Day: September 8, 2023

Fed vice chair Barr gives update on CBDC research, plugs stablecoin legislation

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The United States Federal Reserve Bank vice chairman spoke at the Philadelphia Fed’s fintech event on Sept. 8 about the central bank’s role in financial innovation. Research and supervision was the short answer and a nod to the FedNow Service. Along with the standard disclaimer about it making no decisions without Congressional authorization, Barr provided an overview of the Fed’s “current focus” of central bank digital currency (CBDC) research. He characterized it as “basic research […] that might support a CBDC payments backbone, or for other purposes in the existing…

BIS thinks DeFi has no use cases, but CZ is bullish: Finance Redefined

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Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you the most significant developments from the past week. The past week in the DeFi ecosystem was filled with ups and downs, from the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) investigation into multiple DeFi protocols to Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s forecast that DeFi would outgrow centralized finance (CeFi) in the next bull run. While CZ anticipates a bright future for DeFi, a report from the Bank for International Settlements…

Texas provides Riot $31.7m to halt Bitcoin mining amidst energy crisis

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Texas Bitcoin miners have cut back 90% of their operations during the energy crisis after the state offered $31.7 million in energy credits.  Amid an escalating power crisis driven by extreme weather conditions, Texas has turned to an unlikely ally for energy conservation: Riot Platforms, a major Bitcoin (BTC) mining firm. The state’s power grid operator has awarded Riot Platforms $31.7 million in energy credits for reducing electricity consumption during the ongoing heat wave. The sum eclipses the $9.7 million worth of Bitcoin the company mined in the same period.…

Blockchain Association responds to US lawmakers’ request for crypto tax guidance

The Blockchain Association, a United States-based cryptocurrency advocacy group, has submitted suggestions for lawmakers to consider in potential legislation on the tax treatment of digital assets. In a Sept. 8 letter to U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo, the Blockchain Association said lawmakers should support the Keep Innovation in America Act, a bill aimed at changing the reporting requirements for certain taxpayers involved in crypto transactions. According to the advocacy group, any legislation introduced in Congress should “create symmetry” between taxation of crypto and non-crypto assets, as well as…

Court Hands 11,196-Year Prison Sentence to CEO of Exchange That Collapsed With $2,000,000,000+ in Crypto: Report

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The chief executive of a collapsed crypto exchange has reportedly been handed a staggering prison sentence of over 11,000 years. According to a new report by Euronews, Faruk Özer, the CEO of Istanbul-based crypto exchange Thodex, has been given 11,196 years in jail for stealing $2 billion worth of crypto assets from customers. Thodex suddenly went offline in April 2021, leaving 400,000 customers without access to their funds, while Özer fled Turkey. He was caught in Albania in 2022 after Interpol issued a red notice for him. Interpol’s red notice…

HODLers On Network Now Exceed 5 Million

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On-chain data shows Litecoin has reached another milestone as the total number of HODLers on the network now exceeds five million. Litecoin Long-Term Holders Have Continued To Rise In Number Recently According to data from the market intelligence platform IntoTheBlock, LTC has seen its long-term holder count hit a new record this week. The firm defines “long-term holders” (LTHs) or HODLers as investors holding onto their coins since at least one year ago. Note that this cutoff for the LTHs differs from what some other analytics platforms use, usually around…

The Fed could lose $100B — Does this spell catastrophe for Bitcoin?

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On the latest episode of “Macro Markets,” Marcel Pechman explains the potential implications for crypto of the Federal Reserve losing $100 billion. On this week’s episode of “Macro Markets,” Cointelegraph analyst Marcel Pechman delves into a thought-provoking discussion on the United States Federal Reserve’s financial woes. Pechman opens by highlighting how the Fed is grappling with staggering losses and emphasizes a fundamental macroeconomic principle: that overall wealth cannot be universally enhanced as demand for goods and services grows. This discrepancy underscores the challenges posed by inflation, real estate prices and the…

Stake co-founder Eddie Craven shares details on $41m heist

Despite looting $41 million in cryptos, Stake co-founder Ed Craven said the hackers did not compromise private user info or access customer funds during the attack. Edward Craven, co-founder of crypto casino Stake, published preliminary findings from a Sept. 4 incident that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says was masterminded by North Korean hackers. Craven wrote in a Medium blog post that the attacker targeted Stake’s ETH/BSC hot wallets. The sports betting platform uses these internet-linked wallets for daily transactions and large customer payouts, according to Craven. Stake’s security…