs cannot leverage digital assets as a means of evading or offsetting the impact of international sanctions.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department is “closely monitoring any efforts to circumvent or violate Russia-related sanctions, including through the use of virtual currency.” G7 Committed to Ensuring Russia Cannot Evade Sanctions Using Crypto The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries jointly issued a statement Friday regarding further sanctions on Russia. The statement explains that since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, “our countries have imposed expansive, restrictive measures that have severely compromised Russia’s economy and financial system.” Among the measures the G7 countries have committed to taking further is “maintaining the effectiveness of our restrictive measures, to c...

Abra’s CEO has predicted that the price of ether could reach $40,000. He’s more bullish on Ethereum than Bitcoin. “The use cases are through the roof,” said the executive. Abra’s CEO Predicts Ethereum Price The CEO of crypto trading platform Abra, Bill Barhydt, shared his thoughts on why he is more bullish about Ethereum than Bitcoin in an interview with CNBC Friday. He also predicts that the price of ether ( ETH ) could reach $40,000, a significant increase from the cryptocurrency’s current price. Barhydt explained, “Ethereum’s network effect is based on this idea that it could become the world’s computers. It’s being used for stablecoins, NFTs [non-fungible tokens], defi [decentralized finance] … and gaming now.” The CEO expects that “with staking coming,” there will be “a massive influx of people trying to hold ethereum.” Comparing the network effects of Ethereum to Bitcoin, he opined: The network effects for Ethereum in the short-term are actually more bullish to me because ...

U.S. Senator Cory Booker sees cryptocurrency as “an exciting innovation with the potential to bring growth to the American economy if properly nurtured and regulated.” The senator from New Jersey is encouraged by President Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto regulation. US Senator Sees Crypto Benefiting American Economy U.S. Senator Cory Booker talked about the potential benefits of cryptocurrency to the American economy Thursday. His comments followed President Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto regulation. Booker became the first African American to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate in October 2013. Prior to becoming a U.S. senator, he served on the Newark City Council from 1998 to 2002 and as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. “I’m heartened by the nuanced and optimistic tone of POTUS’ recent executive order on digital assets,” the senator tweeted, elaborating: Cryptocurrency is an exciting innovation with the potential to bring growth to the American economy if ...

Global investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are winding down business in the Russian Federation. The move comes as western sanctions against Moscow over its decision to launch a military invasion of Ukraine continue to expand, supported by leading financial institutions. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Scale Down Russian Operations Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase have become the first major American banks to announce they are leaving Russia, a process that according to industry experts may take months if not years. Their decisions follow the imposing of unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over its military assault on neighboring Ukraine. The restrictions, which have affected the financial sphere, make it harder for banking institutions to operate in the Russian Federation. Reuters notes that while European banks are more exposed to Russia, U.S. banks have significant exposure as well, totaling $14.7 billion, according to data provided by the Bank of International ...

U.K. watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has told firms running crypto ATMs in the country that they are operating illegally and must therefore shut down their machines. Operators that fail to heed the warning will face enforcement action, the FCA said. Crypto ATM Providers Operating Illegally The U.K. financial sector watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has said it asked cryptoasset service providers that operate crypto ATMs to “shut their machines down or face enforcement action.” The watchdog insisted that since none of the crypto firms that it has registered is approved to operate a crypto ATM, any one of these companies that operates one in the U.K. is doing so illegally. In a statement released on March 11, 2022, the FCA suggested that the decision to go after crypto ATM operators of the reported 81 machines came after a U.K. judge had ruled against one crypto ATM operator, Gidiplus. According to the statement, Gidiplus wanted the country’s Upper T...

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela has stated in a recent sentence that the tasks developed by Sunacrip, the national cryptocurrency and bitcoin mining watchdog, have a strategic significance for the country. The sentence also voids certain resolutions taken in a case where another court rolled back the seizure of more than 1,000 bitcoin miners. Sunacrip Role Supported by National Courts in Venezuela A sentence issued by the highest tribunal in Venezuela recognized as strategic the role that the national cryptocurrency watchdog, Sunacrip, fulfills as the organization that controls mining operations. The sentence, which voids some resolutions taken in a prior sentence where another tribunal ordered Sunacrip to return more than 1,000 miners seized in November to its owners, also declares that bitcoin miners have to comply with certain conditions to develop these activities on Venezuelan soil. According to the Venezuelan cryptocurrency-linked attorney Criptolawyer, who ana...

A new task force set up by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), KleptoCapture, will also target cryptocurrency exchanges. Financial institutions, banks, money transmission services, and crypto exchanges that allow Russian oligarchs to move money “will be in the crosshairs of this investigation.” DOJ’s KleptoCapture Task Force Will Take ‘Broader View’ A new Department of Justice (DOJ) task force, KleptoCapture, will enforce sanctions against Russian oligarchs as well as target anyone who helps hide their money, including crypto service providers, a senior DOJ official reportedly said Friday. The KleptoCapture task force was launched on March 2. It is “an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine,” the DOJ described. Noting that the KleptoCapture task force wi...

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has shared his cryptocurrency investment strategy. He revealed that 20% of his portfolio is now in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. “The whole point is you don’t know who is going to win.” Kevin O’Leary’s Cryptocurrency Investment Strategy O’Shares ETFs chairman and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has shared his crypto investment strategy in an interview with CNBC Friday. Firstly, he said one-fifth of his investment holdings are tied up in cryptocurrencies or companies operating in the crypto space. Mr. Wonderful said: I have millions of dollars, 20% of my portfolio is now in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. In November last year, he said that crypto accounted for 10% of his portfolio . His investments in cryptocurrency exceeded his gold investments for the first time in October last year. O’Leary was asked whether some cryptocurrencies will be around in a decade. Noting that he factored that risk into his strategy, the Shark Ta...

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak expects the price of bitcoin to hit $100,000. “I just really feel it from all of the interest,” he explained. “The interest in crypto is so high.” Steve Wozniak’s Bitcoin Price Prediction Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak shared his view on cryptocurrency in an interview on the Wild Ride with Steve-O podcast, published last week. He began by sharing his bitcoin investment experience. “I bought a bunch of bitcoin at the start to say how do you play with this new thing? How do you buy something online? I conquered that. How do you buy things in other countries, and how would you pay for a donut in another country? How do you find an ATM that works on your bitcoin? I want to experiment and learn it all,” the Apple co-founder described, adding: And then bitcoin went way up. Well, I got scared and I sold all my bitcoin except one bitcoin. Wozniak explained that his purpose is “to have enough to play with, experiment with, but not make money on.” However, ...

Payment giant Stripe has brought back crypto support after it stopped processing bitcoin payments four years ago. The company now says, “Our optimism for the future of crypto was not unfounded … Crypto is going mainstream.” Stripe Brings Back Crypto Support Payment giant Stripe has re-entered the crypto space after four years, with the launch of a suite of products to support crypto businesses. Stripe is a payment infrastructure company headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin, with 14 global offices. According to its website, millions of companies in over 120 countries use Stripe to start, run, and scale their businesses, including Amazon, Google, Shopify, Microsoft, Spotify, Uber, and Nasdaq. Stripe co-founder John Collison announced on Twitter Thursday that his company now supports crypto businesses, including exchanges, on-ramps, wallets, and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces. Stripe was one of the first major companies to embrace bitcoin. “In 2014, we became the first ...

Remittance giant Western Union has joined other financial services companies supporting sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision will affect customers in the Russian Federation as well as those in Belarus, an ally of Moscow, backing its military operation. Western Union Condemns Invasion of Ukraine, Halts Services in Russia and Belarus Money transfer specialist Western Union has condemned Russia’s military assault on neighboring Ukraine, expressing “shock, disbelief, and sadness around this tragedy and humanitarian disaster.” The company has been working to support its Ukrainian clients, including through donations, humanitarian relief efforts, and by waiving fees. The cross-border payments provider announced its decision to suspend operations in the Russian Federation and Belarus, taken after discussing the matter with various stakeholders. The company added it had also evaluated the consequences for its partners, and customers. In a statement released T...

Terraform Labs, the company behind the creation of Terra, has announced a new donation to support the ecosystem of the terra (LUNA) token. Do Kwon, CEO of Terraform Labs, announced that the company has donated 12 million LUNA (approximately $1.2 billion) to the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) with the goal of continuing to grow its decentralized forex reserve to intervene during stressful market conditions if necessary. Terraform Labs Fills LFG Vaults Terraform Labs, creator of the terra token, is putting funds toward supporting the growth of its flagship stablecoin, UST. The company announced a new donation of 12 million LUNA to the Luna Foundation Guard, another decentralized organization, that will be directed to grow the stabilization fund to maintain the UST dollar peg. Do Kwon, CEO of Terraform Labs, explained on Twitter that these funds will be used to be burn and mint $UST, which then will be used to grow the reserves of the Luna Foundation Guard. The Luna Foundation Guard has...

The Zapala Free Zone, an area located in Neuquen, Argentina that has the objective of incentivizing various productive activities, will receive its first bitcoin mining-related investment this year. The company that will create the power infrastructure for the mining farm aims to generate more than 114 MW of power for mining operations in the first year. Zapala Free Zone Gets Into Bitcoin Mining Zapala, a free trade zone in the province of Neuquen in Argentina, will get its first bitcoin mining-related investment. For the year 2023, the zone aims to have an installed capacity of 114 MW that will be used for the transformation of the area into a hub for bitcoin mining. Bitcoin mining in the region is incentivized in that Zapala, being a free zone, doesn’t charge taxes for using public services. The project, according to a business plan that will be presented to authorities of the province, will contemplate an investment of $20 million, and is expected to be complete for Q1 2023. Th...

Canada’s police have seized bitcoin worth more than $28 million from a former government employee who has been extradited to the U.S. to “face charges for dozens of ransomware attacks resulting in the payment of tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.” Canadian Authority Seizes Bitcoin Worth $28 Million The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that a former Canadian government employee was extradited the previous day from Canada to the U.S. to “face charges for dozens of ransomware attacks resulting in the payment of tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.” The DOJ detailed that from April through December 2020, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins “conspired to and did intentionally damage a protected computer and transmit a ransom demand in connection with doing so.” The Justice Department launched a coordinated international law enforcement action to disrupt ransomware group Netwalker in January last year. The indictment charges the 34-year-old Canadian from Gatineau, Qu...

The world’s largest movie exhibition company, AMC Entertainment, has finally begun accepting payments in dogecoin and shiba inu. Supporters of DOGE and SHIB have been waiting for AMC Theatres to accept the two meme cryptocurrencies since September last year. AMC Customers Can Now Pay With Dogecoin and Shiba Inu AMC Theatres now accepts payments in dogecoin (DOGE) and shiba inu (SHIB) cryptocurrencies. AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC), aka AMC Theatres, is the largest movie exhibition company in the U.S., Europe, and the world. The company owns or operates approximately 950 theaters and 10,500 screens globally. Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theatres, announced Thursday that amctheatres.com now accepts DOGE and SHIB for online payments. The CEO also gave a special shoutout to Bitpay which processes crypto payments for his company. Bitcoin.com News visited the AMC Theatres website and found that Bitpay is now a payment option. With the integration of Bitpay, AMC Theatres now accepts severa...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is launching a cryptocurrency awareness program. “We’re just trying to raise awareness without trying to stamp out new technology and new innovation,” said an official of the Treasury. Treasury’s Efforts to Raise Crypto Awareness The U.S. Department of the Treasury is launching an initiative to raise awareness about cryptocurrency investing, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing an interview with Nellie Liang, Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance. “We’re hearing more and more about investors and households who are purchasing crypto assets, and we recognize the complexity of how some of these assets operate,” Liang described, adding: It felt like this is an area also where more education (and) more awareness could be helpful. The Treasury’s Financial Literacy Education Commission will create educational materials and organize outreach on digital assets. The Treasury’s education unit comprises 20 different government agencies, including the ...

Blockchain forensics company Chainalysis is launching two tools that will allow crypto companies to deny sanctioned persons and entities access to their platforms. The move comes amid concerns that Russia may use cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions imposed due to its invasion of Ukraine. Chainalysis Offers Crypto Industry New Sanctions-Screening Tools As the military conflict in Ukraine intensifies, western allies continue to expand sanctions on Russia, including by targeting opportunities to employ crypto assets to circumvent the restrictions. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has joined these efforts, announcing two new sanctions-screening tools that will be free for the industry: These solutions will enable the builders of decentralized web3 protocols like DEXs, defi platforms, DAOs and dapps, as well as practically anyone interacting with cryptocurrency, to easily validate that they aren’t interacting with cryptocurrency addresses associated with sanctioned entities. On...

Kraken is planning to hand out more than $10 million in aid for clients affected by the military conflict in Ukraine. The amount covers the fees paid by Ukrainian residents in almost a decade and will also include those withheld from Russian traders in the first half of 2022. Kraken Exchange to Give $1,000 in Bitcoin to Each Eligible Ukrainian Customer U.S.-based crypto exchange Kraken is preparing to distribute $10 million to Ukrainian customers suffering from the Russian invasion. Between March 10 and July 1, clients who created an account from Ukraine prior to March 9, 2022, at “Intermediate” or “Pro” level verification, will be eligible to receive $1,000 in bitcoin ( BTC ), the platform announced in a blog post and on social media. Kraken will distribute over $10 million worth of to aid clients in 🇺🇦Ukraine. Tranche 1 recipients will be credited $1000 of #BTC , withdrawable tomorrow. The package is funded by historical Ukraine revenues and H1 2022 revenues from Russia-based ...

PRESS RELEASE. Reef, a layer 1 Substrate based blockchain for DeFi, NFTs, and gaming, announced today it’s launching a new NFT division focused on connecting with graffiti and electronic artists while scaling up it’s blockchain to be more NFT-friendly. In the last two months, Reef has been working behind the scenes to kickstart its contribution to the NFT landscape. They’ve hired Philip Galaviz, an influential figure in the Denver music and art scene, to join the team as Head of NFT. Philip has worked with Digitally Imported Radio, Global Dance, and numerous electronic music artists, and is building a cultural arts and music program via IRL collaborations. As Head of NFT, Philip will spearhead Reef’s business development and expand its offerings to a wide range of artists, beginning with electronic and graffiti artists, and album cover designers. Philip and the Reef team pushed the first stage of their NFT wave at ETHDenver with a packed beginners workshop, metawall, NFT contest, a...

Following the record 7.5% high for January, the U.S. Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) data shows February’s CPI metrics rose to 7.9%. The CPI data published on Thursday is a new 40-year high and month over month, inflation jumped by 0.8%. President Joe Biden is blaming the inflation spike on Russia’s invasion, as he previously warned “there will be costs at home.” February’s CPI Data Jumps to 7.9%, US Stocks Suffer In the U.S., there’s been a significant increase in the prices of goods and services in the American economy every single month. American citizens continue to see a decrease in purchasing power when leveraging U.S. dollars for a number of goods and services. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a government-crafted metric that records a market basket of consumer goods and services Americans purchase on a regular basis. The data is published on a monthly basis by the U.S. Labor Department, an entity that is responsible for governing occupational safety and publis...

Dubai has adopted its first law to regulate the crypto sector. It has also established a dedicated regulator to oversee crypto activities and related service providers. Crypto Sector Regulated in Dubai The emirate of Dubai has adopted its first law to regulate crypto assets and established a regulator to oversee crypto activities and regulate crypto service providers. The official Twitter account for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced Wednesday that the first virtual assets law has been approved in Dubai and the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has been established. Sheikh Mohammed commented: The goal [is to] establish the UAE and Dubai’s position as a key player in designing the future of virtual assets globally. The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of seven emirates. He previously held the positions of head of Dubai Police and Public security, as well a...

A Cornell University economics professor says that President Joe Biden’s executive order on the regulation of cryptocurrency could benefit the industry. “Ultimately what these sorts of regulations provide to the industry is legitimacy,” said the professor. Cornell Professor on Crypto Industry Benefiting From Biden’s Executive Order Eswar Prasad, professor of economics at Cornell University, shared his thoughts on U.S. President Joe Biden’s crypto executive order and what it means for the industry in an interview with CNBC, published Thursday. Prasad is the Nandlal P. Tolani senior professor of trade policy and professor of economics at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. He previously served as chief of the financial studies division in the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s research department and head of the IMF’s China division. The Cornell professor has repeatedly warned about the risks cryptocurrency poses to monetary and ...

Z Holdings, the internet subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate holding company Softbank, is planning to launch a global non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace this spring. Z Holdings’ “NFT Mall” aims to target 180 countries and leverage the firm’s Paypay service in order to attract Web3, metaverse, and NFT patrons. Z Holdings Doesn’t Want to ‘Miss out on Huge Growth Opportunity’ Softbank’s internet firm Z Holdings plans to launch an NFT marketplace called “NFT Mall,” according to a Bloomberg interview with the company’s co-CEO Kentaro Kawabe. The firm’s parent company merged Line and Yahoo Japan into Z Holdings last year. Kawabe’s statements from the interview indicate that Z Holdings plans to leverage Web3, metaverse, and NFT in order to bolster the company’s growth. “It’s possible Web3 will herald a world where life is completely different and we don’t want the company to miss out on the huge growth opportunity,” Kawabe, the co-chief executive officer of Z Holdings stated duri...