BTCNews

Tether, the giant behind the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, announced a $200 million strategic investment in Blackrock Neurotech, a brain-interface company. The investment also marks the launch of Evo, a new business division for the company that will examine investments in initiatives that merge tech and human potential. Tether Dabbles in Biotech, Acquires $200 Million […]

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based game software company, has announced its partnership with the Opal Foundation to enter the Bitcoin ecosystem, leveraging the Opal Protocol to develop the largest Web3 ecosystem encompassing gaming, Defi, entertainment, education, and culture. The initiative, backed by the BLIF token and propelled by the recent introduction of NFTs via ordinals […]

U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry has slammed both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Chair Gary Gensler regarding the SEC’s investigation into ethereum, suggesting that ether might be classified as a security. Additionally, the lawmaker emphasized that Gensler intentionally misled Congress on the issue. ‘Chair Gensler Himself Misled Congress’ The […]

With cryptocurrency values on the decline and bitcoin down 13% from a month ago, British financial expert Raoul Pal predicts a rebound during the “Crypto Summer.” According to Pal, this rise will generate widespread excitement, and “everything will get caught up in euphoria.” British Financial Guru Spells Out Next Big Crypto Wave: ‘Full Mania’ Expected […]

On Monday, April 29, Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the non-custodial bitcoin wallet Samourai, entered a plea of not guilty to accusations of operating a money transmitter and engaging in money laundering. Rodriguez secured his release by posting a $1 million bail and will be confined to his residence in Harmony, Pennsylvania, with his movements monitored […]

With the debut of spot bitcoin and ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Hong Kong trading on Tuesday, market observers are speculating about the potential demand for these ETFs in the region, reminiscent of the enthusiasm seen in the U.S. following the approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10. Zhu Haokang, head of digital […]

While bitcoin mining has become increasingly difficult and block rewards have dropped from 6.25 bitcoins to 3.125 bitcoins, a solo miner discovered block 841,286. Bitcoin’s Harsh Mining Climate Yields Treasure for One Solo Entity Mining bitcoin (BTC) has become significantly challenging, with the network’s difficulty reaching an all-time high of 88.10 trillion. This complexity, coupled […]

Johann Steynberg, the mastermind behind a South African bitcoin Ponzi scheme, recently died of a heart attack while under house arrest on a farm in Brazil. According to his Brazilian wife, Steynberg left no will and had no assets that could be inventoried. South African Police Investigate Steynberg’s Reported Death Johann Steynberg, a South African […]

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are advocating Web3 development amid a major corruption scandal that threatens their political stability. With leadership elections approaching in September and declining party support, the future of Japan’s Web3 policy and initiatives, including a substantial number of active projects, remains uncertain. Despite global challenges […]

Chris Pacia, the former lead developer of the now-defunct decentralized marketplace Openbazaar, has criticized the process that led to the proposal of Bitcoin’s lightning network (LN) as a scaling solution. Pacia stated that technical experts lied to the mainstream audience in the blocksize war’s framework, knowing that LN would work “like dog sh*t.” Former Openbazaar […]

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic advisers are reportedly devising strategies to deter nations from reducing their reliance on the U.S. dollar. Proposed deterrents include export controls, currency manipulation charges, and tariffs. Trump remains committed to preserving the U.S. dollar’s dominance as the global reserve currency. Nonetheless, a growing number of countries, particularly BRICS members, […]

Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has issued a stark warning that the U.S. economy is currently in a depression. He points to the subpar economic growth, with a 3.4% increase in GDP for Q4 2023 and a 1.6% rise in Q1 2024 as clear indicators. Kiyosaki asserts that a soft landing for the […]

Slowmist, teaming up with Imtoken, has exposed a new cryptocurrency scam exploiting offline transactions and using USDT, where scammers manipulate Ethereum RPC to falsify USDT balances in the victim’s wallet. The con artists coax victims into changing their Ethereum RPC URL to one they control, making it appear as though USDT funds were deposited, only […]

According to Chainalysis’ “Crypto Spring Report,” stablecoin adoption and market importance are seeing a rapid increase in 2024, with a significant rise in the number of addresses holding them and their use in on-chain transactions, making them a global financial asset. Legislation efforts in the U.S., such as the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act, aim to […]

The chairman of the Swiss National Bank has expressed reservations about incorporating bitcoin into the central bank’s currency reserves. He stated that no decision has been made yet to invest in bitcoin, underscoring the necessity for currency reserves to be liquid, sustainable, and easily tradable, given their use in international payments. Swiss National Bank on […]

PRESS RELEASE. Excitement is brewing in the heart of Asia as Hong Kong regulators pave the way for a new era of innovation with the recent approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This groundbreaking development underscores Hong Kong’s commitment to becoming a regulated hub for Bitcoin. At the same time, the Bitcoin Conference is […]

The Bank of Russia and Rosfinmonitoring revealed the existence of a ‘know your crypto customer’ system pilot, that aims to link the fiat operations of crypto users with their blockchain actions. The pilot, which has been ongoing since 2023, involves five banks in Russia and is expected to run until April, but can be extended. […]

BNB Chain, one of the largest smart contracts-enabled ecosystems in the crypto environment, has announced the inclusion of native liquid staking in its BSC blockchain. The new feature aims to allow validators to secure the network and maintain the liquidity of its assets while the ecosystem abandons the Beacon chain. BNB Chain Evolves Into a […]

Standard Chartered, which was previously optimistic about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approving spot ether exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications in May, has now revised its prediction. The bank still sees a positive long-term future for spot ethereum ETFs. Standard Chartered on Spot Ether ETFs Standard Chartered, previously optimistic about a May approval for […]

On Wednesday, Block, the financial services firm, disclosed that merchants using Square can convert their daily sales into bitcoin through the Cash App. Block’s founder, Jack Dorsey, revealed this update on X, and as of today, merchants have the option to transfer between 1-10% of their Square-generated earnings into bitcoin, the leading crypto asset by […]

OP_CAT, a proposal aimed at introducing Ethereum-like smart contract functionality to Bitcoin, has been assigned the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) number 347, marking the first step towards potentially implementing this long-discussed software upgrade. Co-authors Ethan Heilman and Armin Sabouri have emphasized that receiving a BIP number mainly facilitates discussion around the proposal by providing a […]

Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, has maintained its bitcoin holdings. The company’s Q1 balance sheet shows net digital assets of $184 million. According to crypto analytics firm Arkham, Tesla continues to hold onto its 11,509 bitcoins, which have a market value of over $745 million. Tesla Holding Onto Its Bitcoin Elon Musk’s electric car […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Philippines has requested that tech giants Apple and Google remove Binance apps from their respective app stores. The SEC chairman stated that the blockade on Binance, coupled with the removal of its app, curbs the further spread of its unlawful activities in the country. Binance Apps Pose […]

Cosmos developers have successfully rectified a critical security vulnerability in its Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, which had placed assets worth at least $126 million in jeopardy, following a private notification from Asymmetric Research. This flaw, existing in the protocol since its 2021 inception, became exploitable recently with the introduction of new codebase developments but was […]

Yves Bennaïm, founder and chair of 2B4CH, a Swiss pro-Bitcoin think tank, is launching a popular initiative to amend the country’s constitution to allow its central bank to purchase and hold bitcoin. The initiative is also supported by Bitcoin Suisse President Luzius Meisser, who believes the bank should add bitcoin to its reserves. A Reform […]

Ripple Labs has filed its opposition to the request by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the company to pay $2 billion in fines in the XRP case. “The SEC’s draconian remedial requests are ungrounded in law or principle. This court should reject them in their entirety,” Ripple stated. Ripple Files Opposition to […]

Analysts are pondering the effects of the approval of the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) Act by the U.S. House. The execution of seizures for over $6 billion of Russian assets held in U.S. institutions would “supercharge” the de-dollarization efforts of several nations. This is due to the possibility of having their assets seized […]

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov revealed that the BRICS bloc has been considering the use of stablecoins for its common rail payment systems. In an interview with TV BRICS, Ryabkov stated that the use of stablecoins and a connection linking the CBDCs of the participants were studied as part of the integration processes of […]

Following a sequence of five days of net outflows, U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced modest inflows on Friday, capturing nearly 900 bitcoins from the market, totaling $59.7 million. Concurrently, Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) teeters on the brink of falling below the 300,000 mark, as it recorded a holding of 304,970.43 bitcoins as of […]

U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has unveiled his plan to put the entire U.S. budget on a blockchain. “Every American can look at every budget item in the entire budget, anytime they want, 24 hours a day,” he explained, adding that if somebody is spending $16,000 for a toilet seat, everybody […]

Tether, the stablecoin company, has launched native USDT, the largest dollar-pegged stablecoin, on The Open Network (TON). With this addition, over 900 million Telegram users can seamlessly transfer digital dollars, without having to type crypto addresses. 11 million TON will be distributed among USDT users on TON to incentivize its adoption in the ecosystem. Tether […]

The first bitcoin futures contracts listed on B3, the stock exchange in Brazil, experienced significant interest from investors on debut day. According to a note delivered by the stock operator, 7,400 bitcoin futures contracts were traded, with the instrument reaching a peak of 111,000 orders on screen. While B3 has also bitcoin ETF contracts, futures […]

Based on the latest data, the yield curve of the U.S. Treasury, which charts the yields for two-year and ten-year bonds, has remained inverted for a total of 656 days. This latest inversion joins previous records set in 1929, 1974, and 2008, all of which preceded substantial declines in the stock market. Recently, market observers […]

In a significant turn of events, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has agreed to a settlement with investors, providing crucial cooperation in ongoing lawsuits against high-profile celebrities. The settlement, pending court approval, could mark a pivotal moment in the extensive legal battles following the crypto exchange’s colossal collapse. Former Crypto Tycoon and Now Convicted Inmate […]

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has doubled down on his anti-bitcoin stance, emphasizing that the crypto is a fraud with no future as a currency. “It’s a Ponzi scheme,” the executive stressed. However, despite his strong opinion about bitcoin, JPMorgan is an authorized participant for Blackrock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). Dimon, while advising investors […]

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a draft tax Form 1099-DA for reporting digital asset proceeds from broker transactions. Brokers, including unhosted wallet providers, are required to report proceeds from digital asset dispositions to the IRS. A crypto tax expert has highlighted that the collection of certain data points, such as wallet addresses, […]

JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank have weighed in on potential price movements for bitcoin following the halving. “We continue to expect prices to stay high,” Deutsche Bank analysts said. JPMorgan analysts, however, stated that they “see downside for the bitcoin price post halving for several reasons.” JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank on Bitcoin Post-Halving JPMorgan Chase […]

Upon reaching block height 840,000, when the mining pool Viabtc collected 37.626 bitcoin in fees worth $2.39 million, the expense for onchain transfers climbed, surpassing $240 per transaction. Block 840,003 recorded 16.06 bitcoins in fee payments, and block 840,004 accumulated 24 bitcoins in fees valued at over $1.5 million. Bitcoin Transaction Fees Skyrocket Above $240 […]

At 8:12 p.m. ET on Friday, April 19, 2024, the Bitcoin network marked its fourth block reward halving at block height 840,000. Block 840,000 was mined by Viabtc, securing the notable ‘epic satoshi’ for the fortunate mining pool and a 3.125 BTC reward. The Halving Is Now Complete Bitcoin’s latest halving event occurred at block […]

At block height 839,856, the Bitcoin blockchain stands a mere 144 blocks short of the forthcoming reward halving at block height 840,000. Historically, bitcoin’s price has seen substantial increases following prior halving events. However, there are speculations that this occurrence might not follow the previous pattern. This week, the creator of the stock-to-flow (S2F) price […]

Goldman Sachs analysts believe that whether the upcoming Bitcoin halving will turn out to be a “buy the rumor, sell the news” event may have less impact on bitcoin’s medium-term outlook. They explained that the bitcoin price performance will likely continue to be driven by the supply-demand dynamic and continued demand for spot bitcoin exchange-traded […]

Asset management firm Bitwise has cautioned that data suggests the upcoming Bitcoin halving is a “sell the news” event. However, the firm explained that the market likely “prices in the short-term impact of the halving but underestimates the long-term impact,” emphasizing that the data “also suggests that, long-term, the halving may be conducive to price […]

Global asset management firm Alliance Bernstein has explained that bitcoin’s bullish trajectory should resume after the upcoming halving event. The firm’s analysts described: “We believe it is always new demand catalysts that lead to bitcoin price appreciation in every cycle.” Bernstein’s Analysts on Bitcoin’s Price Post-Halving Global asset management firm Alliance Bernstein’s analysts Gautam Chhugani […]

Worldcoin is set to introduce a new blockchain called “World Chain,” which is designed to give precedence to human users over bots, purportedly enhancing both utility and accessibility. The Worldcoin Foundation stated that this platform will be deeply integrated with the Worldcoin protocol, employing the World ID’s proof of personhood to promote a user-centric approach […]

BIS Head Agustin Carstens and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani have proposed the idea of the “Finternet,” an interconnected financial system led by tokenized assets that would help to overcome today’s shortcomings in transacting financial assets. The core of this system would rely on the possibility of smart contracts managing these assets programmatically. BIS Boss Highlights […]

Norway has recently announced its intention of enacting a data center-focused law, which seeks to exert more control over the operations performed at these locations. One of the objectives behind this move would be to crack down on data centers hosting cryptocurrency mining operations, as it is an unwanted business in the country. Norway to […]

Economist and gold bug Peter Schiff has explained why the price of gold is rising, warning that bitcoin is a “gigantic bubble.” He expects gold to be in “double digits” by next year. Meanwhile, he said that bitcoin is in a bear market and the price of the cryptocurrency “is going much lower than this.” […]

Trust Wallet, a crypto wallet provider, has issued a warning for Apple users to disable Imessage, based on “credible intel” about a zero-day exploit available on the dark web for $2 million, which could allow hackers to take control of users’ Iphones without any interaction needed. The alert was met with skepticism by some in […]

Former Bitmex CEO Arthur Hayes has explained why he believes that “bitcoin and crypto prices in general will slump around the halving.” He added that from now until May 1, he “will be in a no-trade zone,” emphasizing that “April will experience extreme weakness in risky asset markets.” Bitcoin Price Will ‘Slump Around the Halving,’ […]

Popular onchain analyst Willy Woo has predicted a potential bitcoin price surge to $650,000 at the bull market’s peak. His prediction hinges on spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors fully deploying their assets based on recommendations from asset managers. “These are very conservative numbers. Bitcoin will beat gold cap when ETFs have completed their role,” […]