Crypto
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NFT scams: How to avoid becoming a victim
When you’re an active NFT trader, you can’t avoid all the scams in the world of nonfungible tokens. The most common NFT scams are phishing, counterfeit NFTs and pump-and-dumps. The year 2021 was a breakthrough for nonfungible tokens (NFTs). But when something gets popular like decentralized finance (DeFi) and the newest version of the Web called Web3, there are also risks involved. Follow the money is advice you don’t have to give hackers twice. Last year, hackers took home $14 billion from crypto-related hacks and still, cryptocurrency crime numbers have risen 79% — and the risk is not over yet. But how do NFT traders protect themselves from getting scammed? First of all, educate yourself. By understanding the most common NFT sca...
Polkadot vs. Ethereum: Two equal chances to dominate the Web3 world
For most casual digital asset investors, the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade promises to be a game-changing event that will improve efficiency, reduce network costs and propel the entire blockchain and crypto space closer to a Web3 reality. Ethereum has been struggling with a lack of scalability and skyrocketing gas fees, and since it serves as the largest smart contract and DApp development platform, the move to a more reliable and scalable proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain will be a welcome reprieve. Unbeknownst to most casual investors, however, Polkadot’s Substrate platform has been making massive inroads in the development of a parallel decentralized internet infrastructure that many believe will eventually eclipse Ethereum’s. Related: The Polkadot architecture and introduction to the ...
Bitcoin network fortifies as mining difficulty records ATH of 31.251T
Further distancing itself from any concerns of planned attacks on the blockchain, the Bitcoin (BTC) network established a new mining difficulty all-time high of 31.251 trillion — exceeding the 30-trillion mark for the first time in history. The creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, warranted the security of the BTC network through a decentralized network of BTC miners who are tasked with confirming the legitimacy of transactions and minting new blocks. Given the extensive community support — from developers to hodlers to traders to miners — that spans over 13 years, the BTC network was witness to a historic 10-month-long rally as it achieved mining difficulty of 31.251 trillion. Bitcoin network difficulty. Source: Blockchain.com Mining difficulty safeguards the BTC ecosystem against networ...
DeFi attacks are on the rise — Will the industry be able to stem the tide?
The decentralized finance (DeFi) industry has lost over a billion dollars to hackers in the past couple of months, and the situation seems to be spiraling out of control. According to the latest statistics, approximately $1.6 billion in cryptocurrencies was stolen from DeFi platforms in the first quarter of 2022. Furthermore, over 90% of all pilfered crypto is from hacked DeFi protocols. These figures highlight a dire situation that is likely to persist over the long term if ignored. Why hackers prefer DeFi platforms In recent years, hackers have ramped up operations targeting DeFi systems. One primary reason as to why these groups are drawn to the sector is the sheer amount of funds that decentralized finance platforms hold. Top DeFi platforms process billions of dollars in transactions e...
Will the Ethereum 2.0 update reduce high gas fees?
Purpose of Ethereum 2.0 The primary goal of the Ethereum 2.0 update is to improve scalability so that the network can handle more transactions without delays or high fees. While the full effects of the update will not be felt until it is fully rolled out, some of the possible use cases for Ethereum 2.0 include: Supporting the large-scale enterprise adoption of blockchain technology in private corporations and businesses; Creating more decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and governance models based on smart contracts and trustless interactions; Ethereum token launches that will allow new projects to fundraise and launch their own tokens on the Ethereum network; The further expansion of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other digital assets that can be stored on the...
On-chain privacy is key to the wider mass adoption of crypto
Innovations in the crypto space appear daily. Whether through decentralized applications or new ways to implement and use nonfungible tokens (NFTs) within decentralized finance, blockchain technology is innovating at the speed of light. The only thing missing? Widespread adoption. One thing holding this back is the very public nature of the blockchain. DeFi, as it operates now, lacks meaningful privacy. In order to catalyze broad adoption for businesses, governments and individuals, those executing blockchain transactions should expect regular, consistent privacy. First, we need to define what privacy means. It does not mean pseudonymity, which cryptocurrency purports to have now. Meaningful privacy means that a personal financial account will not be traced and an individual’s wealth will ...
Bitcoin stays under $30K as LUNA gains 600% during ‘insane volatility’
Bitcoin (BTC) failed to reclaim $30,000 into May 14 as traders looked forward to a relatively stable weekend. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Bitfinex longs gather strength Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it lingered below the $30,000 mark, now rapidly becoming resistance. The pair had reached just shy of $31,000 before retracing, while the end of the traditional market trading week had been accompanied by fresh warnings of a new macro low still to come. #Bitcoin – Looks like we might get the inverse H & S before going into the weekend. Hoping to see this 4h candle hold and see it push up. Then I’ll move stops in profit and let it ride during the weekend. 2% risk, 2% stop loss. pic.twitter.com/lxRuk3M43G — ...
Crypto.com unblocks users, reverses glitched LUNA trades that made 30-40x
Crypto.com was one of the few crypto exchanges to keep LUNA trades open as Terra’s death spiral saw an unrecoverable price crash of LUNA and stablecoin UST. However, a technical glitch on Crypto.com’s mobile application allowed users to get away with a 30-40x profit on LUNA trades momentarily. On Friday, Crypto.com abruptly barred users from trading after an internal tool detected the system quoting incorrect prices for LUNA due to some error. Just when Crypto Twitter started raising concerns about trade reversals on the exchange, Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, revealed details about a glitch that allowed users to make away with massive profits. There was a lot of customers who were buying at wrong prices and of course some also jumped onto the opportunity to exploit the glitch to the ...
DeFi transforming lending routes on the blockchain
The world of decentralized finance (DeFi) is gradually expanding to encompass a significant share of the global financial lending space by virtue of the inherently trustless manner of operation and the ease of accessing capital. As the crypto ecosystem has grown to a $2-trillion industry by market capitalization, new products and offerings have emerged thanks to burgeoning innovation in blockchain technology. Lending and borrowing have become an integral part of the crypto ecosystem, especially with the emergence of DeFi. Lending and borrowing are one of the core offerings of the traditional financial system, and most people are familiar with the terms in the form of mortgages, student loans, etc. In traditional borrowing and lending, a lender provides a loan to a borrower and earns intere...
Bitcoin and Ethereum had a rough week, but derivatives data reveals a silver lining
This week the crypto market endured a sharp drop in valuation after Coinbase, the leading U.S. exchange, reported a $430 million quarterly net loss and South Korea announced plans to introduce a 20% tax on crypto gains. During its worst moment, the total market crypto market cap faced a 39% drop from $1.81 trillion to $1.10 trillion in seven days, which is an impressive correction even for a volatile asset class. A similar size decrease in valuation was last seen in February 2021, creating bargains for the risk-takers. Total crypto market capitalization, USD billion. Source: TradingView Even with this week’s volatility, there were a few relief bounces as Bitcoin (BTC) bounced 18% from a $25,400 low to the current $30,000 level and Ether (ETH) price also made a brief rally to $2,100 af...
Crypto Biz: Luna’s meltdown will live on in infamy, May 5–11, 2022
Terra’s meltdown forced cryptocurrency investors to ask a question they never thought was possible: Will TerraUSD (UST) or Terra (LUNA) reach $1.00 first? The magnitude of this question provides a sobering reminder of just how quickly things can change in crypto. While Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon remains defiant, many people in the industry are beginning to distance themselves from the protocol they thought was delivering real-world utility for stablecoins and Bitcoin (BTC). The threat of contagion from Terra’s apparent collapse could take months or even years to fully quantify, but it looks like the howls of crypto winter are growing louder. Luckily, blockchain projects are bootstrapped with tens of billions of dollars. They will continue to build. Can you wait a little while longer...
Bitcoin price could bounce to $35K, but analysts say don’t expect a ‘V-shaped recovery’
Altcoins saw a relief bounce on May 13 as the initial panic sparked by Bitcoin’s sell-off Terra’s UST collapse and multiple stablecoins losing their dollar peg begins to decrease and risk loving traders look to scoop up assets trading at yearly lows. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 Despite the significant correction that occurred over the past week, Bitcoin (BTC) bulls have managed to claw their way back to the $30,000 zone, a level which has been defended multiple times during the 2021 bull market. Here’s a look at what several analysts have to say about the outlook for Bitcoin moving forward as the price attempts to recover in the face of multiple headwinds. Is a short squeeze pending? Insight into the minds of derivatives traders was provided by ...
