Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Financial services companies Paypal and Western Union have each filed three new trademark applications covering a wide range of crypto services. Paypal’s applications are also for the payments giant’s logo. Paypal’s New Trademark Filings for Crypto Services Paypal Inc. has filed three new trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Mike Kondoudis, a USPTO-licensed trademark attorney, tweeted Monday: Paypal has filed trademark applications for Paypal and its ‘overlapping Ps’ logo. The apps claim plans for exchanging, trading, and processing transfers of blockchain + digital assets, crypto + digital + virtual currencies … and more. Filed on Oct. 18, the applications’ serial numbers are 97636933, 97636892, and 97636857. An excerpt from one of the trademark applications explains that the trademark covers “downloadable software for sending, receiving, accepting, buying, selling, storing, transmitting, trading and exchanging digital currency, v...

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that financial stability risks could materialize in the U.S. Noting that “Inflation remains too high, and we are contending with serious global headwinds,” she stressed that the Treasury is “closely monitoring the financial sector, as global developments have led to increased market volatility.” Janet Yellen Warns of Financial Stability Risks in U.S. The Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen warned about financial stability risks to the U.S. economy while responding to questions following her speech at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) annual meeting Monday. Citing a “dangerous and volatile environment” for the global economy, including the surge in energy prices and increased volatility in financial markets, Yellen warned that in the United States: Financial stability risks could materialize. “We are closely monitoring the financial sector, as global developments have led to increased market volatility...

The U.S. has charged two Chinese intelligence officers in a scheme to bribe a U.S. government employee to steal “secret” documents relating to the prosecution of a company in China. The defendants paid the government employee, who is actually a double agent, approximately $61,000 in bitcoin for stealing the information, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Alleged Chinese Spies Charged in Scheme to Steal Secret Documents The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the unsealing of a criminal complaint Monday charging two Chinese intelligence officers in a scheme to bribe a U.S. government employee and steal “secret” documents. The defendants remain at large. Guochun He (aka Dong He and Jacky He) and Zheng Wang (aka Zen Wang) allegedly orchestrated a scheme to steal internal files and other non-public information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The information relates to the ongoing investigation and prosecution of a global tele...

Yellow Card, an Africa-focused cryptocurrency exchange platform, recently said it has received a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license to operate in Botswana. Granted by the country’s Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority, Yellow Card’s license allows the crypto exchange to bolster its operations on the continent. Working With Regulators The Africa-focused cryptocurrency exchange platform, Yellow Card, recently revealed it had received a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license to operate in Botswana. The licence, which was issued by Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA), makes Yellow Card the first crypto exchange to be granted permission to operate in the Southern African country. Remarking on his company’s latest milestone, Chris Maurice, the CEO and founder of Yellow Card, spoke of how the license opens the door for more opportunities. He said: This opens up greater channels of expansion with regards to payment partners, ba...

British billionaire investor Guy Hands has reckoned that Britain will become “the sick man of Europe” and may be forced to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if it does not renegotiate its Brexit deal. The billionaire insisted the United Kingdom’s current economic woes are the result of a poorly negotiated Brexit deal and not the Liz Truss government’s controversial tax cut proposals. Billionaire Says Poor Brexit Deal Is Source of UK’s Economic Woes The British billionaire investor Guy Hands has warned that Britain needs to renegotiate Brexit if it is to avoid seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a report has said. According to Hands, Britain’s poorly negotiated exit from the European Union is the primary cause of the United Kingdom’s ongoing economic woes. As per a report by The Telegraph, Hands believes Britain’s period of economic pain — which seemingly reached its crescendo when the pound fell to its lowest exchange rate versus t...

The United States Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit to recover $60 million that was imposed on Larry Harmon, the operator of a bitcoin mixing service targeted by U.S. law enforcement in 2020. According to U.S. authorities, Harmon had operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Violation of the Bank Secrecy Act The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly suing Larry Harmon, the founder of the crypto mixer Helix, to recover the $60 million fine imposed on him by regulators. According to a Reuters report , the fine, which was imposed in 2020 , stems from Harmon’s alleged violation of the United States federal Bank Secrecy Act. According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Harmon operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The business, according to U.S. regulators, enabled users to send virtual currencies anonymously. In 2021, Harmon reportedly pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and said he would cooper...

PRESS RELEASE. 25 October 2022: Today, the formation of a new entertainment PLC EMERGENT ENTERTAINMENT is announced. Emergent Entertainment officially merges London-based video game studio Maze Theory with blockchain veterans and developers Pluto Digital PLC, following a successful joint venture between the two companies (Emergent Games) earlier this year. Emergent Entertainment is a next generation entertainment company focused on bringing audiences and storytellers together by harnessing emerging technologies. The proposed valuation of the new business exceeds $65 million, and the company intends to prepare for a future IPO event. Former Executive Vice President of Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation, Simon Rutter , joins the business as Chairman, alongside CEO Ian Hambleton (former CEO of Maze Theory). Simon spent 25 years at PlayStation, with the last 10 years in senior international leadership roles. Ian is a successful entrepreneur of 20 years, having founded an...

Reddit’s non-fungible token (NFT) avatars have produced significant market action in the NFT industry, as the collectible’s secondary market sales reached more than $5 million on October 24 across more than 20,000 sales. The demand for Reddit’s collectible NFT avatars minted on Polygon has also spurred over three million Redditors to leverage Reddit’s Vault blockchain wallet. Demand for Reddit’s Collectible NFT Avatars Skyrockets — $5 Million in Secondary Sales Sold Across 20,000 Sales During the first week of July, Reddit revealed the company had plans to release blockchain-backed avatars that leverage the proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain Polygon (MATIC). At the time, Reddit said that Polygon was chosen for its “low-cost transactions and sustainability commitments.” On October 18, 2022, Reddit’s chief product officer Pali Bhat explained, while speaking on a Techcrunch Disrupt panel, that three million Vault blockchain wallets crafted by Reddit were created to date. Bhat further ...

JPMorgan Chase’s president that crypto “is kind of irrelevant in the scheme of things.” Commenting on the U.S. economy, he defended the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance, emphasizing that if the Fed’s action “causes a slightly deeper recession for a period of time” then “that is the price we have to pay.” JPMorgan Chase President on U.S. Economy and Recession JPMorgan Chase President Daniel Pinto commented on the U.S. economy and cryptocurrency in an interview with CNBC, published Monday. Pinto is also the global investment bank’s chief operating officer and CEO of its Corporate & Investment Bank. The 59-year-old executive grew up in Argentina as a child where inflation was often very high, he shared, noting that living with pervasive inflation was “very, very stressful.” Price increases in Argentina averaged more than 300% a year from 1975 to 1991. Pinto opined: That’s why when people say, ‘the Fed is too hawkish,’ I disagree. I think putting inflation back in a box is very ...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has updated the crypto section in the 2022 draft instructions for tax form 1040. “For example, digital assets include non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and virtual currencies, such as cryptocurrencies and stablecoins,” the tax agency detailed. New IRS Instructions for Tax Form 1040 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its 2022 draft instructions for tax form 1040 last week. Form 1040 is the tax form used for filing individual income tax returns in the U.S. The new instructions contain several changes relating to cryptocurrency. The section titled “Virtual Currency” has been replaced with one titled “Digital Assets.” The IRS detailed: Digital assets are any digital representations of value that are recorded on a cryptographically secured distributed ledger or any similar technology. For example, digital assets include non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and virtual currencies, such as cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. In contrast, NFTs and stablecoins ...

Nokia, one of the first companies to manufacture a consumer-grade mobile phone system, now believes the metaverse will cause phones to become deprecated. These metaverse experiences will be powered by the use of virtual reality (VR) headsets and augmented reality glasses, and will allow users to interact in several activities. Industrial usage will also be significant. Nokia Predicts the Fall of the Mobile Phone in Favor of the Metaverse Nokia, one of the first manufacturers to create a mobile phone system, is predicting the fall of the mobile phone trend known today at the hands of the metaverse. While phones will still be around, metaverse experiences will be the primary form of communication in the second half of the decade. While augmented reality devices have still ways to go, Nokia believes that there will be a rise in the interest of the audience in such devices, that will power this metaverse push. Nokia’s chief strategy and technology officer Nishant Batra is confident ab...

The lower house of Russian parliament, the State Duma, has voted against a piece of legislation designed to regulate cryptocurrency mining. While lawmakers turned down that proposal, which also aimed to legalize crypto payments in the country, another draft law on mining, which permits cross-border transactions with digital assets, is expected in the legislature in the near future. Alternative Proposals to Regulate Crypto Mining Clash in Russian Parliament This week, the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly voted to reject a draft law on cryptocurrency mining. The bill “On Mining in the Russian Federation,” was submitted earlier by members of the liberal New People faction. Lawmakers criticized the sponsors for failing to properly formulate regulatory principles for the activity as well as requirements for data centers and mining operators and suggest a procedure for the taxation of mining companies. Representatives of the parliamentary committees that reviewed the legislati...

As Ghana waits for a financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s currency continued its slide versus the dollar after the respective currencies’ exchange rate slipped to just under C15:$1. Following this latest plunge, the cedi has now depreciated by more than 55% in 2022 and this makes it the world’s worst-performing currency. World’s Worst Performing Currency The depreciating Ghanaian currency — the cedi — recently touched a new low versus the U.S. dollar on the forex parallel market after it reportedly slipped by 12% in just four days. Reports of the Ghanaian currency slumping to a new low versus the greenback came shortly after the cedi’s 3.3% slip on October 17 confirmed its new status as the world’s worst-performing currency. According to the Myjoyonline report , the acute shortage of U.S. dollars among banks and bureaux de change is the primary reason why the cedi has now fallen by more than 50% since the start of 2022. To support this asser...

Financial authorities in Hong Kong have unveiled a prototype of the Chinese autonomous territory’s own central bank digital currency called Project Aurum. The two-tier platform features a wholesale interbank and a retail e-wallet system, participants revealed. Hong Kong to Issue Retail Tokens and Stablecoins as Part of Project Aurum A collaboration between the BIS Innovation Hub Hong Kong Centre, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ( HKMA ), and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute has produced a prototype of Hong Kong’s upcoming digital currency, the Bank for International Settlements ( BIS ) announced. Project Aurum is a full-stack, front-end and back-end, central bank digital currency ( CBDC ) system comprising a wholesale interbank system and a retail e-wallet system, the international financial institution explained in a press release this week. Participants in Aurum want to launch two different types of digital tokens. The first kind will be an interm...

PRESS RELEASE. INTERNET CITY, DUBAI, Oct. 24, 2022 – LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, will list VNX Gold (VNXAU) on October 25, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the VNXAU/ USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 10:00 UTC on October 25, 2022. Utilizing the blockchain technology to tokenize the physical gold, VNX Gold (VNXAU) provides the reliability of gold with the flexibility of a crypto asset and enables users to buy and sell the purest gold from anywhere in the world. Its token VNXAU will be listed on LBank Exchange at 10:00 UTC on October 25, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing VNX Gold VNX Gold is a project under VNX that enables users to easily manage all of their gold transactions with digital tokens. Its tokenization of gold allows users to skip the hassle of visiting a vault or bank, and confidently invest from anywhere in the world. As the first registered EEA investm...

Bitcoin recorded another mining difficulty rise on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at block height 760,032 rising 3.44% higher. This means that not only is it 3.44% harder to find a bitcoin block subsidy, the network’s mining difficulty has also reached another all-time high (ATH) by tapping 36.84 trillion. Bitcoin’s Mining Difficulty Adjusts Upwards by 3.44%, Now at 36.84 Trillion This weekend, Bitcoin’s ( BTC ) mining difficulty jumped 3.44% higher than the height miners dealt with during the past two weeks or the last 2,016 blocks. The network’s difficulty has reached a lifetime high at 36.84 trillion, following the 3.44% shift on Sunday evening (ET). The rise on Sunday follows the 13.55% increase Bitcoin’s difficulty recorded on October 10, 2022, at block height 758,016. The 13.55% increase was 2022’s largest Bitcoin difficulty rise, and it took place as BTC ’s total hashrate reached an ATH on October 11, 2022, at block height 758,138. On October 11, the network’s hashrate reached...

When Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin, the full node client came with a wallet often referred to as Bitcoin-Qt. Nakamoto’s simplified payment verification (SPV) concept was not available until two years later, after the former Bitcoin Core developer Mike Hearn published BitcoinJ in 2011. However, prior to the first SPV client or optimized lightweight bitcoin wallet, the first phone-to-phone bitcoin transaction occurred more than 11 years ago on December 7, 2010. Sending 0.42 Bitcoin From a Nokia N900 to Another Nokia N900 in 2010 Satoshi’s Bitcoin is nearing its 14-year anniversary, which will occur on January 3, 2023, and to date, the Bitcoin network has been functional 99.98777985271% of the time since its inception on January 3, 2009. During the first few years of Bitcoin’s life, the ecosystem had very little infrastructure compared to today’s plethora of crypto exchanges and bitcoin wallets . The protocol’s second Bitcoin client in the network’s history, Bitcoind was published...

Bitcoin.com yesterday announced that buyers in the VERSE token sale, which starts on November 1, will receive exclusive NFTs. Register now at getverse.com to increase your Schance of getting the allocation you want. We also announced that Evan Luza, the co-founder of Cool Cats, had joined Bitcoin.com to advise on the Verse NFT project. Cool Cats is a blue-chip NFT project with a host of charming characters and rich narrative, which lends to the IP’s broad appeal and positions the company as a global transmedia brand to watch. Today we bring you an interview with Evan, where we get his thoughts on Bitcoin.com , NFTs, Verse, and more. Bitcoin.com Director of Product Experience Alex Knight: Super excited to have you aboard Evan. Could you tell us in your own words about Cool Cats? Cool Cats co-founder Evan Luza: Excited to contribute! It’s been a full circle for me from helping with the Bitccoin.com rebrand and now coming back to advise with Verse. Cool Cats is a collection ...

According to the National Consumer Commission, about 4,000 South Africans who invested in a bitcoin mining equipment supplier, Obelisk, may have participated in a pyramid scheme. The commission said participants in the pyramid scheme may have lost as much as over $6 million. Obelisk Used Social Media Platforms to Lure Victims A South African consumer watchdog, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) recently announced that Obelisk — a purported bitcoin mining equipment supplier — is in fact a pyramid scheme which has swindled millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. The watchdog reportedly made the announcement after it received complaints from investors who accuse Obelisk of defrauding them. According to a Businesstech report , the 4,000 individuals who participated in the investment scheme were convinced they were purchasing bitcoin mining equipment which could generate constant income for them. The machines cost between $18.75 and $24,850, the report added. In a statemen...

The party of the Nigerian presidential hopeful Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has promised to set up an advisory committee to review regulations that govern blockchain and virtual asset services if it wins in the upcoming elections. The All Progressives Congress also said it “will work with the Central Bank and the financial sector to carefully review and better optimise the exchange rate regime.” A ‘Business-Friendly Regulatory Framework’ In its recently unveiled manifesto , Nigerian presidential aspirant Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s party — the All Progressives Congress (APC) — said it plans to “establish an advisory committee to review the existing regulatory environment governing blockchain technology and virtual asset services.” The APC, which is also the party of current Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, added that where necessary the committee will propose changes that bring about “a more efficient and business-friendly regulatory framework.” According to the APC’s 80-page manifesto, the T...