Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

According to a Gallop poll published on May 2, the public’s confidence in America’s current economic leaders has been deteriorating. Confidence in U.S. president Joe Biden managing the U.S. economy has dropped from 57% to 40%, and faith in Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has faltered from 55% to 43%. The April 2022 Gallop poll, published amid the highest inflationary pressure the country has seen in decades, indicates trust in economic leaders is at its lowest point since 2008. Americans Are Not Confident in Current Leaders Managing the Economy After the largest monetary expansion the country has seen in its entire lifetime, faith in America’s economic leaders is “flagging,” according to a recently published Gallop poll . The poll was conducted via telephone interviews on April 1-19, 2022, with 1,018 adult U.S. residents. The Gallop poll particpants resided in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Furthermore, the survey was done before U.S. gross domestic product report...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has halted a $62 million global cryptocurrency trading and mining scheme and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted its CEO and founder. If convicted of all counts, he faces a maximum total penalty of 45 years in prison, the Justice Department. SEC Halts $62M Global Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Friday that it has halted a fraudulent crypto mining and trading scheme. The SEC charged MCC International (aka Mining Capital Coin), its founders (Luiz Carlos Capuci Jr. and Emerson Souza Pires), and two entities controlled by them. The charges are “in connection with the unregistered offerings and fraudulent sales of investment plans called mining packages to thousands of investors,” the agency noted. The securities watchdog detailed that since at least January 2018: MCC, Capuci, and Pires sold mining packages to 65,535 investors worldwide and promised daily returns of 1 perc...

Another whirlwind week in crypto draws to a close, and of course there’s no shortage of spicy stories and new, compelling narratives in the world of innovative digital money. This week, Elon Musk gives investment advice, United States Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler catches flack from SEC commissioner Hester Peirce, and Joe Rogan calls bitcoin a viable currency, noting that it’s got the government “freaking out.” Buckle up and look lively, this is the Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. Joe Rogan: Bitcoin Is Now a Viable Currency and the Government Is Freaking Out Famous podcaster Joe Rogan, the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, talked about bitcoin on his show, posted Tuesday. The show features an interview with UFC light heavyweight fighter Khalil Rountree Jr. Noting that now bitcoin is “a viable form of currency” that “You can actually buy things with,” he said, “the government is freaking out.” Read More Lawmakers, SEC Commissioner Slam Chair Gensler for ...

PRESS RELEASE. The blockchain ecosystem is growing exponentially. It has brought prosperity to most African countries by creating wealth for individuals and fast economic growth for their people. However, many believe that the region is yet to tap into its full potential, that is, leveraging blockchain technology to build a solid ecosystem. As a result, there has been an increasing global interest in Africa recently, with many prominent investors and companies looking to invest in this promising continent. LBank has set up shop in various locations across Africa as pioneers of the next generation of crypto and blockchain users, collaborating with other African ventures such as Adanian Labs who share a similar desire to help these countries realise their full potential. Specifically, Adanian Labs is a Pan African venture building studio with a mission to build, incubate and launch impact-driven technology companies and entrepreneurs working to solve some of Africa’s most pertinent ...

Many of the financial pyramids identified in Russia during the first quarter of the year have been associated with cryptocurrencies, a top central bank official has revealed. Fraudsters are actively exploiting the hot topics of the day, including the sanctions theme. Pyramids Offer Russian Investors Ways to Circumvent Western Sanctions Amid growing financial uncertainty, Ponzi schemes advertising opportunities to invest in digital assets are mushrooming in Russia. Of all financial pyramids detected by regulators in the first three months of 2022, well over half have used cryptocurrency as a lure. “Schemes based on transfers using cryptocurrencies or investments in ‘digital instruments’ have received another impetus,” Valery Lyakh, director of Bank of Russia’s Department for Combating Unfair Practices told Tass news agency. More than 58% of the pyramids identified by Russian financial authorities in the first quarter of this year were linked to cryptocurrencies, Lyakh detailed. As...

An apartment in Portugal has changed hands, with the buyer paying directly in cryptocurrency in a reported first for the country. The home was purchased for 3 bitcoins without conversion to euros, under a new regulation permitting real estate deals with digital currencies. Buyer Pays With Bitcoin for Apartment in Braga, Portugal A three-room (two-bedroom) apartment in the Portuguese city of Braga has been bought with cryptocurrency without any conversion to fiat money. Local media reports have described the deal as a first in the history of the country’s real estate market. The new owner paid 3 bitcoins ( BTC ) for the home, worth around 110,000 euros at the time the purchase took place. The title deed was transferred in Porto’s Póvoa de Varzim district this past Thursday, May 5, the business news portal Idealista unveiled. The purchase was made with the help of real estate agency Zome, the law firm Antas da Cunha Ecija, and partners from Switzerland’s Crypto Valley. The Chairman ...

On May 6, the financial services company Robinhood announced the firm has listed Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and Ethereum Trust (ETHE). Robinhood customers can now gain access the crypto investment products in order to get exposure to bitcoin or ethereum without actually owning the digital currencies. In Addition to Cryptos, Robinhood Adds Grayscale’s GBTC and ETHE This week Robinhood added GBTC and ETHE to the company’s platform and the firm’s brokerage account customers can now buy or sell GBTC and ETHE stock and options commission-free. There's two new ways to access crypto on @RobinhoodApp . You can start trading $GBTC and $ETHE today. https://t.co/n09aiEVhqE https://t.co/6tFrYCsmzx pic.twitter.com/AxKH7xZ0nS — Grayscale (@Grayscale) May 6, 2022 Robinhood adding GBTC and ETHE investment products follows the firm rolling out its crypto wallet during the first week of April. On April 12, 2022, Robinhood listed shiba inu (SHIB), compound (COMP), polygon (MATI...

On May 5, Tron’s algorithmic stablecoin USDD went live and so far, the fiat-pegged token has been listed on a number of decentralized finance (defi) protocols. Two days later, the Tron DAO Reserve announced it purchased 504.6 million tron ( TRX ) to back the algorithmic stablecoin, as the project aims to leverage a decentralized forex reserve similar to Terra’s UST reserves. Tron DAO Reserve and Justin Sun Reveal a $38 Million TRX Purchase Terra’s UST reserve system is becoming a popular scheme, and Tron’s USDD stablecoin project is following the pattern. Bitcoin.com News reported on Tron’s algorithmic stablecoin project on April 21, and since then the fiat-pegged crypto asset has officially launched. The project has a number of partners now and USDD is listed on Pancakeswap, Kyberswap, Sunswap, Sun.io, Curve Finance, Uniswap, and Ellipsis. According to tronscan.org , there’s approximately 211,245,005.49 USDD at the time of writing. Statistics show on Saturday, May 7, 2022, Unis...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Nvidia Corp. for failing to disclose that crypto mining significantly boosted its revenue. The company agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $5.5 million penalty. Nvidia Failed to Disclose That Crypto Mining Was a Significant Element of Its Material Revenue Growth The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced settled charges against technology company Nvidia Corporation Friday “for inadequate disclosures concerning the impact of cryptomining on the company’s gaming business.” The securities watchdog explained that during consecutive quarters in Nvidia’s fiscal year 2018: The company failed to disclose that cryptomining was a significant element of its material revenue growth from the sale of its graphics processing units (GPUs) designed and marketed for gaming. As demand for and interest in cryptocurrency rose in 2017, Nvidia customers increasingly used gaming GPUs for crypto mining, the SEC n...

Google is establishing a Web3 team within its cloud unit, noting that “it is a market that is already demonstrating tremendous potential.” A Google executive explained: “We’re providing technologies for companies to use and take advantage of the distributed nature of Web3 in their current businesses and enterprises.” Google Creating Web3 Team Within Cloud Unit Google’s cloud unit is creating a team to build services for developers who are composing their own Web3 software and running blockchain applications, CNBC reported Friday. Amit Zavery, a vice president and head of the Google Cloud, informed employees in an email on Friday that the aim of the initiative is to make the Google Cloud platform the first choice for developers in the field. He wrote: While the world is still early in its embrace of Web3, it is a market that is already demonstrating tremendous potential with many customers asking us to increase our support for Web3 and crypto related technologies. The new Web3 t...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued its first-ever sanctions on a crypto mixer. The mixing service was used by Lazarus Group to process illicit proceeds from the $620 million crypto heist of the online game Axie Infinity, said the Treasury Department. Treasury Department Sanctions Crypto Mixer The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Friday that it has sanctioned crypto mixer Blender.io (Blender). According to the OFAC, this mixing service is used by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) “to support its malicious cyber activities and money-laundering of stolen virtual currency.” The announcement explains that on March 23, Lazarus Group, a DPRK state-sponsored cyber hacking group, carried out the largest cryptocurrency heist to date, worth almost $620 million, of a blockchain project linked to the online game Axie Infinity. The OFAC added: Blender was used in processing o...

A U.S. senator has introduced a bill to prohibit the Labor Department from issuing a regulation or guidance that limits the type of investments investors can choose in their retirement plans, including cryptocurrency. “Today, the Biden administration is targeting cryptocurrency. Which investment class is next?” the lawmaker stressed. Financial Freedom Act The issue of what investments Americans can put in their retirement accounts has become a hot topic in Washington. In March, the Department of Labor issued guidance warning employers and investment firms against allowing cryptocurrency investments in retirement plans. Responding to the Labor Department’s crypto warning, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced the Financial Freedom Act Thursday. The lawmaker described the bill as “legislation to prohibit the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from issuing a regulation or guidance that limits the type of investments that self-directed 401(k) account investors can choose through...

The last five weeks has been brutal for digital currencies as more than 21% has been shaved off the crypto economy’s fiat value since March 27. While all the crypto assets combined shed roughly 0.8% in the last 24 hours, bitcoin has lost 9.4% since last week and seven day statistics show ethereum has dropped 8.1% against the U.S. dollar. Since the crypto economy’s significant losses, the stablecoin UST has managed to take the top ten market capitalization among 13,439 crypto assets. 3 Stablecoins Hold Top 10 Positions, Terrausd Enters the 10th Spot Today, three stablecoins now command a position in the top ten largest cryptocurrency market capitalizations. While tether ( USDT ) and usd coin (USDC) have been in the top ten for quite some time, Terra’s UST is now holding the top ten spot since the crypto economy’s market conditions turned red. Another fundamental that pushed UST higher is the fact that the algorithmic stablecoin’s market valuation expanded by 12.3% over the last 30 da...

Bitcoin fell to its lowest level in over two months, as Friday’s non-farm payrolls report showed an addition of 428,000. It was expected that last month’s payrolls would show an increase of 391,000 jobs — lower than March’s figure of 431,000. ETH also fell on the news, hitting a six-week low. Bitcoin Bitcoin fell by nearly 10% in today’s session, as traders continue to react to recent action by the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates. Today’s drop, which sees prices of BTC /USD hit an intraday low of $35,714.30, also comes as markets were preparing for the latest non-farm payrolls report. Friday’s drop sees bitcoin slip for a second consecutive session, with prices now trading at their lowest level since February 24. Despite slipping to a more than two-month low, there could be more declines ahead, as prices appear to be moving toward a floor of $34,050. Looking at the chart, this latest fall in prices has pushed the RSI towards a one-month low of 35.50, which is a point tha...

Authorities in Georgia are now holding discussions with industry representatives to finalize a bill designed to regulate coin trading, among other crypto-related activities. The legislation will be presented to the Georgian society this fall at the latest, a top central bank official announced. Central Bank of Georgia Talks Crypto Regulation With Market Players The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) is fine-tuning a draft law tailored to establish a legal framework for certain operations with cryptocurrencies with the help of interested parties from the sector. Public and business officials are currently holding talks on the new legislation, the bank’s Vice Governor Papuna Lezhava revealed, quoted by Sputnik Georgia. He stated: We are working on a bill regulating cryptocurrency, and now it is at the stage of consideration with market participants. The final document will be made public either in the summer or in the fall. The law will regulate several crypto-related areas at once, t...

New Zealand-based venture capital firm Global From Day 1 (GD1) recently said it had launched a $5 million Web3 and crypto-focused venture capital fund to back local startups. The fund will invest in pre-seed to Series A companies across decentralized finance (defi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3. GD1’s Web3 and Crypto Strategy In a boost for New Zealand-based startups and local investors, GD1 has launched a $5 million Web3 and crypto-focused venture capital fund. The fund, known as GD1 Crypto Fund 1, will be led by cryptocurrency and Web3 expert Nawaz Ahmed as a general partner. Remarking on what the incoming general partner is expected to bring, Vignesh Kumar, the co-managing partner at GD1, said in a press release : One of our goals at GD1 has always been to diversify into new focus areas and continuously expand our knowledge base by onboarding individuals with diverse and interesting experiences and so we’re thrilled to have...

The International Money Fund (IMF) has added its voice to institutions and parties criticizing the Central African Republic (CAR)’s decision to adopt bitcoin. The IMF insists the adoption poses legal economic challenges not only to the country but to the region as well. CAR’s Bitcoin Adoption Has Financial and Legal Issues The IMF has reportedly said the CAR’s recent decision to adopt bitcoin poses a number of challenges for the country and the region. The comments by the global lender mark the first time it has publicly reacted to CAR’s decision to make bitcoin legal tender. As has been reported by Bitcoin.com News, the IMF was and is still critical of a similar decision that was made by El Salvador in 2021. Following the initial announcement, the global lender warned the adoption of bitcoin would pose several macroeconomic, financial, and legal issues. In January 2022, the IMF urged El Salvador to drop the bitcoin law, but this was rejected by the latter. Reacting to the CAR’s...

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has received regulatory approval from the French financial regulator to operate as a registered digital asset service provider. “Binance will significantly scale our operations in France to make crypto and our services more accessible to all,” the exchange said. Binance Becomes a Fully Regulated Crypto Exchange in France Crypto exchange Binance announced Wednesday that it received approval from the French financial regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), to operate as a registered digital asset service provider (DASP). The exchange wrote: Binance is now a fully regulated digital asset service provider in France. The French arm of Binance is now listed as a registered digital asset service provider on the AMF website. Specifically, the exchange is permitted to provide exchange and custody services for digital assets. Binance explained that this is its first DASP in Europe. “As the first major global crypto exchange to register in Fr...

On May 5, 2022, at block height 735,000, the bitcoin mining pool Poolin mined the 105,000th block reward since the last halving. The mined block also represents the halfway point to the next halving that is estimated to take place on or around April 27, 2024. Block 735,000 follows the network issuing over 19 million bitcoin and the hashrate reaching an all-time high three days ago on May 2. Block 735,000: Halfway to the Next Halving The Bitcoin network is getting closer to the next halving which is estimated to happen on or around April 27, 2024 , or 723 days from now. At block height 735,000, the 105,000th block was mined and there’s now 105,000 left to go until the next halving. At the time of writing, data shows that there’s 104,928 block subsidy rewards left to mine. Presently, bitcoin miners get 6.25 BTC for a block reward and the fees associated with the confirmed transactions. Poolin earned the 6.25 BTC and 0.16215354 BTC worth of network fees associated with the block re...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order on crypto and blockchain to create a comprehensive and harmonized framework for Web3 technology to thrive. “California is a global hub of innovation, and we’re setting up the state for success with this emerging technology,” said the governor. California’s Governor Issues Executive Order on Blockchain and Crypto The governor of the U.S. state of California, Gavin Newsom, signed an executive order Wednesday to “create a transparent and consistent business environment for companies operating in blockchain, including crypto assets and related financial technologies,” according to a notice published by the office of the governor. The notice states: California becomes the first state in the nation to begin creating a comprehensive and harmonized framework for responsible web3 technology to thrive. Under Governor Newsom’s executive order, the state will also “assess how to deploy blockchain technology for state and publi...

Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk has secured $7.139 billion in new financing commitments to fund his acquisition of Twitter, including from several pro-crypto companies. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance, for example, has committed to invest $500 million in the social media platform alongside Musk. Crypto-Friendly Companies Join Elon Musk to Buy Twitter Tesla CEO Elon Musk has secured funding from 18 companies to purchase Twitter Inc., his filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday shows. The SEC filing explains that Musk received equity commitment letters from these investors on May 4 “providing for an aggregate of approximately $7.139 billion in new financing commitments” in connection with his proposed acquisition of Twitter. Some pro-crypto companies are on the list of investors, including Sequoia Capital Fund which committed $800 million, crypto exchange Binance which committed $500 million, AH Capital Management (aka Andreessen Horowitz, a16z) whi...

High-end fashion house Gucci will begin accepting cryptocurrencies at some of its stores this month, including bitcoin, ether, dogecoin, and shiba inu. The company plans for all of its directly operated stores in North America to accept crypto by this summer. Gucci to Start Accepting Crypto Payments Italian high-end luxury fashion house Gucci will start accepting cryptocurrency payments in five stores later this month, Vogue Business reported Wednesday. The five stores are located in New York City (Wooster Street), Los Angeles (Rodeo Drive), Miami (Design District), Atlanta (Phipps Plaza), and Las Vegas (The Shops at Crystals). Gucci will accept bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, wrapped bitcoin, litecoin, dogecoin, shiba inu, and five stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar, the publication conveyed. These coins are the ones supported by popular crypto payment service provider Bitpay, which also supports GUSD, USDC, USDP, DAI, and BUSD stablecoins. Marco Bizzarri, the president and...

The Dubai virtual assets regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), has established its metaverse headquarters in The Sandbox virtual world. By establishing a presence in the metaverse, the regulator said it hopes to make itself accessible to all stakeholders. World’s ‘Virtual Assets Capital’ Dubai’s digital assets regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), has established its metaverse headquarters (HQ) in the virtual world of The Sandbox, a statement from the regulator has said. The regulator said its objective for setting up the metaverse HQ is to ensure VARA “is accessible to its industry in their environment.” VARA is also expected to help facilitate engagement between virtual asset service providers (VASPs), industry influencers, and global regulators. According to the statement, by making this move, the Dubai regulator is signaling a willingness to make the Emirate “the world’s Virtual Assets Capital.” Maintaining Dubai’s Lead In remarks fo...

Brubank, one of the first Argentinian digital banks approved by the central bank of the country, is getting into the cryptocurrency business. The company announced it is now allowing customers to make cryptocurrency investments via its platform, giving them the ability to purchase crypto assets in its app. This is reportedly the second financial institution that is providing these services in the country. Brubank Introduces Cryptocurrency Services Private Banks in Argentina are starting to see the value of offering cryptocurrency services to their customers amidst a crypto boom in the country. Brubank, an all-digital financial institution licensed by the country’s central bank, has reported it is now offering cryptocurrency purchase services in its app. The bank announced this new functionality on social media when answering an inquiry from a customer about the new options on the platform. Brubank stated : Yes, we already have crypto! It is a functionality that is being progress...

Bankoff, a platform offering virtual cards that could be topped up with cryptocurrency, has told customers its cards are no longer supported by payment systems Visa and Stripe. They allowed Russians to pay abroad after major processors restricted their services in the country. Visa and Stripe Halt Support for Bankoff Cards Payment processors Visa and Stripe have halted services for cards issued by Bankoff, the online banking platform informed clients on Tuesday, May 3. In a notice, a copy of which was posted on social media, the company explained that the suspension was due to the increased number of active users and transactions from Russia. “It means our cards are no longer supported for any offline and online payments,” the Bankoff team elaborated. The neobank also revealed that its funds in a U.S. account had been frozen, assuring customers it’s currently working to restore access to the money. Representatives of Bankoff have confirmed the development to Forklog. The crypto...

Web3 platform Infinite Arcade launches batch 3 Gamer NFTs sale. The Gamer (avatar) NFTs act as access keys to unlock play & earn on the platform. The games are free-to-play, each set. The first 2 batches of the Genesis Gamer NFTs were sold out very quickly. Now the last stage of NFTs sale starts and it will be held for those players only who are Whitelisted. Infinite Arcade has launched a month ago. It makes it possible for developers and creators to connect with players in a marketplace in order to create a common economy. Infinite Arcade is like an arcade in the metaverse. Users can own part of the ecosystem and gain from its growth, as well as be rewarded for their time spent in the game and contribution to the community. By now players are enjoying 15 live P2E games. About 200 games will be launched in the near future on this exclusive metaverse Web3 platform. Players can earn TIC, the utility token of the Infinite Arcade. To get access to the platform one should use the Game...