Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Russian crypto traders have been looking to obtain unrestricted accounts for global exchanges as their access to such platforms is limited. Over the past year, the offering of such accounts on the dark web has increased significantly, cybersecurity experts told the Russian press. Supply of Crypto Exchange Accounts for Russian Users Doubles in a Year of Sanctions More and more ready-to-use accounts for cryptocurrency exchanges are being sold to Russian residents. While this is not a new phenomenon — such accounts are often employed by fraudsters and money launderers — the current growth in supply has been attributed to the restrictions imposed by the trading platforms on customers from Russia, as a result of compliance with sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Russian residents have been buying these accounts despite the dangers, including the risk that whoever created them could maintain access after the sale, the Kommersant reported. But they are inexpensive and offers on darknet ma...

The South Korean government will adopt a cryptocurrency tracking system within the first half of this year, the country’s Ministry of Justice reportedly announced. The tracking system will be used to monitor and analyze crypto transactions, particularly to uncover the sources of illegal funds. South Korea to Start Tracking Crypto Transactions in 1H South Korea’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ) reportedly announced that it will adopt a cryptocurrency tracking system within the first half of this year. In its 2023 task report , the Justice Ministry explained that the tracking system will be used to monitor and analyze cryptocurrency transactions, particularly to uncover the sources of illegal funds. The ministry was quoted by local media as saying: We will overhaul the forensic infrastructure in response to the modernization of crime. The Korean government has been talking about adopting a system to track down illegal crypto transactions for many months. In October last year, the coun...

A new decentralized exchange (dex) on Arbitrum, called Vest Exchange, was announced this past weekend, and the team that created the project said the platform aims to focus on democratizing perpetual futures. The team behind Vest further detailed that the new Arbitrum dex is backed by firms such as Jane Street, QCP Capital, and Big Brain Holdings. Vest Aims to Revolutionize Defi Perpetuals With Cutting-Edge Risk-Engine and Backing From Prominent Investment Firms The creators of a new dex platform built on the Arbitrum layer two blockchain announced on Jan. 28, 2023, that the project has emerged from stealth mode. The project, called Vest Exchange , closed a seed round with investments from firms including Jane Street, QCP Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Pear VC, Cogitent, Moonshot Research, Fugazi Labs, Ascendex, Builder Capital, Infinity Ventures Crypto, and Robert Chen (Ottersec). Vest Exchange also provided a summary of the project in a blog post published on the same day. Vest ...

The metaverse is making inroads in job recruiting fronts in Japan. According to local reports, a mega metaverse job fair was organized on Jan. 27, with more than 2,000 students taking part in the experience. The students used avatars to communicate and review the job previews available in different booths controlled by several companies. Japan Embraces the Metaverse for Recruiting Metaverse tech is starting to change the landscape of job hunting and recruiting in Japan. More than 2,000 students attended a metaverse job fair, that allowed them to use digital avatars to communicate with recruiters and examine the possibilities of each job offer available. Due to the anonymity in the metaverse, participants were allowed to ask questions on delicate matters concerning these job offerings, according to reports of the Asahi Shimbun. 179 companies participated in this effort, which was organized by Neo Career Co., which took care of the job-related activities, and X Inc., which carried t...

The Argentine peso has fallen consistently against the U.S. dollar this month, losing almost 12% since Jan. 1. The behavior of the exchange rate for the informal “blue” dollar keeps bringing concerns about a possible escalade in inflation rates, that are predicted to reach almost 100% this year, similar to the rates registered in 2022. Argentine Peso Keeps Falling Argentina is currently submerged in a devaluation scenario that has the possibility of causing an escalation in prices this year. The value of the Argentine peso against the U.S. dollar has fallen by almost 12%, reaching a record-high rate of 386 pesos per dollar on Jan. 27 in its ‘ blue ‘ variation. The exchange rate has been constantly rising since December, when it reached 356 pesos per dollar, breaking a record low for the peso at that time. The government has made movements to maintain its stability, injecting dollars to satisfy the demand of registered importers into the market and announcing a purchase operation ...

PRESS RELEASE. VICTORIA, Seychelles — Bitget , a leading cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, has announced the winners and conclusion of its Hero Trader Awards 2022 competition. The event was organized to select the best 15 copy traders with high moral standards and professional qualities through community voting. The Hero Trader Awards 2022 commemorated the advancement of copy trading based on transaction data from Bitget’s One-Click Copy Trade in 2022 , which was used to select 75 Star Traders who participated in the contest. Bitget is a pioneer in crypto copy trading thanks to the way it works to improve products through innovation. One-Click Copy Trade is Bitget’s flagship offering of crypto copy trade, and as of Jan 19th, 2023, the product has amassed more than 80,000 traders and over 380,000 followers, along with 42,000,000 profitable copy trades since its launch. Recently, Bitget has become the first cryptocurrency exchange to launch copy trading in the spot market. The ...

Lawmakers in Nur-Sultan have approved the final version of the law “On Digital Assets in the Republic of Kazakhstan.” The new legislation, including several other bills, regulates the circulation of cryptocurrencies in the country and introduces a licensing regime for crypto miners and exchanges. Senate Votes on Crypto Law, Sends It to President of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan’s Senate has adopted a bill designed to regulate cryptocurrencies and related activities in the Central Asian nation. Along with additional legal documents, the new law “On Digital Assets in the Republic of Kazakhstan” creates conditions for establishing a crypto ecosystem in the country, local media reported. Members of the upper house of parliament considered the comprehensive package earlier in January and decided to propose certain amendments to the Mazhilis, which had already approved its version of the legislation. However, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dissolved the lower house on Jan. 19 and called early e...

A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a resolution that encourages Capitol gift shops to accept cryptocurrency payments. He stressed that lawmakers “should increase accessibility and signal our support for the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry to those who visit Capitol Hill.” US Senator Advocates Crypto Payments U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced Thursday that he has reintroduced the Adopting Cryptocurrency in Congress as an Exchange of Payment for Transactions (ACCEPT) Resolution. Cruz first introduced this resolution in November 2021. The senator from Texas said: Cryptocurrency is generating new jobs, encouraging entrepreneurs to invent new values and creating new hedges against inflation, and presenting new opportunities. It is also increasingly being used as a secure form of payment for goods and services. “This is precisely why we, here at the United States Capitol, should increase accessibility and signal our support for the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry to those who ...

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on Congress to ensure regulators, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), have the tools to regulate the crypto industry effectively and crack down on crypto money laundering activities. “The current legal structure essentially holds up a giant sign over crypto that says, money laundering done here,” the lawmaker stressed. Senator Urges Congress to Crack Down on Crypto Money Laundering U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said in an interview with Politico’s Morning Money Wednesday that cracking down on money laundering activities is her “main focus” in terms of crypto-related legislation. The senator confirmed that she will reintroduce her bill titled “Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022.” Originally introduced in December last year, this bill is “the most direct attack ” on the personal freedom and privacy of crypto users, according to experts in the field. Warren explained that money laundering is “not nearly as...

The U.S. Federal Reserve Board has rejected the attempt of Custodia Bank to become member of the Federal Reserve System. According to the decision announced Friday, the application submitted by the digital asset bank is inconsistent with legal requirements. Federal Reserve Board Says Business Model Proposed by Custodia Bank Presents Risks Crypto bank Custodia has been denied membership in the United States Federal Reserve System. In an announcement dated Jan. 27, the Federal Reserve Board explained that the application, as submitted by the company, is “inconsistent with the required factors under the law.” The press release further detailed that Custodia is a special purpose depository institution which does not have federal deposit insurance and wants to engage in “untested crypto activities,” including issuing a crypto asset. In that context, the Board argued: The firm’s novel business model and proposed focus on crypto-assets presented significant safety and soundness risks. ...

The Ghanaian and Nigerian central banks have invited financial innovators that wish to be included in their respective regulatory sandboxes to submit applications. The Bank of Ghana said its sandbox will also support innovations that attempt to solve the financial exclusion challenge. Solving the Financial Exclusion Challenge The Ghanaian central bank has called on registered financial institutions and unlicensed fintech startups to apply for admission into its regulatory sandbox. In a press statement issued on Jan. 26, the bank said the process to admit the first cohort of participants will open on Feb. 13 and close on March 14. According to the Bank of Ghana (BOG), the sandbox will support innovations that include “new digital business models not currently covered explicitly or implicitly under any regulation.” The sandbox will also support innovations that attempt to solve the financial exclusion challenge as well as “new and immature digital financial service technology.” As ...

A new survey shows that institutional investors expect “a strong year ahead for bitcoin” and are confident about the cryptocurrency’s long-term valuation. In addition, 65% of institutional investors surveyed agree that bitcoin could reach $100,000. ‘Strong Year Ahead for Bitcoin’ Nickel Digital Asset Management published the results of a survey Thursday showing how high institutional investors expect the price of bitcoin to reach. The London-based investment manager is registered with the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The survey, commissioned by Nickel and conducted by market research company Pureprofile this month, interviewed 200 institutional investors and wealth managers across the U.S., U.K., Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE, and Brazil. The respondents collectively managed around $2.85 trillion in assets. Sharing the results of the survey, Nickel detailed: Professional investors are forecasting a strong...

A new organization has been established in Turkey with the aim to monitor and help develop the country’s crypto sector, local media reported. Its first task will be to address recent problems with some cryptocurrency exchanges and boost confidence in the industry as a whole. New Entity to Deal With Issues in the Crypto Space in Turkey, Hopes to Increase Transparency People trading cryptocurrencies in Turkey have been estimated at over 8 million as of 2022, according to Emrah Inanc, head of the Crypto Industry Development, Monitoring and Reporting Association. The country is in the world’s top five in terms of crypto investments, he highlighted. Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, the top executive of the newly-founded organization also emphasized that transparency is crucial for the development of the crypto sector. That’s why it will first focus efforts on solving problems with crypto exchanges and improve confidence in the industry. Inanc pointed out that a number of exchanges from ...

Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk has reaffirmed his commitment to eat a McDonald’s Happy Meal on TV if the fast food chain accepts the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE). Musk originally made the offer a year ago but McDonald’s responded with a counteroffer at the time. Elon Musk, McDonald’s, and Dogecoin Payments Tesla, Spacex, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk has reaffirmed his commitment to eat a McDonald’s Happy Meal on Television if the fast food giant starts accepting payments in dogecoin (DOGE). It has been a year since the billionaire tweeted his offer on Jan. 25, 2022. However, McDonald’s did not accept his offer at the time. “Only if Tesla accepts grimacecoin,” the Twitter account for the fast food corporation replied to him. Grimace is a fluffy, purple character who tags along with Ronald McDonald in McDonaldland commercials. The subject came up again this week when Twitter user Dogedesigner asked Musk on Thursday whether his offer is still open. The Tesla boss replied with t...

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, says that we are in a global recession. Warning of soaring bankruptcies, unemployment, and homelessness, he noted that there is good news for investors looking for “bargains.” Robert Kiyosaki’s Latest Warnings The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, is back with more warnings about the U.S. economy and global recession. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. Kiyosaki tweeted Saturday: “Q: What is worse than a great depression? A: a global recession.” He added: Unfortunately, we are in global recession. Hang on. Rough landing for world. Bad news. Bankruptcy, unemployment, homelessness soar. Retirements toast. However, the famed author pointed out there is good news for investors...

The White House has published a “roadmap to mitigate cryptocurrencies’ risks.” The roadmap calls for authorities to “ramp up enforcement where appropriate” and Congress “to step up its efforts” to regulate the crypto sector. It also notes that legislation should not greenlight mainstream institutions “to dive headlong into cryptocurrency markets.” ‘The Administration’s Roadmap to Mitigate Cryptocurrencies’ Risks’ The White House published a blog post titled “The Administration’s Roadmap to Mitigate Cryptocurrencies’ Risks” Friday under the National Economic Council (NEC), an Executive Office of the President (EOP) established to advise the president on U.S. and global economic policy. The roadmap is authored by four White House advisors: NEC Director Brian Deese, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Arati Prabhakar, Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) Chair Cecilia Rouse, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The CEA is charged with providing objective eco...

The crypto firm Matrixport, led by former Bitmain CEO Jihan Wu, is laying off 10% of the company’s staff, according to reports published on Friday. Matrixport’s COO, Cynthia Wu, cited a “shift in the regulatory climate” and “industry-wide capitulations” as reasons for the layoffs. Matrixport Lays Off 10% of Staff as Crypto Winter Continues Jihan Wu’s Matrixport is letting go of 10% of the firm’s employees, according to multiple reports on Jan. 27, 2023. Bloomberg details that unnamed sources say the company’s head of business development and investor relations has left. The news follows another Bloomberg report, published in Nov. 2022, that said Matrixport was seeking $100 million in financing from investors. At the time, the company told the publication it was engaging with investors. In addition to sources from Bloomberg on Friday, the company’s COO, Cynthia Wu, confirmed to Coindesk’s Omkar Godbole that the 10% cut in staff mainly stemmed from Matrixport’s marketing departm...

The chairman of a newly formed digital assets committee, U.S. Congressman French Hill, has outlined some priorities to regulate the crypto sector and ensure America is the place for fintech and blockchain innovation. “We want a regulatory framework that’s transparent for developers, investors, and potential consumers,” the lawmaker emphasized. US Lawmaker Shares Priorities on Crypto Regulation U.S. Congressman French Hill (R-AR), who was recently appointed chairman of the newly formed subcommittee on “Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion,” discussed several crypto-related priorities for his subcommittee in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Replying to a question about whether the U.S. should have a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), he explained that it is an area his subcommittee wants to explore. The congressman detailed: You’ll see us look at a privacy law, a federal privacy law … you will see us consider a stablecoin bill … you will see us explore what are...

A commissioner with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called for “a coherent and consistent legal framework that works across all asset classes,” including crypto assets. She warned that the SEC’s current enforcement-centric approach would take 400 years to go through all the crypto tokens that are allegedly securities. SEC’s Commissioner on Crypto Regulation A commissioner with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Hester Peirce, talked about crypto regulation in her speech at the “Digital Assets at Duke” conference on Jan. 20. Noting that the securities regulator has “pursued registration violations in a seemingly random fashion, often years after the original offering,” the commissioner stressed: We must develop a coherent and consistent legal framework that works across all asset classes. Our imprecise application of the law has created arbitrary and destructive results for crypto projects and purchasers. “When we insist on applying the secu...

Goldman Sachs has ranked bitcoin the best-performing asset so far this year. The cryptocurrency also tops the global investment bank’s list as the asset with the highest risk-adjusted return — above gold, real estate, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq 100. Bitcoin Outshines Other Investments on Goldman’s Chart Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has reportedly ranked bitcoin the best-performing asset year-to-date (YTD). The Twitter account Documenting Bitcoin tweeted earlier this week: Bitcoin is the best performing asset in the world this year, according to latest data by Goldman Sachs. The tweet includes a market performance chart by Goldman Sachs showing the top 25 markets’ total returns as well as their year-to-date risk-adjusted returns. Bitcoin tops the total return list at 27%, followed by MSCI Emerging Markets Index at 8%. BTC also tops Goldman Sachs’ risk-adjusted return list, with a Sharpe Ratio of 3.1. The price of bitcoin has risen since the firm published its char...

PRESS RELEASE. LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, has listed Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) on January 27, 2023. For all users of LBank Exchange, the GDCC/ USDT trading pair is now officially available for trading. With its new-age protocol and peer-to-peer network, Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) restructures the concept of money and assets with cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to transform various industries and allow people to adapt crypto assets. Its native token GDCC will be listed on LBank Exchange at 8:00 UTC on January 27, 2023, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing Global Digital Cluster Coin Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) is a new-age protocol that caters to web3.0 services and community-driven technology, allowing users to build their dApps and serving as a hub for digital assets, international payments, and applications. Because the protocol is open to all, anyone in the world w...