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Showing posts from October, 2022

SEC Chair Gensler Wishes Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin Whitepaper Happy Birthday — Says Let’s Make Sure Crypto Investors Get Proper Protection

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The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has wished Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper a happy birthday. “It has led to innovation and crypto asset investing. Let’s make sure as crypto enters its 15th year that investors get proper protection,” said the SEC chairman. SEC Chair Gary Gensler Wishes Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin Whitepaper Happy Birthday Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin to the world approximately 14 years ago today with the publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper. Many people tweeted happy birthday to the pseudonymous creator’s whitepaper, including the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler. He wrote on Oct. 31: Happy 14th birthday to Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper! It has led to innovation and crypto asset investing. Let’s make sure as crypto enters its 15th year that investors get proper protection. At the time of writing, his tweet has received nearly 2,500 comments and has been like...

Bitcoin․com Expands Access to DeFi With Public Sale of Ecosystem Utility Token VERSE

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Whitelisted Individuals for the Sale Will Be Able to Purchase VERSE Tokens Using BTC , BCH , ETH and USDT /USDC. November 1, 2022 – Bitcoin.com , a digital ecosystem and secure self-custody platform where users can safely and easily interact with cryptocurrencies and digital assets, has announced that the public sale of the VERSE utility token is now live. VERSE will reward participants for buying, selling, storing, using, and learning about cryptocurrency, while supporting those who are seeking accessible onboarding into Bitcoin and DeFi. VERSE will fuel the growth and expansion of Bitcoin.com ’s ecosystem, which includes over 35 million self-custody wallets created in its multi-chain DeFi-ready mobile app, and an award-winning news portal with over 2.5 million monthly readers. VERSE will provide access to exclusive platform services and act as the cornerstone for new initiatives, ultimately expanding access to decentralized technologies and finance. By interacting with the Ve...

Veteran Trader Peter Brandt Says Dogecoin Bear Market Has Ended

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Veteran trader Peter Brandt says the dogecoin bear market that began in May last year has ended. His comment came after the price of dogecoin soared following Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform Twitter. Peter Brandt on Dogecoin Outlook Veteran trader Peter Brandt shared his analysis of dogecoin (DOGE) Sunday. Brandt has been a futures and FX career trader since 1975. He is a chartist and the author of the Factor Report. He trades a variety of markets, including Dow futures, bonds, corn, crude oil, European wheat, Osaka Dow, U.S. dollar, and sugar. Tweeting a chart of DOGE, Brandt wrote: “This is called a bear channel, the upside violation of which has ended the bear market that began at the May 2021 high.” However, Brandt followed up with another tweet, warning traders not to fall for the common mistake of assuming that the end of a bear market automatically means a bull market has begun. He cautioned: A common mistake made by novice and wanna-be tra...

US Lawmakers Probe SEC, Treasury, Federal Reserve Over Revolving Door With Crypto Industry

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U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about the revolving door between financial regulators and the crypto industry. “Over 200 government officials have moved between public service and crypto firms,” the lawmakers said, adding that they include 31 Treasury Department officials and 28 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials. Revolving Door Between Financial Regulators, Like SEC, and Crypto Industry Five U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter to seven financial regulators inquiring about measures they are taking to prevent the revolving door between their agencies and the crypto industry. The letters, dated Oct. 24, were signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL). The letters were sent to Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Rostin Behnam, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal...

Robert Kiyosaki Warns Stocks, Bonds, Real Estate Will Crash as Fed Continues Rate Hikes — Advises Buy Bitcoin Before Fed Pivot

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The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has warned that stock, bond, and real estate markets will crash as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates. Noting that the Fed will pivot, he advises investors to buy bitcoin. Robert Kiyosaki Recommends Buying Bitcoin Before Fed Pivot The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has advised investors to buy bitcoin before the Fed pivots, reiterating that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes will destroy the U.S. economy. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. Kiyosaki tweeted early Saturday morning that the prices of gold and silver are plunging as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates. He warned that rate hikes will kill the U.S. economy, cautioning ...

Elon Musk Takes Control of Twitter, Fires CEO and CFO — Says He Buys Twitter ‘to Help Humanity’

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Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk has completed the acquisition of Twitter Inc. and reportedly fired the company’s CEO and CFO. “The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square,” he said. “There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.” Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter Tesla CEO Elon Musk has completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc. and has changed his Twitter profile description to “Chief Twit.” On Thursday night, he tweeted: The bird is freed. Immediately after the deal closed, Musk reportedly fired Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, the social media platform’s head of legal affairs and chief content moderator. Gadde headed up the team at Twitter that made the decision to ban former U.S. President Donald Trump after the Capitol riot in 2021. On Thursday, M...

Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Calls Today’s Metaverse a ‘Poorly Built Video Game’

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Phil Spencer, CEO of gaming at Microsoft and head of Xbox, directed some criticism at the idea of the metaverse and how it is being executed. Spencer remarked that for him, the current metaverse is a “poorly built video game,” but also that the sector was still in its early stages and will surely evolve. Phil Spencer Blasts Today’s Metaverse While the still unclear concept of “the metaverse” has been harnessed by several companies that want to leverage the advantage of being pioneers in an industry, other important personalities have criticized the current sector. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, blasted today’s metaverse technology during the WSJ Live Convention, noting that it was still unpolished. About today’s metaverse, Spencer stated: It’s a poorly built video game. Many interpreted this statement as an indirect jab at Meta, which has been criticized before due to the poor graphics its flagship metaverse app Horizon Worlds presented compared to modern video game...

Mad Money’s Jim Cramer Apologizes for Being Wrong About Facebook Parent Meta After Stock Plunges

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The host of Mad Money, Jim Cramer, has apologized to investors for being wrong about Facebook parent Meta Platforms after its stock plunged to a record low. “I made a mistake here. I was wrong,” he said emotionally after stating previously that Meta was a good investment. “I failed to help people. And I own that.” Jim Cramer’s Apology About Meta: ‘I Was Wrong’ The host of CNBC’s Mad Money show, Jim Cramer, apologized to investors Thursday for recommending Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. (Nasdaq: META) after the stock kept tanking following the company’s Q3 earnings release. Cramer is a former hedge fund manager who co-founded Thestreet.com, a financial news and literacy website. Appearing emotional on CNBC Market Alert, Cramer admitted that he made a wrong call about the Meta stock, telling investors previously that the social media company was a good investment. He said: I made a mistake here. I was wrong. I trusted this management team. That was ill-advised. The hubris here...

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Faces Political Pressure Over Interest Rate Hikes

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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has asked Fed Chair Jerome Powell not to forget the Federal Reserve’s “dual mandate” when making decisions about hiking interest rates at the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. “It is your job to combat inflation, but at the same time, you must not lose sight of your responsibility to ensure that we have full employment,” the senator told the Fed chairman. U.S. Senator Reminds Powell of Fed’s Dual Mandate Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is facing political pressure over interest rate hike decisions. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to Powell on Tuesday asking him to consider the Fed’s dual mandate before making any decision to raise interest rates in the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Senator Brown wrote: As you know, the Federal Reserve is charged with the dual mandate of promoting maximum employment, stable prices, and moder...

Blockchain.com Launches Crypto Visa Card With 1% Cashback Crypto Rewards

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Crypto firm Blockchain.com has announced the launch of a new crypto-centric pre-paid Visa card and so far, 50,000 users have registered for the waitlist signup. In addition to launching its crypto Visa card powered by the card issuing platform Marqeta, Blockchain.com Visa users will earn 1% back in crypto whenever they spend funds using the card. Blockchain.com Introduces Crypto Visa Card Blockchain.com is joining the likes of Crypto.com, Ripio, Bitso, Coinbase, Bitpay, Blockfi, and FTX by announcing the launch of a new crypto-loadable pre-paid Visa card. According to the announcement on Wednesday, Blockchain.com Visa users can “spend from a crypto balance fee-free and offer the opportunity to earn crypto rewards.” Moreover, 50,000 registered users have already signed up for the company’s new crypto payments card. “As one of the crypto industry’s oldest and most trusted platforms, we’re excited to roll out the natural next step to make crypto easy to use in the real world and acces...

Google Admits Crypto Winter Is Hurting Ad Business

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The digital asset market downturn that started the current crypto winter is negatively affecting search spending, Google has acknowledged. Ad growth in the third quarter fell to a low seen only once in almost a decade, the tech company revealed this week. With Fewer Crypto Ads, Google Registers 6% Ad Revenue Growth in Last Quarter Online advertising giant Google has partially blamed a slowdown in revenue growth on decreasing ad spending by financial firms, including those working with crypto assets. During parent company Alphabet’s earnings call on Tuesday, Google’s Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler admitted to witnessing reduced search spending during the third-quarter and elaborated: For example in financial services, we saw a pullback in the insurance, loan, mortgage, and crypto subcategories. In a report quoting the executive, CNBC noted that the with an overall ad growth of 6%, the three-month period was Google’s weakest among all quarters since 2013, with only one e...

Economist Peter Schiff Warns the US Dollar Will Crash — Says ‘We’re Going to Default’

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Economist Peter Schiff has warned that the U.S. dollar will crash. Noting that the U.S. is “in a much bigger fiscal mess than Great Britain,” with a much bigger debt problem, Schiff stressed: “Can we possibly repay this debt? Of course not. Repaying the debt is impossible. So, what’s going to happen? We’re going to default.” Peter Schiff Discusses U.S. Dollar Crashing Gold bug and economist Peter Schiff shared his outlook for the U.S. dollar in a podcast titled “When This Sucker’s Rally Ends, the Dollar Will Crash,” published Saturday. He explained that the U.S. has major problems that will lead to the crash of the U.S. dollar. Referencing the situation in Britain , Schiff said the U.K. is concerned about increasing debts. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is around 85% and former Prime Minister Liz Truss “threatened to send British debt to GDP even higher,” the economist described, noting that “investors rightly dumped the pound.” However, he added: “They sold pounds for dollars … ...

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon: US-China Tensions, Russia-Ukraine War ‘Far More Concerning’ Than Recession

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JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says the tensions between the U.S. and China and the Russia-Ukraine war are “far more concerning than whether there’s a mild or slightly severe recession.” He stressed: “I would worry much more about the geopolitics in the world today.” JPMorgan Boss Jamie Dimon Warns of Something ‘Far More Concerning’ Than Recession The CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, talked about something worse than an economic recession Tuesday at Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, an annual event sometimes dubbed “Davos in the Desert.” Approximately 400 American executives are attending the conference along with European and Asian business leaders. Dimon explained that he considers geopolitical uncertainties to be much riskier than a recession, noting that they are among the biggest concerns facing the global economy right now. The JPMorgan executive opined: The most important thing is the geopolitics around Russia and Ukraine, America and Chi...

Paypal and Western Union File Trademarks for Wide Range of Crypto Services

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Financial services companies Paypal and Western Union have each filed three new trademark applications covering a wide range of crypto services. Paypal’s applications are also for the payments giant’s logo. Paypal’s New Trademark Filings for Crypto Services Paypal Inc. has filed three new trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Mike Kondoudis, a USPTO-licensed trademark attorney, tweeted Monday: Paypal has filed trademark applications for Paypal and its ‘overlapping Ps’ logo. The apps claim plans for exchanging, trading, and processing transfers of blockchain + digital assets, crypto + digital + virtual currencies … and more. Filed on Oct. 18, the applications’ serial numbers are 97636933, 97636892, and 97636857. An excerpt from one of the trademark applications explains that the trademark covers “downloadable software for sending, receiving, accepting, buying, selling, storing, transmitting, trading and exchanging digital currency, v...

Bitcoin Miner Cleanspark Raises Year-End Outlook by 10%, Firm’s Hashpower Surpasses 5 EH/s

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On October 25, the bitcoin mining operation Cleanspark announced that the firm’s hashrate now exceeds 5 exahash per second (EH/s), a milestone achieved more than two months ahead of the company’s original year-end goals. Cleanspark says it now aims to surpass 5.5 EH/s by the year’s end by increasing the miner’s hashrate goal by 10%. Cleanspark Aims to Achieve 5.5 EH/s by the End of 2022 After Raising Goal by 10% Cleanspark (Nasdaq: CLSK ) announced on Tuesday that the bitcoin miner has surpassed its year-end goal to maintain 5,000 petahash per second (PH/s), which equates to 5 EH/s. The company intended on meeting the 5 EH/s goal by the end of 2022, and now it plans to add an additional 10% of hashrate to the year-end guidance. The news follows the company completing the acquisition of Mawson Infrastructure Group’s Georgia-based bitcoin mining facility, a data center that came with 6,500 mining rigs. Cleanspark is one miner that’s managed to weather the crypto winter and further u...

Rishi Sunak Becomes UK Prime Minister — He Wants to Make Britain a Global Crypto Investment Hub

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Britain’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has become the country’s new prime minister, succeeding Liz Truss who resigned after 44 days in office. The leader of the Conservative Party previously said: “It’s my ambition to make the U.K. a global hub for cryptoasset technology.” Rishi Sunak Takes Office as U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who served as Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer from 2020 to 2022 and chief secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2022, has become the prime minister of the U.K. He succeeded Liz Truss , who resigned after 44 days in office as prime minister. Sunak formally accepted his new role from King Charles during a meeting at Buckingham Palace on Monday after winning the Conservative Party leadership. Many people have called Sunak pro-crypto for his efforts to make Britain “a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment,” as announced by the U.K. government in April. He said at the time: It’s my ambition to make the U.K. a globa...

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: US Financial Stability Risks Could Materialize, Cites ‘Dangerous and Volatile Environment’

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that financial stability risks could materialize in the U.S. Noting that “Inflation remains too high, and we are contending with serious global headwinds,” she stressed that the Treasury is “closely monitoring the financial sector, as global developments have led to increased market volatility.” Janet Yellen Warns of Financial Stability Risks in U.S. The Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen warned about financial stability risks to the U.S. economy while responding to questions following her speech at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) annual meeting Monday. Citing a “dangerous and volatile environment” for the global economy, including the surge in energy prices and increased volatility in financial markets, Yellen warned that in the United States: Financial stability risks could materialize. “We are closely monitoring the financial sector, as global developments have led to increased market volatility...

Report: Billionaire Says Britain May Be Forced to Seek Bailout From IMF if It Does Not Renegotiate Brexit Deal

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British billionaire investor Guy Hands has reckoned that Britain will become “the sick man of Europe” and may be forced to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if it does not renegotiate its Brexit deal. The billionaire insisted the United Kingdom’s current economic woes are the result of a poorly negotiated Brexit deal and not the Liz Truss government’s controversial tax cut proposals. Billionaire Says Poor Brexit Deal Is Source of UK’s Economic Woes The British billionaire investor Guy Hands has warned that Britain needs to renegotiate Brexit if it is to avoid seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a report has said. According to Hands, Britain’s poorly negotiated exit from the European Union is the primary cause of the United Kingdom’s ongoing economic woes. As per a report by The Telegraph, Hands believes Britain’s period of economic pain — which seemingly reached its crescendo when the pound fell to its lowest exchange rate versus t...

Report: US Department of Justice Files $60 Million Lawsuit Against Bitcoin Mixer Operator

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The United States Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit to recover $60 million that was imposed on Larry Harmon, the operator of a bitcoin mixing service targeted by U.S. law enforcement in 2020. According to U.S. authorities, Harmon had operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Violation of the Bank Secrecy Act The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly suing Larry Harmon, the founder of the crypto mixer Helix, to recover the $60 million fine imposed on him by regulators. According to a Reuters report , the fine, which was imposed in 2020 , stems from Harmon’s alleged violation of the United States federal Bank Secrecy Act. According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Harmon operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The business, according to U.S. regulators, enabled users to send virtual currencies anonymously. In 2021, Harmon reportedly pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and said he would cooper...

Secondary Sales Volume Tied to Reddit’s Collectible NFT Avatars Surges Crossing $5 Million

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Reddit’s non-fungible token (NFT) avatars have produced significant market action in the NFT industry, as the collectible’s secondary market sales reached more than $5 million on October 24 across more than 20,000 sales. The demand for Reddit’s collectible NFT avatars minted on Polygon has also spurred over three million Redditors to leverage Reddit’s Vault blockchain wallet. Demand for Reddit’s Collectible NFT Avatars Skyrockets — $5 Million in Secondary Sales Sold Across 20,000 Sales During the first week of July, Reddit revealed the company had plans to release blockchain-backed avatars that leverage the proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain Polygon (MATIC). At the time, Reddit said that Polygon was chosen for its “low-cost transactions and sustainability commitments.” On October 18, 2022, Reddit’s chief product officer Pali Bhat explained, while speaking on a Techcrunch Disrupt panel, that three million Vault blockchain wallets crafted by Reddit were created to date. Bhat further ...

Israel’s Stock Exchange Unveils Plan to Create Digital Asset Platform and Venture Into Crypto

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The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange, the only public stock exchange in Israel, has announced that it is entering the crypto space and creating a platform for digital assets. “The next five years are a critical window of opportunity for TASE to play an active role in the technological revolution of the global capital markets,” said the CEO of the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange. Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange Entering Crypto Space The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: TASE), the only public stock exchange in Israel, announced Monday its new strategic plan for the years 2023-2027. The plan was approved by the stock exchange’s board of directors. One of the four strategic goals listed was “Creating a platform for digital assets using blockchain (DLT) and venturing into crypto.” The announcement details, “TASE will promote the implementation of innovative technologies, including DLT, tokenizing of various classes of digital assets and smart contracts,” elaborating: TASE intends to examine multiple potential ...