Tag: Bitcoin News

  • Kraken to Gift $1,000 in BTC to Users Affected by Russia-Ukraine Crisis

    Kraken to Gift $1,000 in BTC to Users Affected by Russia-Ukraine Crisis

    Popular American cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has prepared a $10 million aid package that will be disbursed to its users affected by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The distribution of aid will begin on the 10th of March and run until July 1st, 2022..

    Eligible Customers to Receive $1K Worth of Bitcoin

    Per Wednesday’s announcement from the exchange, users who created an account with the exchange from Ukraine prior to March 9, 2022 will be qualified to receive $1,000 in bitcoin. The beneficiaries can choose to immediately withdraw it in fiat from the exchange upon receival.

    Kraken also noted that it will not charge its clients the usual fees for converting BTC to dollars. Conversion of $1,000 and less will be free for the time being.  The exchange further noted that it would donate an amount equivalent to the total trading fees paid by Russia-based clients in the first half of 2022 to the aid package.

    Commenting on the development, Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, said:

    “We hope to continue being able to provide critical financial services in a time of need to both our clients in Ukraine and in Russia,”  adding that “cryptocurrency remains an important humanitarian tool, especially at a time when many around the world can no longer rely on traditional banks and custodians.”

    The move by Kraken is said to be the first-ever international aid distribution by the exchange. 

    Binance Donates Crypto to Ukraine

    Meanwhile, other crypto exchanges have also been taking similar relief action amidst the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia. 

    Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of leading cryptocurrency exchange, Binance has also donated $2.5 million in crypto to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to support the organization’s efforts in helping affected Ukrainian children and families survive the ongoing crisis in their country.

    Coinbase Will Not Block All Russians

    As more crypto exchanges continue to block Russian users from accessing crypto services, leading US crypto exchange Coinbase has said it will not block the accounts of all Russian users on its platform. 

    The company’s CEO noted that the reason for not restricting all Russians is due to the fact that many of them are against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that crypto serves as a life saver for these citizens in the country at the moment. 

  • U.S. President Biden to Sign Executive Order on Cryptocurrencies

    U.S. President Biden to Sign Executive Order on Cryptocurrencies

    President of the United States of America, Joe Biden has finally signed an executive order to address the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies in the country. The first-of-its-kind executive order, released on Wednesday, outlined six measures that the U.S. government would take to ensure “responsible innovation in digital assets.”

    The executive order requires that government agencies such as the U.S. Treasury Department develop policy recommendations focused on protecting U.S. investors and businesses engaging in the cryptocurrency industry. Such recommendations would also focus on giving regulators sufficient oversight and safeguarding against systemic financial risks associated with crypto assets.

    Today’s executive order also encourages relevant regulatory agencies to combat the use of cryptocurrencies for illicit finance and other activities that pose a threat to national security. There are also calls for U.S. agencies to collaborate with international bodies to ensure a highly coordinated approach to mitigate the risks of illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

    Another key priority identified in the presidential order on cryptocurrencies is the need for regulators to foster responsible innovation, while ensuring that the U.S. maintains its leadership position in the global financial system. The order advised that the U.S. Department of Commerce establishes a framework to “drive U.S. competitiveness and leadership in leveraging digital asset technologies.”

    Lastly, the executive order recommended that the U.S. explore the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). It encouraged the U.S. Federal Reserve to continue researching the potential for a CBDC and eventually issue one if it is “deemed in the national interest.”

    Crypto Market Leaps in Reception of Executive Order

    The long-awaited executive order has weighed on the crypto market in recent weeks, with short traders betting on unfavorable policies that could harm the emerging industry. Hence, it was not entirely surprising to see the crypto markets recover rapidly in the hours after the executive order on cryptocurrencies was made public. 

    Total Crypto Market Cap

    (Source: CoinMarketCap)

    The crypto market gained over $100 billion, pushing the price of Bitcoin back above the $40,000 mark for the first time since last weekend. The leading cryptocurrency is trading just below $42,000 at the time of writing, with many altcoins also in the green.

  • Top Five Cryptocurrencies to Watch This Week (Feb 28)

    Top Five Cryptocurrencies to Watch This Week (Feb 28)

    The past week could be called a repeat of market actions two weeks ago. The same trend of a slow start to the intraweek session and little price increase in midweek was seen as well. The global cryptocurrency market cap was valued at $1.78 trillion.

    The  market peaked at $1.8 trillion as it picked up momentum. Unfortunately,  it failed to remain above the mark as most cryptocurrencies were hit by correctionsThe industry was estimated at $1.71 trillion at the end of the period under consideration. We may conclude that the sector failed to record any significant gains as it closed with a 4% deficit.

    The previous seven-day period closed with most coins losing a few percent. However, we observed that current market sentiment has improved compared to the that time. The image below further shows the most recent state of the market. We observed the gradual increase in Bitcoin dominance as it surges back above 42%.

     

    (Source: Coin360)

    The industry ended up with barely any strong market fundamentals. However, news reports of the apex coin being used as a donation to the Ukraine military amidst the ongoing crisis made rounds. Additionally, we may see more European countries adopt crypto.

    We came to this conclusion as we note that European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has now called on the European Union to hasten MiCA regulations in  a bid to prevent Russia from evading new sanctions.

    While most coins were retraced by a few percent, other projects enjoyed massive rallies. The market seems to be off to a great start for bullish traders this Monday and may continue to do so going into the new week and month!

    Top Five Cryptocurrencies to Watch this Week (February 28)

    1. Bitcoin (BTC)

    We observed that BTC has been unable to gain stability above $40k due to a decrease in demand concentration during the previous seven-day period. The bulls were thrilled as it peaked at $40,330 and were expecting more price but failed to sustain the upward trajectory and the apex coin was hit by correction soon after.

    BTC opened the past week exchanging at $38,384 but lost almost 4% on the first intraday session. The previous trend of small hikes midweek took over as the BTC enjoyed a 3.22% increase on Tuesday. Wednesday saw more retracements as the largest digital asset by market cap lost a few of the accumulated gains.

    However, the next two days saw bitcoin gain more than 5%. With the weekend trend in play, the past 24 hours have been represented by a doji. Sunday was also represented by a similar candle as it saw minute trading volume.

    The apex coin closed with the Relative Strength Index experiencing a downtrend and dipping as low as 44. However, the largest cryptocurrency is traded above its Displaced Moving Average, which may result in it enjoying more uptrends.

    Additionally, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), although still bearish, is printing an impending bullish convergence. Such an interception may send BTC as high as $42k. We may see the cryptocurrency gain more stability above the mark provided the bulls maintain the same momentum that saw it flip the $40,ooo resistance.

    2. Terra (LUNA) 

    Terra opened the past week trading at $49 and closed at $73 per unit. The distance between the opening price and the closing value suggests that the token closed the previous intraweek session gaining more than 50%. It saw its biggest hike on Friday, as it surged by 12%.

     

    We observed that the asset under consideration is exchanging above its pivot point. The coin was on its way to testing its first pivot resistance at $83 but was met by selling pressure that has resulted in an almost 7% lost over the past 24 hours.

    Following the short break, the cryptocurrency seems to be back on its bullish path as it is up by a few percent. Why is LUNA one of the few coins to watch this week? We observed that in the first intraday session of the past seven-day period, we started with the asset under consideration gaining a few percent. The same can be said now.

    Additionally, RSI is on the rise – indicating an increase in buying pressure. If the bulls sustain the current market trend, terra may end the week above $90. However, having experienced a bullish divergence last week, the coin is at risk of being reversed.

    3. Cosmos (ATOM) 

    Cosmos is known to be one of the many high volatility coins. Living up to expectations, the asset saw a low of $21 and high of $30. Unfortunately, ATOM closed the past seven-day period failing to record significant gains or losses as that trading activity was represented by a doji.

    The coin is showing a lot of volatility as of the time of writing as it already hit a high of $28 and a low of $26. Having experienced a bearish divergence a few days ago, the digital asset could be on its way to seeing a bullish convergence that may trigger further price increases.

    Throughout the past week, we observed that the bulls defended prices at $21, preventing any attempt at the $20 support. The same cannot be promised this week as the highlighted support may be tested. Why is ATOM one of the many cryptocurrencies to watch?

    Although filled with a lot of  uncertainty, the asset is trading above its Displaced Moving Average (DMA). Additionally, we noticed a gradual build up in buying pressure as printed by RSI. This may send cosmos as high as $25.

    4. Uniswap (UNI)

    Uniswap opened the past week trading at $9.3 and closed at $9.77 per unit. The distance between the opening price and the closing value suggests that the token closed in that period,  gaining more than 4%. It saw its biggest percentage growth on Sunday, as it surged by 7.88%.

    We observed that the asset under consideration is exchanging below its pivot point. The coin edge closer to its pivot point failed to test it as it was met by selling pressure that has resulted in an almost 7% lost over the past 24 hours.

    Why is Uniswap one of the few coins to watch this week? Following the price rally yesterday, UNI is looking to continue the uptrend. We observed that the digital asset also experienced a bullish divergence in MACD. The most recent price movement suggests that the token may continue to enjoy small hikes.

    Additionally, RSI is on the rise – indicating an increase in buying pressure. If the bulls sustain the current market trend, UNI may end the week above $12. However, having experienced a bullish divergence last week, the coin is at risk of being reversed.

    5. Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

    Bitcoin cash opened the past week trading at $302 and closed at $304 per unit. The distance between the opening price and the closing value suggests that the token closed recording no significant gains or losses. It saw its biggest increase on Thursday, as it surged by almost 5%.

    We observed that the asset under consideration is exchanging below its pivot point. The coin was on its way to testing its the highlighted mark at $331 but was met by selling pressure that has resulted in an almost 4% lost over the past 24 hours.

    Why is BCH one of the few coins to watch this week? Following the price rally yesterday, bitcoin cash is looking to restart its uptrend. We observed that the digital asset also experienced a bullish divergence in MACD. The most recent price movement suggests that the token may continue to enjoy small hikes.

    Additionally, RSI is on the rise – indicating an increase in buying pressure. If the bulls sustain the current market trend, the token may end the week above $350. However, having experienced a bullish divergence last week, the coin is at risk of being reversed.

    Conclusion

    This article highlighted five cryptocurrencies to watch this week. The above predictions coming true largely depend on market conditions remaining relatively stable for most parts of the next seven days, which of course is not guaranteed.  The volatile nature of the crypto space means investors and traders must do their own research and always keep an eye on the charts

  • Tonga Relief Fund Receives Thousands of Dollars in Bitcoin Donations

    Tonga Relief Fund Receives Thousands of Dollars in Bitcoin Donations

    The Tonga relief fund, which was set up due to the devastating volcanic eruption that affected the country, has received hundreds of bitcoin donations. The bitcoin wallet with an accompanying link where people can donate fiat to help with relief operations was created by the bitcoin supporter and former Tongan lawmaker Lord Fusitu’a. 

    Currently, at the time of writing, the wallet has about 0.35711495 BTC units after 259 transactions with the current price of bitcoin at $41,713. In the first three days, the wallet was opened, more than $40,000 worth of bitcoins were donated through 250 separate donations.

    Tonga, a Polynesian country with more than 170 South Pacific islands and home to about 100,000 people, experienced a tragedy when the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, which is located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Tonga’s Fonuafo’ou island, erupted on Saturday.

    Although the overall damage that the volcanic eruption caused is not yet known, the government of Tonga recorded about three casualties. The casualties included 50-year-old British national Angela Glover, a 49-year-old man from Nomuka Island, and 65-year-old women from Mango island. The first individual, Glover, died after a tsunami caused by the eruption hit their coastal home in the low-lying Veitongo area of the country. 

    Apart from the casualties, the ash cloud that covered the country prevented incoming flights to the country. Tall waves covering up the roads and properties caused the citizens to flee to higher ground to escape. The people of Tonga were also separated from the rest of the world due to the eruption cutting off an undersea cable that provided communication with the outside world. 

    Due to contamination of the air and water, help was needed from aid organizations. Currently, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is currently working with other UN agencies and partners to support Tonga with their immediate focus on communications, logistics, water, and sanitation. 

    Tonga, led by Lord Fusitu’a, is taking steps into the crypto space. Like El Salvador, the country plans to make cryptocurrency an official form of currency in Tonga and adopt bitcoin as legal tender.

  • Intel Corporation to Launch First Bitcoin-Mining Chip

    Intel Corporation to Launch First Bitcoin-Mining Chip

    Intel Corporation, a chip-producing company, has decided to hop into the crypto wagon by producing Bitcoin mining chips. Worth about  $220 billion, the company is one of the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturers by revenue.

    The unveiling of the company’s new Bitcoin mining chip will reportedly occur at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), a yearly gathering sponsored by the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society where inventive and intelligent individuals in the chip industry converge to present advances in solid-state circuits and systems-on-a-chip.

    In this year’s turn of the conference, Intel has prepared a presentation under the ‘Highlighted Chip Releases’ category to discuss its new “Bonanza Mine” processor. The Bitcoin mining chip, according to Intel, is described as an “ultra-low-voltage energy-efficient Bitcoin mining ASIC.” 

    Intel initially started showing interest in mining hardware in 2018 when it obtained a patent for a specialized processing system that uses an optimized SHA-256 datapath (a cryptographic algorithm) for high-performance Bitcoin mining. 

    Although the company started showing interest way back in 2018, Intel revealed its preparation for the creation of the new Bitcoin mining chip only last year. After the company’s Systems and Graphics Architect, Senior Vice President, and GM Raja Koduri appeared on a popular live stream hosted by Dr. Lupo, information that the company was working on specialized hardware for crypto mining was revealed.

    With speculation going around on whether Intel will release the Bonanza Mine chip as a product for the public or confine it to a research project, it is certain that further information will be provided by the company during the upcoming ISSCC conference to be held on Wednesday, February 23.

    The conviction is based on the fact that Intel has already scheduled to talk about the new chip under the “Highlighted Chip Releases” category during the conference, further proof that Bonanza Mine chips will most likely be released to customers in the near future.

    When that happens, Intel could start competing with other companies like Bitmain, that are focused on producing specialized ASICs for Bitcoin mining.

    With the increase in companies producing Bitcoin mining chips to accelerate the mining of Bitcoin, the number of bitcoin transactions will also increase. In a recent development, the number of transactions conducted on the Bitcoin network surpassed that of popular payment company, PayPal.

  • No Holiday for MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Purchases; Adds $94.2M Worth of BTC

    No Holiday for MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Purchases; Adds $94.2M Worth of BTC

    While several companies have gone on holidays, MicroStrategy has not relented on its Bitcoin buying spree, as the company revealed today that it added over 1,900 bitcoins to its large bitcoin stash.

    Announcing the purchase today, MicroStrategy’s CEO, Michael Saylor noted that the company bought a total of 1,914 bitcoins between Dec. 9 and Dec. 29 for $94.2 million at an average price of $49,229 per coin, which was paid in cash.

    In a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the business intelligence and software company revealed that it raised the funds used in its latest bitcoin purchase by selling over 167,000 shares.

    Currently, MicroStrategy HODLs a total of 124,391 bitcoins worth a whopping $3.75 billion, purchased at an average price of $30,159 per bitcoin, including fees and other expenses.

    Considering that bitcoin’s price is sitting at $47,701 at the time of writing, according to live data from CryptocurrenciesToWatch, MicroStrategy’s extensive bitcoin portfolio is currently valued at over $5.9 billion.

    MicroStrategy is the largest corporate holder of bitcoin in the world. The company’s strong conviction in the potential of bitcoin had helped to lure several other multinational companies to join the crypto investing bandwagon, including Tesla and many others.

    The company has shown no signs of ever stopping on its bitcoin acquisition spree ever since it announced its first bitcoin purchase earlier in August 2020.

    It believes that bitcoin will help its shareholders to effectively maximize their investment, while hedging against inflation as the value of the US dollar continues to rapidly decline.

    In Q3 2021 alone, MicroStrategy added almost 9,000 BTC to its trove, despite the volatilities in the market. 

  • Bitcoin Surpasses PayPal in Quarterly Transfer Volume

    Bitcoin Surpasses PayPal in Quarterly Transfer Volume

    In the twelve years since Bitcoin’s creation by an anonymous entity, the underlying network has become a global payment settlement layer, putting it in the same bracket as older financial services companies such as PayPal, Mastercard and Visa. 

    Impressively, recent data comparisons shared by Block Data revealed that Bitcoin has handled more than 50% of PayPal’s average in 2021, although it still trails Visa and Mastercard by some mile. This year, PayPal processed an average of $310 billion worth of transactions each quarter.

    Meanwhile, the bitcoin network recorded an average of $489 billion in every quarter of 2021 so far.

    Worth noting is that Bitcoin’s stellar price increase since the turn of the year has contributed immensely to the latest feat. At the same time, it would take significant growth for Bitcoin to reach the same volume as Visa and Mastercard. BlockData estimates that by taking “the average yearly bitcoin price as a growth metric, it could take as long as 2060 for this to happen.”

    Payment Giants Tapping Into Bitcoin and Crypto Growth

    It is worth noting though that PayPal recorded a stellar financial report in the last quarter of 2020 only after the firm decided to venture into cryptocurrency. The payments giant now offers crypto buy and sell services to clients in the U.S. and the UK.

    Visa and Mastercard have also not been left behind, with both companies launching crypto-related efforts in recent times. It is apparent that their involvement would be critical to pushing cryptocurrencies further towards mainstream adoption.

    Another category of payment institutions tapping into bitcoin’s growth are banks. In a recent development, it was revealed that Five Star Bank and UNIFY Credit Union had entered into a partnership to offer bitcoin to customers.

  • Russian Minister Says Nation Could Adopt “Digital Assets” For Foreign Reserves

    Russian Minister Says Nation Could Adopt “Digital Assets” For Foreign Reserves

    With the industry around digital assets like Bitcoin continuing to grow in size, the odds of sovereign countries adopting it for their foreign reserves continue to rise.

    In a recent interview with local news agency Interfax, Alexander Pankin, the Deputy Minister for the Russian Federation, revealed that the country is looking at the possibility of adopting digital assets as a replacement for the U.S. dollar in its foreign reserves.

    According to Pankin, adopting a digital currency as a foreign exchange reserve will serve as a  preventive step towards providing a stable ecosystem for the country’s  development, he stated; “it is possible to replace the American dollar with other currencies, both national and regional, and in the future, probably, with some kind of digital assets.”

    Russia Asserts Supremacy of Digital Assets

    While the Deputy Minister did not specify which digital currency the country would adopt, he emphasized that removing the dollar for a digital currency would be a way of preserving Russia’s financial sovereignty.

    Unlike the US dollar, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are decentralized and not censored by a single country, a feature that makes it appealing to sovereign states. Bitcoin currently has a market capitalization above $1 trillion and will probably be a top contender if Russia decides to go down that path.

    Notably, Pankin pointed out a key advantage of decentralized currencies in protecting transaction settlements with foreign business partners when he said; 

    “payments in US dollars, in fact, go through American banks and the clearing system, which allows Washington to block any, in their opinion, suspicious transactions.”

    If and when Russia does adopt cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin for its reserves, the European nation would be taking the same footsteps as El Salvador. The country of six million people became famous for being the first to adopt Bitcoin for its reserves and as a legal tender.

    Meanwhile, the Bank of Russia is reportedly considering the issuance of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) called the digital ruble.

  • Bitcoin History: The BearWhale Who Sold 30,000 BTC at $300 Per Coin Because of FUD

    Bitcoin History: The BearWhale Who Sold 30,000 BTC at $300 Per Coin Because of FUD

    In a recent Twitter post made by a Bitcoin OG, Peter Rizzo, he recalls an early effort by bitcoin investors on this day seven years ago. The small but mighty army of bitcoin enthusiasts put in a lot of buy orders to steady the price of bitcoin at $300 after a notorious BearWhale tried to sell 30,000 BTC worth around $9 million at the time.

    The Infamous Bitcoin Bearwhale Story

    In 2014, very few people owned bitcoin. In that year in contrast to the present, there were still a lot of doubts and speculations on whether the currency was even worth buying despite how cheap it was.

    A few people, though, had faith in bitcoin and bought some for themselves. When the price spiked to $1000+,  the holders were happy and refused to sell, hoping that the price would keep increasing.

    But then the price started sinking suddenly and some holders started panicking, one of which was a man who owned 30,00 bitcoins which he had formerly bought for $8 per coin. Given that he had a large amount and was bearish on price, he earned the nickname, BearWhale.

    When the price finally dropped as low as $300 per coin, BearWhale could not take it anymore. As a result, he decided to sell all the 30,000 bitcoins he had, basing his reason on some lies that were spread about Bitcoin then.

    Some of these lies were that bitcoin’s limited block size was a threat to its future, Gavin Andersen (one of the software developers for Bitcoin) was expelled by bitcoin company Blockstream, and that Blockstream was controlling bitcoin’s source code.

    The Joint Effort of the Bitcoin Community

    After the BearWhale placed a huge order at Bitstamp exchange to sell all his bitcoins at the current $300 price, the few bitcoin holders then were overwhelmed with a huge burden, as they had no choice but to buy it up so as to avoid a further decrease in price.

    Contrary to the present, when there is much more liquidity for Bitcoin, selling $9 million worth of the cryptocurrency then was enough to drive down price.

    They, however, displayed a commendable unity by successfully purchasing all of the Bearwhale’s coins. As a result, they were able to steady the bitcoin price which in turn increased the confidence of other investors.

    What Happened to the BearWhale?

    The BearWhale later realized that there was no need for the FUD that made him sell and came to a better conclusion. In a Reddit post that he published a few years later, Bearwhale signed a transaction to prove that he owned the Bitcoin address which dumped a large number of bitcoins. He noted: 

    “None of the supposed facts which motivated my decision to sell were correct. It was all a carefully crafted and funded disinformation campaign… to discourage improvements to the bitcoin protocol to achieve financial gain at the expense of the community…Once I recognized the moves to discredit the core developers for what it was…I looked at bitcoin and the greater community again with a more critical eye and I came to…” better conclusions.

    According to his Reddit post, the BearWhale bought back into Bitcoin in mid-2017, profiting from a later rally that year and probably still holding.

    At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $55k a tremendous increase in price compared to its stance seven years ago. This meteoric price increase proves many bitcoin doubters wrong, and highlights just how those who believed in Bitcoin’s early promise were rewarded handsomely.