BTCNews

Metaverse NYE Parties: Decentraland New Year’s Eve Bash to Recreate One Times Square, Paris Hilton to DJ in Roblox There’s a New Year’s Eve fiesta in the metaverse called the Metafest 2022 Global Party hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and the crypto investment firm Digital Currency Group (DCG) in Decentraland. According to the announcement, the owner of One Times Square, Jamestown will recreate the iconic site in Decentraland for the 2022 ball drop. NYE Meets the Metaverse There’s New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration taking place in the Decentraland metaverse and it’s hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and Digital Currency Group (DCG). According to the announcement, DCG is one of the largest land owner in Decentraland, while Jamestown owns the well known One Times Square. DCG’s head of real estate, Simon Koster, explains how the digital world can meld with the real one. “The metaverse is quickly evolving to bring together the most interesting and alluring parts of ou...

SEC Chairman Gary Gensler Adds Crypto Adviser to Executive Staff The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has added a number of advisers to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. Among them is Corey Frayer, who advises Gensler on “SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets.” SEC Has New Adviser for the Oversight of Crypto Assets The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Thursday the appointments of Corey Frayer, Phil Havenstein, Jennifer Songer, and Jorge Tenreiro to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. The announcement details: Corey Frayer advises Chair Gensler on SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets. Before joining the SEC, Frayer served as senior professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for Chairman Sherrod Brown. He also spent a decade as a senior adviser for Rep. Maxine Waters on the House Financial Services Commit...

$2.2M Worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs Stolen — Victim Says Incident Was ‘Arguably the Worst Night’ of His Life According to reports, roughly $2.2 million worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were stolen from a collector. The owner of the NFTs Todd Kramer said the incident was “arguably the worst night” of his life. Furthermore, there’s claims that the NFT marketplace Opensea froze the collectibles, and crypto advocates are complaining about the lack of decentralization. 15 BAYC and MAYC NFTs Stolen — Victim Begs Opensea for Help, Reports Claim NFTs Were ‘Frozen’ On December 30, 2021, a BAYC collector told the public that 15 Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFTs were stolen. “NFTX these apes and mutants have been stolen and flagged on Opensea . Please remove from your liquidity pool,” he added. Todd Kramer also listed all the apes that were stolen. Kramer also stressed in another tweet that it was “arguably...

100 NFT Collections Surpass $20 Billion in Volume — Cryptopunks, Bored Apes Capture Top Volumes Non-fungible token (NFT) assets were extremely popular this year and to date, there’s been more than $20 billion in volume recorded in terms of NFT sales among 100 collections. While many single NFTs sold for millions of dollars a number of NFT projects and collections saw hundreds of millions and even billions in all-time volume. According to defillama.com metrics, the popular NFT collection Cryptopunks captured $2.98 billion in all-time volume. 100 NFT Collections, 6 Chains, $20 Billion in Volume Numerous NFT collections have been very prominent in 2021 and have been the topic of various discussions. While Bitcoin.com News published the top ten most expensive non-fungible token sales this year, a large quantity of NFT collections saw significant trade volume and demand. Data from defillama.com tracks 100 NFT collections and so far there’s been $20.13 billion in all-time sales from these...

Donated or Inherited Virtual Assets to Be Taxed by South Korea’s NTS Starting in the year 2022, donated or inherited virtual assets will be assessed and taxed accordingly, South Korea’s National Tax Service has said. Dunamu, Bithumb Korea, Korbit, and Coinone are the new virtual asset service providers (VASPs) tasked with evaluating digital assets for such tax purposes. Virtual Asset Service Providers Tasked With Evaluating Crypto Gifts South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) recently announced that starting in 2022, digital assets that are inherited or donated will be taxed, a report has said. It added that such digital assets will be taxed at the average amount for each month before and after the date of commencement of inheritance or the date of donation. In a KBS report explaining the upcoming changes, the tax body also revealed the virtual asset service providers (VASPs) that are tasked with evaluating the property that is being inherited or donated. According to the report,...

Kazakhstan Mulls Nuclear Power to Deal With Electricity Shortages Blamed on Crypto Miners The government in Kazakhstan is considering building a nuclear power plant to overcome an electricity deficit allegedly caused by the booming crypto mining industry. Problems with power supply are driving away miners that saw the Central Asian country as a new home when China recently cracked down on the industry. NPP Project Revived Amid Short Supply of Energy for Crypto Mining Sector in Kazakhstan Authorities in Kazakhstan are now thinking of implementing a decade-old plan to construct a nuclear power plant ( NPP ) in order to solve the country’s pressing issues with a growing electricity deficit. With capped tariffs and a crypto-friendly attitude, the former Soviet republic attracted a throng of Chinese miners chased away by Beijing’s offensive against the crypto industry launched in May of this year. However, some of them are now leaving the country as their hardware is idling. Two loca...

Iran Allows Renewable Power Plants to Supply Crypto Miners With Electricity Authorities in Iran have decided to permit power generation plants using renewable sources to sell electricity to licensed cryptocurrency miners. The move comes after the government asked mining companies to suspend activities in order to avoid winter blackouts. Crypto Miners in Iran to Mint Digital Coins Using Renewable Energy Regulated companies mining cryptocurrency in Iran will gain access to green energy, local media reported. The Ministry of Energy in Tehran has adopted new rules allowing plants generating electricity from renewable sources to supply coin minting enterprises that operate within the law. “Legal miners can enter into agreements with renewable power plants at negotiable terms and rates,” Mohammad Khodadadi, who heads the Tavanir department responsible for the mining industry, told the ISNA news agency. He also emphasized that the energy ministry will play a role in establishing the exac...

Over 20,000 Bitcoin ATMs Installed in a Year The number of cryptocurrency ATMs around the world has grown exponentially in 2021, with over 20,000 new installations made since last December. That’s more than the total of all crypto teller machines put into operation in the previous seven years. Close to 34,000 Crypto ATMs Available Globally ATM locations offering users options to buy and exchange cryptocurrencies with fiat money are increasing at an unprecedented pace. Data compiled by Coin ATM Radar shows that their number towards the end of 2021 is nearing 34,000. In a year that saw crypto market all-time highs , over 20,000 new devices have popped up globally. According to the installations growth chart updated by the tracking website, bitcoin ATMs were fewer than 13,000 in December 2020 — that’s all ATM locations registered since October 2013 — while 12 months later they exceed 33,900. Crypto teller machines can be found in almost any corner of the planet but their spread is s...

Hong Kong Authorities Arrest Two Siblings Accused of Laundering $384 Million via Banks, Crypto Platform Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested two individuals accused of laundering about $384 million using various avenues including a cryptocurrency exchange trading platform. If convicted, the two face a maximum jail sentence of 14 years plus a fine of $5 million. An Indictable Offense Two people accused of laundering about $384 million using a cryptocurrency exchange platform have been arrested, the Hong Kong regional government has said. The arrest of the two, a 28-year-old woman and her 21-year-old brother, followed a raid on their residential premises conducted by the Hong Kong Customs on December 28. In a statement explaining the charges, the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said action had been taken because the siblings had dealt “with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” under the region’s Organized and Se...

Video Game Retail Giant Gamestop Reveals More Clues About Upcoming NFT Marketplace At the end of May, crypto advocates discovered a website created by the video game retailer Gamestop. The web portal disclosed that Gamestop was entering the world of blockchain tech and non-fungible token (NFT) assets. Gamestop’s NFT web portal has recently been updated and is requesting creators to sign up for the platform. Gamestop NFT Website Hints at Upcoming Marketplace Launch Gamestop (Nasdaq: GME ) has had an interesting year, to say the least. It all started at the start of the year in January, when the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets sparked a Gamestop shares trading war with Wall Street hedge funds. At the time, Goldman Sachs executive David Kostin said “if the short squeeze continues, the entire market could crash.” After the Wallstreetbets fiasco fizzled out of the limelight, Gamestop has managed to remain relevant after facing bankruptcy, and shares traded for $19.26 per unit on December ...

As Bitcoin and Ethereum See Sharp Drops, 18 Crypto Assets Captured Double-Digit Gains Last Week While the crypto economy shed billions in value this week, 18 different digital assets have accrued double-digit gains during the last week. At the same time, the top two leading crypto assets by market capitalization, bitcoin and ethereum, have lost between 2.8% to 6.2% in value in seven days. 18 Crypto Assets See Values Increase by Double-Digits Bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) have lost a bit of value according to weekly statistics, and a number of alternative digital assets have done a whole lot better. Today, the crypto economy is worth $2.36 trillion and it is down 2.9% during the last day. BTC has shed 2.8% in value during the last seven days, and ETH has lost 6.2% since last week. However, 18 crypto tokens have accrued double-digit gains against the U.S. dollar this past week. For instance, Sushiswap’s decentralized exchange (dex) token sushi (SUSHI) has gained 67% during the...

India’s Central Bank RBI Discusses Digital Currency and CBDC Launch With Minimal Impact on Monetary Policy India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), says a basic central bank digital currency (CBDC) model must be adopted initially and tested comprehensively to minimize the impact on the country’s monetary policy and banking system. The Indian apex bank sees several benefits in launching a digital rupee, including “a potential to enhance the efficiency of cross-border payments.” RBI Outlines Benefits of Issuing Digital Currency and How to Launch a CBDC With Minimal Impact The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its “Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21” Tuesday. The 248-page report has a section on central bank digital currency. “In its basic form, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) provides a safe, robust, and convenient alternative to physical cash,” the Indian central bank described, adding that “Depending on various design choices, it can al...

Power Deficit Forces Crypto Miners to Leave Kazakhstan Electricity shortages have been dogging Kazakhstan’s booming crypto mining industry this year. A media report reveals that some miners, including some of those that moved in amid China’s crackdown on the sector, are now looking to relocate to destinations with a more stable energy supply like the United States. Miners Shut Down Crypto Farms Due to Kazakhstan’s Issues With Power Generation Kazakhstan has become a crypto mining hotspot since China launched a government offensive against bitcoin miners in May. The Central Asian nation maintains capped electricity rates and is a major producer of fossil fuels. However, its neglected infrastructure and insufficient generation capacities have failed to meet the rapidly rising demand for electricity needed to power the energy-hungry coin minting facilities. Authorities have blamed the growing deficit — consumption surged by 7% in the first three quarters of the year — on the mushroo...

An African Perspective on Why the World Needs Cryptocurrencies Rising cryptocurrency use in Africa over the past few years has not only shown that digital currencies are now a vital means of moving funds across borders and between people, but that cryptocurrencies are also an important means of accessing global markets for the financially excluded. Cryptocurrency Now a Necessity Despite ongoing efforts by regulators to curtail the use or trade of cryptocurrencies, the number of users of such digital assets continues to grow. As some studies have repeatedly shown, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin — which are seen or used as an alternative store of value — have become a necessity. Barring their volatility, cryptocurrencies offer users or holders a measure of control over their wealth, something they cannot do with fiat currencies. Indeed, in countries ravaged by inflation or those with unstable currencies, cryptocurrencies offer an escape route that was not available to them prior to th...

S&P Global Ratings Study Predicts Crypto and Decentralized Finance Will Continue to Grow in 2022. S&P Global, an intelligence and data company, suggests that crypto and decentralized finance trends will continue to gather steam in 2022. In its latest report, the company examines the current state of the market and notes that, while there are still serious problems that could hinder adoption, the sector will keep growing by complementing traditional finance in the coming year. S&P Global Believes Crypto Will Continue to Grow in 2022 A new report prepared by S&P Global, an intelligence gathering and data company, predicts that the cryptocurrency and the decentralized finance sectors will keep growing in 2022. The report , titled Global Credit Outlook 2022, declares that while crypto institutional investments are still concentrated in a few companies, this could lead to other institutions following suit. The report states: Three companies–Block.one, MicroStrategy, and...

AscendEX Lists Sidus Heroes Token, SIDUS PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX is thrilled to announce the listing of the Sidus utility token, SIDUS, and the SENATE governance token under the trading pairs SIDUS/USDT and SENATE/USDT starting on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. UTC. Sidus Heroes is a space themed, play-to-earn massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Sidus Heroes gameplay takes place in the metaverse, featuring interstellar exploration and battles. Settlement on Sidus Heroes is governed by a robust political and economic structure, with a mission to build a hybrid network ecosystem consisting of work, education, and entertainment segments. Sidus Heroes is the result of one of the largest collaborations in the NFT space, as dozens of professionals and community members from different domains have come together to launch what is now the industry’s first WebGL, AAA-level, play-to-earn, NFT RPG game. Each Sidus Heroes player has the opportunity not only to become immersed in the...

HP-Branded Servers Hijacked to Mine $110,000 Worth of Cryptocurrency Hackers recently took control of a group of HP-branded servers and used them to remotely mine a cryptocurrency called raptoreum, according to reports. This resulted in the compromised cluster of HP machines becoming the biggest contributor to the total mining pool of the cryptocurrency, allowing attackers to rake in $110,000 worth. The coins are said to have been mined between December 9 and December 17. HP Servers Suffer Cryptojacking Attack A group of HP servers operating for an undisclosed company was attacked by hackers that managed to take control of the hardware and repurpose it to mine cryptocurrency. The crypto chosen by the hackers was called raptoreum, a coin in the top 1,000 by market cap that takes advantage of an algorithm called Ghostrider, blending PoW (proof-of-work) and PoS (proof-of-stake) consensus mechanisms. The server cluster started mining raptoreum on December 9, and at the time, it provid...

Crypto Scammer Arrested in Bangkok After Fleeing With 500 Million Baht A man allegedly behind a cryptocurrency investment scam has been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. He lured people into investing in his fraudulent crypto scheme by promising high returns, telling investors they could earn a 400% return by investing in just 200 days. Alleged Crypto Scammer Arrested in Bangkok A 50-year-old man who allegedly scammed Thai and foreign cryptocurrency investors was arrested on Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand. He tried to flee with over 500 million baht ($15 million), the Bangkok Post reported . Major General Montri Thetkhan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), said Mana Jumuang, along with his Thai and Vietnamese accomplices, allegedly colluded to swindle investors in 2018 and 2019. He detailed that Jumuang claimed to be a cryptocurrency guru, duping investors into investing in Onecoin by promising high returns. The CSD chief noted that the suspect told investors they coul...

GenkoKishi and TrustPad Announce Strategic Partnership PRESS RELEASE. GensoKishi Online, which intelligently integrates GameFi with the popular MMORPG Elemental Knights, today announced a partnership with TrustPad, who will help promote GensoKishi on its popular platform and publicise this opportunity to its broad range of investors. TrustPad is the first decentralized multi-chain fundraising platform which enables projects to raise capital whilst promising ease-of-access and safety to early stage investors. In an additional benefit of this partnership, GensoKishi will receive the full support from the DeFi Launchpad Association. GensoKishi, a game that derives from a series that has been available to play since 2008 and has already accumulated 8 million downloads in total, was due to list their MV governance token on DEXs this month (Uniswap and Quickswap). Having consulted with their launchpad partners they have decided it would be best to delay the IDO to take full advantage o...

Bank of Russia Wants to Restrict Crypto Investments by Blocking Card Payments, Report Reveals The Central Bank of Russia is currently reviewing various ways to prevent Russians from investing in cryptocurrency. One the options on the table is to block card payments to certain recipients such as crypto exchanges, a media report has unveiled. A recent meeting at the State Duma has indicated, however, that the authority’s hardline stance is not backed by other government institutions in Moscow. Russia’s Central Bank Considers Mechanisms to Limit Crypto Investments In talks with financial market participants, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has been discussing several approaches to restricting access to cryptocurrencies for domestic investors, the Russian edition of Forbes magazine has revealed, quoting sources familiar with the matter. According to Andrey Mikhaylishin, founder of a crypto project tested in the regulator’s sandbox, one of the options under consideration is to block car...

Colombian Real Estate Platform Allows Users to Acquire Property With Bitcoin A Colombian real estate platform is now allowing users to purchase properties with Bitcoin. The platform, called La Haus, is promoting bitcoin payments for a new real estate project in Santa Marta, called Natura City. This is an expansion of the platform, which has already established such a service in Mexico. La Haus to Allow Colombian Citizens to Buy Real Estate With Bitcoin A Colombian real estate platform, La Haus , is enabling bitcoin investors to buy real estate with the cryptocurrency directly. To kickstart this initiative in the country, the platform is featuring a new housing project in an exclusive part of Santa Marta, called Natura City . The location is less than 200 meters from the Colombian beaches and construction of the complex is estimated for completion by 2025. La Haus partnered with payment processor OpenNode for this task and allows users to pay for the properties via Lightning Networ...

Million-Dollar Digital Collectibles: An In-Depth Look at the Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Sold This Year 2021 is coming to an end and one prominent theme this year in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology most definitely belongs to non-fungible token (NFT) assets. This year NFTs became a billion-dollar industry and many NFTs have sold for millions of dollars. The following is a look at the top ten NFTs, in terms of sale value in 2021, as they are considered the most expensive NFTs on earth. 2021’s Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Billions of dollars in digital assets have been traded for NFTs and various collections have significantly sized market valuations. For instance, according to dappradar.com metrics , the Axie Infinity NFT collection has captured $3.81 billion across 11.4 million sales. Cryptopunks is the second-largest NFT collection in terms of overall sales with $2.32 billion. The Cryptopunks collection itself has a market capitalization of around $3 billion t...