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Investments in alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies account for over half of the portfolio of non-qualified Russian investors, a recently held survey has indicated. Almost half of them consider digital currencies like bitcoin as a potential hedge. Cryptocurrencies Outperform Traditional Currencies and Stocks in Russia Alternative investments like crypto, real estate, and antiques constitute more than half of the portfolios of non-qualified investors in the Russian Federation, according to a new poll conducted by Investing.com. Digital currencies are leading among these options with 46% of 1,000 respondents viewing them as a hedge investment for the future. Another 37% of those betting on alternative assets look at buying real estate as an effective investment, the Russian daily Izvestia reported, quoting the results from the study. Around 47% of the participants regarded gold as a reliable instrument, especially during times of crisis, while 27% admitted they had never invested in the precious metal as they prefer to put their money into stocks and bonds instead. Property has historically played the role of a hedge asset, but cryptocurrency is a clear trend in 2021, head of Investing.com Russia’s Anastasia Kosheleva has been quoted as noting. She also pointed out that digital financial assets are even outperforming traditional fiat currencies, stocks, and other stock market instruments. Russian Investors Rank Among Most Active in Crypto Market Russians are some of the most active participants in the digital currency market, Bank of Russia has told Izvestia. The regulator recently revealed that the annual volume of crypto transactions made by Russian residents has reached $5 billion. In its Financial Stability Overview for Q2 and Q3 of 2021, the monetary authority also highlighted the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies for both investors and the country’s financial stability. At this point, it’s unclear whether or when the central bank intends to introduce restrictions on how much non-qualified investors can put into crypto assets. In early October, news came out that Russian lawmakers are contemplating restrictions for private crypto investors. About the same time last year, Bank of Russia proposed an annual limit of 600,000 rubles (around $8,000) seeking public opinion on the threshold. Russian investments in digital coins are somewhere in the range between $300 and $500 billion, according to an estimate provided by Vladimir Ananyev, analyst at investment company Exante. They have registered a six-fold growth over the past year, he remarked. Both the value of these investments as well as the number of market participants have increased significantly, Ananyev added. The most popular digital asset with Russian investors is bitcoin (BTC), but altcoins are attracting more and more attention, the expert emphasized. The trend has been confirmed by the drop in dominance of the cryptocurrency with the largest market capitalization to 42%. According to the publication, discussions on proposals to legally define the status of qualified investors in the crypto market are currently being held in Russia. However, domestic requirements for this category will not apply to retail investors on foreign cryptocurrency platforms, Ananyev noted, as the majority are not regulated in the Russian Federation. Do you think Russia will impose restrictions for non-qualified crypto investors? Share your expectations in the comments section below. View the full article

On November 30, the crypto firm Blockchain.com announced it acquired the Argentina-based investment platform Sesocio. According to the firm, the acquisition will give the company’s global workforce an aggregate headcount of 400 Blockchain.com employees worldwide. Blockchain.com’s Global Headcount Grows to 400 After Acquiring the Crypto Investment Platform Sesocio At the end of March, Blockchain.com raised $300 million and the firm’s post valuation swelled to $5.2 billion. In August, Blockchain.com’s CFO Macrina Kgil discussed how the company has surpassed $1 trillion in cryptocurrency transactions. Kgil further revealed the firm may go public in 18 months while disclosing that Blockchain.com held BTC and ETH on its balance sheet. The crypto firm, founded in 2011 by Benjamin Reeves, Nicolas Cary, and Peter Smith, detailed on Tuesday that the company has acquired the Latin American crypto investment platform Sesocio. Blockchain.com explained that it has already made a mark in countries like Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Similar to the recent Coinbase announcement, detailing the acquisition of Unbound Security would lead to a presence in Israel, Blockchain.com notes there will be a “physical presence” in the Latin American countries, “by opening offices and local hiring.” The Luxembourg-based company’s announcement notes that the team’s focus will be toward making cryptocurrency solutions easier and more accessible for the unbanked. “Latin America presents one of the largest growth opportunities in crypto over the coming decade,” Peter Smith, Blockchain.com’s CEO said in a statement. “Millions have already seen inflation at its worst, new currencies emerge out of thin air, and experienced political instability – creating a favorable environment for crypto. With the Sesocio team, we aim to provide every Latin American with access to a global crypto platform,” Smith added. Blockchain.com’s acquisition follows the firm’s deal with the bitcoin mining firm Griid Infrastructure. Griid told the press on November 23 it secured a $525 million credit facility from Blockchain.com. Further, Blockchain.com acquired the consumer startup Storm Inc., the investment firm Magic Carpet, and artificial intelligence (AI) firm Aix this year as well. “We’re extremely proud of what we’ve been able to build in the Latin America market and the growth we’ve seen as a business thus far,” Guido Quaranta, Sesocio’s co-founder and CEO said. “I am confident that Sesocio will thrive in this next chapter of our journey. Together with Blockchain.com, we will pioneer a new age of increased crypto accessibility in Latin America and beyond.” What do you think about the Blockchain.com acquisition of the Latin American crypto firm Sesocio? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Everscale (ex FreeTON) network developers Broxus have announced the opening of their Everscale Grants program. The grants program will provide crucial financial and professional support to promising IT startups that qualify. November has been a busy month for the Everscale network. Early on the project, which previously was called FreeTON, announced it would be rebranding into Everscale. The reasons behind the change were tied to the significant advances that had been made on the network and its correlated ecosystem, relative to where it had started out as FreeTON. FreeTON was started as a continuation of the now-halted Telegram Open Network. Once development of that network ceased on the Telegram side, the project was made open source and a group of enthusiasts, which eventually became FreeTON, came together to try to realize the potential that the network had. A bit further down the road, however, community members and developers cognizant of the strides made in network development determined that the project has become something greater than it was before and that it deserved a new name and image. The name Everscale was chosen as it reflects one of the network’s most advantageous features, namely, its infinite scalability. The whole Everscale project is just over a couple of years old, but the rebranding has come as excitement is building up for some of the network’s new and upcoming products. Recently, Everscale developers Broxus announced that the network Bridge would be activating its DAO protocol, making it completely controlled by the community. The Bridge links the Everscale network to other blockchains and tokens, offering users layer-2 access with significantly cheaper and faster transactions. Now Broxus has more news, this time of particular interest to those who have not already become a part of the Everscale ecosystem. Broxus has launched the Everscale Grants program which will provide financial and professional resources to promising tech startups that qualify. Why apply for Everscale Grants? The Everscale Grants program is an ideal program for smaller startups that have clear vision and talent, but could use the extra liquidity injection to get them over the finish line. Based on the applicant’s project, the grants program will provide it with the financial support it needs to finish an MVP or significant milestone. For that purpose, Broxus has earmarked 15 million EVERs, the native token of the Everscale ecosystem, for distribution among the companies that get accepted into the program. Everscale Grants has earmarked 15 million EVERs for cutting-edge IT projects In addition to the financial resources, grant winners will be offered guidance and support in their development on all fronts. Everscale developers will be on hand to share their experience in integrating new projects into a blockchain and the community will also offer support in terms of marketing the new platforms and projects. Perhaps more enticing than all of that, however, is the opportunity for early integration in a significant manner into one of the most remarkable DeFi projects on the market. It is still early days for Everscale, but as the rebranding has signaled, the wheels have been put in motion. Currently, the network has a constellation of products contributing to its economy, including the above-mentioned Bridge, a Broxus powered DEX, a dedicated iOS, Android and desktop compatible wallet and much more. Successfully applicants will be given the resources they need to grow in their own right, while also getting in on the ground floor of a DeFi juggernaut. Prospective applicants can find guidelines for the grant program here and can apply here. About Everscale Everscale is a new and unique blockchain design that proposes a scalable decentralized world computer, paired with a distributed operating system. The network is based on a platform called Ever OS, capable of processing millions of transactions per second, with Turing-complete smart contracts and decentralized user interfaces. Everscale presents some new and unique properties, such as dynamic multithreading, soft majority consensus and distributed programming, which enable it to be scalable, fast and secure at the same time. It is governed by a decentralized community founded upon meritocratic principles via Soft Majority Voting protocol. Everscale has powerful developer tools, such as compilers for Solidity and C++, sdk and api, client libraries ported to more than 20 languages and platforms, a range of decentralized browsers and wallets empowering many applications in DeFi, NFT, tokenization and governance domains. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

The founder and manager of several cryptocurrency funds has pleaded guilty to luring investors to his crypto investment scam. His funds consistently lost money and his scam left investors with a $5 million loss, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Investors Scammed Into Investing in Coin Signals’ Funds The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that Jeremy Spence (aka Coin Signals) has pleaded guilty in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme. Spence “solicited over $5 million from more than 170 individual investors for various cryptocurrency funds that he operated, after making false representations in connection with these funds,” the DOJ explained. Spence was charged in June. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams detailed: Jeremy Spence, a/k/a, ‘Coin Signals,’ admitted today to luring investors to his cryptocurrency investment scam by touting fictitious historical returns of up to 148%. “In reality, Spence’s investments consistently lost money, and his scam left investors with a $5 million loss,” the Justice Department continued. Spence solicited investors for several cryptocurrency investment funds that he created and managed from November 2017 through April 2019. His largest and most active funds were Coin Signals Bitmex Fund (CS Mex Fund), Coin Signals Alternative Fund (CS Alt Fund), and Coin Signals Long Term Fund. The Department of Justice noted: Investors who wanted to participate in a fund would transfer cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum, to Spence in order for Spence to invest it. “To hide his trading losses, Spence used new investor funds to pay back other investors in a Ponzi-like fashion,” the DOJ described, adding that he “distributed cryptocurrency worth approximately $2 million to investors substantially from funds previously deposited by other investors.” The Justice Department elaborated: Spence, 25, pled guilty to commodities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. What do you think about this case? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Bank of America’s strategist says that the metaverse is a massive opportunity where cryptocurrencies will be widely used as currencies. “I definitely believe this is a massive, massive opportunity,” he said. Bank of America’s Metaverse Prediction Bank of America’s strategist, Haim Israel, told the Insider Tuesday that the metaverse is a massive opportunity for blockchain technology. In addition, he expects it to take cryptocurrency mainstream. Israel is Bank of America’s managing director of research and a global strategist. He is also head of the global thematic research team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He detailed: I definitely believe this is a massive, massive opportunity … You need the right platforms … that is definitely going to be a big opportunity for this entire ecosystem. The Bank of America strategist predicted that the metaverse is where “we’re going to start using cryptocurrencies as currencies,” emphasizing that it will be where people finally start using cryptocurrencies widely for transactions. However, the director of research believes that existing cryptocurrencies are likely to be too volatile for this purpose, expecting some types of stablecoins to come to dominate. The metaverse gained much attention in October when social media giant Facebook changed its name to Meta. A parcel of real estate on virtual reality platform Decentraland was recently sold for $2.4 million and Republic Realm paid $4.3 million for a property in The Sandbox metaverse on Tuesday. The Bank of America strategist also predicted that traditional payments companies will be much more interested in cryptocurrencies if they become widely used in the metaverse. “I see a lot of collaboration between the two,” he opined. Earlier this month, global investment bank Morgan Stanley said that the metaverse is the next big investment theme. Last week, Grayscale Investments published a report stating that the metaverse is potentially a $1 trillion business opportunity. Do you agree with Bank of America’s strategist about the metaverse? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Bank Indonesia, the country’s central bank, is reportedly considering issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to fight the use of cryptocurrency. “A CBDC would be one of the tools to fight crypto. We assume that people would find CBDC more credible than crypto,” said an assistant governor of the central bank. Central Bank Sees CBDC as Tool to ‘Fight Crypto’ Juda Agung, an assistant governor of Bank Indonesia, the country’s central bank, talked about cryptocurrency and central bank digital currency (CBDC) during his parliamentary “fit and proper test” to become the deputy governor of the central bank. He said that Bank Indonesia wants to issue a digital rupiah to be used as legal tender to fight cryptocurrency, Bloomberg reported, noting that the central bank has been looking into this issue since the beginning of the year. In Indonesia, crypto assets are traded alongside commodity futures and are regulated by the trade ministry, the assistant governor explained. However, he emphasized that they have a significant impact on the country’s financial system, elaborating: A CBDC would be one of the tools to fight crypto. We assume that people would find CBDC more credible than crypto. CBDC would be part of an effort to address the use of crypto in financial transactions. According to the trade ministry, about 7.4 million Indonesians invested in crypto assets as of July, doubling from last year. Their crypto transactions totaled approximately 478.5 trillion rupiahs ($33.3 billion). The Indonesian government is pushing forward with plans to set up a dedicated crypto exchange. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia or MUI), the country’s top Islamic body that holds the authority on Shariah compliance, recently declared the use of cryptocurrency haram, forbidden under Islamic law for Muslims. What do you think about Indonesia’s central bank wanting to issue a central bank digital currency to fight crypto? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

While non-fungible token (NFT) assets have been extremely popular in 2021, there’s been a slew of issues tied to the ecosystem as well. A recent report indicates that roughly a dozen artists are considering taking legal action against an NFT collection called “Art Wars” because their original artwork was sold as NFTs without their consent. NFT Collection Targeted Over Using Artwork Without Permission From the Original Artists Non-fungible token (NFT) assets have seen billions of dollars in sales this year, and the term “NFT” was just recently awarded the Collins English Dictionary Word of the Year. During the last seven days, NFT markets such as Opensea have seen $587 million in sales, Atomicwax has seen over $20 million, and Rarible has seen over $3 million in weekly NFT sales. However, certain issues in the NFT industry have been introduced in recent times such as problems with permanence, censorship, insider trading, and now artists are upset about NFTs being issued without consent. Financial Times (FT) reports that artwork by Anish Kapoor and David Bailey has been issued as non-fungible tokens without getting their blessing. According to the report, Star Wars Stormtrooper helmets crafted by Kapoor, Bailey, and others were photographed and sold as NFT without permission. The NFT collection sold for millions or approximately 1,600 ETH which equates to more than $7.5 million at the time of writing. A Dozen Artists May Seek Legal Action — Legal Tussles Rise Over Intellectual Property and NFTs FT’s report notes that the collection called “Art Wars” is approximately 1,138 images. Artwork attributed to Kapoor was being resold 1,000 ETH, while work by Bailey was on resale for 120 ETH. FT’s Cristina Criddle said the NFTs were since removed from Opensea. “About 12 artists are considering legal action against the project, according to legal representatives,” Criddle’s report highlights. Criddle explains that Helen Downie, an artist that uses the name “Unskilled Worker,” may take legal action after noticing two helmets that were sold as NFTs. Issues similar to the problems Kapoor and Bailey are dealing with have been arising in the NFT industry in recent times and making headlines. Legal representatives from both comic book publishers DC Comics and Marvel have warned freelance artists not to use copyrighted material and characters to sell as NFTs. The acclaimed film director, Quentin Tarantino, is in a legal tussle with Miramax over “Pulp Fiction” NFTs. Roc-A-Fella Records got into a legal battle with Damon Dash over NFTs tied to Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” What do you think about the artists thinking about taking legal action against the NFT collection that made over $7 million in sales? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

1inch Network, the decentralized exchange (dex) aggregation project, has announced the company has raised $175 million in a Series B financing round. According to the announcement, the fresh new capital will be leveraged to scale the team, foster additional 1inch token utilities, and build new protocols. 1inch Raises $175 Million From Strategic Investors Over the last year, decentralized finance (defi) has propelled itself into the spotlight as a great number of dex platforms now provide users with the ability to trade and provide liquidity in a decentralized fashion. 1inch Network provides users with the ability to get a better exchange rate as the aggregation platform combines multiple dex exchange rates to find the cheapest alternative. Furthermore, 1inch spread out even more by supporting five different blockchains which include Ethereum (ETH), Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Polygon (MATIC), and the two rollup solutions offered by Optimism and Arbitrum. The announcement sent to Bitcoin.com News explains that 1inch has raised $175 million in a Series B led by Amber Group. 1inch notes that around 50 investors contributed including firms like Vaneck, Jane Street, Nexo, Gemini Frontier Fund, Tribe Capital, Fenbushi Capital, Alameda Research, and Celsius. “While continuing to keep the existing defi audience happy by delivering state-of-the-art products, 1inch also aims to become a gateway for institutions that want to be part of the defi space,” 1inch Network co-founder Sergej Kunz said in a statement. The co-founder added: The next $1 [trillion] of assets entering defi will come from institutions rather than retail users, and 1inch would like to facilitate entry for them,” he adds. “We have already started work in that direction by attracting some key players from the traditional finance markets, and this collaboration will only accelerate over the next few years. 1inch Ethereum Volume Surpasses $100 Billion, ‘Next Phase of Defi Will Be Seamless Access to Different Protocols and Chains’ To date, 1inch Network has surpassed roughly $100 billion in overall volume on the Ethereum network according to Dune Analytics statistics. Metrics indicate that 1inch is the top dex aggregator and is followed by 0x API, Matcha, Paraswap, and Gnosis Protocol respectively. Metrics also indicate that on Ethereum, there are close to a million 1inch Network users today. According to 1inch, the investment round target was originally $70 million, but after a few developments, it was decided to let the financing round swell to $175 million. “A key part of the next phase of defi will be providing investors with seamless access to liquidity across different protocols and chains,” Amber Group’s Tiantian Kullander stated on Wednesday. 1inch has one of the best teams at the forefront of building bridges between fragmented liquidity pools, providing cost-savings and optimizing price discovery for all participants,” Kullander added. What do you think about 1inch Network raising $175 million in a Series B financing round? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. Miami, Florida – The reality of the recent past has changed many aspects of life, from the way live events get hosted to the frequency with which we use up bottles of hand sanitizer. While not all of the changes have been improvements, the rise of digital art and NFTs have been decidedly positive. The landscape of the art world has changed forever, creating new opportunities for artists, not just monetarily but also creatively. Miami may be known for its art and party-filled festivals, but this is Miami like never seen before, thanks to the NFT presence. As such a big part of the most recent art history, the city is sure to be brimming with digital art and NFT-related events, but none like the collection of work that LGND will be presenting. Almost two years after our lives were changed, LGND debuts Not For Tourists, an exclusive NFT art show at Miami Art Week. Celebrating recent advancements in art and technology, pioneering an artist-centric model that speaks to the power of this new era. Created by artists for artists, LGND empowers its collective of world-renowned artists in integrating their works into the crypto ecosystem on their own terms. As Tyler Carter, Head of Creative at LGND says, “We’re delighted to announce the LGND x Haute Living NFT gallery, ‘Not For Tourists’ at Miami Art Week. This show is a celebration of artists at the forefront of this medium who have pushed the space into new realms. As we near the close of a transformative year, we look forward to the future and remain focused on the independence of creators and how to empower them.” Presented by LGND and curated by Pplpleasr, artworks will meet this amplified level of expectation head-on. In partnership with Haute Living, Airbus, ACJ, Grand Seiko, Seasons LA, and 8090 Partners, LGND will engage the eager crowd on the evening of December 3 with the VIP Cocktail Reception of Not For Tourists preview of the main fair, with an event that will kick off a unique auction. Featuring work by incredibly talented artists including James Jean, Maciej Kuciara, Praystation, Soey Milk, Ram Han, Ellen Sheidlin, Mike Lee, Swopes, Grif, Kouhei Nakama, Naive John, Robbie Trevino, Hush, Shantell Martin, Vince Fraser, All Smilesss, and 007 himself, Pierce Brosnan, the show is a carefully curated exhibition, bound to spark conversation. It is only fitting that the company presents the best, a group of legends and soon-to-be legends. The opportunity to promote the work in a way that allows all collectors to learn about this new medium in a setting at the center of the art universe represents a certain culmination only LGND could conjure. MIAMI ART WEEK x LGND x HAUTE LIVING Opening Reception Friday, December 3, 2021 | 5 PM to 8 PM Sky Lounge Gallery One Thousand Museum | 1000 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 1000museum.com Not For Tourists Presented by LGND and Curated by Pplpleasr Sky Lounge Gallery Online at LGND.art | Friday, December 3 – December 9, 2021 One Thousand Museum | 1000 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 LGND.art Just as NFTs have made a mark on the art world as a whole, LGND is excited to make its mark on Miami Art Week, exposing more people to the potential for artist-focused digital art and platforms to create something truly incredible. Interested collectors should create a LGND account and register to bid here to participate. ABOUT LGND ART LGND is a highly curated NFT digital arts platform built by artists for artists. LGND enables artists to integrate their work into the NFT market on their terms, reach a global audience, and secure their digital legacy through blockchain technologies. LGND fosters dynamic interaction and exchange between high-end collectors and world-class artists. ABOUT HAUTE LIVING Haute Media Group is a collection of print, SEO driving digital and social media platforms specializing in all things luxury and the elusive ultra-high net worth end-user consumer. Haute Living features the top celebrities, entrepreneurs, titans of industry, luxury specialists and notables within each market, highlighting the best in high-end consumer goods, fashion, timepieces, automobiles, private aviation, culinary hotspots and events. Media Inquiries: LGND Art – Nancy Cho | nancy@lgnd.art 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

Russian President Vladimir Putin has again spoken about cryptocurrencies, noting the “high risks” associated with the virtual assets. However, the Russian leader has also acknowledged that digital currencies may have a future and it’s necessary to follow their development. Russia’s Putin Still Cautious About Crypto Russian President Vladimir Putin has made another comment regarding cryptocurrencies. Speaking at the VTB Capital Investment Forum “Russia Calling!” 2021, the head of state noted that crypto assets still carry a lot of serious risks. Quoted by the news portal Life.ru, Putin elaborated: As for cryptocurrency, it is prohibited in some countries. It is not backed by anything, the volatility is high, the risks are high. I also believe that we need to listen to those who talk about the high risks. At the same time, Russia’s strongman did not rule out that there may be a future for cryptocurrencies. He further emphasized that right now it is necessary to carefully monitor the whole process as it develops. Cryptocurrencies are yet to be comprehensively regulated in the Russian Federation. Although the law “On Digital Financial Assets,” which went into force in January, provides some clarity regarding virtual coins and certain related activities like their issuance, many aspects such as mining and taxation still require regulation through new legislation. Bank of Russia remains firmly opposed to the legalization of bitcoin and the like as a means of payment and has recently proposed to introduce legal liability for such uses. In September, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, also took a hard stance on the matter, making it clear that Russia has no reason and is not ready to recognize bitcoin as legal tender. Putin’s latest comment on cryptocurrencies is not his first this year. In an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Forum in Moscow this past October, he admitted that decentralized digital money could one day be employed in oil trade settlements, although this while remarking that it’s still too early for that. He accused the United States of undermining its own currency and pointed out that U.S. dollar-denominated settlements are declining while countries are scaling down their dollar reserves. The Kremlin has been going after officials holding cryptocurrency as part of its efforts to combat corruption in government. In August, the presidential administration published a decree signed by Putin instructing several ministries and the central bank to check the declarations filed by government employees about their digital asset holdings. Do you expect Vladimir Putin’s position on cryptocurrencies to change in the future? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin.com is integrating technology from CoinFLEX that enables users to earn interest on a wide range of cryptoassets, including a US-dollar stablecoin (flexUSD), through both passive and active strategies. The passive yield strategy is built on flexUSD, a US-dollar pegged cryptocurrency that automatically provides all holders with compounding interest payments, regardless of where they hold it. “We’re incredibly excited to be offering an interest-earning product that’s easy to use and carries minimal risk,” said Bitcoin.com CEO Dennis Jarvis. “Now our users can not only shield themselves from the downside market volatility by trading into a US dollar equivalent, they can also earn yield on those dollars that far exceeds anything available in legacy banking.” To start earning interest now, Bitcoin.com users can either swap into or “mint” flexUSD in a few clicks. Behind the scenes, yield for flexUSD is generated by fees and interest paid on short-term lend/borrow markets. Interest rates will vary but are usually between 10-20%. FlexUSD can also be used as collateral to trade, meaning you can earn yield and trade at the same time. The CoinFLEX technology integration also brings advanced trading tools and products to the Bitcoin.com ecosystem, including physically settled futures and perpetuals with leverage up to 100x. These features are available on the Bitcoin.com Exchange, where users can also trade 40+ spot pairs: all the majors like Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Ethereum (ETH), as well as DeFi coins like UNI and SUSHI, popular meme coins like SHIB, and a range of other coins we’ve never offered before. Bitcoin.com users can also employ active yield strategies by providing liquidity in both single and dual asset pools for futures markets. CoinFLEX CEO Mark Lamb explains: “The system democratizes access to the yields generated by market making for futures markets, where volumes vastly exceed spot. And since it’s a hybrid model, where the liquidity is decentralized but the order book is centralized, liquidity provision and trades are executed instantly and fees are minimal.” Bitcoin.com traders can use a handy APR Simulator tool to easily estimate the yield generated by supplying liquidity into a given pool and at a defined trading price range. “Beyond providing folks who want to trade at higher frequency with the advanced tools they need, Bitcoin.com now enables holders of cryptoassets to put them to productive use and earn a yield for doing so,” adds Bitcoin.com CEO Dennis Jarvis. “It’s a big step in expanding the Bitcoin.com ecosystem towards our goal of providing an even more comprehensive financial services platform that further supports economic freedom.” View the full article

A recently established crypto industry association in Iran has commenced activities under the country’s chamber of commerce. Its management hopes to help remove obstacles challenging its members while facilitating the implementation of blockchain technology in the sanctioned nation’s economy. Industry Association to Address Blockchain-Related Challenges in Iran The newly-established Iran Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Association (IBCA) has started operating under the supervision of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mining and Agriculture (ICCIMA), the English-language business daily Financial Tribune reported. According to the publication, the IBCA is the first organization affiliated with the chamber that is dealing with challenges facing Iran’s growing blockchain ecosystem. The launch was announced by Mohammad Reza Sharafi, member of the association’s board, who expressed hope that the IBCA would be able to remove hurdles faced by businesses in the crypto space and use blockchain technology in the interest of the Iranian economy. Speaking to the Way2pay website portal, Sharafi also elaborated: There are a variety of issues related to the development of the innovative technology in Iran. Concerted efforts have been made to maximize the benefits of this sector for the economy… We need to work closely to ensure the use of the potential of the technology without monopolizing it. The organization’s representative added that the ICCIMA issued permission for the establishment of the new group last year. The launch was delayed, however, due to various reasons, not least of which was the change in government in Tehran. Mohammad Sharafi is convinced that working under the chamber’s supervision will create opportunities to address key challenges in the sector, in particular those pertaining to regulations. A previously active industry body, Iran Blockchain Association (IBA), was founded in 2017 as a nonprofit, self-governing society of entrepreneurs, experts, and activists involved in the development of the rapidly growing technology. IBA had its activities suspended in June of this year by the Ministry of Interior for allegedly breaching its own articles of association. The move came after Iranian lawmaker Rahim Zare accused non-government crypto organizations of transferring foreign currency funds outside the Islamic Republic. The IBA rejected these claims that had not been backed by any evidence. Iran’s crypto space remains largely unregulated. In April, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) authorized domestic banks and money exchangers to use locally mined cryptocurrencies to pay for imports to the sanctioned nation but authorities have been going after coin trading and crypto payments in the country. Restrictions on cryptocurrency trade would deprive Iran of opportunities, local fintech companies warned earlier this year, expressing opposition to government attempts at curbing the operations of digital asset exchanges. Crypto mining is currently the most regulated sector since Tehran recognized it as a legal industrial activity in 2019. Do you think Iran’s new crypto and blockchain association will manage to achieve its goals? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. View the full article

2TM, a Brazilian fintech unicorn that is the holding company of Mercado Bitcoin, one of the leading crypto exchanges on the continent, has closed its Series B funding round again, raising an additional $50 million. The funding round was led by U.S.-based 10T and Tribe Capital, with the participation of other new investors. 2TM Gets $50 Million More, Prepares for Expansion 2TM, one of the biggest fintech conglomerates in Latin America, has raised $50 million in an expansion of its Series B funding round. The second closing of the round was led by 10T and Tribe Capital and had participation from other parties, including Traders Club, Pipo Capital, and Endeavor. The first closure of the funding round was in July when it received $200 million from Softbank. 2TM is the holding company of Mercado Bitcoin, one of the leading crypto markets in Brazil, and it’s now seeking to expand its services to other countries on the continent. The entrance of companies like 10T, which is making its first investment in the region, could signal that there is still interest in the growth potential of Latam-based markets when it comes to digital assets. Roberto Dagnoni, CEO of 2TM, stated the company’s priority will be to reach Mexican, Argentinian, Chilean, and Colombian markets in the near future. Significant Growth 2TM has experienced notable growth this year, with trading volumes between January and October being double those Mercado Bitcoin recorded from its inception in 2013 to December 2020. About Mercado Bitcoin’s growth, Dagnoni stressed: We have grown to more than 3.2 million customers today, which is equivalent to 80% of individual accounts at the Brazilian Stock exchange. This growth reinforces Brazilians’ appetite for digital assets and the great transformation that is hitting the traditional financial market. 2TM has also diversified its investments, positioning itself as a bridge company between the digital asset and the traditional finance markets. This ostensibly puts it in a place to serve traditional investors and institutions that want to dabble in the crypto market, while still aiming to reach the retail investor interested in digital assets. What do you think about 2TM raising $50 million more to expand in Latam markets? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

BCH House Venezuela, an adoption organization, has published its first documentary on social media, where it shows the way in which Venezuelans are using cryptocurrency as a means of exchange. Roberto García, the founder of this initiative, shows us the level of adoption the BCH House initiative has reached in Barquisimeto — a city in the west of the country — and how merchants are embracing cryptocurrencies. BCH House Venezuela Showcases On-Site Adoption BCH House Venezuela, a BCH adoption organization, has released its first documentary, where it shows the advances of the organization in promoting the use of bitcoin cash as a means of exchange and also as a store of value. BCH House centers its action in Barquisimeto, a city with a population of one million inhabitants, and it shows how merchants are accepting bitcoin cash for everyday purchases. Roberto García, the founder of BCH House Venezuela, interviews some of these merchants to see what they think about cryptocurrencies in general and investigates the way that they are using cryptocurrencies in their companies and stores. These locations include bakeries, clothing stores, and more. About Bitcoin Cash, a merchant stated: It’s an alternative for the customer given the problems we are facing now with POS and cash. Cryptocurrency technology has made banks obsolete because these take too much time to deliver the funds. Advantages of Cryptocurrency for Payments Venezuela is no stranger to cryptocurrencies. The phenomenon took the country by storm years prior due to the hyperinflation the country was facing at that time (and continues facing), accompanied by a devaluation of fiat money and an exchange control that forbid Venezuelans from buying dollars and other international currencies to protect their savings. This has led to a rise in the use of crypto in the country, which put it among the top-ranked nations in cryptocurrency exchange volumes of the continent and the world. Now, cryptocurrencies are starting to be used more as a payment method due to the popularity of the solution. About the work that BCH House is doing to promote bitcoin cash, García stated: We have a 4 executive team that are showing businesses the advantages of using Bitcoin Cash for payments, and we have taken support from Satoshi’s Angels to achieve this goal, taking advantage of the platform that the Bitcoin.com wallet offers. García is bullish about the future of cryptocurrency adoption in the country, and while he has been focusing on small entrepreneurs, for 2022 he and his team will focus on onboarding bigger businesses to use bitcoin cash. He hinted at the inclusion of malls and other big stores accepting cryptocurrencies for their services. The documentary is available for viewing now on Youtube. What do you think about the work of BCH House Venezuela? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Some say trading is a game of luck; others view it as an adventure sport. Just like athletes love performing mind-blowing maneuvers, there’s a thrill that comes with executing the perfect trade, For those newer to the scene, trading competitions allow novice traders to learn and grow as a broker, and give more experienced participants the chance to overcome a new challenge. If you know what you’re doing, trading competitions can be a fun way to make a quick buck, but the level of risk can be hard to justify when you don’t have much to invest, especially with lackluster prizes and unpredictable markets. Phemex is no stranger to hosting trading contests, having successfully conducted Bitcoin Bonanza last month celebrating the launch of their inverse BTCUSD contracts. This time, however, the stakes are being raised. This November, Phemex, a Singapore-based crypto derivatives powerhouse, is launching the fourth edition of its ‘Phemex Trader’s Arena’ trading contest, encouraging teams to compete for a colossal $750,000 prize pool. The Fun & Games Unlike Bitcoin Bonanza, where only the inverse BTCUSD contract volumes counted towards the contest, all of Phemex’s contract products will count towards participant scores. This means each player will record ROI in both their USD and BTC trading accounts, with the higher value counting towards a team’s final ROI. Results for individual prizes are calculated using the aggregate PnL across both USD and BTC trading accounts. Additionally, participants that make deposits into their contract trading accounts during the registration period will receive further prizes, with the chance of winning trading bonuses of up to $1000 for deposits over 2 BTC (or $100,000). Furthermore, users are only allowed to participate using a single account, and players with trading volumes under $500 will be disqualified from receiving rewards. Team and captain registrations will open between Nov. 25th 2021 and Dec. 9th 2021, and with BTC worth three-quarters of a million dollars on the line, the stakes are enormous. Teams must have at least ten members to be valid, and groups that do not meet this requirement will be randomly reassigned to other teams after being disbanded. Captains who successfully manage to build a team can win up to $6000 depending on the number of team members. The ranking of teams will depend on the average ROI of its top 10 traders, though players will also receive rewards and ranks at an individual level using PnL. The Pot of Gold 78% of the total prize pool is allocated to prizes for teams, while the other 22% is set aside for individual traders. 25% will be awarded to the first-ranked team, 15% will go to the second team, and 8% to the third. The last 30% will be equally distributed between the remaining seven of the top 10 teams. Captains receive a 40% share of their team’s winnings, and 30% will be distributed among the team’s top 10 traders, with all other team members sharing the remaining 30%. However, for teams having less than 20 members, captains still receive 40% of the prize, with the remaining 60% being equally distributed between the rest of the team. Of the 22% allocated to individual rewards, 8% will be given to the person in 1st place, 5% to the runner-up, and 2% to the third-place winner. The last 7% will be shared equally between the remaining members. Phemex is also conducting a series of Twitter campaigns to help spread the word, inviting all registered participants to follow their page @Phemex_official. Followers selected at random will be eligible to receive rewards through the entire duration of the competition, including limited edition and themed merch. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

The publicly-listed crypto-asset exchange Coinbase has announced the company has acquired the Israeli firm Unbound Security. The announcement follows Coinbase acquiring the cryptocurrency wallet BRD last week and the Unbound acquisition is aimed at the company’s “commitment to providing the safest, most secure, and most trusted venue for anyone to interact with the [crypto economy].” Coinbase Acquires Israeli Company Unbound Security Ever since Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) was publicly listed, the company has acquired a number of smaller companies. Prior to the listing on Nasdaq, the company acquired the firm Bison Trails and on April 30, the crypto-focused data analytics company Skew revealed it was purchased by Coinbase. The publicly-listed crypto asset exchange further purchased Zabo in August and during the first week of November, Coinbase acquired the company Agara. During the last week, Coinbase has revealed two more acquisitions. On Tuesday, Coinbase announced the acquisition of Unbound Security, a firm that works with multi-party computation technology. Coinbase asserts that Unbound’s multi-party computation technology “will play a foundational role in Coinbase’s product and security roadmap.” The move will also increase Coinbase’s presence in Israel, the crypto exchange highlights. Coinbase says that it believes Israel is “a hotbed of strong technology and cryptography talent.” Furthermore, Coinbase plans to “establish a tech center of excellence in Israel that will ensure that Coinbase is always at the bleeding edge of security and blockchain technology.” The company stresses that it will gain insights from some of the most prominent cryptographic experts. “With this acquisition, Coinbase not only gains access to some of the world’s most sophisticated cryptographic security experts, including Unbound Security co-founder and current vice president of Research and Development, Guy Peer, who brings more than 20 years of experience in cryptographic security, but also a presence in Israel, a well-established and rapidly growing technology hub,” Coinbase added. Coinbase Acquired BRD Wallet Last Week for an Undisclosed Sum Six days before the Unbound Security acquisition announcement, it was revealed that Coinbase acquired the open-source BRD wallet. Adam Traidman BRD’s co-founder and CEO explained that BRD grew to a community of 10 million customers since its inception in 2014. “We would like to share the news that members of our team will be continuing our mission at Coinbase, where we will work together to bring the power of decentralization to even more users around the globe,” Traidman wrote to BRD users on November 24. Traidman further added that “nothing will change in the BRD wallet app” but in the future, BRD wallet users “will have an optional migration path to self custody with Coinbase Wallet.” Moreover, the BRD users that migrate will get a “special gift” and Traidman added that BRD users should stay tuned in 2022. The native token tied to the BRD community, bread (BRD), saw the coin’s value swell by more than 500% this past week and is still up 460% at the time of writing. What do you think about Coinbase acquiring Unbound Security and the acquisition of BRD last week? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has explained its dogecoin issue which resulted in withdrawal suspension and Tesla CEO Elon Musk calling the problem “shady.” The exchange says it was a “rare issue” and no one was at fault. Binance’s ‘Rare’ Dogecoin Issue, Withdrawals Resumed Binance explained its dogecoin problem Monday, stating: What began as a fairly straightforward upgrade, turned into an issue where Binance users were unable to withdraw DOGE for the last 17 days. In addition, 1,634 users were sent old transactions. “The truth is that a combination of unlikely factors led to an unforeseen issue that ultimately only affected Binance,” the company admitted. Binance explained that any platform will have the same issue if it had listed dogecoin back in 2019 at v1.14.0, had transactions stuck in the wallet, and had upgraded the wallet to v1.14.2 and then updated it to v1.14.5. The exchange added: “Unfortunately for Binance, we had inadvertently threaded the needle with all of the above parameters, which led to the coins being re-sent and requiring a new wallet needed to be built.” Binance emphasized: No single entity was at fault, neither Binance nor DOGE Network had prior knowledge of this rare issue. So rest assured, as CZ said – no one’s getting fired. The company noted that it has been working with the Dogecoin Core maintainers “to diagnose, solve, and prevent similar issues from occurring.” Furthermore, the exchange added that on Saturday, “we tested everything by opening up withdrawals again, but we did it silently to ensure there were no further issues, and now we’re pleased to announce that from today withdrawals are fully open again.” The DOGE problem at Binance has been widely discussed on social media. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently commented that the problem “sounds shady.” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) argued that Musk was incorrect in his assessment, accusing the Tesla boss of lacking knowledge of the situation. What do you think about Binance’s dogecoin issue? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

A leading tech-focused retailer, Newegg, has announced its support for the meme cryptocurrency shiba inu (SHIB) with the launch of a massive billboard ad campaign. Newegg says it is set to accept shiba inu for payments in early December, which would be sooner than when AMC Theatres plans to add SHIB. Newegg Launches Massive Ad Campaign for Shiba Inu Major online retailer Newegg (Nasdaq: NEGG) announced its plan to accept the meme cryptocurrency shiba inu (SHIB) for payments Tuesday. Newegg is one of the leading tech-focused online retailers in North America, with a global reach in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East. Its platform focuses on computer parts, PC components, laptops, gaming systems, automotive parts, and office supplies. The announcement explains: Newegg will begin accepting SHIB in early December, further cementing Newegg.com as a preferred destination for online shoppers who want to pay with cryptocurrency. SHIB will be accepted “as a form of payment on its platform in time for the holidays,” Newegg emphasized. Tuesday’s announcement follows a tweet the company made on Friday stating that SHIB is “coming soon” to Newegg. The SHIB acceptance announcement was made “on a grand scale with a massive digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign displayed on The Reef, North America’s largest DOOH billboard,” the e-commerce giant explained. Located in downtown Los Angeles, California, the Reef “wraps around three sides of a large office building spanning an entire Los Angeles city block,” Newegg noted. “At 55 feet tall and 736 feet wide, the 40,000+ square foot DOOH billboard is one of the most impressive billboards in the world,” the company described. Newegg currently accepts a number of cryptocurrencies via Bitpay. According to the CEO of AMC Theatres, Adam Aron, the crypto payment service provider decided to add SHIB to its list of supported cryptocurrencies at his request. Aron said in early November that he expects AMC to be the first company to accept SHIB via Bitpay. However, the theater chain is currently not using Bitpay and Aron said the meme coin shiba inu will be accepted in 60 to 120 days from the date of his announcement. This plan would put AMC behind Newegg in accepting SHIB. Andrew Choi, Newegg’s director of brand marketing, commented: We are always looking for ways to innovate the shopping experience on Newegg.com, and something our customers want is greater flexibility and options, including the ability to pay with a wide range of cryptocurrencies. “Through our partnership with Bitpay, we have the ability to move quickly and lead the market with flexible cryptocurrency payment options. To that end, we’re excited to offer SHIB as a payment option on Newegg.com,” the director opined. What do you think about Newegg’s SHIB billboard ad and its plan to accept shiba inu for payments? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

According to an analysis of the $417.5 million that was raised by Nigerian tech startups during the first nine months of 2021, fintech firms accounted for about $379 million or 90.78% of the total. Nigerian Fintechs Dominate the African Continent Nigerian fintechs currently account for more than 90% of the $417.5 million that was raised by tech startups during the first nine months of 2021, a local report has said. While the report, which was compiled by local media outlet Punch, notes that the $417.5 million is already significantly higher than the $300 million that was raised in the entirety of 2020, it acknowledges that this growth in funds raised is largely thanks to fintech groups. To illustrate, the report points to the fact that $600 million was raised by fintech startups between 2014 and 2019. To prove that the fintech space has grown rapidly since 2020, the report makes reference to the Fintech Association of Nigeria (FAN)’s belief that investment in the financial service ecosystem will exceed $400M in 2021. In addition to the expected record investment, the FAN has predicted that the revenue base will reach $543M by 2022. Government Support Besides accounting for the majority of funds that were raised by tech startups, Nigerian firms also account for the lion’s share of funds raised by fintech startups that operate on the African continent. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, of the 277 fintech funding rounds tracked by Disrupt Africa between 2015 and mid-2021, 108 of these rounds went to Nigerian startups. These rounds, which totaled $467,901,000 in investment, mean Nigerian fintechs accounted for 53.4 percent of funds raised since tracking began. This figure is a much higher dollar total than that of second-ranked South Africa whose startups raised a total of $216,124,800 over the same period. Meanwhile, Punch newspaper also reported that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has since taken note of the space’s growth and is now keen on boosting this further by creating an environment that allows the country’s youth to turn their passions into ideas. The report added that a “Startup Bill,” which is a joint initiative between Nigeria’s tech startup ecosystem and the Presidency, is now set to be tabled before the Nigerian legislature sometime before the end of 2021. What are your thoughts about this story? You can share your views in the comments section below. View the full article

The theatre chain AMC and Sony Pictures are offering NFT’s as a present for early buyers of tickets for the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” movie premiere. These tickets (and the opportunity to reclaim the gift NFTs) will only be available for users of AMC’s different subscriptions in its app (AMC Stubs A-List, Premiere, or Investor Connect). The NFTs will be issued on top of the Wax blockchain, and only 86,000 NFT’s will be available. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Gets the NFT Treatment AMC has partnered with Sony to offer NFTs to the buyers of tickets for the premiere of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The announcement was made via AMC’s portal, which specified the ticket sale started yesterday for the December 16 premiere. The company will only issue 86,000 NFTs to AMC’s perks program subscribers (AMC Stubs A-List, Premiere, or Investor Connect), and users of the app will be able to retrieve them when assisting to the function after scanning a code. This is the first time that AMC stepped into the NFT realm using a renowned franchise such as Marvel’s Spider-Man to do it. This might be the test pilot for AMC to entice moviegoers to fill theatres again after a dry season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. About the promotion, Adam Aron, Chairman of the Board and CEO of AMC, stated: AMC Theatres guests and our AMC Entertainment shareholders have been calling for AMC to get into the world of NFTs, and we couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to start doing so than with our good friends at Sony Pictures. Ecologic NFTs and Art AMC is promoting these Spider-Man NFTs as “Eco Friendly,” this means that the chain in which they are issued is energy efficient. The NFTs will be issued on top of the Wax blockchain, which claims to be carbon neutral. Wax is an NFT dedicated blockchain, that eases the way of brands and platforms into launching their products on the Wax network. The platform has already partnered with several well known brands and claims to process more than 15 million transactions daily at a fraction of the cost and energy consumption of competitors. The artistic design of the NFT collection was developed by Cub Studio, a seasoned animation studio that has won several awards for its work. More than 100 models will be designed directly by the studio to be featured on the NFT artwork of the drop. What do you think about AMC and Sony partnering up to offer Spiderman NFTS to ticket buyers? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Pocketcoin (PKOIN) is a Proof-of-Stake token that is used decentralized advertising, boosting posts and featuring comments on the decentralized crypto social platform Bastyon․com. PKOIN also gives users specific privileges while using Bastyon․com social platform and is used for node staking. Authors also earn crypto for their content on Bastyon․com. And now Pocketcoin is available for purchase on https://buy.pkoin.indacoin.io/ for Visa/Mastercard through a newly announced Indacoin integration. PKOIN is also available on a number of exchanges including DigiFinex and Bitforex, and for purchase for 19 different cryptos at https://pkoin.net/ Recent Growth of Bastyon․com and PKOIN Userbase The crypto social network Bastyon has grown exponentially adding over one hundred thirty thousand users over the past three months. Bastyon’s block explorer routinely features hundreds of transactions showing the network is gaining majortraction. Bastyon recently added a video upload function, with decentralized video servers registering on the Bastyon blockchain to earn crypto for providing a video storage and playback service. Bastyon’s video player supports the decentralization by using peer-to-peer video sharing, thus reducing the load on servers. Many videos on Bastyon now have hundreds of thousands of views. Bastyon is also testing decentralized livestreaming with PKOIN donations, which will significantly increase the demand for PKOIN and value created by the network. On Bastyon blockchain tracks reputation and high reputation users moderate the platform, thus cleaning it from the inappropriate content. Users love Bastyon for two main reasons: first, because it is a user-controlled network, second for the fact that all earnings of PKOIN get only to value creating users, not the central corporate entity. New Integrations Expand PKOIN Reach & Audience Announcement of two new integrations that offer Pocketcoin (PKOIN) for sale through credit cards and for 19 different cryptos including DAI, XRP, DOGE, TRX, BCH and others is tremendous news for the up-and-coming decentralized network. Bastyon can be thought of “Bitcoin of social networks” due to its commitment to decentralized equal nodes and complete control by the users with no centralization. Users of Bastyon now have two new ways of purchasing PKOIN for promoting their content or obtaining privileges on the network, such as making more posts, loading video and livestreaming. Up until now users had to go to Digifinex or Bitforex to trade PKOIN, but many people in the world still are not comfortable with crypto exchanges. Direct purchase for credit cards will open up new opportunities for users and for PKOIN. Indacoin announces very low markup for PKOIN Additionally, Indacoin announced that the markup on PKOIN sales vs the exchange price will be kept very low, at around 4.5% mark. This is because PKOIN is a decentralized project, orders are fulfilled directly on the exchange and there are no intermediaries or corporate entities that need to fundraise or take profit. For the same reason Pocketcoin never had an ICO because it is not a business project, but rather a decentralized platform that aims to bring the spirit of Bitcoin to social networking. Bastyon Launches Peer-to-Peer Exchange For PKOIN Bastyon․com now also has a special social network category called PKOIN/Peer-to-Peer. In that category, users trade PKOIN through the encrypted Bastyon chat that allows sending of crypto to correspondents. As Bastyon is preparing a decentralized ad marketplace through PKOIN, the increasing liquidity of PKOIN will help advertisers and bloggers create marketing campaigns and get paid respectively. Summary: Bastyon․com, a decentralized social networking protocol built on Pocketnet blockchain has come out of a beta test and entered a period of robust growth, adding more than one hundred thirty thousand users over the past three months. Pocketcoin (PKOIN), the network token used for boosting posts, comments, subscriptions and advertising is becoming more liquid, with multiple new ways for non-sophisticated users to buy PKOIN for use, in addition to the current crypto exchanges for more experienced users. These developments bode very well for the future of Bastyon and Pocketcoin. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

The popular American-style pale lager produced by Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser announced on November 29, that the firm planned to issue a series of 1,936 non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles. Following the Bud-themed NFT market launch, the web portal experiences some hiccups. Budweiser Issues NFT Beer Can Collection — NFT Cans Give Access to the ‘Budverse’ At the end of August, the crypto community discussed the popular American beer brand Budweiser purchasing an NFT crafted by Tom Sachs called “Life of the Party.” Moreover, Budweiser also acquired the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain called “beer.eth” on August 11, 2021. According to Opensea records, Budweiser spent $96,000 or 30 ether at the time of sale in order to acquire the ENS domain. There are 1,936 Budverse Cans because it’s a hat tip to our first Heritage Cans launched in 1936. And now you can own a piece of history and a collectible that gives you access to the future of Budverse. — beer.eth (@budweiserusa) November 29, 2021 Budweiser also uses the domain name beer.eth on its Twitter handle and the company announced releasing a collection of 1,936 Bud-themed NFTs. “The wait is over,” the video accompanying Budweiser’s tweet said on Monday. “Own a piece of Budweiser history,” the video explains, while showing a few previews of the NFTs called “Budverse cans.” The company introduced the Budverse marketplace to the company’s fans at 1 p.m. (EST). Budweiser NFT Web Portal Gets Bogged Down at Launch, Gold and Core Budweiser NFT Cans While attempting to visit the Budweiser NFT web portal, the site seemed to be bogged down by lots of traffic, as the page gave multiple “504 Gateway Time-out” warnings after 1 p.m. After getting the site up and loaded, visitors must be 21 years or older to enter the web portal. Visitors are required to enter their age. That section of the portal gave another “error” when checking the legal drinking age. Finally, after 15 minutes of trying to enter the Budweiser NFT web portal with no luck, it suddenly opened for our newsdesk at 1:16 p.m. (EST). “Introducing Budweiser’s first-ever NFT collection: Budverse Cans Heritage Edition. Composed of 1,936 unique digital cans, representing 1936, the year of the first Budweiser can,” the Bud-centric NFT website says. “Each NFT is one of a kind and generated using archived photos, ads, and designs from throughout Budweiser’s storied history. Each NFT will act as an entry key to the Budverse, unlocking exclusive benefits, rewards and surprises for all 21+ (or legal drinking age) NFT holders.” The collection showcases 1,900 “Core NFTs,” which are generative art NFTs showcasing iconic Budweiser cans from throughout the beer company’s history. The Budweiser Core NFTs also unlock some kind of “exclusive access” and rewards from the Budverse. The collection further has 36 super rare “Gold NFTs,” which feature the firm’s iconic heritage cans. The Budweiser website says the Gold Budweiser NFTs give VIP tickets to the “best experiences in Budverse and beyond.” Many of the Budweiser NFT cans sold out in a matter of minutes, and people will have to wait until the unique NFTs start getting listed on second-market platforms. Budweiser is not the only brand trying to get its feet wet in the metaverse with NFTs. At the end of August, the popular beverage producer and brand Arizona Iced Tea introduced NFTs with the Bored Ape Yacht Club team. The fast-food giant McDonald’s recently unveiled the “McRib” non-fungible token collectible. Both Nike and Adidas have been stepping toward the metaverse and blockchain-backed NFTs in recent times as well. What do you think about the Budweiser NFT collection? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Billionaire investor Mike Novogratz has cautioned that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell could slow down the crypto market in his second term in office. Commenting on his renomination, Novogratz said Powell could “act more like a central banker than a guy that wants to be reappointed.” How Jerome Powell’s Second Term as Fed Chair Could Impact Crypto Billionaire investor Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, talked about the impact the renomination of Jerome Powell as the Federal Reserve chairman for another term could have on the crypto market on CNBC last week. President Joe Biden nominated Powell to serve for a second term as Fed chair last week. Powell has overseen the biggest monetary stimulus in U.S. history to help the economy cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent crisis. The “macro story has changed a little bit,” Novogratz explained, adding that Powell getting reappointed could allow him “to act more like a central banker than a guy that wants to be reappointed.” Emphasizing, “We have inflation showing up … in pretty bad ways in the U.S.,” Novogratz opined, “So we can see, is the Fed going to have to move a little faster?” The billionaire fund manager continued: That would slow all assets down. It would slow the Nasdaq down. It would slow crypto down, if we have to start raising rates much faster than we thought. Mike Bailey, director of research at FBB Capital Partners, also commented on the effect Powell’s second term in office could have on the crypto industry. He was quoted by Bloomberg last week as saying: For die-hard crypto bulls, another Powell term may provide some confirmation bias, since these investors often view crypto as a hedge for loose Fed policy. However, Douglas Boneparth, president of the financial advisory firm Bone Fide Wealth, said that overall there is uncertainty about how markets will react without additional support from the Fed. Meanwhile, Novogratz remains bullish about the outlook of the crypto industry. He shared: The amount of institutions Galaxy sees moving into this space is staggering. “I was on the phone with one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world today, and they’ve made the decision on a go-forward basis to start putting money into crypto,” he detailed. “I’ve had the same conversations with big pension funds in the United States.” Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor recently said that bitcoin will grow 100X to become a $100 trillion asset class. A survey by Nickel Digital Asset Management shows that 82% of institutional investors and wealth managers are planning to increase their cryptocurrency exposure between now and 2023. Investment bank Goldman Sachs said in May that fear of missing out (FOMO) is driving institutional investors to bitcoin. Do you agree with Mike Novogratz? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has announced support for the meme cryptocurrency shiba inu (SHIB). Deposits are now live and SHIB trading is expected to commence on Tuesday. The price of SHIB surged following Kraken’s announcement. SHIB on Kraken: Deposits Now Live, Trading Set to Begin Tomorrow Crypto exchange Kraken announced Monday that shiba inu (SHIB) deposits are live and trading is expected to start Tuesday. The exchange wrote: We’re thrilled to announce that Kraken now supports shiba inu (SHIB). “Funding is live, and we anticipate trading will begin tomorrow, November 30 — at which point Kraken will enable order entry and execution,” the exchange clarified, noting that the futures and margin trading service will not be available at launch. The shiba inu token will be tradeable against USD and EUR on Kraken, the announcement details, adding that there is a trading minimum of 50K SHIB, a price precision of 8 decimal places and a quantity precision of 5 decimal places. Moreover, Kraken explained that SHIB deposits require 20 confirmations, which it estimates to be about five minutes. The minimum deposit is 373K SHIB. The price of SHIB jumped more than 13% from the $0.00003899 level prior to Kraken’s announcement to $0.00004422 at the time of writing. Shiba inu crypto investors have been waiting almost a month for Kraken to come through on its promise to list SHIB. The exchange tweeted on Nov. 1 that if its tweet gets 2K likes, the platform will list SHIB the next day. SHIB supporters delivered more than 45K likes within the time frame given. However, Kraken did not come through on its promise. Instead of listing SHIB, the exchange tweeted on Nov. 2: “Community is an important part of our considerations for all listings, and you have clearly shown your support. There’s more work for us to do as we move through our listing review process.” Meanwhile, shiba inu crypto supporters are still petitioning for the trading platform Robinhood to list SHIB. At the time of writing, the petition has garnered more than 540K signatures. However, Robinhood recently said that it is in no hurry to list additional cryptocurrencies. Another major crypto exchange, Gemini, also added support for SHIB this month. What do you think about Kraken finally listing SHIB? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Microstrategy has purchased 7,002 more bitcoins, growing its cryptocurrency stash to 121,044 coins. CEO Michael Saylor says, “Bitcoin is the only property you can truly own, as well as the first technology capable of granting property rights to everyone on earth.” Microstrategy Now Has 121,044 Bitcoins in Its Treasury The Nasdaq-listed company Microstrategy has purchased 7,002 more bitcoins. CEO Michael Saylor tweeted Monday: Microstrategy has purchased an additional 7,002 bitcoins for ~$414.4 million in cash at an average price of ~$59,187 per bitcoin. As of 11/29/21 we hodl ~121,044 bitcoins acquired for ~$3.57 billion at an average price of ~$29,534 per bitcoin. At the time of writing, the price of bitcoin is $57,095.58 based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. This means Microstrategy’s bitcoins are now worth more than $6.9 billion. Recently, Saylor discussed bitcoin becoming a $100 trillion asset class. He noted that bitcoin is winning against gold, asserting that “digital gold is going to replace gold this decade.” The bitcoin market cap is currently around $1.11 trillion. In addition, the Microstrategy executive said he is not at all troubled by regulation that is being discussed in Washington, noting that it will affect security tokens, decentralized finance (defi) exchanges, crypto exchanges, and other use cases of cryptocurrency that are not bitcoin. In his opinion, “bitcoin is unstoppable as digital property.” On Friday, Saylor tweeted, “Bitcoin offers better inflation protection than gold and is growing faster than big tech.” He believes that BTC “is the only property you can truly own, as well as the first technology capable of granting property rights to everyone on earth.” He emphasized, “In time, we will come to understand that it is concentrated energy in digital form and critical to the progression of our civilization.” Commenting on reports that the Indian government may be seeking to prohibit cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ether, the Microstrategy boss opined: Bitcoin is digital property and is going to be adopted as a store of value asset in every nation that allows citizens to own private property. In contrast, Saylor explained that “A stablecoin is digital currency for use as a medium of exchange and will be issued by chartered banks.” What do you think about Microstrategy’s bitcoin purchase? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article