Ο Όζι Όσμπορν βγάζει το δικό του... κρυπτονόμισμα

Το όνομα της συλλογής Cryptobatz παραπέμπει στο περιβόητο περιστατικό με το δάγκωμα της νυχτερίδας
Θέματα: Ozzy Osbourne, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26325993&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Ο Οζι Οζμπορν βγάζει το δικό του κρυπτονόμισμα εις ανάμνηση του δαγκώματος της νυχτερίδας

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν ανακοίνωσε την πρώτη του απόπειρα στη βιομηχανία κρυπτογράφησης
Θέματα: Ozzy Osbourne, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26325817&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν βγάζει το δικό του κρυπτονόμισμα

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν ανακοίνωσε την πρώτη του απόπειρα στη βιομηχανία κρυπτογράφησης με την κυκλοφορία του Cryptobatz, μιας συλλογής 9.666 μη ανταλλάξιμων μάρκων. Η συλλογή είναι μία υπενθύμιση του περιβόητου περιστατικού με το δάγκωμα της νυχτερίδας. Στις ...
Θέματα: Ozzy Osbourne, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26325264&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν βγάζει το δικό του κρυπτονόμισμα

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν ανακοίνωσε την πρώτη του απόπειρα στη βιομηχανία κρυπτογράφησης με την κυκλοφορία του Cryptobatz, μιας συλλογής 9.666 μη ανταλλάξιμων......
Θέματα: Ozzy Osbourne, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26324491&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Νέο κρυπτονόμισμα δια χειρός… Όζι Όσμπορν!

Ο Όζι Όσμπορν ανακοίνωσε την πρώτη του απόπειρα στη βιομηχανία κρυπτογράφησης με την κυκλοφορία του Cryptobatz, μιας συλλογής 9.666 μη ανταλλάξιμων μάρκων....
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα, Ozzy Osbourne διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26324427&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Ποια «χρυσή» μετοχή εκτοξεύτηκε χάρη στα bitcoin

Η Jasmine Technology έχει παράγει μόνο οκτώ Bitcoins από τις 325 μηχανές εξόρυξης που διαθέτει από τότε που ξεκίνησε τις εργασίες της πριν από μερικούς μήνες. Ο Soraj αναμένει ότι το επόμενο έτος θα είναι πολύ πιο ενεργό, λόγω των σχεδίων να επενδύσε...
Θέματα: Bitcoin, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26294786&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Ethereum Hashrate Taps Record-Setting 1 Petahash as ETH’s Mining Profitability Remains High

20 days ago, Ethereum’s network participants upgraded the protocol and implemented the Arrow Glacier upgrade. The move delayed Ethereum’s “Ice Age” proof-of-stake (PoS) transition for another six months and this week, the network’s hashrate tapped all-time highs. For the first time, statistics within the six-month range indicate Ethereum’s hashrate surpassed 1 petahash per second (PH/s).

Ethereum Hashrate Taps 1 Petahash

Ethereum (ETH) miners are making profits at the end of the year as a 1.5 gigahash per second (GH/s) ASIC device crafted by Innosilicon makes around $84 per day. On December 27, Ethereum’s network hashrate is coasting along at 992.59 terahash per second (TH/s). ETH’s hashrate has been running hot and statistics within the six-month range show the network saw a high of 1.0122 PH/s.

1 petahash or 1,000 TH/s is a lot more than the 1.51 TH/s dedicated to the Ethereum network on March 21, 2016. That’s an increase of 66,125% since the first recorded hashrate on that day up until today’s Ethereum hashrate. This means it would take 1,000 top-of-the-line 1.5 GH/s machines to process the Ethereum network in the earliest days. With the network close to 1 PH/s today, and if every miner used a 1.5 GH/s device, 1 million machines would be needed to power Ethereum today.

Ethermine, F2pool Command 41% of Ethereum’s Hashrate, Innosilicon A11 Pro the Most Profitable Ether Mining Device

Ethereum’s biggest miner today is ethermine.org with 282.63 TH/s followed by F2pool at 134.81 TH/s. Poolin commands 103.57 TH/s, Hiveon has 93.32 TH/s, and Flexpool has around 46.17 TH/s today. Ethereum’s percentage of hashrate on Nicehash is 46.17 TH/s today, 2miners has 36.86 TH/s, and Antpool is dedicating 33.40 TH/s to the ETH network. Roughly 61 pools are dedicating hash to the Ethereum network on December 27, 2021.

The most profitable ethereum (ETH) miner today is Innosilicon’s A11 Pro ETH 1,500 megahash (MH/s) unit which makes around $84 per day using $0.12 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) at today’s ETH exchange rate. Innosilicon’s A10 Pro+ ETH 750 (MH/s) miner is the second most profitable ETH miner which gets around $41.78 per day using the same rates. 1.5 GH/s ether mining devices are also more profitable than today’s most profitable bitcoin (BTC) miner.

What do you think about the Ethereum network seeing all-time hashrate highs? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Ertha Metaverse Raises $5.4M

Ertha Metaverse, currently the most notable Metaverse and Play-to-Earn projects in BSC blockchain gaming, announced its list of key investors.

They include the world-renowned:

• LD Capital
• Polygon Syndicate
• OKEx Blockdream Ventures
• Shima Capital
• GD10
• Genblock Capital
• Dialectic
• Momentum 6
• X21
• Terranova
• AU21
• Zen Capital
• & Many others.

All have been instrumental to the continued success of the project.

Xi – Partner of LD Capital, the leading investors of Ertha provided insights about the project: “We have no hesitation to invest in Ertha after first call with Ertha team. They have proven track record in both gaming and crypto industries. Coronavirus pandemic has forced governments to take various lockdown measures which placed a huge pressure on economies and businesses. At this challenging time, we believe Ertha is going to gain more adoption from traditional game players and start a new era of Play to Earn.”

To date Ertha raised $5.4 million and recently launched IDO’s on three of blockchain gaming’s most respected launchpads, Seedify, GameFi, and RedKite – the community pools sold out in less than one minute each.

Ertha is going strength-to-strength with its NFT land sales and already sold over 7,500 revenue generating land-plots.

Social media channels are exploding in popularity – Twitter community recently surpassed 70,000 followers, Discord is boasting at 50,000.

Ertha is part of the Solar Multiverse Ecosystem – Ertha, Moon, Venus & other planets.

Introduction to Ertha:

In Ertha, mankind finds itself on the brink of extinction. World leaders failed with their last-ditch attempts at saving Earth, and in the years that followed untold natural disasters devastated the planet.

Players are given the opportunity to right the wrongs of our past by building a new world, from the ground up. Extract resources, develop land, re-build economies, and re-form countries and their governments in the way they see fit. Each player’s actions can have lasting impacts within an ever-evolving metaverse.

Ertha’s Gameplay:

Ertha’s world is a complex and intricately designed playspace ripe for the creation of new governments, economies, and shaky alliances between its player-base. The Metaverse is divided into 350,000 land plots, each of which collects taxes, fees, and other forms of revenue from the transactions taking place on them. Players must balance production, trade, and financial budgets, in order to stay one step ahead of the competition.

For those looking for an introduction to Metaverses and Play-to-Earn gaming, Ertha represents an opportunity like no other.

How does Play-to-Earn Work:

Player ownership is connected to unique NFTs called HEXs. Each HEX grants its owner complete control over their land within the Metaverse.

Ertha has been designed to replicate a real-life environment with a player-driven economy. A Player’s actions, whether political or environmental, in times of conflict or peace, can create real change and have far-reaching consequences.

Owners have a say in everything from international trade laws to taxes on the transactions being conducted in their territory. Just like in the real world, each HEX owner will profit from their real estate investment.

Social Media Channels:

• Twitter : https://twitter.com/ErthaGame
• Discord : https://discord.gg/ertha
• Medium : https://erthium.medium.com/
• YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHiXL-GSDqd9jIa1hsr20Kw
• Telegram : https://t.me/erthagame

 

---

This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below.

from Bitcoin News

This Year’s Top 10 Crypto Asset Gainers Outshined BTC’s and ETH’s 12-Month Returns

Digital currencies had a phenomenal 2021 as the crypto economy surged past a couple of trillion dollars in value this year. Over the last 12 months, bitcoin gained more than 90% in value and ethereum spike more than 540%. However, while those gains are decent, numerous digital assets outperformed those 12 month gains by a long shot, as a few crypto assets have increased a great deal against the U.S. dollar and other fiat currencies.

2021’s Top 10 Crypto Gainers

At the time of writing, the crypto economy is worth $2.5 trillion in value as a great number of tokens swelled in fiat value this year. Many of the leading crypto assets saw decent gains, but a number of tokens have eclipsed the 12-month gains captured by leading digital assets like bitcoin and ethereum. The following is a look at the top ten crypto asset gains during the course of the last 12 months.

Gala (GALA) — +212,036% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.16%

According to statistics, the blockchain gaming platform token gala (GALA) has increased 212,036% during the course of the year. On December 27, GALA is exchanging hands for $0.507 per unit to $0.547 in terms of its 24-hour range. Gala has an overall market capitalization of around $4 billion on Monday with $774 million in global trade volume.

Axie Infinity (AXS) — +18,957% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.29%

The blockchain gaming platform token axie infinity (AXS) has increased 18,957% during the last 12 months. At the time of writing, AXS has an overall market valuation of around $7.48 billion and there’s $238 million in AXS trade volume today. On Monday, the 24-hour price range for AXS has been between $106 to $111 per token.

Content Value Network (CVNT) — +18,572% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.00%

CVNT is considered a native token for a new generation decentralized storage network and layer 2 (L2) system. During the last two weeks, CVNT gained 66.9% and 24-hour range metrics indicate CVNT has been exchanging hands for $1.23 to $1.31 per unit. CVNT’s market cap is around $21.6 million and has around $32,379 in 24-hour global trade volume. Year-to-date, CVNT jumped 18,572% in value against the U.S. dollar.

Terra (LUNA) — +17,589% — Market Cap Dominance: 1.34%

The smart contract platform Terra Protocol and its native digital asset LUNA has seen extreme gains during the last 12 months jumping 17,589% in value. LUNA has a market capitalization of around $34.9 billion and $2.5 billion in global trade volume. The crypto asset is ranked the ninth largest market cap and LUNA’s 24-hour range has been between $96 to $103 per unit today.

The Sandbox (SAND) — +17,497% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.24%

The metaverse token SAND has climbed 17,497% higher since the start of the year and the crypto asset currently has an overall market capitalization of around $6.1 billion. SAND’s 24-hour price range has been between $6.53 to $6.81 per SAND on Monday. The metaverse token’s 24-hour trade volume today is just over $1 billion.

Ecomi (OMI) — +16,247% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.06%

The distributed ledger technology platform Ecomi’s native digital asset OMI risen by 16,247% in 12 months. The crypto asset has a market cap of around $1.6 billion and $3.8 million in global trade volume. 24-hour price range metrics show OMI has been exchanging hands for $0.00637985 to $0.00671183 per unit.

Solana (SOL) — +15,217% — Market Cap Dominance: 2.43%

The smart contract platform Solana’s native asset SOL climbed 15,217% during the course of 2021. SOL is ranked fifth among 12,000+ crypto assets in existence today in terms of market valuation size. SOL’s market cap today is around $62.9 million and SOL has around $1.5 billion in global trade volume. Over the last day, SOL has been exchanging hands for $196 to $204 per coin.

Polygon (MATIC) — +14,352% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.74%

The Polygon blockchain network’s digital asset MATIC increased by 14,352% this year. MATIC has an overall market valuation of around $19.3 billion on Monday and $1.6 billion in 24-hour trade volume. Over the last two weeks, MATIC has increased 33.9% in fiat value and 24-hour range metrics show its trading for $2.78 to $2.92 per coin.

Fantom (FTM) — +13,820% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.23%

The digital asset fantom (FTM) increased a great deal this year, joining the biggest 2021 crypto gainers with a gain of 13,820% during the last year. FTM’s 24-hour range today has been between $2.25 to $2.45 per coin. FTM has an overall market valuation of around $5.9 billion and $768 million in global trade volume.

Flux (FLUX) — +11,018% — Market Cap Dominance: 0.02%

The digital currency flux (FLUX) jumped 11,018% in value during the last year and has an overall market valuation of around $526 million. Flux has been trading for $2.32 to $2.50 per unit on Monday with $39.4 million in global trade volume. Over the last two weeks, flux has increased in value against the U.S. dollar by 29.1%.

What do you think about this year’s top ten digital asset gainers? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Το Γιβραλτάρ θέλει να γίνει ο παγκόσμιος «παράδεισος» των κρυπτονομισμάτων

Το Γιβραλτάρ φιλοδοξεί να γίνει κόμβος κρυπτονομισμάτων, σε μία κίνηση υψηλού ρίσκου που αν αποτύχει κινδυνεύει να βλάψει τη φήμη της χερσονήσου και να επιφέρει διπλωματικές κυρώσεις. Στη νότια ακτή της Μεσογείου, ανάμεσα σε απότομους ασβεστολιθικούς...
Θέματα: Γιβραλτάρ, Ιβηρική Χερσόνησος, Κρυπτονομίσματα, Μεσόγειος Θάλασσα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26297216&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Bank of Russia Wants to Restrict Crypto Investments by Blocking Card Payments, Report Reveals

The Central Bank of Russia is currently reviewing various ways to prevent Russians from investing in cryptocurrency. One the options on the table is to block card payments to certain recipients such as crypto exchanges, a media report has unveiled. A recent meeting at the State Duma has indicated, however, that the authority’s hardline stance is not backed by other government institutions in Moscow.

Russia’s Central Bank Considers Mechanisms to Limit Crypto Investments

In talks with financial market participants, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has been discussing several approaches to restricting access to cryptocurrencies for domestic investors, the Russian edition of Forbes magazine has revealed, quoting sources familiar with the matter. According to Andrey Mikhaylishin, founder of a crypto project tested in the regulator’s sandbox, one of the options under consideration is to block card payments to crypto platforms.

The monetary authority may try to oblige banks to stop transactions with certain Merchant Category Codes (MCC), four-digit numbers assigned to the recipients of payments depending on the services they offer. The code used for digital asset exchanges is 6051, the report notes. Mikhaylishin learned that the idea had been discussed from a central bank employee and the publication was able to confirm the information from its own source close to the CBR.

While Bank of Russia recommended commercial banks block cards and wallet accounts used by suspicious entities, among which it listed crypto exchange service providers, the institution has yet to release an advisory report detailing its comprehensive position on cryptocurrencies. The report should be reviewed by a working group set up at the State Duma which is now considering regulations for crypto-related activities that remain outside the scope of the law “On Digital Financial Assets.” This law went into force at the beginning of the year.

The group held its first meeting at the lower house of Russia’s parliament on Tuesday. During the discussions, Deputy Governor Olga Skorobogatova made it clear the regulator was not drafting a law that would ban cryptocurrencies but at the same time, she emphasized the CBR’s firm opposition to their circulation in the country. The central bank plans to prohibit crypto investments, Skorobogatova said, according to the sources quoted by Forbes — an employee of the authority and another official, who were present at the meeting.

Bank of Russia Alone in Its Conservative Approach to Cryptocurrency Regulation

The two sources also shared that Bank of Russia’s hardline position was not fully supported by the other participants. Deputy director of Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service, Herman Neglyad, proposed allowing cryptocurrencies to circulate while imposing strict controls over financial flows between the crypto space and the traditional financial system. Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev suggested limiting crypto purchases, but only for non-qualified investors.

In his opinion, it’s now too late to completely ban cryptocurrency, given that 10 million Russian citizens have already acquired one coin or another, as per the department’s own calculations. According to the Russian Association of Cryptoeconomics, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain (Racib), 17.3 million people in Russia have crypto wallets and the real number may be even higher as the data does not cover traders who use VPNs.

The ministry’s press service commented to Forbes that banning cryptocurrencies now would create a lot of problems for Russians, as such a move would make their holdings illegal. Estimates quoted in Bank of Russia’s Financial Stability Overview for Q2 and Q3 of 2021 indicate that the annual volume of digital currency transactions made by Russian residents amounts to around $5 billion. And according to the head of the Financial Market Committee at the Duma, Anatoly Aksakov, Russians have invested 5 trillion rubles in crypto (over $67 billion).

Do you expect Russia to restrict card payments to cryptocurrency exchanges? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Ποια «χρυσή» μετοχή εκτοξεύτηκε χάρη στα bitcoin

Η Jasmine Technology έχει παράγει μόνο οκτώ Bitcoins από τις 325 μηχανές εξόρυξης που διαθέτει από τότε που ξεκίνησε τις εργασίες της πριν από μερικούς μήνες. Ο Soraj αναμένει ότι το επόμενο έτος θα είναι πολύ πιο ενεργό, λόγω των σχεδίων να επενδύσε...
Θέματα: Bitcoin, Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26294786&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Colombian Real Estate Platform Allows Users to Acquire Property With Bitcoin

A Colombian real estate platform is now allowing users to purchase properties with Bitcoin. The platform, called La Haus, is promoting bitcoin payments for a new real estate project in Santa Marta, called Natura City. This is an expansion of the platform, which has already established such a service in Mexico.

La Haus to Allow Colombian Citizens to Buy Real Estate With Bitcoin

A Colombian real estate platform, La Haus, is enabling bitcoin investors to buy real estate with the cryptocurrency directly. To kickstart this initiative in the country, the platform is featuring a new housing project in an exclusive part of Santa Marta, called Natura City. The location is less than 200 meters from the Colombian beaches and construction of the complex is estimated for completion by 2025.

La Haus partnered with payment processor OpenNode for this task and allows users to pay for the properties via Lightning Network or on-chain, depending on the needs of the buyer. The buyer can pay 100% in bitcoin, or just pay a portion of the total in BTC, paying the remaining amount via traditional avenues. Each apartment is valued at approximately 2.19 bitcoin or 400 million Colombian Pesos.

Expanding From Mexico

This is not the first time La Haus has been involved with cryptocurrency payments in the sector. Earlier this year, in November, the company started accepting bitcoin payments for a housing development on Playa del Carmen, Mexico. At that time, La Haus stated that its intention was to extend this payment option to all of the properties listed on its platform.

On the evolution of accepting bitcoin payments, La Haus president and co-founder Rodrigo Sanchez-Rios, stated:

We think that Bitcoin will be the reserve currency of the future. At our core, we’re a tech company. It’s natural for us to be pioneers with this technology.

However, the issue of bitcoin as a payment method for real estate companies can be complex due to regulations. In the U.S., bitcoin can be considered property, so that any income or loss resulting from the sale of the asset is subject to capital gains tax. Real estate purchases in crypto continue, however, such as the purchase of an apartment in Venezuela with stablecoin tether.

What do you think about La Haus accepting bitcoin payments for real estate in Colombia? Tell us in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Million-Dollar Digital Collectibles: An In-Depth Look at the Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Sold This Year

2021 is coming to an end and one prominent theme this year in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology most definitely belongs to non-fungible token (NFT) assets. This year NFTs became a billion-dollar industry and many NFTs have sold for millions of dollars. The following is a look at the top ten NFTs, in terms of sale value in 2021, as they are considered the most expensive NFTs on earth.

2021’s Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs

Billions of dollars in digital assets have been traded for NFTs and various collections have significantly sized market valuations. For instance, according to dappradar.com metrics, the Axie Infinity NFT collection has captured $3.81 billion across 11.4 million sales. Cryptopunks is the second-largest NFT collection in terms of overall sales with $2.32 billion.

The Cryptopunks collection itself has a market capitalization of around $3 billion today, while Bored Ape Yacht Club’s market cap is $2.5 billion. There’s also a list of the most expensive NFTs ever sold and single NFTs that have sold for multi-millions in digital currency. The list below excludes the controversial Cryptopunk #9998 sale that took place two months ago for 124,450 ether or $529 million.

Pak: ‘The Merge’ — $91.8M

While Beeple held the top position in terms of the most expensive NFT ever sold for most of 2021, at the end of the year a non-fungible token designed by the NFT artist Pak sold for $91.8 million via Nifty Gateway. The NFT called “The Merge,” however, was fractionalized and distributed to 28,983 traders who obtained roughly 312,686 fractionalized pieces of “The Merge” NFT crafted by Pak.

Beeple: ‘Everydays – The First 5,000 Days’ — $69.3M

The American artist Michael Winkelmann, otherwise known as Beeple, made history this year when he sold the NFT “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days” for $69.3 million via a Christie’s auction. This particular sale helped propel NFTs into the limelight and non-fungible token assets were noticed by mainstream audiences. Beeple is one of the most well-known NFT artists today and he also launched his own NFT marketplace called We.new.

Beeple: ‘Human One’ — $28.98M

On November 9, Beeple took the third position in terms of the next most expensive NFT ever sold with “Human One.” The “Human One” NFT is a life-sized 3D sculpture NFT shows an individual in a silver-colored space suit but can change on the whims of the artist. Beeple promises he will update “Human One” during his lifetime, so the art can change and vary from day to day. The 21st Century Evening Sale auction of “Human One” saw a realized price of $28,985,000.

Larva Labs: Cryptopunk #7523 — $11.75M

Last June, at London’s auction house Sotheby’s, Cryptopunk #7523 sold at auction for $11.75 million. Besides Cryptopunk #9998, Cryptopunk #7523 is considered the most expensive Cryptopunk NFT from the Cryptopunks collection crafted by Larva Labs. Cryptopunk #7523 is also a rare styled Cryptopunk dubbed: “Covid Alien.”

Larva Labs: Cryptopunk #4156 — $10.35M

Two weeks ago, Cryptopunk #4156 sold for 2,500 ether or $10.35 million according to dappradar.com stats. Cryptopunk #4156 is a rare ape-styled Cryptopunk and only 24 exist. Dappradar.com’s site estimates it’s worth around $3.75 million and it has a floor price of around 66 ether or $275,285.

Larva Labs: Cryptopunk #7804 — $7.56M

Dappradar.com stats show Cryptopunk #7804 sold for $7.56 million or 4,200 ether. The blue Cryptopunk with a hat, sunglasses, and a pipe sold for that price ten months ago. The NFT is the sixth most expensive NFT on the planet, according to today’s metrics, while Cryptopunk #3100 sold for a touch less.

Larva Labs: Cryptopunk #3100 — $7.51M

The bald-headed Cryptopunk #3100 with a headband sold for $7.51 million ten months ago as well. Dappradar.com stats indicate that Cryptopunk #3100 has a floor price of around 66.95 ether or $275,285, but estimates the worth to be around $1.69 million.

Xcopy: ‘Right-click and Save As guy’ — $7.09M

Three weeks ago, the NFT artist Xcopy’s “Right-click and Save As guy” NFT sold for 1,600 ether or $7.09 million. The NFT was purchased by Snoop Dogg’s NFT alias ‘Cozomo de Medici’ via Superrare.

Art Blocks: Ringers #109 — $6.93M

Ringers #109 from the Art Blocks collection sold for 2,100 ether or $6.93 million, according to dappradar.com metrics. The sale was executed three months ago and there’s a total of 99,000 Art Block NFTs in existence. The Art Block NFTs are on-demand art generative-styled collectibles.

Beeple: ‘Crossroad’ — $6.6M

Once again, Beeple, takes the tenth position with his animated 10-second short called “Crossroad.” The animated NFT featuring former U.S. president Donald Trump sold for $6.6 million at the end of February. “Crossroad” was first sold on Nifty Gateway, but the $6.6 million sale was executed via a secondary market.

Other notable NFT sales this year include Xcopy’s “A Coin for the Ferryman,” which sold for $6.03 million. Cryptopunk #8857 for $6.64 million, the Ross Ulbricht Genesis NFT sold for $6.28 million and has been fractionalized. The fractionalized Doge NFT is worth $124.61 million according to the market cap growth over time, and Etherrock #72 has a market valuation of $18.55 million today, but it didn’t originally sell for that value.

What do you think about the top ten non-fungible token collectibles in terms of price? Would you spend this kind of money on an NFT? Let us know what you think about these expensive NFTs in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

The Opendao Gives Xmas Airdrop to Opensea Users

New decentralized organization Opendao gave users of Opensea, one of the biggest NFT marketplaces by trading volume, a gift on Christmas. The organization launched its own token and organized an airdrop to distribute it to users that had purchased NFTs using Opensea, allowing them to claim 50% of the total supply of SOS, its native token, as an act of gratitude for popularizing NFTs.

Opensea Users Receive Opendao Airdrop

Users of Opensea got a Christmas gift this year from a new DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) that launched an airdrop to thank users of the marketplace and show its gratitude for their support of the NFT environment. Opendao launched on Christmas day, and it airdropped 50% of its total supply to all users that have traded NFTs and transacted on the Opensea marketplace since day one. The snapshot for this airdrop was taken on December 23.

The organization claims that 20% of its total issuance will be destined to compensate verified scam victims on Opensea with SOS, the native token of the DAO, and support emerging artists and their original work.

After the initial concern about authorizing an unknown contract to have control over users’ Ethereum wallets, according to reports on social media, heavy users of Opensea received airdrops of thousands of dollars in SOS. At the time of writing, more than 240K addresses have claimed the SOS airdrop, and the token has been listed on two centralized exchanges, Oxex and Kucoin.

A New Way to Airdrop

The dynamic of the Opendao airdrop is different from others that have been organized before. This is the opinion of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who praised the way this particular airdrop was organized. He stated:

OK — b4 all the VC thinkpieces start…. these airdrops (like $ENS before it) flip script on how EVERYONE will value their time + spending online👉 u’re finally rewarded 4 using. It’s bringing incentives that I love (as a founder/investor) to the COMMUNITY that makes it all work.

He further detailed that as the blockchain is a public record, many parties can organize these airdrops, and in the future, there will be a lot of spam crowding people’s wallets. However, he remarked there will be great projects coming out.

SOS has experienced notable growth in price since its launch. According to price data provided by Coingecko, the coin went from a price of $0.00000140 when launched to $0.00001108. It has since retraced to an intermediate price of $0.00000650.

What do you think about the Opendao airdrop for Opensea users? Tell us in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

UST Gets Listed on Binance and Huobi, Propelling Terra to $100

UST, the main stablecoin of the Terra project, is being integrated into Binance and Huobi, two leading exchanges by trading volume, expanding the options that users have to trade the stablecoin. After these announcements, The price of LUNA, the governance asset of the Terra project, broke its previous all-time high, going over $100 for the first time in its history.

UST Gets Attention From Huobi and Binance

UST, the most used stablecoin from the Terra project, has reached a milestone now that two leading exchanges by volume traded have included it in their platforms. Huobi, an Asian exchange, announced it would include the asset in its Pioneer Zone on December 23, and launched a contest to entice the trade of the new currency, offering 210,000 UST to platform users.

Binance also reported the listing of the stablecoin the same day, stating it would be offering three different UST trading pairs: UST/BTC, UST/BUSD, and UST/USDT. In contrast, Huobi only confirmed one trading pair, against USDT. The news was well received by Do Kwon, founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, who celebrated it, stating:

Now there is literally no reason to subject your internet money to censorship risk. Happy holidays, everyone!

LUNA Breaks Record Levels Again

The market cap of the Terra stablecoin has experienced significant growth in just the last week, going from $8.8 billion on December 18 to almost $9.8 billion on December 24. Just after the Binance announcement, more than 200 million UST were issued. This, according to the dynamic of the issuance of the token, might have influenced the rise in the price of LUNA.

LUNA, the governance token of the Terra project, is used to mint UST. As more UST is minted, the supply of LUNA shrinks, making it a more scarce product. This might, depending on market conditions, contribute to a hypothetical price rise.

After the listing announcements the price of LUNA reacted favorably, breaking its recently established all-time high of a little more than $80, established on December 20. This was when UST flipped DAI, the Ethereum-collateralized stablecoin, as the most valuable decentralized stablecoin cryptocurrency project. The price of LUNA reached $100.84 yesterday, aided by the rebound of the general cryptocurrency market, and has retraced to a little more than $95 since.

What do you think about Binance and Huobi listing UST, and the recent price rise of LUNA? Tell us in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Κρυπτονομίσματα: Το 2021 έγιναν κατεστημένο - Πόσα κεφάλαια προσέλκυσαν

Τα venture capital funds «έριξαν» το 2021 περίπου 30 δισ. δολάρια στα crypto, περισσότερο από ότι...
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα, Funds διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26282172&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Dogecoin Foundation Says It’s Working With Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin on a Staking Concept

According to the Dogecoin Foundation, the organization is working with Vitalik Buterin on constructing proof-of-stake (PoS) capabilities for the Dogecoin network. The “uniquely Doge proposal” is aimed at bolstering a “community staking” version of the protocol.

Dogecoin Foundation Discusses the Project’s ‘Trailmap’

On December 23, the Dogecoin Foundation’s official Twitter account tweeted about the digital currency network’s “Trailmap,” a set of initiatives that essentially detail the proposed direction of the Dogecoin blockchain and ecosystem. The Dogecoin Foundation says that a traditional crypto “roadmap” is a rigid summary of a cryptocurrency network’s direction and usually it’s “led by a single company or ‘lead.’”

The foundation behind the Dogecoin blockchain protocol says Dogecoin has always been “community-driven” with “many individual and organisational contributors.” “Dogecoin is a community-driven, consensus-based open-source project and its direction is formed by the many individuals and organisational contributors to the various projects of the Dogecoin blockchain [and] ecosystem,” the Dogecoin Foundation’s blog post notes. The Dogecoin Trailmap adds:

This Trailmap represents a dog-walk the Dogecoin Foundation is committed to exploring and that we believe will contribute to Dogecoin’s success.

The Trailmap explains a number of projects and proposals the foundation is working on and it shared the recently released Dogecoin Manifesto the organization published in August. Essentially, the Trailmap’s fundamentals stress that the crypto asset’s utility equates to adoption.

Gigawallet Project and Working With Vitalik on a Community Staking Version of PoS

One of the projects mentioned is the Gigawallet Project, which is “an open-source initiative aimed at filling that gap by providing a node / API solution that can be set up in seconds and allow a developer to add Dogecoin transactions to their platform, as easily as they might with any polished payment provider.” The Dogecoin Foundation believes the Gigawallet Project will “rapidly accelerate” dogecoin (DOGE) adoption.

In addition to the Gigawallet Project, the foundation also claims it’s working with the co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin. “The Foundation [is] also working with Vitalik on crafting a uniquely Doge proposal for a ‘Community Staking’ version of PoS that will allow everyone, not just the big players to participate in a way that rewards them for their contribution to running the network, and at the same time gives back to the whole community through charitable causes,” the Trailmap details.

The foundation’s PoS proposal follows Buterin’s statements about collaborating with the Dogecoin community back in June. The Ethereum co-creator discussed the subject on the Lex Fridman podcast. “If Doge wants to somehow bridge to Ethereum, and then people can trade doge thousands of times a second inside a loop ring, then that would be amazing,” Buterin said at the time.

Furthermore, last September, co-founder of Dogecoin Billy Markus suggested that an Ethereum bridge and compatible non-fungible token (NFT) markets would enhance the Dogecoin network. “Two things I believe would help Dogecoin: [The] completion of DOGEETH bridge, [and] NFT platforms (e.g. Opensea) allowing for the DOGE-ETH token to be used for purchases,” Markus remarked on Twitter. “NFTs purchasing is in high demand with crypto. Allowing for DOGE purchases of NFTs greatly increases its utility.”

What do you think about the Dogecoin Foundation’s Trailmap and the foundation working with Vitalik on some sort of Doge PoS system? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Μετά από μία σπουδαία χρονιά για τα κρυπτονομίσματα, το 2022 υπόσχεται να είναι εξίσου…άγριο και συναρπαστικό

του Rey Mashayekhi Για την τελική έκδοση της στήλης The Ledger για το 2021, πρέπει να αναλογιστούμε την ιστορική χρονιά για τα κρυπτονομίσματα που φεύγει. Ήταν ένα σημείο καμπής για τα ψηφιακά περιουσιακά στοιχεία – η χρονιά που εισήλθαν στην κυρίως ...
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26274118&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Marathon Announced New Purchase of Bitmain Miners, Expects to Reach 23.3 EH/s for Early 2023

Marathon, one of the leading bitcoin mining companies in North America announced it has entered a new purchase agreement with Bitmain, a bitcoin mining machine manufacturer. This deal would allow them to acquire an undisclosed number of Antminer S19 XP models, an ASIC capable of delivering 140 TH/s while being more efficient than its previous iterations. Marathon hopes to host 199,000 miners by early 2023.

Marathon Keeps Buying Miners

Marathon Digital Holdings, one of the largest bitcoin mining companies in the world, announced today it entered a new purchase agreement with Bitmain. The agreement will allow the company to get ahold of a number of mining machines to expand its hashrate capacity next year. The machines purchased are Antminer S19 XPs, one of the newest miners developed by the Chinese manufacturer, able to deliver 140 TH/s of mining power while being more energy-efficient than its predecessors.

While the manufacturer did not explain how many miners were ordered in this new agreement, it did estimate that with this new batch of miners, which are expected to ship between July 2022 and December 2022, it will have more than 199,000 miners producing 23.3 EH of hashrate by 2023. This will constitute an increase of 600% in its capacity when compared to its current hashrate, according to Peter Thiel, CEO of Marathon. He further elaborated, stating that:

Given the strength of our balance sheet and our asset-light model, which allows us to invest our capital into mining machines rather than infrastructure, we were uniquely positioned to place the largest single order of S19 XPs, in terms of total hash rate, Bitmain has ever received.

A Year of Growth

This announcement closes a year of growth, in which Marathon has constantly secured miners for its facilities all around the United States. Last August, Marathon reported the purchase of 30,000 S19j Pro miners, also from Bitmain, At that time, the company estimated that this batch would add 13 EH/s to its already existent mining power. The cost of the miner batch was $120 million.

Furthermore, earlier this month, the company announced it had secured hosting for more than 100K miners in a deal with Compute North, that would also allow them to power most of these miners with renewables, including solar and wind.

The company even communicated it had planned to raise $500 million in senior notes to acquire bitcoin or more bitcoin mining machines in November.

What do you think about Marathon’s latest deal with Bitmain? Tell us in the comments section down below.

from Bitcoin News

Τι πρέπει να ξέρετε πριν επενδύσετε σε κρυπτονομίσματα – Οι συμβουλές των investment bankers

Σύμφωνα με έκθεση του ΔΝΤ, περισσότερα από 16.000 διαφορετικά κρυπτονομίσματα έχουν εισαχθεί σε διάφορα χρηματιστήρια, ενώ μόνο τα 9.000 περίπου παραμένουν σήμερα ενεργά...
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα, Έκθεσή Δντ, Διεθνές Νομισματικό Ταμείο διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26273684&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Τάσεις και προσδοκίες 21-22: Η οικονομία”πρασινίζει”, τα κρυπτονομίσματα καθιερώνονται και τα διεθνή χρηματιστήρια αυξάνουν τα κέρδη τους

Κάθε βδομάδα με τον Κώστα Μποτόπουλο  Ας κλείσουμε τον απολογισμό της φετινής οικονομικής χρονιάς με κάποιες μεγάλες τάσεις που θα τεθούν σε δοκιμασία αλλά και πιθανώς θα διαμορφώσουν το άμεσο μέλλον. Το “πρασίνισμα” της οικονομίας Η βασική εξέλιξη, ...
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26272288&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Κρυπτονομίσματα: Ανακτά τη δυναμική του τo Bitcoin

Κρυπτονομίσματα: Ανακτά τη δυναμική του τo Bitcoinnvlaxos Παρ., 24/12/2021 - 13:20
Θέματα: Κρυπτονομίσματα, Bitcoin διαβάστε περισσότερα στην πηγή https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26265082&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Οι τρεις λόγοι που το ΔΝΤ ανησυχεί για τα κρυπτονομίσματα

διαβάστε εδώ https://indicator.gr/oi-treis-logoi-poy-to-dnt-anisychei-gia-ta-kryptonomismata

from Crypto Greece

Ξανά πάνω από 50.000 δολ. το Bitcoin και από 4000 δολ. το Ethereum

διαβάστε εδώ https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26268470&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Οι 2+1 σκόπελοι που απειλούν το Bitcoin

διαβάστε εδώ https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26268412&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Business leaders παραιτούνται από τις θέσεις τους σε Google, Twitter και Amazon για να μπουν στα κρυπτονομίσματα

διαβάστε εδώ https://www.itspossible.gr/business-leaders-παραιτούνται-από-τις-θέσεις-τους-σ/

from Crypto Greece

Έτος bear market για τα cryptos το 2022 – Ποιοι παράγοντες φέρνουν τον «χειμώνα»

διαβάστε εδώ https://www.topics.gr/rdrxml.php?n=26229933&ai=

from Crypto Greece

Former Finance Secretary Doubts Indian Government Understands Crypto

The Indian government has not introduced the cryptocurrency bill that was listed to be taken up in the winter session of parliament. Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg says he has no confidence in the ability of the Indian government to figure out crypto. Garg headed the inter-ministerial committee that drafted the original crypto bill that proposes banning cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.

India Fails to Introduce Crypto Bill in Parliament Again

The Indian government has failed to introduce the cryptocurrency bill that was listed to be taken up in the winter session of Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament. The session ended Thursday.

Commenting on the government’s failure to introduce the crypto bill, former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg told IANS publication Thursday that “he had no confidence in the ability of government to figure out the complexities of this new crypto phenomenon,” the news outlet conveyed. He was further quoted as saying:

I expressed serious doubts when the government had expressed its intent to present the bill about the introduction of the crypto-assets/currencies bill in the winter session of parliament. I am, therefore, not surprised to see the present situation where there is zero clarity over what is the bill.

The Indian government has not revealed what’s in the crypto bill. However, there are reports that the government has decided to regulate crypto assets but ban the use of cryptocurrencies for payments. The country’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, recently said that the bill needed to be reworked.

The original crypto bill was drafted by the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) headed by Garg. The “Banning of Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2019” proposed banning all cryptocurrencies and regulating digital currencies to be issued by the central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). However, Garg, who has resigned from his government job, now believes that crypto assets should be regulated as commodities.

This was the second time that the Indian government failed to introduce a crypto bill after listing it on parliamentary agendas. The first time was in the budget session in February.

According to Garg, the Indian government is caught between two opposing sides: the RBI and the crypto industry. Noting that the government seems unable to make a decision, he described:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), believing that crypto-technology and businesses are only in the currency business, has been constantly hammering the government to ban the cryptocurrencies and statutorily empower RBI to issue digital bank notes.

The RBI said at its recent meeting of the central board of directors that cryptocurrencies must be fully banned, emphasizing that a partial ban will not work. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has reiterated several times that the central bank has serious and major concerns regarding cryptocurrencies.

Garg added: “The cryptocurrency exchanges, applying the force from the other side, want the government to treat cryptocurrencies as assets and statutorily create a regulatory mechanism for the same.”

He explained that the government also faces other critical issues, including crypto being potentially misused for hawala and money laundering, investments worth billions of dollars escaping overseas, and crypto investors not paying capital gains tax.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that cryptocurrency should be used to empower democracy and not undermine it. He urged Democratic countries to work together to ensure that cryptocurrencies do not fall into the wrong hands. Last week, his Twitter account was hacked and a tweet was posted stating that India has adopted bitcoin as legal tender and the government has purchased BTC to distribute to residents.

What do you think about India failing to introduce a crypto bill in parliament again? And, what do you think of Garg’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Bybit’s Jolly Jamboree: Trade and Win Tesla Model 3, iPhone 13 and More

‘Tis the season of giving and Bybit, one of the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency exchange and trading platforms, wants to give back to its users. Users can now celebrate Christmas with Bybit through Jolly Jamboree, where they can win amazing prizes by completing a series of simple tasks.

The festive assortment of gifts in Bybit’s sleigh includes Amazon gift cards, an iPhone 13, and the best prize of all — a Tesla Model 3.

It’s easy for users to add a little more Christmas sparkle to their holiday haul. From Dec. 22, 2021, 10AM UTC to Jan. 12, 2022, 10AM UTC, all they have to do is to start clearing different tasks to unlock attractive rewards like $100 in USDT while collecting special Christmas reward cards.

There are a total of 3 Christmas cards. Once all cards are collected, users will be automatically enrolled into the Jolly Jamboree grand lucky draw for a chance to drive off with a Tesla Model 3.

Join the Jolly Jamboree today and start trading to win big! https://www.bybit.com/en-US/jolly-jamboree/

About Bybit

Bybit was established in March 2018 and is trusted by millions of users globally. It offers Spot and Derivatives trading across three contracts with best-in-class liquidity so traders are always in optimal positions to make the best trades.

Built on customer-centric values of “Listen, Care, and Improve”, Bybit aims to bring next level trading to all its users by creating a fair, transparent, and efficient exchange environment.

 

---

This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below.

from Bitcoin News

Avalanche Adding Fiat Payments via Alchemy Pay (ACH) Integration

PRESS RELEASE. Avalanche has announced the integration of flexible fiat payment on-ramps on their network, thanks to a new integration with Alchemy Pay. Alchemy Pay is a payment solution that bridges fiat and crypto economies and it will now offer support for Avalanche’s public blockchain’s native token AVAX for payments. Avalanche also announced they will be joining Alchemy Pay as a founding member of the Blockchain Infrastructure Alliance.

Avalanche is a layer-1 blockchain that aims to digitise the world’s assets on what is currently the fastest smart contracts platform in the industry. This year, it has seen a huge growth in activity by attracting developers to create a thriving decentralized finance ecosystem. It offers compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, meaning developers can seamlessly port applications from Ethereum. Avalanche makes launching DeFi applications simple and makes it possible to deploy customised blockchains that fit an application’s needs.

The integration with Alchemy Pay aids Avalanche developers because it enables applications hosted in the Avalanche protocol to onboard users via direct fiat on-ramps for traditional payment platforms with the likes of Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and multiple local payment channels around the world. Despite the flexibility and speed of the Avalanche network, a major factor behind adoption is the ability to bring in new users who don’t necessarily have blockchain expertise.

John Tan, Alchemy Pay’s CEO, explained, “We like the idea that people will have an easy experience when they come to blockchain and DApps. By providing standard fiat channels we can allow users to enter the ecosystem directly. We want to get to the point where users can enter the crypto economy because they’re attracted by a particular app and not necessarily because they have prior knowledge of the blockchain and crypto space.”

Alchemy Pay has also integrated the AVAX token into its global crypto-fiat gateway so that it can be more widely used for business to business or customer to business payments. The payment network currently supports use in 65 countries and has more than 300 payment channels. It has a global reach of more than 2 million merchants through partnerships with mainstream payment and e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Arcadier, and QFPay.

The AVAX token that is used to pay online or in-store on the Alchemy Pay network can be converted automatically to fiat currency for the convenience of merchant partners. Alchemy Pay is focused on broadening crypto payment acceptance by offering low fees and fast settlement without requiring businesses to adopt new hardware.

The ability to handle transactions between fiat and cryptocurrencies attracts new users and this integration means AVAX can now move seamlessly between blockchain and non-blockchain economies. It will also encourage users to view AVAX as a medium for interacting with DApps.

Over the past months, Alchemy Pay has integrated a number of leading cryptocurrencies onto its global crypto-fiat network, including $MATIC, $TRX, and $NEO. It also recently co-founded the Blockchain Infrastructure Alliance (BIA) alongside NEO, NEAR and Polygon. The alliance brings together industry leaders, innovators, and investors to create synergies across all areas of blockchain technology and collectively promote the development of decentralized finance.

The rise of Avalanche in the past few months has been impressive, with the total value locked going from less than $1B USD in August to $12B+ today. It’s inclusion as a founding member of the Blockchain Infrastructure Alliance will bring Avalanche closer to other leaders in the space and further strengthen BIA’s ability creating a more unified blockchain industry.

About Alchemy Pay

Alchemy Pay is an integrated fiat and cryptocurrency gateway solutions provider, powering seamless crypto and fiat acceptance for merchant networks, developers, and financial institutions. The company drives adoption of blockchain technology by making crypto investment, commercial transactions, and DeFi services readily accessible to consumers and institutions in the fiat economy. Today, Alchemy Pay supports over 65 countries with 200 payment channels and has touchpoints with more than 2 million merchants through partnerships with industry giants such as Binance, Shopify, Arcadier, QFPay and more.

Website: alchemypay.org

Twitter：twitter.com/alchemypay

Telegram: t.me/alchemy_official

About Avalanche

Avalanche is the fastest smart contracts platform in the blockchain industry, as measured by time-to-finality, and has the most validators securing its activity of any proof-of-stake protocol. Avalanche is blazingly fast, low cost, and green. Any smart contract-enabled application can outperform its competition by deploying on Avalanche. Don’t believe it? Try Avalanche today.

Website: avax.network

Twitter：twitter.com/avalancheavax

Telegram: t.me/avalancheavax

 

---

This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

from Bitcoin News

Ripple Achieves ‘Strongest Year Ever’ Despite SEC Lawsuit Over XRP, Says CEO

Ripple has achieved the “strongest year ever” despite the lawsuit over XRP by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to CEO Brad Garlinghouse. “Calling crypto the ‘Wild West’ is a farce,” he said, emphasizing that “most are complying with financial regulators globally.”

Ripple Has Best Year Despite SEC’s Lawsuit Over XRP

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse talked about his company’s achievement and cryptocurrency regulation in a series of tweets Wednesday. He explained that despite the lawsuit over XRP, Ripple had the “strongest year ever.”

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against him, Ripple Labs, and co-founder Chris Larsen a year ago. The securities watchdog alleged that XRP should have been registered as a security.

While insisting that the SEC’s lawsuit against XRP “is an attack on crypto in the US, not just Ripple,” Garlinghouse detailed:

2021 has been a watershed year for crypto. Acceptance and awareness of the opportunity to bring billions of people into the global financial community has never been so clear. It’s been incredible to see a lot less ‘maximalism’, and many more builders joining the industry.

The CEO proceeded to outline Ripple’s progress over the year, such as launching new On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) corridors and its central bank digital currency (CBDC) solution. “All of this growth came from outside the US,” he opined.

Garlinghouse then noted that SEC Chairman Gary Gensler “has taken an aggressively anti-crypto approach and companies are already moving outside the US.” He asserted that “the SEC today won’t answer questions about the legal status of ETH, much less anything else,” elaborating:

Calling crypto the ‘Wild West’ is a farce – most are complying with financial regulators globally. This industry shouldn’t be punished for asking for regulatory clarity & regulation that is consistently applied with a level playing field.

What do you think about Garlinghouse’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Microstrategy CEO Foresees Bitcoin’s Price Reaching $6 Million

The CEO of Microstrategy expects the price of bitcoin to reach $6 million, noting that it is “unstoppable” and will replace gold. The executive personally owns 17,732 bitcoins while his company is hodling 122,478 bitcoins.

Microstrategy’s CEO Expects Bitcoin to Hit $6 Million

Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor talked about his bitcoin strategy and BTC price prediction in a recent interview with the Information, published this week.

Saylor revealed that he personally owns at least 17,732 bitcoins, which is the same amount he disclosed back in October last year. At the current BTC price, his bitcoin stash is worth almost $858 million.

The Microstrategy executive never sold any of his bitcoins and does not believe they should ever be sold. Furthermore, the Information reported:

Saylor foresees bitcoin hitting $600,000 a coin, and eventually $6 million.

Meanwhile, Microstrategy has amassed 122,478 BTC, worth almost $6 billion at the current price. The coins were acquired at an average purchase price of $29,861 and for the cost basis of $3.7 billion, according to the company’s “Investor Day” presentation, published last week.

Microstrategy described itself as “the largest publicly traded corporate holder of bitcoin in the world and the first public company to adopt bitcoin as primary treasury reserve asset.” Its corporate strategy is to “Acquire and hold bitcoin long-term” and “purchase bitcoin through use of excess cash flows, and debt and equity transactions.”

In November, Saylor said that bitcoin was “unstoppable” and will “emerge as a $100 trillion asset class.” The CEO has repeatedly said that BTC will replace gold. He said early this month: “Once upon a time, gold was the most desirable store of value. Now bitcoin is taking its place.”

What do you think about Michael Saylor’s bitcoin price prediction? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Bitcoin’s Hashpower Remains High, Up 163% in 5 Months, Foundry USA Commands Top Mining Pool

The hashpower behind the Bitcoin network has continued to stay above the 180 exahash per second (EH/s) zone after recently reaching a lifetime high. Five months ago the hashrate tapped a low at 69 EH/s and since then, the hashpower has increased by 163% during the last 178 days, or five months ago.

Bitcoin Hashrate Continues to Run Hot at End of Year Following China’s Crackdown on Bitcoin Mining This Past Summer

Miners dedicating SHA256 hashpower to the Bitcoin blockchain have been keeping the processing power above 180 EH/s. At the time of writing on December 23, BTC’s hashrate is hovering just above the 186 EH/s zone. The recent hashrate highs follow BTC’s lifetime hashrate high tapping 194.95 EH/s on December 8, 2021. Since then, metrics indicate that the hashrate has been hovering below that region and 30-day stats show a few times when the it quickly came close to the December 8 high.

BTC’s hashrate is currently doing a whole lot better than records show on June 28, 2021, when the processing power plummeted to 69 EH/s. Thanks to the crackdowns on Chinese mining operations located in China, the network lost 63.87% of its hashpower from 191 EH/s on May 9, to the 69 EH/s at the end of June. Five months later, the hashrate has rebounded and regained the processing power lost during that time frame. At the end of June, BTC’s price was much lower, swapping for $34K per unit.

Difficulty Expected to Drop Slightly, Foundry USA Commands Top Position This Week

This past week BTC has been trading at prices between $46.5K to $49.5K and this has kept the hashrate running strong — even after the network’s mining difficulty jumped 8.33% higher on December 11. In fact, the network difficulty may see a downward adjustment for the first time since the November 28 1.49% drop. At the time of writing, and over 24 hours from now, the difficulty is expected to drop again a hair, down 0.23%. This would bring the current 24.20 trillion mining difficulty down a notch to 24.14 trillion.

Currently, the largest bitcoin (BTC) miner in terms of overall hashrate is Foundry USA with 17.17% of the global hashpower or 29.82 EH/s. The second-largest miner today is Bitmain’s Antpool with 14.78% of the global hashpower or 25.67 EH/s. Antpool is followed by Viabtc (14.57%), F2pool (13.26%), and Binance Pool (12.17%). Unknown hashrate or stealth miners command 12.17% of the network’s hashpower and are the sixth-largest entity in terms of global hashrate. The unknown hashrate at the time of writing has around 21.14 exahash per second of hashpower.

What do you think about the current state of the proof-of-work (PoW)-powered Bitcoin network’s hashrate? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments below.

from Bitcoin News

Pakistanis Own $20 Billion in Crypto, Report Reveals

In the absence of regulations, people in Pakistan have invested a serious amount of money in digital assets. New research claims Pakistanis keep some $20 billion in cryptocurrency, allegedly more than what their central bank has in foreign reserves.

Government Urged for Regulations as Study Shows Pakistanis Hold $20 Billion in Cryptocurrency

The Pakistani nation owns more cryptocurrency than foreign reserves, according to the Pakistan Frontier and other media outlets quoting a new report by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). The study, produced by the association’s Policy Advisory Board (PAB), has estimated that Pakistanis have held cryptocurrency worth $20 billion in the 2020-21 period.

The authors point out that the popularity of digital currencies like bitcoin has rapidly increased in the last couple of years. With a 711% market growth in 12 months, Pakistan climbed to third place in this year’s Global Crypto Adoption Index calculated by blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis. The country is behind only India and Vietnam.

However, the true total of crypto holdings may be much higher than the figure mentioned in the PAB report. Many residents of the country are buying coins via peer-to-peer deals and these investments remain largely undetected, the Business Recorder notes in an article. Cryptocurrencies are still a gray area in Pakistan as the country’s current legislation does not cover the digital assets.

During a press conference, FPCCI President Nasir Hayat Magoon urged Islamabad to introduce a government policy that would facilitate cryptocurrency transactions, remarking that neighboring India has already taken steps to implement some rules. Magoon insisted that such regulations are needed so that investors can trade their coins in the country instead of in places like Dubai.

The report recommends that Pakistan adopt a legal framework aligned with guidelines issued by the Financial Action Task Force and the International Monetary Fund. The study has been released after Pakistan’s Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan indicated in October that the government is not opposed to cryptocurrency investments in general. Pakistan’s courts have also called on the executive and legislative powers to introduce crypto regulations.

Do you expect authorities in Pakistan to soon regulate the country’s crypto space? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk Raise Concerns Over Web3 as Skepticism About Ownership Grows

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has ignited a debate about web3 after Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized it. Dorsey warned of the risks from centralization, emphasizing that web3 is owned by venture capitalists (VCs), hiding under the premise of decentralization. “I’m concerned to see ‘the industry’ be distracted under false pretenses when we could all be working on things that have a chance at fixing the real issues,” Dorsey wrote.

Jack Dorsey Says Web3 Is Owned by VCs, Tells Elon Musk ‘It’s Somewhere Between A and Z’

Jack Dorsey and Tesla CEO Elon Musk raised concerns about web3 this week. Dorsey warned Monday: “You don’t own ‘web3.’ The VCs and their LPs do. It will never escape their incentives. It’s ultimately a centralized entity with a different label. Know what you’re getting into.”

His comment followed Musk’s tweet a day prior stating that web3 “seems more marketing buzzword than reality right now.” The Tesla boss further tweeted, asking: “Has anyone seen web3? I can’t find it.” Dorsey replied: “It’s somewhere between a and z.”

While Dorsey did not specify which company he was referring to, many people on Twitter guessed that he was talking about venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (also known as A16z), which has been heavily pushing web3. “As the largest investor in the space, we know web3—but we also understand public service,” the A16z website states.

Some people shared Dorsey’s skepticism about venture capital firms. Cory Klippsten, founder of Swan Bitcoin, commented: “Jack knows exactly the massive scam A16z is perpetrating.” Another Twitter user described: “This tweet is referencing the shady crypto projects being funded by Silicon Valley juggernaut VC firm A16z (Andreessen Horowitz). They’re creating coins like solana and then using their endless capital to market them, explode in market caps then dump the coins on unsuspecting people.”

Web3 and Twitter

Balaji Srinivasan, a general partner at A16z who was the CTO of crypto exchange Coinbase, disagreed with Dorsey and brought up Twitter as an example. He wrote: “Twitter started as a protocol, the free speech wing of the free-speech party. Then corporate & political incentives led to deplatforming & censorship. Web3 offers the possibility, not guarantee, of something better.”

Dorsey replied: “All false. Twitter started as a corporation. It’s had corporate incentives from day 1. It’s trying to offset those, and it will, through Bluesky.” He elaborated:

‘Web3’ has the same corporate incentives, but hides it under ‘decentralization.’ It’s literally a different cap table structure.

The former CEO of Twitter, who is still the CEO of Block Inc., formerly Square Inc., also clarified Tuesday that he has nothing to do with web3 and has never been interested in it despite some news articles suggesting otherwise. He tweeted: “I have nothing to do with ‘web3.’ WSJ and others need names and photos to generate clicks.”

Heated Debate Over Web3 Ensues

Many people chimed in on the discussion about web3 on Twitter in response to Dorsey’s tweets. Some agree with Dorsey, including Alex Thorn, head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital, who tweeted:

Jack is right that many web3 projects have ownership issues.

Thorn continued: “This is very visible with newer L1 chains, whose supplies are much more centralized than those from the ICO era (let alone bitcoin). Hard to see how the supplies (& governance) of these coins decentralize over time.”

Alexander Leishman, CEO of River Financial, wrote: “Jack gets it. Web3 will keep making people a lot of $$, but don’t delude yourself.”

However, some people disagree with Dorsey to some extent. The founders of the crypto exchange Gemini, the Winklevoss twins, joined the conversation. Tyler Winklevoss pointed out that Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet as a non-fungible token (NFT) for over $2.9 million. “Brought to you by web3,” he wrote. His brother, Cameron Winklevoss, noted:

If web2 could give you ownership of your data and privacy, web2 would have given you ownership of your data and privacy. Web3 at least has a chance.

Chris Dixon, a partner at A16z, argued: “In web3, all the code, data, and ownership is open source. Read it and decide for yourself. VCs (including A16z) own very little of it.”

‘I’m Concerned to See the Industry Be Distracted Under False Pretenses’

Dorsey explained in a different tweet: “I’m concerned to see ‘the industry’ be distracted under false pretenses when we could all be working on things that have a chance at fixing the real issues.” He emphasized that “The VCs are the problem,” and “not the people.”

Ajit Tripathi, CFA and head of institutional business at Aave, commented:

Jack is pointing out a risk we should acknowledge. It may not be what we want to hear but the risk of economic centralization of prime web3 properties is very real.

Dorsey responded with “Exactly.”

According to Dorsey, he was subsequently blocked on Twitter by Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, who is now a huge investor in web3 startups. The former Twitter boss wrote:

I’m officially banned from web3.

Do you agree with Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk about web3? Let us know in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News

2 Cryptocurrency Companies Purchased Ad Slots for 2022’s Super Bowl

On Wednesday, the Singapore-based digital currency exchange Crypto.com told the press that the firm purchased a 2022 Super Bowl advertisement slot. The firm follows the exchange FTX after the trading platform purchased a Super Bowl advertisement slot in October.

Crypto.com Tells the Press the Exchange Purchased a Super Bowl LVI Advertisement

Purchasing an ad slot for the upcoming 56th Super Bowl is very expensive because the event attracts millions of viewers tuning in to watch the NFL’s championship football game. Recent statistics show that NBC Sports was running low on 30-second advertisement slots and sponsors have agreed to pay as much as $6.5 million for a slot this size. In 2021, metrics indicate that the NFL’s Super Bowl attracted 96.4 million viewers at the time.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Crypto.com’s chief marketing officer Steven Kalifowitz told the publication that it has acquired an ad slot. Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek told the WSJ that the company wants to be a prominent brand worldwide and the Super Bowl ad was one way to get the firm limelight. “Crypto genuinely is for everybody… Going into different sports just allows me to reach everybody where they are,” Kalifowitz explained. “Super Bowl is just one more step into that, where it’s as mass as you get.”

The Super Bowl announcement follows Crypto.com’s multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Angel City Football Club. Furthermore, the digital asset exchange purchased the naming rights to the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena and it is now called Crypto.com Arena. In July, Crypto.com revealed that the exchange partnered with the mixed martial arts promotion company UFC. Crypto.com’s Super Bowl ad purchase also follows ad time acquired by the digital currency exchange FTX.

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried: ‘There Is No Bigger, More Mainstream Event to Share a Message’

FTX has also been dealing with a great number of sports-related partnerships and the exchange acquired the naming rights to the NBA’s Miami Heat arena. In October, FTX chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried told Bloomberg that there was “no bigger” event to share a message. Bankman-Fried said the Super Bowl ad acquisition motivation was to purchase “the scale of the audience that the Super Bowl reaches,” Bloomberg’s Katherine Greifeld wrote at the time.

“Our message throughout this year has been that crypto is safe, accessible, and ready for the mainstream,” Bankman-Fried further explained to Greifeld. “We’re inviting everyone to check it out, and here to help them on their journey. There is no bigger, more mainstream event to share a message like that than the Super Bowl.” It seems Crypto.com executives feel the same way Bankman-Fried does and is following the same pattern.

What do you think about Crypto.com and FTX airing Super Bowl ads for the NFL’s 2022 championship football game? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

from Bitcoin News