Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The number of Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains is nearing the two million mark as 1,888,209 ENS names have been etched into the Ethereum blockchain to date. The project recently detailed that July saw the largest monthly rise in revenue scoring 5,400 ether worth roughly $2.48 million during the course of the month. ENS Registrations Spiked Last Month with 378K Names Etched Into the Ethereum Blockchain ENS names are nearing the two million mark this week as registrations have steadily risen during the few months. Data from Dune Analytics indicates that after 67,095 ENS registrations in February, the following month the number kicked up to 85,272 ENS registrations. May saw a significant spike reaching 365,652 registrations or 328% higher than the month prior. The month of June saw a much lower count of ENS registrations as statistics show 122,327 names were registered that month. July, however, was an entirely different story as 378,804 ENS registrations were logged during the 3

Mastercard sees cryptocurrency as more of an asset class than a means of payment, according to the payments giant’s chief financial officer. Mastercard’s crypto strategy “has been fairly successful ever since crypto environments came up,” he added. Mastercard’s CFO on Crypto as Asset Class vs. Means of Payment Mastercard Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sachin Mehra shared his view on cryptocurrency in an interview published Tuesday by Bloomberg. He was asked how successful Mastercard’s crypto strategy has been. “In the crypto world, we play the role as an on-ramp, with people using our debit and credit products to buy crypto. And we act as the off-ramp: When people want to cash it, we help them gain access to be able to use their crypto balances everywhere Mastercard is accepted,” he detailed, elaborating: That’s a revenue-generating capability which has been fairly successful ever since crypto environments came up. The company previously explained that it has plans to develop p

Microstrategy (MSTR) has “outperformed every asset class and big tech stock” since the company adopted a bitcoin strategy and started accumulating the cryptocurrency in its corporate treasury, says CEO Michael Saylor. The pro-bitcoin executive will be stepping down as the CEO of Microstrategy and take the role of the company’s executive chairman to focus on bitcoin. Microstrategy’s Performance Since Adopting Bitcoin Strategy The Nasdaq-listed software company Microstrategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) released its Q2 financial results Tuesday. CEO Michael Saylor tweeted Wednesday: Since adopting a bitcoin strategy, MSTR has outperformed every asset class & big tech stock. He added that the price of bitcoin increased 94% during that time period while the S&P500 rose 23% and Nasdaq climbed 13%. In contrast, gold, bonds, and silver are down 13%, 14%, and 29%, respectively. Microstrategy adopted a bitcoin strategy in the third quarter of 2020. He explained in a different tweet: Si

A South African professor, Steven Boykey Sidley, has branded as “balderdash” claims by the South African central bank deputy governor that “90% of cryptocurrency transactions” are illicit. The professor also accused the senior central bank official of spreading inaccurate information that “does immeasurable damage to an important new industry.” Only 0.15% of Crypto Transactions Are Tied to Illicit Activity A South African university professor and author, Steven Boykey Sidley, has slammed Kuben Naidoo, the country’s central bank deputy governor, for claiming that “90% of cryptocurrency transactions” are illicit. Describing Naidoo’s claims as “balderdash,” Sidley insisted the “real stats are continuously assembled and reported by numerous data analytics companies” and prove that only a tiny fraction of crypto transactions are tied to illicit activities. In an opinion piece published by the Daily Maverick, Sidley accuses the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) deputy governor of spread

Socios.com, a company dedicated to the development of fan engagement tokens for sports organizations, has revealed that it will invest $100 million in the digital business of soccer team FC Barcelona, Barca Studios. The investment will give Socios.com 24.5% of the stake in the digital division of the club and will allow it to reshape the metaverse and Web3 strategies of the division to include more revenue streams. Socios.com to Invest in FC Barcelona Metaverse Division Sports clubs are now trying to diversify their revenue streams by getting into the metaverse, grabbing the attention of VC firms in the process. Socios.com, a company that designs fan engagement tools for sports clubs, announced it will invest $100 million into the metaverse, NFT, and Web3 division of the soccer club FC Barcelona, called Barca Studios. With the investment, Socios.com will receive a 24.5% stake in the mentioned company, as the club announced , and it will allow it to “accelerate the club’s audiovisu

Singapore-based Vauld will have some breathing space after the country’s High Court gave its parent company creditor protection for the next three months. The decision comes as the troubled crypto lending platform seeks acquisition by rival Nexo. Vauld to Have 3 Months for Restructuring, Due Diligence by Nexo The Singapore High Court has granted the parent company of crypto lender Vauld, Defi Payments Ltd., a three-month protection from creditors, Bloomberg reported, noting this would allow Vauld to restructure and prepare for a potential acquisition by competitor Nexo, a major player in the crypto lending market. Justice Aedit Abdullah approved a moratorium until Nov. 7 during a court hearing on Monday. During said period, Vauld’s 147,000 creditors will be barred from taking legal action against it. It had asked for three more months but the judge expressed concerns that that a six-month protection would not ensure “adequate supervision and monitoring.” Nevertheless, the moratori

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has fined Robinhood Crypto $30 million for “significant failures in the areas of bank secrecy act/anti-money laundering (‘BSA/AML’) obligations and cybersecurity.” Robinhood Crypto Settles With the DFS The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced Tuesday that Robinhood Crypto LLC (RHC) will pay a $30 million penalty to New York State for “significant failures in the areas of bank secrecy act/anti-money laundering (‘BSA/AML’) obligations and cybersecurity.” The failures resulted in violations of the department’s Virtual Currency Regulation, Money Transmitter Regulation, Transaction Monitoring Regulation, and Cybersecurity Regulation, the DFS detailed. Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris commented: As its business grew, Robinhood Crypto failed to invest the proper resources and attention to develop and maintain a culture of compliance — a failure that resulted in significant violat

New York Attorney General Letitia James has urged investors in her state who believe they have been deceived by a crypto platform to contact her office. “Investors were promised large returns on cryptocurrencies, but instead lost their hard-earned money,” she stressed. Letitia James Issues Investor Alert on Cryptocurrency New York Attorney General Letitia James issued an investor alert on cryptocurrency Monday. “Many high-profile cryptocurrency businesses have frozen customer withdrawals, announced mass layoffs, or filed for bankruptcy, while investors have been left in financial ruin,” the alert states. James urged any New Yorker deceived or affected by cryptocurrency platforms to contact the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). In addition, she encouraged anyone in the cryptocurrency industry “who may have witnessed misconduct or fraud to file a whistleblower complaint with her office,” adding that it can be done anonymously. “The recent turbulence and significant losses in the

Binance’s U.S. platform is delisting crypto token amp after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) declared it a security. Another crypto exchange, Coinbase, disagreed with the regulator, arguing that the token is not a security. Binance Delists AMP ‘out of an Abundance of Caution’ Binance’s U.S. exchange (Binance US) is taking action to ensure that crypto tokens the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has declared to be securities are not listed on its platform. The SEC recently said in a lawsuit against a former Coinbase product manager that nine crypto tokens are securities . They are AMP, RLY, DDX, XYO, RGT, LCX, POWR, DFX, and KROM. Binance US explained: In its suit, the SEC named nine digital assets that it alleges are securities. Of those nine tokens, only amp (AMP) is listed on the Binance.US platform. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to delist the AMP token from Binance.US, effective August 15, 2022,” the crypto exchange announced Monday

According to Chandler Guo, an influential Chinese bitcoin miner, a proof-of-work (PoW) version of Ethereum is “coming soon.” The news comes as The Merge is expected to be implemented on Ethereum during the week of September 19, and the growing discussions of delaying the highly anticipated proof-of-stake (PoS) transition. Chinese Miner Chandler Guo Says ‘Ethereum PoW’ Is Coming Soon Chandler Guo has stated that an Ethereum proof-of-work (PoW) version will be “coming soon” ahead of The Merge that’s been penciled-in for the week of September 19. Guo is a known Chinese cryptocurrency miner and last week he wrote that he had forked once, and “will fork it again.” However, Guo’s statement is contradictory to how it officially played out in the summer of 2016, when the Ethereum Classic ( ETC ) chain was introduced to the world. I am Chandler Guo, a 51% attack on Ethereum Classic ( ETC ) is coming with my 98G hashrate https://t.co/9VM6vPa8CS — Chandler Guo (@ChandlerGuo) July 24, 2

The French cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger is seeking to raise fresh new capital after raising $380 million in June 2021, according to sources familiar with the matter. The hardware wallet company Ledger is reportedly looking to raise at least $100 million from strategic investors. Crypto Hardware Wallet Manufacturer Ledger Is Reportedly Looking to Raise $100 Million in Funding According to Bloomberg, the French crypto hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger is seeking more funds after the firm’s Series C last June. At the time, Ledger raised $380 million in a finance round led by 10T Holdings, and it gave Ledger a post valuation of around $1.5 billion. Founded in 2015 by Éric Larchevêque and Thomas France, Ledger has propelled itself as one of the top crypto hardware wallet manufacturers worldwide. Ledger competes with other popular digital currency hardware wallet makers like Trezor, Ellipal, Coolwallet, Safepal, and Coinkite. The report published on July 30 say

Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan and current chairman of one of the largest political parties in the country, has confirmed that his Instagram account was compromised and hackers used it to promote a cryptocurrency giveaway scam. Imran Khan’s Instagram Account Hacked, Used to Promote Crypto Scam Imran Khan, a former Pakistani prime minister and current chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), one of the largest political parties in the country, reportedly confirmed that his Instagram account was hacked Monday. He told Dawn publication that his account was soon recovered with the help of Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram. He explained that he himself monitors the account, which has 7.4 million followers, noting that the hackers posted a cryptocurrency link and a screenshot of a tweet from Tesla CEO Elon Musk to the account. The cryptocurrency link posted on the politician’s account leads to a crypto giveaway site featuring Musk and his company Spacex. Scam

Bitcoin Valley, the first bitcoin city in Honduras, has launched in Santa Lucia. Businesses in the area will accept bitcoin for payments. “In Santa Lucia, we are all going to participate in this project … Accepting bitcoin will open us to another market and win more customers,” said a local business owner. Bitcoin Valley: First Bitcoin City in Honduras Bitcoin Valley, the first bitcoin city in Honduras, has launched in the small Honduran tourist town of Santa Lucia, located 20 minutes from the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The initiative was jointly developed by Blockchain Honduras, Guatemalan cryptocurrency exchange Coincaex, the Technological University of Honduras, Decentral Academy, and Santa Lucia’s municipality. Blockchain Honduras announced the launch of Bitcoin Valley Thursday. Cesar Andino, owner of Los Robles shopping square in Santa Lucia where several commercial establishments operate, will accept bitcoin in addition to U.S. dollars and Honduran lempiras. He told La Pre

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged four founders and seven promoters of Forsage, which it described as “a fraudulent crypto pyramid and Ponzi scheme.” The scheme allegedly raised more than $300 million from millions of retail investors worldwide, including in the U.S. SEC Takes Action Against Forsage Crypto Scheme The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Monday that it has “charged 11 individuals for their roles in creating and promoting Forsage, a fraudulent crypto pyramid and Ponzi scheme.” The securities regulator explained that the Forsage scheme raised more than $300 million from millions of retail investors worldwide, including in the U.S. The 11 defendants are four Forsage founders, three U.S.-based promoters of the scheme, and “several members of the so-called Crypto Crusaders — the largest promotional group for the scheme that operated in the United States,” the SEC described. The founders were last known to be living in Russi

The cryptocurrency payroll service Bitwage announced on Monday that the company has partnered with the digital currency wallets Casa and Edge Wallet in order to “bring bitcoin payroll to mainstream audiences.” Now Edge Wallet and Casa users can connect to the Bitwage platform’s services via a deep link or QR code. Crypto Payroll Company Bitwage Partners With Casa and Edge Wallet Since John Lindsay and Jonathan Chester launched Bitwage in 2014, the company has offered bitcoin ( BTC ) and cryptocurrency wage payment services to people in countries all around the world. Following the company’s announcement that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight Luana Pinheiro would get paid in BTC via Bitwage’s payroll services, Bitwage announced that it has partnered with the wallet companies Edge Wallet and Casa . Before partnering with Casa and Edge, Bitwage users needed to provide a wallet address in order to leverage the company’s payroll services. However, Casa and Edge Wal

PRESS RELEASE. After being in stealth mode since 2020 and undergoing drastic improvements and gameplay enhancements, the ALL-NEW YOLOREKT is now LIVE. People can bid and win in USDC on various assets during 3-minute games. The ALL-NEW YOLOREKT The new YOLOREKT means lots of fun and lots of winning potential. Based on 3-minute rounds, users have an infinite number of chances to bid on whether the Strike price will be above — or below — the actual price of assets like Ethereum, Bitcoin, MATIC, Doge, Tesla, Gamestop — with many more in the pipeline. Users will be able to bid as many times as they want to within any of the 3-minute games — even bid on games 10 rounds in the future. OPPORTUNITY OF $1+ QUADRILLION MARKET VALUE – Yogesh Srihari, Co-founder at YOLOREKT says “Volumes in the traditional derivatives market are anywhere above $1+ Quadrillion as compared to the crypto derivatives volume which stands at merely $32+ Trillion in 2021 ” “We will be a catalyst to usher user’s d

On Saturday, the co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, took to Twitter and gave his perspective on the “existing corporate attempts to create the metaverse.” Buterin noted that a metaverse will happen, but he doesnt believe the current corporate metaverse attempts are going anywhere. Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Shares His Thoughts on Existing Corporate Metaverse Attempts This weekend Vitalik Buterin discussed the metaverse after sharing a tweet from the co-founder of Dialectic and blockchain auditor, Dean Eigenmann, who said he doesnt believe the metaverse “will happen in the ways VCs are currently funding.” Buterin shared Eigenmann’s tweet on Saturday and agreed with the assessment. “The ‘metaverse’ is going to happen, but I don’t think any of the existing corporate attempts to intentionally create the metaverse are going anywhere,” Buterin said . 24 hours later, Buterin’s tweet about the metaverse is closing in on 10,000 likes and close to 1,500 retweets. Buterin’s metavers

If extradited to the United States, crypto exchange BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik will become a “hostage” due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to his Greek lawyer. France is likely to send the Russian back to Greece soon and Zoe Konstantopoulou is trying to prevent his subsequent transfer to U.S. custody. Alexander Vinnik’s Greek Defense Fights His Extradition to US A French court is expected to approve next week the return of convicted money launderer Alexander Vinnik to Greece. Greek authorities arrested the Russian national in 2017 and handed him over to France, two years later, where he was charged with identity theft and extortion as well. He has now served his five-year sentence there, taking into account the time spent in detention prior to the trial. Vinnik was apprehended in Thessaloniki, where he arrived on vacation with his family, on a warrant from the U.S., where he is also accused of laundering at least $4 billion through the infamous BTC-e e

Charles Schwab’s $655 billion asset management arm is launching its first crypto-related exchange-traded fund (ETF). The new fund is expected to start trading this week on the NYSE Arca exchange. Charles Schwab Launches Its First Crypto-Related ETF Schwab Asset Management, a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corp., announced last week the launch of the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (NYSE Arca: STCE), calling the new product “its first crypto-related ETF.” Charles Schwab is a major American brokerage, banking, and financial services company. Schwab Asset Management currently has over $655 billion in assets under management, according to its website. It is the third largest provider of index mutual funds and the fifth largest provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The first day of trading for the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF is expected to be on or about Aug. 4, the announcement details, adding: The fund is designed to track Schwab Asset Management’s new proprietary index, the Schwab

Quik.com is offering minting of NFT domains, which will allow users to host their decentralized web pages and even change their digital wallet’s heavy addresses, while the evolving virtual universe, the decentralized web3, and its related technologies are still in the early stages of adaptation. Users will have the opportunity to obtain their lucky number as the race has just begun. Visit Quik.com’s NFT Domain Marketplace . Mint your first Metaverse Domain Name . Mint your first VR Domain Name . Mint your first Web3 Domain Name . Minting NFT domains is more than just a trend; it’s an innovative possibility that optimizes blockchain technology and enables users to construct decentralized websites with full control and ownership over the data and content. as opposed to conventional domains that are run, controlled, and even licensed by the ICANN regulatory body. It permits the user to buy a domain but does not transfer the actual ownership. Users are the actual owners of the d