CBDC may threat stablecoins, not Bitcoin: ARK36 exec

A state-backed digital currency like the US dollar doesn’t necessarily have to be a competitor to a decentralized cryptocurrency, one industry exec believes. Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) do not pose any direct threat to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) but are still associated with risks in relation to stablecoins, one industry executive believes.According to Mikkel Morch, executive director at the digital asset hedge fund ARK36, a state-backed digital currency like the US dollar doesn’t necessarily have to be a competitor to a private or a decentralized cryptocurrency.That’s because the use cases and value proposition of the decentralized digital assets “often go beyond the realm of simple transactions,” Morch said in a statement to Cointelegraph on Thursday.The exec referred to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell who earlier this year hinted that the United States government would not stop a “well regulated, privately issued stablecoin” from coexisting with a potential Fed digital dollar.As such, active commitment to the CBDC development does not mean that other countries like Singapore are unfriendly to non-state-backed cryptocurrencies, Morch said.

The community-centered approach to Web3 — Aave founder and CEO

"What if we actually can have ownership on our own presence in social media — our profiles, our social identities?” asked Stani Kulechov. Aave (AAVE) founder and CEO Stani Kulechov said the firm was continuing to develop its decentralized social media platform, with Web3 potentially changing the way many view ownership.Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Collision conference in Toronto on Thursday, Kulechov said Web3 — a buzzword often thrown around, which generally describes the next evolution of an internet based on blockchain technology — could impact how people use social media in much the same way cryptocurrency changed perceptions on finance.

A ‘very ambitious’ $100M Metaverse R&D hub is being built in Melbourne

“We're really designing a whole world,” Two Bulls founder James Kane said about the role his business will play in the yet to launch metaverse. Thailand based metaverse startup Translucia Global Innovation has partnered with the Australian software development firm Two Bulls and set aside an initial budget of $100 million to build a Metaverse Research and Development Center (MRDC) in Melbourne.Translucia is a subsidiary of art and entertainment company T&B Media Global which in October 2021 launched its “Translucia Metaverse” project, with a first stage investment of $283 million for the virtual world.Now, T&B are partnering with Two Bulls to build the MRDC to bring the project to life with a slated soft-launch for November this year.Two Bulls Founder and CEO James Kane told Cointelegraph that T&B undertook a worldwide search for a partner that could help realize the Translucia Metaverse project“There was an understanding there would need to be significant research and development,” he said. “It's a v

Institutions are exploring the space — KPMG Canada crypto team

Kareem Sadek and Kunal Bhasin said the team had seen “a lot of momentum” around the tokenization of assets but was also considering the potential growth of NFTs and the Metaverse. The Canadian operations of Big Four auditor Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler, or KPMG, may have a role to play in institutions entering the crypto space, according to two team members.Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Collision conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Kareem Sadek and Kunal Bhasin of KPMG Canada’s crypto assets and blockchain services team said the company had added Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) to its balance sheet to show others it “had skin in the game.” According to Sadek, holding digital assets was just the first step moving deeper into the crypto space.“We thought it’s better to go through the journey ourselves — show the community we’re part of it, we’re supportive of the community,” said Bhasin.

Binance-owned Trust Wallet adds buy option via Binance Connect

Binance's self-custodial crypto wallet Trust Wallet now allows buying more than 200 digital assets with 40 fiat currencies via Binance Connect, formerly known as Bifinity. Trust Wallet, a major self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet owned by the Binance crypto exchange, has completed a significant integration to enable easier crypto purchases.The Trust Wallet platform has integrated Binance’s official fiat-to-crypto provider Binance Connect, allowing users to purchase more than 200 crypto assets directly from credit or debit cards, the firm announced to Cointelegraph on June 22.Trust Wallet’s new crypto buy option is designed to simplify the process of buying crypto, enabling verified Trust Wallet users to fund their wallet with more than 40 fiat currencies.In order to add funds on Trust Wallet via Binance Connect, users will need to proceed with the similar Know Your Customer (KYC) checks to those on Binance.

Crypto brokerage FalconX raises $150M at $8B valuation

FalconX is the latest cryptocurrency firm to secure millions of dollars in fresh funding despite the cryptocurrency markets experiencing a major decline. Despite the ongoing bearish trend in cryptocurrency markets, venture capital firms continue pouring capital into major industry players like FalconX.FalconX, the institutional-level digital asset platform and crypto brokerage, has raised $150 million in fresh funding as part of its Series D financing round.Completed in early June, the funding round values FalconX at $8 billion, more than doubling from its previous Series C-round valuation of $3.75 billion in August 2021, the firm announced to Cointelegraph on Wednesday.

Cointelegraph Store introduces Summer of Crypto merch collection

Celebrating the arrival of summer, Cointelegraph has launched a new collection of crypto-inspired summer wear to keep things cool. As the market gets hot with the recent price drops, traders need a way to stay cool and take a break from looking at their portfolios.

Huobi crypto exchange wins licenses in Dubai and New Zealand as Thai affiliate closes

Huobi cryptocurrency exchange is expanding its global footprint by winning its first-ever licenses in Dubai and New Zealand. Major cryptocurrency trading platform Huobi continues expanding its global presence by securing new licenses in New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.Huobi Group on June 17 obtained the Innovation License under the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), securing the company’s first-ever license there.The DIFC license is not a trading license but rather authorizes Huobi to incentivize technology startups to set up operations in Dubai, Huobi Group chief financial officer Lily Zhang told Cointelegraph on Monday.

These 3 metrics suggest the Bitcoin price crash is not over

$20,000 feels scary, but it may not be the end of the story for Bitcoin's latest bear cycle. Bitcoin (BTC) near $20,000 is worrying the market, but after narrowly avoiding breaking support, is the worst really over?According to multiple on-chain indicators, it seems that max pain has yet to arrive this cycle.The stakes are high for many hodlers this week — almost 50% of the supply is being held at a loss and miners are upping their shipments of BTC to exchanges.Even some of Bitcoin's biggest investors, notably MicroStrategy, are having to defend their conviction on BTC as price action tumbles.With targets ranging as low as $11,000, Cointelegraph takes a look at how much further the market technically needs to drop to match historical bottom zones.Weak hodlers still to be flushed outDespite the drop to eighteen-month lows, Bitcoin price action has not yet shaken out all its speculators.

Bitcoin price climbs to $22.5K after Fed 75 basis point hike aims to cap runaway inflation

BTC and altcoins generated nominal gains after the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate by 0.75%, the largest hike in 28 years. Global financial markets were squarely focused on the US Federal Reserve and its decision to raise interest rates by 75 basis points on June 15, the largest increase in 28 years as the central bank fights to tamp down the highest inflation rates in over four decades. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that Bitcoin (BTC) and the wider cryptocurrency market fell under pressure in the early trading hours on June 15 as rumors of the possible collapse of Three Arrows Capital (3AC) spread across the ecosystem, which is still grappling with the ongoing Celsius debacle.

Nifty Newsletter: Mastercard to enable direct NFT purchase, NFT floor prices collapse and more

Last week, Apocalyptic Apes founder Bill Starkov told Cointelegraph that NFT holders can earn millions by licensing their NFTs.

The crypto industry must do more to promote encryption, says Meltem Demirors

Meltem Demirors sat down with Cointelegraph to express why the industry needs to focus on privacy and freedom when it comes to regulations. “I like to call myself a future, or aspiring, cult leader,” Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer of CoinShares — a publicly listed investment firm managing around $5 billion in assets — told Cointelegraph. Demirors, who first entered the Bitcoin (BTC) space in late 2012, further mentioned that it has been “fun to see how big the crypto sector has become,” noting that people from all walks of life are now interested in the cryptocurrency space.

Binance Australia CEO: regulations will establish higher standards in crypto

Leigh Travers feels that a change in Australia’s government will slow down work on crypto regulations that could prove that the industry is already operating at a higher level than traditional finance. As the struggle for regulatory clarity down under rages on, Binance Australia’s CEO Leigh Travers thinks that such a framework will prove the crypto industry “holds itself to a higher standard” than many believe.Travers spoke with Cointelegraph on June 14 about the current state of local crypto regulatory efforts and how the opportunities available in the industry are restricted by the lack of clarity.

Bitcoin analysts are watching these BTC price levels as key trendline looms

$22,400 marks the start of possible bottom territory, consensus says, but the downside targets technically extend all the way to $11,000. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at its lowest since mid-December 2020 on June 13, but the bottom could be anywhere.As the weekend sell-off intensifies, BTC/USD has now broken below its realized price for the first time since March 2020, data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView confirms.Bitcoin clings to realized priceAt around $23,400, realized price — the average price at which each BTC last moved — is acting as the first solid support so far on lower timeframes.Bitcoin realized price vs.

UNFCCC weighs blockchain use cases to fight climate change with Cointelegraph

During the DigitalArt4Climate press conference, Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr took over the stage to understand the various blockchain initiatives that actively fight climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with climate change entrepreneurs and Cointelegraph delved into discussing the role of emerging technologies such as blockchain in solving global issues including climate change.During the DigitalArt4Climate press conference, Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr took over the stage to understand the various blockchain initiatives that actively fight climate change.

Bitcoin at the WEF: What did the world's elite think of crypto?

In a Cointelegraph video, the world's elite and some crypto believers rub shoulders to share their views on crypto. Cointelegraph introduces “Crypto Street,” a series of spontaneous conversations with strangers on the street to educate, entertain and take a temperature check on the world’s relationship with crypto.The first episode comes from the gates of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Bitcoin miners say NY ban will be ineffective and 'isolate' the state

Miners feel that the New York legislature’s efforts to get Bitcoin miners out of their state will backfire in the long run as other states invite miners to help improve their energy grid. Two Bitcoin miners have told Cointelegraph that if the bill banning Proof-of-Work mining for two years in New York becomes law, it would end up triggering an exodus of mining companies from the state and do little to address the intended goals of the moratorium.GEM Mining CEO John Warren told Cointelegraph on June 8 that he and other miners now view New York as an unfriendly place where they likely would not want to open up shop.

Polygon taps Airbnb’s director of HR to spearhead its decentralized workforce

Cointelegraph spoke to Polygon’s newly appointed global head of HR, Bhumika Srivastava, to learn more about her Web2-to-Web3 transition and philosophy for decentralized cultures, among other things. Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Polygon (MATIC) has announced the hiring of Bhumika Srivastava in a bid to consolidate its strategy and cultural ambitions for the company's 500-employee global workforce.Serving as the head of human resources and director for employee experience at Airbnb for the past five years, Srivastava arrives with an illustrious portfolio and plethora of experience from her work in Web2, having occupied senior roles at Adobe, Yahoo, Tesco PLC, and Snapdeal.Srivastava’s appointment marks a consistent trend in Polygon's hiring strategy of prominent figures within the Web2 space, such as the former head of gaming at Youtube, Ryan Wyatt, being hired as CEO of Polygon Studios in January and, more recently, Tyler Sellhorn being brought on to promote Polygon's decentralized working model as head of remote. In an interview with Cointelegraph conducted on Zoom, Srivastava spoke candidly about the necessities of leadership, Polygon’s parabolic employee growth over the past year, and her ambitions to cultivate a thriving decentralized culture which operates with sustainable high-performance. The weekly stats:• #Polygon network TVL maintains a solid $2.5Bn.

Metaverse sneak peek: Project aims to build a creator-focused economy through blockchain

Cointelegraph explored Web3 creator economy protocol DEIP’s metaverse in an online event last week.

Crypto-stock trade pairs in the cards as Swyftx inks $1.5B merger with Superhero

Speaking to Cointelegraph on Wednesday, Swyftx co-CEO Ryan Parsons revealed that its long-term plans are to explore ways to offer trading between traditional and crypto asset classes. Australian crypto exchange Swyftx wants to eventually offer seamless trading between traditional and crypto-asset classes, with its first step being the completion of its $1.5 billion merger deal with online investing platform Superhero. The deal to combine the two was revealed on June 8, with the merged entity set to become the first in Australia to offer both decentralized and traditional finance.

Ethereum 2.0 vs. the top Ethereum killers|The Market Report

On this week’s episode of “The Market Report,” Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss Eth2 and how it compares to the competition. “The Market Report” with Cointelegraph is live right now.

Bitcoin’s move to $32.4K was a fakeout — Here’s the price level most BTC traders are waiting for

Some traders lost hope this week after BTC price rejected at $32,400, but many say this level is where they will become buyers. The end of the first week in June brought more pain to global financial markets as the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite closed the day on June 3 down 2.3%, while the S&P 500 shed 1.4% of its value. The cryptocurrency market hasn’t faired any better and data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that an early morning attempt to push Bitcoin (BTC) above $30,000 was hit with a wave of selling that dropped it to a daily low of $29,286. BTC

Tether’s reported bank partner Capital Union shares its crypto strategy

Tether stablecoin’s reported bank partner Capital Union supports a large variety of digital assets as part of its trading and custody services. Capital Union, a Bahamas-based bank that reportedly holds a portion of reserves by the Tether (USDT) stablecoin issuer, has been itself actively involved in the cryptocurrency industry.The banking institution has rolled out crypto trading and custody services to its professional clients as part of the bank's trading desk, a spokesperson for Capital Union told Cointelegraph on May 31.“We work with a few selected trading venues and liquidity providers and a handful of custodians and technology providers, which allows us to support a large variety of digital assets as part of our trading and custody services,” the firm's representative said.Capital Union’s crypto-related services still represent a “fairly small portion” of its business, which is mainly focused on providing traditional wealth management and investment services, the representative noted.

How does the Fed impact crypto? | Find out on The Market Report

How do the decisions of the United States Federal Reserve affect Bitcoin and the broader crypto markets? “The Market Report” with Cointelegraph is live right now.

Brad Garlinghouse says NFTs 'underhyped,' sees new use cases | Cointelegraph interview

The Ripple CEO reflected on crypto's presence at the World Economic Forum and the emerging use cases for digital assets. Ripple (XRP) has announced a $100 million investment in the carbon trading segment, CEO Brad Garlinghouse told Cointelegraph’s Joseph Hall in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, which concluded on Thursday. Garlinghouse noted the rising profile of cryptocurrency at the international summit, comparing his experiences over the last several years.

CeFi interest on the wane: Will BlockFi, Ledn and Nexo rates trend lower?

Cointelegraph spoke to CeFi leaders to understand where interest rates are going and what the future holds for CeFi. Generating a yield on crypto is increasingly tricky.

Falling Bitcoin price doesn't affect El Salvador: 'Now it's time to buy more,' reveals Deputy Dania Gonzalez

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, a policymaker from El Salvador reveals how BTC has been helping the country change people's lives. Dania Gonzalez, Deputy of the Republic of El Salvador, was recently in Brazil to reveal her country's experiences with the decision to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender.

Partying in Davos with Cointelegraph: Crypto card payments accepted

We’re saying farewell to the World Economic Forum Annual meeting by demonstrating the real-world utility of crypto payments.