Month: January 2023

Crypto Infrastructure Firm Blockstream Raises $125M for Bitcoin Mining

“This fundraise allows us to accelerate the [year-over-year] revenue growth we created with our 2021 Series B and continue to build infrastructure for the future Bitcoin economy,” said Blockstream President and Chief Financial Officer Erik Svenson. “We remain focused on reducing risk for institutional bitcoin miners and enabling enterprise users to build high-value use cases on the most secure, robust and scalable blockchain in the world – Bitcoin,” he added. Source

Chiliz (CHZ) Records Significant Gains, Moves Over 5%

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The global cryptocurrency market cap stands at $1.05 trillion, representing a 0.19% increase in the last day. As the cryptocurrency market continues to rally, altcoins are posting incredible gains. For instance, Chiliz’s price is gaining today, reflecting the positive moves of the general market. CHZ’s trading volume has also increased by 82.02% in 24 hours, showing rising interest among investors. CHZ is among the top gainers today, recording an almost 6% increase in value. The asset has outperformed market leader Bitcoin today, which recorded a 0.02% increase in 24 hours.…

Blockstream raises $125M to finance expanded Bitcoin mining operations

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Digital asset infrastructure company Blockstream has raised $125 million to finance its Bitcoin (BTC) mining colocation services, underscoring heightened demand for its institutional hosting services amid the bear market.  The $125 million raise was financed by convertible note and a secured loan, Blockstream announced on Jan. 24. Venture capital firm Kingsway Capital led the convertible note raise, with additional participation from Fulgur Ventures. Cohen & Cohen Capital Markets, part of J.V.B. Financial Group, advised Blockstream on the deal. The funding will enable Blockstream to expand mining capacity for institutional hosting…

UK gov’t is hiring a central bank digital currency lead for Treasury team

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HM Treasury in the United Kingdom has begun calling for applicants to lead the central bank digital currency team behind efforts towards a digital pound. In a job posted to LinkedIn on Jan. 24, the U.K. Treasury called for a team lead for its Payments and Fintech Team of roughly 20 people focused exploring on a “potential digital pound”. According to the posting, the CBDC head would determine the “strategic direction” for Treasury’s efforts to develop a digital currency in line with the government’s agenda, as well as analyze potential…

Genesis Coin Inc, Powering 35% of Global Bitcoin ATM Transactions, Acquired by Bitstop Founders

Place/Date: Miami, Florida – January 24th, 2023 at 7:57 pm UTC · 5 min read Contact: Andrew Barnard, CEO, Source: Genesis Coin Inc Genesis Coin Inc, the first and largest Bitcoin ATM software platform worldwide announced today that they have been acquired by early Bitcoin ATM pioneers Andrew Barnard and Doug Carrillo. Founded in 2013, Genesis Coin’s technology powers approximately 35% of global Bitcoin ATM transactions. Barnard and Carrillo, who also founded Bitstop, built the first and largest private-label Bitcoin ATM platform based in Miami, FL with over 2,500+ Bitcoin…

Celsius Proposes Restructuring to Offer One-Time ‘Meaningful Recovery’ Payout for Most Creditors

“[The distribution] would be at a discount. We’re not envisioning a full recovery, but it’s a meaningful recovery, Your Honor,” said Ross Kwastaniet, a lawyer for Kirkland & Ellis, the white-shoe law firm representing Celsius. “It would be a one-time distribution in liquid crypto – call it bitcoin, ethereum or stablecoins. Something that has, you know, readily tradable, readily ascertainable market value to everybody who has claims below a certain threshold.” Source

Ghanaian Cedi Second Worst-Performing Asset Among Sub-Saharan Africa’s Top 15 Currencies – Economics Bitcoin News

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In just the first 17 days of the new year, the Ghanaian currency reportedly depreciated by 12.7%, making it the second worst-performing among Sub-Saharan Africa’s top 15 currencies. While one U.S. dollar bought 13.10 units of the cedi on the parallel market, according to the latest Bank of Ghana data, one greenback buys around 10.36 units of the local currency. The Cedi’s Short-Lived Resurgence After ending 2022 as one of the world’s worst-performing currencies, the Ghanaian currency is already one of two in Sub-Saharan Africa’s top 15 currencies that depreciated…

E.U. Crypto Companies Prep For MiCA: Licensing, Insurance & More

“In Germany, most banks are against crypto,” he told CoinDesk. Smaller banks, such as N26 and Solaris, for example, are friendlier to the industry, but the biggest ones, like Deutsche Bank, are still keeping away from crypto. This may change once a pan-European regulation is in place, he believes: “Banks need some clarity in regulation, and MiCA is a step forward.” Source