The Miss Universe contestant from El Salvador this year has surprised viewers by featuring bitcoin as part of her national costume. El Salvador has adopted the cryptocurrency as legal tender and has passed a new regulatory framework for the issuance of its long-awaited bitcoin-backed Volcano bonds. Bitcoin Showcased in Miss Universe 2023 The Miss Universe
Ethereum has rallied above $1,400 today as on-chain data shows ETH sharks have been busy accumulating recently. Ethereum Shark Addresses Have Grown By 3,000 In the Last Two Months As per data from the on-chain analytics firm Santiment, the current number of shark addresses in the market is the highest since February 2021. The relevant
Tyler Winklevoss, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, has hit out at the regulator charging the exchange over issuing unregistered securities, calling the allegations “super lame” and a “manufactured parking ticket.” In a series of tweets on Jan. 12, Winklevoss shared his disappointment over the charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding Gemini’s
Crypto investors have been urged to keep their eyes peeled for “deepfake” crypto scams to come, with the digital-doppelganger technology continuing to advance, making it harder for viewers to separate fact from fiction. David Schwed, the COO of blockchain security firm Halborn told Cointelegraph that the crypto industry is more “susceptible” to deepfakes than ever
A federal bankruptcy court in the U.S. has ended the FTX naming-rights agreement for Miami Heat’s basketball stadium. The sports venue was branded FTX Arena as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar sponsorship deal between the now-bankrupt crypto exchange and Miami-Dade County in 2021. FTX Signage and Advertising to Be Removed From Downtown Miami Sports
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Jan. 12 charged cryptocurrency lending firm Genesis Global Capital and crypto exchange Gemini with offering unregistered securities through Gemini’s “Earn” program. In December 2020, Genesis, a subsidiary of crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) entered into a deal with Gemini to offer the exchange’s customers the
Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. Huobi’s disgruntled employees According to local media reports, cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global has terminated all year-end employee bonuses and benefits, as well as axed its entire core development staff located in mainland China. The laid-off staff will be instead switched to
While the former CEO of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, awaits his trial at the end of the year, reports indicate that the company donated millions of dollars to early Covid-19 researchers. The research was reportedly used to cast doubt on specific treatments, such as the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Controversy Surrounds Former CEO of FTX
Nigerian crypto exchange Roqqu was granted a virtual currency license for the European Economic Area after two years of waiting for permission from regulatory authorities. The move allows the firm to operate in 30 countries and broaden its services within one of the world’s largest crypto markets. Speaking to Cointelegraph, the company said that it
Republicans in the United States House of Representatives reportedly plan to step up their oversight of the crypto industry with the creation of a new subcommittee. According to a Jan. 12 report from Politco, North Carolina Representative Patrick McHenry, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, said he planned to set up the subcommittee in
Following the launch of Donald Trump’s non-fungible token (NFT) card collection, winners of the Trump-themed prizes are selling prize NFTs on secondary NFT marketplaces such as Opensea. The Polygon-minted NFTs act as passes for a one-on-one Zoom meeting with the 45th president of the United States and a gala dinner with Trump. During the past
Bitcoin (BTC) price has gained 15% in the past 13 days, and during this timeframe, traders’ bearish bets in BTC futures were liquidated in excess of $530 million compared to bulls. After rallying to $19,000 on Jan. 12, Bitcoin reached its highest price since the FTX exchange collapse on Nov. 8. The move was largely
Joseph Bankman, the father of former FTX chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried, has reportedly hired an attorney as the criminal case against his son moves forward. According to a Jan. 12 report from Reuters, Bankman retained Sean Hecker of New York-based law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP. Bankman-Fried’s father reportedly advised and assisted his
Economists at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) took a look at the risks inherent in the crypto ecosystem and came up with a seemingly novel solution. “Develop an alternative,” they advised in a bulletin released on Jan. 12. What they had in mind was central bank digital currency (CBDC). The authors of the bulletin,
In roughly 202 days, the cryptocurrency network Litecoin (LTC) will experience a block reward halving on or around Aug. 3, 2023. Litecoin will be the first major proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain to see a reward reduction before Bitcoin’s upcoming halving, which is expected to occur 203 days from now. Litecoin Halving Set to Occur on or
Actress and model Alejandra Guajardo represented El Salvador in the preliminary competition of the Miss Universe 2022 pageant by wearing a costume featuring Bitcoin during her walk across the stage. In a Jan. 12 post on her Instagram account tagging El Salvador president Nayib Bukele, Guajardo showed herself walking gracefully with a giant colón —
2022 was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for the blockchain industry. While the year’s first quarter looked promising, the crypto industry has been on a downward trajectory ever since. While indications of a global macroeconomic slowdown increase, these headwinds hamper the blockchain industry’s potential recovery. There are some signs of stabilization in the
The United States House of Representatives finally elected a speaker last week, concluding a four-day, 15-ballot ordeal that left many wondering if political gridlock was now the new normal in the U.S., and if so, what the consequences would be. For example, were the concessions made by Republican Kevin McCarthy to secure his election as
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty, the measure of how difficult it is to find a new block and add it to the blockchain, is set to increase significantly on Jan. 15, 2023, according to current estimates. At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty appears to be on track for a 10% increase, rising from 34.09 trillion