Ukraine
Crypto could bypass President Biden’s ‘devastating’ sanctions on Russian banks and elites: Report
The sanctions announced by United States President Joe Biden in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine did not include cutting the country off from payments on the SWIFT system or cryptocurrency transfers. In a Thursday announcement from the White House, Biden said the U.S. and its allies and partners would be enforcing sanctions aimed at imposing “devastating costs” on Russia due to “Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine.” The U.S. president announced that the country would sever its financial system from Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, as well as impose “full blocking sanctions” on VTB Bank, Bank Otkritie, Sovcombank OJSC, Novikombank, and their subsidiaries. Biden also named several elite nationals who have “enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian state” as part of the ...
Sean Penn Is in Ukraine Filming a Documentary on the Russian Invasion
Sean Penn is in Ukraine filming a documentary about the Russian invasion, according to a press release from the Office of the President of Ukraine (via Newsweek). The American filmmaker first landed in Ukraine in November 2021 to make a movie about Russian aggression. After briefly retuning to the US, he was back in Ukraine’s capitol city of Kyviv on Thursday to attend a press conference. For the project, he has reportedly interviewed local journalists, military leaders, and Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. According to a statement from the Office of the President, “The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country. Sean Penn is among those who support ...
FTX CEO speaks on market crisis amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Sam Bankman-Fried said Eastern European countries could consider Bitcoin an alternative to their destabilised currencies He also explored the contrasting positions between fundamental and algorithmic investors Early Thursday, reports of invasion into Ukraine by Russia’s military led Bitcoin and other crypto markets tumbling. Stock markets also fell along with cryptocurrencies as Russia started what President Putin called a demilitarisation operation in Ukraine. In a recent Twitter thread, FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has shared his view on the massive correction that crypto markets saw. According to data provided by CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin fell as low as $34,459. Markets have recovered to some extent and the ticker is currently trading at $35,482. Conflicting sentiments on Bitcoin&#...
Putin Orders Russian Forces To Invade Ukraine
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Universal History Archive / Getty The worst fears of impending war have been confirmed, as Russian military forces have invaded the country of Ukraine under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, incurring condemnation from the United States and other nations around the world. In an address to Russians on Wednesday (February 23rd) before 6 A.M., Putin announced a large-scale military operation would be carried out in the Donbas region in the eastern part of Ukraine. Shortly afterward, explosions could be heard in and around the capital of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and Zaporizhia. Rockets were spotted being fired from Russia across the border, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky moved to enact martial law. “Putin began war against Ukraine, against ...
War in Ukraine: 3 Knock-On Effects Felt in the Tech Sector
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Bitcoin slumps following Putin’s announcement of a military operation in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced military action in Ukraine Bitcoin, alongside the majority of the crypto assets, have plunged as the market reacts to the news Tensions have been high across the month, with reports warning that Russia has been consolidating troops in areas bordering Ukraine. Russia has insistently maintained that it had no plans to invade Ukraine. However, the situation has changed dramatically in recent hours. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced early Thursday that the country’s military is advancing into Ukraine for what he referred to as a “special military operation” to conclude the “demilitarisation” of Ukraine. With reports of explosions in Ukraine’s Kyiv capital, worry is growing that this could turn in...
FTX CEO weighs in on Bitcoin market outlook amid Ukraine crisis
The world woke up to a “sea of red” that was not necessarily limited to the financial markets, as Russia declared war on Ukraine early Thursday. The traditional financial markets along with the crypto markets have been sliding bearishly for the past week and saw a rapid decline early on Thursday. Apart from crude oil prices, which jumped to an eight-year high above $100, the majority of stocks has lost over 5%. The Russian invasion on Thursday triggered the bears leading to a $500-billion crypto market sell-off, where the majority of the cryptocurrencies lost critical support to trade at a three-month low. The crypto market capitalization saw a 10% decline during early morning Asian trading hours, falling below the $1.5-trillion mark. Bitcoin (BTC) is considered an inflation hedge, and man...
Last Bitcoin support levels above $20K come into play as BTC price faces ‘time of uncertainty’
Bitcoin (BTC) may yet reenter the $20,000 zone, but the coming weeks could provide a solid buying opportunity, a new report forecasts. In its latest market update on Feb. 24, trading platform Decentrader laid out the final areas of support between the current Bitcoin spot price and $20,000. Analyst eyes BTC’s 20-week and 200-week MA for cues Military action by Russia in Ukraine has markets in a spin Thursday, with stocks and crypto following a firm downtrend as uncertainty grips Asia, Europe and the United States alike. Bitcoin has already lost 12% in under 24 hours, and expectations are that the worst is not yet over —reactions to the Russian offensive continue to flow in, along with potential financial sanctions. As such, Decentrader, like many other analysts, is notably cautious o...
Weekly Report: Regulators and authorities around the world hone in on the crypto sector
The US is strengthening its regulatory efforts against crime involving crypto and related assets Warren Buffet’s right-hand man Charlie Munger compares Bitcoin to a venereal disease Ukraine’s parliament, this week, passed a bill to legalise digital assets legal in the country, with the vote receiving the majority of votes Here are the major headlines from the cryptocurrency sector that you might have missed this week: US authorities crack the whip on crypto crime even harder Deputy Attorney General of the US Lisa Monaco told the virtual Munich Cyber Security Conference on Thursday that the FBI is forming a new team, the Virtual Asset Exploitation Unit. The division would include investigators and experts in cryptocurrencies, blockchain analytics, and digital asset confiscation....
Binance taps former central bank exec to push compliance in CIS and Russia
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is putting more effort into increasing compliance in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russia and Ukraine. Binance is planning to extend its operations in the region and boost local cryptocurrency compliance and education, Gleb Kostarev, head of operations for Russia and the CIS at Binance, told Cointelegraph on Tuesday. The company additionally expects to focus on the local Binance Smart Chain development and community, he noted. As part of the effort, Binance announced several local hires, including Olga Goncharova, Binance’s new director of government relations in Russia and the CIS. Goncharova previously served at the Bank of Russia as director of the bank’s report processing department from 2014. She was responsible for...
From eNaira to eHryvnia, a Caribbean fintech develops CBDCs around the world
Barbados, a paradise island in the West Indies, is known for its azure beaches, tidal waves, shipwrecks, homegrown grown Barbadian hospitality and, more recently, an influx of remote workers. Now, one can add cryptocurrency innovations to that list as well. Bitt, a Barbadian fintech firm developing blockchain technology, has successfully created the eNaira central bank digital currency (CBDC) for Nigeria and is on the path to creating an electronic hryvnia for Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Brian Popelka, CEO of Bitt, discussed the technology behind the eNaira and the roadmap for the firm going forward. Cointelegraph: Would you please describe the technology behind the eNaira digital currency that you created? Brian Popelka: It’s really a stablecoin...
Ukrainian bank uses Stellar to launch electronic hryvnia pilot
Tascombank, one of the oldest commercial banks in Ukraine, is launching a Stellar-based pilot for Ukraine’s national fiat currency, the hryvnia. The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) announced on Dec. 14 a private electronic hryvnia pilot launched by Tascombank and fintech company Bitt. The electronic hryvnia pilot is being implemented under the supervision of the National Bank of Ukraine and is supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT). Oleksandr Bornyakov, deputy minister of the MDT, said that the pilot project will provide a “technological basis for the issuance of electronic money” and is the “next key step to advance innovation of payment and financial infrastructure in Ukraine.” SDF CEO Denelle Dixon told Cointelegraph that the pilot work has already kicked off, wi...
