TokenPost reporter
Mark Jason Alcala
Stories by Mark Jason Alcala
- SEC receives DeFi-focused ETF application from Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs’s DeFi exchange-traded fund will target public companies and offer them exposure in decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain.
· Regulation
- Amazon clarifies that it is not planning to accept Bitcoin payments by year-end
An Amazone spokesperson said "the speculation that has ensued around our specific plans for cryptocurrencies is not true,”
· Business
- Merchants can now directly sell their NFTs on Shopify
With Shopify's direct NFT selling feature, merchants can establish deeper relationships with their customers.
· Business
- Tesla’s Q2 earnings report reveals that carmaker has not sold its Bitcoin holdings
Despite suspending BTC payments in May, the electric car manufacturer has not sold any Bitcoin since its announcement.
· Business
- Crypto ATM installations soar to 50.9 machines per day as total Bitcoin ATMs tops 24K worldwide
Unsurprisingly, the U.S. tops the list of the number of crypto ATMs by country with 21,213 Bitcoin ATMs.
· Technology
- South Korea wants access to tax evaders’ personal crypto wallets by revising its tax codes
With the revisions, authorities will be able to access even those cryptocurrencies directly stored in their digital wallets starting next year.
· Regulation
- Crypto exchanges FTX and Binance reduce leverage limits
FTX reduced its leverage limit from 100 times to 20 times while Binance reduced it from 100 times to 20 times.
· Business
- Bitcoin soars above $39K for the first time since June 16 as the entire crypto market adds another $114 billion
Bitcoin surged on Sunday evening and briefly traded above $39,000.
· Investing
- 82% of Singapore’s crypto investors hodl Bitcoin, says IRCI survey
76 percent of Singaporeans between the ages of 26 and 35 believe that cryptocurrency will be widely accepted by both individuals and businesses in the future.
· Insights & Views
- Amazon will accept Bitcoin payments this year and issue its own crypto by 2022, claims insider
Once the Bitcoin payments option is up and running, Amazon will then move on to support other cryptos such as Ethereum, Cardano, and Bitcoin Cash.
· Business
- The number of countries exploring CBDC rose by 131% since last year to 81
Only 35 countries were considering a CBDC last year, according to a report released by the Atlantic Council in May 2020.
· Regulation
- Brazilian authorities seize $33M in crypto money laundering case involving Bitcoin
The police said that the crypto exchanges sold Bitcoin to fictitious and disreputable companies and facilitated their creators access to the country’s banking system.
· Regulation
- Amazon could be adding a crypto payment option based on its latest job posting
The product leader will be responsible for developing the company’s digital currency and blockchain strategy and product roadmap.
· Business
- 61% of American crypto investors started buying crypto in the past six months
The lack of understanding of digital assets is a major factor that is stopping some from investing with 62 percent of the respondents saying that they do not adequately understand the crypto market to make an investme…
· Investing
- Nigeria’s central bank digital currency pilot set for October 1
The monetary authority made its announcement on Thursday during a webinar where it presented its digital currency initiative.
· Regulation
- Beijing responds to U.S. senators’ concerns over digital yuan’s usage by American athletes
Beijing wants the U.S. senators who raised concerns over digital yuan’s use by U.S. athletes in next year’s Winter Olympics to “stop making trouble.”
· Regulation
- Goldman Sachs’ ultra-rich clients bullish on crypto
Sixty percent of uber-rich families have invested or are planning to invest in cryptocurrencies.
· Insights & Views
- Bitcoin and Ether recover as Elon Musk reveals he owns ETH and that Tesla might accept BTC once more
BTC rose by around 8 percent while ETH soared more than 12 percent after Elon Musk's announcement.
· Insights & Views
- Crypto mining firm Mawson beefs up capacity with the acquisition of Bitcoin miners from Canaan
The acquisition of additional Bitcoin mining rigs is in line with the company’s goal of increasing its capacity to 5,000 PH/s by the end of 2022.
· Business
- China’s leading insurer issues first digital yuan insurance policies in the city of Shenzhen
The new insurance policy is tailored for medical workers in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen and offers compensation for COVID19 diagnosis or death caused by the coronavirus.
· Regulation
- A number of JPMorgan clients want to invest in Bitcoin as they view crypto as an asset class
JPMorgan will continue providing crypto services to meet the growing demand from its clientele.
· Insights & Views
- Crypto billionaire’s trading firm buys the dip as Bitcoin briefly falls below $30K
Quantitative trader Sam Trabucco explained that the firm’s strategy to go long BTC/USD is a result of three catalysts that could fuel BTC’s recovery.
· Insights & Views
- Rothschild Investment’s Bitcoin exposure increases by 270% in just three months
The valuation of Rothschild’s GBTC holdings as of June 30 rose to around $4.2 million, a substantial increase from its holding’s first-quarter value of $1.92 million.
· Business
- Kakao blockchain subsidiary bags partnership role in Bank of Korea’s CBDC project
Bank of Korea announced that Ground X, the blockchain subsidiary of internet giant Kakao, has been selected for the partner position on its pilot digital currency development program.
· Technology
- U.S. athletes must not use China’s CBDC during the Winter Olympics, according to 3 lawmakers
The lawmakers sent a letter urging Olympic officials to prohibit athletes from using the CBDC during the Beijing Winter Olympics next year due to potential privacy issues.
· Regulation
- Bitcoin could dominate global finance as developing world adopts BTC, says Finder survey
Fifty-five percent of the panelists believe that BTC will likely become the currency of choice in developing countries while 61 percent believe that BTC is currently undervalued.
· Insights & Views
- 70% of institutional investors plan to invest in crypto in the future despite price volatility
Around 90 percent of the institutional investors that expressed interest in investing in crypto in the future said that they expect their clients’ or companies’ portfolios to include crypto-related investments within …
· Insights & Views
- Grayscale now offers 15 crypto investment products as it launches a new DeFi fund
The DeFi fund is now open for daily subscriptions by eligible individual and institutional investors.
· Investing
- Crypto exchange WazirX receives notice from Indian regulator for potential FEMA violations
The ED is demanding that the Mumbai-based crypto exchange explain transactions worth 2,790.74 crores (around $372 million).
· Regulation
- Turkey crypto bill will be presented to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in October
The country’s Ministry of Treasury and Finance recently announced the completion of a draft bill that will establish the legal framework for crypto assets.
· Regulation
- These 3 Bitcoin mining firms in North America could benefit the most as China shuts down crypto mining
North American crypto mining firms, which have long been building up their capacities, are seen to greatly benefit from the decline of China’s Bitcoin mining industry due to the government’s crackdown.
· Business
- Malaysia crushes 1069 Bitcoin mining rigs seized from illegal crypto miners
Authorities confiscated the crypto mining rigs in six separate raids between February and April on the island of Borneo.
· Regulation
- Bank of America offers Bitcoin futures to select clients
Unnamed sources claim that some of the bank’s clients have set up for BTC futures trading and that one or two accounts might have already gone live and started their trading activities.
· Business
- Crypto exchange Binance stops selling stock tokens
The crypto exchange announced that it is winding down support for stock tokens on Binance.com to shift its commercial focus to other product offerings.
· Regulation
- Japan ramping up efforts to regulate crypto by creating a new FSA division and increasing the Ministry of Finance’s staff
Regulators are increasingly concerned about the growing presence of big-tech retail settlement platform operators that might soon offer settlement options based on private cryptocurrencies.
· Regulation
- PayPal announces increase in weekly crypto purchase limit from $20K to $100K
The move is aimed at giving users of PayPal's crypto trading feature more choice and flexibility when making purchases.
· Business
- Fintech firm Revolut raises $800M in a funding round led Softbank as valuation soars to $33B
Revolut was given a valuation of $33 billion in the latest funding round, a six-fold rise from its 2020 valuation of $5.5 billion.
· Business
- Italy’s regulator warns public on crypto exchange Binance
The country’s securities market regulator said in a statement that the Binance Group is not authorized to operate and provide investment services in Italy.
· Regulation
- Steven Mnuchin says it’s fine to invest in Bitcoin (BTC) but does not plan to add the crypto to his portfolio
The former Treasury Secretary is now fully convinced of the potential of blockchain technology.
· Insights & Views
- Crypto bill not likely to be discussed by Indian Parliament this month
Crypto is not listed as one of the topics that could “tentatively” be up for discussion during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which starts on July 19.
· Regulation