Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

After the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Binance for alleged violations of trading and derivatives rules, a significant amount of cryptocurrency was withdrawn from the exchange. Data from analytics provider Nansen shows $400 million in Ethereum-based funds were withdrawn in 24 hours, and 3,655 bitcoin worth more than $99 million were withdrawn over the past day, according to Coinglass metrics. 3,655 Bitcoin Withdrawn From Binance in 24 Hours On Monday, March 27, 2023, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sued Binance and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), alleging the exchange had violated specific trading and derivatives rules. The CFTC is seeking disgorgement and monetary penalties, as well as a ban on future registrations. Following the news, Binance experienced a large number of withdrawals, and some observers noted “large onchain movements prior” to the exchange’s troubles with the CFTC. “A few hours before the Binance CFTC Indictment, there were large...

Despite Bitcoin’s difficulty reaching an all-time high at 46.84 trillion, participants in bitcoin mining have kept the hashrate running stronger than ever before. According to statistics, on March 23, 2023, the hashrate reached a high of 400 exahash per second (EH/s). The 400 exahash equates to 0.4 zettahash or four hundred quintillion hashes per second. As the hashrate continues to climb, research analyst Sam Wouters at River Financial estimates that at the current growth rate, Bitcoin could reach the zettahash era “by the end of 2025.” Reasons for the Increase in Bitcoin Hashrate: Insights from River Financial Analyst Two days ago, Bitcoin.com News reported that the difficulty of the Bitcoin network had increased for the third consecutive time in the last six weeks. The difficulty is now at an all-time high of around 46.84 trillion after increasing by 7.56% on March 23, 2023. On the same day, Bitcoin’s hashrate peaked at 400 exahash per second, representing an unimaginable four...

Microstrategy has purchased 6,455 bitcoins for approximately $150 million at an average price of $23,238 per coin. With its latest purchase, Microstrategy now holds 138,955 bitcoins acquired at an average of $29,817 per coin. Moreover, the company also paid off its loan from troubled Silvergate Bank in full. Microstrategy Buys More Bitcoin Nasdaq-listed Microstrategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) announced Monday that it has acquired 6,455 more bitcoins. CEO Michael Saylor tweeted: Microstrategy repaid its $205M Silvergate loan at a 22% discount. As of 3/23/23, MSTR acquired an additional ~6,455 bitcoins for ~$150M at an average of ~$23,238 per bitcoin & held ~138,955 BTC acquired for ~$4.14B at an average of ~$29,817 per bitcoin. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, the company detailed that the 6,455 bitcoins were acquired between Feb. 16 and March 23. Repayment of Silvergate Loan The filing further explains that the Nasdaq-listed softwar...

Bitcoin started the week trading around the $28,000 mark, as markets reacted to the news that Silicon Valley Bank was to be acquired. First Citizen Bank agreed to buy approximately $72 billion in SVB assets, at a discounted rate of $16.5 billion. Ethereum continued to trade under $1,800 on Monday. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) started the week trading marginally higher, with prices hovering near the $28,000 level. Following a bottom at $27,678.15 on Sunday, BTC /USD moved to a high of $28,178.14 earlier in today’s session. The move saw bitcoin edge towards a recent resistance point at the $28,300 mark, which was last hit on Friday. Bitcoin chart by TradingView Overall, BTC has mostly consolidated on Monday, which comes as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) collided with a ceiling at the 65.00 zone. As of writing, the index is tracking at the 64.51 level, with the next visible point of support at the 62.00 mark. Should bulls take price strength below this point, there i...

Despite being touted as the possible panacea, decentralized finance (defi) still faces obstacles which greatly diminish the prospects of mainstream adoption, asserts serial entrepreneur and CEO of Radix DLT, Piers Ridyard. Ridyard added that while defi is seen as “a fantastic proof of concept,” widespread adoption of this alternative to traditional finance is only possible when the developer and user experience is improved. Developer Incentives and Mass Adoption of Defi Besides improving developer and user experience, the Radix CEO told Bitcoin.com News that the provision of ongoing and sustainable support to developers ensures “you [don’t] end up with a ghost chain.” Ridyard, a YC Alumni, also shared thoughts on how defi and Web3’s scaling woes can be overcome. Ridyard further discussed Coinbase’s attempt to bolster developers with its recently launched layer 2 (L2) blockchain and why this is unlikely to result in the envisaged mass adoption of defi. Below are the CEO’s answers ...

Jan Nieuwenhuijs, a gold market analyst, has predicted that gold might exceed prices of $8,000 during the next decade, as the current Ukraine-Russia war, and the worldwide battle against inflation, shift the preference of central banks for foreign currencies to gold. The proposed long-term price model shows that each troy ounce of the metal might touch the $10,000 mark. Analyst Makes Case for $8,000 Gold Prices Jan Nieuwenhuijs, a gold market researcher, has predicted that the price of gold might exceed $8,000 during the next decade, as central banks shift their reserve preferences due to macroeconomic factors and war. Nieuwenhuijs believes that the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the global war against inflation, will trigger a change in the composition of reserves. As part of his analysis, which considers the historical percentage of gold held by central banks as a key metric, Nieuwenhuijs states : Central banks in aggregate have an unusual faith in foreign exc...

The number of irretrievably lost bitcoins has now reached 6 million, which leaves 13.3 million as coins that remain in circulation, Timothy Peterson of Cane Island Alternative Advisors has said. Peterson added that out of the 1.7 million bitcoins that will be mined in the next 100 years or more, one million coins will be lost in the same period. One Million Lost Bitcoins According to Timothy Peterson, an author and manager of Cane Island Alternative Advisors, the number of irretrievably lost bitcoins has now reached 6 million. In his latest tweet on the subject, Peterson asserts that from the estimated 19.3 million bitcoins that had been mined by March 25, 2023, only 13.3 million remain in circulation which is “probably all you will have access to in your lifetime.” I estimate that, as of this week, 6 million of the 19.3 million #bitcoin mined have been irretrievably lost. (See related research at https://t.co/ULso76SXjD ) This means 13.3 million remain with only 1.7 million lef...

According to the Montenegro-based newspaper Vijesti, Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs, also known as Kwon Do-hyung, is appealing the detention extension ordered by a Montenegrin court. Kwon was arrested on March 23, 2023, after being caught at Podgorica Airport in Montenegro while traveling with fraudulent identification documents. Report Says Kwon’s Legal Representation Aims to Appeal 30-Day Detention Extension Three days ago, Montenegro’s Interior Minister Filip Adzic announced on Twitter that Do Kwon, the co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, was arrested on Thursday for presenting forged identity documents. Kwon’s location was unknown for some time, with speculation that he was hiding in Singapore or possibly Dubai. The Montenegrin police stated that Kwon’s fraudulent documents originated from Costa Rica and Belgium. According to the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti and local media , Kwon’s legal team is seeking to appeal his 30-day detention extension. Kwon is facing s...

As of March 25, 2023, the U.S. government held 205,515 bitcoins worth $5.6 billion, which is approximately 1.06% of the circulating supply, according to current statistics. The cache of bitcoins is a result of three forfeitures that began in 2020. Glassnode’s on-chain data reveals that on March 9, about 9,860 bitcoins worth roughly $269 million were sent to a Coinbase address. Uncle Sam’s Crypto Stash: How the U.S. Government Became a Top Bitcoin Holder The U.S. government currently holds 205,515 bitcoins valued at $5.66 billion based on today’s exchange rates. The bitcoins were confiscated in three cases, including the Silk Road bitcoin seizure in November 2020, the 2022 Bitfinex hack confiscation , and the seizure of bitcoins from James Zhong last year. Of the total, 69,369 BTC was seized from “Individual X,” 94,643 BTC was taken from Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan , and 51,326 BTC was seized from Zhong in November 2022. According to a report from Glassnode ...

According to statistics, on March 26, the stablecoin economy was valued at $135 billion, with the top stablecoins representing $31.8 billion or 75% of the $42.17 billion in 24-hour global trade volume across the entire crypto market. In the last two weeks since March 11, 7.06 billion USDC and 351.57 million BUSD have been redeemed. Meanwhile, from March 14 to March 26, the number of tether stablecoins in circulation increased by 6.12 billion. Stablecoin Circulation Changes In recent weeks, the supplies of some stablecoins have decreased while others have increased. Today’s top ten stablecoins include USDT , USDC, BUSD, DAI, TUSD, FRAX, USDP, USDD, GUSD, and LUSD. According to statistics for the last month, USDC, BUSD, and GUSD experienced double-digit reductions in supply. The other top ten stablecoin assets recorded supply increases, with TUSD’s supply doubling or rising 112.3% higher than it was 30 days ago. Among other stablecoin assets, liquity usd (LUSD) rose 16.2% and tether...

Venture capitalist Balaji Srinivasan says hyperinflation is happening now, and is making million-dollar bets that the price of bitcoin will reach $1M in 90 days. In related news, myriad voices from the world of finance are sounding off about inflation, recession, and a brewing economic crisis. In spite of the economic turmoil, however, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell doesn’t envision the Fed cutting interest rates this year. This and more just below in the Bitcoin.com News Week in Review. Balaji Srinivasan Says Hyperinflation Happening Now — Makes Million-Dollar Bets on Bitcoin Price Exceeding $1M in 90 Days Venture capitalist and angel investor Balaji Srinivasan says hyperinflation is happening now. Expecting the price of bitcoin to soon hit $1 million, he is making million-dollar bets that it will happen in 90 days. Srinivasan also advised investors to buy bitcoin, which he believes to be “a hedge against hyperinflation, monetary debasement, bank freezes, and wealth seizure.”...

Nasdaq intends to launch its custody services for digital assets like bitcoin by the end of this year’s second quarter. The exchange operator is among those traditional financial firms that want to play a role as intermediaries in the crypto sector which saw the collapse of some major players. Stock Exchange Nasdaq Seeks Regulatory Approval as Crypto Custodian U.S. exchange operator Nasdaq plans to launch its own custody services for crypto assets by the end of June. The company moves into the industry in the aftermath of a series of failures such as the bankruptcy of FTX , one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges. The group is now working to obtain the necessary approvals from regulatory bodies that will allow it to provide such services, Bloomberg reported on Friday, quoting Ira Auerbach, senior vice president and head of Nasdaq Digital Assets. Nasdaq has already applied to the New York Department of Financial Services for a limited-purpose trust company charter, which would...

Regulations governing tokenized deposits and crypto assets are likely to become effective on Jan. 1, 2025, a senior fintech analyst at the South African central bank has revealed. However, according to the analyst, regulators are still trying to understand or learn the risks that come with using distributed ledger technology. Central Bank Considers Appropriateness of Retail CBDC Gerhard van Deventer, a senior fintech analyst at the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) recently disclosed that regulations governing the so-called tokenized deposits and crypto assets are expected to come into effect on Jan.1, 2025. Although taking this step is seen as an important milestone, Deventer, however, warned regulators still need to understand the risks that are associated with the technology underpinning digital assets. To achieve this, the SARB and its partners have conducted experiments whose objective was to understand and identify the risks as well as the benefits of distributed ledger techn...

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned that the Federal Reserve’s continued rate hikes will crash stocks, bonds, real estate, as well as the U.S. dollar. He expects the next crash to be the “$1 quadrillion derivatives market.” Robert Kiyosaki on Interest Rate Hikes, Market Crashes The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, reiterated his warnings of market crashes and the danger of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates this week. 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 Thursday: Raising interest rates will crash stocks, bonds, real estate, & $ U.S. dollar. Next crash: $1 quadrillion derivatives market. $1 quadrillion is $1 thousand trillion. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates ...

The crypto asset xrp rose by as much as 5% on Saturday, following declines of a similar amount during yesterday’s session. This comes despite the global crypto market cap moving lower, falling by 0.51% at the time of writing. Litecoin was also higher to start the weekend. XRP XRP , formerly ripple, was back in the green on Saturday, as the token rebounded from Friday’s losses. Following a low of $0.418, XRP /USD raced to an intraday high of $0.4501 earlier in today’s session. The move came as bullish momentum increased at the price floor of $0.4250, after bears failed to sustain an earlier breakout. From the chart, it appears that the rebound took place as the relative strength index (RSI) moved away from its own support, at 58.00 As of writing, the index is tracking at 60.77, and seems to be heading towards a ceiling at the 63.00 mark. The 10-day (red) moving average has also extended its upward cross versus its 25-day (blue) counterpart, which could be a sign of upcoming gain...

Bitcoin moved close to a breakout below $27,000 on Saturday, as markets moved lower following a volatile week of trading. Market uncertainty was high this week, as traders digested the latest Federal Reserve interest rate hike, as well as the on-going global banking crisis. Ethereum remains below $1,800 as of writing. Bitcoin Bitcoin ( BTC ) started the weekend consolidating below the $28,000 mark, as market volatility eased on Saturday . Following a high of $28,208.21 on Friday, BTC /USD moved to an intraday low of $27,039.27 earlier today. As a result of the move, bitcoin collided with a floor at the $27,050 level, however bulls have so far rejected a breakout below this point. Looking at the chart, today’s sell-off took place as the relative strength index (RSI) fell below a floor of its own, at the 65.00 mark. As of writing this, the index is now tracking at the 62.75 level, with the next visible point of support at the 60.00 mark.. Overall, BTC has rebounded from earlier ...

Users of the Telegram messenger will now be able to send each other the leading stablecoin, tether (usdt), directly in the chats. The new option expands the list of cryptocurrencies available for purchase, sale, and trade in the messaging app. Tether Added to Wallet Bot in Telegram Messenger Support for transactions with the U.S. dollar-pegged tether, the largest stablecoin, has been introduced in Telegram, the most popular messaging service in the crypto space. USDT has been integrated in the Telegram Wallet bot, allowing users to buy, sell, exchange as well as transfer tether free of charge between each other. “We’re excited to announce the long-awaited integration of USDT into @wallet, making sending stablecoins as easy as sharing a photo,” the wallet service said in a Telegram post. You can replenish your tether balance through the bot’s main menu, using an external USDT wallet and also by purchasing the stablecoin with a bank card or on Telegram’s peer-to-peer (P2P) marke...

A recent review of Nigerian banks’ bond portfolios showed that the institutions were not directly exposed to Silicon Valley Bank, the governor of the country’s central bank has said. In addition, the governor said the Central Bank of Nigeria’s stringent guidelines help to create a “very safe” banking system. Priority Given to Depositors According to the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, a recent review of Nigerian banks’ bond portfolios showed that the country’s financial institutions had no direct exposure to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Emefiele, who made the remarks during a meeting of the bank’s monetary policy committee, added that the central bank’s so-called prudential guidelines help to ensure that only healthy banks are allowed to operate. Some of the guidelines and considerations used by the CBN include banks’ non-performing loans (NPL), which averaged 4.2%, and the capital adequacy ratio of 13.7%. According to Emefiele, these ratios, as well a...

Former U.S. National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tom Brady’s estranged wife Gisele Bundchen has said she was “blindsided” by the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. Bundchen claimed that she only invested in FTX because her financial advisors recommended it. Bundchen and Brady’s Shareholding in FTX Gisele Bundchen, a fashion model and the estranged wife of former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, has said she only invested in Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX because her financial advisors told her to do so. In remarks published in the Daily Mail, Bundchen suggested that she, just like other FTX investors, was “blindsided” by the crypto exchange’s spectacular collapse. According to the Daily Mail, the celebrity model reportedly held more than 680,000 shares in the collapsed crypto exchange, which were at one point valued at $57 million. Brady, on the other hand, held more than 1.1 million FTX shares when the crypto exchange collapsed. Besides being a shareholder, Bundchen was the crypto exchang...