Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Bandai Namco, a game developer and publishing company involved in the production of toys from several intellectual properties (IPs), has revealed more information about its $130-million metaverse gambit. The company says this new initiative will be based on its Gundam IP, being one of the first instances in the announced IP Axis strategy of the company, which envisions a multi-IP hub of multiverses. Bandai Namco Begins Building Its Metaverse With Gundam Bandai Namco, a Japanese game developing and publishing company, has given more details about the future of its $130-million metaverse investment. The company has confirmed that the first IP that will receive the metaverse treatment will be Gundam, the popular giant robot universe with several videogames, manga, and anime adaptations. First being hinted at in an announcement last month, the company took advantage of the third Gundam conference to reveal this news worldwide. According to Bandai Namco: [This metaverse will be a] pl...

PRESS RELEASE. The Moxy.io team has built a team consisting of several veterans from the video game industry to take gaming to a whole new level by bringing blockchain technology to mainstream games. The team began their adventure in 2021, when a band of blockchain enthusiasts joined up with a group of video gaming industry experts to revitalise ‘Play to Earn (P2E).’ Having said that, Moxy.io is offering a new paradigm: ‘Play & Earn (P&E)’. As such, the team is made up of video game industry veterans who were responsible for founding the sector and generating hundreds of popular games and #1 titles over the course of the industry’s existence. Moxy.io will be able to push P&E into the mainstream by using the knowledge, skills and expertise of these professionals. The team includes seasoned veterans like Nolan Bushnell (Chief Knowledge Officer), Lawrence Seigel (Executive Chairman), Stewart Bell (President of European Operations), Matt deFouw (Chief Executive Officer), D...

India’s government is consulting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and Indian regulators in order to form the country’s crypto policy. “We have reached out to institutional stakeholders within the country and outside. We are taking inputs from the IMF and the World Bank and incorporating these,” said an official from the Indian ministry of finance. Indian Government in Talks With IMF, World Bank, RBI, SEBI on Crypto Policy Indian finance ministry officials are discussing a framework for cryptocurrency with various stakeholders including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Mint publication reported Thursday. “We have drafted a consultation paper on cryptocurrency,” one of the officials revealed, elaborating: Now, we have reached out to institutional stakeholders within the country and outside. We are taking inputs from the IMF and the World Bank ...

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly to individuals and competing with the private sector. The senator from Texas warned that not only would this CBDC model centralize financial information, leaving it vulnerable to attack, but it could also be used “as a direct surveillance tool into the private transactions of Americans.” Senator Cruz Introduces Bill to Prevent the Fed From Issuing Digital Dollar to Retail Consumers U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation Wednesday “to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly to individuals,” an announcement posted on his official website describes. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). ‘‘No Federal Reserve bank may offer products or services directly to an individual, maintain an account on behalf of an individual, or issue a central ban...

Chinese authorities have jailed four individuals that were accused of kidnapping one person and demanding “hundreds of bitcoins” as a ransom payment. While the alleged kidnapping is reported to have occurred in the Philippines, the cooperation between the two countries eventually led to the arrest and eventual sentencing of the Chinese kidnappers. A Ransom Demand Four Chinese citizens accused of kidnapping and demanding bitcoin as ransom payment have been jailed, China’s Embassy in the Philippines has said. Two of the accused — namely, Liu and Zhang — were handed prison terms of eight and 12 years, respectively. The remaining two, Cong and Jia, were sentenced to life in prison. According to a statement released by the Embassy, the four are believed to have kidnapped an individual identified as “Su” in the Philippines in August 2019. For Su’s safe return, the kidnappers demanded “hundreds of bitcoins” which are equivalent to over $3.1 million or more than 20 million yuan. The kid...

Authorities in Japan are planning to introduce tougher new rules for crypto operators as part of efforts to prevent Russia from using cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions. The legislative initiative comes after Tokyo asked digital asset exchanges to strengthen transactions monitoring this month. Government of Japan to Close Loopholes for Russians in Crypto Space Amid concerns that Russia and its elites may employ cryptocurrencies to circumvent international sanctions, Japanese authorities are going to stiffen regulations for cryptocurrency exchanges. The platforms will be required to verify if recipients of transactions are subject to financial sanctions imposed in response to Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine. To obligation will be introduced through amendments to the country’s foreign exchange and trade law, according to government sources quoted by Japan Today. The revision aims to also deprive sanctioned individuals and entities of opportunities to transfer crypto assets to a ...

Financial sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine may result in reduced dominance of the U.S. currency, according to a high-ranking official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The confrontation could lead to fragmentation of the world’s current monetary system, the top representative warned. New Currency Blocs May Emerge Amid Mounting Restrictions on Russia, IMF Says Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine has been met with waves of Western sanctions that have limited Moscow’s access to its foreign currency reserves and the global financial market. According to Gita Gopinath, first deputy managing director of the IMF, the unprecedented measures could gradually decrease the dominance of the U.S. dollar. Speaking to the Financial Times, the top IMF official also warned that the restrictions, including those on the Central Bank of Russia, could encourage the emergence of small currency blocs based on trade between groups of nations. Gopinath, nevertheless, predicte...

Koinly is a leading a cryptocurrency tax calculator and portfolio tracker for traders, investors and accountants. There are many features that make it stand out from the competition, and this article will present five key reasons why Koinly is actually the best crypto tax software in the world today. These include a wide range of exchange and wallet integrations, DeFi support, Cardano support, support for liquidity transactions, and compatibility with multiple countries. Wide Range of Integrations Whether someone is a taxpayer looking to get an accurate crypto tax report, a business looking to track their inventory or an accountant trying to work through a maze of transactions, Koinly is the go-to software. It is a crypto tax calculator that makes doing taxes enjoyable. It comes with a hoard of features and integrations that will make it extremely easy and convenient to satisfy all crypto tax needs. With Koinly , one can easily track crypto assets and taxes over time across all wal...

Boston-based Circle Internet Financial has announced the company has selected BNY Mellon to custody the firm’s usd coin (USDC) reserves. The company’s dollar-pegged crypto asset is currently the second-largest stablecoin with a current market capitalization of $51.6 billion. BNY Mellon to Become USDC’s Primary Custodian Circle has chosen America’s oldest investment bank to custody the firm’s usd coin (USDC) reserves, according to an announcement published on March 31. While BNY Mellon will become the primary custodian for USDC, Circle expects the partnership to further “facilitate an exchange of expertise on a range of topics across digital and traditional markets.” The announcement on Thursday says the benefits of the newly announced relationship between Circle and BNY Mellon include: Bridging of traditional and digital capital markets, investment management, digital asset custody, cash management for fiat and non-fiat payments, and the exploration of digital cash for purposes...

Citi has predicted that the total market for the metaverse economy could grow to between $8 trillion and $13 trillion by 2030. In addition, the global bank expects that the number of metaverse users could be as many as five billion. The Metaverse Is Potentially an $8 Trillion to $13 Trillion Opportunity, Says Citi Citi released a new Global Perspectives & Solutions (Citi GPS) report titled “Metaverse and Money: Decrypting the Future” Thursday. The leading global bank has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. The 184-page report explores various aspects of the metaverse in-depth. They include what a metaverse is; its infrastructure; digital assets including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the metaverse; money and defi (decentralized finance) in the metaverse; and regulatory developments applicable to the metaverse. Regarding the size of the metaverse economy, Citi described: “We believe the metaverse may be t...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has listed crypto assets as an examination priority for market participants this year. “In this time of heightened market volatility, our priorities are tailored to focus on emerging issues, such as crypto assets,” said an official with the SEC Division of Examinations. Crypto Assets Among SEC Examination Priorities The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations published its annual examination priorities Wednesday. Crypto is among the top priorities highlighted in the report this year. The Division of Examinations conducts the SEC’s National Exam Program, its website details, adding that its “mission is to protect investors, ensure market integrity and support responsible capital formation through risk-focused strategies.” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler explained that the examination priorities identify key risk areas that the SEC expects registrants — including investment advisers, broker-dealers, self-regulatory organi...

Layerzero Labs, the firm behind the interoperability protocol Layerzero, has revealed the company has raised $135 million in a Series A+ finance round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), FTX Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. The new financing brings Layerzero Labs’ overall valuation to $1 billion and the funds will be leveraged to develop cross-chain decentralized applications (dapps) powered by Layerzero. Layerzero Raises $135 Million From Andreessen Horowitz, FTX Ventures, Sequoia Capital On March 30, 2022, the company Layerzero Labs announced it had secured $135 million in a Series A+ funding round. The funding round was led by Sequoia Capital, FTX Ventures, and a16z, and the funding also saw participation from Uniswap Labs, Paypal Ventures, Tiger Global, and Coinbase Ventures. The financing also pushes Layerzero Labs to unicorn status, as the latest capital injection brings the company’s overall valuation to $1 billion. “This round is a massive step forward for Layerzero Labs and t...

On March 30, Gumi Cryptos Capital (GCC), announced the blockchain-focused venture capital firm’s second fund that will invest $110 million in early-stage blockchain startups. The second fund follows GCC’s initial $21 million fund that backed seed stage founders. Gumi Cryptos Capital Reveals Fund II — Firm Will Invest $110 Million Into early-Stage Blockchain Startups The blockchain-focused venture capital firm Gumi Cryptos Capital (GCC) has announced the launch of a $100 million fund that will be focused on blockchain concepts like decentralized finance (defi), game finance (gamefi), Web3, and other types of ideas being created by early-stage blockchain startups. In a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News, GCC’s managing partner Rui Zhang said: “Think of us as blockchain’s experienced, high-conviction, high trust, hands-on value adding, long time preference, unicorn to megacorn, builder-focused all-in venture society.” GCC’s announcement further details that Fund II will target soft...

PRESS RELEASE. Yield App, one of the rising and most trusted digital wealth platforms, recently underwent a thorough ‘proof of reserves’ audit. The inspection was conducted by Armanino LLC, the firm responsible for auditing Kraken – one of the largest and most trusted cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Yield App passed the audit with flying colors, bolstering its stance on safety and accountability of the assets deployed by customers into portfolios available on its platform. What is ‘proof of reserves’ ? A proof of reserves is an independent audit of a company’s balance sheet conducted by a third party, such as Armanino LLP. These cryptographically reconciled public reports empower customers to verify that the digital asset service providers they use do indeed hold enough assets on their balance sheets to offset their customers’ liabilities. The first report was completed on 24 January 2022, using a ‘point in time’ methodology to determine the results, and can be read here ...

CME Group, one of the world’s largest derivatives marketplaces, has launched micro-sized bitcoin and ether options. “The launch of these micro-sized options builds on the significant growth and liquidity we have seen in our micro bitcoin and micro ether futures,” said a CME executive. CME Now Offers Micro Bitcoin, Ether Options CME Group announced Monday that it is now offering options on micro bitcoin and micro ether futures. CME’s Micro Bitcoin futures (MBT) is 1/10 the size of one bitcoin ( BTC ) and Micro Ether futures (MET) is similarly sized at 1/10 of one ether ( ETH ). Tim McCourt, CME Group’s global head of equity and FX products, commented: The launch of these micro-sized options builds on the significant growth and liquidity we have seen in our micro bitcoin and micro ether futures. “Sized at one-tenth of their respective underlying tokens in size, these contracts will offer a wide range of market participants — from institutions to sophisticated, active, individual ...

Billionaire Mike Novogratz says he is much more optimistic about the crypto market now than he was a month ago. He explained that bond sell-offs and increased crypto adoption have boosted the prices of cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin. “I think you are going to see the Democrats taking a softer stance,” he added. Mike Novogratz Expects Lawmakers to Take a Softer Stance on Crypto Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz talked about why he is more optimistic about the crypto market now than he was six or seven weeks ago in an interview with CNBC Tuesday. The executive explained: Maybe what I got wrong was with all this selling in fixed income that money has got to go somewhere. The billionaire predicted earlier this month when BTC was struggling to break the $40,000 level that bitcoin’s price would range between $30,000 and $50,000 throughout the year. At the time of writing, bitcoin is trading at $47,327 based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. Novogratz continued, “We certainly...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says a lot more work needs to be done on crypto regulation. “We’ve certainly seen an increase in the use of cryptocurrencies before this war, and we’ve seen it happen more in emerging markets than in others,” said the deputy managing director of the IMF. IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva Pushes for Harmonized Crypto Framework The top two leaders at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed crypto regulation on the Foreign Policy Live podcast, published last week. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath were asked how governments should respond to the growing number of challenges facing the global economy, including cryptocurrency. Georgieva explained that the IMF separates digital assets into three types: “crypto assets like bitcoin,” stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Regarding crypto assets, she said: Time has passed to have regulatory frameworks that are as much as pos...

The largest non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Opensea has plans to add Solana support in April. The news follows an abundance of rumors that said the company would be adding Solana in the near future. Opensea Confirms Solana Support After a Myriad of Rumors and Speculation Opensea has confirmed it will be adding Solana (SOL) support in April, according to a teaser video the company tweeted out on March 29. Opensea is the largest NFT marketplace in terms of all-time sales with $23.5 billion sold to date. The $23.5 billion was between 1,417,562 traders and the average NFT sale on Opensea this week is around $930.59 per NFT. The best kept secret in web3🤣 pic.twitter.com/xuZn64cZ4U — OpenSea (@opensea) March 29, 2022 Opensea already supports three blockchain networks which include Ethereum, Klaytn, and Polygon. Solana (SOL) will be the fourth blockchain addition to the NFT marketplace’s current protocol lineup. Solana (SOL) is the seventh-largest cryptocurrency (at the ...

Nequi, a fintech neobank which allowed Colombian citizens to test all-digital financial services, has announced its plans for expansion after having parted ways with Bancolombia, the bank that gave it its origin. These plans include an entry into the cryptocurrency world while complying with the limits set by current regulators. Colombian Nequi to Enter Crypto Market More and more neobanks are considering including cryptocurrencies in their service offerings. This is the case with Nequi, a fintech platform that is reportedly considering making an entrance into the crypto sector in Colombia. The platform, which has more than ten million customers, is now in talks to become an independent company and platform, separating itself from Bancolombia. The announcement was made by Nequi’s CEO, Cipriano Lopez, in a webinar with Credicorp Capital, a holding company that also lends financial services to its customers. Lopez explained that Nequi wants to make a direct entry into the market, wi...

The Argentinian Tax Agency (AFIP) is watching the movements of cryptocurrency traders and holders, to tighten its control over their transactions. The institution is now sending emails to Argentinian citizens asking for a series of data regarding supposed cryptocurrency operations made in their names. The agency requires the public keys of the citizen and a list of transactions made during a certain time period. Argentinian Tax Agency to Scrutinize Crypto Users The AFIP, the Argentinian tax watchdog, has decided to take the battle against cryptocurrency tax evasion directly to users of these currencies. While the agency had required information from exchanges before, the responsibility is now directed to certain users that have received a requirement to answer a series of questions regarding their history with digital assets. The requirement compels users to deliver data like the public keys of the wallets they are currently managing, and a list of digital asset movements that mus...

Activists and lawmakers in Kyiv are urging the EU to accept Ukraine as a member of the European Blockchain Partnership. They believe the recently adopted law “On Virtual Assets” opens the way for the country to become a blockchain leader on the Old Continent. Kyiv Officials Hope Blockchain Technology Can Help Post-War Reconstruction of Ukraine Members of the “Virtual Assets of Ukraine” public union and Blockchain4Ukraine, an inter-factional association of Ukrainian lawmakers, are lobbying for Ukraine’s full membership in the European Blockchain Partnership ( EBP ). Representatives of the two organizations have urged EU institutions to allow their country to participate in the initiative. Letters with the appeal have been sent to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the head of her cabinet, Bjoern Seibert, and Anthony Whelan, who works as a digital policy adviser to the executive body in Brussels, the crypto news outlet Forklog reported. The authors of the cor...

The central bank in crisis-stricken Sudan has warned residents dealing with cryptocurrencies that they face numerous risks including loss of value. The warning comes as Sudan is grappling with an economic crisis that worsened after the civilian government was deposed by the military. Sudan’s Worsening Economic Crisis As Sudan’s currency continues to plummet, the country’s central bank has warned citizens against using or trading cryptocurrencies, a report has said. It warned those dealing with crypto assets that they face risks such as loss of value, financial crimes, and electronic piracy. The warning by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS) comes amidst a worsening economic crisis that has seen Sudan’s exports plummet by 85% in January. The warning also comes as reports suggest the country’s currency, the pound, is losing further ground against the U.S. dollar on the black market. The deteriorating economic conditions are believed to be key factors behind the increased interest in cr...

On Tuesday, the fund manager Wisdomtree announced the launch of three crypto asset exchange-traded products (ETPs). The ETPs are associated with the cryptocurrency networks Solana, Cardano, and Polkadot and the new crypto investment products are currently listed on Börse Xetra, SIX, and the Swiss Stock Exchange. Wisdomtree Launches Cardano, Solana, and Polkadot Exchange-Traded Products Wisdomtree has announced the launch of three new digital currency exchange traded products (ETPs) and the products are physically-backed by cryptocurrency. Wisdomtree revealed on Tuesday that the new funds will include Wisdomtree Solana (SOLW), Wisdomtree Cardano (ADAW) and Wisdomtree Polkadot (DOTW). All three of these digital currencies are currently positioned in the top 20 list of the largest crypto market capitalizations today. The fund manager further disclosed that the three crypto ETPs will list on Euronext exchanges in Amsterdam and Paris on March 31. “The ETPs have a total expense ratio (T...

Nasdaq-listed Microstrategy has obtained a $205 million bitcoin-collateralized loan from Silvergate Bank through a subsidiary to buy more bitcoin. “The interest-only term loan is secured by certain bitcoin held in Macrostrategy’s collateral account.” Company to Use $205M Bitcoin-Backed Loan to Purchase Bitcoin The Nasdaq-listed pro-bitcoin software company Microstrategy announced Tuesday that one of its subsidiaries has obtained a bitcoin-backed loan to purchase additional BTC . Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor tweeted Tuesday: Macrostrategy, a subsidiary of Microstrategy, has closed a $205 million bitcoin-collateralized loan with Silvergate Bank to purchase bitcoin. Silvergate Bank “has issued a $205 million term loan under its Silvergate Exchange Network (SEN) Leverage program to Macrostrategy LLC,” Microstrategy detailed. “The interest-only term loan is secured by certain bitcoin held in Macrostrategy’s collateral account with a custodian mutually authorized by Silvergate a...