“Bitcoin is for billions, not billionaires,” a phrase first coined by investment researcher Lyn Alden, could soon become a reality, according to Fedimint. The protocol that aims to scale Bitcoin (BTC) while making it more private, has been buoyed by a $4.2 million seed round for the Fedi application. Cointelegraph spoke to Obi Nwosu, co-founder and CEO of Fedi, about the “incredible group of inspiring people who we are working with to support their activities to increase the freedoms of some of the most oppressed regions of the world,” and why the mobile app Fedi could solve issues related to scaling, custody and privacy. Lyudmyla Kozlovska, head of the Open Dialogue Foundation — which focuses on supporting people in post-soviet Europe — Farida Bemba Nabourema, a Togolese human right...
Dante Disparte, Circle’s chief strategy officer and head of global policy who has previously testified at congressional hearings, has called on United States lawmakers to balance the risks with developing a regulatory path for stablecoins. In a Monday blog post, Disparte named 18 principles Circle had established as part of its effort to shape stablecoin policy in the United States. Circle, the company behind USD Coin (USDC) with a reported $54 billion in circulation, highlighted privacy concerns, “a level playing field” between banks and non-banks over a U.S. dollar-pegged digital currency, how stablecoins can coexist alongside a central bank digital currency, and the need for regulatory clarity. “Harmonizing national regulatory and policy frameworks for dollar digital currencies advances...
The liquidators of failed crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) have filed an application in the High Court of Singapore for a stay on claims against 3AC and access to the company’s Singapore headquarters. The liquidators said in the 1,157-page document that a court decision is needed in light of the number legal proceedings that may arise in the near future and the “virtual radio silence from the management/directors of the Company.” According to the July 9 application, the Singapore office may contain cold wallets or information on how to access 3AC trading accounts, which the liquidators want to access before any of it is removed or destroyed. The application lists previous unsuccessful efforts to obtain information from company directors Su Zhu and Kyle Davies and their represen...
“When will it end?” is the question that is on the mind of investors who have endured the current crypto winter and witnessed the demise of multiple protocols and investment funds over the past few months. This week, Bitcoin (BTC) once again finds itself testing resistance at its 200-week moving average and the real challenge is whether it can push higher in the face of multiple headwinds or if the price will trend down back into the range it has been trapped in since early June. According to the most recent newsletter from on-chain market intelligence firm Glassnode, “duration” is the main difference between the current bear market and previous cycles and many on-chain metrics are now comparable to these historical drawdowns. One metric that has proven to be a reliab...
Cross-chain exchange and proof-of-bond network THORChain has finally activated the killswitch that will progressively wind down support of the BEP-2 and ERC-20-based variants of the RUNE token. BNB.RUNE, and ETH.RUNE, also known as IOU Tokens, are being swapped out for the upgraded and completely native RUNE token after THORChain’s long-awaited mainnet late last month. Moving forward, these tokens will progressively lose their value over the next 12 months as the project aims to foster adoption of its fully unified variant of RUNE, enabling stronger asset interoperability. Users who hold their IOU Tokens on centralized changes will have their tokens automatically upgraded to the new native RUNE. Those who keep their tokens in private wallets must create a new wallet supported by THOR...
Christie’s, the auction house known for its sales of art and luxury items, has launched an investment fund to support emerging companies with technology enabling “seamless consumption of art.” In a Monday announcement, the auction company said the fund, Christie’s Ventures, will financially support firms in Web3, “art-related financial products and solutions,” and technology related to art and luxury goods. According to Christie’s, its first investment will be in LayerZero Labs, a company developing solutions for enabling omnichain decentralized applications, allowing a more seamless transfer of assets between blockchains. “We will focus on products and services, which can solve real business challenges, improve client experiences and expand growth opportunities, both across the art ...
Cointelegraph Research brings an analysis of all the deals and trends from venture capital (VC) in the blockchain industry during the second quarter of 2022. When looking at the aggregate total amount invested into the crypto industry in the second quarter, it will tell one story. However, a deeper dive into the data tells another tale. From a high level, the $14.67 billion invested in Q2 is about flat with the $14.66 invested in Q1. But, the largest chunk of that investment was in April, before the last two months of a large slump in global markets, which made even the most bullish crypto investor admit the bear market has arrived. The good news is that even though this did happen, funds like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) closed a $4.5 billion crypto fund, and investment continued to flow in...
Bitcoin (BTC) rose above $22,000 and Ether (ETH) traded above $1,500 on July 18, indicating that bulls are gradually returning to the cryptocurrency markets. This pushed the total crypto market capitalization above $1 trillion for the first time since June 13, raising hopes that the worst of the bear market may be behind us. In another positive sign, more than 80% of the total Bitcoin supply denominated in the United States dollar has been dormant for at least three months, according to crypto intelligence firm Glassnode. During previous bear markets, such an occurrence preceded the end of the bear phase. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 However, a report by Grayscale Investments voices a different opinion. It suggests that the current bear market in Bitcoin started...
While the critics cast doubts on some of blockchain’s use cases during the crypto winter, one of the most prominent community figures laid out some points that cement blockchain’s position as a disruptive technology. On Twitter, FTX crypto exchange CEO Sam Bankman-Fried highlighted use cases for blockchain and explained how some industries could benefit from integrating the tech. According to Bankman-Fried, blockchain technology can simplify payments, solve stock market flaws and revolutionize social media. Bankman-Fried said that there are many issues surrounding cross-border payments. The FTX CEO laid out several examples that highlighted long waiting times and intermediaries that make the fees higher and often add uncertainty to transactions. According to the executive, blockchain...
Diving deep into the thirteen-year-old Bitcoin (BTC) ecosystem makes one come across interesting patterns powered organically by investor sentiment and market conditions. With BTC’s per transaction cost coming down to $56.846 on July 14, the ecosystem unveiled a cycle wherein the per transaction costs invariably fall every four years. The cost per Bitcoin transaction is calculated by dividing miners’ revenue by the number of transactions, thus implying an unpredictive trend — however, data from Blockchain.com reveals a pattern many would find satisfying. Bitcoin cost per transaction YTD. Source: blockchain.com The cost per transaction dropped over 81% in July 2022 from its all-time high of $300.331 in May 2021, factored by a combination of a prolonged bear market and fewer on-chain t...