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Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has been accused in a media report of agreeing to provide user data to Russia’s financial watchdog. The trading platform has refuted the allegations. It also insists it’s complying with Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Binance Consented to Russian Request for Customer Info, Reuters Claims in ‘Special Report’ Binance, the world’s leading digital asset exchange, has agreed to hand over customer data to Russia’s financial intelligence agency, a report by Reuters suggests. The article refers to messages allegedly sent by Binance’s regional head Gleb Kostarev to a business associate revealing that the Russian officials asked for such information, including names and addresses, during a meeting last April. The Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation (Rosfinmonitoring) saw its request supposedly motivated by the need for help in the fight against crime. Quoting an anonymous source familiar with the matter, the authors note that at the time, the financial watchdog was trying to trace millions of dollars in bitcoin raised by imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team. Rosfinmonitoring labeled his network a terrorist organization a year ago. The Kremlin critic claimed the crypto donations were used to fund efforts to expose corruption inside President Putin’s administration. Supporters who sent money through Russian banks were interrogated, Navalny’s foundation says. After his arrest in January 2021, it encouraged backers to donate via Binance. Navalny was detained upon his return to the Russian Federation, after recovering from poisoning that the West blames on Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), an accusation rejected by Russian authorities. Relying on statements from several unidentified persons who interacted with the regulator, Reuters writes that the agency acts as an arm of the FSB. Officially, it is an independent body responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Kostarev, Binance’s representative for Eastern Europe and Russia, reportedly consented to Rosfinmonitoring’s request to agree to share client data, according to the said messages. He also told his business partner he didn’t have “much of a choice.” Binance commented for Reuters it had been “actively seeking compliance in Russia” before the war in Ukraine, which would have required it to respond to “appropriate requests from regulators and law enforcement agencies.” Crypto Exchange Rejects Claims as ‘Categorically False’ Quoting an industry research firm, the Reuters article further unveils that Binance’s trading volumes in Russia have spiked since the conflict began, as Russians sought to protect their assets from sanctions and a devaluing national fiat. Data from Cryptocompare indicated that in March Binance processed almost 80% of all ruble-to-crypto trades. On Thursday, the exchange announced, however, it’s limiting services for Russian account holders to comply with the latest EU sanctions. Refuting the allegations in the report, Binance described the cited market data as inaccurate, and while pointing out that it “aggressively implemented sanctions against Russia,” in answers to questions from Reuters, it reiterated its belief that “it would be unethical for a private organization to decide unilaterally to freeze millions of innocent users’ accounts.” In a statement published Friday, the company said it had “stopped working in Russia” as soon as the war started. While emphasizing that “fulfilling disclosure obligations to the authorities in each jurisdiction is a large part of becoming a regulated business,” the global crypto trading platform said that the suggestions it shared any user data, including related to Alexei Navalny, with agencies controlled by the FSB and Russian regulators are “categorically false.” Binance insisted it had not sought to assist the Russian state in its attempts to investigate the opposition leader. What are your thoughts on the report alleging that Binance shared user data with Russia’s financial watchdog? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

According to Dogecoin developer Michi Lumin, a DOGE transaction was sent via radio using a protocol called “Radio Doge.” Dogecoin proponents say Radio Doge will “enable access to dogecoin for people outside the reach of the internet.” 4.20 Dogecoin Sent via Radio Transmission On April 22, 2022, the first dogecoin (DOGE) transaction was sent via radio transmission with help from the global Starlink satellite network. The news was revealed by Dogecoin developer Michi Lumin who tweeted about the subject on Friday. “Hi. [I’m] sleepy again, so no talk big, but just did this, sending 4.2069 dogecoin (from BudZ heh) 100 miles (with @tjstebbing and @KBluezr listening on a receiver 810 miles away), using just libdogecoin, radio, and ultimately relayed to the mainnet on the other end via Starlink,” Lumin said. Dogecoin is not the first cryptocurrency to be sent using radio. Concepts like mesh networking, amateur radio equipment, and portable antennas have allowed people to push BTC transactions without internet access. Sam Patterson, the former COO of OB1, once explained in 2019 that radio is more peer-to-peer (P2P) than P2P networks built on the web. “Peer-to-peer networks built on the internet have a special allure because of the sense of resilience they have without a central point of failure,” Patterson tweeted on February 15, 2019. “A bit misleading: they are really built on many computers and the connections between them. Not true with radios. True peer to peer.” The dogecoin (DOGE) transaction sent by Michi Lumin and friends was done with HF/LoRaWAN (low-cost radio tech) combined with the Starlink satellite network. “The first dogecoin transaction just took place without the Internet, using Radio Doge. Much wow,” a dogecoin supporter wrote on Friday. “Radio Doge will enable access to dogecoin for people outside the reach of internet,” the individual added. What do you think about the first dogecoin transaction sent without using the internet and by leveraging Radio Doge? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On April 22, the layer two (L2) scaling network Polygon introduced the new Supernets network, a blockchain protocol that’s built to bolster Web3 technology. Furthermore, Polygon is pledging $100 million to early Supernet users “who can help fast-track adoption.” The announcement details that Supernets is essentially the team’s Polygon Edge network “on steroids.” Polygon Supernets — Dedicated, Scalable Blockchains That Aim to Ignite Mass Adoption Polygon has revealed a new project called Supernets after launching Polygon Edge last year. Essentially, Polygon Edge is a customizable blockchain stack that allows users to launch dedicated blockchain networks that do specific things. Following the Edge launch 11 months ago, the team has revealed Polygon Supernets, a project powered by Edge with fewer complexities. While Supernets still uses Edge, the latest rollout offers “several important characteristics” that mitigate complexities involved with Edge. Supernets basically allows developers to build custom networks without all the costs associated with servers. The Polygon team says Supernets are a dedicated solution, as “every Supernet is built and run for a specific application, project or use case,” which gives users the advantage of “dedicated Web3 hosting.” The networks can also be secured using Polygon’s native crypto asset MATIC. In order to increase awareness and adoption, Polygon has further revealed it is allocating $100 million to early Supernet users. “Super excited to introduce Polygon Supernets powered by Polygon Edge,” the team tweeted on Friday. “Polygon Supernets are dedicated, scalable blockchains that aim to ignite mass adoption of Polygon and Web3. To support this ambitious product and goal, we are announcing a $100M support fund.” The team’s Twitter thread mentioned that more than 20 projects “are already building on Edge” and the Polygon team learned a lot from these teams. Polygon also shared five advantages of using Supernets which include: They are dedicated; Can use MATIC PoS validators out-of-the-box; They are interconnected; Can be managed/maintained by our Certified Partners; Support any Edge architecture. Polygon Co-Founder Says Supernets Can ‘Fast-Track Blockchain Ambitions’ Polygon has been making a lot of development and business moves over the last 12 months, and during the first week of February, the project raised $450 million from investors such as Sequoia Capital India, Softbank, and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary. Last December, Polygon acquired the Mir Protocol for $400 million and that same month Polygon started a $200 million social media-based Web3 fund with ​​Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture capital. This April, Polygon announced the launch of a zero-knowledge identity platform for Web3. According to Friday’s Supernets announcement, the $100 million will be distributed for things like development contracts, research contracts, grants, third-party integrations and partnerships, onboarding and migration, liquidity mining, and acquisitions. ​​”For mass adoption of Web3 to take hold, it is critical to abstract the complexities of blockchain development and simultaneously offers scaling ability and personalization,” Mihailo Bjelic, the co-founder of Polygon concluded in a statement. “Polygon Supernets deliver all this, enabling any project to fast-track their blockchain ambitions and join the growing Polygon multi-chain ecosystem.” What do you think about Polygon Supernets? Let us know what you think about this project in the comments section below. View the full article

During the last two weeks, statistics show the new crypto asset dedicated to the Bored Ape Yacht Club community (BAYC), apecoin (APE), has climbed more than 50% against the U.S. dollar. A few days ago, apecoin tapped an all-time high at $17.30 per unit and the crypto asset is now the 32nd largest in terms of market capitalization among 13,691 other cryptocurrencies. Data also shows out of the 48,570 APE holders, there’s a large concentration of apecoin whales. A Large Concentration of Apecoin Whales The BAYC-infused apecoin (APE) has been a popular crypto project ever since the coin project was introduced and millions of coins were airdropped to NFT holders. More specifically, the holder’s NFTs derived from the BAYC, Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), and Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC) collections. According to statistics, the initial airdrop aimed to distribute 150 million APE and to date, 140,725,540 APE has been claimed. Data shows there’s 284,843,750 APE currently in circulation among 48,570 APE holders. Looking at the apecoin (APE) rich list via coincarp.com shows that out of all the APE in circulation, there’s a large concentration of apecoin whales. For instance, the top ten APE holders custody 9.16% of the 284.84 million APE in circulation, which equates to 26,091,687.5 apecoin. The top 20 holders currently have 14.16% of the APE in circulation under their control which is 40,333,875 APE. Data further shows the top 50 APE holders command 29.16% of the APE in circulation, which equates to 83,060,437.5 apecoin. Moreover, the top 100 APE wallets hold 52.36% of the APE supply today. The 100 holders represent 0.20% of the 48,570 APE holders today. In fact, the top address holds 30,305,548 APE which is 3.03% of the current supply. The second-largest APE address holds 10,833,332 APE or 1.08% of the apecoin in circulation. 3% of All APE Trades Settled on Binance, 42% of All APE Trades Are Paired With Tether Presently, APE is only 4% away from surpassing the token’s all-time high and the coin has seen $1.87 billion in 24-hour trading volume. Apecoin has the largest quantity of trade volume on the decentralized exchange (dex) platform Uniswap. In terms of dex platforms, APE is also prominent on Sushiswap, 1inch, and 0x Native, respectively. Binance is the most active centralized crypto exchange trading APE today as the crypto’s top pair is tether. At the time of writing, USDT represents 42.26% of all APE trades worldwide. Over 3% of all the apecoin (APE) trade volume has been settled on Binance. Meanwhile, because of apecoin’s recent price high, the hashtag #APECOIN is trending on Twitter this weekend. What do you think about the large concentration of apecoin whales? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

MATIC fell to its long-term support level on Saturday, following a surge in price during Friday’s session. This came as both RUNE and LUNA also dropped, and traded by as much as 5% lower to start the weekend. Polygon (MATIC) During what has been a bearish start to the weekend, MATIC was one of the biggest losers so far in Saturday’s session. MATIC, which traded at its long-term resistance level of $1.50 on Friday, fell all the way to its support point earlier today. As of writing, Saturday saw MATIC/USD drop to a bottom of $1.35, which is also its long-term floor, and is now around $0.10 away from a two-month low. Today’s selloff comes following strong gains on Friday, however bullish momentum eased, as prices ran into the ceiling. In addition to this price ceiling, the 14-day RSI saw its own resistance reached, as relative strength failed to break above the 45 level. MATIC has mostly consolidated between $1.35 and $1.50 during the month of April, and as market uncertainty continues, it looks like we may end the month trading within this range. THORChain (RUNE) There was no rebound in price for RUNE, which fell for a fourth consecutive session to start the weekend. So far this Saturday, RUNE/USD has slipped to a bottom of $8.21, which is three days removed from a peak of $9.88, where bulls were attempting to break the $10 threshold. However, since then momentum has only faded, with the mid-term 25-day (blue) moving average now firmly lower, as it continues to trend downward. One positive for bulls however, is that this downward descent is helping increase the chances of a cross with the 10-day (red), which could help trigger a rebound. Typically, when the 25-day moving average slips, price strength follows, and usually resides in oversold territory, which bulls use as a sign to buy low. As of writing, the 14-day RSI is now tracking at 47.02, however we could see relative strength move towards a floor of 44, should this recent bearish pressure remain. Could we see RUNE trade above $10 before the end of the month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. View the full article

Bitcoin fell below $40,000 to start the weekend, as crypto markets continued to be submerged by the latest red wave. ETH was also lower on Saturday, and remained in the red for a second consecutive session. Bitcoin BTC dropped below the $40,000 level to start the weekend, following a three-day losing streak which has pushed price close to multi-week lows. Following a peak of $40,524.76 on Friday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to a low of $39,315.42 earlier today. This move is less than 48 hours removed from BTC/USD trading above resistance of $42,500. However, following a false breakout prices have moved back towards support. The support point on this occasion is the $39,500 floor, where bitcoin started trading this week, before its initial midweek rally. Ultimately, today’s return to support has been a perfect encapsulation of the current volatility within crypto markets this week, and April in general, where we have mainly seen consolidation. In addition to this, the 14-day RSI is now tracking at 40.5 which is an area where bullish momentum typically picks up — as such, the possibility of a rebound remains high. Ethereum ETH was lower for a fourth consecutive session, as prices once again traded below the $3,000 support level. As of writing, today’s low sees ETH/USD fall to a bottom of $2,926.74, which comes after a high of $3,007.41 yesterday. Since this low, which broke past support of $2,950, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency moved marginally higher, as bulls re-entered. Typically, we have seen strong bullish pressure at this floor, and so far today this has been the case, with ETH now trading at $2,963.86. Looking at the chart, the RSI indicator is also hovering close to its own support of 43.50, however if this strength turns to weakness, there could be an even bigger drop in ethereum’s price. We will now likely see high levels of uncertainty this weekend, as both bulls and bears continue to jockey for positions. Do you expect ETH to fall further this weekend? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View the full article

Russian law enforcement authorities have detained six more members and executives of the notorious crypto Ponzi scheme Finiko. Police in the Republic of Tatarstan and Russia proper have conducted dozens of searches as part of an ongoing investigation into the pyramid, which defrauded investors around the world. New Arrests in Finiko Case Made in Russian Federation The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the help of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, has taken into custody six participants and leaders of Finiko, Russia’s largest financial pyramid in recent decades. The members of the fraudulent scheme have been active between January 2018 and July 2021 in Tatarstan and other Russian regions, the ministry’s spokesperson Irina Volk told Tass. Volk explained that they advertised the project to attract investors with promises of extraordinarily high profits in the range of 3 to 5% a day. The fraudsters asked them to convert their fiat money into bitcoin and send it to the crypto wallets controlled by Finiko. Their personal accounts were then credited with “Tsifron,” the platform’s own currency. In reality, Finiko was never registered as a legal entity in Russia and did not make any investments on behalf of its clients. After some time, it simply stopped paying investors the promised dividends and they were unable to withdraw their funds. The complaints of more than 5,000 people are now part of the materials for the criminal case. Officially recognized losses exceed 5 billion rubles ($65 million) but the actual total may be much higher. According to a report by blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis, the scam had received over $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin in 800,000 separate deposits between December 2019 and August 2021. Citizens of Russia, Ukraine and other former-Soviet republics, several EU member states, and the U.S. are among the victims. A number of Finiko’s top figures were arrested last year, including the pyramid’s founder and mastermind Kirill Doronin, two of its vice presidents, Ilgiz Shakirov and Dina Gabdullina, as well as Lilia Nurieva, who rose to the rank of a so-called “10th Star.” In November, Doronin offered to testify against 44 of his accomplices. His close associates Zygmunt Zygmuntovich, Marat Sabirov and Edward Sabirov, left Russia as the crypto scheme collapsed last summer, avoiding detention. Irina Volk noted that property belonging to the accused worth more than 1.3 billion rubles has been confiscated. Representatives of the Russian interior ministry’s Investigative Department have carried out over 70 searches alongside the latest arrests, seizing documents and computer equipment as evidence for the case. Do you expect Russian authorities to arrest more suspects as part of the investigation against Finiko? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Kyber Network and BitTorrent have announced the integration of KyberSwap with BitTorrent Chain (BTTC) as their 11th chain integration, with more than $1.5M in liquidity mining and trading incentives available to users immediately. The partnership will accelerate DeFi’s adoption with the combined benefits of best trading and earning rates, ease of use, security, and multi-chain capabilities. Making Liquidity Mining Attractive KyberSwap is the leading multi-chain DEX and is the best place to trade and earn the most excellent rates in DeFi. As of March 2022, KeyberSwap was the #7 DEX in terms of TVL growth and facilitated over US$8B of the trading volume. BitTorrent is an EVM cross-chain designed protocol that adopts the PoS (Proof-of-Stake) mechanism and leverages sidechains to scale smart contracts. For the next 4 months, from 21st April, users of KyberSwap and BTTC can participate in more than US$1.5M of liquidity mining incentives. Will KyberSwap become the de-facto DEX with the most liquidity and swaps on BTTC and cross-chain bridging with Ethereum, BNB chain and Tron network? The partnership certainly hopes so. Why add liquidity on KyberSwap? KeyberSwap allows liquidity providers (LPs) to maximize returns with the best trading rates, attractive incentives and yields. Amplified Liquidity Pools have extremely high capital efficiency; fewer tokens are required to achieve better liquidity and rates than AMMs. Dynamic Fees that react to market conditions and optimize returns for LPs. Better Reliability & Security: Audited by ChainSecurity and insured up to $20M by Unslashed Finance. Fully Permissionless: Anyone can easily add liquidity for any token pair to KyberSwap pools, while any taker (e.g. Dapp, aggregator, or end-user) can access this liquidity. No Centralized Oracle: No third-party or centralized price feed oracle risks. Oracles refer to a middle software that shares info between non-blockchain sources and blockchain sources (central software that connects blockchain to the outside world) With KyberSwap, BTTC users can trade and earn with the best rates and access the full spectrum of multi-chain DeFi capabilities. With monthly trading competitions, community giveaways, and an exclusive airdrop for all users who participate on-chain, KyberSwap is making it more attractive to add liquidity and maximize returns using its platform; and that’s not all! Even more integrations, features, and rewards will be coming up soon! KyberSwap is excited about this partnership. The team is holding a sure-win trading contest with a $30,000 KNC reward pool to kick things off! Winning is straightforward; just follow the steps: Step 1: Visit kyberswap.com Step 2: Ensure you are on the BitTorrent Chain and have some BTT tokens in your wallet for gas fees. Step 3: Perform ANY token swap. The minimum trade volume is $100. All trades must be carried out on kyberswap.com. From 21st to 30th April, simply perform any token swap on BTTC to get your share of the rewards pool. For The Love of BTTC & KyberSwap The partnership between BTTC and KyberSwap brings attractive incentive campaigns for all users who love the two platforms. BitTorrent will be enhancing liquidity on KyberSwap with a $1.5 million liquidity mining campaign. Over the next four months, starting from April 21st SGT, liquidity providers can add any liquidity to the 13 eligible pools on KyberSwap on BTTC; to unlock their share of $1.5M in BTT and KNC rewards. BTTC farms on KyberSwap will be allocated over $1.5M in BTT and KNC rewards over four4 months. The following farms listed below will go live on Thursday, April 21st, 2022, at 20:00 GMT+8, and other farms to be announced. Saving the best for last and putting the cherry on top of this fantastic partnership, in their upcoming Gleam Campaign, there’s also $200 KNC to give away to five lucky winners! You have to follow some simple tasks, and five lucky winners will be selected at random to win $200 each in KNC! Full details will be announced later, so stay tuned to the announcements to avoid missing out! How to Start Liquidity Mining With BTTC In order to start farming $BTT and $KNC all you have to do is: Step 1: Visit kyberswap.com Step 2: Make sure you are on the BTTC network and have some BTT tokens for gas transaction fees. Step 3: Visit the Pools page and add liquidity into the eligible pools. Eligible Rainmaker pools are identifiable by a raindrop 💧 icon. You will receive Liquidity Provider (LP) tokens representing your pool share after you add liquidity. Step 4: Go to the Farm page and click Approve on the farm you wish to add liquidity to. Once approved, stake your LP tokens on the farm and you will start receiving BTT and/or KNC rewards, which can be harvested anytime. There is no vesting period! Make sure to check out the Kyber Network’s Medium post on the matter for the full details and explanations. To learn more visit Kyberswap.com and join the community on Twitter. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Banxico, the Central Bank of Mexico, has announced it expects the development of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital peso, to be completed in about three years. Victoria Rodríguez Ceja, the governor of Banxico, reported this before the Mexican Senate and added that the new currency should fulfill the three traits of money to create more financial inclusion. Governor of Banxico Reports CBDC Advancements Banxico has given a status update on its CBDC, the digital peso. The governor of Banxico, Victoria Rodríguez Ceja, informed that the bank had a rough approximation of the time it will take to complete and launch the currency. During the bank’s visit to the Senate to render its annual report, Rodríguez Ceja stated: We estimate that in this process we will take around three years for its definitive operation. The governor also stated this currency could be used as a means of exchange, as a unit of account, and as a store of value — three traits of money. The development of this currency was announced back in December 2021, when the governor, also before the Senate, talked about the possible functions that such a currency could have. Financial Inclusion and Payments Rodríguez Ceja compared cryptocurrencies and the CBDC that is in process of development, explaining the differences between the two. She stated that the upcoming digital currency was backed by the central bank, and will be part of the monetary base of the country. However, about cryptocurrencies, she warned: Crypto assets are unsupported assets, they are not legal tender currencies and due to variability they can be a risk for individuals who decide to have access to them. Banxico expects the future digital peso to be useful for improving the financial inclusion of more people into the banking system. In this sense, the currency is also being designed to provide another alternative for making payments. Rodríguez Ceja stated that this new currency does not have the goal of substituting the current system, but will serve as a tool to provide more opportunities to the underserved. According to the World Bank, Mexico lags in financial inclusion, with only 37% of adults having access to a bank account in 2021. In the same way, only 32% have made or received digital payments. This puts Mexico at a disadvantage when compared to similar countries in the area. The digital peso aims to improve this situation, with commercial banks also proposing to help in the design of the currency to fulfill its goals. What do you think about the statements of Victoria Rodríguez Ceja about the digital peso? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Forty-six European crypto businesses and organizations have asked finance ministers in 27 European countries to loosen some regulatory requirements for the crypto industry. For example, they asked for decentralized finance (defi) projects to be excluded from the requirements to register as legal entities. Crypto Industry’s Letter to EU Policymakers Forty-six European crypto businesses and organizations have sent a letter to 27 EU finance ministers regarding disclosure requirements for crypto transactions, Reuters reported this week, noting that it has seen the letter. In the letter, dated April 13, the businesses and organizations asked EU policymakers to ensure their regulations do not extend beyond the existing rules that are in line with the standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). They raised concerns about the rules requiring crypto firms to obtain information on parties involved in digital currency transfers. Specifically, they asked that the EU excludes decentralized projects, including decentralized finance (defi), from the requirements to register as legal entities. They also noted that certain decentralized stablecoins should not be subject to the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. The proposals leading to public disclosure of transaction details and wallet addresses “will put every digital asset owner at risk” by reducing crypto holders’ privacy and safety, the letter’s organizers noted. The European Parliament voted to advance the MiCA bill last month without the provision that would have effectively banned proof-of-work-based cryptocurrencies. The EU introduced MiCA to regulate all crypto issuers and service providers in the region. Coinshares CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti, one of the letter organizers, noted that European crypto regulations are currently more complex than other regions. She stressed that tough regulations have deterred businesses from expanding in Europe. Another letter organizer, Diana Biggs, chief security officer at Defi Technologies, opined: There hasn’t been strong enough or coordinated efforts across our industry in Europe. Do you think EU policymakers will loosen the disclosure requirements as requested? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Kadena, a proof-of-work-based cryptocurrency that also has the possibility of supporting smart contracts, has announced a new set of grants directed to incentivize the creation of Web3 experiences. This $100 million grant fund is part of the Kadena Eco initiative, whose objective is to offer builders a complete suite to deploy their solutions on top of the chain. Kadena Grants Seek to Attract People to Ecosystem Kadena, a top-100 cryptocurrency project that is based on proof-of-work (PoW) consensus but also offers the possibility of executing smart contracts, has revealed a new set of developer grants seeking to attract builders to its chain. The grant program, which will have $100 million available for interested teams, is part of the Kadena Eco program, which presents a set of other initiatives directed to help teams, companies, and startups to produce Web3 experiences. The Kadena Eco program includes several other aspects that are to be developed in the near future. Among them are an incubator for growing the skills of more developers in different projects, an accelerator to power other projects, and even a venture fund that aims to “propel companies using or pivoting to Kadena’s blockchain platform to realize their vision.” Regarding this full global support that Kadena seeks to offer builders, Stuart Popejoy, founder and CEO of Kadena, stated: We’re empowering builders to pioneer new projects that transform the world, and we’re doubling down on our promise to make that happen by actively and responsibly deploying our treasury resources to ensure long-term sustainability of our ecosystem. Grants Process and Similar Programs The grants program is already open and receiving proposals. The press release from the Kadena team explains that each of the proposals will be examined taking several key aspects into consideration that include: technical strength, detail of specifications, team experience, and usefulness for its ecosystem. The team will be receiving proposals in the areas of gaming, metaverse, NFT, Web3, DeFi, and DAOs. However, recipients of this grant will have to also abide by Kadena’s requirements, and contribute to the ecosystem by producing material directed to teaching other members of the community about the programming of their products. Web3 has become a very important focal point for many companies and funds that are investing and offering incentives for builders. Griffin Gaming Partners announced one of the biggest funds for Web3 and gaming in March, raising $750 million at that time. The Avalanche Foundation also launched a $200 million fund called Blizzard last November, which seeks to invest $200 million in innovations built on top of Avalanche. What do you think about Kadena’s $100 million Web3 development fund? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

On April 22nd Michael Cameron the CEO and Co-founder of Game Space announced that it has released one of the first GaaS “GameFi as a Service” Platform. Game Space also announced that it had received more than US $7 million in financing. This round of financing is jointly led by top-tier VCs, Listed Gaming companies and top-tier Exchanges. Game Space provides a one-stop GameFi as a Service for large gaming companies and AAA titles, one line of code SDK integration, as well as an NFT exchange engine that can be embedded in games, helping the GameFi project shorten the launch time by up to half a year and greatly reducing the threshold for game companies to enter into Web3. Game Space focuses on being a one-stand solution for AAA gaming studios, making sure there are no limitations for the Gaming companies Game Space works with. Game Space ensures this by having a flexible Tech Stack and compatibility with both EVM and non-EVM Public chains. Also, the Game Space system allows SDK integration to work with any gaming engine so there are no restrictions or incompatibility with any games on the market. Game Space strongly believes GameFi as a Service represents the next stage of Web3 growth. According to DappRadar, major VCs invested a record $4b in GameFi in 2021, compared to $80m in 2020. The capital invested in GameFi in 2021 is 5,000% higher than in 2020 and in 2022 more than $6b has already been raised in the GameFi industry for companies such as Mobox, Sandbox and Epic Games, etc. You can see this firsthand in the way OpenSea, Rarible and other top-tier NFT marketplaces have disrupted traditional Web2 services. The same thing is now happening with Game Space, which is providing gaming companies with a fast and cost-effective GameFi as a Service platform that can help their Web1 and Web2 games transition smoothly to Web3. Why Would a Gaming Company Use the Game Space GaaS model? Instant gratification is a big driving force behind the adoption of Web3. Companies want frictionless access to core services that someone else delivers and maintains. Deloitte leader Mohit Mehrotra says “There are several other forces driving the popularity of “software as a service” including the desire for personalization and access instead of ownership. Further, the GaaS model, in particular, is democratizing business functions. Businesses do not need to spend time and money to build up departments and or software. Now, they can deploy ready-made GameFi Games” Eight out of 10 companies say “software as a service” has helped their organization reinvent business processes, develop new products and change how they sell to customers. In addition, Game Space offers companies much more flexibility than just those listed. With the “GameFi” industry being so successful, it’s very clear why Game Space has had so much success so far raising an initial financing seed round of more than US $7 million from very accredited Investors, VCs Listed Gaming companies and Exchanges with their current seed round ending in Q3 of 2022 and their private round open until Q4, Enabling Game Space with the resource’s to work with Large AAA Gaming Studios. Gaming companies cannot upgrade their systems to Web3 quickly enough to keep up with the market demand. Users expect change and new content instantly. The reason for Game Spaces’ early success is their ability to work with large AAA gaming studios to help them upgrade their games to Web3 in a matter of days and be able to add or remove what they need in real-time and at their own will. Game Space has helped move traditional gaming companies to GameFi Applications and combines its GaaS software giving solutions that fit the needs of every business and consumer. How Game Space marries up with Gaming The Game Space model is a natural fit for Gaming. Medium to large size companies must effectively and efficiently compete for sales in a crowded marketplace. Through Game Space, companies can launch a multi-chain direct-to-consumer solution without having to build anything in-house. Everything the business needs is available to use right at your fingertips. Through the Game Space Management System, game operators can easily distribute game NFTs through Mystery Boxes, Airdrops, and Listings. Game Space also bridged together multiple chains and networks with a one-button deployment solution to help gaming companies quickly publish on multi mainstream public chains including BSC, ETH, SOL, POLYGON, etc. Michael Cameron also said that the Game Space GameFi as a Service platform released has been in development for more than a year. The new funds will be used to continue the development of the GaaS platform, including the second phase of the NFT exchange engine, multi-chain deployment, Enterprise Admin panel, Gaming DAO components, cross-game NFTs, etc. All the technical aspects of maintaining a safe and secure system are managed by Game Space. Getting the development, Token economics and business process correct is such an important task and it can be expensive to build a team to achieve this. However, using the Game Space GaaS platform can save up to 90% of upfront costs and time compared to developing such a system in-house. The reason Game Space is the perfect fit for helping Gaming companies is they already have the knowledge, people, processes, tech stack, partners and SDK ready to go. Game Space is a way for businesses to focus on what they are best at while outsourcing the parts where they are not as strong. Game Space acts as a plug-and-play system, so companies can choose the business services they need and forget the ones they don’t. Game Space is the next step in GaaS evolution and will continue to connect and collaborate with great businesses and gaming guilds around the world. Game Space has already signed a strategic cooperation with a number of listed game companies, and several AAA-rated gaming titles are already testing access to the Game Space GaaS system. Many of the titles have more than 10 million users in markets such as South East Asia, Japan, South Korea, and South America. These games are expected to complete the chain reform in Q2 of this year and release blockchain versions of their games within 2022. You can reach Game Space on their website at https://game.space or on their Twitter account at https://twitter.com/Gamespace_NFTs For more info: https://linktr.ee/Gamespacenft This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. 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A new study has found that 25% of U.S. cryptocurrency investors own or rent land in the metaverse, or plan to acquire the same. Out of four generations, the Baby Boomer generation has the highest (18%) proportion of crypto investors interested in owning or renting land in the metaverse. Gen Z Less Likely to Own/Rent Property in Metaverse About 25% of cryptocurrency investors in the United States are either owners or rent land in the metaverse, or have plans to, the findings of a study have shown. The findings also show the Baby Boomer generation has the highest proportion of respondents (18%) that are interested in renting or owning space in the metaverse. Millennials, according to the study results, are the generation with the next highest proportion of respondents (12%) that already own or are planning to acquire land or rent in the metaverse. And not far behind are generations X and Z which are tied at 11% each. While it is identified as the digitally native generation in the study report, Gen Z “was less likely than any other generation queried to either already own or want to own/rent property in the metaverse.” In other key findings, the study, which was undertaken by Cinch Home Services, found that 17% of men plan to invest in property in the metaverse while only 10% of the women had such plans. Meanwhile, the study results suggest current owners of land in the metaverse are willing to spend an average of less than $1,750. “[Around] $1,743 was the average amount those who currently, or had plans to own or rent land in the metaverse would be willing to spend,” the study findings suggested. As explained in the report, this figure ($1,743) is $700 more than “the average U.S. rent for a one-bedroom apartment.” Property Location Most Desired Feature Meanwhile, as shown in the study’s findings, the location of a property in the metaverse —just as in physical real estate — is listed as the most desired feature of virtual property. Style, lot size, square footage and display of NFTs are the four other most desired features of virtual property. When asked about the type of virtual property they were interested in buying, some 44% chose a customized home. Private island (38%), land with natural resources (33%), and my childhood home (32%) are the next most popular types of virtual property. What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

On Friday, the Latin American cryptocurrency platform Bitso announced that the company plans to offset carbon emissions from its bitcoin and ERC20 token transactions carried out on the platform. Bitso is partnering with the carbon offset platform Moss.Earth in order to curb the crypto company’s environmental impact. Bitso to Offset Crypto Transaction Carbon Emissions by Partnering With Moss.Earth In mid-February, the Mexico-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitso revealed it was expanding into the Colombian market after witnessing a growing interest in the Latin American region. Following the expansion announcement, on April 22, Bitso announced it has partnered with the carbon offset platform, Moss.Earth. According to Bitso, the partnership aims to offset the crypto exchange’s carbon emissions tied to the BTC and ERC20 tokens the trading platform sends on a regular basis. Bitso says that “Moss will offset all carbon emissions produced by all bitcoin and ERC20 token transactions on Bitso.” Alongside these transactions, ethereum, tether (USDT), chainlink (LINK), and shiba inu (SHIB) transactions will be offset. “This initiative marks the beginning of Bitso’s larger climate initiative aimed at supporting sustainable growth in the region,” the Latin American cryptocurrency platform’s statements sent to Bitcoin.com News explain. As crypto adoption increases throughout the world, it’s imperative that we address environmental impacts. By partnering with Moss – a company at the cutting edge of blockchain and sustainability – we’re demonstrating to the larger crypto community that innovation and environmental responsibility can and should co-exist,” Felipe Vallejo Dabdoub, Bitso’s chief corporate and regulatory officer remarked during the announcement. Dabdoub added: We are really proud to announce that as of today, all our clients’ BTC and ERC20 token transactions in Bitso won’t impact the environment, and moreover will help contribute to conservation projects in the Amazon rainforest. Crypto-Related environmental concerns Have Increased a Great Deal During the Last 12 Months, Moss CEO Hopes Other Crypto Firms Join During the last 12 months, environmental concerns about proof-of-work (PoW) crypto asset networks like Ethereum and Bitcoin have increased a great deal. Politicians and regulators across the globe have been signaling that the crypto industry’s environmental impact, caused by PoW networks, may need strict public policy measures. Meanwhile, well before bureaucrats and regulators cracked down on this issue, digital currency firms have been proactive toward greener solutions. Luis Felipe Adaime the CEO and Founder of Moss explained on Friday that the organization hopes other crypto firms will follow Bitso’s lead. “We’re proud to partner with Bitso, an important leader within the digital currency space,” Adaime said. “Our hope is that other projects within the space will follow suit to offset their carbon footprint.” What do you think about Bitso partnering with Moss to offset carbon emissions tied to the platform’s crypto transactions? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On Friday, users leveraging the Web3 wallet Metamask complained about service outages after Infura, Metamask’s default endpoint suffered from a “major outage.” The wallet company addressed the situation and explained the problems were due to Infura combating an outage. Metamask Users Deal With Connection Issues After Infura Suffers From Service Disruption One of the most popular Web3 cryptocurrency wallets Metamask had issues today after the software’s default endpoint suffered from a “major outage.” On April 22, 2022, Infura’s status web page notes that ten components from the service suffered a major outage. Infura’s status page also notes that five components from the service suffered a partial outage. Metamask’s official Twitter page addressed the issue as it said: “If you’re currently experiencing issues with Metamask, it may be because of the outage that [Infura] is actively combating,” the company tweeted on Friday. “Wish we could say GM fam,” Infura tweeted. “We apologize for the service disruption and inconvenience. Our team is all-hands-on-deck working to resolve the incident.” Social media platforms and Reddit forums have been littered with comments asking whether or not Metamask is down. Many others criticized Metamask and Infura over the outage situation. “If Metamask wants to use Infura by default, that’s fine, but it should also users to auto-switch to a mix of vetted backups (so as not to overwhelm any single one) in the event Infura is down,” one individual wrote on Twitter on Friday. In addition to Metamask’s and Infura’s service announcements many other defi projects, companies and marketplaces issued warnings. “[Infura] has suffered a major outage, which is affecting things like Metamask who use their RPC. So, if you’re having issues with your wallet atm, that’s probably why,” the NFT marketplace Looksrare said. Many utilized different endpoint solutions to access their Web3 accounts following the outage. At the time of writing, Infura’s status page says that the company’s systems are “operational.” What do you think about Metamask’s and Infura’s outage issue today? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On Thursday, the bitcoin mining and flare gas mitigation firm Crusoe Energy Systems Inc. revealed it secured $505 million in new capital from strategic investors. According to the announcement, the Series C equity funding round was led by the climate technology venture capital firm G2 Venture Partners (G2VP). Crusoe Energy Systems Secures $505 Million From Strategic Investors Following the report that said Crusoe Energy Systems was working on a gas-to-bitcoin mining pilot with the gas giant Exxon, Crusoe has announced the company has raised $505 million in new funding. The Series C financing round was led by G2 Venture Partners (G2VP) and the latest funding brings Crusoe’s total capital raised to $747.5 million. The Series C announced on Thursday closed at $350 million, but Crusoe also secured credit facilities that are expandable up to $155 million. Crusoe says the new capital will accelerate the company’s mission to “align the future of computing with the future of the climate.” In addition to G2VP, the firms Valor Equity Partners, Lowercarbon Capital, Polychain Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Founders Fund, MCJ Collective, Winklevoss Capital, Zigg Capital, DRW Venture Capital, Atreides Management, Exor Seeds, CMT Digital, and Upper90 participated as well. New investors in Crusoe include Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures, Inclusive Capital Partners, Engine No. 1, Tao Capital, Felicis Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, and Mitsui & Co. Crusoe’s Data Facilities ‘Prevented an Estimated 2.5 Billion Cubic Feet of Flaring’ The Series C and credit facilities will allow Crusoe to deploy large-scale bitcoin mining and cloud computing operations. The funding will also “propel expansion of [Crusoe’s] Digital Flare Mitigation within the United States and internationally,” the company said. Presently, Crusoe manages 86 Digital Flare Mitigation facilities and the company estimates a lot of carbon is removed from the atmosphere. “[Crusoe’s] data centers have prevented an estimated 2.5 billion cubic feet of flaring and achieve up to 99.89% elimination of methane emissions, whereas flares typically emit a significant amount of uncombusted methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps 82.5 times more heat than CO2 over a 20-year timeframe.” Ben Kortlang, a partner at G2 Venture Partners says that the elimination of carbon emissions is extremely helpful toward affecting climate change. “Eliminating methane emissions from flaring is an immediately actionable and impactful step toward mitigating climate change. Crusoe’s technology converts stranded gas into valuable computing resources,” Kortlang said in a statement. “After a deep dive into flare mitigation and modular data center technologies, we concluded that Crusoe is the clear leader in scale, operational excellence, talent, vision and proven commitment to environmental standards.” Meanwhile, Crusoe is not the only bitcoin mining and flare gas mitigation firm. Other companies offering gas-to-bitcoin solutions include Greenidge Generation, Upstream Data, and EZ Blockchain. For instance, the company EZ Blockchain revealed last May that the company was working on a gas-to-bitcoin solution with an oil and gas provider from Texas, Silver Energy. What do you think about Crusoe Energy Systems raising $505 million from strategic investors? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Bezoge Earth, the creators of The Legends of Bezogia are thrilled to release the full theatrical trailer for their upcoming crypto-based MMORPG game where players from all around the world can come together and experience the wild and wonderful world of Bezogia. The Biggest Play & Earn Game You’ve Never Heard of The Legends of Bezogia, the land where everything always goes up, is an open-world MMORPG metaverse game where players can summon their own unique Bezogi NFT characters from a selection of eight different breeds by summoning in-game. Each unique to their own playstyles and lore, Bezogi pillage, mint, summon and explore the epic lands of Bezogia. The trailer highlights all of the breeds playable within the Legends of Bezogia giving viewers a hint into their background and play style showcasing some of their key skills and traits. Produced and edited in the typical light-hearted & comical fashion, The Legends of Bezogia is expected to shake up the crypto gaming world with top-notch graphics, a rich story experience, hilarious crypto memes and an epic world for gamers to get lost in. The Future of the Crypto Gaming Industry With a full in-house team of over 30 people, The Legends of Bezogia aims to set a new standard in the crypto gaming world. The Legends of Bezogia is expected to take the industry by storm and the trailer is a clear indication of just how far ahead it is ahead of the competition. Exciting Game Updates With the Alpha signup now live, adventure-packed quests are being added to the game’s content along with magical blocks, a new crypto token which can be used in-game to mint items, summon Bezogi characters, enter PVP arenas and various other in-game activities which will be announced in up-coming updates & via social media. Additionally, the Bezoge team will hold a weekly Ask Me Anything (AMA) where all the latest game updates are discussed openly with the community. Some of the latest updates include influencer partnerships, guild partnerships & weekly 100 billion $Bezoge giveaways. In-Game Tokens Bezoge Earth ($BEZOGE) – Governance token of the project which can be used in-game to: Gain rewards and royalties from in-game transactions on-chain. Discounted minting of items & NFTs In-game benefits. XP boosts. Magical Blocks ($MBLK) – Can be used in-game to: Mint items. Summon bezogi characters. Enter PVP arenas. Other in-game transactions. Not yet released, coming very soon. $BEZOGE tokens can be purchased on the following exchanges: Uniswap (V2) – WETH/BEZOGE MEXC – USDT/BEZOGE LBank – USDT/BEZOGE Hotbit – nUSD/BEZOGE For more information on The Legends of Bezogia please visit https://bezoge.com Press Contact press@bezoge.com / Carrie Shuffield About Bezoge Earth: Founded in 2021, Bezoge Earth, under the game title of The Legends of Bezogia is an emerging Crypto based MMOPRG Play & Earn Blockchain Game, available in Alpha on PC & Android-based devices, with the full global release planned in Q3 2022. Bezoge Earth’s portfolio of products begins with Legends of Bezogia, the first crypto game for non-crypto people, alongside the $Bezoge token and Bezogi/Petzogi NFT’s. Bezoge Earth’s products are designed for maximum functionality working cross-chain with cutting edge technology representing the future of the crypto gaming industry. With “The First Crypto Game for Non-Crypto People ” as its brand essence, Bezoge Earth aims to empower today’s crypto gaming community by breaking down complicated barriers to entry into the crypto gaming metaverse. Bezoge Earth aims to shake up the industry by making it accessible and fun for everyone combining rich and exciting lore, thrilling game mechanics and flexible playstyle options to appeal to anyone who wants to dive in and play. The Bezoge Earth team works worldwide, covering Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. Expanding at a phenomenal rate, the Bezoge Earth team now employs more than 40 in-house team members, working decisively on blockchain development, game development, 3D design, 2D design, marketing, corporate development and more. Bezoge Earth has huge plans to become the No.1 flagship MMORPG globally on all devices with strong value propositions including Play & Earn, NFT Smart Functionality and most importantly, a totally enthralling backstory. For more information on Bezoge Earth, please visit: http://www.bezoge.com/ Link to Press: https://www.bezoge.com/press/the-legends-of-bezogia-full-theatrical-trailer This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

NEAR was one of the big movers in today’s trading session, as prices fell by almost 10% on Friday. RUNE and EOS also slipped to end the week, with the latter also dropping by double-digits in the session. Near Protocol (NEAR) NEAR was one of the biggest tokens to fall on Friday, as a red wave swept over cryptocurrency markets to end the week. Following a peak of $17.12 on Thursday, NEAR/USD dropped to a bottom of $15.12 during today’s trading session. As a result of this drop in price, NEAR fell below its recent support level of $15.45, for the first time since the start of the week. Following a breakout of the ceiling at $17.50, prices recently rose to a one week high of $17.77 on Wednesday, however this upwards momentum was short lived. The turnaround saw prices drop for three consecutive sessions, leading to the 14-RSI to track at its weakest point in over six weeks. Now in oversold territory, bears will likely try to push prices even lower, whilst bulls could see this as an opportunity to buy low. EOS Similar to NEAR, EOS has also held firm at a recent resistance level, leading to a selloff during today’s session. EOS/USD fell to an intraday low of $2.48 earlier on Friday, after trading above $2.84 less than 24-hours ago. Following a false breakout of the $2.75 ceiling, EOS has gone on to fall for two consecutive sessions, with today’s decline taking us to a short-term floor. As seen on the chart, $2.45 has recently acted as the first line of defense for fading prices, and should bears’ overpower this point, we could see a decline to $2.20. Despite this, the moving averages of 10-days and 25-days respectively, have gained in proximity, increasing the chances for a crossover. Should this occur, plus the 14-day RSI staying above its current floor of 48.9, then we may see prices rebound strongly to begin the weekend. Do we expect the crypto red wave to pass heading into the weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. View the full article

On April 22, the payments giant Stripe announced that it is expanding global payouts with crypto assets via a new pilot. Stripe’s crypto executive Karan Sharma revealed crypto payouts for the firm’s Connect service to a select group of Twitter users as the social media platform is Stripe’s first partner. Stripe and Twitter Partner to Test Crypto Payouts Feature Using the Stablecoin USDC Stripe revealed on Friday that it plans to allow businesses to pay users in digital currencies via a pilot through Stripe’s Connect service. The company’s first partner is Twitter and crypto payouts will at first start with usd coin (USDC) payments. Starting today, a specific amount of selected crypto users will be paid in USDC if they obtain earnings from Twitter services like Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces. “With crypto payouts for Connect, Twitter will make it possible for creators who opt in to have their earnings paid out to a cryptocurrency wallet,” Sharma’s blog post explains. “Stripe will handle all crypto-related complexity and operations. No code changes are required, and platforms can avoid taking on the challenges of acquiring, storing, or transferring crypto themselves.” Both Stripe and Twitter are no strangers to crypto assets, and the social media company introduced crypto tipping at the end of September 2021. While Stripe says the initial crypto support will be USDC, the USDC transfers will be executed via the Polygon network. “[Users] can hold their balance on Polygon, or choose to bridge to Ethereum and exchange it into another currency,” Sharma said. “We plan to add support for additional rails and payout currencies over time.” Stripe further detailed that the company was eager to share this new feature with other partners. The company has published an integration guide and interested participants can request access to the beta program. “We’re excited about what this represents and about the potential for cryptocurrencies to help solve real-world problems, especially outside of major markets,” Sharma’s blog post concludes. “By the end of the year, [Stripe] plans to support crypto payouts in more than 120 countries.” What do you think about Stripe’s new payouts in crypto and partnering with Twitter to pilot the program? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Following recent back-to-back surges in price, both ETH and BTC were down during Friday’s session. Bitcoin fell by almost 5% today, while ETH was down by a similar figure, with both retreating back towards levels of support. Bitcoin After a strong rebound in prices mid-week, the world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading lower on Friday, as BTC fell to its support level. Following a peak of $42,699.87 during Thursday’s session, BTC/USD fell to an intraday low of $40,063.83 earlier today. This was marginally below the long-term floor of $40,100 for bitcoin, and comes as prices failed to break out of yesterday’s resistance at $42,700. Despite the break coming very close to occurring, this historical resistance point held firm, with bulls giving way to a bearish onslaught. Price strength has also turned to weakness, with the 14-day RSI failing to break its own resistance of 48.77. As of writing, this indicator is now trading at a floor of 42.85, and should this level break, then we could be in-store for a red wave this weekend. Ethereum The red wave may have already begun in the eyes of ETH bulls, as prices once again fell below support of $3,000. Despite a recent run, which saw prices rise to as high as $3,187.93 less than 24 hours ago, ETH/USD slipped to a low of $2,962.41 today. The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency moved below its long-term floor of $3,000 as a result, as prices once again consolidated. Just yesterday, markets were preparing for an extended bullish run, with traders targeting $3,300, with the more optimistic eyeing a $3,500 ceiling. However, as with bitcoin, ETH failed to move past resistance, as bears re-entered the market in huge numbers at the $3,150 ceiling. As a result of today’s drop, the 14-day RSI is also tracking at support, which means we could still see either an extension of today’s fall, or a rebound in price to begin the weekend tomorrow. Could we see ETH and BTC continue to consolidate for the remainder of April? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View the full article

The central bank of Ukraine has introduced additional restrictions on international transactions that will prevent Ukrainians from buying crypto assets abroad with the national fiat. The measures are intended to reduce capital outflow amid an ongoing military conflict with Russia. Ukraine Citizens Not Allowed to Buy Crypto Abroad From Local Currency Accounts The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has issued a notice detailing the introduction of certain restrictions on cross-border transactions that private individuals can make. The move aims to curb the “unproductive outflow of capital from the country under martial law,” the regulator stated. Ukrainian residents will be allowed to acquire assets that can be directly converted to cash, or quasi cash transactions, using only their own foreign currency up to the equivalent of 100,000 hryvnia ($3,400) per month. The limit applies to cross-border peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers as well. These non-cash transfers can be carried out with cards issued to accounts in foreign currency. The quasi cash transactions include a range of operations like replenishment of electronic wallets or forex accounts, payment of traveler’s checks, and purchase of virtual assets, the monetary authority elaborated. The new regulations come after when, in March, the largest commercial bank in Ukraine, Privatbank, halted hryvnia transfers to cryptocurrency exchanges. In order to facilitate financial support for Ukrainian refugees abroad, the NBU allows Hryvnia account holders to make cross-border P2P transfers within the 100,000-hryvnia monthly limit. However, the central bank emphasized that quasi cash transactions from these accounts in national currency are temporarily prohibited. The National Bank of Ukraine insists that these rules will help to improve the country’s foreign exchange market, which it considers a precondition for easing restrictions in the future. The regulator is also convinced that the measures will reduce the pressure on Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves. The Ukrainian foreign exchange market has processed significant volumes of foreign currency purchases by local banks for settlements with international payment systems. Such transfers reached $1.7 billion in March. The demand for these settlements stems from the increased use of cards issued by Ukrainian banks to accounts in national currency for the purchase of goods and services outside the country. Bank cards are also employed in quasi cash transactions that the NBU says are mainly carried out to circumvent its restrictions, particularly for investing abroad which is prohibited under the current martial law. The bank notes, however, that the new limitations do not apply to the use of cards to pay for goods and services in Ukraine and outside the country. What do you think about the new restrictions on crypto purchases imposed by the National Bank of Ukraine? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. View the full article

Implementing a recently signed presidential decree, the government of Belarus has introduced a procedure allowing the state to seize digital currency holdings. The move will grant law enforcement authorities in Minsk powers to seize crypto assets linked to illegal activities. Justice Ministry Regulates Confiscation of Digital Coins in Belarus The Ministry of Justice of Belarus has established a legal procedure for the seizure of cryptocurrency funds as part of enforcement proceedings, the crypto news outlet Forklog reported, quoting an announcement released by the department. The measure aims to implement a decree by President Alexander Lukashenko pertaining to the country’s crypto space. Signed by the Belarusian leader in February, it orders the creation of a special register for crypto wallet addresses used for illicit purposes. Authorities conducting the criminal process will account for the seized or forfeited crypto funds, the justice ministry detailed. Its document dated April 14 also covers the foreclosure of digital assets as part of confiscations of debtors’ property and regulates their valuation. The government in Minsk had three months to take the necessary steps to implement Lukashenko’s latest crypto-related order after which it will enter into force. Belarus legalized various crypto activities with another presidential decree signed in late 2017 and enforced in May of the following year. It introduced tax breaks and other incentives for crypto businesses operating as residents of the Hi-Tech Park (HTP) in Minsk within efforts to develop the country’s digital economy. The former Soviet republic, a close ally of Russia, does not allow the use of cryptocurrencies in payments. Nevertheless, Belarus ranks third in the region in terms of crypto adoption, according to the Crypto Adoption Index produced by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, largely due to strong peer-to-peer activity. In March last year, Lukashenko hinted at a possible tightening of the country’s crypto regulations and referred to China’s policies. However, HTP officials later clarified that Belarusian authorities had no plan to adopt stricter rules for the industry. What’s more, in February of this year, the Ministry of Finance proposed amendments that will allow investment funds to acquire digital assets. Do you expect Belarus to change its policies towards cryptocurrencies? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. If you’re keen on learning about the crypto industry, Dohrnii academy is one of the best educational platforms with content tailored to each user’s needs. You must have read all the rave and positive things about crypto in the last couple of years. With its emergence, people have been able to devise business solutions and even build wealth, as a result of their knowledge about the space. However, the crypto space still has a huge potential as more organizations and institutions embrace the idea of decentralized finance (DeFi), web 3, smart contracts, DAOs, Non-Fungible Token (NFTs), etc. Dohrnii Academy is the best platform to learn about the crypto industry, understand the technology behind it, and what are the main market drivers. In addition, it is one of the best academies to get quality, university-standard, expert-curated courses about the crypto and financial market. Why you should care about quality education in the crypto space With the right educational tools, you can accelerate the speed at which you learn. Rather than wasting time trying to understand where to start and what to begin with, the Dohrnii academy structured the content in a way that is coherent and that builds up over time. The goal is to give you the knowledge to make your own decisions. Quality education is like holding the correct map to a specific destination. Although how and what you use to navigate the terrain is up to you, you still understand what stands as barriers and the direction you should go. Therefore, you can develop or implement great investment strategies with valuable knowledge. Quality education helps you spot lies and scams quickly. Once you know how crypto works and get familiar with what accurate data and trends could mean for the future, it becomes easy to notice when some projects are too good to be true. As a result of quality information, you have an advantage when it comes to making wise decisions. It saves you time, money, and heartaches in the long run. So, how do you get this quality education? Dohrnii Academy Dohrnii Academy is a platform where beginners and experts can get quality crypto education for free. It is one of the features of the Dohrnii ecosystem, a project aiming to empower people to achieve financial freedom. The academy is set up to change the narrative about what you must do to get a quality education. You don’t have to pay to get it. You don’t have to graduate before you can earn income with your knowledge, and you don’t have to follow the same learning pattern as everyone else. How Dohrnii creates value and solves common problems people have when learning Learn to earn Understanding that everyone needs a gentle nudge to act, Dohrnii is created an incentive mechanism which does just that. It gives you a reward as you progress through the journey, which they hope will attract and motivate you to learn about the industry. As you probably have heard from great investors like Warren Buffet, the first step to a smooth investment journey is understanding how the investment works. Dohrnii academy is offering you a great opportunity to understand the crypto market and get rewarded for completing courses and partaking in challenges and contests. Gamified approach More than an individual journey, the Dohrnii Academy is a social app. A crucial part of the platform is the gamification element. Dohrnii wants you to have fun while gaining valuable skills. There are many good sources of information available online, but the problem is that it is very boring to go over them. Most people give up after a couple of minutes, attention span has reduced… With the Academy, you can invite your friends, compete with them, monitor your progress, collect badges, and join the leaderboard to try and win the league! The content Some people want to learn about crypto, the deep, and high-quality stuff, but they usually have to settle for random videos on the internet. You can put an end to that kind of learning style by signing up with Dohrnii academy for free. The content on the platform is developed by professors and experts in the respective fields. Conclusion Opportunities in the crypto space can be maximized with the right education. The platform ensures that the complexities of crypto topics are simplified, gamified, and tailored to each user’s needs. The social aspect of the platform will further drive user adoption through competition, with quizzes, challenges and other fun activities you can take part in, and of course win prizes in the process. 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

Cryptocurrencies have been proven to be a financial tool that can be used to store value or make payments by those excluded from the financial system. Yet, despite this being true in many jurisdictions, many of those that might benefit from cryptocurrencies are still not using them. Regulatory Uncertainty and Ignorance There may be several different reasons why this is the case, but as many in the crypto space have acknowledged, regulatory uncertainty and ignorance are often the key factors that dissuade prospective users from adopting this fintech. Therefore, in order to overcome these and other barriers, entrepreneurs like Tadii Tendayi, the CEO and co-founder of Bitflex, have or are launching fintech solutions anchored on blockchain tehcnology. To understand how Bitflex is aiming to use the blockchain to benefit the masses, Bitcoin.com News recently reached out to the CEO via Linkedin. Below are Tendayi’s answers to questions sent to him by Bitcoin.com News. Financial Freedom a Human Right Bitcoin.com News (BCN): Can you start by telling our readers what made you decide to start this project and who else is behind it? Tadii Tendayi (TT): BitFlex was born out of the need to improve access to digital assets for Zimbabweans. It was registered in 2017. Given Zimbabwe’s current economic situation this is the easiest way to pay for products abroad. BCN: Is your startup already profitable or will this take a bit longer to achieve? TT: This will take a bit longer to achieve as right now Bitflex is focused on building strategic partnerships and supporting vulnerable communities through crypto. BCN: You say their firm’s objective is to increase Zimbabweans’ access to digital assets. Can you tell us why this is important? TT: Financial freedom is a human right, not a privilege yet getting access to funding remains a challenge for third world citizens in Africa and in our case Zimbabwe. However, the great thing about open source and decentralized assets such as bitcoin, is that they do not see colour, creed or borders. Everyone has access to it and can interact with the blockchain, even without an internet connection. This nullifies the need for a centralized party to decide where, when and to whom you can send value. The other reason why it is important to improve Zimbabweans’ access to digital assets are sanctions imposed on the country by the U.S. which affect citizens who have nothing to do with any political qualms. The sanctions block Zimbabweans’ access to the global financial system. BCN: Do you think enough Zimbabweans understand digital currencies or their usefulness to society? TT: Absolutely! This goes without saying. However, the blockchain is something new, not only in Zimbabwe but around the world hence these things need to be addressed on a national scale with educational programs that enable us to keep up with the rest of the world. BCN: Apart from receiving grants from Polygon and Celo, how else is Bitflex getting funded or from whom is your firm getting financial support? TT: We have mostly been bootstrapping through our stakeholders and directors while working on building relationships. Bitflex has also received a grant from an amazing blockchain project called Gooddollar, which focuses on UBI (Universal Basic Income). BCN: I understand your company had or has plans to do remittances using the blockchain. What is the latest and why did your company choose to do this using blockchain? TT: While banks and other financial institutions are not as effective in processing money transfers, such services may no longer be adequate for today’s more dynamic and sophisticated money transfer needs. And while we do have third party services such as Western Union and World Remit, the blockchain is needed because it is faster and cheaper. BCN: Bitflex also appears to be doing charity related work. Why is it necessary for a startup to be involved in such work? TT: This is something that we believe is the goal of Bitcoin and our way of paying homage and attempting to shorten the wealth gap. Everyone has a right to access funds and financial freedom and we can achieve this through bitcoin. It’s also important to educate people about how cryptocurrencies can be used for social responsibility initiatives. Everyone has a right to access funds and financial freedom and we can achieve this through bitcoin. BCN: From your perspective as the president of a local blockchain association, do you see many African countries choosing to embrace this technology in the next five years? TT: Absolutely! African governments are beginning to see the benefits of Blockchain such as Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya which are and/or have launched CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency). I personally believe and hope that Africa unites and creates a single Blockchain that works to benefit all participating countries like the European Union’s Euro. Although this is something that would need an immense amount of lobbying and coordination which isn’t easy or cheap. BCN: A lot has been said about Zimbabwe being a country that is ideally placed to use cryptocurrencies, yet evidence on the ground suggests many are still hesitant. What do you think is the reason why many Zimbabweans are still not using or trading cryptos? TT: I will answer this in two parts, the first part is I agree that Zimbabwe could benefit from adopting and integrating blockchain technology into its financial system similar to El Salvador while bridging the gap between fiat and crypto. I do however think there is a lot of P2P trading within the country that is not put into the spotlight as there is no exchange but I can guarantee you that there is more P2P trading than you may expect. BCN: What must be done to persuade these prospective users? TT: There need to be platforms for users to trade and be able to exchange digital assets for local currency. Such as Coinbase or Binance. There is no reason why Zimbabweans shouldn’t have access to digital assets like our neighbours in South Africa, Nigeria etc. What are your thoughts about this interview? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Blizzard, a game studio and part of the Activision-Blizzard company, has started polling some gamers about the use of NFTs and cryptocurrency elements. The survey, which was only directed to some of its players, raised rumors about the possibility of the company introducing some of these elements into its games. However, Mike Ybarra, head of the studio, denied this possibility. Blizzard Makes Selective Poll, Includes NFTs and Play-to-Earn Subjects Blizzard, the game development studio that created franchises like Starcraft, Warcraft, and Overwatch, is polling some gamers about their opinions when it comes to NFTs and play-to-earn mechanics. According to sources on social media, the poll consulted players about issues that included other, more common topics for a gaming company, like augmented reality and cloud gaming. However, there was a section that asked directly about the opinion and the feelings of these users on the inclusion of NFTs and cryptocurrency elements in some of the gaming IPs (intellectual property) of the company. While the survey did not directly point to the implementation of these mechanics into any game, it did raise worries in some gamers about the possibility of this being in the works. However, the head of Blizzard, Mike Ybarra, denied the idea, declaring: No one is doing NFTs. NFTs in the Future Fans of Blizzard were surprised by the answer of Ybarra and the survey, deeming the situation illogical. However, this poll might be related to the future of Activision Blizzard after the acquisition announced by Microsoft for almost $69 billion in January. The future owner of the company, if the purchase clears the legal hurdles it faces, might be interested in taking some of Blizzard’s IPs to experiment with them, which would explain the existence of the exploratory poll. However, there has been no clear news about the origin of the poll. NFTs and the play-to-earn phenomena have been hotly debated topics amongst gamers of AAA franchises, who have shown resistance to the adoption of these elements in traditional games. However, some companies have already included them in part of their business plans, even investing in companies involved in the field. One of the most pro-crypto companies is Ubisoft, which has already launched its own NFT market, called Quartz, and has backed Animoca Brands, the company behind The Sandbox, one of the most well-known metaverse-based platforms. Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda has also declared support for these types of features, highlighting their benefits in a new year’s letter. What do you think about Blizzard polling gamers on NFTs and the play-to-earn movement? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article