Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The Bank of England says “extreme volatility” in the crypto market “underscores the need for enhanced regulatory and law enforcement frameworks.” The British central bank has warned that crypto prices could fall further. Bank of England Calls for Enhanced Crypto Regulation The Financial Policy Committee of the British central bank, the Bank of England (BOE), said Tuesday that the “extreme volatility” in crypto prices in recent months underscores vulnerabilities in the crypto market, Bloomberg reported. Citing a $2 trillion reduction in the total market capitalization of crypto assets, the Bank of England stressed the need for tougher law enforcement and regulation for the crypto sector, the publication conveyed. The market cap of all cryptocurrencies currently stands at about $1 trillion. It was nearly $3 trillion at its peak in November last year. Last month, Agustin Carstens, the general manager of the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), said all the weaknesses in the cryp...

Bank of America has revealed that the number of its customers who are active crypto users has declined more than 50% from its peak in November last year. In addition, the bank said its data “shows that outflows to crypto platforms have fallen sharply,” indicating that “consumers are pulling back on their net investment into crypto platforms.” Bank of America’s Active Crypto Users Bank of America published a report last week showing a steep decline in the number of active cryptocurrency users from its peak in November last year. The bank explained: Anonymized Bank of America internal customer data shows a sharp, greater than 50%, decline in the number of active crypto users from the peak of over 1 million users in November 2021 to below 500,000 in May. “We also found that ‘first time’ users, customers who made a transaction with a crypto platform having not made one previously, have also fallen very sharply,” the report adds. Bank of America further noted that there were only ar...

Elon Musk’s Boring Company will accept the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin as payment for rides on its Las Vegas transit system Loop. Musk confirmed that he is “supporting Doge whenever possible.” Tesla already accepts the meme crypto for some merchandise and Spacex will soon follow suit. Elon Musk’s Boring Company to Accept Dogecoin Payments The Boring Company, founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, will accept the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin for rides on Loop, its Las Vegas transit system, CNN reported Wednesday. Musk previously said that The Boring Company’s goal “is to solve traffic, which plagues every major city on Earth.” One of the company’s projects is Loop, also known as “Teslas in Tunnels.” Loop is “an express public transportation system that resembles an underground highway more than a subway system,” its website details, adding that the system is all-electric with zero-emissions. The Tesla CEO indicated that the news of The Boring Company’s plan to accept dogecoin payments fo...

Hardware wallets designed to securely store cryptocurrency have seen a several-fold increase this spring in Russia, on the backdrop of currency restrictions introduced amid foreign sanctions. Ledger and Tangem have been the most popular products on the market, a media report revealed. Russians Buy More Hardware Crypto Wallets, Market Players Say Russian crypto users have sought to purchase up to eight times more hardware wallets in March – April 2022 over previous periods, the daily Vedomosti reported, quoting representatives of the Tangem wallet developer, the retail chain M.video-Eldorado, and the Ozon marketplace. Ledger, which sells wallets resembling a USB stick, and Tangem, whose products are designed to take the space of a bank card, have been the most popular brands among Russian customers, the article details. M.video-Eldorado started selling crypto wallets in the fall of 2021. It currently offers a single-currency and a multi-currency Tangem and a Ledger. In 2022, the re...

In its attempt to relieve the pressure against the rupee, the Indian government announced on July 1 that it had hiked the duty on imported gold by five percentage points to 12.5%. However, there are fears the import duty hike will spur a resurgence in the smuggling of the commodity. India’s Worsening Trade Deficit Faced with a rising trade deficit and weakening local currency, the Indian government announced on July 1 that it was hiking the duty on imported gold from 7.5% to 12.5%. Immediately after the announcement, the precious metal’s price in India went up by 3%. According to a report, the latest data from the country shows that imports of the precious metal into India — the world’s second largest consumer of gold — grew by almost ten times in twelve months to $6 billion. During the same period (May 2021 to May 2022), India’s negative trade balance grew to $24.29 billion, up from the $6.53 billion that was recorded a year ago. Following the announcement, some Indian experts l...

Leading cryptocurrency lender Nexo has offered to buy distressed competitor Vauld, which halted operations in the face of financial difficulties. The proposal comes after the Singapore-based company said it was exploring restructuring options. Nexo Secures Exclusive Agreement to Explore Vauld’s Acquisition Singapore-based crypto lending and trading platform Vauld, which announced suspension of withdrawals and other transactions for customers, has been offered a way out of its troubles. On Tuesday, major crypto lender Nexo unveiled it had signed an indicative term sheet with Vauld that grants it a 60-day exploratory period for exclusive talks over the intended acquisition of the rival company. On Monday, Vauld’s management said it’s halting operations because of “financial challenges” due to “the volatile market conditions.” It also cited financial difficulties at its partners and blamed the current market climate for the withdrawal of almost $198 million by its customers in about...

Citizens of Argentina are hedging their savings by using stablecoins amidst the recent climate of uncertainty created by the resignation of certain key members of the government. The minister of economy in the country resigned last weekend, alongside other personalities, creating the turmoil that prompted the price of stablecoins in the country to rise by 11% on some exchanges. Dollar-to-Peso Exchange Rate Plummets Due to Political Uncertainty in Argentina The rate that citizens in Argentina use to exchange the native fiat currency, the Argentinian peso, for dollars, has plummeted due to the climate of political and economic uncertainty the country is currently facing. The resignation of economy minister Martin Guzman caused shockwaves, as he was one of the biggest articulators of the deal the country inked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restructure the debt that the country has with the organization. The resignation of Guzman also brought about demissions from othe...

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has told Parliament that the central bank is considering imposing additional restrictions on cryptocurrency trading. They include “placing limits on retail participation, and rules on the use of leverage when transacting in cryptocurrencies.” MAS Considers New Restrictions on Crypto Trading Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the minister in charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), answered a parliamentary question about the regulation of cryptocurrency Monday. Murali Pillai, a member of the Singapore Parliament, asked whether the MAS “intends to implement further restrictions on cryptocurrency trading platforms with a view to protect unsophisticated persons from entering into such trades which are considered highly risky.” The minister in charge of the MAS explained that since 2017, the central bank “has consistently warned that cryptocurrencies are not suitable investments for the retail public.” He detailed that in January, the central...

A hacker claims to have stolen the personal data of a billion Chinese citizens from the Shanghai National Police (SHGA) and is selling it for 10 bitcoins. “This database contains many TB of data and information on billions of Chinese citizens.” 23 Terabytes of Data on a Billion Chinese Citizens on Sale for 10 Bitcoins An anonymous hacker has claimed to have stolen about 23 terabytes of data on a billion Chinese citizens from a Shanghai police database. Experts say that, if true, this would be one of the biggest data breaches in history. The data is being offered for sale for 10 bitcoins. At the time of writing, this sum amounts to about $197,806. On a hacker forum, an anonymous user using the handle “Chinadan” offered the data for sale on Thursday. The user claimed that the information was leaked from the Shanghai National Police (SHGA) database. “This database contains many TB of data and information on billions of Chinese citizens,” the post details. The leaked data includes na...

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is preparing to face a strong market downturn. According to reports, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced a change in the hiring policies of the company, lowering the number of engineers planned to be hired from 10K to 6-7K. Previously, Zuckerberg had warned about the metaverse pivot of the company and how it could make it lose money in the near future. Meta Preparing for a Difficult Future Meta, the social media and tech company that pivoted to metaverse tech, has announced a series of actions to help it face a market downturn in the future. According to reports , Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of the organization, stated that the current economic situation would change the hiring plans of the company for this year. Zuckerberg stated that Meta will now only hire between 6,000 and 7,000 engineers this year, lowered from the estimated 10,000 planned before. This means that the company will effectively reduce hiring between 30% to 40...

BTC briefly rose back above $20,000 on Tuesday, as U.S. markets reopened following yesterday’s Independence Day holiday. Prices of ETH also surged, climbing over its $1,100 resistance level. Overall, the crypto market cap is trading 0.63% higher. Bitcoin On Tuesday, bitcoin rallied back above $20,000, as traders returned from the U.S. Independence Day celebrations. In what has been a highly volatile trading session, BTC /USD rose to an intraday peak of $20,405.12 earlier in the day. However, these gains were not sustained, with prices since moving to a low of $19,438.48, as bulls likely liquidated their positions. As of writing, prices are now trading at $19,447.73, which is roughly around 1.13% lower than today’s high. Looking at the chart, the drop comes as prices approached a short-term resistance point of $20,500. Overall, volatility continues to be high, with bearish pressure remaining present, and bears likely looking to take price below $19,000 in upcoming sessions. E...

Between June 13 and June 27, or roughly two weeks, Tron’s stablecoin USDD dropped lower than the $1 parity and slipped to a low of $0.928 per unit on June 19. During the past seven days, USDD has managed to jump back to the $0.98 to $0.99 region while reaching $1 on July 3. Tron’s USDD Stablecoin Climbs Back Above $0.98 per Unit The stablecoin USDD , issued on top of the Tron network, saw its value slip below the typical $1 parity it held prior to June 13. Prior to that day, the stablecoin’s chart looked similar to an electrocardiogram flatline holding a stable value of around $0.994 to $1. Between June 13th to the 15th, however, USDD’s fiat value slipped to a low of $0.964 per unit. At that time, the Tron Reserve DAO collateralized the stablecoin with crypto assets such as tron (TRX) and usd coin (USDC) . During that time, bitcoin ( BTC ) and a number of other top crypto assets slid significantly in value. On June 18, the crypto economy shuddered and around 2 p.m. (ET), BTC hi...

The Ghanaian government has reportedly changed its mind and will now seek a financial rescue package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The decision comes just a few days after residents took to the streets to protest the spiraling inflation and growing economic hardships. Ghana’s Growing Balance of Payments Deficit After initially refusing to seek the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s support, the Ghanaian government has said it will now hold formal talks with the financial institution, a report has said. According to the report, the government’s decision followed a conversation between President Nana Akufo-Addo and the IMF’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva. As per the report , the government’s about-face comes after Ghana’s inflation rate, which topped 27.6% in May, as well as the deteriorating economic situation, helped spark street protests across the country in late June. Ghana’s apparent volte-face also came less than two months after the central bank hike...

The British Army’s official Youtube and Twitter accounts were compromised Sunday and hackers used them to promote crypto, including bitcoin and ether giveaway scams featuring Tesla CEO Elon Musk. British Army’s Social Media Accounts Used to Promote Bitcoin, Crypto, NFT Scams The British Army confirmed Sunday that its official Youtube and Twitter accounts were breached. The army’s verified Twitter handle with nearly 363K followers retweeted a number of posts promoting non-fungible token (NFT) scams before they were removed by Twitter. During the breach, the account name, profile picture, and banner image were changed to resemble NFT collections. Meanwhile, the army’s Youtube account, which has 177K subscribers, was renamed “Ark Invest” and four live videos promoting bitcoin and ether giveaway scams were uploaded to the account. The scammers advertised that for every bitcoin or ether sent to them, you will receive twice the amount back. The videos featured Tesla CEO Elon Musk, forme...

Peter Schiff-owned Euro Pacific Bank has been suspended by Puerto Rico’s financial regulator. Schiff claims that there’s “no evidence of crimes,” warning that “accounts are frozen and customers may lose money.” Puerto Rico’s Regulator Suspends Peter Schiff’s Bank Euro Pacific Bank, owned by notorious bitcoin skeptic and gold bug Peter Schiff, has been suspended by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico, also known as Oficina del Comisionado de Instituciones Financieras (OCIF). Insisting that there is no evidence of crime at the bank, Schiff tweeted Sunday: Despite no evidence of crimes, Puerto Rico regulators closed my bank anyway for net capital issues … As a result accounts are frozen and customers may lose money. The Puerto Rican financial regulator announced on June 30 that it has issued a “Complaint and Cease and Desist Order” and a “Temporary Order Designating Trustee” against Euro Pacific Intl. Bank Inc. “The order mandates the suspensio...

Quik.com , a portal to the web3-optimized metaverse , is bringing firsthand knowledge of the .metaverse, .vr, .web3, and many other top-level domains to the web3 race. These domains on Quik.com are minted on blockchain technology and are featured to be stored as an asset in the user’s digital wallet and held, sold, or even exchanged if the owner wishes to. These features separate them from traditional domains as they are not under centralized control. This allows them to reject third-party interference and secure privacy over data ownership. Users must link their digital wallets to the Quik ecosystem to obtain these domains , offering multiple top-level domains. Minting can be easily done through Quik.com, but it also requires in-depth market research and futuristic beneficial components to be considered. While the race is still young, many are trying to develop on the web3. Recognize that you are already on your way to a significant profit if your newly generated domain has excep...

The public prosecution of the Federal District, located in the center-west region of Brazil, has launched its own cryptocurrency investigation unit. The newly formed unit will focus its activities on aiding other prosecutors in cryptocurrency investigations, and also educating consumers about the safe use of cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency Crimes Unit Launched in Brazil Cryptocurrency crimes have several traits that make them difficult to detect by traditional intelligence units. This is why some countries have already dedicated part of their budget to building resources to face these new tech crimes. Brazil, a country where numerous cryptocurrency-related scams have happened, has officially reported the launch of a cryptocurrency-dedicated investigation unit. This new unit, denominated “Crypto,” is being created by the public prosecution office of the Federal District in the country, and will perform its duties by helping public prosecutors deal with cryptocurrency cases. In the ...

Bitcoin continues to hover below $20,000 to start the week, as U.S. markets were mainly closed due to the Independence Day celebrations. This past weekend’s volatility carried forward into Monday’s session, with ETH remaining close to a breakout below $1,000. Bitcoin Bitcoin started the week in the red, as the world’s largest crypto token continues to hover below $20,000. Following a volatile weekend of trading activity, BTC /USD dropped to an intraday low of $18,971.81 on Monday. As a result of this move, bitcoin continued to trade close to its support point of $18,800, with bears still targeting further lows. Looking at the chart, there is currently a lower floor at $17,700, which may be the next destination for prices, should momentum continue on its downward trend. However, there is one notable obstacle in the way of this move, that being of the 14-day RSI which is currently tracking at a support of its own. This is at the 28.60 level, and it is a support that has held fir...

The government of Colombia announced a new system that will allow it to use the Ripple Ledger to store and authenticate property titles. The system, which was developed by a third-party company called Peersyst Technology, aims to allow the National Land Agency to issue a record number of land adjudications for citizens. Colombia to Register Land Titles on the Ripple Ledger While the main uses of blockchain technology are currently linked to assets with transactional value, like cryptocurrencies, there are companies and governments leveraging it for other uses. The government of Colombia will use the underlying blockchain of the XRP asset, the Ripple Ledger, to assist in the issuance of land titles in the country. The announcement was made by Peersyst Technology, a third-party company that worked with Ripple to complete the digital implementation of the National Land Registry. The company stated: The solution has been implemented for AgenciaTierras is based on xrpstamp which all...

Eric Schmidt, who was CEO of Google, has declared that there is confusion about the concept of the metaverse and what it means for people. Schmidt stated that, even with a company like the former Facebook pivoting its operations to occupy the metaverse market, there is still not a clear definition of the concept and how it will affect people’s lives. Metaverse Still Not Defined, According to Google’s Former CEO Eric Schmidt While there has been a considerable number of companies and firms that are already putting funds into and betting on the growth of the concept of the metaverse, not everyone is so convinced about the subject. Eric Schmidt, an entrepreneur that was formerly CEO of tech giant Google from 2001 to 2011, is in this latter group. Schmidt has expressed a degree of skepticism when it comes to the importance and adoption that this new tech may take on in the future. This week, at an event in Colorado, Schmidt expressed his thoughts about the metaverse. He declared : Th...

The Central Bank of Russia would agree to the legalization of cryptocurrency mining, provided the proceeds from the activity are converted to fiat outside of Russia. The regulator’s latest position on the matter comes after it softened its stance on the possible use of cryptocurrencies for payments, even if only internationally. Central Bank of Russia to Accept Legalization of Cryptocurrency Mining The monetary authority in Moscow is now ready to back the legalization of crypto mining under the condition that Russian miners are obliged to sell the coins they obtain in the process outside the country. That’s according to a recent statement by Kirill Pronin, head of Bank of Russia’s Financial Technologies Department. The central bank has been the hardline voice in the ongoing discussions on the future of cryptocurrencies in Russia, proposing a blanket ban on most related activities earlier this year, including mining. However, facing opposition from other government institutions and...

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), sees cryptocurrencies as “a clear danger.” However, the financial stability risks posed by crypto assets currently appear to be “limited.” RBI on Crypto’s Danger and Financial Stability Risks The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 25th issue of its Financial Stability Report (FSR) Thursday. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das wrote: Cryptocurrencies are a clear danger. Anything that derives value based on make believe, without any underlying, is just speculation under a sophisticated name. The RBI chief further opined: “While technology has supported the reach of the financial sector and its benefits must be fully harnessed, its potential to disrupt financial stability has to be guarded against.” The Indian central bank’s report explores financial stability risks posed by crypto assets, citing various studies, including the work by the Financial Stability Board (FSB). The report states: The risks from cryptoassets to finan...

The host of Mad Money, Jim Cramer, claims that “With the immolation of crypto, the Fed’s job is almost complete.” He stressed that “one front in the war on inflation that’s been an outstanding total victory for the Fed” is the battle against financial speculation. Jim Cramer on Fed’s Policy, Inflation, Crypto Jim Cramer discussed crypto and the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation on CNBC’s Mad Money show Thursday. Cramer is a former hedge fund manager who co-founded Thestreet.com, a financial news and literacy website. He began by stating, “crypto does not hedge you against anything — at all,” including stock prices, noting that it has recently performed even worse than the stock market. The Mad Money host called cryptocurrency “the last bastion of rampant speculation,” noting that it is something “the Federal Reserve is trying to wipe out in order to tame inflation.” While acknowledging the Fed’s efforts against inflation, he said, “we’ve still got lots of inflation out th...

Bits.media, a leading news outlet in Russia’s crypto space, has been blocked by Russia’s telecom and mass media watchdog, Roskomnadzor. The site is now inaccessible through most Russian internet providers, the online edition announced, stating it intends to contest the measure. Roskomnadzor Denies Russians Access to Bits.media Crypto news website Bits.media became unavailable to most of its readers in Russia this week and its team found that the Russian media censor Roskomnadzor is to blame. The government agency has added an unspecified number of its pages to a register of internet sources disseminating banned information. The block results from a ruling by the Volzhsky District Court of the city of Saratov in a lawsuit initiated by the local prosecutor’s office on March 31. The judge granted the prosecutor’s request on April 24 after considering the case in the absence of the media outlet’s owners, Bits.media explained in a post. According to the published decision, five URLs w...

Warba Bank, a Kuwait-based Islamic bank, recently became the latest corporation from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to enter the metaverse. The bank now occupies two sites in the metaverse, one Decentraland and another one on Sandbox. Pioneering Digital Transformation In what has been described as a first for an Islamic bank, the Kuwait-based Warba Bank recently said it now occupies two sites in the metaverse, one on Decentraland and another on Sandbox. The bank’s presence in the metaverse is expected to bolster its communication with the young generation. In his remarks following the confirmation that Warba Bank has entered the metaverse, Anwar Bader Al-Ghaith, the financial institution’s VP for Support Services and Treasury said : Warba Bank’s interest in entering this virtual reality comes within the framework of digital trends to transform into a [Web3]. The world of virtual reality is used in several advanced fields, including services, education, health and others....

According to the Chinese journalist Colin Wu, otherwise known as “Wu Blockchain,” the cryptocurrency company Huobi may lay off 30% of the firm’s staff due to “a sharp drop in revenue.” Furthermore, the reporter claims that Huobi’s co-founder Leon Li is reportedly looking to sell a large stake in the digital assets company. Colin Wu Reports Layoffs Are Coming to Huobi and the Alleged Sale of 50% Stake On June 28, 2022, Colin Wu , the local cryptocurrency and blockchain journalist from China, explained that Huobi “will start layoffs, which may exceed 30%.” Layoffs have been plaguing the crypto industry as companies like Blockfi , Coinbase , Gemini, Bitso, Buenbit , Rain Financial, Bybit, and 2TM have let employees go. The crypto winter and volatile markets have been the main reason why executives have decided to cut workforce numbers. Wu detailed that “the main reason” why Huobi is laying off staff is because of “the sharp drop in revenue after the removal of all Chinese users.”...

On Saturday, Ethereum transaction fees tapped a low not seen since November 2020 as the average network fee dropped to 0.0016 ether or $1.67 per transfer. Average fees on Saturday have been as low as 32 gwei or $0.69 per transfer as Ethereum gas fees have been steadily dropping since May 11, 2022. Ethereum Fees Drop to the Lowest Range Since November 2020 Ethereum’s average gas fees tapped a low on July 2, 2022, not seen in 19 months or November 12, 2020. Essentially, the gas or network fee is a quantity of ethereum ( ETH ) that is required to push a transaction on the blockchain network. Like the Bitcoin ( BTC ) network, ETH gas fees compensate the network’s mining participants in order to reward them for verifying transfers. In the early days, ETH transfers were negligible and from August 2015 to July 2016 , the average gas fee was less than a U.S. penny per ETH transfer. Between July 2016 to May 2017, Ethereum network fees were between $0.01 to $0.10 a transfer. Nowa...