roadrunner

DeFi Yield Protocol (DYP) continues to attain popularity within the decentralized finance sector. Since the launch of the staking dAPP three months ago, DYP Protocol has experienced massive growth in its community. DeFi Yield Protocol The yield farming platform has over $39 million locked in its ETH staking contract and has paid 7,064 ETH worth over $14 million to liquidity providers. DYP has also experienced a 20x increase in liquidity on popular decentralized exchange Uniswap. At the moment, more than $21,000,000 in liquidity on Uniswap on the DYP/ETH. DYP has also expanded its ecosystem with the integration of Binance Smart Chain (BSC) in February. DeFi Yield Protocol (DYP) allows users that provide liquidity to earn decent returns. It also utilizes an anti-manipulation feature that prevents whales from manipulating the price of its native token, DYP. This is by converting all DYP rewards into ETH daily and sending distributing it directly to holders wallets. This ensures that the liquidity protocol is sustainable and rewards are generated without affecting the price. Thus liquidity providers can provide liquidity providers and earn ETH with minimal risk. This development was followed with the launch of a staking and governance dApp for users to provide liquidity on the Binance Smart Chain. The staking dApp enables users to add liquidity to one of the pools from PancakeSwape: DYP/BNB, DYP/ETH, and DYP/BUSD. Each pool has four different staking options with liquidity rewards ranging from 30,000 DYP to 100,000 DYP monthly. Also, the rewards depend on the lock time from a minimum of three up to 90 days. Users can also choose between three different cryptocurrencies for rewards, including ETH, BNB, or DYP. In addition, DYP token is now available on BSC as well as Ethereum enabling cross-chain compatibility for users in the DYP ecosystem. Like the Ethereum version of DYP, all pool rewards issued on DYP BSC are automatically converted to BNB by the smart contract and distributed to token holders. If the price of DYP is not affected by more than -2.5%, the maximum value of DYP that does not affect the price will be changed to BNB and added to the next day’s reward. If this continues for seven days and there are undistributed DYP BSC rewards, a governance vote will be held to distribute to the token holders or burn the tokens from circulation. DYP Ethereum/ Binance Smart Chain Bridge DeFi Yield Protocol (DYP) has launched a bridge that enables users to swap their DYP tokens between the Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain networks. The cross-platform bridge is designed to ensure easy conversion of assets from ERC-20 to Bep 20 tokens. DYP holders are required to visit the bridge platform and follow a few steps to swap their tokens. The popular wallet MetaMask is supported on the bridge platform, and users will need to connect their wallets to the bridge. The maximum amount of DYP tokens that can be swapped per wallet in 24 hours is 10,000 DYP tokens. It should be noted that this is a significant development for DYP protocol as it means that users can easily swap tokens across the two popular smart contract networks. The DeFi sector is expanding into cross-chain compatibility, and DYP protocol has adapted to this new trend. More Developments Expected in Q2 DYP protocol continues to expand, with the development team set to release more products in the second quarter of 2021. The long-awaited DYP Earn Vault is in the final stages and will be expected to launch once the security audit reports are confirmed. DYP tools, a decentralized tools dashboard that provides information about DeFi projects, will also be launched in the second quarter of the year. Other products under development include a new user interface design and a DYP NFT dApp that will enable the creation and development of NFTs on its platform. To learn more about DeFi Yield Protocol, visit the website https://dyp.finance/. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Spanish travelers will soon be available to fill out claims for incidents related to airline delays, baggage losses, overbooking, among others, and be compensated with cryptocurrencies. The possibility is now a reality thanks to a partnership between a domestic crypto exchange and an airline platform. Platform Allocated Euros in an Account on the Crypto Exchange to Arrange Payments According to El Mundo Financiero, Criptan, based in Valencia, Spain, signed an agreement with Wings to Claim– a Spanish legal association that owns a platform specialized in handling travel-related incidents and now could compensate travelers cryptos instead of euros. The platform allocated euros within an account using the crypto exchange Criptan. If any customer entitled to compensation wants to receive money in cryptos, the exchange will reimburse the money in coins such as bitcoin (BTC). Among the reasons behind incorporating cryptos into Wings to Claim, the platform argued that they didn’t want to lag behind the growing trend of crypto adoption among the tourism and hotel sector. Carlos Corbalán, CEO of Wings to Claim, commented: In the last year, it has been observed how the current situation due to Covid-19 has generated the loss of fear of technology within the financial system, and in this sense, the trend in obtaining cryptocurrencies is constantly growing. With digital assets, you do not need intermediaries. It is safe as a means of payment. It provides great advantages to the national and international user, such as avoiding currency exchange. And it is that our main objective is the adaptation to the client together with the immediacy and security throughout the whole process. Both Companies Are Working on Other Projects Related to the Crypto Sphere But both companies still have more crypto-related plans down the pipeline, as they expect to work together in creating crypto payments solutions to allow travelers to pay for travel tickets. The travel industry is no stranger to the world of crypto. In fact, it’s becoming more friendly with crypto solutions. As Bitcoin.com News reported in December 2020, Travel booking website Travala saw an increase in revenue of over 503% in November compared to the previous year. Out of all bookings, 72% were paid with cryptos, with bitcoin being the most popular choice. What do you think about the recent accountant’s report on Tether Holdings Limited? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Another exciting week in the NFT universe has unfolded as Kiwie digitizes graffiti in new collectibles, the original meme makes its way to market, and a new integration between Videocoin and Filecoin supports video-based NFTs. The Fat Monster Meets the Mint Latvian-based art collective Kiwie is bringing its iconic Fat Monster character to the blockchain as it becomes the first group to create and auction NFTs from physical graffiti installations. The new initiative designed to connect the online and offline art worlds will involve building virtual 3D models of spray-painted figures. Each will be accompanied by a geotag to connect ownership of art to the NFT. Auction winners will also receive a metal card denoting a claim to each Fat Monster NFT. From there, the NFTs can be traded, and if the physical art installation is ever removed or erased, the NFTs become unique “Ghost Monsters.” On April 13th, the first batch of five existing Fat Monsters will be minted and auctioned on Rarible’s blockchain. Following this initial auction, four more sets of yet unpainted monsters will be minted in the coming months. The First-Ever Meme to Join Ethernity Platform Drop Just mere days away from Ethernity Chain’s official launch on April 12th, the platform has announced that it’ll be auctioning Jason Heuser’s first-ever meme that was originally designed in 2012. The NFT platform, which donates a portion of all proceeds to charitable causes, endeavors to bring exclusive, rare collectible content from high-profile artists, athletes, entertainers, and industry evangelists. In an homage to the internet itself, memes, and NFTs, the platform has collaborated with Heuser to feature a minted version of the “Welcome to the Internet” meme as Ethernity seeks to bring attention to how NFTs can help directly reward creators for their efforts. In total, the auction will include another 299 pieces in addition to Heuser’s original creation. Video NFT Support Expands With Proof of Ownership Feature To address the growing interest in merging video content with NFTs, Videocoin, which operates a decentralized video-processing network, is integrating Filecoin to build a platform to mint, store, and trade video NFTs. Unlike other networks which simply mint the non-fungible token, this new integration will see Filecoin also provide Proof Of Ownership to resolve pain points involving ownership validation and origin verification. Filecoin’s decentralized blockchain storage network currently boasts approximately 2.5 billion gigabytes of capacity. Thanks to this scale, the freshly announced integration can help video owners tap into their catalogs’ value by providing the actual infrastructure itself. By extension, Videocoin will supply the architecture needed to optimize the platform to avoid the high costs and storage constraints that characterize NFTs hosted on Ethereum. Are you still excited about NFTs? Let us know what you think of the trend in the comments section below. View the full article

Fidelity’s head of digital assets says that bitcoin adoption will continue “at an accelerated pace,” noting that “we’ve reached a tipping point.” He explained that investors are increasingly drawn to bitcoin “Particularly, in an environment where we’ve seen unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus from central banks and governments in response to the pandemic.” The Tipping Point of Bitcoin Adoption Tom Jessop, president of Fidelity Digital Assets at Fidelity Investments, talked about bitcoin adoption Wednesday during an interview at Marketwatch and Barron’s “Investing in Crypto” event. Jessop is also head of Corporate Business Development for Fidelity Investments. The Fidelity executive says that the maturation and adoption of bitcoin as an investment class “will continue at a rapid pace in the coming years,” Marketwatch detailed, adding that this suggests that cryptocurrency may have turned a corner in traditional finance circles. He was quoted as saying: I think we continue to see adoption at an accelerated pace for a host of reasons. The head of digital assets at Fidelity has previously talked about the bitcoin market becoming more mature. “There’s more liquidity. Volatility is down about 50% from where it was in 2017. So … we believe, that the composition of this investor base, what’s driving the market higher today, is fundamentally different than what we saw three years ago,” he said in January. Jessop further explained Wednesday why investors are increasingly drawn to bitcoin, citing factors such as the ultralow interest rates and an environment stimulated by easy-money policies. “I think you’ve had the accumulated experience of now roughly 12 years of the bitcoin blockchain being operative since the genesis block in early 2009. And the pandemic, quite frankly, was a catalyst for institutional adoption, and specifically bitcoin and the narrative, or use-case, around digital gold,” Jessop described. The Fidelity executive elaborated, “Particularly, in an environment where we’ve seen unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus from central banks and governments in response to the pandemic,” adding: I think we’ve reached a tipping point … We’re not going to get out of this stimulated environment anytime soon. Jessop is not the only finance executive who believes that bitcoin has reached a tipping point. Bitcoin bull Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, said last month that “Bitcoin adoption has hit a tipping point and investors don’t want to sit on the sidelines.” His comment followed the approval of some bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Canada. Meanwhile, investment bank Goldman Sachs also sees the bitcoin market becoming more mature. Do you agree with Tom Jessop about the tipping point of bitcoin adoption? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin Games adds live casino games and shows from the most sought-after gaming software provider. Play Live Casino Games with Real Dealers Bitcoin Games is a one-stop gaming portal for players to enjoy a variety of casino games playable with cryptocurrency. There is something for everyone – from slot lovers to jackpot chasers, the online casino offers all kinds of exciting video games that members can play and win cryptocurrencies. The premium crypto gaming portal is now expanding its arsenal with the addition of live casino games and shows from the leaders of video-streamed live experiences – Evolution Gaming. The newly added live casino games include a variety of classics such as Baccarat, Blackjack, and Roulette, along with many other exciting games that promise players an unmatched gaming experience. Play live game shows like ‘Crazy Time’ and ‘Deal or No Deal’ to win Bitcoin with up to 20,000x multiplier! Building upon the existing library of games, Bitcoin Games is also bringing a new way of experiencing online casinos. An entirely novel idea that combines traditional money wheel games with wildly popular game shows for an immersive gaming experience. Players can now participate in highly engaging real-world game shows such as Crazy Time, Deal or No Deal, and Dream Catcher right from the comfort of their devices – with Bitcoin! Bitcoin Games has established itself as one of the top crypto casinos where players can expect a smooth gaming experience while having access to world-class customer support and excellent account managers. With a perfect payout rate, the premium casino regularly dishes out millions in Bitcoin to lucky players every month. Check out these newly added games or try out the exciting range of casino classics available only on Bitcoin Games. This is a promoted post. Learn more on how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Millennium, the U.S.-based alternative investment management firm, has become the latest hedge fund to get exposed to cryptocurrencies via Grayscale Investments’ bitcoin trust. However, the extent of Millennium’s exposure to the crypto asset has not been disclosed as both Millennium and Grayscale executives have refused to comment. Nevertheless, a report by The Street says two sources claiming to have knowledge of the deal have confirmed Millenium’s acquisition of the shares. The report also quotes one of the two unnamed sources suggesting that Millennium, which has $48 billion worth of assets under management (AUM), could have been drawn to the crypto asset by the lingering discount on GBTC shares. At the time of writing, the discount on GBTC shares had dropped further to 11.45%. In the meantime, the sources in the report assert that Millennium’s indirect investment into BTC represents yet another big endorsement for the crypto asset. The report said: The fact that Millennium having skin in the GBTC game, to begin with, is likely another bullish indicator for bitcoin as an asset class. The holdings also suggest that Millennium’s synthetic crypto exposures are more substantial than what has previously been reported. In the meantime, the same report suggests that Millenium might just be “the largest asset manager yet to emerge in the crowded GBTC trade, likely a bullish indicator for bitcoin itself.” Yet despite this bullish signal, Grayscale recently revealed its plan to eventually convert “the trust into a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF).” An ETF enables the direct holding of BTC and this provides more favorable liquidity terms than a trust structure. What are your thoughts on the revelations that Millennium is invested in crypto via GBTC? You can tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

The idea of the Argentinean central bank asking local banks for information on customers who deal with cryptocurrencies is generating controversy in the local industry. A new chapter in this story has been written, as a local lawyer has filed a class-action complaint before a national court to overturn such a ruling. Argentinean Central Bank Measure ‘Violates’ Privacy Rights, Says Lawyer According to Victor Castillejo, an Argentinean lawyer, the “habeas data” complaint filed argues that the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) decision to ask such data is illegal. In fact, he claims that the ruling violates the “privacy, human rights, constitutionally protected” of every individual who wants to trade with cryptos, such as bitcoin (BTC). Castillejo provides the following comment about the alleged BCRA’s legal wrongdoing: The BCRA does not have the power to compile a list of these characteristics, and if it does, that power does not allow it to avoid the obligations regarding the protection of personal data provided by Law 25,326 and Regulatory Decree 1558/2001. The lawyer filed the class action habeas data before the National Court in Administrative Litigation No. 10 in Argentina, which seeks to “oblige the BCRA to eliminate the information collected and/or, failing that, to disassociate (not allow individuals to be identified) the data that it has requested.” BCRA Is Requesting Personal Data Such as National Identification Numbers From Crypto Traders As Bitcoin.com News reported early this week, the BCRA asked domestic banks to forward them information about its customers who deal with bitcoin and perform any other kind of crypto transactions. The measure aims to evaluate whether the crypto market “should be required for an even bigger regulation or not.” That said, the Argentinean central bank backs up its decision by saying that they have “functions of supervising” domestic payment systems. Inside the email sent to all domestic banks, the BCRA asks for the national identification numbers, home address, and account types of the individuals involved in crypto-related transactions. What are your thoughts on the legal complaint filed by the Argentinean lawyer? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. Bitcoin.com Exchange is thrilled to announce the listing of IQQ which occurred on the 31st of March 2021 at 10:00AM UTC. IQQ was created by IQONIQ FanEcosystem, as the utility token to reward entertainment and sports fans for their engagement. IQQ started trading with ETH, USDT and BTC pairs. What is IQONIQ? IQONIQ is a new fan engagement platform that exclusively targets the sports and entertainment world. Existing social networking sites are not tailor made for sports and entertainment, with fans of idols and organisations in sports and entertainment often having to scour multiple platforms to get the content they desire. And when they get it, the content is often only one-way and detached, leaving many fans unfulfilled and wanting more. By combining all the modern-day features of fandom into a single platform, IQONIQ provides fans with a unique fan club, which offers an all-in-one, game changing solution. IQO offers fans a more personal fan experience, with tailored content to their needs, unique opportunities to interact with their heroes, and fun games to play alongside fellow fans. IQONIQ offers fans a more rewarding fan experience, with loyalty programmes and membership schemes giving back to the most dedicated fans, as well as special offers for merchandise and tickets, and the opportunity to win exclusive fan experiences. And finally – IQONIQ offers fans a more purposeful fan experience, with the IQONIQ Foundation established to promote good causes, and idols and organisations in sports and entertainment being able to raise support for initiatives close to their heart – all in an open and transparent manner. Why choose IQQ? IQQ is a utility token supporting the IQONIQ fan ecosystem. The IQQ token allows holders to access merchandise, tickets, souvenirs, NFTs and win prizes associated with their favourite team on the app. Fans on the platform can customise their experience to their budget and preferences, closing the engagement gap between fans and idols. Idols can use IQONIQ to have conversations with their fans and monetise on fans who are willing to pay for higher engagement with them. By owning the IQQ tokens, users are rewarded with: Discounts on memberships. A multiplier on loyalty points earned. Access to a club’s new kit several days before it is released to the general public. The chance to participate in ‘ask the star’ conversations with an idol. VIP access to sports grounds. NFTs and collectibles. Specially produced video and exclusive content. Priority access to tickets for matches, shows, and events. A means of attributing privilege rights for IQQ Token holders And much more… The more engaged a fan is within the platform and based on the quantity of IQQ tokens the Fan owns, the more IQONIQ Loyalty Points they can earn, opening up a myriad of opportunities to become one with their idols and organisations in sports and entertainment. IQQ holders are also rewarded with a range of other benefits such as: Dinner with the team Executive box access Meeting their idols one-on-one And much more… Strong Endorsement Danish Chaudhry, CEO of Bitcoin.com Exchange, shared his views on IQONIQ’s platform: “The recent pandemic has really shown us the importance of diversifying business models and finding better ways to engage with your fans. This is particularly true for sports organisations that are known to be following traditional models. We’re very excited to see how IQONIQ can empower these organizations as well as their fans to engage in more meaningful ways. By listing the IQQ token, we’re making it more accessible to a broader audience and supporting its growth.” Kazim Atilla, Founder and CEO of IQONIQ, expressed his enthusiasm by saying: “We are happy to be listed on Bitcoin.com Exchange, and would like to broaden our reach to crypto enthusiasts around the world. Our project is not mainly focused around blockchain and crypto, but rather bridges between the Sports and Entertainment world, along with the Blockchain world, in the best possible way. Users of the IQONIQ App don’t need to understand blockchain or crypto, and they don’t need to hold tokens to use our app and benefit from our ecosystem. For them, they see tiers of Loyalty points, and an ecosystem that enables them to enjoy a game-changing holistic solution.” About Bitcoin.com Exchange The mission of Bitcoin.com Exchange is to empower people from all over the world to trade cryptocurrencies with ease and confidence, from first-time traders to advanced trading professionals. With high liquidity, 24/7 multilingual support and dozens of trading pairs, complemented with a high level of security, we offer an attractive platform for trading any cryptocurrency. Within one year since launch, on average, our exchange has been visited by more than 500K active traders per month, and this number continues to grow as you read this sentence. About IQONIQ IQONIQ is revolutionizing the multi-billion-dollar Sport & Entertainment industry by introducing a best-of-its-kind social engagement platform that enables sport clubs, athletes and entertainers to manage and monetize the value of their global fragmented fan base and social media assets better. It provides fans with a richer, rewarding and more personal relationship with their idols and clubs, with a universal, seamless, and gamified loyalty platform and many other features integrated in the IQONIQ App. IQONIQ is building a complete fan-centric ecosystem, and bridging it to the blockchain world. IQONIQ also provides a digital sports-focused marketplace and a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) platform. Partner companies are able to mint the NFTs, connecting them to the real world- or entirely digital assets. Users can buy and sell sports collectibles and items powered by state of the art decentralised ledger technologies. IQONIQ platform is a partly built blockchain technology. The main features of the technology are utilized in processes where a decentralized ledger technology adds value. 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

Ripple Labs has reportedly won discovery from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The court has ordered the commission to produce internal records relating to discussions of whether XRP tokens are similar to bitcoin and ether, which are currently not classified as securities. Ripple Wins Discovery From SEC, Gaining Access to the Commission’s Internal Crypto Records A telephonic discovery conference was held Tuesday for the case against Ripple Labs brought by the U.S. SEC. Ripple Labs reportedly “won discovery” from the SEC. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn said, “I’m going to grant in large part the defendants’ motion,” noting that it was a “high-stakes” discovery win. she then proceeded to order the SEC to produce internal discussions relating to whether XRP tokens are similar to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH), which are currently not regulated as securities. The judge clarified that email communications between staff members are not required to be produced. However, other records, such as SEC minutes and memos, “expressing the agency’s interpretation or views” on cryptocurrencies are likely discoverable. The commission sued Ripple Labs, its CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and co-founder Christian Larsen in December last year claiming that they sold $1.38 billion of XRP tokens without complying with federal securities laws. The case is also being overseen by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres. Ripple and its executives argue that one of the reasons the SEC did not take enforcement action on XRP for eight years is that the commission was confused whether XRP was more like bitcoin and ether, which have not been deemed securities, or like other cryptocurrencies and tokens which have been classified as securities. Matthew Solomon, a counsel for Garlinghouse, said prior to the Tuesday ruling, “We need this discovery to defend ourselves.” He explained that if the defendants find evidence indicating that the SEC thought XRP was akin to bitcoin or ether, it could be “game over” for the whole lawsuit. What do you think about the court ruling in favor of Ripple against the SEC? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Github services is under investigation after a series of reports on attacks against one of its infrastructures by running unauthorized crypto mining apps. Cybercriminals allegedly exploited some security flaws that could have been exploited to mine cryptos illicitly. Attacks Exploit ‘Github Actions’ According to The Record, a Dutch security engineer, Justin Perdok, detected a cyberattacker targeting repositories belonging to Github. Attacks have been taking place since November 2020, said the report. Perdok pointed out that the series of attacks “abused a Github feature called Github Actions,” which allows users to automatically execute workflows and tasks only when a specific event happens and then pull the trigger on the repositories. That said, threat actors are taking advantage of the repositories where Github Actions are already enabled. The Record provided details on how the attack takes place: The attack involves forking a legitimate repository, adding malicious GitHub Actions to the original code, and then filing a Pull Request with the original repository in order to merge the code back into the original. However, the engineer clarified that the attacker just needs to fill the “Pull Request” to deploy the malicious workflows. Once it’s loaded, Github’s systems will be cheated, as it will read the attacker’s code and then download a crypto-mining software automatically. 100 Crypto Mining Apps Deployed in One Single Attack But the malicious campaign seems to be powerful than thought, as Perdok told The Reported that he already detected hackers deploying almost 100 crypto-mining apps – such as Srbminer – in one single attack to mine multiple cryptocurrencies. Still, the attack seems not to pose a danger to the users’ projects on the platform. Github already commented on the matter, saying that they’re aware of the issue and “are actively investigating.” However, Perdok stated Github provided him that same comment last year when he reported the flaw. What do you think about this flaw in Github’s infrastructure? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

At Barter Smartplace, collectors can use barter exchange as the best way to build a collection. Trade coins for paintings, sculptures for digital art, a 1960s car for a collection of several gold coins, and many more exchange options are now available through barter. What Is Barter Smartplace? Barter Smartplace is a decentralized exchange for the barter trade of goods, currencies, and digital assets. The project has been developed with its own and private investment funds since December 2018, and this week the long-awaited launch of the NFT Marketplace took place with a security audit from Certik.io – the leaders of the blockchain security market for smart contracts. Barter is attracting a new round of funding to scale the capabilities of the Smartplace platform. The main goal is to create a legally significant basis for the transfer of ownership of goods through smart contracts and NFTs. Barter Smartplace Features Barter creates a blockchain platform for barter transactions, the objects of which can be any tokenized assets, real goods, and liquid currencies. The development of the Barter ecosystem is based on the innovation of the proposed solutions and practical value for the market. Barter is built on three pillars: safety, convenience, and affordability. Any Smartplace user can create a new NFT, be it CryptoArt, a game character, or even a real product or real estate object. The company is expanding the scope of NFT by applying the BEP-721 and BEP-1155 standards on Binance Smart Chain to tokenize ownership of real assets to connect the real world with the digital one. It costs 10 BRTR to tokenize a product or create a digital NFT. From NFT, users create ads and offer barter exchange for other goods or supported cryptocurrencies: BRTR, BNB, BTC, ETH, BUSD, DOGE, and also have the opportunity to put them up for auction. The commission for placing an ad is paid in BRTR and is only 0.02% of the cost of goods in the ad – the demand for the token is provided by the demand for trade. By combining real goods with digital ones, Smartplace offers an amazing opportunity to barter value from two different Worlds. Barter as a New Era of NFT Trading At Barter Smartplace, collectors can use barter exchange as the best way to build a collection. Instead of “selling the unnecessary and buying the needed” every time, you can exchange your collectibles directly without selling, using barter trade. Trade coins for paintings, sculptures for digital art, a 1960s car for a collection of several gold coins, and many more exchange options are now available through barter. Barter allows you to exchange goods without using money. Owning the BRTR token opens up the opportunity to use all the advantages and functions of the marketplace. Barter Smartplace has streamlined complex barter and made a long-forgotten type of trading instant and convenient. Legal Decentralized Commerce The NFTs have provided the crypto market with the long-awaited commodity liquidity that has been lacking to attract the massive adoption of crypto payments in real goods trading. The volume of decentralized commerce is growing weekly and this area is at risk of becoming DeFi 2.0 in the blockchain industry by 2021. The demand for commerce in the new market is generating proposals for the use, movement, and exchange of digital goods. The main problem in the NFT market is the lack of a legal basis for the transfer of ownership of an asset. If, when buying digital NFT goods, they immediately move to the buyer’s wallet, then when buying real tokenized assets, physical delivery of goods or the fact of acceptance and transfer is almost always required – after which the “digital right to the asset” can change the owner. Barter Smartplace offers a solution – user verification and identification of ownership of the real tokenized product. To increase the security of transactions, only a verified user can create new NFTs for real goods. Participants, in the course of the transaction, Smartplace will offer to read the contract and sign it with an electronic signature. The real NFT ownership transfer register is stored distributed across multiple servers that hold BRTR holders. Legal agreements on transactions are available in the user’s personal account. Smartplace has high growth potential and wide horizons for scaling, offering new opportunities for the decentralized trading market – NFT as digital ownership. The main part of the ecosystem is the formation of a register of tokenized real assets – real estate, transport, precious stones and metals, art objects, jewelry, etc. On Barter Smartplace you can exchange a car for an apartment, buy a house with gold or jewelry, exchange a land plot for a share in a company or stock, pay with your services for other services or even goods, and perform many other options for barter relations. NFT collateral as new opportunities The Barter Smartplace team is currently exploring the possibilities of collateralizing NFTs for cryptocurrency and will soon add this solution as the platform is scaling. An example of how asset collateral against BRTR works: Alice has a product that she wants to sell in order to buy another product. But, at the moment, there is no possibility of “commodity-commodity” barter. Nevertheless, there is a product she needs, pledged by another user of the platform against BRTR tokens. The product that Alice needs is in the list of “auction” products that have not been redeemed back by their owners after the expiration of the specified period. Alice proceeds as follows: Alice places her product on Smartplace in the corresponding section and immediately receives an equivalent amount of BRTR tokens in return (for example, 10,000 BRTR). Alice can spend tokens on other collateral assets available for purchase, including through an auction, in order to immediately purchase the product she needs. If Alice wants to return her product back, then in order to redeem this product, the same number of BRTR tokens should be returned (10,000 BRTR). Provided that the buyback is not executed within the specified period, the asset is put up for auction until a buyer is found. The auction ends 1 day after the last bid. Thus, Barter Smartplace solves the problem of the complexity of multilateral barter by using the BRTR token as an effective means of payment when pledging assets for use in multilateral barter transactions. The BRTR token expresses the “value” of each product, therefore it can be called the clearing currency on the Barter Smartplace platform. BRTR is a universal measure of value in multilateral barter. By turning to multilateral barter, everyone can “get rid” of unnecessary goods in exchange for BRTR tokens, which can later be used to buy out other necessary goods. Benefits for users Now Barter Smartplace is open to all users who have connected their wallet to the application. Everyone can create NFTs for both digital and real goods and services. Everyone who has at least one trade or creation of one NFT in 2021 will be awarded BRTR tokens, but the more trades and NFTs created through Smartplace, the greater the reward. Legal contracts accompanying real value goods transactions are planned to be added later this year. Then there will be a mandatory verification of users who want to exchange real assets. Also, the tokenization of real assets will be available only to verified users. Join the new NFT barter marketplace Barter Smartplace now. Create your NFTs, tokenize real assets, and participate in the development of the largest project in the world of decentralized commerce. Barter Smartplace Platform Features: – Trading based on a digital legal contract. – Remote conclusion of trade agreements of any complexity. – Barter, auction, and direct trading are available on the platform. – Possibility of both bilateral and multilateral barter. – Formation of a register of digitized real and virtual assets. – Tokenization of real estate, transport, precious stones and metals, art objects, jewelry, and more. – Logistic barter. – Possibility to save on costs. – Create, trade, and exchange NFTs. – Dark Pool for NFT – a pool of confidential trade offers. How to buy BRTR tokens? You can buy BRTR through the Barter Wallet Bot telegram bot using Visa / Mastercard or ETH, BUSD, BNB, BTC, DOGE. The bot also provides an opportunity to play games and earn 0.1% per day staking while keeping BRTR in the account; trade on a P2P exchange and send cryptocurrencies for free in the community chat – read the instructions for the bot. Soon, users, in addition to Metamask, will be able to connect their wallets from the Barter Wallet bot to the Smartplace to create and trade NFTs from their telegram account. Conclusion Barter Smartplace seeks to optimize the real world through the possibilities of the virtual one. Decentralized commerce is developing at a geometric pace along with the popularization of NFT and Smartplace has a strong position in this market, improving the trading processes of the future. The project was created long before NFT became mainstream, so there is reason to believe that the team will show the full power of the Barter Smartplace digital trading platform already in 2021. Visit https://barter.company for other digital products, such as the handy mobile DeFi wallet Barter Wallet, which will soon be available for Android and iOS. The Barter team is preparing for a large-scale market launch. Stay connected with the project on social networks: Find out more about the history of the project in the Company Blog Join the Barter team community via telegram chat Read the project’s Twitter to stay informed about updates Use Barter Wallet Bot for BRTR Create NFTs for real and digital assets and exchange here – Barter Smartplace is available for everyone and everywhere smartplace.barter.company Contact the project team: team@barter.company This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

A new report commissioned by the U.S. secret services unveiled what happened behind the attack launched by North Korean hackers against a South Korean crypto exchange. The case is about a breach on June 29, 2017, which exposed data tied to over 30,000 customers stemming from Bithumb. Hackers Threatened to ‘Destroy’ Data and Cryptos Stolen According to Maeil Kyungjae, the U.S. authorities found that North Korean hackers got access to personal data and funds from customers then demanded a ransom payment afterward. The blackmailers targeted the crypto exchange Bithumb by asking them for 20 billion won ($16 million). Moreover, threat actors are also accused of sending malicious code through fake job applications to Bithumb employees. It was done reportedly during a hiring season that the company had over that year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collaborated with the South Korean authorities in making the correspondent inquiries on the case. On the ransom note, hackers threatened Bithumb to “sell or destroy the customer’s virtual currency unless a certain amount is given.” Although the name of the cybercriminals wasn’t specified in the U.S. security report, Lazarus Group could likely be the masterminds of the attack. In fact, the local media outlet related them with past significant cyberattacks, whose authorships are attributed in the indictments filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to hackers “belonging to the North Korean Reconnaissance Office,” which are more specifically Lazarus Group. Lazarus Group Responsible for Major Cyber-Heists Against Crypto Exchanges Globally Recently, as Bitcoin.com News reported in February 2021, the U.S. DOJ unsealed new charges against the North Korean state-sponsored hackers. The hackers are allegedly responsible for stealing over $1.3 billion in cryptocurrencies and fiat during coordinated cyber-heists over the last few years. Law enforcement revealed a case related to an unnamed Slovenian crypto company. Per the court documents, the hackers participated in the theft of $75 million from such a firm in December 2017. They were also involved in a $24.9 million theft of another crypto business in September 2018, but this time in Indonesia. What are your thoughts on the U.S. authorities’ report on Bithumb’s data breach in 2017? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Over the last twelve months wrapped or synthetic bitcoin projects have swelled a great deal. The digital token called wrapped bitcoin, for example, has 141,503 WBTC in circulation today, but the token called the Bitcoin BEP 2 (BTCB) has gathered some steam. Currently, there are 39,719 BTCB out in the wild today as the bitcoin-pegged token now has a larger market valuation than HBTC (27,906). Binance-Backed BTCB Token Jumps to 39.7K in Circulation On April 6, Ki Young Ju the CEO of the onchain data web portal Cryptoquant tweeted about an interesting transaction he had caught onchain. “Binance just sent 26k BTC to [the] BTCB reserve address. BTCB is a Bitcoin-pegged token on the Binance chain. The current circulating supply of BTCB is 39,719 BTC, and it seems this [will] increase soon. It might be a bullish signal for BNB,” the Cryptoquant executive said. The token Bitcoin BEP 2 otherwise known as BTCB is a bitcoin-pegged token that is similar to competitors like WBTC, HBTC, RENBTC, SBTC, and more. Binance gave a comprehensive description of the BTCB project back in June 2019. The company said it was launching a pegged token for BTC but would also create pegged tokens for other leading cryptocurrencies. “The main benefit of offering crypto-pegged tokens is that, obviously, this makes available to Binance Dex traders the many coins that have their own blockchains and aren’t native on Binance Chain,” the company said at the time. Ethereum-Based Bitcoin-Pegged Tokens Tower Over the Competitors Now WBTC or the Wrapped Bitcoin project that leverages Bitgo as the BTC reserve custodian towers over the Binance BTCB reserve balance with 141,503 WBTC. However, Binance has quickly moved ahead of the pack with its 39k stash of BTC held in reserves. There is no doubt that Ethereum-centric projects like WBTC, BTCB, and others have cemented the chain’s role as BTC’s dominant sidechain. The RSK sidechain only has a circulating supply of 925 RBTC and Blockstream’s Liquid only has 2,884.67 LBTC in circulation. The BTCB tokens in circulation are 90% larger than RSK and Liquid’s reserves combined. While combining data from RSK, Liquid, the BTCB contract, and “bitcoin held on Ethereum” stats from Dune analytics shows there is 229,194 BTC floating around on alternative chains. What do you think about Binance pushing up the stash of BTCB reserves this week and the aggregate total of wrapped BTC in existence? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The Sacramento Kings, an American professional basketball team, will offer everyone in its organization the option of getting their salary paid in bitcoin. This includes all players, according to the NBA team’s chairman, Vivek Ranadivé. The Sacramento Kings to Offer Salaries in Bitcoin The Sacramento Kings team chairman Vivek Ranadivé reportedly said on Clubhouse on Monday that everyone in his organization could receive their salary in as much bitcoin as they want. A bitcoin enthusiast, Neil Jacobs, who was present at the Clubhouse meeting quoted Ranadivé as saying: I’m going to announce in the next few days that I’m going to offer everyone in the Kings organization, they can get paid as much of their salary in bitcoin as they want, including the players. The Sacramento Kings became the first NBA team to accept bitcoin as a payment option in the arena in January 2014 through Bitpay. In 2018, the team announced that it became the first professional sports team in the world to mine cryptocurrency through a charitable program called Miningforgood. In addition, the Kings collaborates with Blockparty on a blockchain-powered rewards program and has joined forces with CryptoKaiju to launch a line of physical crypto-collectibles in professional sports. It also launched the NBA’s first live blockchain-powered auction platform for authentic memorabilia with Consensys and Treum. Meanwhile, pro football player Russell Okung has been getting paid in bitcoin. He said in January that he received half of his $13 million salary in BTC. Do you think more teams should offer players salary payments in bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Crypto lending firm Nexo is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by an XRP investor for “unlawfully” suspending the use of the cryptocurrency as collateral without giving notice to clients and subsequently liquidating the tokens. This happened following the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Ripple and its executives. Nexo Sued for Suspension and Liquidation of XRP An XRP investor, Junhan Jeong, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Nexo Financial LLC, Nexo Financial Services Ltd., Nexo Services Ou, Nexo AG, and Nexo Capital Inc. (collectively referred to as Nexo). In the lawsuit filed on April 1, he alleges that Nexo unlawfully suspended the use of XRP as collateral without giving notice to clients and liquidating the tokens. Nexo lets customers use their cryptocurrencies as collateral to borrow cash. XRP was among the accepted cryptocurrencies until the U.S. SEC sued Ripple Labs and its two executives alleging that they raised over $1.3 billion through the sale of XRP unregistered securities offering. On Dec. 23, the day after the SEC filed its lawsuit against Ripple, Nexo suspended customers’ use of XRP to stake as collateral or pay down on loans without providing notice of suspension, the lawsuit describes. It further alleges that “Nexo did so because it did not want to be left holding XRP at its substantially decreased value.” In addition, “Nexo proceeded to sell massive quantities of the XRP collateral” within a few hours. “Nexo’s suspension of XRP payments and failure to provide notice of it were material breaches of the Nexo ‘Borrow Terms and Conditions’ governing the relationship between Nexo and its customers,” the lawsuit reads, adding: Nexo’s suspension of XRP payments and liquidation of these customers’ collateral therefore were unlawful, and these customers are entitled to recover the value of their XRP when Nexo suspended its use and the value of their liquidated collateral as of breach (less the outstanding loan amounts on that collateral). The lawsuit alleges that since Dec. 23 Nexo has “engaged in ‘unlawful’ and ‘unfair’ business acts under California’s Unfair Competition Law … by suspending in bad faith XRP payments on Nexo, without notice to Nexo customers, and by liquidating collateral on the purported basis that Nexo owned it.” According to the court document, the plaintiff noted that “Nexo liquidated their collateral and kept the proceeds for itself.” Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that “Nexo also engaged in ‘deceptive’ and ‘misleading’ advertising … by using language on its website, in its whitepaper, and in online interviews,” misguiding customers into “concluding that in using the Nexo Crypto Credit, they would be pledging their cryptoassets as security against the debt reflected in the Crypto Credit — not selling their cryptoassets to Nexo by afford Nexo ‘ownership’ over the assets.” The full court filing can be found here. What do you think about this lawsuit filed by the XRP investor against Nexo? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Student Coin is a platform that allows users to easily design, create, and manage personal, corporate, NFT, and DeFi tokens. The launchpad for the project already raised over $28 million and the sale is going to end on 30th of April, 2021. What Is Student Coin The Student Coin project is an example of how blockchain technology, non-fungible tokens and decentralized finance could revolutionize the world in so many ways. It offers a crypto platform that allows users to easily design, create, and manage personal, start-up, NFT, and DeFi tokens. In addition to the token creation terminal the developers also created a supporting wallet and are working on an exchange where users can swap coins and tokens. The most groundbreaking idea behind Student Coin is to empower students to issue their own individual tokens that people can buy to invest in their education and thus finance the rising cost of tuition. In this case the investors will, in turn, gain a percentage of the future earnings of the student’s career. Student Coin was born as an idea to create an educational token for a student investors’ club at Kozminski University in Warsaw in 2018. The project proved popular and quickly speared among the students and the team decided to expand it to other institutions across the country. From there Student Coin continued to spread globally, with students from the most prominent world universities such as Harvard, London School of Economics, and NYU, quickly reaching over 500 international schools today. This prompted the developers to design an entire ecosystem that will allow every organization, student club, corporation, or a individual to launch a token and easily manage it. Invest in the Future of Education Financing The strong team behind Student Coin is transparent to the public and consists of 44 people from 12 countries. The founder and CEO, Wojciech Podobas, is the author of 2 books: “Cryptocurrency Encyclopedia: the comprehensive guide through the 100 most important cryptocurrencies” and “Advanced Technical Analysis The Complex Technical Analysis of Asset”. The impressive Student Coin Advisory Board consists of PhDs, university professors, and entrepreneurs, and it is also transparent to the public on the project’s website. STC is the utility token powering the whole Student Coin ecosystem and the reference currency for all tokens in the network. By having STC, the investor is holding part of every token ever created with the platform. To get your hand on some STC tokens, go to the Student Coin Launchpad, available until April 30th. The launchpad already raised over $28 million worth of STC tokens and completed over 109 phases. This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

Playboy the American men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine created by Hugh Hefner is joining the non-fungible token (NFT) craze. While the company used to mint Playboy collectible keys for fans to gain access to the mansion, Playboy now plans to offer collectibles in the cryptographic form. Playboy’s Chief Brand Officer: NFTs Present ‘an Enormous Business Opportunity’ Around 66 years ago Hugh Hefner’s magazine Playboy set the world ablaze with a new kind of entertainment that catered to men and open sexuality. The magazine was in print for decades, but these days most of Playboy’s content is produced online or for film. The magazine Playboy has a long history of publishing men’s lifestyle and entertainment. It seems that Playboy has noticed the hype associated with non-fungible token (NFT) assets and wants to join in on the fun. According to sources, the company is partnering with the NFT auction house Nifty Gateway, and plans to showcase new NFTs alongside original works printed in the past. Rachel Webber, Playboy’s chief brand officer recently explained that NFTs offer lots of opportunities. “We see the digital asset revolution as an enormous business opportunity,” Webber said during an interview this week. “We see huge growth potential in integrating tokens into our streetwear business, our live experiences, and events, creating a social token economy with our network of talent.” Playboy Has Dabbled With Cryptocurrency Concepts in the Past This isn’t Playboy’s first time playing in the blockchain space as the company was looking to integrate cryptocurrency support a few years ago. Reports had shown that Playboy entered a partnership with a Canadian firm called Global Blockchain Technologies. Playboy said at the time that it was “developing an online payment wallet that will support a number of cryptocurrencies across the company’s online media, digital and casual gaming businesses.” The subsidiary Playboy.tv was supposed to be the first to integrate a digital wallet. However, that all changed when Playboy and Global Blockchain Technologies deal fell apart and ended in litigation. This week, the American men’s lifestyle content producer said that it plans to showcase select art pieces and some of its photography archive on Nifty Gateway. Moreover, Playboy is joining a great number of companies that have jumped on the NFT bandwagon including Time magazine, Quartz, Topps, the Associated Press, Taco Bell, The New York Times, and Funko. What do you think about Playboy jumping into the NFT game? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Bitcoin futures open interest on Monday has crossed $23 billion according to data recorded on April 5. The crypto asset exchange Binance has taken the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures is concerned with a massive $10.5 billion in open interest. Binance Captures the Bitcoin Futures Lead Not too long ago, Bitcoin.com’s newsdesk reported on CME Group capturing the lead as far as open interest in bitcoin futures. Today, that’s no longer the case, as Binance has jumped ahead of the pack as far as delivering futures derivatives products for BTC. Skew.com analytics indicates that Binance is ahead of Bybit, Okex, CME, Huobi, FTX, Deribit, Bitmex, Kraken, Bakkt, and Coinflex respectively. Binance, Huobi, Okex, and Bybit are also leaders when it comes to BTC futures daily volumes. Coingecko data is a touch different and shows bitcoin futures 24-hour total volumes at around $22,984,388,835 on Monday. Stats show Binance has $10.5 billion in open interest and $47 billion in 24 hour daily volumes. According to Coingecko’s stats, the list of exchanges following Binance includes Huobi, FTX, Bybit, Okex, Bitmex, Deribit, Kucoin, Bitfinex, and Bitget in the top ten. Huobi captures $7.1 billion today in open interest while FTX Exchange commands a touch over $6 billion. Insights from Glassnode have also noticed the massive bitcoin futures open interest this week. “Futures open interest has hit yet another all-time high of over $23.1B this week, with Binance and OKex representing the lion’s share with a combined total of 32% of all contracts,” Glassnode detailed on Monday. “Keep in mind that large open interest can exacerbate market volatility in response to price corrections if leverage is unwound quickly. Interestingly, futures volumes have been in steady decline throughout March with this week being particularly quiet relative to volume in previous months,” researchers at Glassnode noted in the company’s weekly newsletter. 43% Chance Bitcoin Will Hit $64K by the End of April, Cboe Looks to Re-Enter the Bitcoin Futures Game Delta Exchange CEO, Pankaj Balani says that according to bitcoin futures, BTC has a 43% chance the crypto asset will hit $64k by the end of April. “Let’s say BTC trades at $50k; then skew is the difference in implied volatility of, say, a $52k call and a $48k put,” Balani detailed in a note to Bitcoin.com’s newsdesk. “In the case of positive skew, traders are willing to pay more for an OTM call to gain upside exposure than for the equivalent put to protect themselves from falling prices. As such it can give us an insight into market participants’ expectations of spot price movements.” Balani further added: With BTC at the $59k level option markets give a 43% chance to $64k and 31% to $54k by the end of April. Except for a short spike during the recent price action realized volatility remains lower than implied. Looking at different time frames, traders are currently paying less for April options than for those expiring in May or June. Skew is approaching levels seen last time in mid-March when the spot broke $60k, indicating an overall optimistic positioning of market play. In recent months bitcoin futures have been wild and have swelled in demand since the bull run started. Perpetual swaps and bitcoin options markets have grown enormously as well as Deribit is the king of the bitcoin options game today. Moreover, there have been call options for the price of BTC to hit $100k to $300k by December 31, 2021. Meanwhile, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly explained that the firm may re-list BTC futures. “We’re still interested in the space, we haven’t given up on it,” Tilly said in an interview published last Thursday. “We’re keen on building out the entire platform. There’s a lot of demand from retail and institutions, and we need to be there,” the Cboe executive added. What do you think about the recent open interest in bitcoin futures spiking? Let us know what you think about the bitcoin derivatives market action in the comments section below. View the full article

Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, says he will only buy “clean” bitcoins that are mined sustainably in countries that use clean energy. He says institutional investors are concerned about where bitcoins are mined and will not buy “blood coins” from China. Clean Bitcoins vs. ‘Blood Coins’ Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary talked about an emerging challenge with bitcoin investing for institutional investors and clean energy in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “What’s really emerging as a bit of an issue” regarding bitcoin investing for institutions concerns where the coins are mined, he began. “We have compliance on large institutions. We have covenants around how assets are made, whether carbon is burned, whether human rights are involved, whether it’s made in China,” he described, elaborating: All these issues … have now come to the fore on bitcoin. Institutions will not buy coin mined in China, coin mined using coal to burn for electricity, coin mined in countries with sanctions on them. “All of a sudden there’s this huge demand for virgin coins with its provenance known,” he continued. O’Leary, who once called bitcoin “garbage” and a “giant nothing burger,” revealed in February that he has invested in bitcoin following the approval of a few bitcoin exchange-traded funds in Canada. He also disclosed that he put 3% of his portfolio in cryptocurrencies. “After I declared interest in getting a 3% weighting, I got inundated from institutions saying ‘wait a second are you buying blood coins from China?'” O’Leary exclaimed. “Who knew that was a problem.” He noted that he has to deal with this issue on a daily basis. “I bought some coins and everybody asks me where did it come from,” he further shared. Noting that he is now personally working to ensure that every coin he owns is compliant, investing in miners that can do that, the Shark Tank star emphasized: So now, I’m not buying coin unless I know where it was mined, when it was mined, the provenance of it. Not in China. No blood coin for me. O’Leary continued: “I think it’s a real asset class. And now you’ve got to differentiate what you own. It’s rather remarkable because we are in a bit of a trade war still even with the Biden administration with China. China mines most of the coin and institutions don’t want to own it, not just for the carbon issue but also human rights issue.” Noting that “This is a really interesting problem,” Mr. Wonderful noted: I see over the next year or two, two kinds of coin. Blood coin from China, (and) clean coin mined sustainably in countries that use hydroelectricity, not coal … I’m going on the side of clean coin. What do you think about Kevin O’Leary saying he will only buy clean bitcoins? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

JP Morgan says that bitcoin’s volatility has decreased in recent weeks, making the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors. The investment bank has also revised its bitcoin price target to $130,000. Increased Institutional Adoption, New Price Prediction for Bitcoin JPMorgan said last week that bitcoin’s price volatility has been declining in recent weeks, noting that this has made the cryptocurrency more appealing to institutional investors seeking low-correlation assets to diversify their investment portfolios. Bitcoin’s high volatility has been one of the biggest barriers to BTC adoption by institutions, JPMorgan explained, adding that it now sees signs that the cryptocurrency’s volatility is normalizing. “The recent change in the correlation structure of bitcoin relative to traditional asset classes” will likely increase the institutional adoption of bitcoin, JPMorgan elaborated. Based on the current gold price of $1,700 per troy ounce, the bank says, “Mechanically, the bitcoin price would have to rise [to] $130,000, to match the total private sector investment in gold.” If bitcoin’s volatility continues to converge with gold’s volatility, the bank says its long-term price target would be $130K, adding: Considering how big the financial investment into gold is, any such crowding out of gold as an ‘alternative’ currency implies big upside for bitcoin over the long term. The investment bank previously predicted that the price of bitcoin would reach $146,000 in the long term, but lowered its estimate as the price of gold fell recently from a peak of $1,900 per troy ounce. “The decline in the gold price since then has mechanically reduced the estimated upside potential for bitcoin as a digital alternative to traditional gold, assuming an equalization with the portfolio weight of gold,” the bank explained. JPMorgan’s bitcoin price target is based on the firm’s expectation that bitcoin’s volatility will converge with gold’s. However, this convergence will not happen in the near future, as the three-month realized volatility for bitcoin recently stood at 86%, versus just 16% for gold. The investment bank noted: A convergence in volatilities between bitcoin and gold is unlikely to happen quickly and is likely a multi-year process. This implies that the above $130,000 theoretical bitcoin price target should be considered as a long-term target. What do you think about JPMorgan’s bitcoin prediction? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. Silver Spring, MD – (Globe Newswire – April 5, 2021) – BTCS Inc. (OTCQB: BTCS) (“BTCS” or the “Company”), a digital asset and blockchain technology focused company, today announced the appointment of Litecoin creator Charlie Lee to its Board of Directors as its newest independent member. “We are honored to welcome Charlie Lee to our board,” stated Charles Allen, Chief Executive Officer of BTCS. “A true innovator and visionary in the blockchain space, his decision to join our board is a strong vote of confidence in our multi-faceted strategy. We look forward to working closely together to execute on our vision for long-term success.” Mr. Lee, a computer scientist best known as the creator of Litecoin, the ninth-ranked cryptocurrency globally with a market capitalization in excess of $13 billion, currently serves as managing director of the Litecoin Foundation. Previously, Mr. Lee served as the director of engineering at Coinbase from 2013 to 2017 after working at Google from 2007 to 2013. Mr. Lee attended The Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated in 2000 earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Mr. Lee stated, “I am excited to join the BTCS board as the company embarks on the next phase of its corporate evolution. Building on a track record of pioneering firsts in the industry, BTCS is in a great position to accelerate its growth by capitalizing on emerging opportunities such as “staking-as-a-service” as momentum continues to build more broadly within the blockchain ecosystem as it evolves into its institutional phase.” About BTCS: BTCS is an early entrant in the digital asset market and one of the first U.S. publicly traded companies focused on digital assets and blockchain technologies. The Company through its transaction verification services business actively verifies and validates blockchain transactions and is rewarded with digital assets for its work. The Company is also developing a proprietary digital asset data analytics platform that allows users to consolidate their crypto trades from multiple exchanges onto a single platform, enabling users to view and analyze their performance, risk metrics, and potential tax implications. The Company employs a digital asset treasury strategy with a primary focus on disruptive non-security protocol layer assets such as bitcoin and ethereum. For more information visit: www.btcs.com. Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws including statements regarding our plans regarding uplisting to a senior exchange. Words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation our failure to meet the quantitative and qualitative listing requirements of the senior exchange, the exchange rejection our listing application for any reason, as well as risks set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Relations: Dave Gentry RedChip Companies, Inc. Phone: (407) 491-4498 dave@redchip.com Disclosure: This is a paid placement by BTCS Inc., a client of Epic MegaCorp LLC (dba CryptoCoin.News). BTCS agreed to pay Epic MegaCorp LLC $122,650 for investor awareness services. Epic MegaCorp LLC is a marketing company and not a registered investment advisor. The information contained on this site is not intended to be, and shall not constitute, an offer to sell nor the solicitation of any offer to buy any security. The information presented on this recorded line is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be treated as advice to make any specific investment. 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

As cryptocurrencies keep gaining adoption in Argentina, there are discussions on how the national regulatory bodies should regulate the industry. The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) seems to have taken a step forward in making the picture clearer. Banks Should Provide Data Such as National Identification Numbers and Home Addresses According to Infobae, the BCRA asked domestic banks to forward them information about its customers who deal with bitcoin (BTC) and perform any other kind of crypto transactions. The measure aims to evaluate whether the crypto market “should be required for an even bigger regulation or not.” Citing sources inside the central bank, Infobae details that the BCRA has sent an internal mail to the associated banks, requesting them the following data: Information that allows identifying customers who have accounts for holding crypto assets or who have declared or are known to carry out purchase and/or sale cooperation and/or management of payments through/of crypto assets. That said, the Argentinean central bank backs up its decision by saying that they have “functions of supervising” domestic payment systems. Inside the email, the BCRA asks for the national identification numbers, home address, and account types of the individuals involved in crypto-related transactions. Moreover, the measure covers the bank accounts used exclusively to trade with cryptocurrencies. Concerns Over Future ‘Excessive Regulations’ The central bank issued the following statement about the matter: As part of the process, the banks were consulted to determine the volume and depth of the use or purchase of crypto assets. It is a common practice to ask banks for information on different topics of interest before proceeding with the elaboration of regulations. Infobae claims that experts consulted by them have mixed opinions about the BCRA’s measure, with some considering it as a correct move, according to Ignacio Carballo, director of the Fintech Ecosystem of the University Católica Argentina: The global phenomenon of cryptocurrencies, together with its benefits and potential risks for economic systems, is something that is currently being debated in all global organizations and forums. Since the genesis of every financial regulator must be to make decisions based on evidence, the study and proper monitoring of the crypto world becomes fundamental, just as the BCRA would be doing. What are your thoughts on the latest move announced by the Argentinean central bank? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Digital currency markets have seen some significant gains on Monday as the entire market capitalization of all 8,500+ cryptocurrencies in existence has jumped a few percentages. Bitcoin’s price has spiked a touch over 1.5%, but a number of other coins have seen much larger gains during Monday’s trading sessions. Market aggregators show the crypto economy’s overall valuation is steadily approaching the $2 trillion handle. Crypto-Economy Jumps 3% and Nears $2 Trillion in Valuation Crypto assets have seen their values jump northbound on Monday as the entire crypto-economy has spiked 3% during the morning trading sessions (EST). Bitcoin (BTC) has risen by 1.9% and during the last seven days, BTC has gained 2.3%. The leading cryptocurrency, in terms of market valuation, BTC is currently exchanging hands for over $59k per unit. Ethereum (ETH) has done much better as the crypto asset has jumped over 16% this week and ether is swapping for $2,117 per coin. Binance coin (BNB) price on Monday, April 5, 2021. Binance coin (BNB) has seen a massive 8.39% gain during the last 24 hours and is up a whopping 35.4% this week. The digital currency BNB is trading for $374 per unit on Monday. The fifth-largest market valuation is held by Polkadot (DOT) which is swapping for $44 per unit. Cardano (ADA) has jumped 2% today and each ADA is trading for $1.21 during the morning trading sessions. ADA is down 0.21% during the last week but is still up 6.26% over the last 30 days. Ripple Starts to Rip, While Bitcoin Cash Gathers an 11% Lead One of the biggest movers on Monday is XRP which has spiked 37.4% during the last day alone. XRP has been doing extremely well for investors as XRP has gained 68% during the last month. XRP is currently exchanging hands for $0.824 per unit. XRP price on Monday, April 5, 2021. Bitcoin cash (BCH) has shined on Monday as well jumping 12% against the U.S. dollar today and 9.3% against BTC. Bitcoin cash is trading for $626 per unit and prices are up +17.56% during the last week and 21.78% against the USD. Bitcoin cash (BCH) price on Monday, April 5, 2021. Today’s biggest gainers are the IOV blockchain token (IOV) up 323% and hitchain (HIT) up 208%. Paid (PAID) token is down 55% today and the coin elysian (ELY) is down 46% making up Monday’s biggest market losers. What do you think about today’s crypto market movements? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The publicly listed firm Microstrategy purchased more bitcoin according to a tweet from the company’s chief executive officer Michael Saylor and a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. The firm spent $15 million in cash and now holds 91,579 bitcoin in the company’s reserves. Business Intelligence Firm Microstrategy Continues to Stack Bitcoin Month after month, the company Microstrategy has continued to purchase bitcoin (BTC) and add it to the firm’s balance sheet. On Monday, the company revealed yet another BTC purchase when it disclosed to the SEC in a Form 8-K that it purchased 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash. The SEC filing notes: On April 5, 2021, MicroStrategy Incorporated announced that it had purchased approximately 253 bitcoins for $15 million in cash, at an average price of approximately $59,339 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses. As of April 5, 2021, the Company holds approximately 91,579 bitcoins that were acquired at an aggregate purchase price of $2.226 billion and an average purchase price of approximately $24,311 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses. Close to a Half a Billion More to Purchase to Cross the 100K Bitcoin Cache The business intelligence (BI) firm still has 8,421 bitcoin to go to surpass 100,000 BTC in reserves. At current BTC prices that means the firm would have to spend another $496 million on bitcoin in order to jump over that number. Besides large bitcoin funds like GBTC and a few other organizations, Microstrategy is a publicly listed firm with one of the largest stashes of BTC to date. The web portal bitcointreasuries.org shows the vast number of companies now holding bitcoin on their balance sheets. With Microstrategy’s recent purchase, the website shows 1,373,294 BTC is under the possession of companies and corporate entities. The 1.3 million BTC represents 6.54% of the entire BTC supply. Out of 21 million bitcoin, Microstrategy holds .436% of the entire supply and today, that stash is worth 2.4x the purchase value at $5.4 billion. The publicly listed electric car company holds approximately 48,000 BTC or roughly half of what Microstrategy has on its balance sheet. After Microstrategy’s CEO Michael Saylor revealed the purchase on Twitter, the tweet got a lot of responses. “About time man,” one person replied. “You need to up your orange pill dosage again.” What do you think about Microstrategy continuing its bitcoin buying spree announcing it bought an additional $15 million worth on Monday? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On Monday, the digital currency asset manager Grayscale Investments announced intentions to file for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) when permissible. The subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (DCG) says in regard to its crypto trust products that it always been the company’s intention “to convert these products into an ETF.” Transforming Grayscale’s $34 Billion Bitcoin Trust Into an Exchange-Traded Fund It looks like Grayscale Investments is planning to join the race of firms looking to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. Grayscale announced intentions for a bitcoin ETF on April 5, 2021, by leveraging the company’s blog. Established in 2013, Grayscale Investments launched the firm’s bitcoin trust (GBTC) and today GBTC has $34 billion in assets under management (AUM). Grayscale also offers a number of other publicly traded crypto products and the business is the world’s largest asset manager for digital currencies. “In recent months there’s been a growing number of questions around the possibility of a Bitcoin ETF in the U.S., and we’d like to take the opportunity to provide clarity and context on what such a development would mean at Grayscale and for Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC,” the company’s announcement details. “First and foremost we wish to make clear: we are 100% committed to converting GBTC into an ETF.” Grayscale notes that it is only a natural progression for GBTC to proceed this way, as it was the first publicly traded Bitcoin fund in the U.S. and it also was able to convert the fund into an SEC-reporting company. “These were each groundbreaking achievements and brought greater transparency, regulatory clarity, and reporting standards for the investment community,” Grayscale said. Grayscale Is Committed to Converting GBTC Into an ETF The company also discussed when it applied for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund back in 2016 and had a lot of conversations with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Ultimately, we withdrew our application because we believed the regulatory environment for digital assets had not advanced to the point where such a product could successfully be brought to market,” Grayscale said reminiscing about the experience. “Today, we remain committed to converting GBTC into an ETF although the timing will be driven by the regulatory environment,” the digital currency asset manager concluded. “When GBTC converts to an ETF, shareholders of publicly-traded GBTC shares will not need to take action and the management fee will be reduced accordingly.” What do you think about Grayscale announcing intentions to launch a bitcoin ETF in the U.S.? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article