Google users appear to be becoming increasingly interested in the Bitcoin halving happening this year. With its issuance set to drop, the leading crypto asset by market capitalisation is due to become even more scarce in just a few months time. Many analysts continue to debate whether public knowledge of the event has allowed the market to price in the halving. Surging Google interest may indicate that at least some potential market participants are just finding out about it. Is the Bitcoin Halving Even Known of Outside Crypto? If the…
Day: January 27, 2020
Strong Bitcoin Rally Sparks Fears of a Virus-Driven Violent Recession
The spread of the deadly and highly contagious Coronavirus has kindled fear in the hearts of investors, as the global equities markets are now facing heightened recession risk as the death toll and potential economic impact of the virus grows at a rapid rate. The strength of the ongoing global selloff can be seen by the massive rallies incurred by safe haven assets like Gold and Bitcoin, which is emblematic of growing fears of an imminent recession amongst investors. It is important to note, however, that analysts do believe that…
Transfer Agent Vertalo Chooses Tezos Over Ethereum for Security Token Development
Transfer agent Vertalo wants its customers to issue securities on the Tezos blockchain. The company has made Tezos its default blockchain, encouraging customers to switch over from ethereum. It has developed the ability to convert ERC-20 tokens to Tezos-formatted smart contracts, though it will still support ethereum. “We think that that covers 99 percent of the security token and smart contract landscape for equity and debt,” said Dave Hendricks, CEO of Austin, Texas-based Vertalo. With 18 customers on its platform currently, Vertalo issues digital securities and manages data for the…
China’s BTC Volume on LocalBitcoins Hits 2-Year Low
China’s Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes have continued to drop, hitting a two-year low on peer-to-peer exchange LocalBitcoins. According to Bitcoin statistics website Coin Dance, China’s BTC trading volumes have been gradually dropping from late 2019 to the present, touching to their lowest weekly volume in more than two years. During the week ending on Jan. 25, China traded just about 4.5 million yuan ($648,000) on LocalBitcoins, down over 90% from the intra-year weekly high of more than 45 million yuan ($6.4 million). The all-time high of China’s weekly Bitcoin trading…
Payments Startup Raises $80M From SBI Group, Visa Invest and Others
Cross-border payments platform Currencycloud has raised $80 million in funding from SBI Group, Visa and other investors. Per a Jan. 27 press release, London-based Currencycloud secured $80 million from SBI Group, Visa, International Finance Corporation, BNP Paribas and Siam Commercial Bank. Following the investment, Colleen Ostrowski, senior vice president and treasurer of Visa Inc, will join the board of Currencycloud. By its own account, the startup — which provides embedded B2B cross-border payments — is going to allocate the raised funds for its further growth, expansion of its portfolio of…
Former Bakkt CEO and Current Senator Loeffler Delays Disclosing Assets
The clock is ticking on former Bakkt CEO senator Kelly Loeffler’s Financial Disclosure Report, with ethics watchdogs on guard. Senator files extension Loeffler filed an extension that would give her until May 5 to submit her Financial Disclosure Report. The report, which all officials are required to submit, airs potential conflicts of interest by identifying asset holdings. In the case of Loeffler, these are presumed to be substantial. Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist at Public Citizen, told Cointelegraph, “Extensions on filing are not uncommon. The purpose really is just transparency,…
Here Is the Safest and Most Convenient Bitcoin Wallet of 2020
Whether you’re new to Bitcoin or just want to brush up on your knowledge, it all starts with a wallet. Without a Bitcoin wallet, there’s nowhere for you to keep your cryptocurrency. In this guide, we’ll walk you through… ● What a Bitcoin wallet is and how it works.● The different types of wallets you can use.● What cold storage is and how it works.● What multi-signature means and how it works.● Where you can find the safest and most convenient Bitcoin wallet. If you’d rather skip the intro and…
Price Analysis Jan 27: BTC, ETH, XRP, BCH, BSV, LTC, EOS, BNB, ETC, XLM
Most major cryptocurrencies have risen sharply from their recent lows which shows that bulls are building positions on every dip. Investors are rushing into various safe haven assets as the coronavirus death toll in China rises and the virus spreads in various Asian countries, the US, parts of Europe and Australia. Usually, the initial reaction to any crisis is to dump all asset classes but gradually, the investors start to differentiate between asset classes as they analyze the effect the crisis can have on them. After the initial sell-off in…
Israeli Regulators Request Feedback to Foster Blockchain Innovation
The Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) has issued a Jan. 20 Request For Information to identify potential regulations that prevent the development of blockchain-based ventures in the country. In addition, the regulator seeks to find out the practical applications of Digital Ledger Technology (DLT). As Israel’s financial watchdog, the ISA formed a committee to promote the development of the blockchain industry in the country. The regulator focused on platforms that issue and trade blockchain-based securities and their properties, including the use of tokens and smart contracts. This initiative builds from the…
Ukraine Plans to Track Suspicious Crypto Transactions Above $1,200
Ukraine’s financial watchdog intends to track crypto transactions exceeding $1,200, according to the head of the country’s Ministry of Finance, Oksana Makarova. For the first time, Ukrainian anti-money laundering law includes crypto as an asset to be monitored, among others. The threshold for triggering the scrutiny process is 30,000 Urkainian hryvnia (UAH), or US$1,200. “If exchanges, exchangers, banks or other companies make payments in cryptocurrencies worth more than UAH 30,000 in equivalent, they must verify such transaction and collect detailed customer information,” Makarova said in the interview. “The customer must…