Crypto
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Business – Crypto
Terra peg mechanism in doubt as UST crashes to 67 cents
The third-largest stablecoin by market cap Terra USD (UST) appears to be in a catastrophic tailspin which has seen it de-peg from the dollar and drop to as low as $0.67 on May 10. As its price has fallen, so has its market capitalization along with that of Terra (LUNA) which backs the majority of the value of UST. Adding further insult to injury, the market cap of UST has vastly surpassed that of LUNA, drawing extreme scrutiny from the crypto community. UST price chart from CoinGecko As of the time of writing, UST price is $0.78 with a market cap of $14.1 billion while LUNA has been in a freefall, collapsing to $35.07. This has caused massive liquidations on leveraged positions, dropping its market cap to $12.3 billion according to CoinGecko data. If the market cap of LUNA is lower than US...
Three new crypto ETFs to begin trading in Australia this week
Australians will soon have more options for spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) after a previous hold-up was given the green light this week and new funds entered the ETF market. The latest update came late on May 9 as Cboe Australia issued a round of market notices that three funds previously delayed are expected to begin trading on Thursday, May 12. They include a Bitcoin ETF from Cosmos Asset Management, plus Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) spot ETFs from 21Shares. Cboe Australia and Cosmos did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson from 21Shares confirmed to Cointelegraph: “We’re listing on May 12, this Thursday. The downstream issues are resolved.” On April 26, a day before three of the first crypto ETFs were set to launch, the Cboe Au...
More than a third of AMC online payments are crypto or digital: CEO
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron stated that crypto along with several other digital payment methods recently accounted for 35% of its online payments. The popular cinema chain has gradually been working on various crypto adoption plays after first rolling out online payment support for Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC) in November. Last month it also added support for Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) payments via the AMC Theatres mobile app. Speaking as part of the firm’s 2022 Q1 earnings call on May 9, Aron emphasized that the firm’s plunge into crypto has not only been met with much “fanfare” but also opened up several payment rails that it had previously explored: “The same IT programming that was required for us to accept cryptocurrency also enabled us t...
Compound Treasury receives B- credit rating from S&P Global Ratings
On Monday, decentralized finance, or DeFi, protocol Compound Treasury announced that it received a credit rating of B- from S&P Global Ratings. As told by the team at Compound, this represents the first time a major credit agency has issued a rating for an institutionalized DeFi protocol. The S&P Global Ratings’ investment suitability scale ranges from AAA (extremely strong) to D (in default). A score of B- indicates the issuer can meet financial commitments, though vulnerabilities to business, financial and economic conditions persist. Regarding Compound’s rating specifically, S&P Global cites the uncertain regulatory regime for stablecoins such as USD Coin (USDC), stablecoin-to-fiat convertibility risks and the Treasury’s “limited capital base...
Bitcoin price falls to $31K as traders prepare for a ‘rocky’ road and more downside
“When it rains, it pours” is an old saying finding new relevance in the cryptocurrency markets on May 9 as traders face another day of pain and the current price decline brings Bitcoin (BTC) to its lowest level in 2022. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the BTC selloff on May 9 intensified as the trading day progressed with Bitcoin hitting a daily low of $31,000 as bulls scrambled to mount what amounted to a weak defense. BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView Here’s a look at some of the developments that led up to May 9’s price declines and what traders can look for as the crypto market heads deeper into bear territory. Further downside is a possibility Bitcoin bulls have struggled to establish a solid floor of support over the past couple of m...
Head of Bitstamp’s European arm becomes latest CEO of global crypto exchange
Bitstamp, one of the oldest crypto exchanges in the world, has announced the appointment of Jean-Baptiste (JB) Graftieaux as its new global CEO following the departure of Julian Sawyer. In a Monday announcement, Bitstamp said Sawyer, who first became CEO of the crypto exchange in October 2020, “has decided to pursue other opportunities.” Graftieaux took over the position on May 7, having been the Bitstamp Europe CEO since May 2021. According to the exchange, Graftieaux has 20 years of experience in “crypto, payments, and financial sectors,” having first joined Bitstamp in November 2014 as the firm’s chief compliance officer following five years at PayPal. “JB was with Bitstamp in its early days, and has admirably led our European business over the past year,” said Bitstamp’s board of direc...
Law Decoded: Crypto retirement plans get hot with Warren and Lummis making their moves, May 2–9, 2022
Retirement plans still largely remain at the periphery of both crypto adoption and the regulatory discussion. But last week, a major development emerged in this department. United States Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota became concerned about Fidelity’s recent announcement of adding Bitcoin (BTC) to its clients’ 401(k) retirement investment menu. In a letter to the company’s CEO Abigail Johnson, the lawmakers expressed their uneasiness over a “conflict of interests” and the “significant risks of fraud, theft and loss,” requesting from Fidelity a detailed outline of risk mitigation actions. Crypto 401(k) plans are still relatively rare, but they have already drawn suspicious attention from the U.S. Department of Labor. Crypto retirement investment...
Nuvei Corporation partners with Bibox for enhanced cryptocurrencies access
Nuvei Corporation, the world’s premier AI-driven cryptocurrency trading platform, announced today its cooperation with Bibox. By offering quick access to cryptos via the Simplex by Nuvei on-ramp solutions, the partnership will give Bibox clients with a streamlined trading experience. Bibox users to buy crypto using Apple Pay, SWIFT, SEPA and Credit cards Bibox users will be able to purchase bitcoins using debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, SWIFT/SEPA transfers after the integration is complete. The relationship with Nuvei guarantees Bibox complete chargeback and security protection while ensuring smooth and secure user journeys. Bibox has grown to become a leading exchange in terms of trading volume, offering top-notch security, reliability, and openness. Additionally, the trading sy...
NFT platform tokens to bring your collection to the next level
The Sandbox (SAND), Axie Infinity (AXS), Theta Network (THETA), and Decentraland (MANA) are all tokens that have the potential for growth. Each of these projects specializes in the sphere of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and has seen numerous updates. All of these tokens will likely see an increase in their value by the end of May 2022, and we are going to go over exactly how much. On May 4, 2022, we saw the announcement of Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) into the open Metaverse. Specifically, it was announced that The Sandbox (SAND) would provide a responsible, creative platform that will empower individuals to own their IP and monetize their assets. The United States Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) made an announcement that it would sanct...
Monero avoids crypto market rout, but XMR price still risks 20% drop by June
Monero (XMR) has shown a surprising resilience against the United States Federal Reserve’s hawkish policies that pushed the prices of most of its crypto rivals — including the top dog Bitcoin (BTC) — lower last week. XMR price closed the previous week 2.37% higher at $217, data from Binance shows. In comparison, BTC, which typically influences the broader crypto market, finished the week down 11.55%. The second-largest crypto, Ether (ETH), also plunged 11% in the same period. XMR/USD vs. BTC/USD vs. ETH/USD weekly price chart. Source: TradingView While the crypto market wiped off $163.25 billion from its valuation last week, down nearly 9%, Monero’s market cap increased by $87.7 million, suggesting that many traders decided to seek safety in this privacy-focused coin. XMR near ...
Japanese e-commerce site adopts BTC and XRP payments for used cars
SBI Motor Japan, a subsidiary of SBI Africa Co. Ltd., has announced that its customers can now make payments for used cars using Bitcoin (BTC) and Ripple (XRP). According to the announcement by SBI on Monday, the development marks the first time XRP cryptocurrency will be deployed on a cross-border e-commerce website in Japan. The BTC and XRP transactions will be settled on the SBI VC Trade Co. Ltd, a cryptocurrency exchange owned by the SBI Group. The platform, according to SBI, will use appropriate security methods in order to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing through crypto transactions. Furthermore, SBI revealed that it is presently monitoring and scrutinizing its business partners to verify that they follow Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and corporate regulations. SBI...
Deribit and OKX attract significant traffic from China despite a blanket ban: Report
Data from website traffic metric provider Similarweb shows that Deribit and OKX continue to attract significant traffic sources from China despite a blanket ban on crypto transactions and foreign exchanges last year. China has banned the use of cryptocurrencies more than a dozen times in the last decade. However, the one imposed in September last year was considered the harshest one. Several crypto exchanges including Huobi and Binance had shut doors for the Chinese traders in fear of regulatory action. The strict regulatory reforms ensured that Chinese traders mainly shifted their focus to decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and protocols. Chinese crypto traders have always found a way to bypass strict crypto regulatory measures imposed by the government. While many believed the blanket ban on...
