Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

PRESS RELEASE. Blockbank announced plans to join Coach K’s Conference Experience in donating to charities focusing on social impact. The conference will be held at Le Meridien Beach Resort, Phuket, Thailand, from May 9th to May 13th, 2022. Blockbank, an all-in-one mobile banking solution with crypto integration, will partner with Coach K, a thought leader in cryptocurrency investment. Blockbank has helped its users generate managed assets worth more than $100 million while promising a 30% APY in the future. In addition, Coach K insightful advice and coaching produced 100 millionaires in the crypto space in 2021. Blockbank is on a mission to streamline access to financial technology necessary to invest in cryptocurrency. It combines the best of centralized and decentralized finance with traditional banking to deliver a holistic overview of the crypto industry. Participation in the Coach K Conference is part of the platform’s concerted efforts to build partnerships in the industr...

A director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that crypto regulation is “certainly high on the agenda” for India. “We are trying to come up with global standards for #crypto asset regulations. I think that’s important for India to also adopt,” said the IMF official. IMF on Crypto Regulation in India Tobias Adrian, Financial Counselor and Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department, discussed India’s crypto regulation in an interview with PTI Tuesday at the annual spring meeting of the IMF and the World Bank. Adrian said that for India: Regulating crypto assets is certainly high on the agenda. “That is something that is done globally,” he stressed. “Within the Financial Stability Board, we are trying to come up with global standards for crypto asset regulations. I think that’s important for India to also adopt.” Officials of India’s Ministry of Finance have reportedly been consulting with the IMF and the World Bank on ...

Everscale is the most scalable network in DeFi. With the capacity to process over a million transactions per second, Everscale is able to offer users some of the fastest transaction speeds paired with fractional fees. The Everscale ecosystem includes a cross-chain bridge platform with a unique Universal Bridge mechanism that facilitates liquidity transfers to and from virtually any network, a native DEX with some of the highest APY rates in DeFi on its staking and farming pools, and native wallets. Vlad Ponomarev is the CEO of Broxus. He recently joined the Bitcoin.com News Podcast to talk about the technology they are developing: Vlad Ponomarev is the CEO of Broxus – one of the core developer teams of the Everscale network and architects of a cross-chain bridge platform, network-native DEX and much more. Commercial strategy, B2B sales and marketing professional with over 10 years of industry experience. To learn more about the technology visit Broxus.com and join the commun...

A non-fungible token (NFT) collection called Moonbirds has been a topical conversation within the NFT community as the compilation’s sales have been enormous. The Moonbirds NFT project started selling five days ago on April 16, and since then statistics show the collection has seen $364.83 million in sales. Moonbirds NFT Collection Takes the Top Spot This Week This week a new NFT collection called Moonbirds has surpassed the likes of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), and Cryptopunks sales. Traders only started swapping the 10,000 Moonbirds NFTs five days ago and since then it has captured $364.83 million in sales volume. Moonbirds is currently the top NFT collection this week in terms of overall sales above dozens of unique collections. In fact, Moonbirds sales represent approximately 37.85% of the $963.8 million in total NFT sales recorded during the last week. Moonbirds have been popular because the collection is backed by Proof Collective , a group of...

Blizzard, a game studio and part of the Activision-Blizzard company, has started polling some gamers about the use of NFTs and cryptocurrency elements. The survey, which was only directed to some of its players, raised rumors about the possibility of the company introducing some of these elements into its games. However, Mike Ybarra, head of the studio, denied this possibility. Blizzard Makes Selective Poll, Includes NFTs and Play-to-Earn Subjects Blizzard, the game development studio that created franchises like Starcraft, Warcraft, and Overwatch, is polling some gamers about their opinions when it comes to NFTs and play-to-earn mechanics. According to sources on social media, the poll consulted players about issues that included other, more common topics for a gaming company, like augmented reality and cloud gaming. However, there was a section that asked directly about the opinion and the feelings of these users on the inclusion of NFTs and cryptocurrency elements in some of th...

PRESS RELEASE. Mohali, India, April 21, 2022: Amidst the rapidly growing popularity of metaverse, and global giants like Facebook, Microsoft, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and more tapping into the metaverse world, Antier Solutions is helping businesses to ride the wave with its diligently-crafted metaverse development services . The metaverse gained exposure and momentum in October when Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook to Meta and shared his vision to create an immersive virtual world where people can interact as avatars. According to Nishant, CTO of Antier, “Web 3.0 and metaverse are poised to redefine the internet. They will pave the path for a persistent 3D environment where the movement across places and interaction with people will be as easy as in the real world.” Antier Solutions provides a host of offerings – including consulting and development services – to help businesses harness the potential of Web 3.0 and launch their metaverse. Antier’s team of skilled metaverse develo...

While the total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (defi) hovers just above the $214 billion mark, a defi protocol called Lido has been moving closer toward taking Curve’s top spot in terms of TVL in a defi protocol. Currently, the liquid staking solution Lido has $19.2 billion in staking assets derived from five different blockchain networks including Ethereum, Solana, Terra, Polygon, and Kusama. Lido’s Staked Assets Represent Close to 9% of the $214 Billion Locked in Defi According to defillama.com, there’s $214 billion total value locked in decentralized finance at the time of writing. Presently, the largest defi protocol in terms of TVL size is Curve Finance , the decentralized exchange (dex) platform. Today, Curve dominates the pack with $20.71 billion and a dominance rating of around 9.67%, according to defillama.com statistics on April 20, 2022. As far as TVL in defi protocols is concerned, Curve has led the pack for weeks on end, but the liquid staking solution Lid...

Square Enix, the Japanese gaming company, is pressing on with its vision of integrating blockchain elements into its games. In a recent interview, president Yosuke Matsuda talked about the importance of user-generated content and the advantages that allowing this kind of development, as well as introducing blockchain-based self-sustained economies, might bring to the future of the gaming industry. Square Enix to Double Down on Blockchain and Autonomous Content Square Enix is doubling down on its business plan of including blockchain elements in its games in the not-so-distant future. The company, which had already made plans to make a robust entry into the blockchain gaming world, seems to now be interested in using these tools to create self-sustaining economies in gaming worlds. Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix, reiterated the compromise that he and the company have to deliver some of these experiences in the future in a recent interview given to Yahoo News. To Matsuda, ...

According to a recent study published by the online investing news and education platform Invezz, Switzerland currently has the most profitable bitcoin traders worldwide. That’s according to data stemming from Chainalysis, Worldometers, and Triple A, which helped Invezz assign each country a score in terms of the most profitable bitcoin trading by country. Researchers Rank the Best Bitcoin Trading Nations and the Most Profitable Bitcoin Traders by Country This week, invezz.com researchers published a study that looks at the most profitable bitcoin traders by country by leveraging statistics from multiple datasets. The study’s author Dan Ashmore explained one dataset stemmed from Chainalysis, which shows the top 25 countries in the world by realized bitcoin (BTC) gains in 2020. This served as the study’s backdrop, as the invezz.com research team also utilized statistics from Worldometers and Triple A. While the data shows Switzerland currently has the most profitable bitcoin trade...

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has partnered with the Court of Accounts of the Union (TCU), a constitutional institution of the Brazilian government, to complete the development of the Brazilian Blockchain Network. The partnership, established through a memorandum of understanding, establishes a deadline for the completion of the project, which should be finished in five years. Brazilian Blockchain Network Development Powered by a New Partnership New details are available on the development of the Brazilian Blockchain Network, a common rail that will be used as a base for the development of apps by public institutions in the country. The details were revealed in Official Gazette of the country. The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), the institution responsible for the creation of this platform, has partnered with the Court of Accounts of the Union (TCU), a comptroller institution of the Brazilian state, to advance the development of the aforementioned blockchain. The coop...

Nigerian public and law enforcement agencies have been urged to “ stop the demonization” of the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. According to an association that advocates for the risk-based regulation of the crypto industry, financial institutions should not use a Nigerian central bank directive as basis for denying service to industry players. Risk-Based Regulation of Crypto Activities A blockchain and crypto industry association has told Nigerian public and law enforcement agencies to stop demonizing and discriminating against blockchain and crypto entities. In its latest press release, the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN) argues that Nigeria urgently needs risk-based regulation for cryptocurrency activities as well as capacity building. In a press release , SIBAN reiterates its strong belief that a February 5, 2021 directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did not ban cryptocurrencies in Nigeria. Yet, despite there being no la...

The government of Ireland is preparing to ban political parties from accepting campaign donations in cryptocurrency. The move aims to block the perceived threat of Russian interference in the European nation’s elections against the backdrop of a clash between the West and Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Ireland to Limit Foreign Political Support for Its Parties, Including Crypto Donations The executive power in Dublin is drafting new political integrity rules to limit foreign political donations amid fears that Russia might try to influence Ireland’s electoral process. The stricter regulations are meant to prevent Irish parties from accepting donations through cryptocurrencies and oblige them to fully reveal their properties. A report by the Irish daily Independent describes the changes as a significant shake-up of the country’s electoral legislation, which will grant the Electoral Commission powers to issue take-down notices to social media platforms and alerts of online misinform...

The U.S. Secret Service has seized cryptocurrency worth more than $102 million in 254 fraud-related investigations. “What criminals want to do is sort of muddy the waters and make efforts to obfuscate their activities,” said the assistant director of the Secret Service’s Office of Investigations. “What we want to do is to track that as quickly as we can, aggressively as we can, in a linear fashion.” US Secret Service Seizes Cryptocurrency Worth $102 Million A senior executive with the U.S. Secret Service, David M. Smith, talked about cryptocurrency in an interview with CNBC, published Tuesday. Smith is a senior executive and special agent currently serving as the 28th Assistant Director of the U.S. Secret Service Office of Investigations, where he leads the agency’s global investigative mission, comprising 161 offices and over 3,000 employees. The Secret Service is responsible for detecting, investigating, and arresting any person who violates certain laws related to financial sys...

A U.S. lawmaker has urged the Biden administration to develop a “robust strategy” to prevent cryptocurrency from being used to evade sanctions. “Emerging technologies like cryptocurrency offer many positive applications like humanitarian relief, but the administration has not kept pace in ensuring this novel form of currency is not used to the detriment of U.S. national security,” he said. Congressman McCaul Wants a ‘Robust Strategy’ to Prevent Crypto Use to Evade Sanctions A senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), has made a number of efforts to prevent cryptocurrency’s use to evade U.S. sanctions. He issued a statement Thursday urging the Biden Administration to create a “robust strategy” to stop crypto from being used to circumvent sanctions. “Emerging technologies like cryptocurrency offer many positive applications like humanitarian relief, but the administration has not kept pace in ensuring this novel form of currency ...

Nasdaq-listed trading platform Robinhood is acquiring Ziglu, a London-based electronic money institution and crypto asset firm. The acquisition is part of Robinhood’s international expansion plan. Robinhood “sees a big opportunity in serving customers across the globe.” Robinhood Acquiring Regulated Crypto Firm Ziglu Popular U.S.-based trading platform Robinhood announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to acquire a regulated cryptocurrency firm Ziglu. Citing its mission to “democratize finance for all,” Robinhood emphasized, “That’s why earlier this year, we announced that we’ve set aggressive goals to start opening our crypto platform up to customers internationally.” The Nasdaq-listed trading platform added: As we look to expand internationally, we’re excited to announce that we’ve signed a deal to acquire Ziglu Limited, a UK-based electronic money institution and cryptoasset firm. The deal is “subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions,” ...

PRESS RELEASE. GensoKishi are excited to announce that $MV ( MV(Polygon)/ USDT trading pair) will list on KuCoin at 2022-04-20 18:00 (UTC), a leading cryptocurrency exchange in the world. GensoKishi are going to have various campaigns to celebrate the trading pair listing. Know more details. Please check the CAMPAIGN page on KuCoin! About KuCoin KuCoin is a cryptocurrency exchange established in 2017 and located in Hong Kong. KuCoin has a large selection of crypto assets that are only listed on KuCoin and are very popular worldwide. Due to 2022-4-14, it ranks 5th trading volume in the world. About GensoKishi Online GensoKishi Online Metaworld is a GameFi and metaverse incarnation of the award-winning Nintendo Switch/PS4 game “Elemental Knights”. The iconic game has a 14 years history and has accumulated a total of 8 million downloads worldwide. It already has a 3DMMORPG game with active users, with a fully-functioning 3D metaverse, that simultaneously connects users from aro...

The internet entrepreneur and former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, claims if developers are building on Ethereum they have “at least one, if not many, single points of failure.” The statement was in response to Vitalik Buterin’s commentary concerning Elon Musk running Twitter. Former Twitter CEO Criticizes Projects Building on Ethereum Jack Dorsey doesn’t seem to be interested in anything to do with the Ethereum network, and last Friday he criticized the project. The Twitter conversation started when Ethereum’s co-creator, Vitalik Buterin , talked about Elon Musk running Twitter . “[I] don’t oppose Elon running Twitter (at least compared to status quo), but I do disagree with the more generalized enthusiasm for wealthy people/orgs hostile-takeovering social media firms,” Buterin tweeted . “That could easily go *very* wrong (eg. imagine an ethically-challenged foreign gov doing it).” Following Buterin’s tweet, Dorsey replied “same,” and further said: “[I] don’t believe any individ...

The Central Bank of Russia has emphasized the importance of moving forward with its digital ruble project. According to a statement by a top representative, the monetary authority has no intention to delay the trials despite not all invited banks being ready to participate yet. Bank of Russia to Experiment With Digital Ruble Payments This Year The digital ruble is “very much needed,” First Deputy Chairman of Bank of Russia Olga Skorobogatova has recently remarked in a statement quoted by business news portal RBC’s crypto page. The regulator will not delay upcoming tests of the prototype currency platform, the high-ranking official said and elaborated: If we move quickly with testing and legislative changes, we can implement it in the coming years. The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) started trials with the digital ruble in January and announced the first successful transactions between individual wallets in mid-February. At least a dozen Russian financial institutions are taking ...

PRESS RELEASE. Spring is coming on strong for our launchpad. GADA , the first permissionless and community-governed launchpad ecosystem on Cardano, will launch a sale on KICK.IO on the 20th of April! With the help of two launchpads – GADA Pro and GADA Light – GADA helps various projects to both raise liquidity and distribute tokens stress-free. While GADA Pro does require KYC measures, its detailed screening and review process gives way to a more trustworthy and stable DeFi ecosystem. This version is perfect for projects that are in a more advanced stage of development. The Light version offers complete freedom for everyone to fundraise projects on the Cardano blockchain with full automation and without KYC verification. And more freedom means that GADA Light users will also be able to help shaping the future of GADA’s platform. GADA also uses a 5 Tier system that aims to create an inclusive environment for any investor – big or small. While the first three GADA Tiers are bett...

Iran has drafted new rules to increase penalties for illegal cryptocurrency mining in the country, including additional fines and imprisonment. “Any use of subsidized electricity intended for households, industrial, agricultural, and commercial subscribers for mining cryptocurrency is prohibited.” New Penalties for Illegal Cryptocurrency Mining in Iran An official with Iran’s Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company (Tavanir) said the country’s administration will approve new rules to increase penalties for unauthorized cryptocurrency mining, IRNA publication reported Sunday. Mohammad Khodadadi Bohlouli explained that under the new law: The increased penalties include raising fines by at least three and at most five times, imprisoning the offender, and revoking the offender’s business license. “Any use of subsidized electricity intended for households, industrial, agricultural, and commercial subscribers for mining cryptocurrency is prohibited,” Khodadadi said. ...

Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian says that the Federal Reserve’s response to inflation will cause the prices of cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, to “go higher.” He noted: “That’s what you get when you’ve waited too long to recognize what inflation is and to take action.” Predictions by Allianz’s Chief Economist Economist Mohamed El-Erian discussed the U.S. economy, the markets, and the Federal Reserve’s response to inflation in an interview with CNBC Monday. El-Erian is the president of Queens’ College, Cambridge University. He is also Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO, one of the largest investment managers, where he was CEO and co-chief investment officer. He explained: I think the markets have understood that we have three issues. One is high, persistent inflation is with us. Two is the Fed is way behind, and three, the pathway for orderly disinflation is pretty narrow. Due to these factors, the economist said that companies are ...

PRESS RELEASE. INTERNET CITY, DUBAI, Apr. 18, 2022 – LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, will list CTOMORROW PLATFORM (CTP) on April 20, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the CTP/ USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 18:00 (UTC+8) on April 20, 2022. Using cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize current industry standards and practices, CTOMORROW PLATFORM (CTP) is here to foster an ecosystem of personalized, customized health solutions individually tailored to everyone’s unique traits and needs. Its native token CTP will be listed on LBank Exchange at 18:00 (UTC+8) on April 20, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing CTOMORROW PLATFORM CTOMORROW PLATFORM is a personalized technology platform focusing on innovations which revolutionize the way people monitor and manage their health for a healthier, happier world. It sits squarely at the intersection of three important emergent techn...