roadrunner

PRESS RELEASE. Artizen is a metaverse specialised company based on blockchain technology. We are preparing metaverse services by integrating various contents through NFT Marketplaces, NFT Projects and more. Artizen’s unique ecosystem, which is transparent and safe, is provided by organically linking real and virtual spaces. ATNT is a utility token from Artizen, which has its initial listing on MEXC. Announcement on MEXC: https://support.mexc.com/hc/en-001/articles/6125990813849-MEXC-Will-Launch-a-Trading-Contest-with-Artizen-ATNT-Trade-to-Share-260-000-ATNT- News on Smart Liquidity: https://smartliquidity.info/2022/04/24/artizen-mx-defi-mining-session/ Punk Panda Is a Genesis Project Containing Its Own Unique Rarity These 2D NFT pandas will be converted into 3D pandas so that you can enjoy P2E (Play to earn) on metaverse. You can also obtain ATNT tokens through mining as well as enjoying various membership benefits. TPP Mining Game for Everyone to Enjoy, Targeted for Launch by the End of May The Punk Panda Mining Game (TPP Mining Game) is a game that anyone can participate in, from TPP NFT holders to non-holders. NFT holders can mine a special mineral called Artinium through the game. Both NFT holders and non-holders can mine goods called “Stone” used in the game, and if you mine a certain amount of stones, you will be able to acquire a very large amount of Artinium with a certain probability through the furnace in the game. The game is aiming to be launched by the end of May. Artizen Hub Is an NFT Marketplace That Uses Artizen Tokens (ATNT) as Trading Goods The marketplace will ensure that the quality work of promising authors is valued through curation and provide a one-stop service to them to carry out various activities so that blockchain technology does not become a barrier to their work activities. Artizen Hub is aiming to be launched during early July, 2022. This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says that the country’s crypto policy will not be rushed. “Our intention is in no way to hurt the ecosystem, or to even say that we don’t need it,” she added. Finance Minister on Indian Crypto Regulation India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, discussed cryptocurrency regulation Wednesday at a fireside chat organized by Stanford University School of Medicine. She explained that India will not rush to finalize the country’s crypto policy. On the contrary, she said India will take an informed decision after due deliberations across multilateral fora, the Mint reported. Sitharaman admitted that blockchain technology has the potential to improve India’s economy. “Blockchain is full of potential not just in the payments arena but also in many others,” she described, adding: Our intention is in no way to hurt the ecosystem, or to even say that we don’t need it, but to define for ourselves how we need them and in what ways their growth should be facilitated and how we are going to handle it. However, the finance minister also emphasized that “it also can be manipulated for not so desirable ends — whether it is money laundering or leading to financing terror.” The finance minister noted that these are concerns for many countries, not just India. She opined: It has to take its time for all of us to be sure that at least, with the given available information, we are making a discerned decision. It can’t be rushed. Indian finance ministry officials have been consulting with international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said last week that India is “on the frontline of digital currencies, especially central bank digital currency and how it handles a reduction of risk from crypto assets for the Indian people and businesses.” While the Indian government is working on the country’s crypto policy, crypto income is taxed at 30%. On July 1, a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) will start levying in on all crypto transactions. What do you think about the Indian finance minister’s comments regarding cryptocurrency regulation? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank and the regulator of the crypto sector, says that its licensing process for digital asset service providers needs to be stringent. “It needs to be because we want to be a responsible global crypto hub with innovative players, but also with strong risk management capabilities,” said the central bank chief. Singapore’s Crypto Regulation Needs to Be ‘Stringent’ Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Managing Director Ravi Menon talked about cryptocurrency regulation at the Financial Times Crypto and Digital Asset Summit Wednesday. The central bank chief raised concerns regarding the risks of investing in crypto assets to retail investors, Bloomberg reported. Noting that crypto could be used for money laundering and terrorism financing, Menon emphasized: The licensing process is stringent. And it needs to be because we want to be a responsible global crypto hub with innovative players, but also with strong risk management capabilities. The Singaporean central bank has approved only a small fraction of about 170 digital asset applicants. More than 100 companies that applied for a license to operate a crypto business have already failed to meet the licensing requirements. The MAS managing director explained that the central bank has taken a “tough line” on retail crypto investing “because we’re not sure that’s a good idea for retail investors to be dabbling in cryptocurrencies.” He was quoted as saying: I think many global regulators share similar concerns about retail exposure to cryptocurrencies. Menon detailed that the MAS looks at the applicants’ track record and whether they have strong corporate governance structures in place. In addition, “they need to be familiar with money laundering, terrorist financing risks,” he said. The central bank boss further stated that while crypto assets do not currently pose a threat to the financial system, there are money laundering and terrorism financing risks. The MAS issued “Guidelines to Discourage Cryptocurrency Trading by General Public” in January stating that “the trading of cryptocurrencies is highly risky and not suitable for the general public.” The central bank also noted that crypto service providers had been actively promoting their services through ATMs in public areas, stressing that it could encourage the public to trade “on impulse, without fully understanding the attendant risks.” What do you think about the comments by the Singaporean regulator? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Grayscale Investments, the world’s largest digital asset manager, is expanding into Europe. “We’re going to be very thoughtful, very methodical about each of the financial centers and financial hubs that we ultimately launch in,” said the CEO. Grayscale Entering Europe The world’s largest digital asset manager, Grayscale Investments, is getting ready to expand into Europe, CEO Michael Sonnenshein told Bloomberg Tuesday. He explained that decisions have yet to be made regarding which exchanges, which products, and which countries Grayscale will target first. The executive revealed that he has been meeting with various local partners to discuss the launch timeline, adding that the company plans to run a series of pilot tests in different markets. “Although the EU is unified, we don’t view the entire European market as in fact one market,” Sonnenshein described, elaborating: Instead we’re going to be very thoughtful, very methodical about each of the financial centers and financial hubs that we ultimately launch in, because we recognize the differentiation of investor behaviors and attitudes, and of regulatory regimes. There are more than 80 exchange-traded crypto products listed in Western Europe, the publication conveyed. However, in the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has yet to approve a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). Grayscale has filed with the SEC to convert its flagship bitcoin trust (GBTC), which has about $25 billion in assets under management, into a spot bitcoin ETF. The SEC is expected to make a decision in July. Sonnenshein recently said that the securities regulator refusing to approve bitcoin spot ETFs is “potentially grounds for an Administrative Procedure Act violation.” What do you think about Grayscale expanding into Europe? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. For a gaming community to complete 4 years in the crypto gaming industry is a remarkable achievement to say the least. CropBytes was launched during the 2018 bull run, and the team’s strategy and agility towards changing market scenarios and needs of the community have enabled the game to sustain and grow over the years. What started out as a NFT based game with initial flash sale, is now a game with a sustainable economy with a mix of FTs and NFTs with over 550k downloads and adequate liquidity is the market. With the first few months fo launching the assets in erly 2018, the initial version of the game was launched which was a big hit and it drew attention of the early adopters of crypto-based games. As the players grew, so did the demand for game assets and goods in the game. This set the ball rolling for the expansive game economy we see today. Building a web3 games for the Bulls & the Bears When the game’s acceptance grew and more players began to hold assets in the game, the CropBytes team saw that demand for NFTs decreased as the bear market loomed. Focusing on economics, the team reworked their approach, knowing that an only NFT game will not survive the following bear market. After extensive research and consultation the team concluded that adding FTs is critical to the economy’s sustainability. The team then transitioned from traditional list trading to an order book exchange. The strategy succeeded, and CropBytes was able to successfully navigate through the initial bear market with the game’s players not abandoning ship as was the case with some other games. Not just running the NFT hype CropBytes started with a rudimentary economy and elected not to go too far, such as establishing an inflation or deflation protocol, but even then, the team had a strategy for what needed to be done in the next couple of years. A prime example of this is that the gamers were aware from the start that a ‘Version 2’ of the economy, also referred to as the ‘Service Economy’, was on the way. The team had intended to deploy it in 2020, but decided to push it ahead determined that an exchange where players in the game could buy, sell and trade FTs was the need of the hour so players can grow the value of the assets over time. The importance of 2020 and CropBytes’ involvement The CropBytes team gained the knowledge of studying market cycles after running the game for more than two years and hence anticipated the approaching bull market of 2020. That’s when it started, as the team was fully prepared with essential features and a great product along with the new in-game referral plan that attracted numerous people from new demographics like South America and Southeast Asia. This tremendous influx of gamers presently accounts for about 45% of all active users, and growth is still being experienced even now. Numerous established participants had lost their source of income when the pandemic first began, and CropBytes thus became their sole option for financial security, which ended up bringing together the team and the community. It was the most pivotal point in CropBytes’ journey, and the team has witnessed countless participants increase their portfolio by more than 8,900% alone during that time. CropBytes’ gamers are hence more devoted to their CropBytes metaverse assets than they are to their actual world assets. They exist in the metaverse and actively participate in the economy’s growth on a daily basis. CBX IEO, partners and overall journey The goal of starting and developing the game on a centralized platform was to establish a strong foundation and create a fully functional balanced economy before releasing the game to larger markets. According to the roadmap, several in-game additions such as Pro-Animals, Breed Feed Crafting, Breed Feed Market, Superhero Breeding, New UI, and others have been successfully released. Furthermore, the native token, CBX, debuted on Bybit and MEXC following a successful launchpad setup by the exchanges and with support from notable industry leaders like Sandeep Nailwal (CEO & Co-Founder of Polygon), Siddharth Menon (COO & Co-Founder of WazirX), as well as various major VCs such as Draper Dragon, Exnetwork Cap, and others. Nischal Shetty (CEO & Co-Founder of WazirX), Harsh Rajat (Founder of EPNS), and many additional crypto industry luminaries also contributed. ‘While NFTs are the most popular form of game assets, fundamentally it may not be sustainable in open economy. Using real world economics of commodities games assets have to be designed accordingly to make them fungible. This addresses the biggest problem with NFT that is liquidity and attracts more capital over time.’ – Siddharth Menon, Founder Tegro CBX token is CropBytes’ metaverse token. It is possible to observe numerous projects distributing tokens even without a product in existence these days. CropBytes team has run the game for the first 3 years and built an established community with TRX, aother popular token. It was only in Nov 2021 that CropBytes was listed on a joint platform by Bybit & MEXC and this greatly assisted the veteran players who remained by CropBytes’ side. What else should we know about CBX? The plans for CBX are long-term, as the price is not based on ‘hype’ but rather value. Over the course of four years, the asset value progressively increased and is currently worth more than 50 times its original purchase price. Also, as good projects usually take time to reach their potential, the fact that the players who signed up at the beginning are still hanging on to their assets and have expanded their portfolio by over 40x to 50x is a true testament to CropBytes’ robust and sustainable economy. Future plans revolve around working on the metaverse, mini-games, the service economy (which will be in various phases), and much more to come. About CropBytes CropBytes is a one-of-a-kind farming simulation game. Starting a ‘crypto farm’ entails more than just growing digital crops and raising animals, since the project’s major goal is to be at the heart of the cryptocurrency gaming revolution with its inherently constructed game economy. Its goal is to provide its customers with an effective platform for leveraging the power of crypto in order to both play and earn in the digital world, and is both iOS and Android compatible. To date, CropBytes has managed to gain over 550,000 signups and 15,000 average monthly active users. It is one of the most talked about gaming initiatives in this entire sector as it strives to do its part for the Web 3.0 gaming revolution. The global community of believers consists of gamers from Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Venezuela, Russia, Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Spain, India. Everyday, 1000’s of gamers are joining this revolution, consistently contributing to the growth of the CropBytes’ sustainable economy. Today the game is far more diverse, immersive, rewarding, and collaborative…. just like the real world. This world provides more opportunities and a place for ambitious crypto farmers to thrive. Today CropBytes’ identity has adapted with its growing community and renewed vision. Join the CropBytes movement, where every gamer has the power to build and own their crypto farm and grow this sustainable metaverse. #FarmOnCropBytes Check out the website, whitepaper and Twitter as well as Telegram channels for more information. This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

While there’s a number of bitcoin whales that often get caught by blockchain parsers and written about in media reports, ethereum whales get a lot less attention. According to statistics in 2022, there are a lot more ethereum whales than holders with large sums of bitcoin. In fact, while the top 100 richest bitcoin addresses control 14.08% of the circulating supply, the top 100 richest ethereum addresses hold 39.81% of all the ether today. Data Shows Ethereum Still Has a Large Concentration of Whales in 2022 Ethereum, the second-largest crypto asset in terms of market capitalization, has an overall USD valuation of around $348 billion. Ethereum’s market cap represents 18.3% of the $1.89 trillion crypto economy’s net value. While the leading crypto asset has been around for close to seven years, 100 addresses command 39.81% of the current ether in circulation. However, after subtracting the Ethereum 2.0 Contract address, which holds 10.06% of the current ether in circulation, 99 wealthy addresses own 29.75%. From the top five richest ethereum addresses alone, 5.17% of the ETH supply is controlled by the Wrapped Ether contract, 1.78% of the ETH supply is held by the trading platform Kraken, and 1.68% is held by Binance. Many of the 100 richest ethereum addresses are centralized exchange platforms and decentralized finance (defi) protocol reserves. This includes exchanges and protocols such as Bitfinex, Okex, FTX, Polkadot Multi-Sig, Arbitrum’s bridge, and Lido. After the 57th largest ethereum address, the majority of the rest are unknown wallets or simply whales. Into the Block statistics show addresses that own more than 1% of the circulating supply and addresses that own between 0.1% and 1% of the circulating supply, equate to 41%. Those same metrics applied to bitcoin’s top 100 addresses equate to 10%. From this perspective, the data shows that there are a lot more ether whales than the concentration of large bitcoin holders. Moreover, some of these ethereum whales have been making a name for themselves, as blockchain parsers are starting to monitor their activities more often. Meet Some of Ethereum’s Most Famous Whale Addresses — Light, Locke, Tsunade, Bluewhale0072, and Bluewhale0073 For instance, whalestats.com gives an interesting perspective of the ether whales who not only hold ethereum but also tokens and non-fungible token (NFT) assets. Whalestats.com labels the rich list, and the top five addresses include wallets called “Light,” “Locke,” “Tsunade,” “Bluewhale0072,” and “Bluewhale0073.” The wallet Bluewhale0073 has been making headlines lately for purchasing and selling massive amounts of shiba inu (SHIB). Whalestats monitors whales “who are worth an average of $75,905,160 and hodl an average of 10,236 ETH, 34 tokens, and 1 NFT.” The address called Light is currently worth over $17.9 billion today and it holds 136 NFTs from 54 collections. While none of the NFTs are extremely valuable, Light’s SHIB stash is worth $786.69 million. Light also holds $218.74 million in CRO and $217.08 million in tether (USDT). The whale’s stash of ethereum is worth $87.57 million as Light holds 30,320 ether. Light also has multi-million-dollar stashes of usd coin (USDC), enjin coin (ENJ), the sandbox (SAND) and, decentraland (MANA). The address dubbed Locke currently holds $13.52 billion in digital assets today. Locke holds 151 NFTs from 53 different collections and $109.3 million worth of ethereum. Locke also owns millions of dollars worth of BAT, SAND, UPXAU, MATIC, SHIB, LINK, FTM, and APE. The address also holds hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ENJ, USDC, USDT, GRT, SRM, SPELL, and QNT. The whale address called Tsunade holds $186.9 million and 162 NFTs from 57 different collections. Tsunade has $60.07 million in USDT, $40.44 million in SHIB, and $36.5 million in ETH. Bluewhale0072 is the fourth largest ether whale on whalestats.com and the address holds 100 NFTs from 37 different collections. The wallet is currently worth $67.4 million today and $40.67 million of the wallet’s funds are held in tether (USDT). Bluewhale0072 also holds a large portion of wrapped bitcoin (WBTC) and has $4.99 million worth of WBTC today. As mentioned above, Bluewhale0073 has been written about on a few occasions and in recent times. That’s because at certain times, Bluewhale0073 purchases vast quantities of shiba inu (SHIB). Bluewhale0073’s USD value today is $122.98 million and the wallet only owns ten NFTs from four different collections. A large portion of Bluewhale0073’s wealth is in ethereum (ETH) as the wallet holds $114.53 million in ether today. Bluewhale0073 also holds $5.53 million in USDT, $1.75 million in USDC, $640K in MATIC, and $19,324 in SHIB. While reports noted that Bluewhale0073 was purchasing millions of dollars of SHIB, the address sold most of the meme-coin, trading for other coins like ETH. While we don’t know who all the ethereum whales are, they are caught regularly by blockchain analysis and they can be tracked. Crypto whales have always been an enigma and they are called whales because they are massive compared to the rest of the smaller fish in the digital currency industry. Much like the whales in the ocean, crypto whales can cause major volatile waves within the crypto economy. What do you think about today’s ethereum whales? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Edward Snowden, the well-known whistleblower and former computer intelligence consultant who exposed the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance, has revealed he took part in the Zcash creation ceremony. Snowden says that during the creation ceremony he “participated” and leveraged the “pseudonym John Dobbertin.” Snowden Played the Role of ‘John Dobbertin’ During the Zcash Launch A recent video published by Zcash Media explains that Edward Snowden was one of the six people who helped launch Zcash on October 23, 2016. According to the video, the six individuals did not know who the other participants were holding the Zcash private keys and they utilized pseudonyms to avoid identification. Before the video was published it was known for years that the software developer Peter Todd participated in the ceremony as well. Todd actually wrote a comprehensive summary of the Zcash ceremony called the “Cypherpunk Desert Bus,” which explains what happened from his perspective. However, Todd wrote an update on his blog post and struck through the text in the post below the update. “Taking this down for now until some questions about the deterministic builds are answered; currently I do not believe the Zcash trusted setup should be called a multi-party computation, making my involvement pointless,” Todd wrote. SURPRISE! Our 2nd video came early. Watch it now to learn about #Zcash's Ceremony, how it worked, why @ebfull's Halo breakthrough makes it obsolete, and an exclusive interview with #JohnDobbertin himself, Edward @Snowden. 🛡️ https://t.co/Pyk0pwkIto 🛡️ https://t.co/RxgJgbtBcR pic.twitter.com/2efMGnmRx1 — Zcash Media 🛡️ (@zcashmedia) April 27, 2022 In the video published by Zcash Media, Snowden is shown explaining that he too participated in the ceremony. “My name is Edward Snowden,” the famous American whistleblower says. “I participated in the Zcash original ceremony under the pseudonym John Dobbertin.” Snowden also discussed the issues with Bitcoin’s privacy in the video and stressed that a free currency is also private as well. Snowden remarked: The problem with [bitcoin] is you can’t have truly free trade unless you have private trade. I’m just really happy to see that the Zcash project is moving us closer and closer towards that ideal of a free currency which is also a private currency. Software Developer Peter Todd Responds After the video published, Todd responded to the fact that Snowden was involved. “So turns out Snowden was one of the six participants in the Zcash trusted setup that I also participated in,” Todd tweeted. “Which I criticized heavily for being busted, followed by Zcash people falsely accusing me of sexual assault in retaliation.” Others criticized Snowden for shilling Zcash while knowing he was an original creator. “Wow. I remember Snowden shilling zcash over bitcoin years ago. Really puts this in context,” the individual wrote. What do you think about Edward Snowden being one of the original six key holders in the Zcash ceremony? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Following the confusion that surrounded initial reports, a senior staffer in the Central African Republic (CAR)’s presidency has now confirmed that bitcoin will become the country’s reference currency. First Country in Africa to Officially Adopt Bitcoin A press statement supposedly issued by the office of the Presidency of the Central African Republic (CAR) appeared to confirm reports by multiple media outlets suggesting that the bill passed by the National Assembly not only proposes to govern cryptocurrencies but recognizes bitcoin as a reference currency. In a statement posted on Facebook, Obed Namsio, the chief of staff, said President Faustin Archange Touadera’s government will support all necessary efforts that allow the country to “carry out this approach that places the Central Africa Republic on the map of the most courageous and visionary countries in the world.” Namsio said with this move the CAR had become the first country on the African continent to adopt bitcoin as a reference currency. Lauding the move, Namsio said: We are going on a new path that will mark a new milestone for our country while being aware of the difficulties we will have to face to continue our mission. The chief of staff’s statement, however, appeared to contradict an earlier report by Bloomberg suggesting the bill passed had only gone as far as to propose the creation of a cryptocurrency regulator. Conflicting Reports In the report, Hervé Ndoba, the minister in charge of finance and budget, is quoted insisting the CAR is not about to follow in the footsteps of El Salvador, which became the first country to introduce bitcoin as legal tender. Rather, the proposed legislation only seeks to establish a regulatory framework, the report quotes minister stating. While the release of the French language statement is expected to end the confusion which followed the initial report which said the country had adopted bitcoin, Useful Tulips’ peer-to-peer bitcoin volume data starting in 2020 suggests interest in the crypto had been growing. In fact, by the end of September 2021, the CAR had, according to the data, become the country with the fifth-highest P2P volumes in Africa. Bitcoin ‘Undefeated’ Meanwhile, the news and Namsio’s apparent confirmation of CAR’s decision have delighted players in the crypto community. In comments shared with Bitcoin.com News, Christos Krokides of ARK36, a crypto hedge fund, said: “Bitcoin adoption continues undefeated by any geopolitical or financial global matters. Even in such uncertain times, the Central African Republic (CAR) adopted bitcoin as a legal tender marking yet another big step toward a global digital transformation. This initiative will completely transform the CAR’s digital infrastructure, which is now considered underdeveloped, by applying the blockchain technological innovation necessary for the project’s implementation.” Ransu Salovaara, the CEO of Likvidi, said that as “bitcoin gets bigger and bigger, it will become also more stable and that will speed up the government level adaptation even more.” However, others like Anthony Oduu, the co-founder and CTO at cross-border payment platform Verto, said a wider adoption of the crypto will depend on attitudes as well as how the country improves its infrastructure, elaborating: “Country-wide adoption will be very much dependent upon the performance of infrastructure and locals’ attitudes towards the currency. The Central African Republic does not have the best standard of telecommunications and digital infrastructure. In 2021, internet penetration was around 10% and mobile connections were available to just 30% of the population.” According to Oduu, the CAR needs to invest significantly in infrastructure in order to make digital currencies accessible to the entire population. What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. NEW YORK, April. 28, 2022 — VegaX Holdings (“VegaX”), the cryptocurrency index platform providing actionable cryptocurrency indexes and index-based asset management products for traditional investors globally, announced the company’s first partnership with institutional investment manager, UNCAP Investment Management, providing the fund with access to proprietary portfolio rebalancing tools and indexes to enhance investment returns from the cryptocurrency markets. VegaX clients are globally distributed, with a recent influx of new traditional funds and institutions actively seeking the firm’s crypto index products and technology. VegaX CEO, Sang Lee noted, “As the crypto market hit an all time high of USD $3 Trillion in 2021, traditional fund managers and institutions globally could no longer deny the importance of the asset class and the diversification potential that the crypto market provides. Sophisticated firms like UNCAP recognize the long term opportunities the crypto market creates, allowing VegaX to be an ideal partner in providing the technical infrastructure to support the firm’s needs. We look forward to a long term relationship with the UNCAP team.” As institutions and funds actively explore opportunities to participate in the crypto market, various difficulties are faced including onboarding, custody, security, and access to secure return enhancing crypto products. VegaX provides solutions to these difficulties with a suite of crypto investment products, tools, and services, making it efficient for traditional funds and institutions to benefit from the crypto market in its early stages. “VegaX, through their unique product offerings and services, has been paramount to the launch and growth of our fund. We are confident that institutional investors of all sizes will have an outstanding experience working with the VegaX team, and we look forward to sustained growth together in the future” noted UNCAP Managing Director, Jeremy Sziklay. The firm’s flagship products include the VegaX Enhanced Bitcoin Exposure (VEBE) and the VegaX Enhanced Ethereum Exposure strategies (VEEE) – options like strategies providing a familiar structure for traditional investors to access crypto investment products. The company recently released a Solana strategy, VSOL, and an NFT strategy, VNFT, to provide clients with additional portfolio rebalancing opportunities and access to different verticals across the crypto market. VegaX crypto products provide clients with 25% – 125% APY, pending strategy, which provides attractive opportunities for institutions and funds. For more information on VegaX’s products and fund consultation, visit: www.vegaxholdings.com. For more information: https://www.vegaxholdings.com About VegaX Holdings: VegaX Holdings (VegaX) is a cryptocurrency index platform providing actionable cryptocurrency indexes and index-based asset management products for traditional investors. Established in 2019, VegaX creates next-generation indexes and financial products that are needed to support the growth of the cryptocurrency industry and improve returns for investors worldwide. Headquartered in New York, NY and Seoul, South Korea, VegaX has a globally distributed team passionate about building infrastructure to support the next generation of digital assets. Better indexes, Better Returns – VegaX: https://vegaxholdings.com/ About UNCAP Investment Management: UNCAP Investment Management is a boutique cryptocurrency and blockchain-focused alternative investment firm. UNCAP’s flagship offering is a Cayman domiciled hedge fund, which features an opportunistic multi-strategy approach, including quantitative trading, arbitrage, structured products, liquid token selection and project level investment. Through utilizing long-biased products, alongside yield generation and early-stage investments in VC projects, UNCAP seeks to capture the upside of the asset class and mitigate downside over time. Leadership: Sang H. Lee – CEO Natasha Bansgopaul – COO Media Contact: press@vegaxholdings.com 212-457-8974 VegaX URLS: https://vegaxholdings.com/ https://twitter.com/VegaXHoldings https://www.facebook.com/VegaXHoldings/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/vegaxholdings https://medium.com/@VegaXHoldings https://www.instagram.com/vegaxholdings/ This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

Following a short-lived move above $4.50 on Wednesday, GMT was once again higher, and traded up by over 20% in today’s session. GRT was another big gainer in Thursday’s session, as it moved to a multi-week high, whilst CAKE rebounded after recent losses. The Graph (GRT) Newly formed GMT was undoubtedly today’s top gainer, climbing by over 20%, however due to its infancy in the markets, there is not enough history to support a true technical view of its price movement. However, another token with similar initials also conjured up double-digit gains on Thursday, and that is in fact GRT. GRT/USD rose to an intraday high of $0.4084 during today’s session, which saw its price up by over 11% earlier in the day. This peak follows on from a low of $0.3472 on Wednesday, which was close to its long-term support level of $0.3410. Bulls have since carried prices from support to a now resistance level of $0.4040, which has now held, as earlier gains have eased. GRT is now trading at $0.3779, whilst the 14-day RSI is also hovering below its own ceiling of 50.13, which could be the main obstacle preventing price from climbing back above $0.4000. Pancakeswap (CAKE) CAKE rebounded from a recent multi-week low on Thursday, as bulls seemed to have re-entered, following Tuesday’s engulfing bear candle. As of writing, CAKE/USD hit a peak of $8.37 earlier in the day, as prices moved away from a recent support level. This floor was at $7.40, and comes after a marginal breakout, which took price to a one-month low of $7.38 on Wednesday. Since then, CAKE now looks to be heading for resistance of $9.40, as prices continue to consolidate after a month of market uncertainty. In order to get towards this resistance, CAKE will first have to overcome the 48 level on the RSI, which looks as if it may be a ceiling. Should this happen, some bulls may well be looking toward the $10.00 mark as a potential price target. Will we see an extension of today’s GRT surge as we head into the weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. View the full article

The world’s largest asset manager, Blackrock, has launched a blockchain exchange-traded fund (ETF). The fund, trading on the NYSE Arca, gives investors exposure to “companies that are involved in the development, innovation, and utilization of blockchain and crypto technologies.” Blackrock Debuts Blockchain ETF Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager with $10 trillion in assets under management, announced the launch of its Ishares Blockchain and Tech ETF (ticker: IBLC) Wednesday. The new exchange-traded fund (ETF) is trading on the NYSE Arca. The asset manager explained: The Ishares Blockchain and Tech ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. and non-U.S. companies that are involved in the development, innovation, and utilization of blockchain and crypto technologies. At the time of writing, the new blockchain ETF’s top holdings include Coinbase Global, Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Blockchain, USD Cash, Galaxy Digital Holdings, International Business Machines, Hive Blockchain Technologies, Bitfarms, Paypal Holdings, Canaan, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Block Inc., Hut Mining, Argo Blockchain, and Cleanspark. Blackrock noted that its blockchain ETF does not invest directly in cryptocurrencies. Rachel Aguirre, head of U.S. Ishares Product at Blackrock, commented: “The expansion of our megatrends line-up today reflects the power of the millennial and rise of the self-directed investor, whose buying habits have reshaped mainstream consumer behaviors, and in turn, the companies in which they invest.” She added: We believe the moment is now to embrace these forward-looking investment themes before the market recognizes their full potential. The world’s largest asset manager has been looking into offering clients exposure to the crypto sector. “Blackrock is studying digital currencies, stablecoins, and the underlying technologies to understand how they can help us serve our clients,” CEO Larry Fink said in March. Earlier this month, Blackrock and a few other companies, including Fidelity, participated in a $400 million funding round for crypto firm Circle Internet Financial, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC. “In addition to its corporate strategic investment and role as a primary asset manager of USDC cash reserves, Blackrock has entered into a broader strategic partnership with Circle, which includes exploring capital market applications for USDC,” the crypto firm noted. What do you think about Blackrock launching a blockchain ETF? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. PLANET EARTH (April 27, 2022) – Gala Games has teamed up with Endless AI to introduce Fuzzle– a first-of-its-kind “living” NFT collectable, simultaneously pushing the boundaries of conversational AI and blockchain gaming through a groundbreaking interactive entertainment experience with loads of utility. Fuzzles have come to explore Earth and learn all about its human inhabitants. Fuzzles’ superior artificial intelligence is accompanied, however, by a total naivety of Earth and its culture. Fuzzles say what’s on their mind, and will often inspire “What the fuzz!?” reactions. “Our mission is to make magical products that blow people’s minds,” said Michael Fox, CEO and Chief Creative Officer at Endless AI. “We see ourselves as pioneers navigating the uncharted worlds of blockchain-based entertainment and AI-enabled interactivity. With the “living” NFTs of Fuzzle, we’re just scratching the surface of what the future may hold. The possibilities are endless.” Each Fuzzle is a completely unique “living” NFT. Fuzzles aren’t just art, and have been ‘brought to life’ through Clockwork– Endless AI’s intelligent production platform and OpenAI’s GPT-3, which is the leading Natural Language Processing AI. This enables Fuzzle to speak naturally with its owner and for it to respond with contextually relevant questions and ideas. Ownership of a Fuzzle opens up access to special community events and ways to earn rewards. “The first time my Fuzzle told me he was developing methods to turn me into human-meat meatballs, I knew we had a project like the world has never seen before,” said John Osvald, President of Games at Gala Games. “Fuzzles are right on the bleeding edge of AI, gaming, and blockchain and we can’t wait to see how people interact with them.” Fuzzle Pods will be available for humans to purchase as NFTs on April 27, and owners of Fuzzle NFTs will unlock in-app gameplay soon after they are revealed. Fuzzle owners is able to interact with their Fuzzles on dedicated iOS or Android apps. Recently Times Square has been overrun by adorable alien invaders as Fuzzle, an AI NFT project, unleashed multicoloured, unlikely conquerors all over the 180-degree view billboard at 7th and 48th. These odd alien creatures curiously surveyed the crowds, towering over the thousands passing below. Fuzzle will be appearing on the billboard intermittently until May 1st 2022. About Endless AI Endless AI is a technology-driven entertainment company focused on the fusion of AI-enabled interactivity and blockchain technology to make magical products for a Web3 world.. The endless team brings experience from some of the biggest games and interactive stories to date – including Jam City’s mega-hit Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery, the billion-downloaded Minion Rush, the original Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, Telltale’s Game of the Year-winning Walking Dead, and $200M-grossing Minecraft and Batman series. About Gala Games Founded by Eric Schiermeyer, the co-founder of Zynga, Gala Games was founded to make blockchain games that players actually want to play. Launched in 2019 and powered by the world’s largest decentralized gaming node network, Gala Games has been built to give power to the gaming community. For more information please visit Gala Games Website: https://app.gala.games/ Fuzzle Website: https://collectfuzzle.com/ Join the conversation Discord @GalaGames.Chat Join Telegram: @GoGalaGames Follow Fuzzle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FuzzleOfficial This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

Market uncertainty in crypto was once again higher on Thursday, as traders continue to anticipate next week’s Fed decision. Following a drop to a one-month low during Wednesday’s session, BTC rebounded, with prices now hovering below $40,000. ETH also rallied, attempting to break out of the $2,950 resistance level. Bitcoin BTC was back in the green on Thursday, as bulls bounced back following yesterday’s drop, which sent prices to a one-month low. Wednesday saw BTC/USD trade at a bottom of $38,555.90, however the momentum swung today, with prices hitting an intraday high of $39,798.51. This rebound saw the world’s largest cryptocurrency move past its long-term resistance level of $39,700, prior to tailing off. Gains eased as historic uncertainty crept up on bulls, with some opting to take profits for now, rather than attempting to break through $40,000. Looking at the chart, the 14-day RSI also broke through its own resistance of 43, after a brief stint below 40, and is now tracking towards a higher ceiling of 45 . Today’s bulls, who have not given up earlier positions, will likely look at that 45 RSI level as an ideal point to exit, when price will likely be above $40,000. Ethereum Thursday was also favorable for ETH bulls, as its long-term support level of $2,780 once again proved to be sturdy enough to avoid a break. ETH/USD climbed to a high of $2,939.98 earlier in today’s session, which comes after the price fell to a low of below $2,800 on Wednesday. Moving away from its recent floor, today’s surge saw price move closer to resistance, however the rally wasn’t strong enough to break the $2,950 ceiling. As of writing, the world’s second-largest token is trading marginally above $2,900, with relative strength also facing some obstacles. Looking at the chart, the RSI is tracking at 43.70, which is slightly under its ceiling of 44.20, and this will likely be the main hurdle in the way of further gains. If this fence were to be cleared, we will likely be talking about ETH tracking not only above $3,000, but heading towards $3,100. Is next week’s Fed rate decision impacting the moves of crypto traders? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View the full article

Russian Ministry of Finance has accepted a number of crypto regulatory proposals submitted by the country’s law enforcement departments. They cover a range of related areas, including the seizure of digital assets and the reporting of information on cryptocurrency transactions. Finance Ministry of Russia Backs Regulations Proposed by Law Enforcement Agencies Russia’s Ministry of Finance (Minfin) has supported some regulatory ideas regarding cryptocurrencies put forward by the nation’s law enforcement services, the daily Izvestia unveiled this week. The ministry is responsible for drafting the legislation that will introduce comprehensive rules for the nation’s crypto space, which is only partially regulated at the moment. The new bill “On Digital Currency” is expected to be filed with the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, in May. A number of government institutions have provided feedback and suggested amendments to the draft, including several relevant ministries, the Federal Tax Service (FNS), and Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring. Law enforcement departments have also proposed certain provisions pertaining to their respective fields. For example, the Federal Security Service (FSB) wants to oblige crypto exchanges and wallet providers to share information not only with courts but also with investigators working on cases involving digital financial assets. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) believes that the draft law “On Digital Currency” does not fully detail the procedure that exchanges should follow when they have to freeze cryptocurrency funds following a court order. The department also calls for the adoption of rules for the establishment of wallets that will be used to store confiscated crypto assets. According to a document seen by Izvestia, the Minfin has agreed to incorporate the proposals of the FSB and MVD into the new law. The ministry has also accepted the suggestion of the FNS to tighten regulations for unlicensed crypto exchanges and wallet providers. The tax service wants to ban the advertising of such platforms in Russia. However, the finance ministry has rejected other initiatives of the security and tax officials aimed at introducing even harsher rules. The department considers it inappropriate to impose “excessively detailed and strict regulation” at this stage of the crypto market’s development, warning this could cause an outflow of both customers and investors. Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov has reiterated his opinion that digital currency provisions should be added to Russia’s criminal law. This will help law enforcement to investigate cases of cryptocurrency theft and seize crypto funds. In his annual address to the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, Krasnov noted that crime involving virtual assets is on the rise. What do you think about the crypto regulatory proposals of the Russian law enforcement agencies? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The Central Bank of Russia has recently proposed authorizing traditional stock exchanges to operate in the digital assets market. Industry watchers say the regulator aims to provide investors with an option to trade cryptocurrencies in a controlled environment. Russian Stock Exchanges to List Digital Financial Assets, Central Bank of Russia Suggests Stock exchanges and central clearing counterparties may be allowed to facilitate the trading of digital financial assets (DFAs), a collective term encompassing cryptocurrencies and tokens under current Russian law. The proposal was put forward by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) at a meeting with exchanges, brokers, and information system operators, a group of entities to which crypto platforms pertain. Representatives of the Moscow Exchange, SPB Exchange, major brokers, and information system operators that have the right to issue digital financial assets met with Bank of Russia officials behind closed doors on Tuesday, the Kommersant reported. The discussions were focused on the new plan to organize the trading of DFAs and utilitarian digital rights (UDRs) drafted by the CBR. Some crypto-related activities in Russia were regulated with the law “On Digital Financial Assets,” which went into force in January 2021, including issuance of digital coins (digital financial assets) and fundraising through tokens (digital rights). However, other operations such as mining and trading, as well as the circulation of cryptocurrencies, remained unregulated. A new law “On Digital Currency,” authored by the finance ministry, aims to change that. A source from Russia’s financial sector, who took part in the meeting, told the business daily that the exchanges and the brokers supported the idea to trade digital assets, which would expand the array of financial instruments available to them. At the same time, the information system operators were skeptical about the proposal. They fear that admitting stock exchanges into this market will jeopardize the business of digital asset platforms which have not had enough time to develop yet. Their representatives also warn about various challenges, including those related to the implementation of blockchain technologies and the slower pace of operation of traditional exchange platforms. On the other hand, officials from the Moscow Exchange welcomed the initiative, stating they were ready to discuss it further. “The concept involves the use of existing exchange and settlement infrastructures. This will contribute to the concentration of liquidity, which has been confirmed by the global practice of secondary circulation of both fiat and digital assets,” they noted during the talks. According to Pavel Utkin, a lead lawyer at Parthenon United Legal Center, Bank of Russia seeks to gain control over the circulation of DFAs and turn their trading into something similar to the regular stock market. “Since the regulator has lost the battle with the Ministry of Finance to block the circulation of cryptocurrencies in the country, it is necessary to create a platform that will make it possible to control the circulation of these assets,” the expert elaborated. Do you think the Central Bank of Russia will be able to establish control over crypto trading in the country? Share your expectations in the comments section below. View the full article

Cambodian authorities have reportedly said that no cryptocurrency company has been issued a business license yet, and that conducting cryptocurrency-related activities in the country is still illegal. Fintech Industry Growing Rapidly The Cambodian government has not greenlighted the issuing or use of any cryptocurrency in the country, a report has said. The report, which cites a document recently released by the Ministry of Finance and Economics, said it is still illegal to create, distribute, or trade cryptocurrencies in Cambodia. According to a China News Service report, while the ministry does concede that the fintech industry is growing rapidly, it nonetheless reiterated that the long-standing ban on crypto trading remains in force. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Cambodian authorities announced in 2018 that the circulation or trading of cryptocurrencies without a license was illegal. At the time, authorities warned that crypto activities had the potential to cause risks to the public and society. The volatility of crypto assets as well as their lack of backing by an underlying asset are some of the risks mentioned in the May 11, 2018 statement. Lack of consumer protection, cybercrime, and loss of funds due to hacking are the other risks that were mentioned in the statement. Cambodia Drafting Fintech Policy In a new statement jointly issued with the National Bank of Cambodia, the Securities Commission, and the National Police Agency, the Finance ministry reiterated that no cryptocurrency company has been issued a business license. Meanwhile, the China News Service report revealed that Cambodia is currently drafting its fintech development policy which, according to the finance ministry, ensures the country fully benefits from the development of this emerging technology while minimizing the associated risks. What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority has issued a warning that crypto activities are illegal. The regulator emphasized that websites, apps, and online networks related to crypto activities are prohibited to be used, operated, or managed within the country. Nepalese Regulator’s Crypto Warning Nepal’s regulator of the technology sector, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), issued a notice Monday warning the public about engaging in illegal activities, specifically naming cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and online gambling. Noting that transactions using digital technologies, such as cryptocurrency, have been on the rise in Nepal, the NTA stressed that websites, apps, and online networks related to crypto activities are prohibited to be used, operated, or managed within the country. The regulator proceeded to warn the public that activities involving cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, are “illegal and criminal,” elaborating: If anyone is found to be doing or have done such activities, action will be taken according to the prevailing law. In March, at the request of the country’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the NTA directed internet service providers (ISPs) to shut down all crypto trading websites and apps. They are now disabled and blacklisted, the regulator stressed. The ministry reportedly told the NTA that the trading of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, has increased economic crime in the country. Surya Prasad Lamichhane, NTA’s deputy director, was quoted as saying: The government has directed [us] to shut down the apps after carrying out an investigation. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has also arrested and taken action against some people carrying out crypto business. The Nepal Rastra Bank, the country’s central bank, issued a directive earlier this year banning all Nepali nationals and non-nationals living in the country from buying and investing in cryptocurrencies. The central bank cited increased fraud risk and illegal outflow of domestic capital as the key reasons. The Nepalese central bank explained on its website: Cryptocurrencies including bitcoin cannot be traded in Nepal. Doing so is illegal. What do you think about Nepal shutting down crypto websites and apps? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Deutsche Bank’s economists have warned that the U.S. will suffer a major recession next year. However, several other major investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, are less pessimistic about the future outlook for the U.S. economy. Major US Recession Incoming, According to Deutsche Bank’s Economists Deutsche Bank has predicted a deeper downturn than its previous forecast for the U.S. economy in a report to clients, published Tuesday. The bank’s economists, including David Folkerts-Landau, group chief economist and head of research, explained in the report why the coming recession will be worse than expected. They described: We will get a major recession, but our strongly held view is that the sooner and the more aggressively the Fed acts, the less longer-term damage to the economy there will be. The report explains that it will take a long time before inflation falls back to the Fed’s goal of 2%. The authors warned that the central bank will likely engage in the most aggressive monetary tightening since the 1980s, which “will push the economy into a significant recession by late next year.” The Deutsche Bank economists detailed: “We assume conservatively that a Fed funds rate moving well into the 5% to 6% range will be sufficient to do the job this time … This is partly because the monetary-tightening process will be bolstered by Fed balance-sheet reduction.” Several other major investment banks, however, are less pessimistic than Deutsche Bank. Goldman Sachs recently estimated there is a 35% chance of a recession in the next two years. While admitting that it will be very challenging to bring down high inflation, Goldman’s economists wrote in a report Friday: We do not need a recession but probably do need growth to slow to a somewhat below-potential pace, a path that raises recession risk. Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, wrote in a report on Monday: “Inflation should ease from current levels, and we do not expect a recession from rising interest rates.” Jacob Manoukian, JPMorgan’s head of investment strategy in the U.S., said this month that a recession in the near term is possible but not probable. Meanwhile, Bank of America chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett warned earlier this month that a “recession shock” is coming. Do you think a major recession is coming in the U.S.? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

A survey by crypto trading platform Bitstamp shows that 80% of institutional investors believe crypto will overtake traditional investment vehicles. Furthermore, 70% of institutional investors said crypto was a trustworthy investment, with 68% actively recommending this asset class in investment strategies. Institutional Investors Bullish About Crypto Bitstamp, a major crypto derivatives trading platform, announced the results of its first-ever Crypto Pulse Survey Monday. A total of 28,563 respondents from 23 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific participated in the survey. Among them, 5,450 were senior institutional investment strategy decision-makers and 23,113 were retail investors. According to the survey results: “88% of institutional respondents and 75% of retail investors believe that crypto will see mainstream adoption within a decade.” In addition, Bitstamp said: A further 80% of institutional investors reported that crypto will overtake traditional investment vehicles — showing a particularly bullish attitude from financial professionals on the future of crypto as an asset class. “From the retail respondents, 54% believed that crypto will overtake traditional currencies within 10 years,” the company added. Moreover, “The survey also found that levels of trust in crypto as an asset class is high,” the exchange noted. While “67% of retail respondents believe crypto is a trustworthy investment,” the survey further reveals: 70% of institutional investor respondents said that crypto was a trustworthy investment, with 68% actively recommending crypto in investment strategies. Several prominent investors have said that institutional investors are increasingly interested in investing in cryptocurrency. Earlier this month, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary predicted that trillions of dollars will flood into crypto from institutional investors. He believes that crypto will become the 12th sector of the S&P. Asset management firm Skybridge Capital is also “extremely bullish” on crypto, an executive of the firm said this week. Furthermore, many people expect institutional investors to pile into crypto when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finally approves spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Grayscale Investments CEO Michael Sonnenshein recently said that the SEC approving a bitcoin ETF is “a matter of when and not if.” What do you think about this survey’s findings? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

22 days ago, Bitcoin.com News wrote about a Coin Insider trends study that combed through Google Trends data in the United States. According to the report, dogecoin was the most Googled cryptocurrency in the country. Another study — published by askgamblers.com — has covered similar data, but concentrated on the U.K.’s and Europe’s Google searches. According to the report, while bitcoin is the most popular crypto asset in Europe, the study of the trends shows that the meme token shiba inu is the most popular in the United Kingdom. Trends Study Highlights the Most Popular Crypto Assets in Europe, UK — Bitcoin Reigns in Europe, While Shiba Inu Takes the UK This week Bitcoin.com News was sent a report from askgamblers.com that analyzes Google Trends (GT) data over the last year in order to find out what the most popular crypto assets are in the U.K. and Europe. According to the findings, bitcoin (BTC) is the most popular digital currency in Europe as it was the most searched crypto in 21 countries. BTC outpaced the competitors in the askgamblers.com study, as the leading crypto asset rules the roost in countries like Germany, Finland, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Belgium. While bitcoin (BTC) was the top crypto across Europe, shiba Inu (SHIB) is the most popular cryptocurrency in the U.K., according to the researcher’s collected Google searches. The meme token SHIB saw a significant increase in popularity during the last 12 months. The study’s findings show SHIB commands six different countries and the United Kingdom. In fact, SHIB is huge in Russia, France, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, Hungary, and Switzerland, in terms of GT searches. Additionally, ethereum (ETH) was the third most popular in the study capturing interest from Sweden, Czechia, Latvia, and Slovenia. Then cardano (ADA) held the fourth position in terms of GT search data, as Andorra, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria showed a lot of interest in ADA. With dogecoin (DOGE) being the most popular in the U.S., it is the fifth in Europe as the meme crypto is popular in Albania and Greece. “With 38 million crypto users in Europe, and thousands of cryptocurrencies on the market to choose from, it is fascinating to see which one people are the most interested in investing in,” a spokesperson from askgamblers.com told Bitcoin.com’s newsdesk. “Although bitcoin is the most popular overall, the interest in shiba inu has grown to surpass bitcoin in major countries such as Russia and the U.K.” In the U.S. research study published by Coin Insider, shiba inu (SHIB) only captured seven states across the country. Dogecoin was named the leader in that study as DOGE was the most popular in 23 states in the U.S., in terms of GT searches. SHIB’s popularity in the U.S., according to the data in that specific report, was ranked the fourth most popular crypto in the country. What do you think about the popularity of bitcoin in Europe and the shiba inu interest in the U.K.? Let us know what you think about this research study in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty reached a lifetime high on April 27, at block height 733,824, after jumping 5.56% higher than two weeks ago. The difficulty jump further indicates that Bitcoin’s difficulty is also nearing 30 trillion, as the change on Wednesday shows the current difficulty is 29.79 trillion. It Is Now the Most Difficult Time in History to Mine Bitcoin After the Last Difficulty Increase On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, after block 733,824 was mined, it is now the most difficult time in history to mine bitcoin (BTC). Currently, and for the next two weeks, Bitcoin’s difficulty will be 29.79 trillion until the next difficulty adjustment. Bitcoin’s hashrate today is running high at 252.39 exahash per second (EH/s) after reaching an all-time high on April 23, 2022, at block 733,197. At that time, the hashrate tapped a high of 271.19 EH/s. While the estimation could very well change over the next two weeks, the network’s difficulty is estimated to drop 0.07% during the next difficulty adjustment. On April 14, bitcoin miners caught a break when the difficulty dropped by 1.26% at block height 731,808. The estimated hashrate over the last 90 days was 201.8 EH/s the next difficulty retarget is expected to happen on or around May 10, 2022. Using today’s BTC exchange rates, the current block subsidy of 6.25 BTC is roughly $245,531. At the time of writing, there are 106,167 blocks left until the next halving occurs, which means almost half the time in between each halving has occurred. In roughly 48 hours, the halfway point up until the halving, in terms of block count will take place. The halving is expected to occur on or around April 27, 2024. Miners will see the block subsidy halved from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC after that point in time. On April 27, 2022, and over the last three days, Foundry USA has been the top miner capturing 87 of the 473 blocks mined in that timeframe. Foundry commands 18.39% of the global hashrate or 41.05 EH/s. Foundry is followed by Antpool, in terms of three-day pool statistics, as Antpool found 75 blocks out of the 473 blocks mined. Antpool’s hashrate is 15.86% of the global processing power or roughly 35.39 EH/s. What do you think about Bitcoin’s difficulty jumping 5.56% higher and nearing the 30 trillion mark? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. LD Capital has officially established LD Research which aims to conduct industry focus research, cutting-edge technology exploration, and project economic system design. LD Research will recruit development engineers, economists, and other professionals in verticals to work closely with the top team to provide economic model design, development technical support, market growth, and other services to achieve common growth with the project. Meanwhile, LD Research will cooperate with the LD Capital portfolio, focusing on Web3, GameFi, NFT, and so on, and being committed to solving crucial issues and promoting the development of the blockchain industry. We found that the types of entrepreneurs entering the web3 are changing, and more and more outstanding entrepreneurs from web2 are transforming to join web3. LD Research will provide all-round support for entrepreneurs who transition from web2 to web3, including entrepreneurial direction, strategic planning, economic model, capital platform, and market growth. LD Research is looking forward to seeing high-quality projects that are innovative and creative and working together to realize the vision of a better world reconfigured by blockchain. To this end, we will be willing and active to be the first investor in early-stage projects and dare to share the risk and grow together with outstanding entrepreneurs. LD Capital is a leading crypto fund that is active in primary and secondary markets, whose sub-funds include a dedicated eco fund, FoF, hedge fund, and Meta Fund. LD Capital has a professional global team with deep industrial resources, focus on delivering superior post-investment services to enhance project value growth, and specializes in long-term value and ecosystem investment. LD Capital has successively discovered and invested in more than 300 companies in Infra/Protocol/Dapp/Privacy/Metaverse/Layer2/DeFi/DAO/GameFi fields since 2016. LD Capital Website: ldcap.com LD Capital Twitter: twitter.com/ld_capital LD Capital Medium: ld-capital.medium.com LD Research Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResearchLD LD Capital Email: BP@ldcap.com This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

In remarks that appear to pour cold water on assertions that digital currencies will topple the U.S. dollar anytime soon, a former governor of the Chinese central bank, Zhou Xiaochuan, insisted the greenback will remain in its position as the global reserve currency. Xiaochuan said the dollar still “has great inertia.” Process to Change Role of Dollar Very Slow The former governor of the Chinese central bank, Zhou Xiaochuan, insisted in a recent interview that “unless there is [a] change in the global landscape” the U.S. dollar will remain the global reserve and payment currency. While he admitted that digital currencies could potentially become alternatives to the dollar, the former governor claimed that any process to change the role of the dollar is likely to be “very slow.” In his remarks while being interviewed by CGTN, Xiaochuan, however, suggested that policy “mistakes” by the U.S. government might potentially have a bearing on the dollar’s continued dominance. Xiaochuan, who is now the vice-chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, points to the use of the dollar as a sanctioning tool as one such mistake. Xiaochuan explained: For example, if we rely too much on the dollar system to impose financial sanctions, of course, if you impose sanctions, people will hide from you, and your role in payment and reserves will inevitably decline. Still, the former governor cautions that using the dollar system to impose sanctions just like other factors will not lead to the sudden waning of the currency’s dominance. He said when looked at from the perspective of reserves or from that of value storage, the dollar “has great inertia.” “You can’t say that the things you saved before are suddenly useless,” argued Xiaochuan. People Used to Dollar Payment System When looked at from the perspective of payment, the former governor argued that because people have become used to getting paid in dollars, it will be difficult for them to suddenly shift to an alternative. Despite not being optimistic about the prospects of alternatives to the dollar, Xiaochuan nonetheless suggested that China does advocate for a global reserve that is not dominated by one currency. What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

NEAR saw recent losses extend on Wednesday, as it fell to a one-month low during today’s session. The decline in NEAR came as XMR also traded in the red, falling to a multi-week low in the process. NEAR Protocol (NEAR) NEAR was one of the biggest tokens to fall on hump-day, as prices fell to a one-month low earlier in today’s session. Following a peak of $15.18 on Tuesday, NEAR/USD slipped to an intraday bottom of $12.50 on Wednesday. The drop saw NEAR fall to its lowest level since March 27, and keeps prices close to recent support of $12.45. Since hitting this floor, there has been somewhat of a rebound, with the price now trading at $12.84, which is still nearly 7% lower than yesterday’s high. This comes as bulls have historically used this floor as an entry point, with a few rallies occurring at this level in the past. Aside from this, the 14-day RSI is now hovering around a two-month low, which could be another reason for some to remain optimistic about potential rebound. Monero (XMR) XMR was down by over 12% in today’s session, however as the day matured, losses somewhat eased from earlier lows. As of writing, XMR/USD is trading at $225.58, which follows on from today’s intraday bottom of $224.32. Overall, monero has been trading lower for the past six sessions, with today’s low coming less than 24 hours after a top of $243.88. This latest decline pushed prices below the long-term support level of $229.00, taking XMR to a two-week low in the process. While prices are trading at a multi-week low, the 14-day RSI is currently tracking at its weakest point since February 26. Should this recent trend continue, it is likely that bears will be looking to push price toward the lower support level of $211.00. Will we see XMR end this bearish trend heading into the weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. View the full article

According to a working study published by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), most Salvadorans stopped using the Chivo wallet after getting their $30 bitcoin bonus. The report shows that the median Chivo wallet user made no deposits or withdrawals in a given month. NBER Study: Only 4 out of 10 Salvadorans Use Chivo Wallet After Government’s Bitcoin Bonus An April 2022 working study published by the NBER, asks if cryptocurrencies are indeed currencies after researching bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender in El Salvador. NBER conducted a face-to-face survey with 1,800 Salvadoran households during the month of February 2022. The study shows that Salvadorans are not using the Chivo wallet that much and in February, El Salvador’s central bank noted that only 1.6% of remittances were sent via digital wallets. “Most users who used Chivo after spending the $30 bonus do not engage with the app intensively,” the report highlights. In fact, the NBER researchers found that the fixed cost to adopt the Chivo wallet was very large. Moreover, if it wasn’t for the $30 bitcoin bonus, the study estimates that 75% of the Salvadorans surveyed would have never used it. NBER researchers note that only four out of ten people who downloaded Chivo wallet are actually using the application. 88% of Bitcoin Accepting Businesses Convert Back to Dollars, Study Concludes by Noting Bitcoin Is Not a Widely Accepted Currency in El Salvador “The elasticity of substitution between Chivo Wallet and other methods of payment seems to be large,” the study adds. “On net, among Chivo Wallet users, 10% report spending less in cash, and 11% report reducing their use of debit or credit cards since they downloaded Chivo.” Unfortunately, despite all the reporting that says otherwise, NBER’s study claims only 20% of Salvadoran businesses reported on accepting bitcoin as a medium of exchange. 90% of those businesses were enterprises and “88% of businesses transform money from sales in bitcoin into dollars.” NBER’s findings further note that roughly 5% of Salvadorans paid their tax obligations via bitcoin (BTC). “Overall, despite the legal tender status of bitcoin and the large incentives implemented by the government, the cryptocurrency is largely not an accepted medium of exchange in El Salvador,” the NBER research paper concludes. What do you think about the NBER’s study and findings among the 1,800 Salvadoran households? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article