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Robust BTC derivatives data indicates strong demand for leverage longs. Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading within a narrow 4.5% range over the past two weeks, indicating a level of consolidation around the $34,700 mark.  Despite the stagnant prices, the 24.2% gains since Oct. 7 instill confidence, driven by the impending effects of the 2024 halving and the potential approval of a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. Investors worry about the bearish global economic outlook Bears expect further macroeconomic data supporting a global economic contraction as the U.S. Federal Reserve holds their interest rate above 5.25% in order to curb inflation. For instance, on Nov. 6, China exports shrank 6.4% from a year earlier in October. Furthermore, Germany reported October industrial production down 1.4% versus prior month on Nov. 7. The weaker global economic activity has led to WTI oil prices dipping below $78 for the first time since late July, despite the potential ...

Over the course of 2023, several Satoshi-era Bitcoin wallets have risen from dormancy to transfer their BTC to a new address. Three Satoshi Era Bitcoin (BTC) whale addresses that have been dormant since November 2017 transfer red 6,500 BTC, estimated to be worth $230 million, on Nov. 2. Satoshi Era BTC refers to the very early stage of Bitcoin network when it was still relatively unknown. According to data from Bitinfocharts, the first wallet moved 2,550 BTC, estimated to be worth $90 million. A second address moved around 2,000 BTC worth $71 million, and the third address transfer red around 1,950 BTC worth $69 million. All three wallets had another thing in common, i.e., the last transaction from all three wallets came on Nov. 5, 2017, nearly six years ago. Thus, these wallets slept through the Bitcoin bull run and the all-time high of over $69,000. Most of the Bitcoin in the three whale wallets dates back to July 2011 and is linked to F2Pool, a Bitcoin mining pool, suggesting...

The first Web2 game of the series to be bridged to Ronin is Zoids Wild Arena. On November 2, Sky Mavis, the developer behind the popular monster-battle nonfungible tokens (NFT) game Axie Infinity, announced a partnership with Korean gaming studio Act Games, to bring a variety of Japanese video game franchises to its native Ronin blockchain. In an email seen by Cointelegraph, the partnership revealed that the first game to be bridged to Ronin is Zoids Wild Arena, inspired by Japan's largest toy manufacturer Tomy's award-winning anime series. It was first unveiled by Tomy in 1983 as a plastic model figure. Other franchises to be migrated include Hello Kitty Aggretsuko and Bubble Bobble. "Act Games excels at expanding iconic IPs, transcending demographics, and enhancing player engagement. This alliance will allow us to combine our web3 learnings and expertise with nostalgic IP backed by a pre-existing core fanbase," said Trung Nguyen, CEO and Co-founder of Sky Mavis,...

Blockchain projects should learn from Google and Facebook by monetizing their users without directly asking for their money. Pay-to-use blockchains are done. Not for us, of course — the nerdy crypto crowd. We’re perfectly happy to open wallets, engrave seed phrases on steel cards we bury in the ground, find exchanges we haven’t been blocked from yet, wrap some assets to leverage yield, and become OpSec professionals while we pray to the blockchain gods that the North Koreans aren’t online right now. We’re fine with this. Years of experience have dulled the pain. But the mass adoption we all hoped for? It relies on the 99% of people who have zero appetite for such trauma. Related: An ETF will bring a revolution for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies If permissionless blockchains are to become the backbone of our online experiences, three major changes need to happen: They need to become free. They need to become frictionless. They need to become familiar. “Free” means free for the us...

1,432 individuals and corporations in South Korea have reported holding $98 million in crypto overseas, which is 70% of all reported assets. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) accounted for the largest share of South Korea’s reported overseas assets in the latest report by the country’s tax organization. South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) issued an official announcement on Sept. 20, stating that 1,432 individuals and corporations reported overseas accounts in cryptocurrency this year. The total reported amount in crypto was 130.8 trillion Korean won (KRW), or $98 million, which makes up more than 70% of the total amount in all reported overseas assets. According to the official data, a total of 5,419 entities reported their overseas financial accounts, holding a total of 186.4 trillion KRW ($140 million) in assets like cryptocurrencies, stocks as well as deposits and savings. While cryptocurrencies were the biggest reported overseas assets by the amount of reported assets ,...

On the latest episode of “Macro Markets,” Marcel Pechman explains the potential implications for crypto of the Federal Reserve losing $100 billion. On this week's episode of “Macro Markets,” Cointelegraph analyst Marcel Pechman delves into a thought-provoking discussion on the United States Federal Reserve’s financial woes. Pechman opens by highlighting how the Fed is grappling with staggering losses and emphasizes a fundamental macroeconomic principle: that overall wealth cannot be universally enhanced as demand for goods and services grows. This discrepancy underscores the challenges posed by inflation, real estate prices and the consequences of the Fed’s policies. Pechman concludes that the Fed is now paying the price for its loose monetary approach during the pandemic, prompting a grim outlook for the U.S. Treasury Department’s finances. Shifting gears, Pechman moves on to discuss European markets, with a spotlight on Novo Nordisk’s remarkable ascent. The Danish pharmaceutical...

The platform will facilitate the buying and selling of Web3 data among enterprises; Alibaba Cloud and Huawei are among the companies to participate. During the 2023 Hangzhou Summit held in Hangzhou, China, a new data exchange powered by blockchain technology was unveiled by government officials. Over 300 enterprises, including Alibaba Cloud and Huawei, participated in the exchange 's debut. According to local news reports on Aug. 23, the new Hangzhou Data Exchange will facilitate the trading of enterprise information technology data using distributed ledger technology. Officials say the platform would ensure exchange trades are immutable and traceable. Chen Chun, director of the National Laboratory of Blockchain and Data Security, commented:  "[The Hangzhou Data Exchange] Utilizes research blockchain, privacy computing and other technologies to realize trusted sharing and effective use of data across departments and regions under data security and privacy protection."...

Bitcoin and select altcoins are starting to recover, but selling at the top of each price breakout suggests that bears remain in control. After the sharp fall on Aug. 17, Bitcoin (BTC) remained stuck inside a tight range over the weekend. This suggests indecision between the bulls and the bears about the next directional move.  After the latest fall, about 88% of Bitcoin held by Short-term Holders (STHs), owning Bitcoin for 155 days or less, has plunged into loss, according to Glassnode’s weekly newsletter, “The Week On-Chain.” Glassnode warns that the STH cohort is “increasingly price sensitive.” In comparison, the long-term holders have neither panicked nor gone on a shopping spree during the current fall. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 Traders are likely to keep a close watch on the United States Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium on Aug. 25. If Powell does not spring a negative surprise, then the ...

Bitcoin’s future price surge and mainstream adoption could happen independently of institutional adoption of the digital currency. The connection between Bitcoin and gold goes back to Bitcoin’s origin. While it is not mentioned in the Bitcoin white paper, Satoshi Nakamoto actually referred to gold’s rarity in a Bitcointalk forum post when introducing the first version of Bitcoin (BTC) in 2009. This was to emphasize the importance of a limited supply of 21 million coins. Bitcoin’s market value is frequently matched up against gold, which boasts a total worth of $12.8 trillion, and many crypto pundits often point to the approval of a gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) in 2004 as the catalyst for the asset’s price appreciation. Currently, Bitcoin encounters resistance at the $30,000 mark, and its inability to surpass this level could lie in how institutional investors perceive the comparison of BTC and gold as stores of value. Bitcoin’s present market cap of $570 billion outshines traditi...

The football club has been keen on creating nonfungible token collections for much of the past year. Spanish football club FC Barcelona has secured a €120 million ($132 million) investment from Libero Football Finance AG and Nipa Capital B.V. for its Web3 initiative Barça Vision. According to the Aug. 11 announcement, FC Barcelona sold a 29.5% stake in Bridgeburg Invest, the holding company for Barça Vision, in exchange for the capital. "Barça Vision is the Club's initiative to integrate all digital content around Web3 and blockchain including nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and metaverse, which are part of the Club's strategy to build the digital Espai Barça," developers wrote. Libero is a publicly listed company in Germany consulting football clubs on financial matters. Nipa Capital is a venture capital firm domiciled in the Netherlands. The transaction is subject to the approval of FC Barcelona shareholders and is expected to close in Q4 2023. Since February 2020, F...

Twenty-seven percent of the funds stolen in the July 30 exploit have yet to be returned. Binance Labs, the venture arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has invested $5 million in Curve (CRV), the namesake token of the decentralized stablecoin trading platform. “Curve is the largest stableswap and second-largest DEX [decentralized exchange], with approximately $2.4B in total value locked and $215M in daily volume at the time of writing," Binance Labs said in the Aug. 10 announcement. Yi He, Binance’s co-founder and head of Binance Labs, said the firm is pledging its full support to the DEX “given recent events that have impacted the protocol."  The firm says in exchange for the investment, Curve will deploy to BNB Smart Chain. The protocol currently operates on multiple chains, having been originally based on Ethereum, and serves as one of decentralized finance's (DeFi's) biggest market makers with several hundred pools in use. On July 30, Curve was drained of $7...

Bitcoin’s failure to rebound off strong support may open further downside as bears may be tempted to sell. Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading near the $29,000 level for the past few days. This suggests a lack of strong demand at higher levels but the only solace for the bulls is that they have managed to sustain the price above the immediate support. The uncertainty about the next directional move may have tempted short-term traders to book profits. CoinShares said in its latest weekly report that Bitcoin investment products witnessed $111 million in outflows, the largest weekly outflows since March. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 While the short-term price action remains uninspiring, crypto bulls remain confident that Bitcoin will rally before its next halving in 2024. Blockstream CEO Adam Back said in a conversation on X (previously known as Twitter) that Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of March. Could Bitcoin extend its decline in the near term or will i...

Brad Garlinghouse stressed Ripple’s unchanged commitment to transparency but hinted that future reports might undergo some changes. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinhouse on Aug. 2 expressed his disapproval of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for utilizing Ripple’s quarterly XRP (XRP) Markets Report, designed to enhance transparency in the cryptocurrency industry, as evidence against the company in the ongoing lawsuit .  Garlinghouse stated that the company initiated the report s with the intention of voluntarily offering updates on its XRP holdings. However, the CEO said these report s were later “used against” the company in the SEC’s lawsuit . Garlinghouse reiterated the company’s commitment to transparency but hinted that future report s might undergo some changes. We began these reports to voluntarily provide updates given our XRP holdings. Sadly, they were used against us in the SEC lawsuit - however, we remain steadfast in our commitment to transparency but I suspect t...

Bitcoin price is showing some strength, and charts suggest BNB, LTC, OKB and QNT could follow? The bears lost an opportunity when they failed to sustain Bitcoin (BTC) below the $25,000 level this week. That may have attracted buying from the bulls who are attempting to start a recovery in Bitcoin and select altcoins.  Additionally, BlackRock’s application to launch a Bitcoin spot price exchange-traded fund and the sustained strength in the United States equities markets may have helped improve crypto sentiment. Bitcoin is on track to finish the week with a minor gain of 2% and institutional buying in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust reduced its discount to Bitcoin spot from 44% on June 13 to 36.6%, according to CoinGlass data. Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360 Although Bitcoin and select altcoins are trying to start a relief rally, the overall trend remains bearish. Therefore, short-term traders who buy for a pullback should consider booking profits or tightening their stops ...

The experience is designed for everyone, but Puma Pass holders gain access to exclusive perks. On June 13, German footwear conglomerate Puma launched its 3D metaverse experience , Black Station. As told by developers, Black Station is an “experiential home” for product drops built to provide “unbridled access” for Puma Pass nonfungible token (NFT) holders. The firm says that the experience is for everyone to explore, but only those possessing RB tokens airdropped to Puma Pass holders can purchase a digital "Rulebreaker” sneaker and claim two digital wearables. At the time of publication, RB tokens currently have a price tag of 0.0125 Ether (ETH). Developers wrote: “If you do not own an RB token there is still so much to explore. Unkai, our city in the clouds, and Unter, our exhilarating club below, both are filled with mysteries to explore and collect." Holders of the RB token can burn it from June 13-20 on Black Station, granting their parent wallet access to various pro...

Boson sampling was once considered a problem looking for a solution. Now, it might be the bridge that brings quantum computing to the blockchain. A team of researchers from universities in Australia and the United States, working in collaboration with quantum technology company BTQ, recently published research proposing a novel proof-of-work (PoW) scheme for blockchain consensus that relies on quantum computing techniques to validate consensus. Our new paper on using NISQ-era quantum sampling problems in proof-of-work blockchain consensus algorithms. In collaboration with @BTQ_Tech.https://t.co/MKAB2czqSk — Peter Rohde (@drpeterrohde) June 1, 2023 Dubbed “Proof-of-work consensus by quantum sampling,” the preprint research paper details a system that the authors claim “provides dramatic speedup and energy savings relative to computation by classical hardware." According to the researchers, current algorithms for solving PoW consensus puzzles are slow and require a significant am...

Staking rewards following Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade have made it easier for investigators to spot counterintuitive behavior by ETH holders. With its historic Merge event in September, Ethereum has become a proof-of-stake blockchain. The mechanism now used to confirm transactions relies on validators staking their Ether (ETH). Ethereum’s March upgrade, codenamed Shanghai, finally enabled stakers to withdraw their locked Ether.  The Ethereum ecosystem’s “investment themes” have included a) decentralized finance (DeFi) b) stablecoins c) Bitcoin (via wrapped versions of BTC) and d) non-fungible tokens (NFTs). With the upgrade , the network also began providing fixed-income assets. There are currently several ways people make money on or using Ethereum. Broadly, they can be grouped into “investment themes,” including: a) decentralized finance (DeFi); b) stablecoins; c) Bitcoin (BTC) (via wrapped versions of BTC); and d) nonfungible tokens (NFTs). Following Shanghai, the network began to ...