Crypto news
Web3 initiative Reli3f has raised over $1.5M for Ukrainian aid efforts
Reli3f, a humanitarian initiative birthed upon the innate artistic commitment to narrate stories in times of hardship, launched their second nonfungible token (NFT) collection Thursday, raising over $300,000 for recognized Ukrainian charities and taking their total to over $1.5 million. Founded by several esteemed Web3 entrepreneurs — Satvik Sethi, Andrew Wang, Giovanni Gussen, Aleksandra Artamonovskaja, Raskalov, and developer SignorCrypto — in late February this year, Reli3f has unified the talents of 62 artists across the world to showcase the enormous philanthropic potential of NFTs for social good. The team chose to distribute the first collection’s fund across a range of enterprises, including 46.25 ETH each to Razom Ukraine, Serhiy Prytula Foundation, Valery So...
DeSci: Can crypto improve scientific research?
An insider account of the DeSci origins story — a new movement of citizen scientists, open-access scientific research and crowd-sourced peer-review funded by crypto that’s gathering pace in 2022. # At ETHDenver in February, decentralized science became a thing. It was like the good old days of crypto: Like-minded spirits met and then crashed at each other’s rented places. Ideologies and open research were respectfully debated. DeSci panels were well attended with renewed energy for figuring out hard problems. Heated discussions were had. Many committed themselves to decentralized science, whatever that would mean. DeSci is, of course, very new and untested. This could well be the first insider account of the DeSci origin story. Think Peter Parker citizen scientists funded by crypto.&...
While men wanted, women did: Empowering female creators with NFTs and crypto
With the blockchain industry growing at lightspeed, businesses are actively and, even desperately, seeking out talent; and there just doesn’t seem to be enough manpower out there. Enter women — literally around 50% of the global population that has, so far, been heavily underrepresented in crypto. With most developers being men, it’s understandable this still dev-led space noticeably lacks female contributors, but as the industry surges, womanpower is needed. And, so, women have begun slowly and steadily entering the crypto space and the world of nonfungible tokens (NFTs). While only an estimated5% of women own NFTs, and5-15% are creators or founders of collections, the impact of female-led NFT projects is profound. Unlike the mass of solely artistic projects, these female-led NFTs show a ...
Epic Games raises $2B for Metaverse, Mastercard scales NFT plans and Ripple scores big win against SEC: Hodler’s Digest, April 10-16
Coming every Saturday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Mastercard files 15 metaverse and NFT related trademarks Multinational payments giant Mastercard filed 15 applications for NFT and metaverse trademarks, joining the ranks of competitors Visa and American Express who have taken similar action recently as well. Notable applications include those for an online marketplace for digital goods, virtual reality events and communities, and Mastercard payment processing in the Metaverse. Furthermore, the firm is aiming to virtually trademark its “Priceless” slogan...
Crypto is going mainstream: Here’s how the future founders will build on it
Crypto has long been criticized for its lack of inherent value. However, the shift toward contactless transactions amid the pandemic has emphasized the value of digital currencies and blockchain technology in the modern world. For this reason, merchants have been slow to adopt cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. As it gains widespread usage, however, we can expect to see more businesses accepting crypto in the future. The global pandemic has changed the way a lot of us do business. The shift away from cash and face-to-face transactions toward digital cashless ones has introduced many people to the convenience of paying digitally. So, it’s no surprise that crypto is starting to gain traction as a viable payment option — one that will only continue to evolve. While sti...
QSP, XDB and AST post double-digit gains amid sideways moving market
Activity across the cryptocurrency market has been largely subdued on April 15 as traders in the United States have taken an early weekend thanks to the closure of financial markets for the observance of Good Friday. A survey of the top 20 tokens indicates a relatively flat trading day, with Bitcoin (BTC) clinging to support above $40,000. Several lower-ranking altcoins managed to post double-digit gains on the back of recent protocol developments. Top 7 coins with the highest 24-hour price change. Source: Cointelegraph Markets Pro Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were Quantstamp (QSP), DigitalBits (XDB) and AirSwap (AST). Quantstamp launches NFT Combinator Blockchain security and code audit provider Quantstamp l...
Regulations set the table for more talent, capital and building in crypto industry
The feeling in the crypto and decentralized finance space has been shifting and evolving. The industry is also becoming more scrutinized and, inevitably, more organized. Some weeks ago, United States President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order to expedite and focus regulatory oversight of the $3-trillion industry. The order will spur the government to examine the risks and benefits of cryptocurrencies, with a particular focus on consumer protection, financial stability, illicit activity, U.S. competitiveness, financial inclusion and responsible innovation. While the results of this order have yet to unfold, this moment helps to set the table for more clarity, predictability, security and stability for decentralized finance (DeFi). Like with any industry, clarity on how DeFi and cry...
Bitcoin spot vs. futures ETFs: Key differences explained
The Bitcoin spot ETF does not yet exist, with crypto companies proposing various concepts to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the years. However, a few companies have legitimized the Bitcoin futures ETF. Crypto companies have fought to legitimize a Bitcoin spot ETF in the United States for years, but the SEC has yet to give in despite its recent two allegedly “crypto-positive” chairmen. For instance, Jay Clayton, who was head of the SEC from May 4, 2017, to December 23, 2020, is a fan of Bitcoin as a store of value. However, no proposal convinced Clayton that a Bitcoin ETF of any kind was ready. Clayton’s successor, Gary Gensler, approved ProShares’ BITO. Other ETF proposals, including those from Valkyrie and Van ...
Crypto Twitter reacts as Russian gov’t reviews finalized crypto bill
The Ministry of Finance (MinFin) of Russia finalized a draft bill named “On Digital Currency” and has sent it to the Russian government for approval to be passed as law. The draft of the federal law clarifies regulations related to the trading and mining of cryptocurrencies. On Apr. 8, Russia’s finance ministry announced the amendment and finalization of an impending crypto bill, which provides regulatory clarity related to the circulation, issuance, trading, mining and other activities within the crypto market. While unconfirmed reports of Russia legalizing cryptocurrency surfaced early Apr 16, the thriving crypto community on Twitter welcomed the announcement with arms wide open. BREAKING: The Russian government and central bank have just reached an agreement on cryptoc...
Bitcoin clings to $40K support as focus returns to BTC price ‘supercycle’
Bitcoin (BTC) fooled no one with its criss-crossing of $40,000 on April 15 as traders remained firmly risk-off on BTC. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Bitcoin returns to key 2022 Fib level Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD bouncing modestly after returning to the $39,500 zone on April 14. The move erased an impulse move higher from earlier in the week, underscoring the lack of bullish market momentum despite conspicuous demand for Bitcoin among institutional buyers. For popular trader Crypto Ed, there was reason to believe that further downside would soon ensue. Current levels, he warned viewers in his latest YouTube update, did not constitute a suitable ground for a long position. “With the upcoming weekend, I would b...
Tether is gaining momentum against competing stablecoins, says Tether CTO
Paolo Ardoino, the chief technology officer of Tether and Bitfinex, is confident that Tether will preserve its status as the most used stablecoin, despite the rapid growth of competitors such as USD Coin (USDC). “If you see the volumes of Tether compared to the rest of stablecoins, they are insanely higher. They are even 10 times higher on a bad day,” he pointed out. According to a report from Arcane Research, USDC, the second-largest stablecoin, has been growing at an impressive rate over the last year and could soon overtake Tether in terms of market cap. Ardoino is not worried about this possibility and pointed out that USDC’s growth has been slowing down in the last month. “In the last 30 days, Tether regained momentum,” he said. According to Ardoino...
Altcoin Roundup: Analysts give their take on the impact of the Ethereum Merge delay
The rollout of Ethereum 2.0, or Eth2, includes a transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake that will supposedly transform Ether (ETH) into a deflationary asset and revolutionize the entire network. The event has been a trending topic for years and while anticipation for “The Merge” has been building over the past couple of months, this week Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko informed the world that “It won’t be June, but likely in the few months after. No firm date yet.” Delays in Ethereum network upgrades are nothing new and so far, the immediate effect on Ether’s price following the revelation has been minimal. Here’s what several analysts have said about what the merger means for Ethereum and how this most recent delay could affect ETH price moving forward. Staking Rewards ex...
