Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The government of Argentina has designated a national blockchain committee in order to establish the directives for a state-level blockchain adoption strategy. In a document, Argentina remarks on the importance of this tech for the future and presents several use cases that would benefit from the introduction of blockchain for the digital transformation of the country. Argentina Forms National Blockchain Committee More and more countries are now taking a look at how the implementation of blockchain tech can improve some of their public functions. Argentina has recently issued its blockchain national guidelines. The document , presented on Dec. 7, also creates a national blockchain committee, that will have the responsibility to “act as an interlocutor in the local blockchain ecosystem promoting the interoperability of blockchain technologies and a good government.” The committee will be constituted by the Public Innovation Secretariat and other organizations of the state that will

The meme coin economy has seen its value increase 7.77% against the U.S. dollar during the last month, as the meme token market leader dogecoin jumped 29.4% higher in 30 days. Dogecoin has also managed to move from the ninth-largest market cap position to the eighth-largest crypto market valuation this past month. Shiba inu, on the other hand, dropped from the thirteenth largest market cap to the fourteenth spot. Meme Tokens Gained Over 7% Against the Greenback Over the Past Month Amid the craziness with FTX and before the bankruptcy filing, meme coins took a hit when the crypto economy experienced significant fluctuations in value. On Nov. 9, two days before FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the meme token economy was valued at $18 billion. Dogecoin (DOGE) suffered a big loss that day dropping 16.5% against the U.S. dollar, according to an archive.org snapshot of coingecko.com stats on Nov. 9, 2022. The second largest meme coin in terms of market capitalization s

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is now using a digital tool allowing officers to link cryptocurrency wallets to their owners. The software also has a feature facilitating the monitoring of crypto asset transactions, the department told Russian media. Russian Police Brag About New Crypto Tracing Tool on Eve of Anti-Corruption Day Employees of MVD, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, now have access to a specialized digital platform called “Personal account of a law enforcement agency,” Tass reported. The ministry revealed to the news agency that it’s identifying owners of cryptocurrency wallets using the new system. “This digital project has already been implemented and is successfully operating,” the head of MVD’s Main Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption, Police Lieutenant General Andrey Kurnosenko, told Tass on the eve of the International Anti-Corruption Day, celebrated on Dec. 9 to raise public awareness for efforts to combat corr

This week two cryptocurrency exchanges provided proof-of-reserves in order to highlight that the trading platforms are backing customer assets 1:1. Binance published its report on Dec. 7, 2022, and detailed the global auditor Mazars Group conducted the audit. On Dec. 9, 2022, the exchange Crypto.com published proof-of-reserves records and the verification was also conducted by Mazars. Binance and Crypto.com Reveal POR Audits Two very large crypto exchanges provided proof-of-reserves (POR) documentation this week following the promises made by exchange executives after the FTX fiasco. The world’s largest crypto exchange, in terms of trade volume, Binance, revealed a comprehensive look at assets like BTC , BTCB, and BBTC hosted on Mazars Group’s website that shows assets held on Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB , and Binance Smart Chain networks. The audit by Mazars took place on Nov. 22, 2022, at Bitcoin block height 764,327, and the report claims assets are backed 101% by collateralized res

PRESS RELEASE. INTERNET CITY, DUBAI, Dec. 9, 2022 – LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, has listed SILK on December 9, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the SILK/ USDT trading pair is now officially available for trading. As the first web3 esports with earnings, Spider Tanks enables players to earn for their play through its complex and brilliantly designed reward economy. Its native token SILK has been listed on LBank Exchange at 13:00 UTC on December 9, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing Spider Tanks Spider Tanks is a blockchain-based PVP brawler created by award-winning Netherlands based GAMEDIA and brought to players by Gala Games. Players choose between a number of Tank Bodies and Weapons in the garage, then battle it out in one of the many Spider Tanks arena maps. And since all tank parts are owned as NFTs, they can be upgraded, then sold on the secondary market at any time the player chooses. Di

Gridless, a bitcoin mining company operating from Kenya, recently raised $2 million in seed investment from Block, a digital payments company owned by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and Stillmark. The bitcoin mining firm is reportedly planning to use the capital raised to fund its expansion into other African countries. Using Revenue Generated From BTC Sales to Subsidize the Cost of Power A Jack Dorsey-owned digital payments firm, Block, and Stillmark, a bitcoin-focused venture firm, are reported to have led a $2 million seed investment in African crypto mining company Gridless. According to a report, Gridless, which currently operates in Kenya’s rural areas, plans to fund its expansion into other African countries with the capital raised. As reported by Bitcoin.com News in October, Gridless harnesses excess electricity generated by mini-hydropower plants to mine bitcoin. The bitcoin is then sold and the revenues generated are used to subsidize the cost of electricity to users in K

On Dec. 8, 2022, three Democratic politicians from Massachusetts, Oregon, and California revealed legislation aimed at combatting “energy-intensive” cryptocurrency mining operations. The bill introduced by senator Ed Markey (D-MA) alleges that crypto mining “strains the grid” and the industry “undermines U.S. climate goals.” 3 U.S. Bureaucrats Believe Crypto Miners Need to Report Carbon Emissions and Environmental Assessments Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-ORE), and Jared Huffman (D-CA) have introduced a bill that would require “an interagency study on the environmental and energy impacts of crypto asset mining.” Markey’s press release concerning the “Crypto Asset Environmental Transparency Act” details that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would lead the study. Furthermore, the EPA would assess crypto mining activity in the U.S. and operations would be required to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Crypto mining companies required to report GHG emiss

The cryptocurrency and mining law that the Paraguayan Congress passed in June was finally shelved on Dec. 5. The document, which sought to bring order to crypto mining and exchange activities in Paraguay, was ultimately dropped after failing to obtain the votes needed to reject the presidential veto it received. Paraguayan Crypto Law Dropped After Support Wanes The Paraguayan cryptocurrency law that was introduced in Congress in 2021 was finally shelved after not receiving the support it needed in the Deputy Chamber. The project, which was vetoed in September by President Mario Abdo, failed to gather the votes needed in order to reject this veto. The veto had previously been rejected by the Paraguayan senate, which aimed to approve and pass the law without presidential support. The veto had the support of the Commission for Industry, Commerce, Tourism, and Cooperatives; while the Economic and Financial Affairs, and the Fight against Drug Trafficking, Related and Serious Illicit

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has revealed that the collapsed crypto exchange FTX paid him about $15 million to become its spokesperson. “I put about $9.7 million into crypto. I think that’s what I lost. I don’t know. It’s all at zero,” O’Leary said. Kevin O’Leary Was Paid $15M by FTX Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary revealed in an interview with CNBC Thursday that the collapsed crypto exchange FTX paid him about $15 million last year to become its spokesperson . Noting that he fell prey to “groupthink,” O’Leary detailed: Total deal was just under $15 million, all in … I put about $9.7 million into crypto. I think that’s what I lost. I don’t know. It’s all at zero. The Shark Tank star further revealed that he also had over $1 million of FTX equity, which is now rendered worthless due to the bankruptcy protection process. In addition, Mr. Wonderful explained that the balance of a little over $4 million was purportedly eaten up by taxation and agent fees. He admi

Two congressional hearings will be held next week on the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and U.S. lawmakers have asked former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) to testify. As the founder of FTX and Alameda Research, “you must answer for the failure of both entities that was caused, at least in part, by the clear misuse of client funds and wiped out billions of dollars owed to over a million creditors,” Senator Sherrod Brown told Bankman-Fried. 2 Congressional Hearings on FTX Set for Next Week The House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs are separately holding a hearing on the collapse of crypto exchange FTX next week. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) Wednesday asking him to attend his committee’s hearing titled “Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers” that will take pla

Jordan Belfort, aka the Wolf of Wall Street, expects bitcoin and ethereum to be “a lot higher” than they are now. Noting that the collapsed crypto exchange FTX is a scam, he stressed that its implosion “doesn’t mean that you can disregard bitcoin completely and say it’s worthless or going to zero.” The Wolf of Wall Street Calls FTX a Scam Jordan Belfort, a former stockbroker whose memoir was adapted into a film called “The Wolf of Wall Street,” shared some recommendations about bitcoin and ethereum in a video posted on his Youtube channel Monday. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Belfort founded Stratton Oakmont which functioned as a boiler room that marketed penny stocks and defrauded investors with pump-and-dump stock sales. He became a motivational speaker after pleading guilty to fraud in 1999 and went to prison for 22 months. Regarding FTX, the crypto exchange that imploded and filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, the Wolf of Wall Street des

The U.S. dollar price of ether, which presently hovers around $1,200, is expected to fall to $922.66 by Dec. 10, a Coincodex prediction chart has shown. Ethereum is nonetheless projected to close the following day trading above $1,000. According to the Coincodex analysis, there are presently 15 technical indicators out of a total of 28 that project a bearish outlook for the asset. ETH ’s Negative Trend According to an analysis by the digital asset exchange platform Coincodex, the U.S. dollar value of ETH is expected to drop to $922.66 by Dec. 10. The analysis suggests ether price, which stood at $1,230 on Dec. 7 (1:00 p.m. EST), must decline by almost 25% for this prediction to become a reality. In a report which shares some factors that led to the negative price prediction, the Coincodex team also points to ETH ’s negative trend which can be evidenced by its 21.5% decline between Nov. 5 and Dec. 5. Similarly, in a period of 90 days that ended on Dec. 5, the crypto asset’s price

Companies extracting cryptocurrencies in Kazakhstan will be allowed to purchase only excess electricity on a government-controlled market. The decision comes with new legislation approved by lawmakers which regulates the activities of the industry and the taxation of its profits. Law to Regulate Crypto Mining in Kazakhstan, Change Licensing Rules The lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, the Mazhilis, has adopted the bill “On Digital Assets of the Republic of Kazakhstan” and four related draft laws which aim to regulate mining, among other crypto activities, local media reported. In accordance with the legislation, miners operating in the country will be able to buy power from the national energy system only if it has a surplus to offer, and exclusively through the KOREM exchange, the country’s centralized electricity market. Commenting on the new regime, Mazhilis member Ekaterina Smyshlyaeva pointed out that price restrictions have been lifted for that excess amount of electric

The crypto mining industry may see a two-fold increase in its share of Russia’s power consumption in 2022, according to a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Energy. The department supports a bill designed to regulate the sector which is likely to be adopted this year. Russian Energy Ministry Forecasts Rise in Crypto Mining’s Electricity Consumption The share of cryptocurrency miners may reach 1.5 – 2% of Russia’s total consumption of electrical power by the end of 2022, according to the Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Snikkars. During a crypto conference organized by the business news portal RBC, the government official recalled that last year’s figure was around 1%. The availability of electricity for mining across the vast country would depend on the number of users that want to connect to the grid in a particular location, Snikkars added. In certain Russian regions — the deputy minister mentioned Murmansk as an example — unused power generating capacities are curren

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says crypto tokens are like pet rocks. The executive also believes crypto regulation should be strengthened, stating: “The regulators who beat up on banks should maybe focus a little more on crypto.” JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon Compares Crypto to Pet Rocks The chairman and CEO of global investment bank JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, talked about crypto and its regulation following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX in an interview with CNBC Tuesday. He was asked whether the FTX meltdown is contained and does not matter or whether he believes it is a symbol of something larger that is happening in the economy. The JPMorgan boss said: Crypto is a complete sideshow, okay, and you guys spend too much time on it. I’ve made my views perfectly clear about crypto tokens are like pet rocks, and people are hyping this stuff up. Pet rocks are just rocks in custom cardboard boxes, marketed as live rocks in 1975. Over 1 million pet rocks were sold for $4 each

Bitcoin.com , a digital ecosystem and secure self-custody platform where users can safely and easily interact with cryptocurrencies and digital assets, announced completion of the pre-sale of its rewards and utility token VERSE, where 16% of the total supply was purchased for $50 million. Bitcoin.com also announced the launch of VERSE trading on its decentralized exchange, the Verse DEX , starting at 00:30 UTC on Dec 8. The initial listing price will be $0.0015 per VERSE. “The success of the Verse token sale despite severe bear market conditions is a testament to the quality of Bitcoin.com ’s ecosystem token,” said Bitcoin.com CEO Dennis Jarvis. “I have no doubt that Verse will supercharge Bitcoin.com ’s mission to create economic freedom by helping to onboard millions more people to Bitcoin and decentralized finance where they can take advantage of the benefits enabled by self-custody, transparency, and censorship resistance.” The VERSE token will provide utility in Bitcoin.

The host of Mad Money, Jim Cramer, has advised investors to sell their crypto, emphasizing that “it’s never too late to sell an awful position.” Regarding FTX, Cramer predicted that the collapsed trading platform “won’t be the last of these crypto exchanges to go down.” Jim Cramer’s Latest Crypto Advice The host of CNBC’s Mad Money show, Jim Cramer, has advised investors to sell their cryptocurrencies following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. Cramer is a former hedge fund manager who co-founded Thestreet.com, a financial news and literacy website. He said Monday: You can’t just beat yourself up and say, ‘hey, it’s too late to sell.’ The truth is, it’s never too late to sell an awful position, and that’s what you have if you own these so-called digital assets. The Mad Money host used to invest in bitcoin, ether, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) but sold all his crypto holdings last year. “I told you I sold my bitcoin and ethereum a long time ago … and used the proceeds to bu

Bitcoin was consolidating on Wednesday, as the U.S. dollar continued to strengthen versus several G7 currencies. A strong dollar means demand for cryptocurrencies typically plummets, with the global market cap trading in the red as of writing. Ethereum was also lower today, falling as it remained below $1,300. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) continued to consolidate in today’s session, as prices hovered around the $17,000 mark on hump-day. Following a low of $16,939.92 on Tuesday, BTC /USD raced to an intraday peak of $17,109.38 earlier in today’s session. The move saw bitcoin continue to trade under its recent resistance level of $17,180, which has mostly been in place for the last month. Looking at the chart, the consolidation comes as the relative strength index (RSI) also remained below its own ceiling of 50.00. As of writing, the index is currently tracking at the 47.80 level, and seems to be heading to a floor at the 45.80 mark. Should we see this decline occur, BTC will likely

On Tuesday, the hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger announced the launch of a new device called Ledger Stax. The machine was designed by iPod creator, Tony Fadell, and the France-based firm Ledger says the new device was built with “uncompromisingly secure architecture.” iPod Creator Tony Fadell Partners With Ledger to Launch a New Crypto Hardware Wallet Called Stax Ledger has revealed a new hardware wallet that’s roughly the same size as a credit card. Ledger Stax also features an e-ink touch screen that’s customizable and offers capacitive touch. The France-based crypto hardware wallet manufacturer is well known for creating hardware wallets such as the Nano. Similarly, Stax allows users to secure their cryptocurrency assets and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a EAL 5+ certified secure element-equipped setting. The new machine was designed by Tony Fadell, an American engineer and former senior vice president of the iPod division at Apple. Reports explain that in 2001, Apple sup

The CEO of crypto exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), has countered several “wrong narratives” about the collapsed crypto exchange FTX and its co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). The Binance boss calls SBF “a master manipulator” and “one of the greatest fraudsters in history.” Binance’s CEO on ‘Wrong Narratives’ About FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried The CEO of crypto exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), took to Twitter Tuesday to address what he called “wrong narratives” that he has seen recently about the collapsed crypto exchange FTX and its co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). The first narrative he addressed was “CZ wants to be the savior of crypto,” the Binance boss described. He explained: Crypto doesn’t need saving. Crypto is fine. It’s the beauty of decentralization. We are just part of it. We want to help other good projects that may be in a cash crunch because of recent events. It’s in our collective best interest. The second narrative is “FTX was killed by xyz (ie, a 3

On Dec. 6, 2022, the former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) reportedly retained the attorney Mark Cohen, the lawyer that represented Ghislaine Maxwell during her recent sex trafficking case. SBF’s spokesperson further explained that the FTX co-founder is being consulted by a professor at Stanford Law School, David Mills. Sam Bankman-Fried Hires Attorney Who Represented Ghislaine Maxwell The disgraced former CEO of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is reportedly being represented by Mark Cohen from the litigation firm Cohen & Gresser. Cohen is the well-known attorney that represented Ghislaine Maxwell during her sex trafficking case. Maxwell, a close friend of the now-deceased and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted on five out of six counts which included the sex trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced to 20 years in June and still faces other charges . Cohen is a lawyer licensed in New York and Florida and the now convicted Maxwell was also represented by Chri