crypto blog
Solving the ‘Sunrise Issue’ is the key to unlocking crypto mass adoption
We have all been there. You see something, hear something, or feel something, and want to share that feeling or observation with someone else. Do you pick up the phone? Send over a text? Record a voice note? Humans thrive in our shared experiences: a captivating concert, the winning goal of a sports match, waking up to watch the sunrise. There’s something fulfilling about having an experience and being able to share it with someone in real time. And due to technology, we can do that, even if another person, call them our counterpart, is halfway across the world. So why wouldn’t we expect the same level of seamless communication and collaboration across an industry built around that very idea — total interconnectivity and a global reach? Crypto was built to democratize access to...
These are the BTC price levels to watch as Bitcoin risks worst April on record
Bitcoin (BTC) sits at a historically important price point for hodlers, but where could it be headed in the coming days? As the monthly close looms and various countries prepare for the May holidays, traders are mapping out the options — with some surprises. $35,000 becomes key focus While Bitcoin market commentators rarely agree on much, one thing is more or less accepted this week — that April’s monthly close will be volatile. Due over the weekend, that volatility has the potential to be exacerbated by a lack of trading volume thanks to markets being off either for the weekend or long weekend. Even with macro participation, however, the situation would seem not to favor Bitcoin bulls. As Cointelegraph reported, Friday saw major indices, with the notable exception of China, finish i...
4-digit ENS domains spike in demand this week and continue soaring
Ethereum Name Service, or ENS, .eth domains ranging from 0000 to 9999 have recently been causing a stir among NFT investors, speculators and enthusiasts alike. Even though three- and four-digit names have been around for years, the number of people registering for ENS domains and purchasing these digit number names on secondary markets over the past week has significantly affected the market’s trading volume. According to a Dune Analytics dashboard for ENS, the spike in sales began on April 21, and the number of eth. name registrations has since jumped from 2,721 to 21,188 by April 28. Over the last seven-day period, ENS domains’ trading volume on OpenSea climbed by 3,333% to 2,613 ETH, or $7.3 million, at the time of writing. The last 48 hours have seen the most...
Making crypto conventional by improving crypto crime investigations worldwide
When times are tough — as in the pandemic — enterprising human nature goes into overdrive. People seek out alternative ways to make money. That could be one of the reasons why cryptocurrencies skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years, driven in part by large numbers of people sitting at home wondering how to beat low-interest rates and rising inflation. Where there’s cash, however, there are also criminals. Bad actors are experts in human behavior and see building momentum and increased crypto traffic as a huge opportunity, knowing that many newer investors may not do their homework. Investors might not apply the same level of scrutiny to crypto as they would their pensions or other investments, and there’s not a lot of regulatory oversight globally. So, a simple splash page or mess...
Demystifying the business imperatives of the Metaverse
In a previous article, I discussed the evolution of Web3 economies and current volatility, focusing on the participatory nature of Web3, which is the foundational technology enabling the creator economy. The term “metaverse” — meta and universe — often describes the anticipated future iteration or evolution of the internet powered by Web3 technologies like blockchain and decentralized resource distribution and consumption principles. Although the focus has often been on metaverse modalities such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), gaming, Second Life, avatars and so forth, in my view, these modalities represent an interesting evolution or shift from the digital transformation of recent decades to the “transformation of digital.” That is exactly what the Metaverse aims to...
Belgian financial regulator FSMA to regulate crypto exchange services
A new rule imposed by Belgium’s financial regulatory agency, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), will now require crypto exchanges and custodial wallet services in the region to register within a sharp deadline. Starting tomorrow, May 1, legal individuals and entities that wish to provide crypto exchange services or custodial wallets in Belgium will have to register in advance, according to the information released by the FSMA. As from 1 May 2022, providers of exchange services between #virtual #currencies and legal currencies, or custody #wallet services will have to register with the #FSMA. Please consult the FAQs. https://t.co/P44mkovn5L pic.twitter.com/aAdtQ9Dqwx — FSMA (@FSMA_info) April 29, 2022 Crypto businesses in Belgium that have been already operating before thi...
Avalanche (AVAX) loses 30%+ in April, but its DeFi footprint leaves room to be bullish
Avalanche (AVAX) price is down more than 30% in April, but despite the negative price move, the smart contract platform remains a top contender for decentralized applications due to its scalability, low-cost transactions and its large footprint in the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape. AVAX token/USD at FTX. Source: TradingView The network is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and unique in that it does not face the same operational bottlenecks of high transaction fees and network congestion. Avalanche was able to amass over $9 billion in total value locked (TVL) by offering a proof-of-stake (PoS) layer-1 scaling solution. This indicator is extremely relevant because it measures the deposits on the network’s smart contracts. For instance, the BNB Chain, running since S...
ECB, Eurosystem begins experimental prototyping of digital euro customer interface
Progress will continue on the development of the digital euro as the European Central Bank (ECB) and Eurosystem have begun looking for companies to participate in an exercise to prototype customer-facing payments services. Payment service providers, banks and other relevant companies were invited to express interest in the project in an announcement released Thursday. Eurosystem, which comprises the ECB and the national central banks of countries that use the euro, stated that it will select up to five front-end providers on the basis of their capabilities and the use cases they present. While participants are not required to have previous experience with the service they will prototype, experience will be considered in the selection process. The prototype providers will be expected to dev...
Here are 3 ways hodlers can profit during bull and bear markets
For years, cryptocurrency advocates have touted the world-changing capability of digital currency and blockchain technology. Yet with the passing of each market cycle, new projects come and go, and the promised utility of these “real-world use case” projects fails to satisfy. While a majority of tokens promise to solve real-world problems, only a few achieve this, and the others are mere speculative investments. Here’s a look at the three things cryptocurrency investors can actually “do” with their coins. Lending Perhaps the simplest use case offered to cryptocurrency holders is also one of the oldest monetary applications in finance: lending. Ever since the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector took off in 2020, the opportunities available for crypto holders to lend out their tokens in exch...
2 key metrics point toward further downside for the entire crypto market
The total crypto market capitalization has been holding a slightly ascending trend for the past 3 months and the $1.75 trillion support was most recently tested on April 27 as Bitcoin (BTC) bounced at $38,000 and Ether (ETH) at $2,800 on April 27. Total crypto market cap, USD billion. Source: TradingView The crypto market’s aggregate capitalization showed a 3.5% decrease in the last 7 days and notable losers were a 18.8% loss from XRP, a 10.2% loss from Cardano (ADA), and 9.7% drop in Polkadot (DOT) price. Analyzing a broader range of altcoins provides a more balanced picture, that includes 25% gains from some gaming and Metaverse projects in the same time period. Weekly winners and losers among the top 80 coins. Source: Nomics Apecoin (APE) rallied 44% due to the upcoming Otherside metave...
Hashstack Finance’s public testnet represents a ‘significant accomplishment’
Hashstack Finance, a DeFi platform focused on disrupting the DeFi lending market, officially announced its public testnet launch of its Open Protocol. The company said in a Friday press release its Open Protocol is the first of its kind to offer non-custodial, secure under-collateralized loans. Extracting maximum value DeFi users will now be able to experience first-hand how to extract maximum value from their collateral when borrowing. According to the press release, Hashstack’s Open Protocol is the only platform offering under-collateralized loans at a 1:3 collateral-to-loan ratio. For example, a user can borrow $300 after securing $100 worth of assets as collateral. From this, the user can withdraw $70 (up to 70% collateral) with the remaining $230 representing in-platform trading capit...
Turkey’s second wave of major crypto interest: Bitfinex, Coinbase and KuCoin ramp up
Turkey is experiencing a resurgence in cryptocurrency interest as major crypto exchanges set foot in the transcontinental country. From demographics to offline marketing to currency depreciation, there is plenty of motivation for the 84 million Turkish people to sign up to the new exchanges. Bitfinex, among the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, recently announced its plans to expand into Turkey (see tweet). Coinbase reportedly set its sights on acquiring local exchange BtcTurk, while Binance is launching its first customer service center. Dünyanın önde gelen dijital varlık alım satım platformu Bitfinex çok yakında Türkiye’de. pic.twitter.com/bReVOyg1gU — Bitfinex TR (@BitfinexTR) April 24, 2022 For Paolo Ardoino, chief technology officer of Bitfinex and Tether — ranked 8...
