Binance analysis: Bitcoin strengthens as DeFi fades – but great potential for Ethereum 2.0

Bitcoin had its strongest month since April as a surge in Ethereum followed an announcement on its ETH 2.0 upgrade - but the DeFi party 'ends abruptly.'

Those are the key takeaways from Binance's October trading report - the first of which was at the start of this year - which looks to assess the key information and data on trading activity across crypto-futures markets.

In October, Binance noted, Bitcoin gained more than 27%, crossing above the $14,000 mark for the...

9 November 2020 | Bitcoin

PayPal opens up to Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin – but with minimal functionality for now

PayPal has launched a new service enabling its customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency direct from their PayPal account.

The company cited the Covid-19 pandemic as driving migration towards digital payments, as well as the increased interest in digital currencies from central banks and consumers, as behind the move.

Cryptocurrencies on the initial list include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, with plans to expand to Venmo and 'select international...

22 October 2020 | Bitcoin

Cryptowisser notes 75 crypto exchanges fell in 2020 as ‘unique edge’ now required

Ever wanted a repository for crypto exchanges that are no longer with us? Crypto services reviewer Cryptowisser has its Exchange Graveyard - and a stark warning about how 2020 has affected exchanges globally.

According to the company, 75 crypto exchanges have passed on this year, whether they voluntarily shut down, were hacked, or were otherwise missing in action. The earliest were DFlow, The PIT and WCX, who turned their toes up on the first day of the year, while the most recent...

12 October 2020 | Bitcoin

Bitpanda secures $52 million series A funding for further European expansion

Bitpanda, a financial marketplace for digital and blockchain-based assets, has secured $52 million (£40.1m) in series A funding to help scale and build its presence in new European markets.

The Austria-based platform provider, which offers brokerage for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin among others, has expanded to France, Spain and Turkey in 2020, looking further afield for this year and next. The company claims to be doubling revenue annually, with more than 1.3 million...

5 October 2020 | Banking

Ripple: How cryptocurrency can be a viable route to sustainability for financial technology

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, countries under full lockdown have experienced an average 25% decline in energy demand per week. Encouragingly, non-renewable sources of energy like oil and coal declined in usage nearly 20% as curtailment in commercial operations took hold.

However, projections from McKinsey suggest these positive developments could be dismantled by an increase in demand for digital technology - especially digital payments, which are expected to grow by...

1 October 2020 | Banking

Analysing Bitcoin’s revival: CoinMarketCap notes cautious optimism amid Covid-19 – as halving arrives

The most recent quarter has been turbulent to say the least across all global economies - but while Bitcoin's performance naturally fell, according to CoinMarketCap's most recent analysis, it still outperformed global benchmarks for equities.

In its Q1 assessment of crypto market and user trends, CoinMarketCap argued that, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, crypto markets have 'regained a good portion' of their March losses, but warns there was 'still some way to go' before they fully...

12 May 2020 | Bitcoin

Riot Blockchain to scrap crypto exchange and further pursue mining

Riot Blockchain is to shut down its crypto exchange and renew its focus on mining, citing various risks.

The company issued an update on its ‘strategic priorities’, with the action of sunsetting the RiotX Exchange taken after assessing, in the company’s words, “the evolving regulatory environment, cybersecurity risks, and the current competitive landscape facing US-based cryptocurrency exchanges.”

The greater move to mining has been coming, with Riot recently...

25 February 2020 | Bitcoin

Analysing China’s about turn on blockchain – and what could come next

The past week has seen various significant developments in terms of how blockchain technologies will be perceived and developed in China.

On October 25, it was reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping had described the technology as an ‘important breakthrough’, with more developments needed to accelerate the sector, as well as greater interoperability between blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Xinhua, China’s...

1 November 2019 | Applications

Latest Satoshi Nakamoto pretender unveiled, crypto community looks askance: An analysis

Over the past few days, an elaborate campaign has taken place with its final aim to unmask Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous Bitcoin whitepaper author. Yesterday, due to what it described as “overwhelming interest”, the reveal was issued early and cited Bilal Khalid, full legal name James Bilal Khalid Caan, as the real Satoshi.

Yet the more than 9000-word missive has failed to convince crypto and industry watchers alike.

The campaign has been put together by...

20 August 2019 | Bitcoin

Dallas Mavericks to allow Bitcoin payments, BitPay confirms

The Dallas Mavericks have become the second NBA team to accept Bitcoin payments, BitPay has confirmed.

The basketball franchise joins the Sacramento Kings, which announced plans to accept Bitcoin for tickets, alongside promotional products, as far back as 2014. The NBA itself is also open to experimentation with blockchain technologies; earlier this month this publication reported on NBA Top Shot, a new platform where basketball fans can collect and trade moments in the...

16 August 2019 | Bitcoin