Crypto news
EU officials considered Bitcoin trading ban to enforce proposed mining ban
European Union (EU) officials discussed banning Bitcoin trading during a debate on a proposal to ban Proof of Work mining according to documents obtained through a freedom of information request. According to a report, published by German digital culture organization Netzpolitik, officials from the EU went as far as suggesting that an all out ban on trading Bitcoin (BTC) should be enforced in order to curb its overall energy consumption. The most worrying comments from the crypto community’s perspective came from a document that detailed the minutes from an EU meeting with Sweden’s financial supervisor and an environmental protection agency in which officials suggested that regulators pressure the Bitcoin community to switch to a Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism, instead of its current...
Bank of England’s PRA raises budget $31M for ‘emerging risks’ like crypto
The Bank of England’s regulatory arm has raised its budget by $31.6 million (£24.3 million) for the coming financial year saying that costs have increased due to its growing responsibilities and preparations for “emerging risks in the financial system”. According to the latest business plan released on Wednesday April 20 by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) its budget for the 2022/23 financial year is £320.9 million ($418 million), an 8.2% increase from last year. The PRA Chief Executive Sam Woods outlined its plan for the year ahead saying it was: “Committed to keeping pace with innovation and emerging risks, including the ongoing digitalization of financial services and the growth of crypto assets.” The PRA states that the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, alon...
Bank of England’s PRA raises budget $31M for ‘emerging risks’ like crypto
The Bank of England’s regulatory arm has raised its budget by $31.6 million (£24.3 million) for the coming financial year saying that costs have increased due to its growing responsibilities and preparations for “emerging risks in the financial system”. According to the latest business plan released on Wednesday April 20 by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) its budget for the 2022/23 financial year is £320.9 million ($418 million), an 8.2% increase from last year. The PRA Chief Executive Sam Woods outlined its plan for the year ahead saying it was: “Committed to keeping pace with innovation and emerging risks, including the ongoing digitalization of financial services and the growth of crypto assets.” The PRA states that the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, alon...
Columbia Uni professor heads up a16z’s new crypto research unit
Theoretical computer scientist and Columbia University professor Tim Roughgarden has been appointed the head of Andreessen Horowitz’s (a16z) new crypto research unit. Roughgarden’s resume includes more than three years as a professor of computer science at Columbia University in New York, along with a 14-year stint at Stanford. He has also served as a research partner at a16z since February last year. a16z is one of the most active venture capital firms in crypto, with its funds reportedly worth around $9 billion. Partly guided by the firm’s new unit which was announced earlier today, Roughgarden has stated that its funding into crypto research will grow by “many multiples of the next couple of years.” “We’re currently in a particular moment in time, witnessing a new multidisciplinar...
Columbia Uni professor heads up a16z’s new crypto research unit
Theoretical computer scientist and Columbia University professor Tim Roughgarden has been appointed the head of Andreessen Horowitz’s (a16z) new crypto research unit. Roughgarden’s resume includes more than three years as a professor of computer science at Columbia University in New York, along with a 14-year stint at Stanford. He has also served as a research partner at a16z since February last year. a16z is one of the most active venture capital firms in crypto, with its funds reportedly worth around $9 billion. Partly guided by the firm’s new unit which was announced earlier today, Roughgarden has stated that its funding into crypto research will grow by “many multiples of the next couple of years.” “We’re currently in a particular moment in time, witnessing a new multidisciplinar...
This Earth Day analysts say Bitcoin mining is naturally gravitating to green energy
April 22 is Earth Day and with environmental sustainability one of the key topics in the global debate surrounding Bitcoin mining, analysts say the industry has begun to naturally gravitate towards cleaner and cheaper energy sources. According to a January report by the Bitcoin Mining Council, by Q4 2021, the global Bitcoin mining industry ran on an estimated 58.5% renewable energy. The preference for clean energy is due to a combination of environmental conscientiousness, political pressures, and an eye on the bottom line. It’s resulting in a sea change that could have ripple effects that extend well beyond Bitcoin (BTC) mining onto power grid systems around the world. Bitcoin miners in Norway are cleaner than almost anywhere else on the planet thanks to the country’s access to hydropower...
This Earth Day analysts say Bitcoin mining is naturally gravitating to green energy
April 22 is Earth Day and with environmental sustainability one of the key topics in the global debate surrounding Bitcoin mining, analysts say the industry has begun to naturally gravitate towards cleaner and cheaper energy sources. According to a January report by the Bitcoin Mining Council, by Q4 2021, the global Bitcoin mining industry ran on an estimated 58.5% renewable energy. The preference for clean energy is due to a combination of environmental conscientiousness, political pressures, and an eye on the bottom line. It’s resulting in a sea change that could have ripple effects that extend well beyond Bitcoin (BTC) mining onto power grid systems around the world. Bitcoin miners in Norway are cleaner than almost anywhere else on the planet thanks to the country’s access to hydropower...
Tezos co-founder Arthur Breitman discusses the untapped potential of DeFi
Arthur Breitman, the co-founder of layer-1 protocol Tezos (XTZ), spoke with Cointelegraph’s Jackson DuMont at the Paris Blockchain Week Summit (PBWS) last week about what it would take to unlock the true potential of decentralized finance, or DeFi. Breitman delivered a keynote speech following this interview about the company’s strategy. Related: Paris Blockchain Week, April 14: Latest updates from the Cointelegraph team on the ground According to Breitman, “people haven’t really tapped into DeFi for real-world assets being tokenized.” When he says real-world assets, he means stocks, real estate, digital art or “anything you can think of.” While calling for a merge of traditional financial securitization and DeFi applications, Breitman also be...
US lawmakers sound alarm to EPA over environment concerns of crypto mining
United States House of Representatives member Jared Huffman and 12 other lawmakers have requested the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, assess crypto mining firms potentially violating environmental statutes. In a letter addressed to EPA administrator Michael Regan on Wednesday, Huffman said he and other Democratic House members had “serious concerns” around crypto firms in the United States reportedly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and not operating in accordance with either the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water Act. The lawmakers identified efforts to “re-open closed gas and coal facilities” as a means to produce energy for crypto mining operations as a particular area of concern, as well as “energy-inefficient” proof-of-work mining for Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Monero ...
Wildlife conservation efforts turn to NFT-funded initiatives
Digital twin nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, aren’t just reserved for consumer products anymore. Netherlands-based decentralized carbon credit exchange Coorest and conservation consulting firm PLCnetwork of the Southern Hemisphere teamed up to tokenize individual real-world endangered animals at game reserves and privately owned conservation areas in Africa. These wildlife NFTs enable holders to sponsor an elephant, lion, cheetah or rhino. Profits from the sales will go toward food, shelter and security for the animals they represent. Cointelegraph spoke to William ten Zijthoff, founder and chief executive officer of Coorest, to learn more about combining blockchain and sustainability with wildlife preservation. Coorest is best known for operating an NFTrees CO2 compensat...
Binance.US leaves Blockchain Association to form own DC government affairs team
Binance.US announced today that it is creating a team in Washington to engage with lawmakers on digital asset policy. Simultaneously, it has withdrawn from the advocacy group Blockchain Association. Both organizations sides have been tight-lipped about the split, commenting publicly only with short statements. A Binance.US spokesperson told Cointelegraph, “We believe it’s time we had a clear voice with meaningful impact in the emerging policy debates around digital assets and cryptocurrencies in Washington. We are excited to establish our own Government Affairs team in D.C. to actively engage in direct and constructive dialogue with U.S. policymakers on smart regulation that increases clarity and trust, while allowing American innovation and leadership to flourish in crypto.” Binance found...
Solid gaming tokens to get on April 21: XED, FLAME, GCOIN and RBLS
Exeedme (XED), FireStarter (FLAME), Galaxy Fight Club (GCOIN) and Rebel Bots (RBLS) are all gaming tokens. Each one has seen a solid level of growth. All of these tokens can further increase in value. Exeedme (XED), FireStarter (FLAME), Galaxy Fight Club (GCOIN) and Rebel Bots (RBLS) are all gaming tokens. The blockchain gaming industry has rocketed 2,000% throughout the span of a single year. In fact, on average, blockchain-powered games have attracted 1.22 million daily unique active wallets (UAWs) this past March, according to data from DappRadar. We will be going over each token individually as a means of seeing how far they can grow. Should you buy Exeedme (XED)? On April 21, 2022, Exeedme (XED) had a value of $0.2814. The all-time high of Exeedme (XED) was on March 17, 202...
