Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

After relative calm for a few months, the Lebanese pound has plunged to an all-time low of 35,600 per dollar, a report has said. The currency’s latest slide is expected to worsen Lebanon’s economic challenges. Pound Depreciation In a sign that Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis is worsening, the black market exchange rate of the Lebanese pound is reported to have plunged to an all-time low of 35,600 against the dollar. According to an Al Jazeera report, it took just two weeks for the pound’s black market exchange rate to drop from 26,800 to the latest rate. At the time of writing, the pound’s official exchange rate was 1,510 for every dollar. The pound’s reported quickfire depreciation has worsened Lebanon’s already difficult economic situation. Also as noted in an Al Jazeera report , the currency’s plunge was preceded by a 25% increase in petrol prices. Plans to scrap subsidies — which in turn can lead to further price increases — are expected to worsen the plight of the country’s

In the crypto industry, investors are always on the search for undervalued projects that have the greatest potential for increasing early investors’ returns. Finding these hidden gem initiatives just before noteworthy launches is an easy way to profit. Mars4 is one of these projects to keep an eye on, as the team behind it is working on exciting new releases that will be available the next month. These updates will boost the game’s economy and provide players with a sneak peek at the upcoming game. The community should expect the Mars4 project to acquire credibility as a result of these changes, bringing additional investors to the initiative. What exactly is Mars4? Mars4 offers non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent virtual Mars . All NFTs are unique in terrain and were modeled using NASA data to make them accurate representations of the Red Planet. The planned Mars metaverse game will make use of these land parcel NFTs. In the game, you can explore your virtual property, g

India’s economic affairs secretary has reportedly revealed that the government’s consultation paper on cryptocurrency is “fairly ready.” He explained that the Indian government is looking at “a global paradigm on digital assets,” emphasizing that “There has to be a broad framework on which all economies have to be together.” Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on Crypto Indian Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth provided an update Monday on the government’s progress to establish India’s crypto policy. Speaking about the government’s consultation paper on crypto, he was quoted by CNBC TV18 as saying: Our consultation paper is fairly ready and we went into a deep dive and have consulted not just the domestic institutional stakeholders but also the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. “So we hope that we will soon be in a position to finalize our consultation paper,” the economic affairs secretary added. In April, Bitcoin.com News reported that Indian finance minis

The CEO of Bank of America says that his bank has hundreds of blockchain patents but regulations will not allow it to engage in crypto. “The reality is that we can’t do it by regulation,” he said. Bank of America’s CEO on Crypto Bank of America (BOA) CEO Brian Moynihan talked about cryptocurrency in an interview with Yahoo Finance Live at the recent World Economic Forum event in Davos, published Saturday. He was asked about his bank’s plans for cryptocurrencies. “The reality is that we run a payments business across our platform. It’s trillions of dollars a day, and almost all of it is digital,” the executive replied, adding: If you think about the blockchain, we have hundreds of patents on blockchain as a process and as a tool and as a technology. However, with regard to cryptocurrency, he revealed: “We’re not engaging in accounts for people in cryptocurrency … we’re not allowed to, frankly.” The Bank of America chief explained: “Because we’re regulated and they [regulators]

Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller has detailed he is ready to get behind 50 bps rate hikes until the extreme inflationary pressures plaguing the U.S. economy subsides. Waller stressed that until inflation is reduced he doesn’t “see the point of stopping” 50 bps rate hikes. Furthermore, statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that American savings have plummeted to levels not seen since the ‘Great Recession’ in 2008. Christopher Waller Advocates for 50 Bps Rate Hikes at Every Fed Meeting Until Inflation Is Under Control Inflation is wreaking havoc on the wallets of everyday Americans as the cost of goods and services has skyrocketed during the past few months. Inflation is so bad that president Joe Biden will host a rare Oval Office meeting on May 31, with Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to discuss inflation and the state of the U.S. economy. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller is of the opinion that raising the benchmark interest

Frodo Tech aims to create an environmentally-friendly blockchain ecosystem based on a unique cryptocurrency service that all the people in the world can access, without any limitations based on race, region or country. Frodo Will Have No Limitations and No Mining Frodo Tech is an IT and Financial blockchain services company based in Auckland, New Zealand, and a member of the Blockchain Association of NZ (BANZ). Since 2018, it has provided best-fit and trustful solutions around AI, cybersecurity, data analysis, custom applications, mobility, migration, and managed services. The goal of Frodo Tech is to create an online platform of services that brings tomorrow’s business today that is secure, trustable, and excellent. In 2021, the team at Frodo Tech decided to start a blockchain-based business providing a unique crypto service. The goal is simple: allow all kinds of people access to services without any race or region limitation – become an open, free platform and sustain an ecosys

A new study has found that nearly 43% of Turkish individuals surveyed consider gold to be the best form of investment, while just 1.9% said they would invest in cryptocurrencies. Real estate is the next most-preferred after gold, with 27.4% of the respondents saying they would invest. Fewer Turks Now View Gold as Best Investment A recent study by Areda Survey has found that a significant number of Turks — about 42.9% — still consider gold to be the best form of investment. The figure is almost 15 percentage points lower than the number of Turkish individuals that viewed gold as the ideal investment in April 2021. In terms of the gender of those that said they would invest in gold, the study found that 45.9% of the respondents were women, while men constituted 42.2% of such respondents. Besides gold, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported that Turks’ next most-preferred investment is real estate at 27.4%. The number is marginally higher than the 26.9% that said they would invest

Former Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aimé, believes that the gaming industry is steadily going to integrate metaverse elements into its games. Fils-Aimé thinks that established gaming companies, like Nintendo, are better suited to be leading the race for the metaverse than other companies due to their experience in building interactive and persistent worlds. Former Nintendo President Thinks Gaming Companies Will Lead the Metaverse The race toward the metaverse space is on, and some think that gaming companies have the upper hand to lead the space in the short term. Reggie Fils-Aimé, former executive and president of Nintendo of America from 2006 until 2019, believes that gaming companies like Nintendo and Sony are better suited and equipped to lead this metaverse race due to the experience they have when designing and building immersive experiences for games. About metaverse and gaming companies, Fils-Aimé told Yahoo Finance: I do believe it’s going to be led by gam

Nigerian presidential hopeful, Bukola Saraki, recently said he supports the digital currency industry which he claimed has created opportunities for the country’s youth. However, he insisted that there is a need for the enactment of laws that guide players in this space. Digital Currencies Create Opportunities for the Youth One of Nigeria’s presidential aspirants, Bukola Saraki, was recently quoted saying he supports digital currencies and that he does not think they will wreck the economy. The presidential hopeful nevertheless suggested that there must be legislation and policies in place to guide players in this space. In his remarks during an interview , Saraki, one of the fifteen individuals seeking to become the opposition’s candidate in Nigeria’s upcoming presidential elections, acknowledged that digital currencies have created opportunities for the country’s youth. He said: I also think it has helped especially the young generation in creating jobs and opportunities. And a

PRESS RELEASE. In a radically different approach to handling an NFT sale, PlanetQuest, has just launched its community friendly Planet Sale at planetquest.io. The Cinematic Multiverse and Blockchain Game, backed by Hollywood and Gaming talent, top tier investors and a community of over 215.000 Explorers, is pioneering a whole new sales approach that promises to eliminate gas wars, frustration and front running bots, while ensuring their first ever, real-time 3D Planet NFTs end up in the hands of deserving buyers and community members. After coming out of stealth on the 15th of December of 2021, PlanetQuest had already built a massive fanbase. With its interactive storyline, that saw community members voting to decide the fate of beloved characters, closing in on the end of its first season, an ancient artifact, known as The Cradle, has been discovered and activated, opening wormholes to unexplored galaxies, and setting the stage for the next phase of the PlanetQuest journey: The Co

The average Ethereum network fee has dropped to the lowest value recorded in over ten months, after fees hit a low of $2.96 per transaction on Sunday afternoon (ET). The last time ethereum transfer fees dropped below the $3 mark was last year on July 11, 2021. Moreover, median fees are even cheaper, as the median-sized ethereum transaction fee on May 29 is around 0.00086 ether or $1.56 per transfer. Ethereum Gas Costs Sink to Lowest Levels Since July 2021 Ethereum network fees are the cheapest they have been in over ten months and around 12 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, the average ETH transfer fee slid to a low of $2.96 per transaction . As the day continued on, average ether fees have jumped a bit higher to 0.002 ether or $3.56 per transfer. Ethereum’s transaction fees have not been this low in quite some time. Bitcoin.com News has been covering the fact that gas costs have been dropping since mid-February and during the first week of March, ethereum transaction fees slid to just above

Crypto exchange Binance has received regulatory approval from Italy’s financial regulator to operate as a cryptocurrency service provider in the country. “Clear and effective regulation is essential for mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies,” said Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. Binance Now Licensed in Italy Binance announced Friday that Binance Italy “has received regulatory approval” through registration as a Cryptocurrency Service Provider with the Organismo Agenti e Mediatori (OAM), as required by the Italian legislation on crypto assets. The announcement states: The registration of Binance Italy … allows the company to offer crypto products to its customers in Italy. Binance Italy, established in recent months, is the legal entity of the Binance Group in Italy. Earlier this month, Binance said it has received approval from the French financial regulator , the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), to operate as a registered Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP). The crypto

Hedge fund manager Michael Burry, famed for forecasting the 2008 financial crisis, has warned of a looming consumer recession and more earnings trouble. He cited falling U.S. personal savings and record-setting revolving credit card debt despite trillions of dollars in stimulus money. Michael Burry’s Recession Warning Famous investor and founder of investment firm Scion Asset Management, Michael Burry, warned on Friday about a looming consumer recession and more earnings trouble ahead. He is best known for being the first investor to foresee and profit from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010. He is profiled in “The Big Short,” a book by Michael Lewis about the mortgage crisis, which was made into a movie starring Christian Bale. Burry explained on Twitter Friday: US Personal Savings fell to 2013 levels, the savings rate to 2008 levels – while revolving credit card debt grew at a record-setting pace back to the pre-Covid peak despite all those t

Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian says the Federal Reserve will have to “decide between two policy mistakes.” One risks triggering a recession and the other could prolong inflation well into 2023. “I think the time has passed for a soft landing,” the economist stressed. Mohamed El-Erian on Inflation, Recession, and the U.S. Economy Economist Mohamed El-Erian discussed where the U.S. economy is headed and the Federal Reserve’s plan to bring inflation under control in an interview with Bloomberg Friday. El-Erian is 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 is also the president of Queens’ College, Cambridge University. He was asked what’s feasible for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell under the current economic environment. The economist replied that “at best,” it is “what Chair Powell called a ‘softish’ landing, and the ‘ish’ is really important.”

From a desperate investor’s ill-advised visit to Terra co-founder Do Kwon’s house resulting in an arrest, the announcement of a new Terra network, and blockchain talk at Davos, to predictions of U.S. economic collapse if inflation isn’t reigned in quickly, there’s no shortage of action-packed crypto stories this past week. Without further ado, this is the Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. LUNA Investor Arrested for Knocking on Do Kwon’s Door After Losing $2.4 Million in Terra Crash A crypto investor has been arrested after knocking on Do Kwon’s door following the collapse of cryptocurrency terra (LUNA) and stablecoin terrausd (UST). He lost about $2.4 million and is now under investigation by the South Korean police. “I felt like I was going to die,” he said about losing his investments. Read More A New Terra Network Is Coming With Support From Major Exchanges, LUNA and UST Holders Eligible for Airdropped Tokens According to a recent announcement from the Terra blockchain team,

China’s anti-crypto regulations have reportedly forced the non-fungible token (NFT) game, Stepn, to exclude users from the mainland starting on July 15. Shortly after the announcement, Stepn’s in-game cryptocurrency is reported to have briefly dropped by 38%. Stepn Adheres to Local Regulations China mainland users of the NFT gaming app Stepn will not be able to access the app starting on July 15, the developers have said. The blockade on users from this region is set to become effective when Stepn stops providing GPS and IP location services. Despite revealing the plans to stop serving users from the mainland, the dev team insisted in a tweet that they had not engaged in any business with players from the region. The team tweeted: We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. STEPN has not engaged in any business in mainland China since its establishment and has not provided download channels. STEPN has always attached great importance to compliance ob

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has accelerated the development of its digital ruble in response to Western sanctions. The monetary authority now intends to pilot transactions with the new version of the national fiat in early 2023 instead of 2024, as originally planned. CBR to Launch Transactions, Smart Contracts With Digital Ruble as Early as Next Year Sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have convinced the Bank of Russia to speed up the development of the digital version of the ruble, the Russian-language edition of Forbes reported, quoting CBR’s First Deputy Chairman Olga Skorobogatova. She revealed this during a meeting organized by the Association of Banks of Russia. The high-ranking official remarked that Russia’s central bank had initially scheduled the digital ruble pilot with real transactions and users for 2024 but it has been decided to launch the project in April 2023. At the same time, the regulator also wants to start implementing smart contracts base

Bitcoin bears re-entered the marketplace on Saturday, as prices moved closer to a multi-week low to start the weekend. BTC once again fell below $29,000, whilst ETH continues to move lower, and now hovers around $1,750. Bitcoin Following a brief rebound on Friday, BTC once again moved lower, with prices falling under the $29,000 mark to start the weekend. Yesterday saw BTC /USD hit an intraday peak of $29,335.03, however with bears re-entering the market, prices fell to a low of $28,326.61 earlier today. Today’s move sees bitcoin fall below its current support level of $28,800, and push price closer to a 16-day low below $27,700. Overall, BTC is down over 1% in the last seven days, with markets mainly consolidating during that period. Many now believe that after bearish stints in April and May, we might have seen the worst of the selling in crypto, with a potential for a slight rebound in June. The 14-day RSI is currently tracking at a floor of 35. Should this break we coul

PRESS RELEASE. In another groundbreaking achievement, the blockchain-based metaverse platform Dvision Network has just announced its official onboarding on Binance Custody. As such, Binance’s custody services arm will support deposits and withdrawals of Dvision’s native token, DVI, on its platform. The support for DVI token on Binance Custody will be provided in a cross-chain manner, adding support for both ERC-20 and BEP-20 versions of the Dvision’s native token. What is there to know? Through the Binance Custody’s official Twitter account, it has been announced that it is currently accepting DVI token deposits and withdrawals for Dvision Network on its custody service. Binance Custody ’s platform is undergoing an independent SOC 2 audit to validate its operational security. With that in mind, Binance employs safe MPC (multi party computation) to disperse control over client funds, thereby significantly reducing the dangers associated with centralization. Moreover, Dvision Netw

Authorities in Russia are mulling over the possible use of digital currencies for international payments, a high-ranking official from the finance ministry has indicated. If recognized as property, he noted, cryptocurrency can be utilized in barter deals with foreign partners. Finance Ministry Suggests Russia May Employ Crypto in International Trade The possibility of using cryptocurrencies in international settlements is under consideration at the Ministry of Finance of Russia since the country’s access to the traditional payment channels is limited, Ivan Chebeskov, director of the ministry’s Financial Policy Department announced, quoted by the Interfax news agency. Speaking at a forum organized by the ruling United Russia party, Chebeskov revealed that the Minfin is actively discussing the employment of digital currency in barter transactions, if it is recognized as property in the Russian Federation. The topic deserves attention, the official emphasized, as Russia is restricted

The South Korean government is considering imposing tougher regulations, including a unified listing standard, on all cryptocurrency exchanges in the country following the collapse of cryptocurrency terra (LUNA) and stablecoin terrausd (UST). Korean Government’s Meeting With Cryptocurrency Exchanges The South Korean government is shifting responsibility for the crash of cryptocurrency terra (LUNA) and algorithmic stablecoin terrausd (UST) onto crypto exchanges, the Korea Times reported Thursday. The Korean National Assembly and the government held an emergency meeting with the heads of major crypto exchanges in the country Tuesday to discuss measures to prevent the recurrence of the LUNA and UST implosion. However, the lawmakers and financial authorities appeared to support the imposition of tougher regulations on crypto exchanges, the publication conveyed. The Korean government has criticized crypto exchanges for their delayed response to the collapse of the two cryptocurrencies.

A16z, one of the most influential VC firms in the crypto field, has announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency fund to invest in the development of Web3 startups. This fourth crypto fund from the firm, which will launch with a budget of $4.5 billion dollars, is set to focus on several key fields in the crypto environment, including blockchain games and decentralized finance. A16z Bets Big on Web3 and Crypto A16z, one of the most active VC firms in crypto, has revealed it is launching yet another crypto investment fund. The new endeavor of the company, which will have $4.5 billion at its disposal, will focus on Web3 investments in companies at any growth rate. This, according to the company, is a bet on blockchain as one of the important technologies of the future. A blog post written by Chris Dixon, a general partner at A16z and founder and leader of its crypto division, stated : We think we are now entering the golden era of Web3. Programmable blockchains are sufficiently adv

Bitso, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in Latam, has announced a series of layoffs due to the recent downturn in the cryptocurrency market. The exchange, which has a workforce of 800 workers, has decided to let go of more than 10% of its staff citing a change in the long-term strategy for the company, just when it had announced its expansion to Colombia. Crypto Exchange Bitso Lays Off Over 10% of Its Employees Bitso, one of the first cryptocurrency unicorns in Latam, has announced it is taking measures to preserve the operation of the company during the current market downturn. The Mexico-based exchange announced a series of layoffs that will affect its presence in the 35 countries where it has operations. According to local media, the exchange will be laying off 80 employees out of its total 600-employee workforce, with most of the layoffs happening in Mexico. About these layoffs, which cut the employee count by more than 10% for the company, Bitso declared: Our dec

Spacex and Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that dogecoin will soon be accepted at Spacex for merchandise, in the same way Tesla is accepting DOGE payments. Furthermore, Starlink subscriptions may also be paid with dogecoin “one day.” Spacex to Soon Accept Dogecoin for Merchandise Dogecoin got a little boost Friday when Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter that Spacex will soon accept the meme cryptocurrency for merchandise. The Spacex boss tweeted: “Tesla merch can be bought with DOGE, soon Spacex merch too.” In addition, Musk said that Spacex’s Starlink subscriptions may “one day” be paid with dogecoin. Starlink provides “High-speed, low-latency broadband internet in remote and rural locations across the globe,” its website describes. Following Musk’s tweet about Spacex accepting dogecoin, the price of the meme cryptocurrency spiked. At the time of his tweet, DOGE was trading at $0.078399 per coin. It quickly rose more than 8% to $0.084927. However, the meme coin soon lost most o