Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

South Korean law enforcement recently announced the arrest of a serving military captain and an operator of a cryptocurrency exchange on charges of spying for a North Korean hacker. In return for the acts of espionage, the two South Korean individuals were allegedly paid bitcoins worth a total of $637,789. South Korea’s Joint Command and Control Targeted Two South Korean citizens, a businessman running a crypto asset management firm and a serving captain of the country’s army, were arrested on suspicion of passing military secrets to a North Korean hacker. In exchange for passing on the sensitive information, the individuals were allegedly paid in bitcoin worth $600,000 and $37,789, respectively. In an AFP report , South Korean law enforcement is quoted stating that the arrest was the first time a civilian and an active-duty military captain have been caught spying for North Korea. With respect to the captain, whose name has not been identified, the country’s authorities said the i...

Minting of NFT domains with exclusive TLDs like .chain, .metaverse, .vr, .doge, .shib, .bored is now live on the Quik’s NFT domain marketplace ! Each of these TLDs has a domain minting limit ranging from 1k to 20k, and they work on a first-come, first-serve basis, so ensure that you don’t miss out on your favorite domain. There are no renewal fees, and it comes with a unique NFT artwork. You can use Quik NFT domains to create your digital identity and become a part of Web 3.0, the internet of tomorrow! Quik is a blockchain-based marketplace that allows users to mint, purchase, and sell NFT domains with minimum effort without any third parties. What are NFT Domains? At first glance, NFT domains look like traditional domain names. But, upon closer assessment, you will discover that blockchain-based domain names have different functionalities and are superior with added functions. Those running a website know the hassle of annual renewal of their domain names or risk losing it to th...

The Ugandan central bank has warned licensed entities and the public against facilitating crypto-related transactions as well as the practice of converting cryptocurrency into mobile money and vice versa. The central bank warned it will not hesitate to act against entities found to be in breach of the country’s laws. No Entity Issued License to Trade Cryptos The central bank in Uganda recently issued a statement reminding the public that no business is licensed to offer or facilitate cryptocurrency-related services. The statement warned licensed entities to end the practice of converting crypto to mobile money and vice versa. According to a report in the Monitor, the warning — which came from Andrew Kawere, the director of payments at the Bank of Uganda (BOU) — comes less than three years after the country’s finance minister Matia Kasaija made similar remarks. In the report, Kawere is quoted reiterating the central bank’s position. He said: “Bank of Uganda has noted press reports ...

On May 2, 2022, a report stemming from the broadcast television and radio network the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 100,000 Cubans are leveraging crypto assets. The report says increased crypto usage is due to the fact that Cubans cannot use certain payment vehicles due to the sanctions placed on Cuba by the United States. 100,000 Cubans Bypass Payment Bans via Crypto NBC has published a video report that indicates roughly 100,000 Cubans are using digital currencies like bitcoin. For instance, one particular Cuban cafe owner, Nelson Rodriguez, who accepts bitcoin and ethereum, was interviewed by the NBC news team. He explained that he “believes in the philosophy” behind crypto assets. While showing a number of antique cars still driven by Cubans today, the NBC reporter further says Cubans are embracing the future. 100,000 Cubans using crypto assets is largely due to the increased internet performance during the last three years, the report claims. Another Cuban entrepreneur...

Reggie Fils-Aimé, the former president of Nintendo of America, has offered his take on blockchain and play to earn models when applied to the gaming industry. The executive declared that he was a big believer in blockchain technology, and that players investing their time in games should be able to monetize whatever items they had gained. Former Nintendo President Believes Blockchain Elements Can Be Used in Gaming While the opinion of blockchain and play-to-earn technologies is still negative among traditional gamers, some veterans of the gaming industry seem to be taking these elements in a more serious way. This is the case of Reggie Fils-Aimé, an executive that was President of Nintendo of America from 2006 to 2019 when he announced his retirement. Fils-Aimé was very clear about his opinion on the role that these new technologies could play in gaming, and in a recent panel at SXSW, he stated : I’m a believer in blockchain. I think blockchain as a technology is really compelli...

According to a recently published study by Merchant Machine, mobile wallets are predicted to have 4.4 billion users by 2024. Merchant Machine’s findings show the global pandemic propelled the popularity of digital wallets and researchers expect the numbers to grow from 44.50% of the population in 2020 to 51.70% by 2024. Half the World’s Population Will Leverage Mobile Wallets in 2 Years, Study Says The use of mobile wallets has grown a great deal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and a study published by Merchant Machine predicts growth will continue. The researchers note that since 2015, the total revenue generated by mobile wallet applications has tripled, and by 2022, it’s expected to be around $1,639.5 trillion. “The safety, security, and convenience of digital wallets, as well as the popularity of smartphones and general digitalisation of society, were among the main reasons for the popularity of this method,” Merchant Machine’s study details. Furthermore, the research...

PRESS RELEASE. Singapore, May 3, 2022 – NFTs have disrupted the gaming industry with their unique benefits. It has been gaining popularity as many have welcomed the advent of play-to-earn (P2E) for considerable rewards, with also disquiet over the unwelcome intrusion of commerce into the escapist world of gaming. Web3 games are supposed to consist of two things people crave — entertainment and the possibility of making money, with the scales not tipping to either end. Shaking work-to-earn off from play-to-earn space is undoubtedly an urgent mission for all builders. Launched in 2022, ArchLoot intends to provide an ideal practice of blending playability and sustainability with profitability in the new era of GameFi 2.0. Using the lessons learned from play-to-earn development, the game has been balanced and enhanced, keeping the core elements of what made the P2E model attractive, while incorporating interactive NFT technology that could not be implemented in any other games before....

PRESS RELEASE. Zug, Switzerland – 2nd May 2022. UniX Gaming is delighted to announce that they are now officially listed on MEXC, a top 20 exchange, following the announcement of their Final Round launchpad . This is the second CEX on which UniX has been listed, with several more planned for later this year. UniX token holders will be able to deposit their tokens in the MEXC wallet, and trading will begin at 2 p.m. UTC on May 2nd. MEXC users will be able to deposit, withdraw, and trade UniX tokens, providing token holders with a highly liquid exchange. “This is the second centralised exchange listing we’ve had this year, and we are so excited to announce more over the next several months. It has been a great year for us so far with our ‘Final Round’ launchpad in partnership with DAO Maker and SL2 Capital having just been announced. We are extremely grateful for our community’s support so far, and we’re excited to share more soon,” stated Mirko Basil Doelger , the co-founder and ...

Wikipedia has decided to stop accepting cryptocurrency donations after eight years of doing so. The decision is based on the request by the Wikimedia community citing “issues of environmental sustainability” as a key reason. Wikipedia Discontinues Accepting Bitcoin, Crypto Donations Wikimedia Foundation has announced its decision to “discontinue direct acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of donating.” The foundation began accepting bitcoin in July 2014. “The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and our other free knowledge projects,” its website details. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia with over 200K volunteer contributors, according to the foundation. The organization posted an update on its Wikipedia page on May 1, stating: We began our direct acceptance of cryptocurrency in 2014 based on requests from our volunteers and donor communities. We are making this decision based on recent feedback from those same communities. “Specifically, we wil...

PRESS RELEASE. Football Superstars such as: Roberto Carlos Mario Yepes David Trezeguet Michel Salgado Fernando Hierro Lucas Radebe, Invite you to a Global Metaverse of Lydian.World exclusive event. The event will take place on the 7th of May 2022 in Dubai Opera. As a first offline event of such scale where thousands of guests from all over the world will gather to become a part of Lydian.World metaverse. Guests are invited to take part in multiple business opportunities and multiple entertainment moments. Lydian.World is a virtual game partially owned by its users which in reward for their engagement and strategy the game rewards them back in cryptocurrency. In other words, the place where you can Earn, Learn & Have fun! If this already rings a bell for you, join Lydian.World! The metaverse brings opportunities such as: staking pools, crypto credit cards sharing their commissions, mining pools, assisted trading, NFT marketplace, a trivia game over the blockchain, a lot...

Three Nigerian nationals are accused of using money laundering proceeds to buy bitcoin worth over $43 million from cryptocurrency exchange platforms like Binance and Busha. The trio is accused of moving an equivalent of over $215 million from Nigeria to Kenya between October and November 2020. Powerful Kenyan Politician Assists the Alleged Money Launderers The global law enforcement agency, Interpol is seeking to conclude a case where three Nigerian nationals are believed to have used money laundering proceeds to buy bitcoins worth over $43 million, a report has said. Three Kenyans including an unnamed powerful Kenyan politician are accused of having aided the Nigerian trio in their efforts to conceal the exact motive for moving the funds. According to a report by the Kenyan publication, the Nation, a probe by Interpol found that the trio could have transferred over $215 million (25 billion Kenyan shillings) from Nigeria to Kenya between October and November 2020. Once the funds ...

The revenues accrued by the Ethereum network rose by 46% from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion during the first quarter of 2022. Contributing to the growth in the network’s revenues were non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace sales, which rose by more than 19,000% during the period under review. ETH Inflation Rate Drops to 0.51% Ethereum’s revenues rose by 46% from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion during the first quarter of 2022, a new report by Bankless has said. According to the report, about 87% or $2.1 billion of this revenue was removed from the ETH ’s circulating supply through the burning mechanism. The token burning mechanism was made possible by the network’s EIP-1559 upgrade that was carried out in August 2021. As a consequence of this token burning process, the ETH network’s inflation rate — a metric that measures the net change in the supply of ethereum tokens — dropped from 1.10% to 0.51% during Q1. In terms of the average of daily active addresses, the report states that t...

PRESS RELEASE. NFTs are not a temporary trend. NFTs are here to stay. Although analysts are still in the process of realizing the full potential that the technology behind ‘Non-fungible tokens’ offers, much is already clear. Beyond being used to certify the authenticity of artwork, the applicability of NFT technology extends to many other fields and harbors some natural synergies with the next generation of gaming. Battle Borgz is on top of this trend. Battle Borgz are developing a unique NFT-based PvP and PvE battle game built on the Cardano ecosystem, promising gamers an experience that not only rewards enthusiasts with countless hours of engaging gameplay but also an opportunity to earn some passive income on the side. Traditionally, the relationship between the gamers and the developers has been one-sided – customers enjoy the experience while developers monetize their playtime. Battle Borgz is different. By drawing on the blockchain and NFT technology which has enabled t...

Samsung Group’s investment arm is reportedly set to list a blockchain exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Hong Kong Exchange during the first half of this year. The ETF will have a structure which is similar to that of BLOK, one of Amplify Holdings’s ETF products. Samsung Asset Management’s Stake in Amplify Holdings Samsung Asset Management Company (SAMC) is expected to list a blockchain exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Hong Kong Exchange during the first half of 2022, the parent company Samsung Group has said. The listing of an ETF, which tracks cryptocurrency and blockchain technology companies, will be a first for Asia one report has said. The ETF listing is expected to occur in the first half of 2022 comes a few weeks after SAMC reportedly acquired 20% of the stake in Amplify Holding Company, a U.S. ETF sponsor. As part of a $30 million acquisition agreement with Amplify Holding, Samsung Group’s investment arm will have exclusive rights to provide Amplify products in Asia. Th...

Eurozone’s monetary authority, the Eurosystem, is looking to enlist financial companies willing to develop front-end solutions for the digital euro. The plan is to carry out a “prototyping exercise” this year to test transactions to the back-end developed by the regulator. Eurosystem to Select Front-End Providers for Digital Euro Project Within the ongoing investigation into the possible issuance of a digital euro currency, the Eurosystem intends to conduct an experiment which will, among other objectives, test end-to-end transactions with the central bank digital currency ( CBDC ), the European Central Bank (ECB) announced before the weekend. The authority, which consists of the ECB and the central banks of the eurozone members, is looking for parties interested in offering front-end prototypes for the trials. Transactions will start at their front-end prototype and will be processed through the interface into the back-end, both developed by the Eurosystem. Payment service provid...

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has said new regulations compelling operators of crowdfunding platforms to ensure their products are suitable for clients are set to replace existing rules which were first issued in 2017. Segregation of Client Money From Platform Operators The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has issued new guidelines which apply to operators of crowdfunding platforms for the first time since 2017, a statement from the central bank has said. The new regulations cover principles that govern the operations of a crowdfunding platform as well as the rules that apply to offers and disclosures made by a crowdfunding platform. The new regulations, which are covered under the Crowdfunding Platform Operators Module (Module CFP), also address the “segregation of client money from platform operators and other measures to ensure safe operation of the activity.” Further, the new regulations compel the platform operators “to ensure [the] suitability of the products” that are being...

Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the co-founders of Solana, the proof-of-stake based, smart contracts enabled blockchain, issued a series of statements criticizing bitcoin’s consensus algorithm. In an interview on CNBC, Yakovenko stated that bitcoin might lose adoption if it doesn’t change to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. Other organizations have also attacked bitcoin, hinting at this same change as a possible solution for what are considered drawbacks by some. Solana Creator Believes Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work Consensus Algorithm Will Affect Its Usage Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the co-founders of Solana, the PoS consensus-based blockchain, issued his take when it comes to bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) and how it might affect the leading cryptocurrency in the future. In an interview on CNBC, Yakovenko stated that one of the main differences when comparing Solana to Bitcoin is the energy efficiency of the former. On this, Yakovenko explained: If you look at Solana’s energy rep...

The Indian government is exploring “several commercial use purposes and not just financial inclusion” for its central bank digital currency. India’s finance minister clarified that the aim is for the digital rupee, which will be backed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to be issued by 2023. India’s Finance Minister on RBI-Backed Digital Currency Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital rupee, this week at a business roundtable on “Investing in India’s Digital Revolution” in San Francisco. The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. It was hosted by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). Reiterating that the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) aim to introduce India’s central bank digital currency in 2023, the finance minister described: The government ...

Investors will be focused on the U.S. central bank this Wednesday as Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to raise the benchmark interest rate aggressively. The top U.S. stock indexes saw significant losses at the end of the week, and the Nasdaq composite saw its worst four-month starting performance since 1971. Crypto markets have had a rough week as well, as the crypto economy has shed 8.99% against the U.S. dollar since April 25, dropping from $1.967 trillion to $1.79 trillion. Fed Expected to Raise Benchmark Interest Rate Aggressively, Dutch Bank ING Predicts a 50bp Hike and a QE Tightening Announcement A number of financial institutions, analysts, and economists expect the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will raise interest rates next week in an aggressive manner. Reuters’ authors Lindsay Dunsmuir and Ann Saphir reported on Friday that there may be “big Fed rate hikes ahead” and the authors also cite two reports that claim “hot inflation is peaking.” “U.S. Federal R...

Switzerland’s central bank, the Swiss National Bank, says buying and holding bitcoin as a reserve currency is not a problem for the bank. “We can arrange the technical and operative conditions relatively quickly, when we are convinced we must have bitcoin in our balance sheet,” the chairman of the Swiss central bank reportedly explained. Switzerland’s Central Bank on Buying and Holding Bitcoin as a Reserve Currency The Swiss National Bank could buy and hold bitcoin as a reserve currency if the cryptocurrency meets the bank’s currency reserves requirements, Chairman Thomas Jordan reportedly said at the central bank’s annual general meeting Friday. The Swiss central bank chief was quoted by Reuters as saying: Buying bitcoin is not a problem for us. We can do that either directly or can buy investment products which are based on bitcoin. However, he noted: “But from the current perspective we do not believe bitcoin meets the requirements of currency reserves. That’s why we have un...

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, says that he does not particularly like crypto but will defend your right to invest in it. However, he sees benefits in some aspects of digital currency. JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon on Crypto, Digital Currency JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon talked about cryptocurrency in an interview with KMTV 3 News Now in Omaha Friday ahead of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting this weekend. Commenting on cryptocurrency, including bitcoin, the JPMorgan boss said: I always say I don’t particularly like it. I defend your right to do it. I’d say be very, very careful how much money you put into it. However, Dimon sees benefits in some aspects of crypto, such as its technology, admitting that the banking industry has its inefficiencies. The executive opined: Not all of it is bad. If you said to me ‘I want to send $200 to a friend in a foreign country,’ that could take you two weeks and cost you $40. You could do it through a digital currency an...

The finance department of the U.S. state of Idaho has warned investors of a series of cryptocurrency scams promising returns as high as 80% every 24 hours with no risks to investors. Crypto Scams Promising High Returns The Idaho Department of Finance announced Wednesday “a series of fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes seen recently targeting Idaho investors.” The regulator detailed: The companies purport to provide high returns with no risks to the investor. These fraudulent schemes are operating under the names and websites of Crypto FX Direct, Shield Investors Ltd., Quartz FX Trade, and Finvest Trading. At the time of writing, some of the schemes’ websites are already offline. The regulator added: These websites make outrageous, demonstrably false statements and claims such as guaranteed returns on investment as high as 65% – 80% every 24 hours. To begin investing with these companies, investors have to purchase an investment plan using cryptocurrency, the finance departme...

The World Bank has said it expects the price of gold to rise by 3% in 2022 but warned the price might fall sharply if the Russian central bank decides to offload large quantities of the commodity. The Russian Factor After the price of gold surged past the $2,000 mark in early March, a new World Bank report now predicts the commodity’s value will only grow by just 3% in 2022. The bank, however, said it expects prices of commodities like food — which have risen by 84% — and crude oil to stay elevated for much of 2022. While some gold supporters have predicted the price of the metal will likely hit a new all-time high, in its report, the World Bank is instead expecting a possible sharp price fall in 2023. The bank points to the possible offloading of large quantities of gold by Russia as one possible factor that will weigh down the price. “In the longer term, gold prices could be affected by the Bank of Russia’s policies, and should it engage in large gold sales, prices could drop ma...

Digital asset exchange Binance has blocked accounts tied to relatives of government officials in Moscow. Amid mounting international penalties over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the trading platform said it will continue to check for users associated with sanctioned individuals. Crypto Exchange Binance Bans Children of Top Russian Figures Binance, the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, has blocked several accounts linked to relatives of some high-ranking members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration, Bloomberg reported. The move comes as sanctions continue to rain on Russia in response to its military assault on neighboring Ukraine. Among the users who have been denied access in the past two months since the Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border are the stepdaughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Polina Kovaleva, and Elizaveta Peskova, the daughter of the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Binance also banned Kirill Malofeev, the son of Russian oligarc...

PRESS RELEASE. LBank Exchange is an innovative crypto assets trading platform with 6.4 million global users. Since the start of its journey, LBank Exchange has continuously expanded in the global market, serving users in over 210 countries and regions worldwide, with features including spot and grid trading, derivatives, finance, NFT marketplace, and many more. For better catering to users’ needs, LBank Exchange has strived to select better, more promising projects for listing and to classify them in a more orderly manner. To make user’s investment experience even smoother, LBank Exchange recently announced a brand new feature called Innovation Zone for spot trading projects, which will soon be launched on its platform. New projects with growing potential that are lesser-known compared to popular projects will be gathered in Innovation Zone, so that users can make their investment choices more easily and wisely, as well as providing a place where these projects can truly shine. Fo...