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PRESS RELEASE. The leading virtual currency exchange, Bitcoin of America, is announcing its return to BTC 2022 in Miami. Bitcoin of America made headlines last year at Bitcoin 2021 for promoting females in the cryptocurrency space. This year the company is back and bringing even more of its female team, including its top women executives. The company has been vocal about making cryptocurrency inclusive to women and getting more females into the industry. Mayor Francis Suarez has become a staple in the cryptocurrency space with his immense support of Bitcoin and its importance in the emerging tech hub, Miami. Suarez spoke last year at the Bitcoin 2021 conference. This year, he is welcoming the all-women team from Bitcoin of America. “I am excited that Miami is hosting the largest Bitcoin conference for the second year. We don’t see very often promoting women in the cryptocurrency industry, and it’s refreshing to see a top operator like Bitcoin of America sending its all-female executive team.” Suarez said when speaking with Alice Gorodetsky, Bitcoin of America’s Director of Business Development. Bitcoin of America is known as the leading operator in the cryptocurrency industry to provide fast and hassle-free transactions to their customers while offering top of the line customer support. The company operates 2000 Bitcoin ATM locations across the United States and consistently expands. Last year at Bitcoin 2021 in Miami, the company splashed at the all-male dominated conference. Alice Gorodetsky, Samantha Miller, and Jenna Polinsky attended the previous year’s conference and were shocked to see how few women they saw in the space. Bitcoin of America hopes to encourage other women to join the industry and is looking to add even more females to its team! Current female employees have been vocal about Bitcoin of America’s excellent work environment and company culture. Bitcoin of America has continued to send their female executive team to attend conferences, expos, and more. They even revealed that most of their top tier positions are held by women. Bitcoin of America’s Chief Operating Officer, Operations Manager, Director of Marketing, Director of Agent Locations, and Director of Business Development are all run by powerful females. Bitcoin of America will be at the Bitcoin 2022 conference passing around women in crypto merchandise. Make sure to stop them and grab some goodies! 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

Coinbase is focusing on growing the crypto and Web3 ecosystem in India. “Combined with India’s world-class software talent, we believe that crypto and web3 technology can help accelerate India’s economic and financial inclusion goals,” said CEO Brian Armstrong. Coinbase Expanding in India With Web3 and Crypto Push The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase revealed its plan for India Monday. “India has built a robust identity and digital payments infrastructure and implemented it at rapid scale and speed,” CEO Brian Armstrong described, adding: Combined with India’s world-class software talent, we believe that crypto and web3 technology can help accelerate India’s economic and financial inclusion goals. The CEO continued: “Coinbase Ventures has already invested $150 million in home-grown Indian technology companies in the crypto and web3 space, and is constantly identifying new opportunities to help Indian founders scale.” He added that Coinbase’s Indian tech hub, launched last year, already has over 300 full-time employees all over India. Furthermore, Armstrong stressed that Coinbase will “continue to invest heavily” in its Indian hub, elaborating: We have ambitious plans for India and seek to hire over 1,000 people in our India hub this year alone. Coinbase will also be hosting a “crypto community event” in Bangalore Thursday to “discuss the future of crypto and web3 in India,” Armstrong said. The Indian government is currently working on the country’s crypto policy. Officials from the Indian ministry of finance are consulting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and India’s central bank on a crypto framework. In addition, India began taxing income from cryptocurrency at 30% without allowing loss offsets or deductions on April 1. Since then, crypto trading volumes at exchanges have plummeted. In a few months, a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS), will also be levied on crypto transactions. What do you think about Coinbase expanding in India? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The U.K. government has unveiled a detailed plan to make the country a global crypto hub and “a hospitable place for crypto.” The plan includes establishing a dynamic regulatory framework for crypto, regulating stablecoins, and working with the Royal Mint to create a non-fungible token (NFT) to be issued by the Summer. U.K. Wants to Be ‘the Very Best Place’ to Start and Scale Crypto Companies The British government unveiled several initiatives Monday as part of its plan to make the U.K. “a global cryptoasset technology hub.” They include regulating stablecoins, legislating for a “financial market infrastructure sandbox” to help firms innovate, holding a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)-led Cryptosprint, working with the Royal Mint on a non-fungible token (NFT), and establishing an engagement group to work more closely with the crypto industry. The British chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, commented: It’s my ambition to make the U.K. a global hub for cryptoasset technology, and the measures we’ve outlined today will help to ensure firms can invest, innovate, and scale up in this country. John Glen, the U.K.’s economic secretary to the Treasury, elaborated on the government’s crypto plan Monday at the Innovate Finance Global Summit. “We want this country to be a global hub — the very best place in the world to start and scale crypto-companies,” he emphasized, adding: If there is one message I want you to leave here today with, it is that the U.K. is … open for crypto businesses. “If crypto-technologies are going to be a big part of the future, then we — the U.K. — want to be in, and in on the ground floor. In fact, if we commit now … if we act now … we can lead the way,” the economic secretary stressed. A Detailed Plan to Lead the Crypto Space and Regulation of Stablecoins Commenting on “a detailed plan” the British government unveiled Monday, Glen noted that “the way we regulate crypto-technologies needs to be dynamic,” elaborating: We shouldn’t be thinking of regulation as a static, rigid thing. Instead, we should be thinking in terms of regulatory ‘code’ … like computer code … which we refine and rewrite when we need to. He then talked about stablecoin regulation. “I can confirm that we will be legislating to bring certain stablecoins into our payments framework … creating the conditions for stablecoin issuers and service providers to operate and grow in the U.K.,” he said. Regarding the regulation of the broader crypto market, the economic secretary clarified: “We think the market has changed sufficiently for us to look at regulating a broader set of crypto activities including trading of tokens like bitcoin … and we will consult on a world-leading regime for the rest of the crypto-market too.” Commenting on crypto taxation, he said: “We don’t think the tax code will need major surgery to make it work more easily for crypto. But we’re going to look at and resolve specific issues like the treatment of defi [decentralized finance] loans and staking.” Government to Work With Royal Mint on an NFT Before concluding his speech, the economic secretary confirmed: I am announcing today that the Chancellor has asked the Royal Mint to create a non-fungible token – an NFT … to be issued by the Summer. Regarding what the future of crypto in the U.K. would look like, he admitted, “No one knows for sure.” Nonetheless, emphasizing that “We’re on the cusp of something important” and “We have the opportunity to shape and lead it,” the economic secretary opined: We think that by making this country a hospitable place for crypto we can attract investment … generate swathes of new jobs … and create a wave of ground-breaking new products and services. What do you think about the British government’s plan to be a global crypto hub? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Since September 18, 2021, close to 250 Casascius physical bitcoins were redeemed over the last 198 days. On that day six months ago, there were 19,920 Casascius physical bitcoins left active and today, there are approximately 19,676 left to peel. 19,676 Casascius Physical Bitcoins Left to Peel During the last six months, approximately 244 Casascius physical bitcoins were redeemed for their digital value. The Casascius physical bitcoin collection created by Mike Caldwell is one of the most popular physical BTC collections. The rare coins are often sold for more than the digital face value and today, there are 19,676 physical coins left unredeemed or active, according to casasciustracker.com stats. Each physical bitcoin has a different fraction of digital BTC, as some coins carry .5 in BTC value while some hold a single BTC. Caldwell also made gold bars with bitcoins loaded onto them like the popular 100 BTC gold bar. There are Casascius physical bitcoins that hold 25 BTC and even units that carry 500 to 1,000 BTC. For instance, on March 30, 2022, an “S1-COIN-25” that’s worth 25 BTC was peeled and redeemed for the digital value of $1.14 million. The S1-COIN-25 also held 25 bitcoin cash (BCH) and 25 bitcoinsv (BSV), but those crypto assets have not been spent by the Casascius physical bitcoin owner. Five days prior, an “S2-COIN-5” was peeled and redeemed for 5 BTC or $230K. That Casascius physical bitcoin owner also saved the 5 BCH and the 5 BSV, as it has not been spent. While there are 19,676 physical coins from the Casascius collection left active, 8,262 have been redeemed so far. 42,516 Bitcoin Worth $1.9 Billion Remain Loaded on Casascius Physical Bitcoins, Unfunded Coins Sell for a Pretty Penny While there’s a few hundred less than 20K physical coins left unpeeled today, the number does not account for how much BTC is left unredeemed. There are approximately 42,516 BTC (UTXOs) left unredeemed on the 19,676 Casascius coins left unpeeled. According to today’s bitcoin (BTC) exchange rates, that’s $1.9 billion worth of bitcoin. Furthermore, Casascius physical bitcoins usually sell for higher than the digital value on secondary markets. Even unloaded coins, with the digital funds swept away, can sell for a pretty penny these days. For instance, an unloaded 25 BTC physical bitcoin with the funds swept away is selling for $21,000 on Ebay. In fact, it is hard to find a loaded Casascius physical bitcoin and there’s a slew of unfunded coins on the secondary market selling for collectible purposes only. On September 18, 2021, there were approximately 43,000 BTC left unspent loaded on 19,920 Casascius physical bitcoins. With 42,516 BTC left unredeemed today, that means 484 BTC worth $22.2 million has been redeemed over the last 198 days. What do you think about the fact that there are now 19,676 Casascius bitcoins left active today with 42,516 bitcoin left unredeemed? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

For the last 11 years, a mysterious wallet associated with the Mt Gox scandal has sat dormant holding close to 80,000 bitcoin worth $3.7 billion today. While the wallet was once the sixth-largest address a few years ago, today it’s the ninth-largest wallet in terms of bitcoin held, and the funds have never been spent since the first deposit on March 1, 2011. The Mysterious ‘1Feex’ Wallet and 79,957 Bitcoins On April 1, reports claimed that 6,800 bitcoin had moved from the Mt Gox cold wallet, but later the wallet was identified as F2pool’s cold wallet. The claims led to a lot of speculation and rumors concerning the so-called transfer and even a few reports about the subject from the media, that were later corrected. While the Mt Gox scandal bitcoins held by the trustee are interesting and everyone has been waiting years for these coins to be released, eventually the bitcoins owed to claimants will be distributed, and it’s not likely the transfer will move the price. The reason for this is that, while there’s a good amount of bitcoins, they will be distributed to multiple holders in all types of fractions and amounts. Some people may sell and others may hold the bitcoin for a longer period of time. However, there’s another wallet that’s a lot more ominous and it too is associated with the Mt Gox exchange and its downfall. The wallet is known as the “1Feex” bitcoin wallet and it currently holds 79,957.21 BTC worth $3.7 billion. The wallet has never sent any bitcoin out of the address and it’s received a great deal of dust transactions since it was created on March 1, 2011. The stash of 80,000 BTC is well known for being stolen from Mt Gox as the former CEO of the exchange, Mark Karpeles, explained it was a known recipient of stolen BTC. “This 1FeexV6bAHb8ybZjqQMjJrcCrHGW9sb6uF address is known as [the] recipient of some 80K BTC stolen from Mt Gox in March 2011,” Karpeles wrote four years ago. While no one knows who owns “1Feex,” the wallet could wake up from dormancy at any time. In fact, two big awakenings took place this year as thousands of stolen BTC moved for the first time in years. Thousands of Stolen, ‘Sleeping Bitcoins’ Have ‘Awoken’ in 2022 On February 1, 2022, stolen Bitfinex bitcoins were transferred to an unknown wallet and after 23 transactions, the wallet held approximately 94,643.29 BTC. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed a week later that law enforcement seized the cache of 94,643.29 bitcoin from a New York-based couple. Six days ago on March 29, 2022, 11,325 bitcoin moving from unknown wallets created in 2014, moved to a great number of different addresses. The funds, worth $540 million at the time of transfer, are suspected to be associated with the Cryptsy theft. The “1Feex” bitcoin wallet was also discussed in mid-July 2020 amid the Kleiman v. Wright trial. That month it was reported that Craig Wright, the man who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, allegedly had his legal team send letters about the “1Feex” bitcoin wallet. On June 12, 2020, the former CEO of Mt Gox, Mark Karpeles, tweeted about the letter. Since this time, discussions concerning the “1Feex” bitcoin wallet fizzled out of the limelight. Seven days later, after the discussions on Twitter, the bitcoin security specialists Wizsec published a comprehensive blog post concerning the “1Feex” bitcoin wallet. While less than the recent Bitfinex hack bitcoin, the stolen BTC in the “1Feex” bitcoin wallet is a lot larger than the recent Cryptsy theft bitcoin spend. The infamous “1Feex” bitcoin wallet has been a mystery for years, and the funds inside are now considered so-called ‘sleeping bitcoins.’ If these bitcoins do move, they will surely be caught by onchain parsers and blockchain forensics teams, and whoever moves them will be suspected of being involved with the Mt Gox breach. For now, the 79,957.21 BTC remains idle in the wallet after sitting for well over 11 years, and to this day, not a single satoshi has ever been sent out of it. What do you think about the mysterious “1Feex” bitcoin wallet? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Following recent multi-month highs, BTC continued to consolidate on Monday, as markets marginally fell to start the week. In addition to bitcoin, the current uncertainty in crypto markets also pushed ETH lower, falling below its $3,500 level as a result. Bitcoin BTC was trading in the red to start the week, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency continued to move away from recent highs. Following last week’s high above $48,220, BTC/USD hit a low of $45,839.92 earlier in today’s session. Since breaking out of the resistance last Monday, BTC has struggled to regain momentum, and is now down nearly 3%, following those highs seven days ago. Should bearish momentum continue, many expect to see bitcoin trading at its support of $45,000 as the week progresses, with some even anticipating a drop below this point. Looking at the chart, the 14-day RSI has also shown that price strength has eased, with the indicator currently tracking below its own ceiling of 63. Bulls will likely remain optimistic, as April has typically been a good month for BTC, with prices rising to previous record highs to start the second quarter of the year. Ethereum ETH has remained marginally higher in recent days, despite BTC falling, as it continues to showcase moments of negative correlation to bitcoin’s price trajectory. Despite this, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency finally correlated with bitcoin’s price movement today, as it fell below its $3,500 level. As of writing, ETH/USD has fallen to an intraday low of $3,456.41 to start the week, as prices found resistance at the $3,540 level. Overall ETH has climbed for 16 of the last 21 sessions, and this reflects in its seven day price gauge, which is still up by nearly 3%. Looking at the chart, the resistance level 71.45 in the RSI seems to be the main hurdle in stopping prices from moving to $3,800. Bulls may still believe in this occurring, as both short and long-term momentum continues to point upwards. Could we see ETH climb to $3,800 as soon as this week? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View the full article

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken a stake in Twitter Inc. after stating that he is “giving serious thought” to building a new social media platform — one that prioritizes free speech. An analyst says this could eventually lead to a buyout. Elon Musk’s Stake in Twitter Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk disclosed that he has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter Inc. in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Monday. The Elon Musk Revocable Trust, for which the Tesla boss is the sole trustee, now holds 73,486,938 shares of Twitter, the SEC filing details, adding that this amount represents 9.2% of Twitter’s common stock, based on 800,641,166 shares outstanding as of Feb. 10. The stake is worth $2.89 billion, based on Twitter’s closing price on Friday. Musk’s investment in the social media giant came a little over a week after he said he is “giving serious thought” to creating a new social media platform that would focus on free speech as a top priority. Musk, a frequent user of Twitter, also set up a poll on the platform asking his 80 million followers whether they believed Twitter rigorously adheres to the free speech principle. The Tesla boss hinted that the consequences of the poll “will be important.” Over two million votes were counted and 70.4% said no. With the 9.2% stake, Musk has become Twitter’s biggest shareholder. By comparison, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who stepped down as the CEO of the company last year, holds a 2.25% stake. While Musk’s investment in Twitter is considered a passive stake, investors are hopeful that this could lead to something more, and Twitter’s shares surged more than 25% in the pre-market. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told CNBC Monday: Musk could try to take a more aggressive stance here on Twitter … This eventually could lead to some sort of buyout. “This makes sense given what Musk has at least been talking about, at least from a social media perspective,” Ives added. The analyst also wrote in a note: “We would expect this passive stake as just the start of broader conversations with the Twitter board and management that could ultimately lead to an active stake and a potential more aggressive ownership role of Twitter.” Paul Hickey, Bespoke Investment Group’s co-founder, shared with CNBC: “Twitter is a $30 billion company. Elon Musk is worth $300 billion. It’s not necessarily a big stake for him … I’m thinking about it from a Tesla shareholder’s perspective. As they are growing, do you really want him taking his eye off the ball?” What do you think about Elon Musk taking a stake in Twitter Inc.? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA), a group integrated by a number of game developers and programmers from companies across the globe, has addressed the use of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in the gaming industry. The director of the group has stated that the introduction of these elements in gaming projects presents “ethical issues,” and this also might represent a “socio-political explosion waiting to happen.” IGDA’s Take on NFTs One of the biggest groups comprised of game developers and programmers has given its take when it comes to including NFTs in games, as some companies have started to do recently. The International Game Developers Association, (IGDA), thinks these elements might introduce some problems into the gaming activity. According to the interim director of the IGDA, Jakin Vela, the organization is planning to take action to raise awareness of the problems NFT gaming might bring. Vela told Ars Technica: [IGDA is] in the process of revising our stance to be a little stronger because there are actually a lot of ethical issues that come with NFTs. Another of the worries that the organization has is the “pyramid scheme” element that some of these games present to their participants, in the sense that some of them require a constantly growing userbase to keep their self-sustained economies afloat, like some play-to-earn (P2E) games. According to Vela, gamers are also affected by the unregulated character of the NFT environment, where gamers can put their whole employment activity in uncertain ecosystems outside of any official protection. This, with other aspects, might create a “socio-political explosion.” The Future Of Gaming While some companies have addressed the introduction of NFTs and play-to-earn games as an important element for the future of gaming, there has been heavy backlash from groups inside gaming that have opposed this new trend for several reasons. The IGDA has been part of this opposition from inside the industry and issued a call to action statement in July 2021. At the time, the organization declared: NFTs should never be used when a simple and far less costly database table can be managed to provide the same information and benefits. In the same statement, the organization recommends proof-of-stake (PoS)-based networks instead of proof-of-work (PoW) blockchains due to their energy efficiency. However, other industry insiders are sure that gamers are rejecting these ideas due to their lack of knowledge of the benefits the technology might bring them. This is the opinion of Nicolas Pouard, who is in charge in charge of blockchain developments at Ubisoft. What do you think about the inclusion of NFTs in gaming? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

It’s now possible to travel between metaverses thanks to Ertha’s Portal NFTs. The game’s passionate community has already spent over $60,000 on these NFTs, despite their purpose being a mystery until now. Ertha’s players will travel instantly between their home planet and Moon – a brand new Sci-Fi-inspired metaverse. Portals are an easy source of passive income. Players will need to purchase tickets to travel through and pay fees to transport cargo to its destination. Land owners earn revenue from each transaction. Purchasing a portal in Ertha is a smart investment. Each portal goes two ways, so owners in Ertha receive a portal NFT in Moon – for free (and vice-versa)! This new utility is also set to increase the value of the land surrounding each portal. Due to the convenience of player and resource transportation, they will also earn owners passive revenue due to the fees players will pay to travel through them. Portals will consistently have a high volume of activity. Just like Ertha’s city NFTs, portals are a unique business opportunity to earn revenue not just locally, but interplanetarily! Portals continue to boost Ertha’s profile. This news comes after the record-breaking $120,000 sale of Rome, $59,000 for Tokyo, and the majority of Sweden, which a single buyer purchased for $50,000. What is Ertha Metaverse? In Ertha, mankind finds itself on the brink of extinction. World leaders failed with their last-ditch attempts at saving Earth from its rapidly changing climate, and in the years that followed untold natural disasters devastated the planet. Players are given the opportunity to right the wrongs of our past by building a new world, from the ground up. Extract resources, develop land, re-build economies, and re-form countries and their governments in the way they see fit. Each player’s actions can have a lasting impact within an ever-evolving metaverse. Ertha’s Gameplay Ertha’s world is a complex and intricately designed playspace ripe for the creation of new governments, economies, and shaky alliances between its player base. The Metaverse is divided into 350,000 purchasable land plots, each of which collects taxes, fees, and other forms of revenue from the transactions taking place on them. Players must balance production, trade, and financial budgets, in order to stay one step ahead of the competition. For those looking for an introduction to Metaverses and Play-to-Earn gaming, Ertha represents an opportunity like no other. What Is the ERTHA Token? The ERTHA token will play an essential role for anyone serious about entering the Erthaverse! As a game of economic and political intrigue, our token has various uses for players. Use $ERTHA to influence in-game political policies, purchase land, develop real estate, and much more. However you decide to use them, the ERTHA tokens you hold will have a real impact on your influence within the Erthaverse! Social Media Channels: Twitter : https://twitter.com/ErthaGame Discord : https://discord.gg/ertha Medium : https://erthium.medium.com/ YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHiXL-GSDqd9jIa1hsr20Kw Telegram : https://t.me/erthagame This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Wechat, the Chinese messaging app, has reportedly suspended accounts that are linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The objective of the crackdown is to stop the use of the affected accounts in promoting NFTs. The Widening Crackdown on Digital Assets The Chinese messaging app Wechat recently acknowledged it had suspended some accounts which are said to be linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The suspension of the accounts, according to a BBC report, is aimed at stopping such blacklisted accounts from engaging in NFT market promotional activities that help to drive up prices. The targeting of NFT-promoting accounts by Wechat appears to suggest that China, which currently does not have specific regulations against NFTs, is widening its crackdown on digital assets that began in 2021. As explained by multiple reports published by Bitcoin.com News, Chinese authorities have been clamping down on bitcoin miners and cryptocurrency exchange platforms since mid-2021. The crackdown is believed to have forced some crypto miners and platforms to leave mainland China. ‘Rectified’ Public Accounts While it is not clear if the crackdown has succeeded in completely stopping Chinese citizens from trading or mining crypto, a BBC report suggests Chinese authorities are now eager to add NFTs to the list of outlawed activities. The same report also expanded on the reason, quoting an update from the Wechat team which said: [Wechat] has recently standardized and rectified public accounts and small programs for speculation and secondary sales of digital collections. Wechat also clarified that the action taken against the now “rectified” accounts was done in accordance with relevant national regulations. What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

The Indonesian government has decided to tax capital gains income from crypto investments at 0.1% starting in May. In addition, value-added tax (VAT) of the same rate will be levied on crypto purchases. Indonesia to Start Taxing Crypto Income at 0.1% The Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes, the Ministry of Finance, has set income tax (PPh) on capital gains from crypto investments and value-added tax (VAT) on crypto purchases at 0.1%. Hestu Yoga Saksama, director of tax regulations for the Ministry of Finance, told CNN Indonesia Friday: That’s right, 0.1% PPh and 0.1% VAT (for crypto), all of which are final. He added that both the income tax and VAT on crypto purchases will be imposed starting May 1. According to the director, the Indonesian government has levied income tax and VAT on crypto purchases because the central bank, Bank Indonesia, and the Ministry of Trade consider crypto a commodity, not a means of payment. He clarified: Crypto assets will be subject to VAT because they are a commodity as defined by the trade ministry. They are not a currency … So we will impose income tax and VAT. The VAT rate on crypto assets is well below the 11% levied on most goods and services in Indonesia, Reuters reported, adding that the 0.1% income tax on capital gains matches that on shares listed on the Indonesian stock exchange. Meanwhile, India has begun taxing crypto income at 30% without allowing loss offsets or deductions. In addition, a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) will be levied from July 1. What do you think about how Indonesia is taxing crypto income and transactions? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. To help traders earn more cryptocurrency, leading crypto derivatives exchange Bexplus has launched a 100% deposit bonus promotion to all traders. If you deposit 1 BTC, 2 BTC will be credited to your account. Every user can get up to 10 BTC for each deposit. Bitcoin’s high volatility has made a comeback and currently presents more opportunities for traders to make profits. Taking advantage of the price swings and leverage offered by brokers, trading can easily generate 100% or even 1,000% ROI. It’s important to point out only traders who know what they are doing can get to these returns consistently.Because leveraged trading is both high-yield and high-risk. How Does Leveraged Trading Work? Assume we use 1 BTC to open a long contract when Bitcoin is trading at $40,000. Please note that with 100x leverage, 1 BTC can open a contract worth 100 BTC. One day later, the price of Bitcoin increase to $45,000.The profit will be ($45,000 – $40,000) * 100 BTC/$45,000 *100%≈11 BTC, making the ROI 1100%. Now, with Bexplus’ 100% bonus, our initial investment would be 2 BTC, and our realized profit made with these 2 BTC will be 22 BTC, and the ROI will also be doubled to 2200%. With leverage, it’s important to be vigilant, as returns can be outstanding, but liquidations are easier if the price moves down. Why choose Bexplus? Bexplus is a leading crypto derivatives platform offering 100x leverage in BTC, ETH, ADA, DOGE, and XRP futures contracts. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Bexplus is trusted by over one million traders around the world, including the USA, Japan, Korea, and Iran. No KYC, no deposit fee, traders can receive the most attentive services, including 24/7 customer support. No KYC No KYC protocol is strictly carried out throughout every process. Registration only requires email confirmation and only takes a minute. Bexplus provides services to traders from most countries, including the USA, Japan, Korea, and Iran. Demo account with 10 BTC To help traders better familiarize themselves with leveraged trading, Bexplus has launched a trading simulator. There are 10 replenishable BTC in the demo account for traders to practice as much as they like, without taking any risks. You can also learn to analyze the market and use the tool-kit with the demo account. 24/7 withdrawal and 24/7 customer support You can submit a withdrawal request anytime you want. You can have your deposits back in as fast as 30 minutes during work hours. If you encounter any problems when using Bexplus, you can contact customer support via different channels, such as e-mail and live chat. BTC wallet: up to 21% annualized interest without any risks If the user wants to take a short break from trading, the Bexplus BTC wallet can help generate juicy profit without trading. With up to 21% APY, it is no doubt one of the most profitable rates in the industry. While most lending platforms require traders to deposit at least 1 BTC, traders can make a deposit starting from 0.05 BTC on Bexplus. Intuitive and full-featured App The top-ranking Bexplus app helps you better manage your account. With the 24/7 notification, you can stay updated with the market. All data and assets can be accessed through all kinds of devices including desktops, mobile phones, and tablets.Download the Bexplus APP from the Apple Store and Google Play. Copy Trading With copy trading provided by Bexplus, you can automatically copy other excellent traders’ trading. It can be a really valuable portfolio for those who are just starting out in trading, or those who don’t want to dedicate a huge amount of time to managing their trades. Followers can directly see all the trader’s trading data statistics and choose their most suitable trader to copy trade. What can I do with the bonus? The bonus is not withdrawable, but traders can use it as margin to open bigger positions and take more profit. Profit made with the bonus is withdrawable. Besides, with a bigger margin, traders’ positions are less likely to get liquidated when there are huge price swings. You might miss the opportunity to buy cheap Bitcoin, but you can still make handsome profits with the revival of Bitcoin. Join bexplus and get a double deposit. 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

A lawsuit against Binance accusing the cryptocurrency exchange of selling unregistered crypto securities has been dismissed. The plaintiffs listed nine cryptocurrencies in the lawsuit. Binance’s Lawsuit Dismissed U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter dismissed a lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance Thursday. The motion to dismiss was filed by Binance and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ). The lawsuit (case no. 20-02803) was originally filed in April 2020 in the U.S. district court in the Southern District of New York. Binance is accused of violating U.S. securities laws by selling cryptocurrencies that are allegedly unregistered securities. The exchange is also accused of failing to register as a securities exchange or broker-dealer with U.S. regulators. The case involves nine cryptocurrencies — EOS, QSP, KNC, TRX, FUN, ICX, OMG, LEND, and ELF — which the plaintiffs bought through Binance’s online exchange starting in 2017. However, the coins soon lost significant value. The plaintiffs alleged that Binance “wrongfully engaged in millions of transactions” and failed to warn them about the “significant risks” of investing in these cryptocurrencies. They sought to recoup what they paid. However, Judge Carter ruled that the plaintiffs sued Binance too late, citing that more than a year had passed between the time of their purchases and the time they filed the lawsuit. In addition, the federal judge said that U.S. securities laws did not apply because Binance was not a U.S.-based exchange, even if it used Amazon computer servers in the U.S. He wrote: Plaintiffs must allege more than stating that plaintiffs bought tokens while located in the U.S. and that title passed in whole or in part over servers located in California that host Binance’s website. Binance was not the only cryptocurrency exchange recently sued for allegedly selling unregistered crypto securities. In March, three Coinbase users filed a class-action lawsuit against the Nasdaq-listed crypto exchange, claiming that the platform sold 79 unregistered securities. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not actively stated which cryptocurrencies are securities. However, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said on several occasions that many of the cryptocurrencies listed on exchanges with 50 to 100 listings are likely securities. What do you think about the court dismissing the lawsuit against Binance over unregistered securities sales? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has warned that any upside for crypto markets from here would likely be more limited. Basing their prediction on the relationship between stablecoins and the rest of the crypto market, the bank’s analyst explained that stablecoins’ share of the total crypto market cap “no longer looks excessive.” JPMorgan’s Crypto Outlook Global investment bank JPMorgan reportedly warned about cryptocurrency markets having limited upside in a note published last week. JPMorgan sees stablecoins’ share of the total cryptocurrency market value as an indicator of potential for rallies or declines. Previously, when stablecoins accounted for almost 10% of the total crypto market cap, JPMorgan analyst Panigirtzoglou said it “pointed to further upside for crypto markets.” In the note issued last week, he explained: “The share of stablecoins in total crypto market cap no longer looks excessive … This share currently stands below 7% which brings it back to its trend since 2020.” The JPMorgan analyst continued: As a result we believe that any further upside for crypto markets from here would likely be more limited. Panigirtzoglou pointed out that the price of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) rallied in early March following financial sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries after its invasion of Ukraine. The note describes: “These sanctions had raised expectations that cryptocurrencies will be used more extensively in the future to circumvent the traditional banking system given cryptocurrencies are not attached or depend on any government.” However, citing the stablecoin share indicator, the JPMorgan analyst warned that the rallies seen in crypto markets may be coming to an end. In February, JPMorgan predicted that the long-term price of bitcoin would reach $150,000. In January, the bank conducted a client survey and found that the majority of respondents expected the price of BTC to reach $60,000 or more this year. Unlike JPMorgan, several people have said they see a significant upside to the crypto market. The CEO of Defiance ETFs said she remains “completely bullish on bitcoin,” expecting the price of the cryptocurrency to reach $100,000. In addition, Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy Digital, outlined a number of bullish factors affecting crypto markets last week. What do you think about JPMorgan’s assessment of the crypto market? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

There’s a tendency in the tech world to toss out old tech and go all-in on a new replacement. “Oh, don’t use that. That’s the old thing! Use the new thing instead.” This advice is best suited to those who adapt quickly to technological change—in other words: a small percentage of humanity. Jumping quickly to ‘the new thing’ may come with harmful second or third-order consequences for most people; this is especially true for energy-hungry technologies like cryptocurrencies that adversely affect our planet. These technologies haven’t even reached a global scale yet, so humankind may only be seeing the beginning of what’s to come. Despite the potential or actual costs of adoption, today’s technology innovators are racing toward revolutionary new ideas, like decentralization, scalable architectures, self-sovereign data, NFTs, and blockchains. RChain wholeheartedly and enthusiastically rejoices at the global excitement for these technological changes, and they are core to what Rchain is building. But new tech needs to make life better for its users, especially when considering billions of users. One particular blind spot for innovators appears to be Web 3.0, the next evolution of the world wide web. There are three lessons the blockchain hasn’t yet learned from Web 2.0 but should. Web 3.0 won’t succeed without: Advanced addressability. Decentralized advertising. The most powerful search mechanisms the world has ever seen. Let’s look at how these solutions work today and how they can evolve for the meaningful adoption of Web3 by the global market. Web 3.0 Needs to Improve Upon Web 2.0 If Web 3.0 is to be an advancement over Web 2.0, people should be able to quickly identify meaningful improvements to the key 2.0 features that made it such a powerful combination of technologies. Web 1.0 brought the world wide web and essential search functions. Web 2.0 was built on Web 1.0 and brought interactivity (e.g. social media and online communities), rich media experiences (e.g. streaming video and audio), and advanced search (e.g. in-media content and source code). Quite significantly, Web 2.0 is backed by vast amounts of advertising revenue. Experts predict that the global advertising market will reach nearly $800B by 2026. Yet, where are the advertising solutions for Web 3.0? Who is building the next ad networks? And how to ensure they’re not created by the same people who made the surveillance ad networks today? It is imperative to continue offering today’s impressive ad tech like real-time bidding auctions and behavioural targeting while giving users the choice to share and sell their data to advertisers. Though Rchain is firmly against many of the tactics used by Web 2.0 ad networks, the need and value of ad tech on the web are undeniable. A lot of questions pop up in mind: Where is Web 3.0 heading? Upon what will it be built? How is it advancing what people already have that makes the web work? What will interactivity, rich media experiences, and advanced search look like on Web 3.0? It seems that not enough work is currently done to satisfy these questions, as, at the moment, Rchain cannot find meaningful answers to these questions. Rchain believes Web 3.0 proponents and innovators are throwing the Web 2.0 baby out with the bathwater. They are not advancing the fundamentals of the web itself that led to its adoption. They’ve completely forgotten how important the features of Web 2.0 are. Web 3.0 Needs to Enable A Global Market One of the most potent notions of the web today is the unified global market. Thanks to search engines like Google, Duck Duck Go, and Bing, anyone could quickly and easily look for what they wanted. Web 2.0 allowed any content to become searchable, and the results reflected that. Today’s search engine results include content, references, agents, people, etc. Assets on the web became accessible to anyone in an instant. That enabled a global market. The storage mechanisms for today’s web are simple: centralized file systems with clear bounded ownership. Anyone can store data on AWS S3, Google Drive, or even their private server hosted in a data centre or from their own home. Web 2.0 made storage reasonably ubiquitous. The fully-realized Web 3.0 storage mechanism is the blockchain. Digital assets stored on a chain, or managed through a chain, become opaque to search engines. If there’s no ability to tag or otherwise look through data collected through the chain, there’s no way to search for it. If data is on IPFS, how can Google search the data’s contents? That’s a real challenge. It is necessary to take a step forward going into Web 3.0 instead of regressing backwards. There is no global market without searchable, accessible data. The need is for much more than currency-enabling blockchains that keep primitive records of transactions. Web 3.0 won’t be successful if it cannot offer or perpetuate a unified global market. 1. Web 3.0 Needs URLs, Not Addresses The unified global market needs a way to locate data on the web. Blockchain-based web storage needs a usable URL system, as there always has been. But how should on-chain addressing work? Almost nobody is addressing this. Very few blockchains can support file storage, and almost none of them support files of any substantial size. Web 3.0’s storage mechanism can’t be a parallel system that supports (or smells like) a blockchain. The web needs to live on the blockchain itself. And for that to work, it requires addressability. Chain files need to be found and retrieved. The location of resources needs to be a compositional structure, like the web’s current URI composition (URN + URL). It’s how browsers work, and it’s a great model for the future. But on-chain URI composition will need some re-thinking. The Dappy browser is tackling blockchain addressing while also highlighting and fixing the limitations of DNS as it works today. Dappy’s website states: Dappy replaces the traditional DNS layer with a naming system executed on a blockchain platform. The lookups (when your client accesses the website) are resolved by a network of independent companies, a network collectively certifying the domain names and encryption certificates. Please look at their name system documentation to understand how it works. Though projects like Solid and IPFS are doing commendable work on the storage and sovereignty aspects of Web 3.0 data, users need to be able to locate and access data stored on the chain. Today’s URI composition can work, but it requires advances to function on a blockchain. 2. Web 3.0 Needs Digital Advertising at Scale The world’s most popular Web 2.0 apps are free to use. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zoom, Spotify—no paid subscription required. With hundreds of millions of users, they remain accessible by harvesting and selling their users’ data or advertising. How does this model evolve to operate on a decentralized web that runs on paid token exchanges and self-sovereign data? It’s unclear how the big players will function on Web 3.0, but a decentralized architecture will not support their existing surveillance advertising models. Whether their apps stay free remains to be seen, and whether their users will pay for the apps is an even bigger question. Web 3.0 will force users to think about what information they share and potentially allow them to sell the data themselves. The reality is that: Web 3.0 needs advertising even more than Web 2.0. Distributed apps (DApps) built on a decentralized web will have even worse paywall issues than today’s Web 2.0 apps. There’s only one way to solve this problem: decentralized advertising. Decentralized advertising can run on a globally scalable sponsored content framework. It can function with a small set of APIs for both providers and developers. Online communities can have the option to allow advertisers to share sponsored content with them. For example, a fly fishing community could vote and approve to signal that they’re open to relevant advertising content based on the data they provide about their community. The content framework could do the matchmaking and ensure the requested content is delivered. And because it’s all on a blockchain, the advertiser could know precisely how many times their ad was seen, by what communities and not have to worry about fraudulent advertising metrics. There’s no escaping the need for ads in a Web3 world, but the capabilities for a better ad experience (for advertisers and users) have much greater potential for good. 3. Web 3.0 Needs to be Searchable RChain has spent a lot of time working with visual and musical artists who’ve minted NFTs. They said, “I’ve minted the NFT. How do people find it?” That’s the search problem. How do artists connect with their audience if their material is on a chain? Right now, if an NFT is built on Ethereum (ETH) and the Interplanetary File System (IPFS), it’s opaque. There’s no way to find it. IPFS is not a blockchain, yet it says it is “the hard drive for blockchain and Web 3.0.” It’s certainly a noble project for decentralized file storage. But if techies aren’t building searchability into Web 3.0 as a first-class citizen, how will it see global adoption? The universal search for globally distributed resources has done more to create a global economy than virtually every other innovation combined. If resources are managed through blockchains and external paraphernalia like IPFS without deep search capabilities, this powerful force creating the global market is hindered; regressed. File systems for Web 3.0 must be query-able but with much more capability than we have today. For example, music’s objective properties can be indexed, like tempo, key, instrumentation, and more. Can someone find songs in the key of G without the song or the containing page being titled “songs in the key of G?” How about gipsy jazz songs between 125 and 135 beats per minute featuring a violin as the lead instrument? Imagine a DJ planning an event who wants to create a specific contour for the evening. It starts relaxed with blue artwork that fits the interior design of the event being projected on the screens. Then intensity builds with faster music with more intense instrumentation, and the artwork turns green—the set peaks with complementary red artwork and uptempo, aggressive music. And humans are not even close to making this possible with today’s contemplated NFT structure. Web 3.0 has a significant opportunity to build upon and advance the search capabilities of Web 2.0. There’s immeasurable potential to index on actual, relevant metadata. Web 3.0 Technology Is Available Today on RChain The lessons of Web 2.0 are hugely important for Web 3.0. Here are the fundamental realities: On-chain data storage won’t reach global adoption if people can’t directly access it through a compositional address structure. Distributed apps cannot be free to use without decentralized advertising. The unified global market cannot persist without the universal search. Technology already exists to make these realities possible. Unfortunately, today’s innovators appear to be more focused on making cryptocurrencies work (or making money from cryptocurrencies) instead of making Web 3.0 work. The team at Rchain thinks it’s more important to build a humane system that works for everyone, and it has spent the past several years developing it. RChain is the only blockchain offering addressable file storage with a built-in transactional query language, Rholang. Rchain search capabilities make URLs, and query strings look like toys. And there’s the ability to store files of any size on a chain. Rchain offers a significant upgrade to the file storage and search features offered by Web 2.0. The team at Rchain is so enthusiastic about the needs of Web 3.0 that they have launched two major projects to address the design shortcomings described in this article. RChain Publishing makes on-chain storage and self-sovereignty possible. DAASL offers a distributed advertising framework on a global scale. The future of Web 3.0 is at risk if it doesn’t design around these essential Web 2.0 capabilities. Someone can’t use Web 2.0 search without integrating it into the blockchain, or they end up with content (e.g. NFTs) that can’t be located or found through search. Someone can’t offer accessible DApps without ads and sponsored online content. The world will not want to use Web 3.0 if they have to pay for the privilege. A move to Web 3.0 should not feel like a loss to the general public. They expect better search, better and safer free apps, and an even better experience with the unified global market. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

It’s been another bustling week full of colorful stories in the crypto world, with Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki talking about the U.S. dollar imploding, and advocating people buy bitcoin, ethereum, and solana — not to mention talk of Spacex founder and CEO Elon Musk potentially starting his own free speech-focused social media network. On top of all this, the Ukrainian government has launched a “Museum of War” NFT collection, and massive amounts of sleeping bitcoin are on the move. So, without further ado, here’s your bite-sized digest of the week’s hottest crypto news. Robert Kiyosaki Warns US Dollar ‘About to Implode’ — Advises Buying Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned that the U.S. dollar is “about to implode.” Among the investments he suggested are cryptocurrencies bitcoin, ethereum, and solana. Read More Elon Musk Giving ‘Serious Thought’ to Creating Social Media Platform With Free Speech as Top Priority Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk says that he is “giving serious thought to” creating a new social media platform with free speech as a top priority. “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy,” the Tesla billionaire said. Read More Ukraine’s Government Launches ‘Museum of War’ NFT Collection The Ukrainian government has launched a “Museum of War” non-fungible token (NFT) collection. All sale proceeds will go directly to the official crypto wallets of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine to support the army and civilians, according to the museum website set up by the government. Read More $540 Million Worth of ‘Sleeping Bitcoins’ From 2014 Move — BTC Possibly Linked to Cryptsy Theft On March 29, blockchain parsers caught a sequence of 11 transactions totaling 11,325 bitcoin moving from unknown wallets created in 2014, to a great number of recipient addresses. Furthermore, the stash of bitcoin worth $540 million today is possibly linked to the Cryptsy theft, according to onchain analytics. Read More What are your thoughts on this week’s top stories from Bitcoin.com News? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The Colombian tax authority, DIAN, has reminded taxpayers that they need to start registering cryptocurrencies in their statements starting this year. The director of the DIAN, Lisandro Junco, reminded cryptocurrency users that this kind of asset is taxed as any other asset held by citizens. Colombia has already collected $1 billion in digital economy-related taxes. Colombian Citizens Must Start Including Crypto in Their Tax Statements The Colombian tax authority has reminded taxpayers about their duty of declaring cryptocurrency assets in their tax statements starting this year. In a consultation made by local media, the organization informed the public that it is empowered to perform verifications on the received data from taxpayers to ensure the correct application of the tax laws of the country. The director of the tax authority, Lisandro Junco, informed about crypto assets and their tax status in Colombia. He declared: You have to pay taxes even if it is an element of the digital economy. Furthermore, the organization defined that all elements fulfilling the definition of assets in the law should be declared, including bonds, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. But not only cryptocurrency users need to know about crypto taxation. Cryptocurrency miners must also declare their mining numbers, because the agency has also classified mining earnings as income, according to BDO Colombia, an accounting firm. Applicability and Penalties While most tax watchdogs still depend on users to report their crypto transactions and holdings, the Colombian tax authority has some sources that can help it detect cryptocurrency tax evasion. Junco stated that the DIAN is immersed in different exchanges of information with other countries, that deliver the names of the citizens that should be declaring crypto-related taxes. Junco stated: And what we do is review the substantial element against the tax return, whether or not there is room for an inaccuracy, an evasion or if it is up to date. The penalties for not declaring cryptocurrency taxes in Colombia amount to double the funds not included in the tax statement. Colombia has collected $1 billion in the last three years in taxes linked to the digital economy, according to Junco, who invited taxpayers to declare their cryptocurrency holdings. The authority had previously announced a series of actions designed to tighten the control on cryptocurrency usage to detect tax evasion faster. What do you think about the position of the DIAN on crypto taxation in Colombia? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Members of the team of the now defunct Turkish crypto exchange Thodex may receive thousands of years in prison, if the court backs the prosecutor’s plea in the case. The trading platform’s CEO has been missing for the past year since Thodex suspended activities in a suspected exit scam. Turkey Seeks up to 40,000 Years Jail Time for Thodex Defendants Faruk Fatih Ozer, founder and chief executive of the crypto exchange Thodex, and another 20 people involved in its operations, should each get up to 40,564 years of jail time, according to a Turkish prosecutor. The indictment was quoted by Demiroren news agency and Hurriyet, about a year after the platform stopped trading. The defendants are accused of establishing a criminal organization, fraud, and laundering of proceeds from illicit activities. The 28-year-old Ozer has been missing since last year and is still wanted on a red notice from Interpol, despite efforts by Turkish law enforcement to locate him in several countries. He was last seen on footage from Istanbul airport which emerged a year ago. Thodex became popular during the latest crypto boom which attracted many Turks looking to protect their savings from the high inflation of their national fiat currency, the Turkish lira. The exchange, which had around 400,000 investors, suddenly went offline last spring. According to local media reports at the time, Ozer fled to Albania with $2 billion of their money. In a statement issued from an unknown location in April 2021, he pledged to repay customers and return to his home country to face justice, Bloomberg notes in a report. The Turkish indictment quotes losses of 356 million lira ($24 million). However, according to an estimate in a Chainalysis report published in January, the figure should be much higher — $2.6 billion. The blockchain forensics company claims: We should note that roughly 90% of the total value lost to rug pulls in 2021 can be attributed to one fraudulent centralized exchange, Thodex, whose CEO disappeared soon after the exchange halted users’ ability to withdraw funds. More than 60 people were detained and six jailed after Thodex collapsed. Turkish authorities launched fraud investigations against it and another Turkish trading platform, Vebitcoin, which also ceased operations after the central bank of Turkey prohibited the use of cryptocurrencies for payments. In October, another major Turkish exchange, Coinzo, also terminated its crypto trading services. Do you think Turkey will succeed in its attempts to arrest and convict the founder of Thodex and his suspected accomplices? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

A high-ranking representative of the Ministry of Finance in Moscow sees no point in banning crypto mining in Russian households as it would be hard to restrict the activity. The top official also revealed that the department is currently finalizing regulations for the mining sector as part of efforts to legalize Russia’s crypto space. Russia Prepares to Legalize Cryptocurrency Mining Trying to prohibit at-home crypto mining makes no sense as it would be difficult to impose such a ban, according to Alexey Yakovlev, deputy director of the Financial Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance of Russia. He made the statement at a round table discussion devoted to the legalization and regulation of the industry. The ministry is now finalizing new provisions that would bring this crypto-related activity into the legal field, Yakovlev announced during a video conference call, quoted by the crypto news outlet Forklog. Russian authorities intend to put an emphasis on ensuring that activities in the sector are economically feasible. The government also wants to minimize the potential risks. Elaborating on that, the Minfin representative pointed to the threats of money laundering and terrorism financing. He also highlighted the need to guarantee the energy security of the Russian Federation. Cryptocurrency mining in basements and garages has become a popular income source for many ordinary Russians, especially in regions like Irkutsk where household electricity rates start at just $0.01 per kWh. Power consumption there increased four times last year and authorities believe the spike is largely due to mining hardware running in people’s homes and villas. In December, the central government in Moscow permitted Russian regions to determine electricity rates in residential areas locally. This will allow regional authorities and utility companies to introduce higher tariffs for household consumption exceeding certain thresholds. Amid unprecedented western sanctions, Russia is proceeding with efforts to regulate its crypto market, seeing an opportunity to employ crypto assets to restore its access to global finances. While its central bank has been a staunch opponent to the legalization of crypto-related activities, including mining, the Finance Ministry has led a push to regulate them under strict oversight. In January, President Vladimir Putin urged the two sides to resolve their differences, highlighting Russia’s competitive advantages as a bitcoin mining destination. Calls have been mounting among officials in Moscow and energy-rich Russian regions to recognize mining as an entrepreneurial activity. This week, the Ministry of Energy insisted that the legal vacuum in the sector must be filled “as soon as possible.” In February, the federal government approved a regulatory plan based on the Finance Ministry’s concept. Shortly after that, the department submitted a new bill “On Digital Currency” designed to comprehensively regulate the crypto economy after the law “On Digital Financial Assets,” which went into force last January, addressed only some regulatory aspects. Do you expect Russia to soon legalize and regulate crypto mining as an economic activity? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

A recent poll conducted by NBC News indicates that one in five Americans has used cryptocurrencies by either investing or trading digital assets. The findings suggest that crypto assets continue to become more popular as 21% of the 1,000 participants surveyed have “dabbled” in crypto assets. Survey Says 1 in 5 Americans Has Used Crypto Assets in Some Capacity Digital currencies have seen significant growth during the last year as the crypto economy is currently valued at $2.2 trillion at the time of writing. According to an NBC News poll, one in five American residents hass used cryptocurrencies in some fashion, and the popularity among men was significant. Male participants held the largest share of all the demographics surveyed as 50% of men between the ages of 18 and 49 said they have either invested in or traded crypto assets. The polled participants had different views about cryptocurrencies and the industry, and 56% of the surveyed individuals explained they were neutral or they were not sure about how they felt regarding the digital currency ecosystem. 19% of surveyed individuals perceived crypto assets and the industry in a positive light while 25% viewed crypto negatively. The poll surveyed 1,000 adults from March 18 to March 22 and added a “margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points.” Quantifying the Number of Crypto Participants There have been many polls over the years that have tried to quantify the number of Americans who have heard of or own a fraction of crypto assets. For instance, over four years ago, Global Blockchain Business Council and Survey Monkey conducted a survey with 5,761 American adults. According to the survey statistics, 21% of the participants were “considering adding it to their portfolios” in 2018 and 5% held digital assets. Just like the NBC News poll, the survey from Survey Monkey in 2018 highlighted that males were the supermajority by 58%. In mid-February this year, a study published by Nordvpn explained the firm surveyed 1,000 respondents and 68% of Americans are aware of the risks involved with crypto assets. While 32% of the surveyed individuals disclosed they were not aware of any risks, 69% of all the American participants “had some understanding of what cryptocurrency is.” Another survey, published by cryptoliteracy.org at the end of November 2021, indicated that comprehension of cryptocurrency fundamentals was still low in 2021. While the survey polled people from a few countries, 96% of Americans failed to comprehend basic crypto knowledge. What do you think about the recent poll that says 21% of Americans have dabbled in crypto? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The head of Defiance ETFs says she is “completely bullish on bitcoin.” Noting that it is a “good time” to get into the cryptocurrency, she explained why she believes the price of bitcoin will reach $100K. CEO of Defiance ETFs Bullish on Bitcoin Sylvia Jablonski, chief executive officer, chief investment officer, and co-founder of Defiance ETFs, explained her bullishness on bitcoin despite recent price declines in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Defiance ETFs is an exchange-traded funds (ETFs) sponsor and registered investment advisor focused on thematic investing. Jablonski told the media outlet: I remain completely bullish on bitcoin. I think the short-term activity is just noise. She noted: “It looks as though, in terms of what we’ve seen for the last six months to a year or so, is that bitcoin is correlated with risk assets and equities specifically.” The executive explained that when investors see the crypto market rallying for a couple of days, they pile back into bitcoin, ether, and some of the other cryptocurrencies. Similarly, “when you do see pullbacks, they seem to be hitting bitcoin too,” she pointed out. Regarding bitcoin as an inflation hedge, she admitted that “a couple of years ago, a lot of us thought that bitcoin was going to be this great inflation hedge and it was going to react in a similar way to gold and it was going to be this safe-haven inflation trade, but I think it’s trading more like a Nasdaq 100 stock than it is like an inflation trade.” Jablonski predicted, “In the short term it’s going to be sideways volatility, it’s going to be range-bound price action, but longer-term, I still expect bitcoin to be in that $100,000 camp before I expect it to go to zero.” The Defiance ETFs boss elaborated: I still think it’s kind of a good time to get in. Jablonski described: “We have to think about it as we do the market so if I think about what happened with some of the broad-based indices, and again just using Nasdaq as an example, at one point we hit 200-day moving average and Nasdaq was very much in bear market territory, 20% or more below all-time highs.” She emphasized: Bitcoin mirrored that, and here we are getting off that 200-day average on Nasdaq and we are getting off our lows on bitcoin as well. “So I think that we definitely have a tradable bottom. I think we are going to have these short-term rallies, but I don’t think that this is it. I think that the market has a little more to weather in terms of range-bound volatility. There’s a psychological aspect to the headwinds as well,” she further shared. The executive continued: “You have [the] Russia-Ukraine [war], you have inflation, you have the Fed raising rates, and that just keeps investors holding on to their cash, which is actually a huge mistake in the end because that locks in losses.” Jablonski added: “But I think once they kind of get past that psychological aspect and we sort of see the fundamentals in the economy and cryptocurrency and bitcoin, you’ll start to see it rally so I don’t think we’re going to get that straight shot just yet.” She opined: I think you’ll get some range-bound volatility now between $46,000, $47,000, and $50,000. I think kind of down the road we’ll see that rally up to $100,000. At the time of writing, bitcoin is trading at $46,075 based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. What do you think about Sylvia Jablonski’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shared a dogecoin video on Twitter in a conversation about bitcoin mining on April 1. He says, “this video explains everything.” Elon Musk Shares Dogecoin Video Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk shared a video about the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE) on April 1 in reply to a tweet about bitcoin by Brett Winton, Ark Invest’s director of research. In the tweet, Winton quoted a conversation about bitcoin mining where he seems to be having difficulty explaining to his mom on April Fools’ Day that bitcoin miners are computers. Replying with a meme video titled “Ð is for Ðogecoin” on the same day, Musk wrote: “Just show her this video explains everything.” The short video features the DOGE mascot on a journey to the moon. The shiba inu on a rocket passed bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies as the price of DOGE soared. Winton replied to Musk: “A meme too far for her I’m afraid. (On the other hand, my 5-year-old is now frantically agitating to set up a Coinbase account).” Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus commented on Musk’s tweet, stating that the meme video is the “best cryptocurrency video in history.” Musk shared this particular video on Twitter before, including on Feb. 7 last year when he tweeted: “Ð is for Ðogecoin! Instructional video.” The DOGE community is ecstatic that Musk tweeted about their favorite cryptocurrency again. They have long called the Tesla CEO “the Dogefather” and appreciated him sending the price of dogecoin upward with his tweets. Dogecoin, the 12th largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is trading at $0.1431 per coin at the time of writing, based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. However, Musk’s latest DOGE tweet did not move the market much. The meme coin was hovering around $0.1420 when he tweeted. Musk confirmed in March that he owns bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin, emphasizing that he will not sell them. The Tesla boss believes that dogecoin is the people’s crypto and DOGE is the best cryptocurrency for transactions. In contrast, he sees bitcoin as a store of value. His electric car company also accepts DOGE for some merchandise. Below is the video about DOGE shared by Elon Musk. What do you think about Elon Musk sharing a dogecoin video that “explains everything”? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Shiba Inu, the meme-coin project that mimicked dogecoin, has announced it is launching its own take on the metaverse. The project, called “Shib: The Metaverse,” will introduce more than 100K plots of land to be unlocked at different times. The Shiba Inu team also announced the prices of the plots, which depend on their location, detailing that they will be sold for ether instead of the metaverse’s native token. Shiba Inu to Launch Puppy Metaverse Shiba Inu, one of the meme-tokens launched mimicking the idea of dogecoin, the first meme-coin, has now announced the development of its own metaverse initiative. The project, which is called “Shib: The Metaverse,” will have direct integration with Shiboshis, a series of NFTs the project issued before. The team specified that this project would be developed by a yet-unnamed third-party game studio. According to an announcement issued by the project team: Shib : The Metaverse is the culmination of our history as a community, virtually displayed, in a layer of beautiful visuals that showcase our innovation and unity with a place to truly call home. Furthermore, the announcement declares that all of the tokens in the Shiba Inu environment will play an important role in the metaverse, and that the community will have a “great deal of interaction” in this virtual environment. Land Plots and Prices “Shib: The Metaverse” aims to have one of the biggest land maps when compared with similar projects. The team confirmed that more than 100K land plots will be created, with these able to be leveraged for more than just decoration. While there was no explanation of the way in which these plots will be monetized, the Shiba Inu development team stated: Users who own land in Shib: The Metaverse will be able to generate passive income, gather in-game resources, and generate rewards. A part of these plots will be kept by the team to be used as common grounds needed for players to move across the map of the metaverse. Each one of these plots will have a different price depending on the tiers of the metaverse in which the plot is grouped. The prices of the land plots were announced in ether instead of in SHIB, the native token of the project, a decision that the team had to explain. On this issue, they stated: As we will use the collected funds to pay for the Metaverse development, the team have decided to use a neutral coin that can be sold into stablecoins in order to pay all the sources. What do you think about Shiba Inu’s metaverse project? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

During the last 12 months, there’s been an exponential number of cryptocurrency automated teller machines (ATMs) installed as data shows that 20,000 crypto ATMs were installed last year. This year machines are still being installed in great numbers and since December 30, there have been 2,759 machines added to the list of 36,659 crypto ATMs worldwide. Crypto ATM Installations Jump More Than 8% Since December 30 Today, according to the crypto ATM tracker coinatmradar.com, there’s approximately 36,659 crypto ATMs hosted in 76 different countries. Crypto ATM numbers have grown significantly over the years, and 2021 saw the largest annual increase so far, with more than 20,000 machines added during the year. As the first quarter of 2022 has come to an end, data from coinatmradar.com indicates there are 36,659 crypto ATMs available. On December 30, 2021, Bitcoin.com News reported that there were 33,900 crypto ATMs, which means that over the last 93 days, 2,759 crypto ATMs have been installed across the globe. That’s an 8.13% increase since December 30, and currently, there are 612 operators managing the 36,659 machines. Operators include Bitcoin Depot, Coin Cloud, Coinflip, and Bitcoin of America. Additionally, there are 43 crypto ATM producers with manufacturers like Genesiscoin, General Bytes, Bitaccess, Coinsource, Bitstop, and more. The Manufacturer Genesis Coin, the Operator Bitcoin Depot, and the US Lead the Pack in Terms of Crypto ATM Activity The top operator in terms of the most crypto ATMs is Bitcoin Depot with 7,001 installed worldwide. Coin Cloud is the second-largest operator with 5,198 crypto ATMs in operation. While Bitcoin Depot commands 19.1% of the 36,659 machines installed, Coin Cloud captures 14.2%. Coinatmradar.com also shows a map of where all the crypto ATMs are located and what type of crypto asset the machines support. For instance, crypto ATMs support bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, litecoin, dash, monero, zcash, dogecoin, tether, and xrp. The crypto ATM tracker site also shows that most of the machines are located in the United States, as the country hosts 32,623 crypto ATMs. The country with the second-largest number of crypto ATMs is Canada with 2,439 locations. The U.S. and Canada are followed by Spain (225), El Salvador (204), Poland (180), and Switzerland (147). As far as crypto ATM installations by manufacturer, Genesis Coin commands 41.6% of the world’s share of crypto ATMs installed. General Bytes is the second leading manufacturer in terms of crypto ATM installations, with 21.4% of the global share. Genesis Coin and General Bytes are followed by Bitaccess (15.2%), Coinsource (5.3%), Bitstop (4.6%), Bytefederal (3.7%), and “other” manufacturers (8.2%). What do you think about the number of crypto ATMs worldwide today and the increase during the first quarter? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty increased this week on March 31, 2022, at block height 729,792 for the first time since February 17. The network’s difficulty jumped 4.31% higher bringing the metric to a lifetime high at 28.59 trillion. Since the increase, the network’s hashrate has been a bit more volatile dropping from 217 exahash per second (EH/s) on April 1, to today’s 175 EH/s. Since Thursday, It Has Never Been More Difficult to Find a Bitcoin Block, Difficulty Adjusts 4.31% Higher Bitcoin has hit yet another milestone this week, as the network’s mining difficulty is the highest it has ever been, and that means it is currently the hardest point in history to find a bitcoin (BTC) block. Satoshi Nakamoto created the mining difficulty to ensure that block times were around ten minutes apart and the difficulty adjustment algorithm (DAA) readjusts every two weeks. The term “mining difficulty” refers to how difficult it is for mining participants to find a block subsidy, otherwise known as a block reward. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty is very important and keeps the network as consistent as possible. When new mining participants join the network and the hashrate increases, the DAA readjusts higher and it becomes more difficult for miners to find a block reward. If the opposite happens, and hashrate subsides, then the DAA will decrease lower making it easier for the aggregate of mining participants. The 4.31% increase on Thursday, was the first increase in over four weeks or 2 DAA changes. The DAA readjusts every 2016 blocks and at the time of writing, 1,682 blocks remain until the retarget which is expected on April 13. Currently, the next DAA change is expected on April 13 and is estimated to be a decrease. Since the increase on March 31, six-month charts show the hashrate has been fluctuating and is currently around 175.49 EH/s. Statistics on Saturday, April 2, show the hashrate’s 90-day average is roughly 195 EH/s. Three-day statistics show that F2pool has gained the lead as the top miner with 18.91% of the global hashrate or 37.19 EH/s. Foundry USA is the second-largest pool, according to three-day metrics, with 18.66% of the global hashrate or 36.70 EH/s. In three days F2pool found 76 blocks, and during the same time frame, Foundry USA discovered 75 blocks. The difficulty’s lifetime high of 28.59 trillion makes it harder than ever before for all the mining pools to find a block reward. Currently, there are 11 known mining pools with computational power dedicated to the network, and 1.99% of the global hashpower or 3.91 EH/s is owned by unknown mining entities. The mining difficulty’s lifetime high also occurred a day before miners found the 19 millionth bitcoin at block height 730,034. Since then, miners have discovered 19,000,592.18 BTC (at the time of writing) so far and the issuance remaining is 1,999,193.73 BTC. What do you think about the network’s difficulty increasing 4.31% higher this week? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article