roadrunner

PRESS RELEASE. Jorge de los Santos is the man behind Euler.Tools, a platform that wants to change how people analyze the blockchain industry by providing an all-encompassing view of crypto paired with an easy to use interface. Similar to the legendary mathematician and project’s namesake Leonard Euler, who founded graph theory and solved the Königsberg bridge problem, Euler.Tools aims to create a method for navigating a complex problem. Euler.Tools helps users find the most efficient way for users to navigate blockchain technology using educational, interactive tools. Traders have to utilise different platforms since each provide different data and offerings. Euler.Tools solves this by offering users 10 different tools that allow traders to cross examine on-chain activity, price action, and other data points to make more informed trades. Euler.Tools offer a combination of all the popular toolsets in a single interface, making blockchain technology and activity easy to understand. Thus Euler.Tools integrates DeFi, blockchain, and real world data in a single interface, powered by a set of tools that help crypto traders get information that helps them in their trading activities. Think of TradingView, Chartx, DEXools, BscScan, and PancakeSwap all combined within a single platform. Euler.Tools has integrations with BscScan and TradingView, ensuring that users can get relevant information in a single platform. Also, Euler.Tools provides an improved interface for the popular decentralized exchange Uniswap as well as Chainlink oracles and its own native graph nodes. The thought process behind Euler.Tools is to ensure easy accessibility to analytical tools by the end-user. Fully automated process Euler.Tools is different from other existing tools as it integrates a fully automated process for operations. Most analytical tools check a single contract for operation and typically require information to be added manually to keep them updated. Euler.Tools will automate the process by scanning the blockchain and processing data using formal techniques and known methodologies used by worldwide data processing companies. In addition, Euler.Tools integrates novel parameters that are different from existing tools. For example while other tools focus on the value stored in the Uniswap contract, Euler.Tools compares the token swap impact on liquidity, availability, profitability, gas costs, and other events that the token swap could trigger. Multiple tools and unique subscription models Euler.Tools offers powerful, customizable block explorers with decentralized exchange tools that offer multiple features, including. Compare tokens, check volumes, addresses, holders, and minting/burning rates Create alerts on prices and events, or get notified of rug pulls that might affect your assets Connect all your wallets to one interface and get enriched data Explore any pair, or create your own Build complex queries on big data All these features are built using a combination of ETL, Data Pipelines, and Machine Learning technologies to filter and clean up the results and deliver only relevant events. To ensure that everyone has access to the tools, Euler.Tools is researching three subscription models. The first model uses a hold-only system where users can connect a wallet with the native token EULER and unblock access to the free model. Users will be charged on extra features that they deem important, more like a freemium model. While there is the tiering system, users pay a fixed amount to access specific features, from portfolio management to telegram bots that send rug pulls alerts. The third subscription method is the golden pay per usage model which is designed for big companies that require large amounts of data processed. This subscription offers full api keys to interact with the tools offered by Euler.Tools. Euler.Tools powered by the Euler Token Euler.Tools is powered by a BEP20 token with the ticker EULER. This token is designed to provide a safe deflationary investment product and a buyback mechanism that aggregates value to the seller. The Euler token will be used to pay for apps within the Euler.Tools ecosystem, this includes a DEX block explorer, big data query, portfolio protection, and the trading interface. Euler.Tools has developed a simple mining pool that will incentivize token holders while the product is developed and the subscription model is introduced. Also, the subscription model functions as a buyback mechanism designed to burn and reduce the amount of circulating supply. This will create a stable deflationary price for token holders while sustaining the availability of the token. EULER token holders can access extra benefits by providing liquidity. Also, the tokens enable users to access basic functionalities in the platform. To learn more about Euler.Tools, visit their website https://euler.tools/​​. You can also check out the following social media channels: Twitter: https://twitter.com/eulertools​​ Medium: https://medium.com/@Euler.Tools​ GitHub: https://github.com/eulertools YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DdHMPyVyqOIFfQ-SNx3mg Telegram ENG: https://t.me/eulertools ESP: https://t.me/eulertools_spanish​ 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

This week our newsdesk covered the world’s wealthiest cryptocurrency billionaires after the American business magazine Forbes published the 2021 list of billionaires. Now it was mentioned in our report that Satoshi Nakamoto didn’t make the cut, even though Bitcoin’s inventor is one of the wealthiest people in the world. Using today’s bitcoin exchange rates, data shows that if Nakamoto has 1 million bitcoin, then the infamous creator has made it into the top twenty, as far as the world’s wealthiest billionaires are concerned. Bitcoin’s Creator Is a Member of the 1% The mysterious creator behind the Bitcoin project is unknown and there is very little information out there concerning the identity of the blockchain inventor or group of inventors. However, there is some information that the community is aware of, and it is well known that Satoshi Nakamoto helped kickstart the network and was with the community up until 2010. It is estimated that Nakamoto holds at least 750,000 to 1.1 million bitcoin (BTC) from when the creator mined tokens back in the early days. It is also understood that Nakamoto has never spent these coinbase rewards gathered during the first year Bitcoin launched. Now leveraging current bitcoin (BTC) exchange rates shows that Satoshi Nakamoto is a very rich person today, as the inventor possesses over $59 billion in wealth. This is of course if Satoshi Nakamoto has access to the 1 million BTC estimate and the $59 billion+ doesn’t include the forks he owns too. Nakamoto’s bitcoin cash (BCH) stash is worth over $650 million and the bitcoinsv (BSV) cache the inventor owns is worth over $250 million. Satoshi Nakamoto also has access to 1.1 million bitcoin gold (BTG), and all the other forks that exist if the inventor still has the private keys. With just the BTC stash alone, this puts Satoshi Nakamoto in the top 20 positions, according to the “Forbes Billionaires 2021” list. Nakamoto is positioned just above the financial media mogul Michael Bloomberg (20) and Rob Walton (20) the oldest living son of the Walmart founder Sam Walton. Nakamoto Climbed From the World’s 159th Richest Person to the 19th in Just 5 Months Bitcoin’s inventor would be in the 19th position using today’s BTC exchange rates and with the corresponding exchange rates of forks like BCH, BSV, and BTG, it would still make him a hair below Jim Walton another son of Sam Walton. Now our newsdesk covered the fact that Satoshi Nakamoto is slowly moving toward Jeff Bezo’s number one position and what the price of BTC needs to be to get there. With close to $60 billion in assets, Nakamoto is not yet a centibillionaire and BTC still has a ways to go for the inventor to even come close to Bezos and Musk. It’s not out of the question to believe that Satoshi Nakamoto can make it to Bezo’s position, as Bitcoin’s inventor held the 157th richest person worldwide position back in October 2020. Being a member of the top 20 wealthiest billionaires is no small task and the mysterious and unknown creator of Bitcoin has accomplished this feat. What do you think about Satoshi Nakamoto making it into the world’s richest in the top 20 positions? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Guggenheim CIO Scott Minerd has warned crypto investors about bitcoin’s pullback. He said bitcoin “clearly has gotten caught in a speculative bubble that Gamestop got into.” However, he noted that it will be a “great entry point” for long-term investors. ‘Great Entry Point’ for Bitcoin Investors The chief investment officer (CIO) of Guggenheim Partners, Scott Minerd, talked about bitcoin in an interview with CNN last week. Minerd is also the chairman of Guggenheim Investments, the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim Investments has more than $246 billion in total assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. Commenting on how fast bitcoin’s market cap has grown, Minerd said, “It clearly has gotten caught in a speculative bubble that Gamestop got into.” The Guggenheim executive elaborated: When we get a risk-off moment, we could be seeing bitcoin pullback to somewhere between $20k-$30k. But I think for long-term investors, that will be a great entry point. He then discussed how “Parabolic markets aren’t sustainable,” having previously warned about bitcoin’s parabolic rise. “That’s one of the reasons why I think bitcoin has gotten a bit ahead of itself in its long-term trend … But it’s hard to get short. That’s a dangerous game.” Nonetheless, Minerd noted that there are “a lot of markets that are going parabolic.” The Guggenheim CIO appeared bullish about bitcoin in December last year, when he predicted that the price of BTC could reach $400K, which he later clarified will happen somewhere in the range of 10 to 20 years. However, he subsequently focused on the negative aspect of the cryptocurrency, advising investors to sell their coins. Several people immediately pointed out on social media that Guggenheim had not bought BTC at that time. The asset management firm’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to invest in bitcoin via Grayscale’s bitcoin trust became effective at the end of January. Then in February, Minerd made another bullish statement, stating that the price of BTC could rise up to $600K. Do you agree with Guggenheim CIO Scott Minerd about bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Another futuristic cryptocurrency city will be built in Africa, Senegalese-American star Akon has announced. The government of Uganda will make land available to him for the construction of the new crypto city. The akoin cryptocurrency will be used in the city, similar to how it will be in Akon City, the $6 billion “real-life Wakanda” that is currently being constructed in Akon’s home country. Second Akon City to Launch in Uganda Senegalese-American star and philanthropist Akon, whose real name is Alioune Badara Thiam, announced last week his plan to build a second futuristic cryptocurrency city in Africa. Its home will be in Uganda. His first crypto city, Akon City, which costs $6 billion, is being built in his native country of Senegal. Akon described it as a “real-life Wakanda,” comparing Akon City to the technologically advanced fictional African city in the blockbuster movie Black Panther. Akon’s new cryptocurrency city has the backing of the Ugandan government. Isaac Musumba, Uganda’s Minister of State for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, said at a press conference last week that the government will find suitable land of one square mile or larger for Akon to build the new crypto city. The minister elaborated: A place suitable in Uganda that has not-less-than one square mile will be made available to him and his team so he can harness resources and investments, attract investors, manage the project, and have a city. According to local media, the new crypto city will use Akon’s own cryptocurrency, the stellar-based akoin, similar to how it is planned for in Senegal’s Akon City. The Akoin cryptocurrency is already being used in Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) in Kenya as a pilot for Akon City. “We’re going to use exclusively akoin by the end of 2021,” Julius Mwale, the principal investor of MMTC, said in November last year. When Akon was asked about whether Ugandans will be able to afford to live in the futuristic Akon City, the singer replied: “I know if I put it there, they’re going to find a way to afford it because it’s going to motivate them … Ultimately, when you create an opportunity, people grow with that opportunity, people learn with that opportunity, people are motivated with that opportunity.” Akon also shared his bigger vision, emphasizing that “the continent is our goal.” The singer elaborated, “To build the continent, we need to unite as a people to make this thing happen,” adding: My true calling is to develop Africa, whatever it takes. As for the crypto city in Uganda, he noted that “The idea is to utilize all the resources that we built throughout the years and try to rebuild the country.” Specifically, he detailed: “We will be having some professionals that we plan to fly into Uganda that can train the locals and I think one of the things that we miss out in major countries is the access of information and we need to be properly trained not only just in construction but also the management of the property and then the maintenance of the properties.” The construction of the crypto city in Uganda is scheduled to be completed in 2036. Akon concluded: We’re hoping that everything works the way it’s supposed to work but as we move forward with all the support necessary, I think this is a very achievable goal. What do you think about Akon building another crypto city in Africa? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Over the last eight years, U.S. law enforcement has seized a great number of bitcoins and at one time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) held one of the largest bitcoin wallets after the Silk Road takedown. A recently published report shows the FBI has started using cryptocurrency mixing applications in recent times in order to obfuscate transactions from seized bitcoins that stem from a forfeiture. Do as I Say, Not as I Do The U.S. government is far from transparent and a newly published report shows just how shady the feds can be these days. The author Joshua Davis explains with great detail that the FBI has been evading “transparency and accountability” specifically when law enforcement has been handling funds from a seizure. For years now, the FBI, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ), and FinCEN have said that the use of bitcoin mixers should be criminalized. The Feds have prosecuted operators of large centralized bitcoin mixers as well charging the operators with illegal money transmission charges and claiming that mixing facilitates crime. These days, cryptocurrency mixers are less centralized and bitcoiners can leverage bitcoin mixers that are built into a noncustodial wallet. Davis explains how “FinCEN is criminalizing Bitcoin mixers” and that anyone using them could be “accused of violating Anti-Money laundering laws.” The report also details how the FBI is “routinely” using bitcoin mixers and has been for a few years now. The report shows that the FBI seized 39.67 BTC from a man in Tucson, Arizona, and the case involved unauthorized SIM swaps. According to Davis’ findings, the FBI sent updates to the victims and “made it seem as if the cryptocurrency had been already sold.” However, blockchain data shows this wasn’t the case and the victims were told a “clerical error” was made. FBI Overpaid Bitcoin Miners by a Factor of 4700% Interestingly, Davis’ findings indicate the blockchain tells a tale of how the transactions the Feds sent were sent “to themselves,” from an address that sent “more than 800,000 transactions,” and the funds derived from an address that sent more than 43 million BTC. The tell-tale signs of a bitcoin mixer being used to obfuscate bitcoin transactions. “To be 100% clear the FBI does not need a money transmitter license to act as a lawful Bitcoin tumbler because government agencies are exempt from needing to obtain a Money Services Business (MSB) license,” Davis’ report insists. “Instead what I’d like to humbly point out is that the law requires funds to be “safeguarded against waste, loss, unauthorized use, or misappropriation.” As far as those four things to safeguard against, Davis found that “waste” seemed to have been chosen instead of transparency. Davis assumes that the FBI could have “overpaid bitcoin miners by a factor of 4700%” and fees would be massive when you multiply that by 2x or 5x. The report concludes that Davis doesn’t have any issues or really anything against the FBI in general, but he doesn’t appreciate the hypocrisy. “I just hate that feeling when I’m treated like a child who needs to stop complaining and trust the authority figure,” the author wrote. “Yes, we do need to trust authority figures, but those authority figures should earn our trust. Authority figures should also try their best to be as transparent as possible.” Former U.S. law enforcement agents Shaun Bridges and Carl Force. Findings suggest that the recently seized Silk Road stash of 69,370 bitcoins taken from “Individual X” shows the unknown person was likely Shaun Bridges. The author also noted how the former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Carl Force and the former Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges stole money from the Silk Road case. Force was able to steal 1,200 BTC and Bridges was able to snag 3,100 bitcoin. “They would have gotten away with it if they had taken one extra precaution,” Davis said. “Their downfall was failing to use a tool called a bitcoin mixer.” Moreover, a representative from the FBI emailed the author of the report and he further explained: “The FBI has stated unequivocally in an email that the funds are still held as Bitcoin. They are required by law to hold these funds as bitcoin and not convert these funds to cash.” What do you think about the FBI using bitcoin mixers to obfuscate transactions? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. YFX.COM is the world’s first decentralized cross-chain perpetual contract exchange. While other trading platforms that provide leverage alternatives exist, YFX.COM is trailblazing a decentralized alternative to centralized exchanges and perpetual futures trading without a central intermediary. YFX.COM does this by taking advantage of different protocols across the cryptocurrency landscape. Through a culmination of blockchain protocols YFX.COM is allowing traders to participate in trading BTC, ETH and other cryptocurrencies with up to 100x leverage. These cryptos are available to be traded across these blockchains currently, Ethereum, Tron, Binance Smart Chain, Heco, OKEx Chain and Polkadot. Through the advent of QIC-AMM, a state of the art protocol, YFX.COM provides high liquidity with low slippage for users of our ecosystem. QIC is an acronym for Quoted Index Price. QIC pulls quoted prices from centralized exchanges and traders can open and close positions with our first of a kind automatic market maker for derivatives. QIC is calculated through dynamic depth of indices, price quotation and constant integral. The depth of a transaction is correlated to the amount of liquidity of the market maker’s capital pool. This combination of protocols allows for YFX.COM to be the efficient leverage trading platform on the market. Additionally, YFX.COM is able to achieve all of this without KYC and no gas fees. As many traders know, gas fees have been a major issue lately. Eliminating gas fees gives YFX.COM another major advantage against all competition. It also allows for traders to trade efficiently and secure their profits without major loss from expensive network fees. YFX.COM has achieved nearly zero network fees through use of layer-2 [L2] scaling solution, xDai Chain. xDai Stable Chain is a side chain to Ethereum and is far more efficient than the ETH mainnet currently. The transactions are more convenient and the fees are a fraction of fees on ETH mainnet. YFX.COM Won First Prize at Tron 2021 Global DeFi Hackathon Last week YFX.COM also won First Prize in the Tron 2021 Global DeFi Hackathon Developer Contest. This was a great achievement and YFX.COM is thankful for this opportunity put on by the Tron Foundation and Justin Sun. YFX.COM is committed to the blockchain space and looks forward to participating in more events to help advance this industry. Genesis Mining II April 6, the YFX.COM Genesis Mining II event began at 20:00 (UTC+8). The event will run through April 16 and is a competition for traders and miners to compete against others and earn YFX.COM tokens in the process [which are not available anywhere on the market]. Through just 12 hours of trading, volume has reached over $1 billion and our liquidity pool is over $10 million U.S. dollars which exceeds Uniswap’s activity. CertiK Audit Completed Additionally, CertiK has recently completed their security audit of YFX.COM. Traders and users of our platform can rest assured that the protocols are up to standard as YFX.COM is committed to providing the best product for the userbase. Website: https://www.yfx.com/ Trading: https://trx.yfx.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/YFX_Defi Telegram: https://t.me/YFX_EN Discord: https://discord.gg/xwAtjpabC5 Media Contact: Kivi@yfx.com This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

According to new data, peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin trade volumes in Kenya and Ghana surged in Q1 of 2021, with the two countries now ranked second and third respectively. On the other hand, volumes in South Africa, which occupied second place in 2020, dropped marginally. Consequently, South Africa has now been relegated to the fourth position the data shows. Contrasting Regulatory Regimes Meanwhile, one report has attributed the surge in Kenya and Ghana’s P2P volumes to the two countries’ tacit endorsement of cryptocurrencies. For instance, the report points to the Central Bank of Ghana’s launch of “a regulatory sandbox that prioritized blockchain-based companies including cryptocurrency startups” as one factor that may have boosted the country’s volumes. This is in contrast to the situation in South Africa where regulator warnings about cryptocurrency use and investment increased following the collapse of Mirror Trading International, the biggest scam bitcoin in 2020, according to Chainalysis. As explained in the report, crypto dealings in South Africa “have come under increased scrutiny, with tougher regulations including mandatory licenses and taxes triggering investor exits. The report also adds that “bitcoin trading in South Africa has effectively lost its autonomy and this has reduced its market appeal to investors.” Nigeria P2P Volumes Surge After Central Bank Directive In the meantime, the data shows that P2P volumes in Nigeria seem to have been boosted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s directive against crypto entities that was issued on February 6. As the Tulip data shows, Nigeria’s P2P bitcoin traded volumes in the past 90 days surged to nearly $100 million. The figure, which is nearly two and half times more than that of second-placed Kenya, suggests more bitcoin users are now using P2P platforms. Meanwhile, the data appears shows that P2P traded volumes in many other African countries surged after March 2020, when lockdown measures took hold. Since then, many countries on the continent have seen their P2P bitcoin traded volumes grow steadily. What are your thoughts on the rising P2P BTC traded volumes in Kenya and Ghana? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Signal, the cross-platform encrypted messaging service is facing criticism this week, after the company Signal Messenger told the public it was integrating the cryptocurrency mobilecoin. Moreover, controversy surrounds the company’s founder and CEO Matthew Rosenfeld, known as ‘Moxie Marlinspike’ over his previous ties with the Mobilecoin project. The Relationship Between Mobilecoin and Signal During the last week, Signal Messenger has been under fire for integrating the privacy-centric cryptocurrency mobilecoin (MOB). The subject has been trending on social media and forums as a number of crypto advocates are not pleased with the choice. According to the MOB project’s website, the entire distributed ledger is “opaque” as “individual transactions are cryptographically protected, and the network uses forward-secrecy.” Since Signal’s announcement MOB has gained over 450% since then and today it’s up 20% during the last 24 hours. MOB is currently trading for $58 per unit and the trading platform FTX Exchange is the most active market trading it today. Controversy is tied to the relationship Marlinspike allegedly had with Mobilecoin prior to the integration. Word on the street is Marlinspike was simply a MOB advisor but documents indicate the Signal founder may have played a CTO role. In addition to that controversy, the project has been accused of being centralized, a copy of monero (XMR), and 100% pre-mined as well. A pre-mine is when the network’s entire supply of native tokens is created right away and developers and early investors have access to it all. “Mobilecoin is 100% premined,” the Reddit user and r/cryptocurrency forum moderator u/samsunggalaxyplayer said. “100% of the supply was created in 16 outputs that can be distributed however the initial founders like. There is extremely limited information about how they will be distributed, though it’s highly likely that the founders will keep some for themselves.” ‘Private Keys Stored on a Secure Enclave,’ Mobilecoin CEO Denies Marlinspike Was a CTO The Redditor also said that Mobilecoin team members like to “discredit Monero wherever they can.” On Twitter, software developer Pokkst spoke out against the Mobilecoin project as well. A few more things about Mobilecoin,” the developer tweeted. “When Mobilecoin is run with Intel SGX, user’s private keys are transmitted to remote nodes and stored in their secure enclave. Lol. Basically Intelcoin. It’s 100% premined, with a hardcoded 0.01 MOB fee per tx. Currently, that’s $0.66 per [transaction]. All [transaction] fees currently go to Mobilecoin Foundation.” Pokkst added: The creator of Signal has a huge stake in Mobilecoin, so Moxie is pumping his bags by using Signal. Following the Mobilecoin announcement, people who disliked Signal’s integration with MOB started to recommend the encrypted messaging service called Session. The Session project leverages a blockchain and is a Signal fork. Despite the documentation showing Moxie as the CTO, Mobilecoin CEO Joshua Goldbard recently said that “Moxie was never CTO.” What do you think about the controversy over Signal and the Mobilecoin project? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On April 9, 2021, the Delaware-based company and sponsor of the “Kryptoin Bitcoin ETF Trust” filed an S1 amendment for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The asset manager re-filed its 2019 ETF application and instead of leveraging NYSE, the company plans to use Cboe BZX. Kryptoin Joins the List of Bitcoin ETFs Hoping for Approval in 2021 The race for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States has grown thick with competition in recent days. The asset manager Kryptoin has recently revealed it has re-filed with the SEC in order to get an ETF approved. With Kryptoin joining the competition, there are now seven bitcoin-based ETFs hoping to get approved by the U.S. regulator. The list includes Valkyrie, Vaneck, Fidelity, NYDIG, Wisdomtree, First Trust & Skybridge, and Kryptoin. Kryptoin’s prospectus is not much different than its 2019 filing, except at that time it had chosen to list on NYSE Arca. However, this time around, Kryptoin’s prospectus sent to SEC on Friday named Cboe BZX as the listing exchange. Kryptoin has decided to add its prospectus to the list of bitcoin ETF filings, while both Vaneck and Wisdomtree step up for the SEC review. The company’s product will be named the “Kryptoin Bitcoin ETF Trust,” and the company would like to launch as soon as it is permissible. The preliminary prospectus subject to completion further notes the “objective is to provide exposure to bitcoin at a price that is reflective of the actual bitcoin market where investors can purchase and sell bitcoin, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations.” Kryptoin adds that the firm will leverage a reference rate in order to determine the value of shares. The SEC filing states: In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust will hold bitcoin, and in seeking to ensure that the price of the Trust’s shares is reflective of the actual bitcoin market, the Trust will value its shares daily as determined by the CF Bitcoin US Settlement Price. Kryptoin CEO Has Experience With the SPDR Gold Shares ETF There are already two North American bitcoin-based ETFs in Canada, and a few weeks ago in South America Brazil launched its first bitcoin ETF as well. The United States has yet to allow a bitcoin ETF, as the SEC has denied plenty and many have withdrawn their preliminary filings. The SEC has cited issues like price manipulation but since a lot of institutional money has jumped into the crypto ecosystem, many firms have hopes for 2021 approval. Kryptoin’s ETF is led by Jason Toussaint, a businessman who has a lot of experience with ETFs. Toussaint was previously the CEO of World Gold Trust Services, a sponsor of SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD). Kryptoin’s CEO and board member Toussaint has also worked with ETFs and other investments with Morgan Stanley, Northern Trust Asset Management, and JP Morgan Asset Management. What do you think about Kryptoin’s bitcoin ETF filing and the other ETFs waiting for approval? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon foresees “big evolution” coming to cryptocurrency regulation as demand for bitcoin from clients continues to rise. He says that Goldman will “continue to find ways to serve our clients as we move forward.” Crypto Regulation Will Experience ‘Big Evolution,’ Says Goldman Sachs’ Chief David Solomon, the CEO of global investment bank Goldman Sachs, shared his view on cryptocurrency regulation in an interview with CNBC this week. Regarding the regulation for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, the Goldman Sachs executive said he thinks that cryptocurrency “is a space that’s evolving,” predicting: I think there’ll be a big evolution as to how this evolves in the coming years. Emphasizing that his company operates within the rules set by regulators, the Goldman Sachs CEO noted: “I’m not going to speculate on where the rules will go for regulated financial institutions, but we’re going to continue to find ways to serve our clients as we move forward.” Solomon detailed that Goldman Sachs is focused on how to support demand from clients for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. “We continue to think about digital currencies and the digitization of money in a very proactive way,” he opined, mentioning specifically that his firm “can help clients facilitate custody positions in digital assets.” The Goldman Sachs chief reiterated: “As our clients have demand to be involved in this space we can continue to find ways to support our clients … That’s the lens that we’re really looking through.” Solomon clarified: There are significant regulatory restrictions around us and us acting as a principle around cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Goldman Sachs recently brought back its bitcoin trading desk and will be offering a “full spectrum” of bitcoin investments. The firm is seeing huge institutional demand for bitcoin. Do you agree with Goldman Sachs’ CEO about regulatory evolution coming to the crypto space? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

In the SEC v. Ripple case, the court has denied the request by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for personal financial records of Ripple’s executives that are not connected to XRP. The court says that it “is not convinced” that personal banking records would show the violations as claimed by the SEC. Another Win for XRP in SEC v Ripple Case In the lawsuit brought by the U.S. SEC against Ripple Labs, CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and co-founder Christian Larsen over the sale of XRP tokens, the court has denied the SEC’s request to obtain personal financial records of the defendants that are unrelated to XRP. The order was signed by Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on Friday. “The SEC has served the individual defendants with Requests for Production seeking their personal financial records over an eight-year period,” the order explains. It adds that the commission has “also issued third-party subpoenas to several financial institutions at which the individual defendants maintain accounts, seeking similar records.” The order notes: “Garlinghouse and Larsen move for a protective order to avoid their discovery obligation and to quash the subpoenas served upon SVB Financial Group, First Republic Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Silver Lake Bank, Silvergate Bank, and Citibank, N.A. The motion is granted.” Referencing Section 5 of the Securities Act, which details that all issuers must register non-exempt securities with the SEC, the order states: The court is not convinced that the personal banking records would show (or even could show) what the SEC claims they would – individual violations of Section 5. The judge additionally has found that “the SEC has not presented any evidence that individual defendants have hidden transactions or that the documents produce support any inference of hidden transactions.” Furthermore, the judge explained that the motion for a protective order by Garlinghouse and Larsen is granted because “the court finds that the SEC’s requests for the individual defendants’ personal financial records, apart from those records of XRP transactions that are already promised, are not relevant or proportional to the needs of the case.” The judge further ruled: The SEC shall withdraw its Requests for Production seeking the individual defendants’ personal financial records and withdraw its third-party subpoenas seeking the same. “If, as discovery progresses, the SEC uncovers evidence that the individual defendants have not been forthcoming with records of their XRP transactions, it may provide such evidence to the court and renew its application,” the order concludes. The full court filing can be found here. Ripple recently won discovery from the SEC and the commission has been ordered to produce internal records on bitcoin, ether, and XRP. Meanwhile, a petition has been started asking SEC’s new chairman to drop the Ripple lawsuit and end the war on XRP. What do you think about the judge ruling in favor of Ripple against the SEC over personal financial records unrelated to XRP? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

HSBC has reportedly changed its policy regarding cryptocurrency. The bank now prohibits customers from buying the stock of public companies that hold bitcoin, like Microstrategy. All of the companies with bitcoin treasuries could be on the chopping block at HSBC. HSBC Now Bars Clients From Buying Crypto and Crypto-Related Stocks Like Microstrategy British bank HSBC has reportedly become more strict with its crypto policy. The bank now prohibits its customers from buying the stock of public companies that are holding bitcoin in its treasury. An HSBC customer has shared a message he said he received from the bank, informing him of a policy change regarding cryptocurrencies, naming bitcoin and ethereum as examples. The bank’s new policy applies to “products related or referencing the performance of virtual currencies.” The notice reads: HIDC [HSBC Invest Direct] will not participate in facilitating (buy and/or exchange) product related to virtual currencies, or products related or referencing to the performance of virtual currency. The notice singles out one stock in particular. “Our records show that your HSBC Invest Direct account is holding Microstrategy Inc-A — MSTR-US, a virtual currency product.” While Microstrategy does not offer any crypto services, it has been heavily buying BTC since October last year. The company has amassed almost 100K BTC and has made acquiring the cryptocurrency one of its primary goals. HSBC’s notice continues: While we will permit the holdings of MSTR-US to be held and/or sold/ transfer-out in your HSBC Invest Direct account, new purchases or transfers-in will not be allowed. A notice from HSBC posted on Twitter by @camadamus. Source: @camadamus The British bank did not specify how much bitcoin a company has to hold in order for its stock to be banned from the bank. Microstrategy has made it a policy to hold 100% of its treasury reserves in BTC. A rapidly expanding list of companies have said that they are investing in bitcoin but usually in smaller percentages than Microstrategy. This includes Elon Musk’s Tesla which invested $1.5 billion in January. Jack Dorsey’s Square Inc. also put 5% of its total cash reserves in bitcoin. The website bitcointreasuries.org has curated a growing list of companies with bitcoin in their treasuries. One Twitter user commented on the situation, speculating that HSBC Canada “is probably arbitrarily deciding what % bitcoin reserves is ok for clients to invest in.” The HSBC customer who received the notice tweeted to Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor: “You may want to ask your legal team if what HSBC Canada is doing here is legal. It sure does not sound like it is. They won’t allow us to buy Microstrategy.” Referring to all companies with bitcoin investments, he further opined: “All of these companies may be on the chopping block because they hold BTC. This is the opposite of ‘free market.'” What do you think about HSBC’s new crypto policy? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Isabel Schnabel, a board member with the European Central Bank (ECB), has attacked bitcoin claiming the crypto asset “does not fulfill the basic properties of money.” She also describes bitcoin as a “speculative asset without any recognizable fundamental value and is subject to massive price swings.” Schnabel also surmises that trust in “cryptocurrencies might rapidly evaporate,” and this, in turn, causes “disruptions in financial markets.” The Digital Euro In remarks made during a recent interview, Schnabel also reveals how she and her colleagues at ECB think “it is wrong to describe bitcoin as a currency.” Still, when Schnabel is reminded of billionaire Elon Musk’s views on bitcoin, the ECB board member answered: “He is at liberty to do so.” Meanwhile, Schnabel uses the interview opportunity to reiterate the ECB’s resolve to create its own digital currency. However, she says a “great deal of preparatory work needs to be done to enable the project to be properly set up.” Schnabel also tries to justify claims that consumers would be more amenable to a digital currency issued by the ECB than one issued by private entities. She said: Nobody can offer a similar degree of security and data protection as the ECB. People find that topic important: as consumers, to whom do we want to disclose our data? They are surely more likely to trust the ECB than Facebook or other private operators. As expected, Schnabel’s comments sparked a quick reaction from some bitcoiners and cryptocurrency supporters on Twitter. For instance, responding to Schnabel’s remark that the ECB is a trusted institution, a Twitter user Plan B said: “People in Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Lebanon, Turkey beg to differ (after what central banks did to their money).” Human Rights and Data Protection Alex Gladstein, the chief strategy officer at Human Rights Foundation, also weighed in by posing a question to the ECB board member. He asked: Isabel, how much have you looked into the human rights implications of Bitcoin? I have many examples from around the world here of individuals and groups in high inflation and authoritarian environments benefitting from using this new money. Meanwhile, other users attacked Schnabel’s assertion that “no other institution can offer a similar degree of security and data protection as the ECB.” For instance, user Ryan Cwynar reminds Schnabel that “literally any cryptocurrency chain provides more security than any system your organization could design.” Still, a few users like Micheal Reilly, believe there is a place for both privately issued digital currencies and the one the ECB intends to create. He said: “Central bank policy is the least of the issues with any of those countries. Institutional failure or any institutional issue will and can affect everything in a country. CB is not the issue. I own Bitcoin and believe it has a use case and a digital euro is a good idea too.” What is your reaction to Schnabel’s remarks about bitcoin? You can share your views in the comments section below. View the full article

The latest declarations from Ukrainian public officials revealed a billion-dollar amount of money they allegedly own in bitcoin. An online incentive gathered data from 791,872 state employees and 652 respondents disclosed their crypto holdings. The Biggest Crypto Holder in the Report Has 18,000 BTC According to the Opendatabot site, officials currently hold a total of 46,351 BTC, which is worth over 75 billion hryvnias ($2.66 billion) as of press time. The declaration’s campaign ended on March 31, 2021. But bitcoin is not the only cryptocurrency found among the collective filings of Ukraine state employees. Per the report, ethereum (ETH), litecoin (LTC), cardano (ADA), stellar (XLM), IOTA, bitcoin cash (BCH), and bitcoin gold (BTG) are the other cryptos in which the officials have invested. Most Ukrainian crypto-holding state employees work in city councils, the Ministry of Defense, and for the National Police, said Opendatabot. However, there are also crypto holders who work in the prosecutor’s office and village councils across Ukraine. So far, the official with the highest amount of bitcoins is Mishalov Vyacheslav Dmitrovich, a Deputy from the Dnipro City Council as he held 18,000 BTC at the time of the filings. In the wake of the Opendatabot’s results, the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, praised the collective filings, saying that it shows how the country’s officials are becoming more “progressive and far-sighted investors than we thought.” Anti-Corruption Agency Issues Warning on Officials Who Could Have Provided Inaccurate Data But the fact that a report like this has been made public was not well received by everyone in the country. Sergiy Petukhov, the head of the Mandatory Inspections Department at the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption, stated that his office conducted 250 checks this year, including bitcoin’s holdings state employees. He added that some officials claimed their filings had mistakes and warned about Opendatabot’s results: If we find that the information provided about the possession of cryptocurrency is inaccurate – this is the basis for administrative or criminal liability. Ukrainian officials are required to reveal their assets in an official electronic declarations process designed to reduce corruption. Opendatabot is a service that monitors the registration data of Ukrainian companies and officials. What do you think about this report on the bitcoin holdings of Ukrainian officials? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Next month in New York, the popular auction house Christie’s plans to auction a rare lot of Cryptopunk non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles. The sample of work sold will be approximately nine rare Punks, courtesy of the project’s creators Larva Labs. Nine Rare Cryptopunks Going to Auction On May 13, 2021, the British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie plans to auction nine one-of-a-kind NFTs from the Cryptopunk project. Christie’s said it will be the first of a kind occasion of “groundbreaking work offered at a traditional auction house.” The single lot of nine Punks stems from the NFTs creators Larva Labs. “The Cryptopunks are the alpha and omega of the [cypto art] movement,” Noah Davis, a specialist in Post-War & Contemporary Art at Christie’s, New York said during the announcement. “This is a historic sale,” Davis added. Several Worlds Into a Single Project- Cryptopunks Inspired the NFT Space The Cryptopunks project came from the minds of Matt Hall and John Watkinson back in 2017. The New York-based firm they started, Larva Labs, has since created thousands of NFT characters. The team launched Cryptopunks on June 23, 2017, and they consist of pixelated 8-bit 24×24 pictures of Punks. There are approximately 10,000 Punks today and some have already sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The nine rare Cryptopunks that belonged to Larva Labs. Christie’s auction house says it will be auctioning Punk # 2, 30, 58, 532, 602, 603, 635, and 757. Additionally, a “rare alien” collectible will be sold during the May 13 auction as well. Cryptopunk 635, is one of only nine alien Punks and the only one with a sub-1,000 series number. Christie’s says that Punks 532 and 602 are inspired by the ’70s London punk scene. “Cryptopunks inspired a community of collectors and connoisseurs,” Christie’s announcement details. “For fans of collectibles, it’s clearly a version of trading cards or something similar. However, generative art fans see it as an interesting example in that category. We like that its perception is flexible and brings together several of these worlds into a single project,” the auction house announcement adds. What do you think about the nine Cryptopunks being sold at the British auction house Christie’s next month? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Adding to the South Korean cryptocurrency industry’s stricter regulations, the central government is focusing on the “crackdown” of illegal crypto transactions. A meeting over the week held with high-ranked politicians resulted in a campaign that will soon be deployed. Government Seeks International Help to Monitor International Crypto Exchanges According to Chosun, the South Korean Government met with politicians, law enforcement, and financial watchdog authorities to take down illicit transactions from what they named an “overheated market.” The meeting was led by the Second Deputy Secretary of State Moon Seung-wook, who called authorities from the Financial Services Commission, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Police Agency. The purpose of the reunion was to address the “current situation of the virtual asset markets” in South Korea. They concluded that it’s a must to launch a campaign against market manipulation, money laundering, and tax evasion via cryptos. But the rule won’t cover only domestic exchanges. In fact, the government wants to strengthen international cooperation with Interpol to monitor illicit transactions coming from overseas crypto exchanges. The main objective, said Moon, is to “prevent money speculation and damages to investors.” He also added: Virtual currency is not a legal currency or financial investment product, and no one guarantees its value. Will the National Banking Industry Be Affected by the ‘Crackdown’? The announcement of the crackdown comes in the wake of the new legislation that covers the banking industry which deals with crypto businesses. The amended Special Financial Transactions Information Act was approved by the National Assembly finance committee in November last year. Under the framework, crypto exchanges are required to follow a series of banking protocols, including linking customer accounts to individuals and their bank accounts that are verified by a local identification document. Domestic tax authorities are also on top of making accountable crypto traders in terms of their tax obligations. Recently, the National Tax Service of South Korea (NTS) identified 2,416 individuals who reportedly hid their assets in cryptos to bypass taxation. What are your thoughts on the ‘crackdown’ announced by the South Korean government? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The Shanghai-based online game operator, The9 Limited, has revealed the company is planning to acquire 2,000 Canaan Avalonminers for over $6 million in a stock deal. The9’s binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) explains that the new units will give the company 0.1 exahash of bitcoin hashpower. On April 9, the publicly-listed gaming and internet company The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY) revealed the firm’s intentions to acquire 2,000 bitcoin (BTC) miners. The new miners will give the company a total hashrate of approximately 100 PH/s or 0.1 exahash (EH/s) of processing power. According to the announcement, The9 entered into a legally binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an “unrelated bitcoin mining machine owner.” The machines will be exchanged for Class A ordinary shares. The9 said that the firm will issue approximately 8,127,390 shares based on the share price of around $24.81. But during the next six months, the number of shares could be reassessed. But the new MOU is not the only deal The9 has established. The company also disclosed that it obtained 0.288 (EH/s) of hashpower. This deal took place when the company signed definitive agreements for 12,246 bitcoin mining rigs. The announcement does not disclose whether or not the 12,246 mining rigs are Canaan Avalonminer brand miners. That specific deal was also completed with share calculations and an issuance agreement with a lock-up period of six months. The9 is a very well known gaming and internet firm and for a very long time, The9 had an exclusive license to operate and distribute the extremely popular game World of Warcraft in China. What do you think about The9 purchasing 2,000 Avalonminers from an unknown source? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The Lone Star State of Texas is solidifying its role as a bitcoin mining and blockchain hub. This week two major bitcoin mining companies established operations in Texas. The company Riot Blockchain purchased a mining site in Rockdale and the bitcoin mining firm Blockcap announced establishing headquarters in Austin. Blockcap Sets Up Headquarters in Austin, Former Texas Governor Rick Perry Welcomes the Mining Company On April 9, 2021, the firm Blockcap announced that it was establishing headquarters in Austin Texas, and the company will join a number of companies that reside in the Lone Star State. Just recently, Blockcap announced that the company raised over $75 million and revealed a number of large-scale acquisitions of BTC mining rigs. During the announcement, the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry welcomed Blockcap for bringing innovation to Texas. “The State of Texas welcomes Blockcap and its decision to establish its headquarters in our capital, which is yet more evidence that we have become the premier location for forward-looking industries like blockchain,” Perry explained. “With Blockcap now joining Tesla and a whole host of other innovative companies here, I’m even more excited for what the future has in store for our state, our flourishing industries and, most of all, our people.” Moreover, the company has noted that the U.S. currently ranks second worldwide as far as hashrate is concerned. The leading country in the mining industry for both hashpower and manufacturing is currently China. Blockcap’s executive chairman and founder, Darin Feinstein says the company looks forward to setting up in Texas. “Austin is our home base from which we will pursue our mission and bring this great city closer to the center of the United States’ blockchain technology ecosystem. We also see the city as an ideal location from which to continue expanding our operations as we grow at both national and international levels,” Feinstein said. Riot Blockchain Buys Whinstone from Northern Data AG for $650 Million Furthermore, the company Riot Blockchain just announced the acquisition of a mining site in Rockdale, Texas for $650 million. The company has obtained Whinstone Inc., a project started in 2019 and aims to be one of the largest mining centers worldwide. The deal for the $650 million stems from a mix of cash and Riot Blockchain shares. Northern Data AG sold the data center operations to Riot so Northern Data can focus on its remaining six sites. “Northern Data has been able to create a versatile multi-site network of efficient HPC capabilities with an industry-leading sustainability focus by offering secured access to renewable energy sources,” Northern Data’s CEO Aroosh Thillainathan detailed. With the proceeds from the transaction, we can accelerate our expansion significantly and reinforce the focus on value-accretive HPC services.” After closing the deal, Northern Data AG will own 12% of the total outstanding common stock of Riot Blockchain, which is approximately 11.8 million shares. Both Blockcap and Riot Blockchain will be neighboring the bitcoin miners Layer1 and Bitmain in Texas as well. What do you think about Blockcap’s move to Austin and Riot Blockchain purchasing Whinstone Inc.? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Southampton Football Club, a soccer team currently ranked 13th in England’s Premier League, recently signed a new sponsorship deal that includes an option for the club to be paid certain performance-based bonuses in bitcoin. The deal also extends the club’s partnership with the Coingaming Group as Main Club Partner for a further three years. Also, as part of the new agreement, Coingaming Group’s brand, Sportsbet.io will continue as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor. In a statement issued on April 8, the club explains the rationale behind the decision to include bitcoin bonuses. It said: (The BTC bonus) allows the club the opportunity to take advantage of the new, high-growth currency if it feels it will bring significant future benefits. According to the club’s statement, Southampton can elect to get paid in bitcoin at the end of the football season. Meanwhile, Southampton Football Club’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), David Thomas also commented on the new sponsorship package. “The team at Sportsbet.io have built a successful business by challenging convention and disrupting the market, but in a responsible way, and their approach to our partnership with them has been no different,” said Thomas. The CCO also applauds Sportbet.io’s track record in developing and promoting “safe gambling messages.” With this sponsorship deal, Southampton becomes one of the first sports teams in England to embrace bitcoin. What are your thoughts on this sponsorship deal? You can tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. 9th April 2021, Delaware, United States – Social media has reshaped the digital landscape, yet people worldwide feel more disconnected than ever. The big giants have all innovated successfully, but constant monetisation efforts for the sake of corporate profit have done away with interpersonal connections, and have therefore transformed the user into the product. Omni are taking this concept and making it a thing of the past by creating a true alternative to today’s social media platforms. Omni will introduce a holistic, user-focused ecosystem that rewards engagement and forges new connections between users. Omni combines the best features available today in the social media world into a singular app suitable for messaging, streaming, sharing, and interacting with content and its creators. This is all packaged nicely with market-leading gamification that yield the user profit linked to the performance of the company in the form of OMNI coins. Announcing the Omni Whitepaper As Omni is getting closer to reaching its goal of building genuine online communities, the platform has now released its much-anticipated whitepaper. A quick read will unveil Omni’s immense value proposition and its bid to help users regain control over their online interactions. Whitepaper readers will come to learn more about Omni’s blockchain-based revenue-sharing model. In brief, each interaction via the mega social media app will yield OMNI coins, which can be redeemed within the app at a rate directly correlated with company profits. Earning OMNI is simple, and happens passively, while users do the things they already do on a daily basis, like following a post, sharing statuses, building connections with new friends, or live streaming. Valuable information on OMNI’s tokenomics is also provided, with readers learning more about long-term value growth sustainability for the native token. Relevant know-how on the usage of investment funds, as well as plans on DEX listings and Omni’s marketing strategy are also provided. The whitepaper’s rewards structure shows how engagement efforts will be converted into redeemable coins which can be sold back to the company in exchange for profits. Loyal users will be rewarded generously, whereas content creators will obtain fair revenue shares in exchange for their hard work. The whitepaper goes on to showcase Omni’s ambitious plan to become a true alternative to the big social media platforms, infamous for forgoing user experience in hopes of attaining higher profits. With focus being placed on providing an user experience that’s beyond immersive, Omni’s whitepaper unveils what social media should be all about. Readers will also discover Omni’s plans for NFT integrations. In a nutshell, content creators are enabled to easily transfer or license ownership of their works. By integrating NFTs within its value proposition, creators worldwide will fairly and transparently earn royalties within Omni’s social ecosystem. Combined with the revenue-sharing incentive via the OMNI coins, the social media game is transformed into actual revenue streams. Unveiling Omni’s Social Features Omni is serious about its goals of reshaping the social media industry. As such, Omni’s whitepaper proposes multiple features, including secret chats, ecommerce capabilities, channels, viral content, dub & duet integrations, and more. While such features are normally accessible via multiple social media apps, Omni combines them within a single interface, building a seamless user experience. As shown in the whitepaper’s section on user data security and privacy, user interactions like messages remain accessible only to the intended recipients. Omni does not snoop into everyone’s private affairs, but rather breeds unparalleled engagement with family, friends, brands, content creators, and more. About Omni’s Total Addressable Market By this point, Statista reports that 3.6 billion people used social media in 2020, with the number expected to grow beyond 4.41 billion in 2025. With millions of hours spent browsing feeds on a daily basis, Omni can expect a huge inflow of users, content creators, and brands over the next few years. The app’s potential is virtually limitless, as it retains everything that’s great about social media, yet drops anything that users dislike. This is deeply discussed in the whitepaper section tackling market analysis and the competitor landscape. With these aspects in mind, Omni bids farewell to cumbersome user interfaces, lack of synergy, invasive ads, and privacy concerns by setting new standards in the social media industry. It’s finally time to welcome genuine user engagement powered by gamified incentives, with sufficient features to serve as a true competitor for today’s social media giants. Don’t be a product of your environment. Make your environment your product. Check out the Omni website today to learn more at omni.ai Join the community on Telegram: https://t.me/omni_app Media Contact Details Contact Name: Bitcoin PR Buzz Press Team Contact Email: press@bitcoinprbuzz.com About Bitcoin PR Buzz: Bitcoin PR Buzz has been proudly serving the crypto press release distribution needs of blockchain start-ups for over 8 years. Get your Bitcoin Press Release Distribution today. Omni is the source of this content. This Press Release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. 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

The American independent investment bank and financial services company, Piper Sandler has published its latest “Taking Stock With Teens” survey which notes that 9% of U.S. teenagers have traded cryptocurrencies. 7,000 teenagers were polled and roughly 81% of those who have traded digital currencies were male. 9% of American Teens Claim to Have Traded Crypto Assets, But Cash Is Still King Among US Teenagers Piper Sandler Companies has published a new study that surveyed 7,000 American teenagers. According to the findings as far as payments are concerned “cash is (still) king for teens” and this is followed by Apple Pay and Venmo. Food, video games, and clothes purchases are very important to American teens and 9% of the crowd has traded digital currencies. Piper Sandler’s survey shows that only 19% of the respondents who have traded crypto were female. A great majority or 81% of the teen participants who have traded crypto assets were male. Piper Sandler’s survey is part of a semi-annual research project that has surveyed more than 201,800 teens since 2001. Survey Covered a Subset of High Schools and the Average Age of Each Respondent Is 16-Years-Old Out of the 7,000 American teens in this specific survey, the average age was 16.1 years. The financial services company says that it leverages data from a “geographically diverse subset of high schools across the U.S.” When the respondents were asked about the economy, Piper Sandler’s study notes: “46% of teens believe the economy is getting worse vs. 48% in Fall; 25% of teens believe it is getting better.” A recent survey stemming from the U.K. shows that younger people between 18-45 are more into crypto assets than any age older than that range. Chart via “2021 State of UK Crypto Report.” The independent investment bank findings are similar to a lot of surveys in the past. Many surveys show cryptocurrencies and bitcoin are favored more by younger people. A recent study from Gemini published during the beginning of the year shows findings from 2,000 U.K.-based participants. One specific section shows that among young people interest in digital assets is high specifically between the ages of 18 and 44. Any age after that starts to see a decline as far as the respondents from Gemini’s U.K. survey is concerned. Piper Sandler’s survey does not detail anything more than just the fact that these teens have at least at one time, have traded crypto assets. In addition to the 9% of those who have traded digital currencies, 9% of their wallet share goes to video game or console purchases as well. The number one place for American teens to shop online in the U.S. is currently the marketplace Amazon, according to Piper Sandler’s findings. What do you think about Piper Sandler’s survey and how 9% of respondents claim to have traded crypto assets? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The China-based smartphone and internet app maker Meitu has announced the acquisition of $10 million worth of bitcoin for its treasury after the firm purchased digital assets two times prior last month. The company’s cryptocurrency holdings now stack up to $100 million worth of ethereum and bitcoin. Meitu Stacks Another 175 Bitcoin, $100 Million in Crypto Recorded on its Balance Sheet Meitu has revealed another cryptocurrency purchase after it announced two purchases last month. According to the announcement, on April 8, 2021, Meitu HK which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, purchased a touch over 175 BTC. The company detailed it paid $10 million for the acquisition and to date, Meitu now holds $100 million worth of ethereum (ETH) and bitcoin (BTC) on its balance sheet. “The board is pleased to announce that on April 8, 2021, Meitu HK had, pursuant to the Cryptocurrency Investment Plan, further acquired in open market transactions, an additional 175.67798279 units of bitcoin at an aggregate cash consideration of approximately US$10 million under the further bitcoin acquisition,” Meitu’s announcement said. Bitcoin.com news covered the company’s past two purchases during the first two weeks of March 2021. When our newsdesk reported on the company, Meitu already held $40 billion worth of ETH and BTC. In our second report, Meitu managed to stack $90 million worth of digital assets to add to its “Cryptocurrency Investment Plan.” Bitcoin: ‘A Superior Form to Other Alternative Stores of Value’ The company’s latest announcement says that bitcoin serves as “a good alternative store of value” because of the crypto asset’s “limited in supply, its exchangeability into fiat money or goods and services, portability, and its potential to act as an effective hedge against depreciation of fiat currencies.” The company adds: Some of these features potentially even render bitcoin as a superior form to other alternative stores of value such as gold, precious stone, and real estate. Being an alternative store of value, its price is primarily a function of future demand that is driven by the consensus of investors and the general public. Meitu started 13 years ago and has become a well known firm in China for its photo selfie applications and smartphone technology. More recently, Meitu says that its board members have seen a “growing momentum” when it comes to cryptocurrencies. The company has noted well-established firms and operations like insurance companies making investments into crypto. “An increasing number of listed companies are purchasing cryptocurrencies as part of their treasury management, as well as considering accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment for their goods and services,” the company’s announcement concludes. What do you think about Meitu purchasing another 175 bitcoin this week? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The Swedish central bank keeps making steps towards modeling its e-krona pilot project by issuing a detailed report of the results of phase one for the path ahead. Riksbank is still optimistic about launching its central bank digital currency (CBDC), but there are hurdles to clear out on the road. Riksbank to Spend Another Year Exploring Solutions for the Pilot According to the report named “E-krona pilot phase 1,” the central bank highlighted that cash usage in Sweden is “declining.” That said, Riksbank sees potential problems arising from the decline in cash and is therefore running a project to investigate the possibility of producing a digital complement to cash.” However, the central bank wants to take another year to make in-depth explorations to assess how current technical solutions could suit the e-krona project. Currently, the Swedish central bank is using the R3’s Corda blockchain platform. Over the required additional year, the Riksbank wants “market actors” to be involved in the plan’s development, “who could potentially become participants in an e-krona network, to test this technical solution,” said the report. Such comment could be suggesting that private firms and even commercial banks can participate in the CBDC pilot. Another point mentioned in the report is the development of an “off-line function.” The central bank provided details on the matter: The possibility to make off-line payments is prioritized, as mentioned earlier, and will be investigated further. During phase one, we have only made a theoretical analysis of the possibilities of the solution. During phase two, an off-line solution with local storage of keys and tokens will be implemented and used in further tests that can provide knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of the solution. Riksbank Wants to Explore Integration With Existing Point of Sale Terminals Moreover, the Riksbank wants to explore ways to develop solutions to store keys and tokens “in different ways,” containing the e-kronor. Also, to ensure “the process of making payments in the network,” the Swedish central bank wants to develop support for addressing payments. Among other details that the Riksbank mentioned in the report include “evaluating and improving performance and scalability in the e-krona network,” “integration with existing point of sale terminals,” and “analysis of the e-krona network infrastructure.” Interestingly, Bloomberg called this report “the most advanced exploration of a post-cash era to be undertaken by a major, western economy.” What do you think about this report released by the Riksbank on the e-krona pilot? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

According to Paypal cofounder Peter Thiel, the Chinese government, which detests the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status, could be using bitcoin as a financial weapon against the U.S. While he concedes that China has no intentions of making the yuan renminbi a reserve currency, Thiel still thinks the Asian country may have longed bitcoin because it weakens the dollar’s influence. Reserve Currencies Speaking at the recent Richard Nixon Foundation seminar, Thiel also suggested that China ideally prefers to have two reserve currencies that counter the dollar. He says the Asian country already uses the euro currency as a weapon against the dollar although he claims the “last decade hasn’t quite worked out that way.” According to Thiel, a self-professed bitcoin maximalist, bitcoin has now become the second reserve currency that China uses to fight the dollar’s influence. Consequently, Thiel thinks the U.S. government should start asking tough questions about “how this works.” China’s Digital Currency Leadership Meanwhile, the Paypal co-founder also shared his thoughts on China’s apparent lead in the race to roll out central bank-issued digital currencies and if that should concern the United States. In dismissing China’s digital renminbi project, Thiel said: Some internal stablecoin in China…that is not a real cryptocurrency, that’s just some sort of totalitarian measuring device. In the meantime, another speaker at the same Richard Nixon Foundation seminar, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed with Thiel’s assessment of the digital yuan. In his address, the former secretary also offered his thoughts on why the U.S. is lagging behind China. He said: My guess is we will not be the leader in this forefront, where an authoritarian regime like China sees nearly all upside from having the capacity to issue currency or take away currency. Meanwhile, Pompeo predicts that many other countries will similarly create their own digital currencies in order to circumvent or evade U.S sanctions or penalties. Although Pompeo confirmed that the U.S. is working on its own digital currency project, he, however, still concedes that his country will be slower in rolling this out. Do you agree with Thiel’s remarks that BTC is being used as a financial weapon against the U.S.? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

A privately-held investment firm from Chicago, Marlton Partners, has urged Grayscale Investments to embrace the modified Dutch auction tender offer for GBTC shares. According to Marlton, such a tender offer “would materially narrow — if not eliminate — the discount to net asset value (NAV).” This, in turn, offers stockholders confidence “in the sponsor’s ability to manage the fund’s discount.” Billions in Lost Value Despite GBTC’s competitive advantage as the world’s largest bitcoin fund, GBTC shares continue to trade “at a significant discount to NAV.” According to Marlton Partners, this discount on NAV “currently represents over $3.1 billion in lost value to trust stockholders.” Meanwhile, in an open letter addressed to the Grayscale Investments management, Marlton Partners’ managing member, James C. Elbaor, insists that current efforts to eliminate the discount have been proven to be inadequate. To bolster this argument, Elbaor points to Digital Currency Group (DCG)’s recent announcement of plans to purchase up to $250 million worth of GBTC shares. In the letter, Elbaor said: While helpful, as you admit in your press release announcing the transaction, this action does not obligate DCG to acquire any specific number of shares during any period and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. According to Elbaor, the market’s reaction to the announcement by DCG already proves the ineffectiveness of such an authorized purchase. At the time of writing, the discount on GBTC shares had widened to 11.45%. The Modified Dutch Auction Tender Offer In the meantime, Elbaor claims that Marlton’s proposed tender offer system gives “stockholders the ability to sell their shares for a specified price.” He says this can be done “within a particular window of time for an offered price at a premium to the market price and (is) contingent upon a minimum or a maximum number of shares sold.” Further, the managing member tells Grayscale that “a clear capital allocation plan via a tender offer in GBTC, will distinguish you and GBTC as the sole digital currency asset manager creating stockholder value worthy of their 2% management fee beyond sole digital currency exposure.” Meanwhile, Elbaor says while he expects these conversations (with Grayscale) to be productive, he insists Marlton Partners “reserves all rights to take further action in order to protect our investments and those of other stockholders.” Do you agree that an auction offer system will eliminate the discount on GBTC shares? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article