Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Russian marketplaces on the dark web have continued to operate despite Western sanctions and efforts to shut them down, according to a report accessing the illicit blockchain space amid the world’s “first crypto war.” Ransomware actors and high-risk crypto exchanges have also remained active. Underground Russian Crypto Platforms Adapting to Disruptions Caused by Ukraine War Before Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, cryptocurrency exchanges linked to the two countries accounted for over half of the international volumes of illicit crypto funds. Cybercrime organizations were full of Russian-speaking members and Russian-language darknet markets (DNMs) dominated the global drugs trade in cryptocurrency, TRM Labs noted in a new report . Over the past year, the blockchain intelligence firm analyzed changes in the illicit crypto ecosystem to find out how cybercriminals are adjusting to the financial, political, and logistical disruptions caused by the conflict. The company describes the l...

The Canadian rapper and singer Drake lost $400,000 in bitcoin after betting that the YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul would beat Tommy Fury by knockout. Drake could have potentially raked in a $1.44 million bitcoin payout, but Fury won the fight in a split-decision victory. Drake Loses $400K Bitcoin Bet on Jake Paul’s Bout On Feb. 26, 2023, in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s winning streak was stopped by Tommy Fury, the half-brother of Mike Tyson. The fight was a close bout, with Fury winning by split decision (74-75, 76-73, 76-73), despite Paul knocking Fury down in the eighth round. Paul had six straight wins under his belt before losing to Fury on Sunday. Before the fight, the rap star and actor Drake placed a $400,000 bitcoin wager, or roughly 17 BTC , on Paul winning the fight by knockout (KO). Drake took to Instagram and showed off his bet, which was placed on the crypto betting platform Stake. “Knock knock,” Drake said, with a door emoji. The screen...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says “it is critical to put in place a strong regulatory framework” for crypto on the sidelines of the G20 meeting for finance ministers and central bank governors. “We haven’t suggested outright banning of crypto activities,” Yellen added. Janet Yellen on ‘Strong’ Crypto Regulation U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talked about crypto regulation in an interview with Reuters Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 meeting for finance ministers and central bank governors under India’s presidency in Bengaluru. Yellen emphasized the importance of establishing a robust regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies while clarifying that the U.S. has not proposed an outright ban. The treasury secretary said: We haven’t suggested outright banning of crypto activities, but it is critical to put in place a strong regulatory framework … We’re working with other governments. Crypto regulation was among the key topics discussed by the G20 finance ministers ...

Billionaire Jeffrey Gundlach, aka the “Bond King,” has warned of “painful outcomes that are coming in the next recession.” Commenting on the Federal Reserve’s attempt to curb inflation, he cautioned: “The more you try to reduce the severity of problems, you’re going to end up ultimately having a very high severity problem.” ‘Bond King’ Jeffrey Gundlach on the Next Recession Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of investment management firm Doubleline, shared his outlook on the U.S. economy in an interview with Yahoo Finance last week. Gundlach is nicknamed “the Bond King” after he appeared on the cover of Barron’s as “The New Bond King” in 2011. According to Forbes, his net worth is currently $2.2 billion. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a soft landing or a hard landing,” he began. “People are always asking me this question: ‘How bad is the recession going to be?’ It doesn’t matter, as long as we’re going into a recession, you have to have a certain deg...

In spite of turbulence in traditional global finance, with BRICS nations said to be pushing for de-dollarization and major banks like Bank of America and Goldman Sachs predicting further interest rate hikes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, creativity in crypto has found a new boon in the form of controversial inscriptions, called Ordinals, on the Bitcoin blockchain. All this and more, just below, in the latest Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. Expert Predicts Looming Economic Collapse as BRICS Nations Unite Against the Dollar Andy Schectman, CEO of Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, explained in a recent interview that the five leading emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, collectively known as BRICS nations — are “coalescing against the dollar.” Schectman believes that since 2022, de-dollarization “seems to be spinning much, much faster.” Read More Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, UBS Share Predictions About Further Fed Rate Hikes ...

In a move seen as a major setback for South Africa, the international financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, announced on Feb. 24 that it had added the country to its “grey list.” Getting grey-listed by the financial watchdog potentially makes it difficult for South Africa to obtain loans from foreign banks. A Setback for South Africa The global financial crimes watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has added South Africa to its grey list, which is a group of countries that are “committed to resolving swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes.” According to one report, the inclusion of South Africa in the FATF’s so-called grey list is a major reputational setback for the country which has been eager to avoid being added to the list. As reported by Bitcoin.com News, a South African financial industry regulator designated crypto as a financial product after the FATF reportedly voiced its concerns over the lack of regulation of s...

The draft law legalizing cryptocurrency mining will be resubmitted to Russian parliament which will postpone its adoption, one of its sponsors announced. Members of the lower house are also working on a separate bill that will introduce liability for those who mint digital coins illegally. Adoption of Russian Crypto Mining Legislation Postponed Again A bill designed to legalize the mining of cryptocurrencies, which was first filed with the State Duma in November, will be resubmitted to the lower house of Russian parliament after additional consultations, according to Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Information Policy. The lawmaker explained that the consideration of the regulations is a difficult process. “As a co-sponsor of the bill, I can confirm that it will be postponed. I hope that this year we will be able to implement it in some form,” Gorelkin elaborated, quoted by the crypto news outlet Forklog. Russian parliamentarians and other offici...

Major crypto exchanges have failed to prevent sanctioned Russian banks and traders from transacting, according to a blockchain forensics report. At least two established coin trading platforms continue to allow Russians to use their bank cards in peer-to-peer deals, the analysis shows. It also highlights an increased Russian interest in tether. Russian Traders Still Using Leading Cryptocurrency Exchanges to Bypass Restrictions Some of the world’s largest digital asset exchanges have been failing with measures to prevent Russian banking institutions under sanctions from operating through their platforms, reveals a report by the blockchain analytics firm Inca Digital, announced on the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. According to the research, quoted by Bloomberg and Politico, traders can still use debit cards issued by Russian banks sanctioned by the U.S., Canada, U.K., and the European Union among others, including the state-owned Sberbank, to trade o...

India has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Financial Stability Board (FSB) to develop “a synthesis paper” on crypto assets as part of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors under India’s presidency. “This would help in the formulation of a coordinated and comprehensive policy approach to crypto assets,” said India’s finance ministry. India Asks IMF and FSB for Technical Paper on Crypto The Indian government released on Saturday its “G20 Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document” following the first two-day G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors that took place in Bengaluru on Feb. 24-25. Crypto regulation was among the topics discussed. During a panel discussion on cryptocurrency regulation as part of the G20 meeting, India requested that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Financial Stability Board (FSB) collaborate on a technical paper on crypto assets. According to the summary document: IMF and the FSB to jointly su...

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) says delegates from over 200 jurisdictions have agreed on “an action plan to drive timely global implementation of FATF standards” on crypto assets. The standard-setting body said many countries have failed to implement its previous requirements on crypto, including the “travel rule.” Countries Agree to Implement FATF Crypto Standards The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization established to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, announced Friday the outcome of its plenary which took place on Feb. 22-24. “Delegates from over 200 jurisdictions of the Global Network participated” in a number of discussions at its headquarters in Paris, the FATF said. A number of issues, including those relating to crypto assets, were discussed, the FATF noted, elaborating: Delegates further agreed on an action plan to drive timely global implementation of FATF standards relating to virtual assets (also termed cr...

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty reached an all-time high (ATH) on Feb. 24, 2023, at block height #778,176, reaching 43.05 trillion hashes and surpassing the 40 trillion mark for the first time ever. The network’s difficulty increased by 9.95%, which is the second-largest rise this year, as Bitcoin recorded a combined 24.89% increase during the last 60 days. Network Participants Face Longer Block Times Following Recent Difficulty Change It has never been harder to mine bitcoin (BTC) than it is today, as miners have experienced a 9.95% difficulty increase at block height #778,176. Now and for the next two weeks, or approximately 2,016 blocks, the difficulty will be 43.05 trillion. The network’s average hashrate over the last 2,016 blocks was roughly 305.8 exahash per second (EH/s). The 9.95% increase on Friday was the second-largest jump in difficulty this year, as the largest was recorded on Jan. 15, 2023, at block height #772,128. At that time, the difficulty rose 10.26% higher than...

The second-largest bank in Germany, DZ Bank, is preparing to become a provider of custody services for crypto assets. The offering will be facilitated by a partnership with Metaco, a Swiss company that specializes in helping financial institutions to operate in the digital asset space. DZ Bank to Use Metaco’s Harmonize Platform to Launch Crypto Custody Services DZ Bank, part of Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken which is one of the largest banking groups in Germany, is going to employ a platform built by Metaco to offer institutional clients services in the field of digital currencies and crypto securities, the fintech announced. Regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bafin), DZ Bank is an established custodian and Germany’s second-largest bank by asset size. At the end of 2022, it had €297 billion (almost $315 billion) worth of assets under custody. Metaco, founded in Switzerland in 2015, is focused on enabling financial and non-financial institutions to conduct cryp...

Financial giant JPMorgan has announced it will open a new blockchain innovation lab in Greece. The lab will be focused on the development of applications on top of Onyx, the blockchain platform launched by the bank in 2020, and on digital identity solutions. JPMorgan to Push Blockchain Development in New Innovation Lab JPMorgan, the investment bank with millions of customers worldwide, has announced the launch of a new innovation lab in Greece, which will develop solutions using blockchain tools. The lab will focus primarily on building applications that use Onyx, the platform launched by the bank in 2020. This new innovation lab will be part of the Blockchain Launch group, which prepares and develops blockchain-based software for customers of the bank using Onyx’s technology. Tyrone Lobban, head of Blockchain Launch & Onyx Digital Assets at JPMorgan, revealed that the company is looking to fill four new positions for this new initiative including two full-stack software engin...

Chain Reaction, a Tel Aviv-based blockchain startup, announced it has raised $70 million as part of its Series C funding round. The objective of the company is to expand its engineering staff to accelerate the production of its blockchain-focused silicon and collaborate in the development of its cryptographic-focused chips. Chain Reaction Raises $70 Million in Series C Funding Round Chain Reaction, a startup that focuses on building blockchain-based silicon, announced that it has raised $70 million as part of its Series C funding round. The round, which was led by Morgan Creek Digital, part of Morgan Creek Capital — a VC company co-founded by crypto influencer Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano — saw the participation of Hanaco Ventures, Jerusalem Venture Partners, KCK Capital, Exor, Atreides Management, and Blue Run Ventures. With this capital influx, the company expects to increase its engineering headcount in order to hasten the development of its blockchain silicon products, estimated to...

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided guidance for member countries to develop effective crypto policies. The board stressed the need to develop comprehensive crypto regulations to “better mitigate the risks posed by crypto assets while also harnessing the potential benefits of the technological innovation.” IMF Executive Board Provides Guidance on Crypto Regulation The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Thursday the outcome of a discussion held by its executive board directors on a paper titled “Elements of Effective Policies for Crypto Assets.” Noting that the paper sets forth a regulatory framework that “can help members develop a comprehensive, consistent, and coordinated policy response” to crypto assets, the IMF emphasized: By adopting the framework, policymakers can better mitigate the risks posed by crypto assets while also harnessing the potential benefits of the technological innovation associated with it. The first elem...

U.S. regulators and the Federal Reserve have issued a joint warning about key liquidity risks associated with crypto assets. However, the regulators clarified that banks “are neither prohibited nor discouraged from providing banking services to customers of any specific class or type, as permitted by law or regulation.” US Regulators Issue Joint Statement on Crypto The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) jointly issued a statement regarding crypto on Thursday. The Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and the OCC explained that their statement “highlights key liquidity risks associated with crypto assets and crypto-asset sector participants that banking organizations should be aware of.” They warned: In particular, certain sources of funding from crypto asset-related entities may pose heightened liquidity risks to banking organizations due to the unpredictability of the s...

Global crypto exchange Binance is now hiring IT specialists and customer service representatives for its operations in Romania. The leading coin trading platform is also engaged in a number of educational initiatives in collaboration with Romanian universities and authorities. Cryptocurrency Exchange Binance Recruiting Personnel for Romania Offices Binance, the largest crypto exchange by trading volume, intends to hire a number of professionals this year for its technology hub in Iași, Romania’s third largest city. The hub was established in 2022 and the company is now recruiting its staff. Job openings are already available for IT specialists, including in backend, quality assurance, frontend, and mobile, the Romania Insider portal reported. Expertise is needed in Java, typescript, iOS and Android, automation, and framework. Binance Country Manager for Romania Ilie Pușcaș stated: Binance is constantly hiring and developing around the world, and Romania, recognized for its high s...

Google Cloud, the remote services division of the software giant, has announced a partnership with blockchain company Tezos to become a block validator (“baker”) in its network. As part of this partnership, Google Cloud will also offer Tezos validation services through its platform, allowing easier deployment for customers worldwide. Google Cloud Partners With Tezos Google Cloud announced a partnership with Tezos, a decentralized Web3 company, that aims to make it easier for Google customers to build and maintain services on top of the Tezos blockchain. The company will become a validator (also known as a “baker”) in the Tezos network, allowing it to be part of, and contribute to, the operation of the system. The partnership encompasses the inclusion of the Tezos blockchain in Google Cloud’s platform, simplifying the task for companies and developers that build and maintain applications on top of Tezos. This integrates Tezos as another network that can be accessed by Google Cloud ...

Tencent, the Chinese software and tech company, has announced its metaverse suite of services designed to target Asian markets. The company revealed that it will revamp its media offering with its new “metaverse-in-a-box” proposal, which aims to facilitate the task of building virtual worlds for third-party companies. Tencent to Focus on Offering Metaverse Tools to Third Parties Tencent, one of the biggest Chinese tech companies, has revealed its hand regarding the future of its metaverse strategy. The company announced that it will focus on offering “metaverse-in-a-box” services to its customers through its cloud division. This move, which comes as a complement to the media services offering that the company launched last year, aims to facilitate the task of developing virtual worlds for Tencent customers. The tools launched by Tencent will reportedly be used to build and design these metaverse spaces by companies in gaming, media, entertainment, and retail, with various purposes ...

Crypto exchange BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik may be a candidate for prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. That’s according to a statement by one of his lawyers for Russian media. The latest court hearing in Vinnik’s case has been postponed. Russian Accused of Laundering Billions Through Crypto May Return Home, According to Lawyer A lawyer for Alexander Vinnik, alleged operator of the infamous cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, believes that his client may be considered for an exchange of prisoners between the United States and the Russian Federation. David Rizk, who represents Vinnik in the U.S., commented on Vinnik’s potential return home in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency, quoted by other Russian media and crypto news outlets. “I wouldn’t rule out that possibility,” he said. The Russian IT specialist has been in U.S. custody since August, last year, when he was extradited from Greece. American authorities accuse him of laundering at least $4...

The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has announced the deployment of Base, an Ethereum layer two (L2) scaling network, after developers launched the Base testnet on Thursday. The company said it is incubating Base within Coinbase and that the L2 chain will progressively decentralize over time. Coinbase L2 Scaling Platform Aims to Help Scale the Crypto Economy Coinbase is joining the competition of Ethereum L2 scaling projects, such as Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Loopring, Starknet, and others, by launching an L2 called Base. The company announced the launch of the Base testnet on Thursday and advised the public to stay tuned for the upcoming mainnet launch. On Twitter, Coinbase stated , “Base is an Ethereum L2 that offers a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps. Our goal with Base is to make onchain the next online and onboard 1B+ users into the crypto economy.” The cryptocurrency exchange explained that Base will be open-sour...

U.S. Congressman Tom Emmer has introduced the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Anti-Surveillance State Act “to halt efforts of unelected bureaucrats” from “stripping Americans of their right to financial privacy.” The bill also prohibits the Federal Reserve “from issuing a CBDC directly to anyone.” CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act Introduced U.S. Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN) announced Tuesday that he has introduced the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Anti-Surveillance State Act in the House of Representatives. The recently elected House Majority Whip tweeted: Today, I introduced the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act to halt efforts of unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC from stripping Americans of their right to financial privacy. Emmer elaborated in a follow-up tweet that the bill “does three things” by amending the Federal Reserve Act. Firstly, it “prohibits the Fed from issuing a CBDC directly to anyone,” the lawmaker wrote. Secondly, it “bars the Fed from using a...