TokenPost reporter
Mark Jason Alcala
Stories by Mark Jason Alcala
- Crypto exchange Coinbase to expand in Turkey with the acquisition of BtcTurk
U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase is moving ahead with its international expansion plans. The company is reportedly set on acquiring Turkey’s largest crypto platform BtcTurk.
· Digital Currency
- South Korean crypto exchange operator could face stricter scrutiny and regulations
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), is considering classifying Dunamu, the operator of crypto exchange Upbit, as a “large business,” which could put the company under increased scrutiny and tougher regulations by …
· Digital Currency
- American crypto owners to rise by 19% to 33.7M this year
By 2023, a research team projects U.S. digital currency owners to rise by 10.6 percent to 37.2 million, which means that 14 percent of Americans will own some type of crypto next year.
· Digital Currency
- Australia’s first Bitcoin EFT to launch next week
Some estimate that the new crypto ETF could attract as much as $1 billion in investments.
· Digital Currency
- Ireland to ban crypto donations to political parties
Minister Darragh O’Brien is proposing to amend a 2022 Electoral Reform Bill to include a ban on crypto donations to political parties citing fears of Russian interference in Ireland’s elections.
· Regulation
- Bitcoin will face an “uphill battle” before it becomes legal tender in Mexico, says billionaire Ricardo Salinas
Mexico, the Caribbean island Roatán, which is part of Honduras, as well as Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, are proposing to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender.
· Insights & Views
- Crypto wallet MetaMask warns of a phishing scam targeting iCloud users
Crypto theft could happen if users enabled iCloud backup for app data on their devices.
· Digital Currency
- Crypto or the renminbi do not threaten the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency
The greenback is unlikely to be threatened even as central banks worldwide continue diversifying their reserves.
· Digital Currency
- Crypto trading volumes in Indian exchanges plunged days after the 30% tax took effect
Meanwhile, many payment processor partners have distanced themselves from crypto exchanges.
· Digital Currency
- US banks’ current and planned crypto-related activities should be reported to the FDIC
The FDIC cited potential systemic risks from crypto-assets and activities as the reason for this new reporting requirement.
· Digital Currency
- UFC to award Bitcoin bonuses to the top three fighters at each pay-per-view event
Called the Fan Bonus of the Night, the top fighter as decided by fan votes will receive US$30,000 in BTC.
· Digital Currency
- Bolt to add support for crypto transactions via the acquisition of Wyre
The deal is expected to be finalized later this year and is valued at around $1.5 billion.
· Business
- Bitcoin could rise to $500K after Fed eases its monetary tightening
The Galaxy Digital founder also believes that Bitcoin's price would decouple from U.S. stocks.
· Digital Currency
- $25M in Bitcoin seized after German authorities shut down the world’s largest Darknet market
The Hydra Market has probably the highest turnover among illegal marketplaces worldwide with sales of at least €1.23 billion ($1.35 billion) in 2020 alone.
· Regulation
- Intel launches second-gen Bitcoin mining chip Blockscale
The company will start shipping the new Bitcoin mining chips by the third quarter of this year.
· Business
- Nearly half of crypto investors in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the U.S. started in 2021
A study by crypto exchange Gemini revealed that 46 percent of current crypto owners in Latin America and 45 percent in the Asia Pacific bought their first crypto in 2021.
· Digital Currency
- DBS Bank won’t extend crypto trading services to retail investors this year
While the bank acknowledged the growing interest in cryptos such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), it hinted that most regulators are “rightfully concerned” about allowing it in retail.
· Digital Currency
- 30% crypto tax takes effect on April 1st with the approval of the Indian Finance Bill 2022
Aside from the high tax rate for crypto, many investors are discouraged by the inability to offset losses against profits in crypto trading.
· Regulation
- MicroStrategy secures $205M Bitcoin-collateralized loan to buy more BTC
Saylor said that Silvergate’s innovative loan product allowed his firm to execute its crypto strategy more effectively and buy more crypto by using its existing stash as leverage.
· Digital Currency
- The number of female crypto owners in Norway doubled since 2021
In a survey conducted by Arcane Research and Ernst & Young, the rate of female ownership of crypto assets in Norway rose to 6 percent as of March 30, 2022.
· Digital Currency
- Crypto exchange FTX Europe eyes UK expansion
The crypto exchange has already initiated talks with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), U.K.’s regulatory body.
· Digital Currency
- Dubai’s Citizens School accepts Bitcoin and Ethereum as payment for tuition
The school announced that it will accept Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) payments, making it the first in the Middle East education sector to allow digital currencies as payment for tuition fees.
· Digital Currency
- Bitcoin miner Core Scientific’s 2021 revenue soars by 803% to $544.5M
The company’s gross profit in 2021 also soared to $238.9 million, an increase of $229.5 million or 2,443 percent from the previous year’s gross profit of $9.4 million.
· Digital Currency
- Security firm discovers new crypto scheme deploying fake Trojan apps disguised as crypto wallets
The team discovered 13 malicious apps impersonating the Jaxx Liberty wallet on the Google Play store. Google has already removed the fake apps.
· Digital Currency
- Australian Bitcoin mining firm Iris Energy secures US$71M financing with NYDIG
The $71 million limited recourse equipment financing facility is secured by 19,800 of Iris Energy’s Bitmain S19j Pro miners, representing a total hash rate of about 1.98 exahash per second (EH/s).
· Digital Currency
- Austin to conduct a study on accepting Bitcoin and other cryptos for tax payments
The fact-funding study will explore other issues associated with the use of cryptos such as financial stability, consumer benefits and risks, financial stability, security concerns, and environmental impact.
· Regulation
- BlackRock considering offering crypto services as client demand continues to rise
BlackRock Inc.’s chief executive officer, Larry Fink, has confirmed that his firm is considering the possibility of offering crypto services to clients.
· Digital Currency
- SK Group’s IT investment arm to launch its own crypto token this year
The token will be used in SK Telecom’s metaverse platform Ifland, SK Planet’s membership program, and 11ST’s e-commerce services.
· Digital Currency
- Bitcoin turns positive for 2022 as BTC rallies above $47K
Bitcoin was able to sustain its weekend momentum and soared to as high as $48,086.84 before retreating to 47,558.58 at the time of writing.
· Digital Currency
- Coinbase requires additional info for crypto transfers from Canada, Singapore, and Japan
The company announced that starting next month, customers in Canada, Japan, and Singapore will be required to supply recipient information.
· Digital Currency
- Decentralized finance sector’s explosive growth could slow down, says Morgan Stanley
The bank said that DeFi won’t be able to sustain its current momentum as regulation and over-collateralization will likely slow down its growth.
· Insights & Views
- Country adoption of Bitcoin could happen in 2023, says Ran Neuner
At the moment, El Salvador is still the only country to have adopted BTC as legal tender but a blockchain expert believes that a number of countries could be adopting BTC as legal tender soon.
· Insights & Views
- Bitcoin, other cryptos will no longer be accepted as payments in Thailand starting April
Thailand's SEC clarified that it will only ban crypto’s use in payments but the trading of crypto and other digital assets are still allowed.
· Regulation
- Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck to merge with a SPAC and list in Nasdaq
Coincheck announced that it has agreed to merge with Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listed in Nasdaq.
· Business
- Malaysian official supports the legalization of crypto and NFTs
The Communications Deputy Minister is calling for the legalization of crypto for certain transactions as he believed in the importance of the crypto industry, describing it as the “business and financial program of th…
· Regulation
- El Salvador companies slowly adopting Bitcoin’s use with 14% of businesses having transacted in BTC
The Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey between January 15 and February 9 this year involving 337 companies to gauge Bitcoin usage among businesses.
· Regulation
- Instagram users can soon display and mint new NFTs on the platform
Non-fungible tokens will soon be making their way to Instagram.
· Business
- Crypto bull market could start this year, says Bitwise’s Matt Hougan
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan believes that the executive order on crypto could set the stage for the next bull market.
· Regulation
- Bitcoin soars past $41K after plunging to as low as $37K during the weekend
The upward trajectory came just a week after U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on crypto on March 9.
· Insights & Views
- Japan orders crypto exchanges to comply with sanctions against Russia or face penalties
Japan’s Ministry of Finance and the FSA jointly announced penalties on crypto platforms that fail to comply with sanctions against Russia, which could include a fine of up to a million yen and jail time for their exec…
· Regulation