crypto blog
How Polkadot’s parachain auctions make a decentralized Web3 possible
When Gavin Wood co-founded Ethereum, he stated that it would “allow people to interact in mutually beneficial ways without anyone needing to trust each other.” In theory, such a platform would pave the way for Web3, characterized by decentralized or distributed network architectures, that would lay the groundwork for a truly open internet where we would not have to blindly entrust our data to monopolistic corporations or get permission from them in order to participate. Since its inception in 2015, however, Ethereum has simply failed to adapt fast enough and keep up with the pace. Transactions costs for decentralized applications (DApps) have been too high while transaction speeds have been too slow. Wood left the Ethereum team in 2016 and founded the framework for a decentralized Web3: Po...
Polygon price risks 50% drop as MATIC paints inverted cup and handle pattern
Polygon (MATIC) has dropped by more than 40% from its record high of $2.92, established on Dec. 27, 2021. But if a classic technical indicator is to be believed, the token has more room to drop in the sessions ahead. MATIC price chart painting classic bearish pattern MATIC’s recent rollover from bullish to bearish, followed by a rebound to the upside, has led to the formation of what appears like an inverted cup and handle pattern — a large crescent shape followed by a less extreme upside retracement, as shown in the chart below. MATIC/USD three-day price chart featuring inverted cup and handle pattern. Source: TradingView In a “perfect” scenario, inverted cup and handle setups set the stage for a downturn ahead. As they do, the price tends to fall towards levels tha...
Finance Redefined: Alchemy raises $200M, Bunny goes DAO, Feb. 4–11
Welcome to the latest edition of Cointelegraph’s decentralized finance newsletter. As the DeFi space continues its technical resurgence, essential news on funding, innovation and DAOs continues to drive adoption in what remains a nascent industry. For the full version of this newsletter including longer, more descriptive analysis of the top stories this week, subscribe below: Alchemy raises $200M in latest funding, ACH token soars 77% Web3 platform Alchemy announced the launch of a $200-million Series C funding round this week, giving the company a decacorn status and a valuation of $10.2 billion. The seven-investor round was led by two California-based venture firms — Lightspeed Venture Partners, which were investors in FTX’s recent tertiary funding round, and Silver Lake — with add...
Experience-to-earn is the gateway for NFT mainstream adoption
An experience-to-earn (E2E) nonfungible token (NFT) ecosystem rewards people on-chain for doing everyday activities, bringing new forms of value creation to everyone. This was previously reserved for invested gamers in play-to-earn (P2E) worlds. While P2E has experienced a record-breaking year ($4.5 billion in-game NFT sales, according to the recent DappRadar report), most blockchain games still rely on some level of skill such as battling, breeding or collecting strategy that attracts gamers with the downtime, temerity and sometimes some starting funds to invest — prerequisites that can put off any non-gamer from entering NFTs to earn. In contrast, experience-to-earn aims to reward more achievable investment people put in themselves, others and the good into the world, expanding the poten...
What is Avalanche Network (AVAX) and how does it work?
What is Avalanche Network (AVAX)? Launched in 2020 by Ava Labs, Avalanche is a blockchain platform that is smart contract-capable. Avalanche aims to deliver a scalable blockchain solution while maintaining decentralization and security, focusing on lower costs, fast transaction speeds, and eco-friendliness. Avalanche quickly became popular in the cryptocurrency space, with Avalanche TVL currently worth $8.41 billion and still rising across Avalanche decentralized applications (DApps). Avalanche is powered by its native token Avalanche (AVAX) and multiple consensus mechanisms. With Avalanche, users can create an unlimited number of customized and interoperable blockchains. To operate a blockchain on the Avalanche coin, AVAX, one must pay a subscription fee. What is Avalanche crypto used for...
Bitcoin dips below $42K as crypto sentiment returns to ‘fear’
Bitcoin (BTC) trended toward a $40,000 retest on Feb. 12 as BTC price action bore out analysts’ predictions. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Trader hopes to avoid ‘ugly’ weekly close Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD reaching local lows of $41,741 on Bitstamp Saturday before a rebound over $42,000. An about-turn had ended the pair’s advance after U.S. CPI data hit, and calls soon emerged for a return to $40,000 or even lower to see how steely bulls’ resolve really was. For Cointelegraph contributor Michaël van de Poppe, the results were still inconclusive, but caution was definitely needed going forward on short-timeframe trades. “Bitcoin looking at the same resistance still,” he sum...
Hungary’s central bank chief wants EU-wide crypto trading and mining ban
György Matolcsy, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank, has proposed a blanket ban on all cryptocurrency trading and mining operations across the European Union. Governor Matolcsy cited the recent crypto ban imposed by China in a blog post shared by the Hungarian central bank a.k.a. Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) titled “Time has come to ban crypto trading and mining in the EU.” He also pointed out the Russian central bank’s proposal that calls for a blanket ban on domestic cryptocurrency trading and mining. Reciprocating the proposals for a crypto ban, Matolcsy said: “I perfectly agree with the proposal and also support the senior EU financial regulator’s point that the EU should ban the mining method used to produce most new bitcoin.” The governor strongly believes in cryptocurrency’s...
DeFi flashes early revival signs as retail and institutional inflows trickle in
Decentralized finance (DeFi) has had a rough go so far in 2022, and data from Messari shows the top ten-ranked DeFi assets currently down between 10% to 50% since the start of the year. Top ten DeFi tokens by market capitalization. Source: Messari A positive is, the situation may change soon as funds have began to flow back into the DeFi ecosystem following a month of declines as data shows institutional and retail funds returning to crypto markets. Data from Defi Llama shows that the total value locked in all of DeFi platforms has climbed to $211.1 billion on Feb. 11, up from a low of $185.14 billion on Jan. 31 Total value locked in DeFi. Source: Defi Llama A closer look at the individual protocols that contribute to the total TVL shows that the biggest drawdowns in TVL over the past 30 d...
DeFi flashes early revival signs as retail and institutional inflows trickle in
Decentralized finance (DeFi) has had a rough go so far in 2022, and data from Messari shows the top ten-ranked DeFi assets currently down between 10% to 50% since the start of the year. Top ten DeFi tokens by market capitalization. Source: Messari A positive is, the situation may change soon as funds have began to flow back into the DeFi ecosystem following a month of declines as data shows institutional and retail funds returning to crypto markets. Data from Defi Llama shows that the total value locked in all of DeFi platforms has climbed to $211.1 billion on Feb. 11, up from a low of $185.14 billion on Jan. 31 Total value locked in DeFi. Source: Defi Llama A closer look at the individual protocols that contribute to the total TVL shows that the biggest drawdowns in TVL over the past 30 d...
Why Singapore is one of the most crypto-friendly countries
In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. At the end of 2021 — a year in which Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) rose 100% and 300%, respectively — global crypto rating company Coincub ranked Singapore as the most crypto-friendly country in the world due to its “robust economy, positive legislative environment, and high rate of cryptocurrency adoption.” Cryptocurrency consumer protection law Singapore’s regulators have done a great deal to nurture the blockchain industry. Its No. 1 ranking by Coincub was proven right by the prompt regulatory measures implem...
Why Singapore is one of the most crypto-friendly countries
In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. At the end of 2021 — a year in which Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) rose 100% and 300%, respectively — global crypto rating company Coincub ranked Singapore as the most crypto-friendly country in the world due to its “robust economy, positive legislative environment, and high rate of cryptocurrency adoption.” Cryptocurrency consumer protection law Singapore’s regulators have done a great deal to nurture the blockchain industry. Its No. 1 ranking by Coincub was proven right by the prompt regulatory measures implem...
Analysts say Bitcoin price is in the ‘profit-taking’ zone with a ceiling at $45K
The price action for Bitcoin (BTC) continues to tantalize investors and once again, concerns over the state of the global economy and rising inflation have prompted warnings that the Fed’s upcoming interest rate hikes could do more damage then good to the state of the market. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the price of BTC has hovered near the $43,000 support level in trading on Feb. 11 after rallying 20% from the $37,000 leve over the past week. BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView Here’s a look at what analysts expect next for BTC and the wider cryptocurrency market. “Expecting a move to $40,000” Insight into the bullish and bearish scenarios related to Bitcoin price was offered by crypto trader and pseudonymous Twitter analyst ‘Crypto_Ed_NL’, w...
