Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a case involving “the largest single cryptocurrency and cash seizure” in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) history. The defendant “is designated as a Consolidated Priority Target, which makes him one of the most significant drug trafficking threats in the world,” the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) described. This Case Involves Largest Single Cryptocurrency and Cash Seizure in DEA History, Says DOJ The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that a 40-year-old Indian national, Banmeet Singh, has pleaded guilty to “running a dark web narcotics conspiracy.” Specifically, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The announcement details: According to the DEA, this case involves the largest single cryptocurrency and cash seizure in DEA history; the defendant has forfeited cryptocurrency accounts that ultimately became worth $...

Veteran trader Peter Brandt has highlighted a bitcoin price pattern that frequently appeared in past major bull runs. “It is the Hump …Slump …Pump… Dump [HSPD] that keeps a bull trend healthy,” he explained, emphasizing: “Study past major bull runs in bitcoin and you will discover they were replete with HSPDs.” Bitcoin Bull Runs and HSPD Pattern Veteran trader Peter Brandt shared his observation about bitcoin’s price pattern he called the “Hump, Slump, Pump, Dump” (HSPD) on social media platform X Sunday. “The old ‘Hump with a Slump then a Pump and a Dump’ is back — and this is the price behavior that separates Chumps from their money,” the trader described. “Study past major bull runs in bitcoin ( BTC ) and you will discover they were replete with HSPDs. The Chumps FOMO [fear of missing out] buy the Pump only to puke out their purchases with the Dump.” Brandt opined: It is the Hump…Slump…Pump…Dump that keeps a bull trend healthy. Let’s see if HSPD works its magic once again. B...

A new Binance survey has found that 73% of European respondents are optimistic about the future of crypto, with 55% exclusively using cryptocurrencies for everyday purchases. “We are delighted to see the high level of optimism amongst European crypto users, reflecting the growing interest in crypto and blockchain technologies,” said Binance’s CMO. Europe ‘Actively Paving the Way for Mainstream Adoption of Digital Assets’ Cryptocurrency exchange Binance recently surveyed its European users in France, Spain, Italy, and Sweden to understand their crypto investing habits. The survey was conducted between Oct. 14 and Nov. 8, 2023, with 10,498 participants. The results were released on Jan. 24. According to the results, 73% of respondents are optimistic about the future of cryptocurrency, with 55% exclusively using cryptocurrencies for everyday purchases and 24% making over half their trades in crypto. Beyond everyday spending, the survey reveals diverse crypto uses: 34% for long-term tr...

The Stellar Development Foundation wishes to put a hold on the upcoming Protocol 20 upgrade of the Stellar blockchain network, originally scheduled for January 30. This decision follows the discovery of a bug that could impact the Soroban smart contract transactions. Stellar Development Foundation Wants to Hit Pause on Protocol 20 Upgrade Due to Critical Bug The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has announced a delay in the Protocol 20 upgrade of the Stellar blockchain, originally scheduled for January 30. The decision follows the discovery of a bug in Stellar Core v20.1.0, which could potentially impact Soroban transactions. The SDF, in a blog post dated January 27, expressed its commitment to ensuring the network’s readiness for the upgrade, but also the importance of consensus within the ecosystem. “We are not an ecosystem of one,” the post read, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the decision-making process. The bug , identified on January 25, affects fee-bumped Sorob...

Congressman Rand Paul reintroduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, also known as the “Audit the Fed” Bill, as a standalone piece of regulation into the U.S. Senate. The bill seeks to take the lid off what Paul considers to be the “entirely unknown inner workings” of the U.S. Federal Reserve and its operations. Senator Rand Paul Announces Reintroduction of Federal Reserve Transparency Act U.S. Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky announced he was reintroducing the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, also known as the “Audit the Fed” bill, into the U.S. Senate. The regulation aims to bring transparency and oversight to the inner workings of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which Paul criticizes as obscure and almost entirely unknown. In its current form, the bill would repeal the current statutory protections preventing the organization of a full audit of the Board of the Fed and its banks, ordering the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to scrutinize the Fed’s actions, transactions...

U.S. presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) and Donald Trump have independently promised the American people to stop the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the U.S. if elected President. “I will protect Americans from government tyranny,” Trump said, adding that a CBDC “would be a dangerous threat to freedom.” Kennedy similarly warned that a digital dollar “will allow the government to surveil all our private financial affairs.” Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both Vow to Stop CBDC Creation if Elected U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) have independently voiced strong opposition to the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the U.S. Kennedy posted on social media platform X last week that he has been discussing financial freedom in the 21st century with Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician and best-selling author. The presidential hopeful promised: “As president, I will end ...

Financial giant Vanguard has explained why the firm does not make spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available on its trading platform. A Vanguard executive stressed that cryptocurrency is “an immature asset class that has little history, no inherent economic value, no cash flow, and can create havoc within a portfolio.” Vanguard Explains Why It Disallows Spot Bitcoin ETFs Vanguard published a blog post titled “No Bitcoin ETFs at Vanguard? Here’s why” on Jan. 24, explaining the firm’s stance on cryptocurrency and why it does not allow clients to trade the newly approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Vanguard serves more than 50 million investors worldwide as of Dec. 31, 2023. The firm manages around $8 trillion globally. Following the approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFs by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this month, Vanguard has drawn attention for disallowing its clients to trade the newly launched products. The company also has no plans...

In a recent interview with Gareth Soloway, the chief market strategist at verifiedinvesting.com, Soloway suggested that bitcoin might revisit the $15K level should a significant stock market sell-off occur. Soloway Predicts Potential Bitcoin Dip to $15K Two days ago, in a freshly released Youtube video, Gareth Soloway of verifiedinvesting.com engaged in a new interview with Michelle Makori, Kitco News’ lead anchor and editor-in-chief, delving into bitcoin’s latest trends and its potential future trajectory. Soloway shared insights on his approach to analyzing various data sets for forecasting future trends and drawing conclusions. He highlighted the alignment of the 2017 and 2021 bitcoin bull markets with significant events: the introduction of regulated bitcoin futures in 2017 and the Coinbase initial public offering (IPO) in 2021. Soloway said: These big news stories create so much hype and the top in bitcoin. For Soloway, the current bitcoin price level and its recent do...

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) crypto enforcement skyrocketed in 2023, with more than a 50% increase in crypto-related enforcement actions compared to 2022, according to a new report. The securities regulator “continues to view cryptocurrency-related enforcement as a top priority, bringing 46 enforcement actions against various digital-asset market participants,” the report details. SEC Prioritizes Crypto Enforcement Cornerstone Research released a report this week titled “SEC Cryptocurrency Enforcement,” revealing that the SEC’s enforcement focus on digital assets reached a new high last year. “The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to view cryptocurrency-related enforcement as a top priority, bringing 46 enforcement actions against various digital-asset market participants in 2023,” Cornerstone Research described, elaborating: This number is the highest since 2013 and a 53% increase from 2022. “In the first quarter of 2023 alone, the SEC broug...

A Deutsche Bank survey has revealed that over one-third of 2,000 respondents anticipate bitcoin’s price to drop below $20,000. Moreover, around 15% of those surveyed predict the cryptocurrency’s price to range between $40,000 and $75,000 by the end of the year. Respondents Expect Bitcoin to Fall Below $20K According to a Deutsche Bank research report which includes a survey conducted from Jan. 15 to Jan. 19, the majority of respondents anticipate a further decline in bitcoin’s price, Bloomberg reported. The survey, which questioned 2,000 individuals in the U.S., U.K., and the Eurozone, focused on their perspectives on bitcoin’s price and volatility. The survey showed that over one-third of respondents believe bitcoin will drop below $20,000 by January next year. Meanwhile, approximately 15% of survey participants expect BTC ’s price to range between $40,000 and $75,000 by the end of the year. Deutsche Bank analysts Marion Laboure and Cassidy Ainsworth-Grace explained in the report...

Global investment bank JPMorgan says that profit-taking from Grayscale’s bitcoin trust (GBTC) has largely happened already. “This would imply that most of the downward pressure on bitcoin from that channel should be largely behind us,” the bank’s analyst explained. JPMorgan’s Bitcoin Price Outlook Global investment bank JPMorgan weighed in on the crypto market again this week following a bitcoin selloff that saw the price of BTC dropping from above $47K before the spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approvals to below $39K this week. The bitcoin selloff is accompanied by massive outflows from Grayscale’s bitcoin trust (GBTC), which converted into a spot bitcoin ETF following the approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Jan. 10. Since Jan. 12, GBTC’s bitcoin holdings have decreased by 114,367.39 BTC , equivalent to $4.77 billion, based on the BTC exchange rates as of Jan. 27. On Thursday, JPMorgan strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou said: “Given $4.3b ...

The crypto community is abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming Bitcoin network halving event, projected to occur on or around April 20, 2024. This event is sparking widespread speculation about its distinct importance. As the fourth Bitcoin halving nears, a theory of a potential major blockchain reorganization, fueled by the extraordinary worth of the halving block, is seizing the attention of crypto enthusiasts. Ordiscan Founder Says Bitcoin’s Next Halving May Trigger Unprecedented Reorg The upcoming Bitcoin network’s reward halving is not just a routine milestone. With less than 13,000 blocks left until the halving, occurring at block height 840,000, this event might mark a historic turning point for the protocol. Tristan , the founder of Ordiscan.com , emphasizes the unusual nature of this halving in a blog post called “The Next Bitcoin Halving Will be Reorged.” In the blog post, the author claims that Bitcoin block 840,000 is predicted to have the most valuable block reward...

A survey of European Central Bank (ECB) staff has revealed widespread dissatisfaction with President Christine Lagarde’s leadership. More than half of the respondents rated Lagarde’s performance as “very poor” or “poor.” Some expressed concerns that the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief “does not necessarily act according to the values she proclaims.” Lagarde Spends ‘Too Much Time on Topics Unrelated to Monetary Policy’ The International and European Public Services Organisation (IPSO), a union founded by European Central Bank (ECB) staff, conducted a survey among ECB staff asking them to assess the performance of Christine Lagarde as a president of the ECB. The survey was conducted between Dec. 12 and Dec. 22, 2023. Lagarde was France’s finance minister between 2007 and 2011. She then served as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between 2011 and 2019. According to the survey results, released earlier this week, 50.6% of 1,159 respondents ra...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed its decisions on spot ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) proposed by Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, and Grayscale Investments. Grayscale is seeking to convert its existing Ethereum Trust into a spot ETF. Spot Ethereum ETF Decisions Delayed by SEC This week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) delayed two applications for spot ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Following the recent approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFs, investors are closely watching the SEC for potential decisions on spot Ethereum ETF proposals. On Wednesday, the SEC delayed an application by the Nasdaq Stock Market to list and trade shares of Blackrock’s Ishares Ethereum Trust . The application was filed on Nov. 21 last year and published for comment in the Federal Register on Dec. 11. “The Commission finds it appropriate to designate a longer period within which to take action on the proposed rule change,” the SEC wrote...

Chinese investors are increasingly putting part of their portfolios in cryptocurrency due to the state of the national stock market. According to reports, investors are using exchanges like Binance or Okx, or Hong Kong local exchanges, to purchase crypto using payment methods like Alipay and Wechat, even when cryptocurrency is banned in the Chinese mainland. Chinese Investors Seeking Earnings in Crypto Cryptocurrency is making a comeback in China, as Chinese investors have turned to these looking for profitability as the national stock market is facing a slump. According to Reuters , even though purchasing and trading cryptocurrency has been banned since 2021, Chinese investors have found a way to allocate significant fractions of their portfolios to crypto. These investors can use exchanges like Binance and Okx trading groups and traditional payment methods like Alipay and Wechat to purchase stablecoins from local dealers, entering the cryptocurrency investment arena. Also, over-t...

Worldcoin will change the design of the Orb, the device used for scanning the irises of users as proof of personhood for the project, to be more friendly and less polarizing. Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools For Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, stated that the next iteration would be akin to an “Apple product.” Worldcoin Redesigns the Orb to Be “Much More Friendly” Worldcoin, the biometric ID and wallet project, is making changes to the Orb, a device used to scan the irises of users wishing to prove their personhood, to make it less polarizing. Alex Blania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, explained that the current design of the Orb was agreed upon before he arrived at the company almost four years ago. Blania hopes to tone down the device with a programmed upgrade, making it more appealing and adding personalization options. In a chat, Blania told Techcrunch more about this redesign. He explained: The new Orb is coming and the next iterations will look quite different...

Former Bitmex CEO Arthur Hayes has predicted that bitcoin will find a support level between $30,000 and $35,000. He contends that the ongoing bitcoin selloff is not due to outflows from Grayscale’s bitcoin trust (GBTC). “That argument is bogus,” he claimed, adding that bitcoin’s price movement is “anticipating the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) will not be renewed.” Ex-Bitmex Chief’s Bitcoin Price Prediction Arthur Hayes, co-founder and former CEO of crypto exchange Bitmex, has shared his bitcoin price prediction, explaining that he believes the cryptocurrency will form support between $30,000 and $35,000. In a blog post published Tuesday, Hayes detailed: I think bitcoin will find a local bottom between $30,000 and $35,000. Referring to his statement earlier this month that he expects a 30% correction for bitcoin, Hayes elaborated in Wednesday’s blog post that “A 30% correction from the ETF approval high of $48,000 is $33,600.” He also previously noted, “The washout could be ...

Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, has maintained its bitcoin holdings. The company’s balance sheet for Q4 2023 shows net digital assets of $184 million. Musk is convinced that in the long term, Tesla will be the most valuable company on earth. The billionaire recently disclosed that another of his companies, Spacex, also owns “a bunch of bitcoin.” Tesla’s Bitcoin Holdings Stand at $184 Million Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric car company, released its fourth quarter 2023 earnings on Wednesday, showing net digital assets of $184 million on its balance sheet. Tesla has held this amount of digital assets since the fourth quarter of 2022. Tesla previously explained that its digital assets were made up almost entirely of bitcoin ( BTC ), noting that while the company accepts the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE) for some merchandise , the amount of dogecoin it has accumulated is very small. Musk acknowledged during the earnings call that “there’s going to be bumps along the way” fo...

The Swiss financial markets regulator has granted the digital asset infrastructure firm Taurus the approval which allows its retail users to “create an account and trade digital assets and tokenized securities.” Besides receiving the FINMA approval, Taurus said it will be admitting new tokenized assets from Swiss companies that have selected TDX as their preferred venue. Secure and Compliant Trading The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has given Taurus, a digital asset infrastructure provider, the green light to open its financial services and TDX marketplace to retail users. The approval allows Taurus’ clients “to create an account and trade digital assets and tokenized securities.” According to a statement released on Jan. 23, the approval means that Taurus’ retail clients can now trade all digital securities accepted on TDX “in a secure and compliant manner.” Traders can conduct trades using several currencies, including the Swiss franc, euro, and the U.S. d...

The Avalanche Foundation, a non-profit organization seeking to support the avalanche ecosystem, has announced the rules covering its already active meme coin purchasing program. The institution has defined the holder count, concentration, liquidity, liquidity providers, lifespan, and market cap requirements that these projects need to fulfill to get selected and informed more projects are being considered on an ongoing basis. Avalanche Announces Meme Coin Purchasing Framework The Avalanche Foundation, a non-profit entity that supports initiatives on the Avalanche ecosystem, has announced the requirements to invest in meme coins using the $100 million Culture Catalyst fund launched in 2022. The foundation had previously reported on the purchase of these tokens but had not specified the conditions these meme coins should fulfill to be eligible for this purchasing plan. For any meme coin project to be eligible for these purchases, it must have at least 2,000 unique holders, and the ...

On Wednesday, Solana Labs unveiled the launch of token extensions, marking a noteworthy advancement in the SPL Token standard. The blockchain network’s token extensions aim to provide a suite of solutions for businesses transitioning to distributed ledger technology, emphasizing security, compliance, and ease of use. Solana’s New Token Extensions Set to Boost Blockchain Adoption According to the announcement, Solana -based token extensions are designed to cater to a wide range of industries, including stablecoins, real-world assets (RWAs), and payments. These extensions offer features like transfer hooks, transfer fees, confidential transfers, permanent delegate authority, and non-transferability. Each of these features serves a specific purpose, from providing control over token interactions to ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks. Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs , highlighted the significance of this development. “Token extensions build on the chara...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revised the question about digital assets included on income tax forms. Moreover, the tax authority has added the question to four additional tax forms. “The question must be answered by all taxpayers, not just by those who engaged in a transaction involving digital assets in 2023,” the IRS emphasized. IRS Adds Digital Asset Question to 4 More Tax Forms The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Monday that the digital asset question on income tax forms “was revised this year to update wording.” Moreover, the question has been added to four additional tax forms. The IRS also reminded U.S. taxpayers that they must “answer a digital asset question and report all digital asset related income when they file their 2023 federal income tax return, as they did for their 2022 federal tax returns.” The tax authority detailed that the digital asset question varies depending on the form, “with appropriate variations tailored for corporate, partnership o...

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, Bitwise, a leading digital asset manager, made a groundbreaking announcement as the first U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to reveal its bitcoin wallet address. Emphasizing its commitment to transparency, Bitwise stated, “proud to walk the walk with BITB,” and affirmed that “onchain transparency is core to Bitcoin’s ethos.” Bitwise Sets New Standard: Onchain Spot Bitcoin ETF Authentication Bitwise , the cryptocurrency asset management firm known for its recent introduction of the BITB U.S. spot bitcoin ETF, has become the first ETF to authenticate its BTC reserves. This development comes closely on the heels of Arkham Intelligence, an onchain analytics company, disclosing the onchain BTC holdings of several major players including Blackrock, Bitwise, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton. “Today the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) becomes the first U.S. bitcoin ETF to publish the bitcoin addresses of its holdings,” Bitwise wrote on the social media...