Features TheBitTimes.com

The Institute of Crypto-Assets held a formal opening at the Léonard de Vinci center in the business district just outside of Paris. On Nov. 8, the first-of-its-kind Institute of Crypto-Assets held a formal opening at the Léonard de Vinci center in the business district just outside of Paris.  The Institute will support and conduct research related to blockchain technology and crypto currencies. Its scientific board includes 11 experts from major French educational institutions, such as the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and École polytechnique. A committee of 6 practitioners, including co-founder of Ledger, Nicolas Bacca, and founder of the crypto exchange Paymium, Pierre Noizat, will also oversee the work of the Institute. According to Cyril Grunspan, the director of the Cryptoassets Institute, it will focus primarily on educational goals: “Our goal is not to lobby but to create a forum for discussion on cryptoassets.” Two lectures accompanied the opening: histori...

K33 Research’s report shows the crypto market exhibits a bullish trend as Bitcoin maintains a steady trading range and altcoin s, like Solana, experience significant gains amid new technological developments and market speculation. In recent weeks, the crypto market has shown signs of bullish behavior, with particular attention on the movements of Bitcoin and a variety of altcoins, as detailed in a recent K33 Research report. Stability marks Bitcoin’s current state, as its value oscillates between $34,000 and $36,000. This steadiness, however, has come with a slight reduction in its market dominance, which has dipped from 53.1% to 51.5%. BTC dominance has declined from 53.1% to 51.5%, caused by non-ETH altcoin s pushing higher. Simultaneously, Bitcoin derivatives markets are growing more optimistic. Read more, including the monthly outlook, in this week's Ahead of the Curve https://t.co/miuF6Vzose pic.twitter.com/ekwsNCWb8j — K33 Research (@K33Research) Nove...

Singapore’s central bank and financial regulator is seeking closer cross-border collaboration for its asset tokenization project. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank and financial regulator, is planning to start crypto -related cooperation with some European countries and Japan. The MAS officially announced on Oct. 30 that it is partnering with the Financial Services Agency of Japan (FSA), the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to promote joint digital asset pilots . The authority specifically seeks to carry out such pilots in relation to fixed income, foreign exchange and asset management products. The initiative builds upon Singapore’s ongoing asset tokenization project known as Project Guardian, which was launched in 2022. Under the MAS Project Guardian, Singapore’s central bank collaborated with 15 financial institutions to complete pilots on asset tokenization, which ...

The price of Qtum (QTUM) has grown by more than 19% in the last 24 hours, accompanied by a 283% rise in its trading volume . The recent bullish market sentiment sparked by expectations around Bitcoin (BTC) seems to have rubbed off on QTUM. The coin, ranked 112 by market capitalization on CoinGecko, is currently trading at $3.10. It had gone as high as $3.21 in the last day. QTUM price chart | Source: CoinGecko Data from CoinMarketCap shows traders moved more than $188 million worth of QTUM in the last 24 hours, a 283% jump from the previous day. QTUM has also showcased a notably robust performance over the past seven days, both in terms of volume and price movement. In that period, the token’s price has risen by nearly 35%. The same growth is reflected in QTUM’s 14-day and 30-day price charts, where it registered improvements of 44% and 41% respectively. Analysts at InvestObservers have given QTUM a “very bullish” rating, citing its recent performance. However, they express...

CoinShares analysts recorded capital inflow s for the fourth week in a row. The investments amounted to $66m between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22. The report also says that the largest revenues were in Switzerland ($45.5 million), Canada ($18.1 million) and Germany ($10.9 million). In the United States, an outflow of $8.7m was recorded. Analysts noted that the values are relatively small compared to those recorded following Blackrock’s announcement that it was filing to launch a Bitcoin ETF in June. Then, in four weeks, revenues reached $807m. You might also like: BlackRock ETF could push BTC valuation 11x, Scaramucci says 84% of total inflow s came from Bitcoin-related products. In the previous week, it was $16.4 million. Since the beginning of the year, the figure has reached $315m. Investors invested $1.7m in structures that allow them to open shorts on the first cryptocurrency, just like the week before. Continued concerns about Ethereum (ETH) led to a further outflow...

Seven people have been arrested following a robbery that saw a Brazilian businessman lose R$1.2 million ($237,000) worth of crypto and his family held hostage at gunpoint for three hours. According to the Santa Catarina Civil Police, the group entered the victims’ home in Praia Brava in January and used threats of violence against family members and employees to extort crypto , jewelry, electronics, and cash.  In response, authorities launched an investigation that saw temporary arrest warrants issued for eight suspects. During the so-called ‘blockchain operation,’ police tracked down the stolen crypto, following transfers to numerous wallets in Argentina and Peru, and ultimately seizing R$1.2 million worth of funds . Fintech owner laundered millions with bitcoin for ‘finger cutter’ drug lord, police say Read more: Brazil gang caught laundering illegal gold with crypto Brazilian authorities, working with Interpol, arrested two residents of Buenos ...

Is Mining Bitcoin Worth It? A Comprehensive Guide Bitcoin has become a global phenomenon, capturing the attention of investors and enthusiasts alike. While many people are familiar with investing in Bitcoin, there is another way to acquire this digital currency: through mining. But is mining Bitcoin worth it? In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the process of Bitcoin mining, the potential profitability, and the factors to consider before diving into the mining world. Also read: Gary Gensler Says Bitcoin is Not a Security, Refuses to Say It’s a Commodity Source: cnbc.com Understanding Bitcoin and Mining Before we delve into the details of mining Bitcoin, let’s first understand what Bitcoin is. Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that operates on a technology called blockchain. It is not controlled by any central authority or government, making it a peer-to-peer form of currency. Mining Bitcoin, on the other hand, is the process of validating transac...

Ledger’s CEO says that, while it may take a few years, big money is getting into crypto. Over the past 12 months, some investors learned the hard way why they needed to move their crypto offline. Those who kept Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins on crypto ex change s like FTX lost control of their assets, sometimes forever. Events drew a red line under the storied crypto adage: “Not your keys, not your coins.”  FTX’s loss was hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger’s gain, however. The Bahamas-based ex change ’s November 2022 bankruptcy filing delivered to Ledger “our biggest sales day ever,” the firm’s chief experience officer, Ian Rogers, told Cointelegraph, and “November turned out to be our biggest sales month on record.” Paris-based Ledger has been on a strong growth curve recently, though the past year has not been without controversy. In May, for instance, the firm drew industry ire when it launched a new secret recovery phrase storage service called Ledger Recover. Still, it remains one...

The decentralized social media platform has continued to thrive since it launched in the second week of August and has hit multiple new highs despite critics predicting its downfall. Decentralized social media platform Friend.tech based on Coinbase’s layer-2 protocol Base has touched new heights in terms of revenue growth and total value locked on its platform.  According to data from Dune Analytics, Friend.tech revenue has surged to 10,663 ETH and its TVL grew to over 30,000 ETH on Oct. 2. The recent boom in its revenue and trading activity comes amid a decline in hype from its early days of launch. As a decentralized social network platform launched in August 2023, Friend.tech enables users to swap "keys" associated to X accounts (formerly Twitter) belonging to their friends or influencers. These keys give users access to private in-app chatrooms and content only available from the corresponding X user. Users can buy shares in their friends and influencers on the platform...

A new report indicated Bitcoin ETFs could release $600 billion in new demand — double Bitcoin's current market cap. Here's some math behind the estimates. A United States appellate court directed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in August to reassess its denial of Grayscale's application for a Bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF). A little-noted consequence of that decision is that it could open the floodgates for $600 billion in new cash to enter the crypto currency market. ETFs provide investors with a regulated way to gain exposure to different asset classes, including Bitcoin (BTC). The approval of a Bitcoin ETF could democratize investment in the crypto currency sector, drawing parallels to how the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF and the VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF have democratized investing in the Brazilian market. Despite some hurdles, market analysts anticipate potential Bitcoin ETF approval by early 2024. A Bitcoin ETF could unlock an estimated $600 billion i...

Investment products record outflows for the sixth week in a row. According to a CoinShares report, the market saw an outflow of $9 million last week. Sales for the week were the lowest, amounting to $820 million. This figure is significantly lower than the average of $1.3 billion. As was the case a week earlier, there is a divergence in sentiment from a regional perspective. Capital inflows reached $16 million in Europe, where investors see recent regulatory disappointment as an opportunity. At the same time, U.S. investors withdrew $14 million due to unrest in the local crypto market. “A divergence in sentiment from a regional perspective was evident this week, with inflows into Europe totaling US$16m, where investors see recent regulatory disappointment as an opportunity. While U.S. investors pulled out US$14m,” CoinShares report states. Bitcoin-based products experienced outflows for the third week in a row. Last week, there was an outflow of $6 million. The...

A new social token network called Alpha has emerged, rivaling the popular Friend.tech platform but built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. The Bitcoin network got its own community-based social token ecosystem after a new project called Alpha emerged overnight.  As a decentralized social network protocol, Alpha is similar to the widely-known Ethereum-based platform Friend.tech. It allows users to monetize their online persona and content creation via its social tokens. ️Alpha α is officially here More than the @friendtech of Bitcoin, Alpha is set out to be one of the leading SocialFi dApps Built on Bitcoin Fully decentralized & permissionless Optimized UX for Key trading & alpha calls sharing Get Alpha Now: https://t.co/V7GX7UReQ4 pic.twitter.com/q6j4IrGic7 — New Bitcoin City (@NewBitcoinCity) September 16, 2023 However, unlike Friend.tech, Alpha has a different makeup. The finality is anchored on the Bitcoin blockchain, while the Polygon blockchain is used for data s...

Marcus said there’s still no universal protocol when it comes to transferring money, unlike information which can be shared via email. While information today can be easily transferred over the internet via email or text, global payment s on the other hand, have remained in a “fax era," according to the former president of PayPal.  In a Sept. 11 interview with CNBC, the former PayPal executive and co-founder of Bitcoin Lightning-focused payment service Lightspark said he believes Bitcoin's Lightning network could solve the cumbersome process of sending money across jurisdictions.  “If you were to stop [someone] and wanting to communicate with them you could ask them for an email address and you can email them easily the next minute [and] you could text them,” said Marcus.  However, there’s no universal protocol when it comes to transferring money over the internet, he said: “If you were to send them money [but] they were not a U.S citizen here using one of the same fintech ...

Bitcoin’s current price action leaves much to be desired, but multiple indicators point to what could be a generational buying opportunity for patient investors. Bitcoin (BTC) price action suggests that the asset remains in a precarious position and a recent report from ARK Invest said that short-term Bitcoin investors had no choice but to capitulate in August as the percentage of Bitcoin supply in profit fell by 14 percentage points.  Bitcoin market sentiment and monthly valuation change in August. Source: ARK Invest Although many traders view significant price dips as buying opportunities at this point in the Bitcoin halving cycle, a notable bearish move was Bitcoin’s price falling below its 200-week moving average for the first time since June 2023. As shown in the chart below, the 200-WMA generally acts as a key support level during major downtrends and ARK suggests that any future bearish catalysts could see BTC price fall as low as $20,300 where its realized price currently r...

Recent data published by Hashrateindex indicates that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is carving out market share from the global bitcoin mining sector. This development can be attributed to the their proactive adoption of web3 technologies and increasing access to renewable energy sources. UAE emerges as a serious player in bitcoin mining The UAE is known for its support of innovative technologies. With heavily subsidized electricity tariffs for specific sectors, the country has seen widespread home-based crypto mining and small-scale amateur mining setups.  The report highlights that UAE’s innovative approach to bitcoin mining, fueled by ambitious projects and abundant renewable energy, positions the country as a leader in the global industry.  With its expansion in electricity supply, partnerships with established players, and favorable access to capital, the UAE is paving the way for the future of bitcoin mining. Further collaboration with government entities provide...

Crypto trading firm Robinhood has been able to repurchase Sam Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang’s stakes from the United States Marshal Service.  FTX founders Bankman-Fried and Wang owned 55 million shares in Robinhood through Emergent Fidelity Technologies; these shares were seized as part of the criminal case against Bankman-Fried. A warrant for seizure of these shares was issued on December 30, 2022. On January 4, they were transferred to the US which filed to sell these on August 13. Robinhood paid $605 million to repurchase these shares in an agreement with the US Marshal Service.  Bankman-Fried and his lawyers have previously opposed the FTX bankruptcy estate’s claim on these shares and specifically argued that clients of FTX only risked “economic loss,” whereas Bankman-Fried faced the “irreparable” harm of potentially not being able to use these funds to support his criminal defense.  Scoop: Indicted billionaire Joe Lewis sold property to Sam...

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its ruling on six spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications from WisdomTree, Invesco Galaxy, Valkyrie, VanEck, Fidelity, and BlackRock. In a filing on Aug. 31, the regulator said they will be taking another 45 days to consider the proposed rule changes. That means they have until October 2023 to approve, deny, or announce a delay of the decision. This postponement follows reports suggesting that the SEC might consider applications with surveillance-sharing agreements, prompting several firms to resubmit their applications . Additionally, it comes after speculation by Bloomberg analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart that a spot Bitcoin ETF might be approved in the US following this week’s court ruling favoring Grayscale’s appeal. You might also like: Analysts: chance of SEC approving spot Bitcoin ETF in 2024 is at 95% Excluded from this determination is Bitwise’s Bi...