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Showing posts from August, 2023

Binance Launches ‘Send Cash’ Remittance Services in Latam

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Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by volumes traded, has announced the launch of “Send Cash,” a Latam-focused remittance service. The newly launched tool will allow users in nine countries in the region to send crypto to bank accounts of friends or family in Argentina and Colombia directly, bypassing third-party intermediaries. Binance Seeks to Ease Remittances in Latam With ‘Send Cash’ On Tuesday, Binance announced the launch of ‘Send Cash,’ a new service that seeks to ease the burden of Latam crypto users trying to send remittances to friends and family in Latam. In a press release , Binance explained that this new tool will allow users in 9 countries of Latam – Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Mexico – to send funds directly to the bank accounts of users located in Colombia and Argentina “at the lowest cost in the market.” Binance also hinted at the possible expansion of this program to other countries of

US Lawmaker: Americans Don’t Need CBDC That Can Track Purchases Like China’s Digital Yuan

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Several lawmakers have expressed concerns about the privacy risks of the Federal Reserve issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). “Americans have a right to financial privacy,” one congressman said, emphasizing: “We do not need a CBDC that can track your purchases like China does with their digital yuan.” Another noted: “CBDC is to sound money what dictatorship is to freedom.” ‘Americans Have a Right to Financial Privacy’ Multiple U.S. lawmakers have warned against the issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by the Federal Reserve. Congressman French Hill (R-AR), chairman of Congress’ Digital Assets Subcommittee, wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday: Americans have a right to financial privacy. We do not need a CBDC that can track your purchases like China does with their digital yuan. “The authority rests with Congress, not unelected bureaucrats, to create and implement a CBDC. And that’s non-partisan,” the lawmaker stressed. The congressman has been

Biden’s Regulators Urged to Work With Congress on Crypto Regulation

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A number of U.S. lawmakers have urged regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to work with Congress on crypto regulation. “Chair Gensler’s regulation by enforcement is unlawful and does nothing to protect consumers. It’s time for Biden’s regulators to work with Congress to provide clear rules of the road and robust consumer protections through legislation,” said the House Financial Services Committee. Lawmakers Urge Regulators to Work With Congress on Crypto Regulation After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of crypto asset manager Grayscale Investments against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a number of lawmakers have urged regulators to collaborate with Congress on cryptocurrency regulation. On Tuesday, the Financial Services GOP posted on social media platform X: Chair Gensler’s regulation by enforcement is unlawful and does nothing to protect consumers. It’s time for Biden’s regulators

Court Ruling in Favor of Grayscale Clears Path for Bitcoin Innovation in US: Vivek Ramaswamy

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Grayscale’s court win over the U.S. securities regulator will help keep crypto innovation in America, Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is convinced. While praising the “strong decision,” Ramaswamy also commented that the case should have never reached the courts. Federal Courts Are the Only Line of Defense Against Shadow Government, Ramaswamy Says The court ruling in the case of Grayscale Investments against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) clears a path to keep Bitcoin and blockchain innovation in America, according to Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election in the United States. Ramaswamy took to social media to share his thoughts on the recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in favor of the largest crypto asset manager. Grayscale had challenged the SEC’s move to deny the conversion of its bitcoin trust (GBTC) to a spot bitcoin exchange-traded

GoMining: A New Way to Mine Bitcoin

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An Analysis Into GoMining’s New NFT, and their Tokenomics Bitcoin mining company, GoMining , has changed the way we think about bitcoin mining with their GoMining NFTs, giving holders a share of ownership in their mining operations. With over 2,000 BTC paid out over the last two years, GoMining is proving their thesis that bitcoin mining can be easy and accessible for everyone. With brand ambassadors like Khabib Nurmagomedov and the project’s avid participation in the Bitcoin Mining Council , GoMining understands the importance of the cryptocurrency industry and the role of their bitcoin mining operations within it. GoMining recently launched a major update to their tokenomics for the GoMining token. The new system has several implications for token and GoMining NFT holders. So let’s dive into what exactly GoMining offers crypto users and their tokenomics system, breaking down the token’s life cycle and distribution. What is GoMining? In its truest essence, GoMining is a bitco

Binance Finds Way to Serve Belgian Users After Cease Order

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Cryptocurrency exchange Binance said it continues to provide services to residents of Belgium through its Polish entity. The announcement comes two months after the crypto trading company was ordered by the Belgian financial regulator to cease all crypto services in the country. Binance Offers Belgian Clients to Trade on Its Polish Platform Belgian customers of Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, are currently served by its Polish platform. In a blog post published Monday, the crypto trading company pointed out that the move allows it abide by applicable regulations. It stated: We are pleased to announce that Binance Poland sp. z o.o. is now the entity that provides Binance services for Belgian residents. By doing this, Binance ensures that it complies with its regulatory obligations and can continue to provide services to Belgian users. The change comes after in June Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) ordered Binance to “cease immediately all o

South African Crypto Premium Surge After Kraken Abruptly Starts Blocking Deposits by Local Residents

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The premium on crypto assets listed on South African exchanges briefly surged to 3.5% after Kraken’s abruptly started blocking deposits from users based in the African country. Some South African crypto experts have linked Kraken’s decision to the Financial Action Task Force’s recent addition of the African country to its greylist. Impact of the FATF’s Greylisting According to a report, the U.S.-based crypto exchange Kraken’s recent decision to stop accepting deposits from South African nationals briefly saw the premium on crypto assets like bitcoin surge to 3.5%. Before Kraken’s announcement, the premium or arbitrage, which is the gap between prices of crypto assets on global exchanges and South African exchanges, had reportedly ranged between 0.7% and 1.5%. As explained in a report published by Moneyweb, Kraken made the sudden decision to block South African deposits after its banking partner placed the African country on its anti-laundering blacklist. Some South African comment

Swiss SEBA Bank Obtains In-Principle Approval to Offer Crypto Services in Hong Kong

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Switzerland-based crypto-friendly SEBA Bank announced it has received an approval-in-principle to operate in Hong Kong. The regulatory nod brings the Swiss bank’s local entity closer to becoming a licensed provider of various services for crypto assets in the Chinese region. SEBA Bank Takes a Step Towards Full Crypto License in Hong Kong SEBA Hong Kong, a subsidiary of the Zug-headquartered crypto bank SEBA Bank, has been issued an in-principle approval by the Securities and Futures Commission ( SFC ) of the Chinese Special Administrative region, the bank said on Wednesday. The approval has been granted for the entity’s application for a license to conduct regulated activities in Hong Kong which will allow it to deal in securities, including crypto-related products such as over-the-counter derivatives and structured products. Backed by the Swiss banking giant Julius Baer, SEBA Bank provides wealth management, investment, and trading solutions for the digital age. A Hong Kong licen

Africa-Focused Remittances Fintech Lemfi Raises $33 Million in Series A Funding Round

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An Africa-focused remittances platform, Lemfi, recently said it has raised $33 million in a Series A round led by Left Lane Capital. Lemfi said it will use the capital raise to “expand its product offering to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.” Making Remittances Less Complicated Lemfi, an Africa-focused remittances platform, recently raised a $33 million in a Series A round which was led by Left Lane Capital. In a press statement , Lemfi, which has a presence in Canada and the U.K., said it will use the capital raise to “expand its product offering to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.” In comments accompanying the capital raise announcement, Ridwan Olalere, a co-founder and CEO of Lemfi, seemingly characterized the successful round as an endorsement of the company’s objective of making financial services more accessible to immigrants. Olalere, who claims to have seen first-hand the challenges faced by migrants, also spoke of how Lemfi’s produ

Bloomberg Analysts Boost Spot Bitcoin ETF Approval Odds After Grayscale’s Court Victory

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In early August 2023, Bloomberg ETF specialists Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart estimated a 65% probability for the approval of a spot bitcoin ETF. However, as August draws to its conclusion, and in light of a U.S. court siding with Grayscale over a legal tussle against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the pair have revised their prediction, now pegging the likelihood at 75%. SEC Decision Looms for Seven Spot Bitcoin ETFs Barring any delays, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is poised to either greenlight or turn down seven distinct proposals for a spot bitcoin ETF. These applications hail from notable names like Blackrock, Wisdomtree, Valkyrie, Fidelity, Vaneck, Bitwise, and Invesco. Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst, Balchunas, conveyed that he and Seyffart have adjusted the odds from their earlier forecast . “James Seyffart [and] I are upping our odds to 75% of spot bitcoin ETFs launching this yr (95% by end of ’24),” Balchunas posted to the soc

Crypto Analyst Predicts Stablecoin Adoption Boom Even in Face of Hostile Regulation

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Jamie Coutts, an analyst from Bloomberg Intelligence, has predicted that stablecoin adoption will grow significantly once the issue of hostile regulations in the U.S. is put aside, noting “adoption under the hood is exploding.” Coutts believes that stablecoin usage may overtake bitcoin usage as more companies like Paypal integrate such assets in their payment structures. Analyst Says Stablecoin Adoption Set to Grow While the stablecoin market has been hammered recently due to the lack of clear regulations in the U.S., the adoption of these tools is set to boom enormously in the future. At least, this is the opinion of Jaime Coutts, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, who believes that even in the face of “U.S. boomer” regulations, these payment methods are likely to be adopted by companies like Paypal and credit giants like Visa and Mastercard. In his analysis, Coutts acknowledges that the growth of the stablecoin market was significant during 2022, with total payments of stablecoi

Report: Nigerian Central Bank Sued for Dollarizing Economy

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In a lawsuit filed by a Nigerian human rights activist, the country’s central bank is accused of failing to stop the dollarization of the economy. According to the activist, the central bank’s unwillingness to stop economic agents from demanding U.S. dollars for domestic transactions has “resulted in the constant devaluation, depreciation and unending plunge of the naira.” Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange Woes A Nigerian lawyer and human activist, Femi Falana, is suing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for allegedly dollarizing the economy. In his suit filed with a Lagos High Court, Falana also alleged that the CBN’s failure to perform its statutory obligations had “resulted in the constant devaluation, depreciation and unending plunge of the naira.” As has been reported by Bitcoin.com News in the past few months, the Nigerian currency has been losing ground against major currencies. Many Nigerian economic commentators attribute the naira’s constant depreciation to the ongoing U.S. doll

Binance Mulls Leaving Russia, Limits Options for Russian Users

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Crypto exchange Binance considers exiting Russia amid increased scrutiny over its services for users in the sanctioned nation. The news of the potential move comes after the exchange delisted several sanctioned Russian banks from its peer-to-peer (P2P) platform and restricted fiat payment options for Russian traders. Full Russia Exit Is on the Table, Binance Representative Says The world’s leading exchange for digital assets, , is currently reevaluating its Russian business, the Wall Street Journal reported . The process includes the possibility of a full withdrawal from what was an important market for the crypto giant. A spokesperson for the company told the publication: All options are on the table, including a full exit. The statement comes after a WSJ article suggested last week that Binance is facing legal risks over allegedly helping Russians move money abroad despite the platform claiming it has been abiding by Westerns sanctions rules since last year. Following the pu

Shiba Inu’s Shibarium Returns to Full Operation After Navigating Bridge Issues

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The Shiba Inu development team has announced that Shibarium is now fully functional after recent challenges where funds became inaccessible in the bridge. Shiba Inu’s Shytoshi Kusama thanked Sandeep Nailwal, the co-founder of Polygon Labs, who stepped in with crucial resources to address the issue. Shibarium Back Online After Resolving Bridge Glitch, Team Thanks Polygon Co-Founder Two weeks prior, Shibarium had faced difficulties with over $2 million in cryptocurrency deposits trapped in its bridge. However, on August 28, an update was shared via a blog post confirming that Shibarium’s layer two (L2) was back in action. It highlighted that Sandeep Nailwal and the Polygon team were instrumental in resolving the situation. “Quickly after the incident began, I called Sandeep from Polygon directly and without a second thought, he helped provide additional resources to ensure a perfect outcome to the situation,” remarked Shiba Inu’s Shytoshi Kusama. The blog further specified that tr

SEC’s ‘Secret’ Filing in Binance Case Could Relate to Criminal Investigation, Says Former SEC Official

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s former head of Internet enforcement suspects that the SEC’s “secret” filing in the Binance case is a “rare” tactic that could relate to the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation against the crypto exchange. He stressed that the securities regulator’s “seal-seeking filing is unusual, odd, and uncommon,” emphasizing that the move “cannot be overstated.” SEC Takes ‘Rare’ Move in Binance Case Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official John Reed Stark shared his perspective Tuesday regarding what he called a “secret” SEC filing in its litigation against cryptocurrency exchange Binance in a lengthy post on social media platform X. Stark is currently president of cybersecurity firm John Reed Stark Consulting. He founded and served as chief of the SEC Office of Internet Enforcement for 11 years. He was also an SEC enforcement attorney for 15 years. The former SEC official explained that the securities watchdog filed

UniLend Finance Empowers Community Governance with the Launch of UFTG Token

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PRESS RELEASE. UniLend Finance, a leading decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol is thrilled to announce the launch of its new wrapped governance token, UFTG (UniLend Finance Governance Token) as the revolutionary protocol approaches closer to Governance launch on 4th September. This groundbreaking token signifies UniLend’s commitment to community-driven decision-making and plays a pivotal role in making a decentralized future. However, it’s crucial to clarify that UFTG is a wrapped version of UFT; we are not releasing or transitioning to a new token. UFTG: A Gateway to Empowering Governance Participation UFTG is the governance token that wraps native UFT tokens, enabling users to actively participate in UniLend governance processes. With a seamless 1:1 swap mechanism between UFT and UFTG, UFTG is the cornerstone of our Governance model, offering the key to the door of active community engagement in shaping the future of UniLend. UniLend recognizes the importance of decentralizati

DeOrderBook Set to Launch on Ethereum Mainnet, Pioneering Truly Trustless DeFi Optionality

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PRESS RELEASE. DeOrderBook , a groundbreaking decentralized finance (DeFi) optionality protocol, is gearing up for its Ethereum mainnet launch, ushering in a new era for DeFi users who seek unprecedented capital flexibility, advanced hedging mechanisms, and sustainable real yield. At launch, the protocol supports $WBTC and $USDC although the team is actively working on support for further coins and chains. What makes DeOrderBook especially interesting? DeOrderBook’s unique design represents a significant departure from traditional DeFi protocols by providing an automated way to monetise an optionality position — think about it as a Uniswap for optionality. We created a coherent demand-and-supply system for the $DOB token to act as the magnet for optionality-writing liquidity while simultaneously providing a robust auction-like mechanism for the demand side that catches the whole range of optionality-rights generated by the protocol. Combined with fee-sharing, this gives DeOrderBoo

Governments See CBDCs Making Their Countries ‘More Economically and Financially Efficient’ — Venom Foundation CEO

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According to Louis Tsu, the CEO of Venom Foundation, governments that are seeking to introduce central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are not being driven by the fear that privately issued digital currencies may soon become the preferred method for cross-border and micropayments. Instead, some countries view CBDCs as a technology that could make their countries “more economically and financially efficient” and this ultimately improves their competitiveness. Regulated Digital Assets ‘a Requirement for Mass Adoption’ While stablecoins issued by private entities such as Tether are increasingly seen as the go-to digital currencies when moving funds across borders, Tsu told Bitcoin.com News that CBDCs may turn out to be a better option because they are underpinned by regulation. According to the CEO of Venom Foundation — a platform that aims to create a bridge between traditional finance and the Web3 world — such an attribute can be a key “requirement for mass adoption and harmonizatio