Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury has revealed that more than 80 crypto companies have expressed interest in establishing a presence in Hong Kong. They include companies across mainland China, Canada, European Union countries, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. “We attach great importance to virtual asset (VA) and Web3,” said the government
Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s (BTC) 17.5% rally between March 16 and March 22 surprised options traders betting on price levels below $26,000. The movement resulted from investors seeking protection against persistent inflation and the ongoing banking crisis. Bitcoin bulls have been paying close attention to the negative effects of near-zero interest rates between April 2020 and April 2022,
Bitcoin (BTC) saw heavy volatility on March 22 as the United States Federal Reserve hinted that it may stop interest rate hikes. Powell on rates: “‘May’ and ‘some’ instead of ‘ongoing'” Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed sharp moves both up and down for BTC/USD as the Fed hiked by an anticipated 25 basis
On Monday, U.S. president Joe Biden published the administration’s economic report and addressed the subject of cryptocurrencies. The section titled “The Perceived Appeal of Crypto Assets” describes the currencies as “mostly speculative investment vehicles” that are “unbacked” and “traded without fundamental anchors.” The White House insists that crypto assets do not deliver on their promises
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index has hit its highest index score this year, reaching levels not seen since Bitcoin (BTC) posted its all-time high in November 2021. A March 20 update of the Index showed a score of 66, placing it firmly within the “Greed” territory. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index aims to
A U.S. congressman has urged the federal government to temporarily insure every bank deposit in the country. Following the collapses of several major banks, he stressed that if the government does not do this, there will be a run on smaller banks. “This is a contagion that could be spread across the entire banking system,”
The market capitalization of Bitcoin (BTC) has added $194 billion in 2023. Its 66% year-to-date (YTD) growth vastly outperforms top Wall Street bank stocks, particularly as fears of a global banking crisis are rising. Moreover, Bitcoin has decoupled from United States stocks for the first time in a year, with its price rising about 65%
The governor of India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), says the “ongoing U.S. banking crisis” clearly demonstrates the risks cryptocurrency poses to the financial system. The central bank chief added that the “Indian economy remains resilient,” emphasizing that the “worst of inflation is behind us.” India’s Central Bank Governor on Crypto Risks
Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. Chinese billionaire arrested in U.S. for $1B financial fraud According to an announcement published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Mar. 15, Chinese billonaire Ho Wan Kwok (aka Miles Guo and more commonly as Guo Wengui), has been arrested
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to collaborate on cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions of remittances and trade. The initiative is “expected to reduce costs, increase efficiency of cross border transactions and further the economic ties between India
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) increased by 28% between March 12 and 14, reaching $26,500, its highest level since June 2022. Some may attribute the gains to the Consumer Price Index’s (CPI) 6% year-over-year increase in February, even though the figure was in line with expectations. The inflation metric reached its lowest level since September
On Monday, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, announced that the company had decided to convert $1 billion worth of BUSD from the Industry Recovery Initiative fund into three different cryptocurrencies. Zhao noted that significant onchain movements would be noticeable following the announcement. CZ’s Decision to Convert $1 Billion BUSD Comes Amidst Troubles
Bitcoin (BTC) refused to let $20,000 support die for good on March 11 as the weekend opened to a battle for lost ground. Bitcoin shakes off USDC depeg Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD circling $20,200 at the time of writing. A brief dip below the $20,000 mark overnight was short-lived, and the
Bitcoin rose back above $20,000 on Saturday, despite markets still being spooked by the collapse of yet another banking institution. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by U.S. regulators on Friday, causing many institutions to lose access to capital. This includes USDC issuer Circle, which led to a USDC depegging. Ethereum also rebounded on Saturday.
Bitcoin (BTC) struggled to reclaim $20,000 support at the March 10 Wall Street open as fears mounted over Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) contagion. Trader targets $18,000 BTC price Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it nursed fresh losses, reaching $19,569 on Bitstamp. The pair had seen further downside prior to the open
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has provided an update on the Fed’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) work in a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee. While stating that the Fed is “making progress on technological issues,” Powell stressed that “policy issues are equally important.” Fed Chair Powell on CBDC Progress During a hearing
In this week’s newsletter, read about how Yuga Labs’ first Bitcoin-based nonfungible tokens (NFTs) earned $16.5 million in 24 hours, and how the Bitcoin NFT market can reach $4.5 billion by 2025. Check out how Binance’s artificial intelligence NFT generator got 10,000 mints 2.5 hours after its launch, and find out how the Flare blockchain
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has outlined several risks related to crypto activities during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. While stating that the Fed sees turmoil, fraud, a lack of transparency, and run risk in the crypto space, he stressed: “We don’t want regulation to stifle innovation.” Fed
The hopeful optimism of Bitcoin (BTC) traders seemed to dissipate in the first week of March as key on-chain metrics provided resistance. Now Bitcoin is threatening a retest of the $22,000 level, and a wave of short sellers would stand to profit if that occurred. If the short sellers’ strike price hits, some analysts believe
Despite a 9.95% increase last week and the all-time high difficulty, bitcoin’s hashrate has averaged around 305 exahash per second (EH/s) over the past 30 days. According to current data, the hashrate has been around 308 EH/s over the past 2,016 blocks. The next difficulty change, set to occur on March 10, is estimated to