roadrunner

A coordinated strike involving Europol, Interpol, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has led to the arrest of two “prolific” ransomware operators allegedly responsible for ransom demands of up to 70 million euros. In addition, $1.3 million in cryptocurrencies were seized. Ransomware Operators Arrested, Crypto Seized The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) announced Monday: Two prolific ransomware operators suspected of carrying out a string of attacks, demanding ransoms of up to EUR 70 million [$81 million], have been arrested in Ukraine. The arrests followed “a coordinated strike between the French National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), the Ukrainian National Police (Національна поліція України) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with the coordination of Europol and Interpol,” the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) explained. The arrests took place on Sept. 28. The authorities conducted seven property searches. They seized $375,000 in cash, two luxury vehicles worth 217,000 euros, and $1.3 million in cryptocurrencies. Europol detailed: The organized crime group is suspected of having committed a string of targeted attacks against very large industrial groups in Europe and North America from April 2020 onwards. “The criminals would deploy malware and steal sensitive data from these companies, before encrypting their files,” Europol continued. “They would then proceed to offer a decryption key in return for a ransom payment of several millions of euros, threatening to leak the stolen data on the dark web should their demands not be met.” What do you think about this coordinated attack? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Ertha is a new P2E game with an exciting backstory launching on Binance smart chain, unlike anything else. The game will encompass an accurate life simulation on a massive scale where players will be able to micromanage their companies and countries in a satisfying and rewarding way. The new metaverse will require players to consider their economic, infrastructure, and military development to advance and dominate other players. Ertha will encompass multiple features that make it detail-oriented, making player decisions dynamically impactful in the metaverse. The game is diverse between MMORPG and strategy genres and reminiscent of old-school games in its rich content. ERTHA is a token and an in-game currency. Players will be rewarded using this token which can be achieved using multiple revenue systems. 3 Features Never Before Seen in an NFT Game The world depicts actual planet earth and is divided into HEX plots, where players will decide to carve out their country in a real-world location. 350,000 HEX plots divide the world, and players will have to decide which plots they want to build on from an actual geographical location on the planet. HEX plots are NFTs and will be available to purchase. There are multiple paths to choose from, each with its sub-tree of advancements to help the player become a dominating force in the game. Whether you want to fight your way to dominance or take a more subtle path, the game will cater to different play styles. Your society will consist of businessmen who will boost your economy, scholars who will help you research new technologies, and fighters who will wage wars and protect your country from impending attacks. Players will be able to develop their country in a way that reflects their goals and pace. The mechanics will bring unprecedented realism in the management of the player’s country. Ertha has numerous mechanics at play, which would make it the most diverse and deep NFT based game out there. Maintaining your production, managing your companies, staying on top of the market and engaging in trade, planning your transport routes, and your fiscal budgets are all just examples of what makes Ertha unique. A Rewarding Metaverse Players will be rewarded in-game using different revenue mechanics and expecting to mimic a natural living environment in the revenue streams it generates for the player. Personal Ertha plots NFT will collect taxes, fees, and revenues from the different operations conducted on your HEX. This fleshes out the game and will encourage players to diversify their infrastructures and upgrades to ensure maximum utilization of their resources. Holding Ertha plots NFT will earn more and more revenue to keep up with your competitors. NFTs (HEXES) will retain their value in terms of development and strategic importance; The players will invest their game time in developing existing assets that they can later sell for a higher price depending on their location and growth. A Rich Roadmap The game developers plan to introduce more mechanics to bolster its diversity and deepen its realism. Some of these mechanics are but are not limited to: Wars Smuggling Political parties & Parliament Elections & Voting Systems Multiplayer Join NFT plot sale at Ertha.io This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Digital currencies backed by central banks are the most reliable form of digital money, according to IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva. At the same time, to think of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin as money is difficult, believes the chief executive of the international financial institution. IMF Chief Georgieva Marks Top Issues for Policymakers Exploring CBDCs Among the members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 110 countries are exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the fund’s chair and managing director Kristalina Georgieva revealed at an event hosted by Bocconi University in Italy. Speaking remotely to the audience, she noted that the key challenge for monetary authorities now is to guarantee the interoperability of these currencies. According to Georgieva, a major consideration is whether state-backed digital currencies can serve as a means of exchange trusted by the public, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Other questions policymakers need to answer are if CBDCs can contribute to domestic economic stability and how they would fit within international regulatory frameworks introduced by organizations like the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The BIS Innovation Hub is leading several projects to test the use of state-issued digital currencies in international transactions such as a collaboration between the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the South African Reserve Bank. These also include joint trials conducted by China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and UAE as well as a wholesale CBDC test carried out by Banque de France and the Swiss National Bank. In reference to cooperation between international financial organizations and national monetary authorities regarding CBDCs, Kristalina Georgieva further stated: [It is] very impressive how much the international community, the central banks, institutions like ours are now actively engaged to make sure that in this fast moving world of digitalization, money is a source of confidence and helps the economy function rather than [being] a risk. The head of the IMF emphasized that she views digital currencies issued by central banks as the most reliable form of digital money while remarking she finds it hard to think of cryptocurrencies as money. “De-facto assets” like bitcoin are not backed by assets that hold their value stable and can rise and fall sharply, Georgieva elaborated, insisting: In the history of money, it is difficult to think of them as money. In her address at the Italian academic event, the IMF chief also spoke about Europe’s efforts to deal with challenges caused by the spread of Covid-19. Kristalina Georgieva noted that the Old Continent is now more prepared to avoid another debt crisis such as the one with Greece after the last global financial crisis. However, she stressed that governments need to plan their course carefully as they shift to medium-term fiscal consolidation so they can erase the debt burden related to the pandemic. Do you think the International Monetary Fund will change its position on cryptocurrencies in the future? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

On Tuesday, cryptocurrency supporters on social media and forums discussed Blockstream’s Liquid sidechain product as block signing had been down for over 20 hours. While Blockstream had noted the sidechain was undergoing a hard fork upgrade planned for October 5, a number of crypto proponents still scorned the project for being hypocritical toward blockchains like Solana. Blockstream’s Liquid Suffers From Block Signing Issues During Dynamic Federations Upgrade Cryptocurrency proponent Udi Wertheimer razzed the crypto company Blockstream on Tuesday as the Liquid network’s block signing had been down and was initially expected to be for a total of 24 hours. On October 5, Wertheimer said: “Liquid has been down for 15 hours and still no one noticed, good morning.” “Good morning,” or “GM,” has been the latest catchphrase in the crypto community in recent times. Continuing, Wertheimer further mocked the company’s hardcore supporters and employees when he remarked: “‘You don’t need altcoins you can just build on Liquid,’ anyone who ever said that to you was being intellectually dishonest, no one has ever used Liquid for anything, so how can anyone recommend it in good faith.” The critique continued as Wertheimer added: When Solana was down everyone couldn’t stop [talking] about it hmmm… and when Liquid is down no one even notices hmmm probably nothing HMMMMM. Wertheimer’s Solana outage mention referred to when the SOL blockchain suffered from a problem on September 14, which halted the network’s block production. At the time, Solana was heavily criticized by members of the crypto community for the network outage. On Tuesday, when the Twitter user Josuard I. Gonzales asked on the social media platform if he could “create tokens on Liquid,” a person replied “NO, because Liquid is down.” Blockstream’s sidechain product Liquid also got criticized on Reddit. Moreover, Wertheimer took a screenshot of Blockstream’s reason as to why the Liquid network’s block signing halted. Liquid’s Block Signing Restarts Blockstream’s Liquid network upgrade is well documented in the company’s blog section. One particular post called “Preparing the Liquid Network for Dynamic Federations” written by Phil Mclean, explains the engineer’s actions in greater detail. At around 3:44 p.m. (EST) on October 5, the official Twitter account for the Blockstream Liquid project tweeted that block signing was back up and running. “A sufficient number of Liquid Network functionaries have been upgraded and block signing has resumed,” the account detailed on Tuesday. “Transactions that were delayed are now being included in new blocks.” Prior to the 3:44 p.m. announcement on Twitter that Liquid had resumed, the first known instance of the block signing issue was tweeted by the official Twitter account 22 hours before. The tweet was then followed by two more instances of tweets that referenced the sidechain’s “issue with block signing.” The problems with the Liquid sidechain on October 5 follow the company’s recent Series B financing round for $210 million. The firm detailed that the funding was led by Baillie Gifford and Ifinex, the parent company of Bitfinex. “The new capital will go towards accelerating our Bitcoin mining efforts and the acquisition of Spondoolies to launch an enterprise-grade miner,” Blockstream’s capital raise announcement revealed on August 24, 2021. Additionally, on June 24, Celo’s James Prestwich found an issue with the Liquid sidechain. 870 BTC got stuck in limbo and Prestwich stressed: “For just under an hour, the emergency 2-of-3 controlled 870 bitcoin, this violates liquid’s security model we know about this because Liquid holds bitcoin. We don’t know what caused it, because Liquid federation behavior is trusted and closed,” Prestwich added. Blockstream’s Liquid has approximately 3,298 L-BTC in circulation which is roughly $170 million using today’s exchange rates. As of October 5, 2021, there’s roughly 272,061 BTC tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, according to Dune Analytics metrics. The Binance Smart Chain has also issued a circulating supply of bitcoin BEP2 (BTCB) tokens and as of today, there are 105,148 BTCB coins issued. What do you think about the outage Blockstream’s Liquid network dealt with on Tuesday? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The Central Bank of Uruguay has issued a statement describing a roadmap for the regulation of cryptocurrency assets in the near future. The institution stated it has established a group to examine the best way possible to regulate these assets, considering the realities of the crypto industry. Also, some modifications to current laws could be made to prepare for the upcoming regulation towards the end of the year. Central Bank of Uruguay Hints at Crypto Regulation The Central Bank of Uruguay has issued a statement about virtual assets where it roughly describes the roadmap the institution will follow in the process of regulating cryptocurrencies. The bank has already created a study group to examine how the crypto world functions, and taking this into account, it created a conceptual idea of how this market could soon be regulated. The institution also announced that during Q4 2021 it will be involved in talks with industry actors in the country with the objective of perfecting the knowledge about how these companies work. The statement stresses: In the last quarter of the year, a dialogue will be promoted with industry players and relations with other regulators and international organizations … These exchanges will contribute to perfecting the conceptual framework with a view to achieving a regulatory approach that contributes to the aforementioned purposes. With an already clear view of the cryptocurrency business, the Central Bank of Uruguay will propose modifications to the current laws before the end of this year, to better accommodate the establishment of new crypto-focused regulations in the future. Recommendations and Advice on Cryptocurrency The bank also proposed some recommendations for users of cryptocurrencies, stating that these assets are not considered legal tender in the country like the Uruguayan peso, which is recognized and backed by the institution. This distinction in view, the establishment of a regulatory framework for crypto could be very different than the one approved in El Salvador, where bitcoin was declared legal tender. The central bank clarified that cryptocurrency-related activities were not regulated by any institutions in the country. As a consequence, none of the protections that apply to regular investors could protect citizens involved in cryptocurrency trade or investments. The bank advises people interested in crypto assets to: Carry out an exhaustive assessment of the risks assumed when operating with these instruments and take the necessary precautions to mitigate them, taking into account that high returns are generally associated with high risks. What do you think about the stance that the Central Bank of Uruguay is taking in regards to digital assets? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

DeFi continues to show the world that the future of finance will forever change from its old and traditional form, developed by solving problems individuals and institutions face with mainstream banks. ADALend continues the string of innovations in DeFi under the guidance of its GM. Javed Khattak, A qualified actuary (FIA), an award winning C-suite executive, and a successful serial entrepreneur who was awarded CFO of the year in 2018 by Wealth & Finance magazine, listed in the the top 20 individuals behind ICOs in 2017, a track record of financial ingenuity and excellence. The Future of DeFi Leadership ADALend’s GM hails from a better-suited background to tackle the problems facing the DeFi ecosystems plagued by professionals who have more to do with programming and less to do with financing. Individuals who rely on DeFi projects to store and maintain their savings are increasing day by day. Someone who knows about actuarial science leading ADALend is a rare asset, with a new set of skills bringing a unique flavour to the DeFi space. A Solid Foundation Javed Khattak advises governments, central banks, startups and global household brands, some valued at over £100 billion, like HSBC; and other successful projects he has led and is currently managing, brilliant in terms of its technological applications. As the world moves closer to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, Javed’s understanding of finance will bridge the gap between the traditional ecosystems and the inevitable future called DeFi. An Ecosystem Built For Everyone The Crypto community needs a reliable financial ecosystem, and this is what Javed and the team in ADALend are building for widespread adoption by current DeFi users and those who are still reluctant to trust these new ecosystems, ecosystems that are paving the way for a more robust and secure method of financing the millions of individuals who are still not involved with Cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency projects are currently on opposite sides of the regulation fence. Javed has been working on bringing his finance and philanthropic experience into ADALend to create a decentralised financial tool that focuses more on the user’s needs and requirements while working hard to bring ADALend as a regulated and alternate way to traditional financial services. A Bright Future Awaits ADALend ADALend is working on becoming a pioneer in the ADA based Defi systems and will strive to continue progressing to deliver a complete financial system that will propel the company to a bright future. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

The American company that produces Bazooka chewing gum, candy, and collectibles, Topps Company, Inc., announced the launch of the second series 2021 Topps Baseball NFT collection. The latest non-fungible token products from Topps follow the company’s MLB Inception NFT collection release. The collectibles company Topps says that it’s the firm’s largest MLB NFT launch ever. Topps Launches Series 2 MLB NFT Collection At the end of August, the collectibles firm Topps launched the first series of its 2021 NFT Major League Baseball (MLB) NFT collection called “Inception.” A month later in October, Topps introduced the second series of NFT MLB collectibles via the blockchain protocol Avalanche. The new NFTs are based on the sold-out 2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball physical product and can be obtained via toppsnfts.com. Standard and premium packs of the 2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball NFT collection started selling on October 4 and the NFT collectibles contain card rarities ranging from common to legendary. Tobin Lent, the VP and global general manager of Topps Digital Sports & Entertainment explained that the MLB NFT series are good for both NFT veterans and newcomers alike. “Our Topps MLB NFT products have created a fun, easy-to-use collecting experience for many who have collected NFTs before as well as those looking to make their first purchase,” Lent said in a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News. The Topps’ executive added: Series 2 Baseball provides a yearly snapshot of many of the twists and turns of an MLB Season and this release offers collectors a chance to collect those memorable moments in a unique new way. Collectible Company’s First Series MLB Collection Sold Out in 96 Minutes, Fanatics’ Candy Digital Brings MLB Competition According to the toppsnfts.com web portal, a standard pack of NFT baseball cards is $15 per pack and they come with eight cards per pack. 25,000 packs have been released and the odds to get a rarity card is 16.64%. The chance to get a super rare card is 14.23%, and the chances to obtain a legendary NFT card from the series are much lower at 0.04%. A standard pack purchaser, however, is guaranteed to get at least one rare card. Premium packs are far more expensive at $150 per pack but the legendary odds are greater. The chance to get a legendary card in a premium pack is 0.88% while the odds to obtain an epic NFT card is around 30.50%. Three epic NFT cards are guaranteed and the All-Star and 70th Anniversary Platinum Facsimile Signatures NFT cards are exclusive to premium pack buyers. In August, the first 2021 Topps MLB Inception NFT Collection sold out in just 96 minutes and with more than 22,000 unique buyers during the sale. Topps says that the hottest secondary sales from the Inception collection include the 1 of 3 Legendary Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Letter Booklet and the 1 of 23 Epic Juan Soto Red Rookie and Future Phenoms Facsimile Signature NFT collectible card. So far, in terms of Major League Baseball NFT cards and packs, Topps has cornered the market. Meanwhile, NBA Top Shot has introduced non-fungible token collectibles tied to NBA players and their greatest moments. However, in 2026 Topps will lose its partnership with MLB as the league has inked a deal with the sports apparel maker Fanatics. It’s quite possible that Fanatics could pick up the MLB NFT game from that point forward. MLB has also partnered with Candy Digital and the platform has released MLB-branded NFTs like a 1-of-1 token of Lou Gehrig. Moreover, the Los Angeles Dodgers released an NFT version of the club’s 2020 World Series ring. In fact, Fanatics is deeply rooted with the startup Candy Digital as the company’s founders include billionaire investor Michael Novogratz, digital media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, and Fanatics’ chairman Michael Rubin. What do you think about the latest MLB NFT Collection from Topps? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

US Bank has launched its cryptocurrency custody services. “Investor interest in cryptocurrency and demand from our fund services clients have grown strongly over the last few years,” the bank said. US Bank’s Crypto Custody Services Now Live U.S. Bank announced Tuesday that its cryptocurrency custody services are now live and available to its Global Fund Services clients. U.S. Bancorp, with nearly 70,000 employees and $559 billion in assets as of June 30, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest bank in the country. The Minneapolis-based company serves millions of customers locally, nationally, and globally. U.S. Bank Wealth Management and Investment Services has more than $8.6 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $282 billion in assets under management globally as of June 30. The announcement details: The services are intended for institutional investment managers with private funds in the U.S. or Cayman Islands who would like a safekeeping solution for bitcoin – with additional coin support coming soon. “NYDIG, a leading technology and financial services company dedicated to Bitcoin, is the first crypto sub-custodian announced in the bank’s network of providers,” it adds. New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) is the bitcoin investment arm of Stone Ridge Asset Management. Gunjan Kedia, vice chair of U.S. Bank Wealth Management and Investment Services, commented: Investor interest in cryptocurrency and demand from our fund services clients have grown strongly over the last few years. Our fund and institutional custody clients have accelerated their plans to offer cryptocurrency and, in response, we made it a priority to accelerate our ability to offer custody services. U.S. Bank first established its Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Practice in 2015, when the price of bitcoin was less than $200. The price of BTC is hovering around $50K at the time of writing. The bank announced the launch of three cryptocurrency offerings in April to meet the “growing needs of clients.” The first was the custody service which is now live. The second was an investment in Securrency, a developer of institutional-grade blockchain-based financial and regulatory technology. The third was that U.S. Bank had been selected to administer NYDIG’s ETF bitcoin fund this year, pending regulatory approvals. What do you think about US Bank launching crypto custody services? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Bank of America’s Global Research has begun covering crypto, debuting with a report stating that “digital assets are too large to ignore.” Noting that digital assets are “creating a whole ecosystem of new companies, new opportunities, and new applications,” the bank said, “This is growing, this is mainstream, and it’s not just bitcoin.” Bank of America Debuts Crypto Research Bank of America announced Monday the launch of its “digital asset research” with the publication of a report titled “Digital Assets Primer: Only the first inning.” The bank wrote: Report finds digital assets are too large to ignore. The announcement explains that “The primer provides an investment framework for the digital asset landscape.” The topics it covers include smart contract applications, stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Bank of America’s crypto research team was formed in July. It is led by Alkesh Shah, the bank’s head of Global Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Strategy. Shah said: Bitcoin is important but the digital asset ecosystem is so much more. Our research aims to explore the implications across industries including finance, technology, supply chains, social media and gaming. Candace Browning, head of Bank of America Global Research, commented: “Digital assets are transforming the way in which markets, businesses and central banks operate. Bank of America offers a market-leading global payments platform and blockchain expertise, and the addition of digital asset research further strengthens the depth and breadth of our offerings for investors.” In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Browning explained that the launch was due to “growing institutional interest” and the massive appetite among retail clients. “If you look at the number of corporates mentioning crypto on their earnings calls, that’s gone from about 17 last year to about 147 in the most recent quarter,” she detailed, adding: This is growing, this is mainstream, and it’s not just bitcoin … this is digital assets and it’s creating a whole ecosystem of new companies, new opportunities, and new applications. What do you think about Bank of America launching crypto research? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Aureo Ribeiro, a federal deputy in Brazil, stated that bitcoin might become a recognized currency in Brazil soon, during an interview with local media. The politician stated that Brazilians may be able to purchase houses, cars, and even fast food at McDonald’s with cryptocurrency in the near future. Bill 2.303/15, which regulates cryptocurrencies, might approve the legal use of the asset, similar to El Salvador. Bitcoin Might Become Regulated Currency in Brazil Bitcoin might become a regulated currency for payments in Brazil in the near future, according to statements given by Aureo Ribeiro, a federal deputy. Ribeiro stated that with the future approval of Bill 2.303/15, which regulates cryptocurrencies, new uses would be open for crypto holders, such as buying houses, cars, and even food in restaurants like McDonald’s. These comments are the product of the approval of the so-called Brazilian “Bitcoin Law” for presentation in the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, after being stuck in development for years. Ribeiro also stated that, by its design, this law could be a referent for other countries wishing to regulate digital assets, saying its text is “innovative.” In this sense, Ribeiro stressed: We debated a few years there to arrive at a text that recognizes this asset… which will be regulated by a government agency, because we will work with the Central Bank and the CVM, depending on how this asset will be recognized, such as real estate value or currency of daily use. Controlling Ponzi Schemes Ribeiro is also very positive about the effect this law is expected to have in protecting citizens from Ponzi schemes in the sector. Brazilians have been especially hit hard with these scams, with the authorities having to act against the promoters of these alleged Ponzi schemes several times this year. However, cryptocurrencies in Brazil are still a gray area, and authorities are limited in the scope of their ability to control these companies. Ribeiro stressed that with this law, the government wants to: Separate the wheat from the chaff, create regulations so that you can trade, know where you are buying, know who you are dealing with. To conclude, the federal deputy said that the law project had support in the government, and it has also been discussed with Arthur Lira, president of the Chamber of Deputies. To Ribeiro, is just a matter of time for the law to be approved. What do you think about a “Bitcoin law” in Brazil? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. SINGAPORE — EnjinStarter, a launchpad for blockchain games, has announced a strategic partnership with Enjin to accelerate growth of the Enjin ecosystem. EnjinStarter helps games and apps leverage Enjin’s non-fungible token (NFT) technology and infrastructure, specifically the gas-free JumpNet blockchain and Efinity, an upcoming Polkadot-based NFT parachain. EnjinStarter has secured a seed investment from Enjin and is working closely with the team to accelerate adoption of Enjin’s infrastructure. EnjinStarter offers developers a virtual accelerator program for their games’ blockchain integration, monetization, and marketing strategies, as well as strategic advice and support on using digital assets for fundraising and community building. “We share Enjin’s vision for blockchain games and the metaverse, and we are excited to work closely with the team to foster adoption in their ecosystem,” said Prakash Somosundram, CEO of EnjinStarter. “The roadmap ahead is ambitious, exciting, and will be game-changing for Enjin adopters and blockchain games as a whole. We’re honoured to play a small role in bringing the community together through our project acceleration and incubation.” Enjin established itself as a leader in NFTs and blockchain games in 2017. The team has built an extensive community of developers and partners using the Enjin Platform for NFTs, from Microsoft and CoinGecko, to leading play-to-earn games like Lost Relics and Forest Knight. The launchpad will also offer support to Enjin’s official adopter network. “We are experiencing exponential growth in our developer communities, and we look forward to working with EnjinStarter in this venture to build a thriving ecosystem of games built on blockchain,” said Enjin CEO Maxim Blagov. EnjinStarter’s multi-level approach to growth includes: A strategic stakeholder network that works with leading global ecosystem builders, including funds like Skybridge 20 Ventures and Kangaroo Capital, who have participated in EnjinStarter’s private investment. An elite scouts’ program to identify and bring in projects to the platform Gamified incentives for community engagement, including opportunities to play-to-earn allocations in upcoming projects Digital assets like cryptocurrency and NFTs offer developers new ways to fund their games, infuse their in-game economies with real value, and empower players with new levels of value-creation and transfer through NFTs. Developers interested in using blockchain to monetize, market, and grow can learn more and contact the EnjinStarter team at enjinstarter.com. EnjinStarter is owned and operated independently, with strategic support from Enjin. # # # About EnjinStarter EnjinStarter is a launchpad focused on blockchain games, NFTs, and the Metaverses. We are focused on building an ecosystem for Enjin and Efinity, bringing together a community of innovative developers and content creators to develop strategies for utilizing digital assets in their games and projects. For more information, visit Enjinstarter.com About Enjin Enjin is the leading ecosystem for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), offering a comprehensive suite of products for creating, trading, distributing, and integrating NFTs into virtual worlds. As a scalable, affordable platform, Enjin’s technology has seen wide application in blockchain games, apps, enterprise programs, and innovative marketing campaigns. To date, over 1.16 billion Enjin-powered blockchain assets have already been created. For more information, visit enjin.io. 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. Listen to the latest Bitcoin.com Podcast: View the full article

While the Bank of Tanzania (BOT) executives continue to reiterate the central bank’s willingness to heed the government’s call to prepare for cryptocurrencies, some economists insist Tanzania lacks the resources needed for it to adopt such digital currencies. Economists: Tanzania an Unsuitable Candidate In their views, published by the Citizen following the BOT’s latest update, Tanzania’s cryptocurrency opponents argue that a lack of resources makes it “difficult to participate in worldwide trade.” For instance, the Citizen report quotes Haji Semboja, a professor at the State University of Zanzibar, who suggests that Tanzania’s economic profile makes it difficult for the country to adopt crypto. Semboja explained: The development of our economies is a complete function of the development of global international monetary and commodity markets. I am not yet to accept an instrument that will never benefit the majority of people. It is not simply because of limited knowledge, but also the level of economic development. To support his assertions, Semboja points to the fact that countries that expressed an interest in virtual currencies have only gone as far as “putting in place policy, regulatory and institutional framework to cater for these.” Crypto Adoption in Tanzania Another economist and business expert, Donath Olomi, is quoted expressing his concerns over the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies in the country because such a trend may indicate Tanzanians want to “keep their wealth out of sight of the government.” He argues that when a “substantial part of wealth is not in control of the government, a country cannot use it to affect monetary policy.” Meanwhile, an anonymous economist — who claims to see similarities between cryptocurrency investing and betting — suggested that “it was too early to think about cryptocurrency.” However, unlike his fellow economists, the unnamed expert said cryptocurrencies will only become efficient and effective once they receive the backing of all central banks. Do you agree that Tanzania’s economic profile makes it difficult for the country to adopt cryptos? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

The Nigerian High Court that is presiding over the e-naira trademark infringement case brought against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has ruled that Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) “may proceed on national interest” considerations. The ruling clears a crucial legal hurdle for CBN’s yet to be rolled out digital currency. CBN’s Alleged Trademark Infringement As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Nigerian firm Enaira Payments Solution had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the central bank for its use of the term “e-naira.” The firm’s lawyers have argued that the CBN’s plan to use the e-naira term posed a threat and would represent a willful infringement. Yet in a ruling that came just a few days after a CBN spokesperson announced the deferment of the CBDC launch, the High Court judge, Taiwo Abayomi Taiwo, reportedly justified this decision by suggesting the “plaintiff may be adequately compensated.” Parties to the case are now expected to return to court on October 11. Reason for Postponement When the CBN announced the postponement of the e-naira launch, observers were quick to speculate that this was linked to the lawsuit. However, a report the Nairametrics pointed to the sustained surge in traffic to the website as the real reason for the postponement. According to the report, this surge in traffic convinced the CBN that it had to do “a reassessment of the system powering the digital currency” before the rollout. The report however does not state when the central bank expects to conclude the reassessment or the new e-naira launch date. Do you think that the CBN is capable of successfully rolling out a CBDC? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitwage, the pioneer cryptocurrency-based payroll and invoicing company, has raised $1.5 million in its latest funding round. The funding round had participation from Draper Associates and Max Keiser’s Heisenberg Capital, using Bnktothefuture, a platform designed for making online investments. Bitwage will use these funds to extend its functionalities, now that it is facing competition from Coinbase, which launched a similar service for U.S. citizens. Bitwage Raises $1.5 Million Dollars in 55 Hours Bitwage, one of the pioneer companies in cryptocurrency payrolls and invoicing services, has closed a funding round raising $1.5 million in the process. The round was undertaken using Bnktothefuture, an online platform that allows registered investors to support projects directly. The company reached its goal in 55 hours and had the participation of Draper Associates and Max Keiser’s Heisenberg Capital. The funds will be used to further cement the status of the company in the crypto payments service. Bitwage’s CEO Jonathan Chester stated: When we first started in 2014, Bitcoin payroll was just a niche for cypherpunks and crypto anarchists. The tailwinds are picking up for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payroll to become a massive multi-billion dollar industry. Covid-19 Powered Bitwage’s Business The Covid-19 pandemic is said to have played a big part in the expansion and growth Bitwage is experiencing now. The conditions were conducive to growing business by 20 times in key Latam markets. This is because people were forced to do remote jobs that were located out of their areas, and cryptocurrency has now become a vital part of the lives of these workers. Bitwage expects these changes in market working trends to keep causing business to grow in the short term. Chester stated that Covid-19 has acted as a “catalyst” for remote work industries and cryptocurrencies. But there might be problems ahead for Bitwage, now that Coinbase has announced it will offer a similar set of services for workers, who will now be able to receive part of their salaries (or all of them) in crypto. Coinbase will support payments in more than 100 currencies offered by the exchange. Coinbase claims it is partnering with a number of companies, including Fortress Investment Group, M31 Capital, Nansen, and Superrare Labs, to allow its employees to collect their payments in cryptocurrency. This means the cryptocurrency-based payroll scene will be an interesting market in the near future. What do you think about Bitwage’s latest funding round? Tell us in the comment section below. View the full article

On October 1, the global esports firm TSM FTX announced the launch of the organization’s first-ever non-fungible token (NFT) collection in partnership with the Solana blockchain-based NFT game Aurory. TSM FTX Collaborates With Solana and Serum-Powered Blockchain Game Aurory During the first week of June, FTX Trading Limited, revealed the crypto company inked a naming rights deal with the U.S. professional esports organization TSM for $210 million. The announcement said that the crypto firm would rename the esports organization “TSM FTX,” and the two companies would collaborate in a multi-year partnership arrangement. On Friday, TSM FTX explained the company is launching the organization’s first-ever NFT collection. The NFTs were crafted by aurory.io. The Aurory game is similar to the blockchain-powered game Axie Infinity but leverages the Solana blockchain and Serum, a decentralized exchange (dex) built on Solana. “Aurory is a JRPG computer game where people will evolve in a rich and diverse universe,” the game’s website details. “In this world, you will discover Antik and Cryptos, two different areas and biomes. You will meet several NPCs and the mystical creatures that are living in this world, called Nefties. Throughout your journey, you will own Nefties and use them to fight in awesome battles.” TSM FTX Drops 4 NFT ‘Aurorians’ TSM FTX dropped four individual NFTs dubbed “Aurorians” and each one is wearing TSM merchandise like the 2017 LCS-winning jersey. There’s also a new 2021 version that features the TSM FTX logo, the announcement details. “These exclusive avatars have multiple functions both in and out of the game,” TSM FTX explains. “Including acting as a player’s visual identity, allowing owners early access to play future game modes before they are made public, exclusive access to special modes and rewards, and much more.” TSM FTX fans can also enter to win one of the exclusive NFT avatars and the firm says the remainder of the tokens will be auctioned at a later date. Concluding, TSM FTX says that the blockchain game Aurory aligns with TSM FTX’s “vision for the future.” What do you think about TSM FTX teaming up with Aurory in order to launch the first TSM FTX NFT collection? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. Global cryptocurrency financial platform, AscendEX is proud to announce the listing of the Vulcan Forged token (PYR) under the trading pair USDT/PYR on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. UTC. To celebrate the listing, AscendEX and the PYR team will launch several limited-time promotional events, offering users a chance to share pooled rewards up to 60,000 USDT! Vulcan Forged is a game studio that has migrated to a blockchain network with more than 12 games and thousands of users. VulcanVerse is a live metaverse, combining high-quality graphics with World of Warcraft-style gameplay featuring the building capabilities of Minecraft. Their market differentiation focuses on developing successful games first and then implementing blockchain integrations second, leading to a much more engaging user experience. Vulcan Forged has grown from a small digital art NFT platform and game studio to a multi-DApp platform, launchpad, and a top-five volume NFT marketplace. They are the second busiest client on the VeChain Network, moving from a few users to thousands with just under $3 million in NFT trading volume. Their fantasy decentralized universe VulcanVerse, backed by fantasy authors and award-winning studios, sold out in days and has already entered the alpha stage of gameplay. Vulcan Forged prides itself on removing gas and crypto fees for game developers using their platform and offers support to any third party helping turn ideas into reality. This support allows community members to create their own games on the platform quickly and affordably. The native utility token of the Vulcan Forged platform (PYR) is a transferable representation of attributed functions specified in the protocol of the Vulcan Forged platform. PYR is designed as an interoperable utility token on the platform and across different game environments. The PYR Token is an ERC20 token that can be ported to Matic. PYR will be used as a medium of transaction settlement, staking token, and a gaming utility token within the Vulcan Forged ecosystem. Decentralized gaming is a rapidly growing sector within the crypto space. AscendEX is pleased to support the decentralized gaming ecosystem by partnering with projects like Vulcan Forged. About AscendEX AscendEX is a global cryptocurrency financial platform with a comprehensive product suite including spot, margin, and futures trading, wallet services, and staking support for over 200 blockchain projects such as bitcoin, ether, and ripple. Launched in 2018, AscendEX services over 1 million retail and institutional clients globally with a highly liquid trading platform and secure custody solutions. AscendEX has emerged as a leading platform by ROI on its “initial exchange offerings” by supporting some of the industry’s most innovative projects from the DeFi ecosystem such as Thorchain, xDai Stake, and Serum. AscendEX users receive exclusive access to token airdrops and the ability to purchase tokens at the earliest possible stage. To learn more about how AscendEX is leveraging best practices from both Wall Street and the cryptocurrency ecosystem to bring the best altcoins to its users, please visit www.AscendEX.com. For more information and updates, please visit: Website: https://ascendex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/AscendEX_Global Telegram: https://t.me/AscendEXEnglish Medium: https://medium.com/ascendex About Vulcan Forged Vulcan Forged is a game studio that moved to blockchain. It houses more than 12 games and over 100 play to earn routes. VulcanVerse is an already live metaverse with 1000s of users combining high-quality graphics with World of Warcraft (WOW) style gameplay and Minecraft building capabilities. For more information and updates, please visit: Website: https://vulcanforged.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vulcanforged Telegram: https://t.me/veriarti Discord: https://discord.com/invite/vulcanverse 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. Listen to the latest Bitcoin.com Podcast: View the full article

While the crypto economy has seen a decent uptick in performance during the first week of October, a number of decentralized finance (defi) tokens have seen tremendous gains. Furthermore, the total value locked in defi has risen to $195 billion, jumping more than 14% over the last two weeks from $171 billion. Defi Tokens Skyrocket, Total Value Locked in Dapps Grows to $195 Billion, Axie Infinity, Shiba Inu See Top Gains Digital currency markets of all sorts are seeing some gains this week and defi coins and smart contract tokens have all seen significant rises during the last seven days. Weekly metrics show that crypto-assets like QTUM spiked 42%, terra (LUNA) jumped 37%, binance coin (BNB) gained 23%, and solana (SOL) rose by 22%. Other notable double-digit seven-day gainers include tokens like arweave (AR), DYDX, hedera (HBAR), and vechain (VET). The two mega gainers this week include axie infinity (AXS) up 119.8% and shiba inu (SHIB) up 92.3% during the last seven days. Meanwhile, the total value locked (TVL) in defi protocols today is roughly $195 billion, up more than 14% since September 18. The defi protocol Curve has the largest dominance at the time of writing with 7.52% of the TVL. At the time of writing, Curve has around $14.71 billion TVL which is followed by the Aave protocol’s $14.65 billion. While five chains are compatible with Curve, only three blockchains can connect with Aave. Ethereum Captures 69% of Defi TVL, While Alternative Chains Command Roughly 26% Ethereum (ETH) still commands the most funds in terms of TVL for different blockchains with $135.05 billion today, or 69.2% of the entire defi total value locked. TVL metrics for the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) show around $17.03 billion. The BSC protocol’s TVL is only 12.59% of the aggregate total value locked on the ETH blockchain. BSC is followed by chains like Solana ($11.5B), Terra ($10.07B), Polygon ($4.6B), Avalanche ($4B), Fantom ($2.31B), and Waves ($1.85B), respectively. Between Waves TVL and the Binance Smart Chain TVL, the seven blockchains have 26.15% of the $195 billion. Currently, Curve is the top decentralized exchange (dex) according to defillama.com’s dashboard and Curve is followed by Sushiswap, Pancakeswap, Uniswap, Balancer, and Saber, respectively. Three of the aforementioned dex platforms (Saber, Pancakeswap, Uniswap) are all single chain dex applications, while Curve connects with five crypto networks. Sushiswap is compatible with 13 blockchains, and Balancer connects with three chains. What do you think about the growing activities tied to the decentralized finance (defi) space? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The CEO of global investment bank JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon, says that bitcoin has no intrinsic value and “regulators are going to regulate the hell out of it.” He emphasized: “If people are using it for tax avoidance and sex trafficking and ransomware, it’s going to be regulated, whether you like it or not.” JPMorgan’s Boss on Bitcoin and Crypto Regulation JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon continued to express his anti- bitcoin and crypto stance in an interview with Axios on HBO, published Monday. Dimon was asked whether bitcoin is “the fool’s gold of the future?” The JPMorgan boss replied: It’s got no intrinsic value, and regulators are going to regulate the hell out of it. While admitting that the cryptocurrency will be around long term, Dimon said: “I’ve always believed it’ll be made illegal someplace, like China made it illegal, so I think it’s a little bit of fool’s gold.” Several regulators have similarly said that bitcoin has no intrinsic value, including European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey. In comparison, many have also pointed out that fiat currencies also have no intrinsic value. A report published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis states: “State monopoly currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, the euro, and the Swiss franc, have no intrinsic value either.” Dimon was further asked whether governments should regulate bitcoin. “Yes,” he exclaimed, adding: “They have to. You can’t regulate everything a bank does in terms of moving money and not regulate what you would call money.” The JPMorgan executive elaborated: You can call it a security or an asset or something like that, but if people are using it for tax avoidance and sex trafficking and ransomware, it’s going to be regulated, whether you like it or not. So it’s not a moral statement. It’s a factual statement. Dimon has long been a bitcoin and crypto skeptic. He called BTC a fraud back in September 2017 but later regretted making the statement. In May, he advised people to “stay away” from cryptocurrency. While stating that he himself did not care about bitcoin, Dimon admitted that JPMorgan clients are interested. In July, the bank said that lots of its clients saw cryptocurrency as an asset class and they wanted to invest in it. By August, JPMorgan was offering six cryptocurrency investment funds to clients. What do you think about JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Compound, one of the main cryptocurrency lending protocols on Ethereum, is facing serious problems again. According to banteg, a Yearn developer, someone called a function that moved more funds to be available for users to claim. Now, users can claim up to $140 million of the protocol’s native currency, comp. Compound is hoping users won’t claim these tokens and is rallying to patch the bug that caused this problem in the first place. Compound Remains Vulnerable to Exploit Compound, a decentralized finance protocol, aggravated its current situation when someone called on a function that put more funds at risk of being claimed. The function, called drip, sent more than 200,000 comp (Compound’s native token) to the Comptroller contract, the component that was affected by a bug last week, allowing users to claim unusually high amounts of comp. According to banteg, developer of another leading defi protocol, Yearn, this was the “best-kept secret in DeFi.” The drip function moves funds between the “cold wallet” contract of the token — that manages the reservoir — to the Comptroller to be distributed among users. The dev also stated that five different addresses could drain $45 million of these tokens, which would have a very detrimental effect on the price of the asset. Leshner Acknowledges Issues Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Labs, was quick to acknowledge the issue. He stated that this function was not called for weeks and that he expected the bug to be patched before new funds could be put at risk. Due to Compound’s governance characteristics, the bug introduced last week is still waiting for new proposals to be approved in order to apply a patch to correct it. However, Leshner was optimistic about the future of the protocol, stating: I’m optimistic about the patches making their way through the governance process, which fix the distribution, and the community members that are working to manage this bug. The community is calling for changes to how these governance proposals are managed and approved. A user in Twitter proposed introducing a new kind of governance proposal to deal with bugs quickly, treating them as emergency updates. This new event that puts more tokens at risk has apparently affected comp’s price, which has gone from $340 to $317 in just the last 24 hours. What do you think about Compound’s issues and its governance model? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has commented on the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and the crypto crackdown by the Chinese government. He reiterated his anti-crypto stance: “I don’t want to have other currencies coming out and hurting or demeaning the dollar in any way.” Donald Trump Comments on Crypto and China’s Crackdown Former U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and the Chinese government’s crypto crackdown in an interview with Yahoo Finance’s Adam Shapiro, published Monday. Trump was asked: “You have a relationship with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. What do you think Xi Jinping is up to? And is this crackdown on crypto good for the U.S.?” He replied: Well, I think he wants to do his own currency, whether it’s crypto or otherwise. Several people, including famous “Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki, have similarly expressed that China has been cracking down on crypto to pave the way for its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan. Some view the anti-crypto move by the Chinese government as positive news for the U.S, including a number of lawmakers. “China’s decision to restrict access presents a perfect opportunity for American leadership on cryptocurrency,” noted Congressman Patrick McHenry. Commenting on the rising popularity of cryptocurrencies, Trump said: “And one of the reasons that we have to be very careful is we have a currency right now, the dollar. And I’m a big fan of the dollar. I’m a big fan of our currency.” He emphasized: I don’t want to have other currencies coming out and hurting or demeaning the dollar in any way. “And China is certainly not looking to back the dollar. But right now, they’re based on the dollar and they would probably have to stay that way unless we do something very foolish in our country,” the former president opined. Citing “the horror show at the border” and “the horror show of the Afghan withdrawal,” Trump stressed: “The problem that I have … is our country is losing credibility.” He elaborated: “If you look at a monetary system based on the dollar, if you start losing credibility, all of a sudden you’re going to lose that strong monetary system. And we have to be very careful about that.” Trump has always been a critic of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. While still president of the U.S., he tweeted: “I am not a fan of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.” In June, he said bitcoin “seemed like a scam” and he would not invest in it. The price of bitcoin was only $6,000 at that time. At the time of writing, BTC is trading above $49K based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. In August, Trump warned that crypto was “potentially a disaster waiting to happen.” What do you think about Donald Trump’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin’s hashrate has been climbing steadily over the last three months and rose more than 40% after the network’s hashpower was below 90 exahash per second (EH/s) on July 5. The trend has led to a consecutive run of five bitcoin mining difficulty accruals with another increase expected during the next transition. Hashrate Steadily Increases, Antpool Commands Top Position, Unknown Hashrate Returns The overall Bitcoin (BTC) hashrate has been slowly but steadily rising higher during the last 90 days. The network’s current processing power is coasting along at 130 EH/s, and three months ago the hashpower was 40% lower than today. In the last 24 hours, Antpool has been the top mining pool dedicating hashrate to the BTC network with 29.7 EH/s or 20.47% of the global hashrate. Antpool is followed by F2pool with 23.58 EH/s or 16.2% of BTC’s overall hashrate, and Pooling captures 13.2% of the network or 19.2 EH/s. Other top pools dedicating vast amounts of hashrate to the BTC network include operations such as Viabtc, Foundry USA, and Btc.com, respectively. While Bitcoin.com News reported that the quantity of unknown hashrate had disappeared during the last hashrate report, a small fraction of stealth mining has recently returned. 1.86 EH/s or 1.28% of the global hashrate currently belongs to unknown mining entities. Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Expected to Increase for 6th Time in a Row As BTC’s hashrate has increased and mining pools have been shuffling around, the network’s mining difficulty is expected to increase for the sixth time in a row. At the time of writing, it is expected to increase by 2.99% to 19.57 trillion, getting awfully close to the 20 trillion mark. Currently, BTC’s mining difficulty is 19.00 trillion. A 2.99% increase will mean it will be 37% more difficult to mine bitcoin than it was on July 30. The upcoming increase is similar in size to the difficulty increase two weeks ago which was roughly 3.16%. The biggest jump in the consecutive run of difficulty rises was on August 25, at block height 697,536, when the difficulty jumped approximately 13.24%. The consecutive run of mining difficulty increases follows the run of five consecutive difficulty adjustment algorithm decreases. What do you think about Bitcoin’s hashrate this week and the upcoming mining difficulty increase? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

While the price of bitcoin has surged during the first few days of October, the price of the precious metal gold has also increased percentage-wise as the U.S. dollar and the country’s 10-year Treasury yields slid in value this past week. An ounce of fine gold exchanged hands this weekend for $1,760 per unit, up 1.32% since September 29. Gold Spikes More Than 1% This Past Week, Metal’s Rise Attributed to a Soft Dollar, US Default Fears, the Fed’s Upcoming QE and Benchmark Rate Decisions After the end of September, like clockwork, bitcoin (BTC) and the crypto-economy saw billions funnel back into crypto markets. Today, the entire crypto-economy is worth around $2.23 trillion and BTC commands $909 billion or 41% of that aggregate total. Meanwhile gold, on the other hand, has been lackluster as far as percentage gains are concerned but the asset has jumped 1.3% in the last six days. Gold bugs, speculators, and precious metal (PM) market analysts have pointed to the soft dollar last week attributing to the shiny yellow metal’s price rise. Last week, both the dollar index and U.S. Treasury yields declined in value and PMs saw significant demand from other fiat currencies. Furthermore, market participants are worried about the Federal Reserve’s moves, as discussions of reducing massive asset purchases every month and raising the benchmark rate next year continue to rattle investors. Additionally, the U.S. running out of funds, raising the debt ceiling, or possibly defaulting on its debt has added to these market fears. Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex explained that investors can’t imagine the U.S. defaulting on its debt. “The more hawkish stance appears to have been the key factor driving the dollar higher in late September,” Chandler remarked this weekend. “However, more immediately, fiscal policy is the focus, though investors appear to be looking through it, as many find it inconceivable that the U.S. would default on its debt,” the market strategist added. On the other hand, analysts at schiffgold.com explain that “the [Federal Reserve] is clearly monetizing U.S. debt” in a research post called “[the] Fed absorbs $60B of 1-5 year U.S. Treasuries in September.” “The Fed has monetized a large percentage of debt issued since January 2020. The focus is clearly seen in notes and bonds to keep a lid on long-term rates,” the schiffgold.com Fed study posted October 1 details. “The Fed can talk about tapering and even make attempts to do so, but they will inevitably reverse course and begin expanding their balance sheet by more than $120 [billion] a month.” FX Empire Disavows End-of-Year Gold Price Forecast Despite the 1.3% jump this past week, FX Empire said that its end of the year forecast for gold was wrong. “[We’re nixing] our Gold forecast high of $2,401. We are wrong and not even close. Period,” FX Empire sternly noted. Even though there are still a few months left, FX Empire explains it’s irrational to think gold will reach $2,401 at this point in the game. “As we are quantitatively-driven, barring the occurrence of something horribly massive, to anticipate gold even reaching $2,000 by year-end, let alone $2,401, is outright out of any rational range,” FX Empire author Mark Mead Baillie stressed. “Gold just commenced Q4 by settling out the week yesterday (Friday) at $1,761, (after having settled Q3 on Thursday at $1,758),” the author added. “The stretch to reach $2,401 in the year’s 63 remaining trading days thus requires a price increase of 36.3%,” Baillie added. The FX Empire analyst continued: Now has such [a] percentage increase in the price of gold ever happened before within a 63-day stint? Absolutely. Obviously there was the infamous run from 1979 into 1980, with a like move in 1982; but then ’twas not until 2009 that the price of Gold again increased by at least a like percentage. What do you think about gold’s recent 1.3% price rise and FX Empire nixing its end of the year gold forecast? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. October 2021, leading Crypto service comparison site – Cryptowisser, take an in-depth look at the recent crypto ban in China as well as several other countries who legally restrict crypto currency in some way and why. As the Cryptowisser report states, there are over 15 countries where Crypto currency is restricted or outright banned, however some are stricter than others and make it entirely illegal to own any crypto assets. For instance, the report lists Bangladesh as a country that forbids owning any form of cryptocurrency, despite this, it is also reported that 2.27% of the population of Bangladesh own some cryptocurrency. Decentralized exchanges lead the way The report also clarifies why Decentralized exchanges like Pancakeswap still make it possible to own crypto despite your citizenship. With the ability to keep your finances away from any centralized authority, citizens of reportedly banned crypto states can still hold currency. Countries with Partial bans try and Control their market While some countries such as Turkey and Russia do not outright ban cryptocurrency, they do force their citizens to jump through certain hoops. For instance, the report explains these restrictions can range from not allowing users to make payments with crypto (but holding is ok) to forcing users to register their crypto exchanges with the bank, or in Bahrain’s case, requiring users to have a “crypto license”. Highest concentration of of Crypto users reported in Developing countries The report also lists the countries with the highest percentage of crypto users as developing countries. Countries like Vietnam and the Philippines reported that 20% of their population interacted with Cryptocurrency at some point, while the US reported a mere 13%. Concluding Remarks It is no surprise that countries ban and continue to enforce stricter regulations on cryptocurrency activity. As crypto currencies become more normalized, governments are likely to enforce regulations as well as further their understanding of digital currencies, and at the very least create a synergy between them. Cryptowisser is a cryptocurrency services comparison site with the world’s largest, most frequently updated and most trusted lists of cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, debit cards and merchants. With more than 1,000 reviews of the various exchanges, debit cards, wallets and merchants, they help you make all of your purchasing decisions and service choices in the crypto world. For more information please contact press@cryptowisser.com This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. Listen to the latest Bitcoin.com Podcast: View the full article

A South African university, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has revealed it will commence blockchain and digital currency classes starting in November. According to the institution, students that enroll and complete the $693 six-week course will be issued a legal certificate. Better Understanding of Blockchain As explained on UCT’s website, students that successfully complete the short course will walk away with “an understanding of how blockchain technology fits into the existing financial systems.” They will also gain an understanding of “how applications such as bitcoin, ethereum, and other crypto-assets can be used.” Further, students enrolling in this course are expected to “investigate the ethical implications of investing in the crypto-asset industry.” They will also discover how ethics and governance can shape new financial infrastructure for the benefit of society. Importance of the Short Course In the course’s overview, the UCT explains why the university has now added blockchain and crypto education to its list of short courses. The overview states: It’s no longer enough to simply know about cryptocurrencies. With crypto-assets and blockchain technologies growing at unprecedented rates, professionals need the ability to analyse and understand how the latest developments in the finance industry will fundamentally change the way the financial system functions in the present and near-future. UCT, which is one of the first higher education institutions in Africa to offer blockchain and crypto lessons, adds that only “organisations that adapt their offerings to either compete with cryptocurrencies or offer services that support the industry are best positioned to take advantage of the rise of crypto assets.” What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Link Global, a bitcoin mine operator in Canada, is facing a fine of up to $7 million for installing power plants to run its miners without government permission. The company installed several power plants without following legal procedures and alleges that, if the penalty is enforced, it will constitute a fatal blow to its finances. Link Global Facing Hefty Fine A bitcoin mine operator in Canada could be fined up to $7 million after setting up a mining operation with power plants without having permission from the government in Alberta. Link Global started operations in Alberta by setting up four gas generators at a site in Sturgeon County, near Edmonton, and also another mine in Kirkwall. According to reports, none of these sites complied with the rule of the Alberta Utilities Commission. The case was put in motion when neighboring communities complained about the noise the sites created. The authorities notified the company it did not comply with their requirements earlier this year, on August 25, and stopped operations of the two mining sites involved. Each of the sites had been operating for more than a year in those conditions. Two Types of Penalties, CEO Reassures Shareholders The Alberta Utilities Commission divides the penalties proposed into two major parts: the first one has to do with the benefits obtained for generating power. The institution alleges that damages in this regard amount to two million dollars. The other part has to do with the benefits obtained for mining bitcoin using this power. This amount goes up to five million, according to estimations. Link Global is contesting the fines, explaining that they are not based on the actual financial reports of the company. It is now relocating these bitcoin mining operations to other locations, to comply with current regulations. Stephen Jenkins, CEO of Link Global, declared to local media: Link has followed the orders issued by the AUC and believes that what enforcement staff is proposing is punitive … I apologize to our shareholders who do not deserve this. We will work tirelessly to ensure the outcome is positive. The company and its shareholders, which are in the process of building two new bitcoin mines in the region, will have to wait till October 14, where their destiny and the definitive fine will be decided in a hearing. What do you think of Alberta’s regulation on power plants? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article