Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

  Bitcoin’s network has been putting miners through the wringer lately, with five straight difficulty increases that had them on edge. However, on May 4, 2023, at block height 788,256, the network difficulty level took a dip, dropping by 1.45% and bringing the overall difficulty down to 48.01 trillion for the next two weeks. Bitcoin Difficulty Takes a Dip After Five Straight Increases Bitcoin’s difficulty level finally dropped on May 4, 2023, after increasing five times since the February 24 increase of 9.95%. The five difficulty increases combined equated to a 22.62% increase, and the latest drop brings it down 1.45% lower . The change occurred at Bitcoin block height 788,256. At the time of writing, the network’s hashrate is 355.90 exahash per second (EH/s). Just two days ago, the Bitcoin network hit a major milestone as its hashrate soared to an all-time high of 491 EH/s at block height 787,895. But with the next difficulty adjustment just around the corner on May 18, 2023,...

As the United States stares down the barrel of a potential debt default come June, a curious and intriguing solution has emerged: crafting a single $1 trillion platinum coin. This unusual tactic exploits a legal loophole that allows the Treasury Department to mint platinum coins of any value. By delivering such a coin to the U.S. central bank, the Treasury would create enough funds to settle its debts. Though this proposal might sound bizarre, it’s gained traction as a potential escape route from the impending debt catastrophe. The Trillion-Dollar Platinum Coin Idea to Stave off U.S. Debt Default Returns Devotees of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) will be thrilled to learn that the trillion-dollar coin concept is making headlines once more as America edges ever closer to defaulting on its debt. Just three days ago, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cautioned that a U.S. debt default could likely result in an “economic and financial catastrophe.” As tensions rise over the debt ceiling, ta...

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has enacted a law that eliminates all taxes on technology innovations, software and app programming, AI, computer, and communications hardware manufacturing. The law is expected to boost the country’s technology sector, generate more jobs for its population, and attract foreign investment. Bukele Signs Law to Boost Technology Industry in El Salvador The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, announced Thursday on Twitter: I’ve just signed into law the Innovation and Technology Manufacturing Incentives Act that eliminates all taxes (income, property, capital gains, and import tariffs) on technology innovations, software and app programming, AI, computer and communications hardware manufacturing. Commenting on the new tax law, Salvadoran Minister of Economy María Luisa Hayem described: “El Salvador is ready to attract new investments in the technology sector, and thereby generate more jobs for our population.” El Salvador’s director of the Cen...

     On May 2, 2023, Europol announced a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies from the U.S., Europe, the U.K., and Brazil culminated in 288 arrests, along with the confiscation of 850 kg of illegal drugs, 117 firearms, and $53.4 million in cash and cryptocurrencies. This joint venture, named “Operation Spector,” successfully dismantled the darknet marketplace (DNM) Monopoly Market and confiscated its infrastructure back in December 2021. Monopoly Market Taken Down via a Consortium of Global Law Enforcement Officials The U.S. Justice Department and Europol reveal that officials from around the globe collaborated to bring down the DNM Monopoly Market, resulting in the arrest of 288 individuals throughout the investigation. The statement discloses that Monopoly was captured in December 2021 and led to over 100 federal investigations and prosecutions within the United States. In January 2022, an anonymous DNM and Tor researcher known as “Dark.fail” noted ...

   Geoff Kendrick, the head of forex research at the banking institution Standard Chartered, recently said that the price of bitcoin is likely to jump by $20,000 in the event of the United States defaulting on its obligations. According to Kendrick, while bitcoin is likely to surge when the U.S. defaults, other cryptocurrencies like ethereum are likely to go down. U.S. Debt Default a ‘Low-Probability’ and ‘High-Impact Event’ As fears mount that the United States government may default on its debt obligations, Geoff Kendrick, a forex research head at Standard Chartered, said such an event would cause the price of bitcoin ( BTC ) to surge by more than $20,000. While Kendrick characterizes the default as a “low-probability, high-impact event,” he nonetheless suggested that the top cryptocurrency’s reputation for performing well when markets are down as well as its safe haven status means the nearly 70% surge in its price is possible. However, the Forex analyst said he believes...

2023 has been a rollercoaster ride for the U.S. banking industry. The collapse of three major banks has sent shockwaves through the financial world, with their combined assets surpassing the top 25 banks that crumbled in 2008. The following is a closer look at what has triggered a ‘great consolidation’ in the banking sector, a recurring theme in the industry’s history over the past century. A Listicle of Bank Consolidation, Failures, and Issues Facing the U.S. Banking Sector The U.S. banking industry has taken a beating in 2023, with the market capitalizations of dozens of banks across the country dropping considerably in recent months. The reasons for this struggle are varied, with some blaming poor choices by financial institutions and others pointing fingers at the U.S. central bank. While it’s important to consider different opinions, a comprehensive listicle of information can shed light on the country’s ‘great consolidation’ in the banking sector and the largest bank failures ...

Russia will start to purchase Chinese yuan for its international reserves as soon as this month, according to reports from Russian economists. While analysts state that the purchases will be small and symbolic in the beginning, these will supposedly demonstrate a turnaround in the economy of the country. Russia to Purchase Chinese Yuan for Reserves Russia will start purchasing Chinese yuan for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, according to reports from local economists. The move marks a departure from the sell-off that the Russian Federation began executing at the start of 2023, cutting its numbers since February. The purchase of these funds in Chinese yuan will help the country to keep piling up on its reserves, which had been cut by the seizures of more than $300 billion in assets due to Western sanctions enacted as a consequence of the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. About these purchases, Bloomberg economist Alexander Isakov stated : The volumes of FX purcha...

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expects “more vulnerabilities” in the U.S. banking sector amid a growing de-dollarization trend worldwide. “There has been a gradual shift away from the dollar,” the IMF chief acknowledged. U.S. Banking Crisis Continues The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, talked about the U.S. banking crisis and a growing de-dollarization trend Monday at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. The IMF chief warned of more vulnerabilities in the U.S. banking sector, noting that the Federal Reserve’s rapid interest rate hikes have exposed weaknesses at some banks and that the pain may not be over. She said: It doesn’t mean that we have a free pass. It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be more vulnerabilities to come. Several major banks in the U.S. have failed in recent months, with the latest being...

PRESS RELEASE. P2E projects have reached a dead-end due to the inherent issues of the model. Token Prices and user bases are plummeting and revenue streams of such projects are no longer functioning. So, is this it for the P2E, and is there a way out? May 4, 2023, MAHÉ, SEYCHELLES – After a tumultuous two years, the market cap for GameFi tokens stood at a staggering $27 Billion USD at the start of 2022. Fast forward to 2023, and that amount stands at a much cooler figure of just over $3 Billion USD. Experienced game developers like Red Pill Company put this down to one simple fact – that these games did not focus on creating sustainable project revenue streams and engaging mechanics for the players. As a result, a project’s revenue streams become non-existent, and the project dies. When there is a significant decline in the crypto space, the benefits become much less attractive for players – and that is what has been seen in the industry this past year. Simply put, not enough foc...

Former Chief Technology Officer at Coinbase, Balaji Srinivasan, closed out early a bet that the price of bitcoin would hit $1 million by mid-June amid hyperinflation of the U.S. dollar. Srinivasan paid a total of $1.5 million, more than the initially committed $1 million, with two-thirds of the money donated to two organizations. Former Coinbase CTO Settles $1 Million Bet on Bitcoin Ahead of Time Balaji Srinivasan, the ex-chief tech officer of U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase, has closed his million-dollar Bitcoin bet with the pseudonymous Twitter pundit James Medlock. On Tuesday, Srinivasan announced on his website and social media that he has settled the apparently losing bet ahead of time. Medlock made the bet on March 16 when he tweeted: “I’ll bet anyone $1 million dollars that the U.S. does not enter hyperinflation.” Srinivasan took it on the following day, asking Medlock to buy 1 BTC and promising to send him $1 million if the leading crypto’s price ...

Supported by U.S. law enforcement, police in Ukraine have disrupted a network of crypto exchange services suspected of laundering criminal proceeds. The platforms were allegedly processing dirty money obtained from ransomware attacks and various fraud schemes. Cyberpolice, US Investigators Bust Crypto Exchanges in Ukraine Officers from Ukraine’s Cyberpolice unit and Main Investigative Department, working with the Prosecutor General’s Office, have seized nine cryptocurrency exchanges, the National Police of Ukraine announced. Representatives of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also took part in what Ukrainian authorities described as a “multi-level international operation.” The web platforms offered anonymous exchange of cryptocurrencies. They were employed to facilitate the legalization of illicit funds, a press release explained. Through these exchanges, criminals channeled digital assets obtained as a result of malware attacks and online fraud. Their services were ...

The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has been accused of “wrongfully” profiting from its users’ facial and fingerprint scans. “Coinbase collects, stores, possesses, otherwise obtains, uses, and disseminates its users’ biometric data to, amongst other things, further enhance Coinbase and its online ‘app-based’ Platform,” a proposed class action lawsuit details. Coinbase ‘Wrongfully Profits’ From Users’ Facial and Fingerprint Scans A proposed class action lawsuit, filed Monday in the Northern District of California, alleges that the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) illegally collects face templates and fingerprints of its customers in violation of Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Plaintiff Michael Massel, a Coinbase customer, explained that the crypto exchange requires users to upload a government ID and selfie for verification and set up biometric authentication (fingerprint scan) for mobile app login. “Coinbase collects, stores, poss...

U.S. Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has warned that “the banking collapse is the tip of an economic mega-crisis,” emphasizing that “It’s not just the banks.” He also slammed President Joe Biden’s crypto mining tax proposal. “It is a mistake for the U.S. government to hobble the industry and drive innovation elsewhere,” Kennedy stressed. Looming Economic ‘Mega-Crisis’ Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who launched his presidential campaign last month, issued several warnings this week about the state of the U.S. economy, the banking crisis, and President Joe Biden’s cryptocurrency mining tax proposal. He is a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and a son of U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy. Firstly, Kennedy warned about an incoming economic “mega-crisis.” He tweeted Tuesday: The banking collapse is the tip of an economic mega-crisis. It’s not just the banks. “Job openings plummeted for the third month in a row. Core factory orders dropped for the second consecutive...

Following a quarter-point increase in the federal funds rate by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, precious metals such as silver and gold experienced a surge in value against the U.S. dollar, with gains ranging from 0.87% to 1.18%. Gold, in particular, has been on an upward trajectory, having risen by 3.4% in the past month and over 25% in the last six months. Fed’s Rate Hike Sparks Surge in Gold and Silver Values As of May 3, 2023, the price of gold per ounce has once again surpassed the $2,000 mark, currently trading at $2,057 per unit, representing a 1.18% increase in the past 24 hours. The Fed’s rate hike has sparked a flurry of activity on Twitter, with precious metals trending and generating numerous discussions and tweets. Meanwhile, global data from Google Trends indicates that the search term “how to buy gold” reached a perfect score of 100 on Wednesday afternoon, according to 24-hour statistics. GOLD chart by TradingView Silver has als...

  On May 2, 2023, the Biden administration unveiled a blog post outlining the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) tax, featured in the president’s comprehensive 182-page budget proposal for the fiscal year 2024. The DAME tax targets “making crypto miners pay for the costs they impose on others” regarding the environmental impact of crypto mining activities. Crypto Miners Could Face Gradually Increasing Tax With Biden’s DAME Proposal With the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors expressing alarm over the so-called climate crisis, Biden’s administration argues that crypto asset mining’s energy consumption brings about “negative spillovers on the environment, quality of life, and electricity grids where these firms locate across the country.” To address these environmental costs, the White House believes that the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) tax will encourage companies to “start taking better account of the harms...

On May 2, 2023, the Biden administration unveiled a blog post outlining the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) tax, featured in the president’s comprehensive 182-page budget proposal for the fiscal year 2024. The DAME tax targets “making crypto miners pay for the costs they impose on others” regarding the environmental impact of crypto mining activities. Crypto Miners Could Face Gradually Increasing Tax With Biden’s DAME Proposal With the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors expressing alarm over the so-called climate crisis, Biden’s administration argues that crypto asset mining’s energy consumption brings about “negative spillovers on the environment, quality of life, and electricity grids where these firms locate across the country.” To address these environmental costs, the White House believes that the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) tax will encourage companies to “start taking better account of the harms they impose on society.” The DAME tax intends to levy a grad...

Polygon climbed higher in today’s session, as cryptocurrency markets marginally rebounded on Wednesday. The global crypto market cap was up by nearly 1% earlier in the day, as Tuesday’s losses eased. Solana, on the other hand, remained lower, as it fell towards a key price floor. Polygon (MATIC) Polygon (MATIC) edged higher on Wednesday, as the token moved away from a recent point of support. Following a low at $0.954 on Tuesday, MATIC/USD jumped to a peak of $0.9925 earlier in today’s session. As a result of the move, polygon bounced from a recent price floor of $0.950, after recently falling to a multi-week low. Looking at the chart, Wednesday’s surge led to the relative strength index (RSI) colliding with a long-term ceiling of 40.00. At the time of writing, the index is tracking at 39.22, with MATIC at a level of $0.9813. Despite earlier gains easing, there is still optimism that polygon could climb back above $1.00 this week. Solana (SOL) On the other hand, solana (SOL) r...

As of May 3, 2023, the Bitcoin blockchain has witnessed a staggering 3.35 million Ordinal inscriptions, and a new experimental token standard known as “Bitcoin Request for Comment,” or BRC20, has garnered substantial attention in the past week. With 10,487 BRC20 tokens built using Ordinals and a swelling market capitalization exceeding $95 million, this new development has the crypto world buzzing. Ordinals Protocol Witnesses 3 Million Inscriptions While BRC20 Tokens Drive Bitcoin’s Mempool into Overdrive The Bitcoin community is abuzz with conversations surrounding the BRC20 token standard after its introduction by a pseudonymous developer named Domo in March. BRC20 tokens leverage the Ordinals protocol, enabling creators to mint fungible crypto assets onchain with ease. To create a BRC20 coin, individuals need to encode a JSON data object containing critical token information. Like an ERC20 token contract on Ethereum, this data would encompass fundamental ...