The anticipated Bitcoin halving and potential ETF approvals have lit “some serious fire in the cauldron” for crypto, said Zerocap investment chief Jon de Wet. Publicly traded crypto firms have notched triple-digit percentage returns this year and closed up in green on Dec. 4, as Bitcoin (BTC) reached a new year-high of over $42,000. Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) closed the day at just over $141 with a 5.5% gain, up 320% from its price at the start of the year, per Google Finance data.Bitcoin miners Marathon Digital (MARA) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) closed the day with over 8% gains, recording 337% and 345% year-to-date (YTD) gains, respectively.A visual map of the one-day price of S&P 500 stocks shows mixed results on Dec. 4 Source: FinvizCrypto investment firm Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY) posted a daily gain of nearly 12% and is up 155% YTD and MicroStrategy (MSTR) — with the largest Bitcoin holdings of any public company valued at over $6.6 billion — saw a daily gain of over 6.5% and a YTD rise of 288%.It comes despite the wider North American stock market seeing a mixed bag of gainers and losers on Dec. Large-cap tech stocks, such as Microsoft, fell 1.43% on Dec. The crypto-related stocks are well below their all-time highs, however.IG Australia market analyst Tony Sycamore told Cointelegraph the crypto-related stock rally is “coming off the back of Bitcoin’s spectacular gains in recent months,” which is up nearly 152% YTD and is closing in on $42,000 — it has already hit a 19-month high.Sycamore said investors see crypto stocks as a way to gain crypto exposure until the United States approves spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).Read more

Nearly $1.8 billion flowed into crypto investment products over the last 10 weeks, which hasn’t been seen since Bitcoin futures were launched in October 2021. Bitcoin (BTC)-related investment products have become the “main beneficiary” of recent investor interest in crypto, amid growing anticipation of a spot Bitcoin ETF approval in the United States. A total of $1.76 billion of investors’ funds have flowed into crypto products over a 10-week period, making up for the largest inflows over such a period since October 2021 — when Bitcoin futures launched, according to a Dec. Record inflows! Last 10 weeks now total U$1.76bn inflows, the highest on record since October 2021’s futures-based ETF launch in the US.Week 49 inflows: U$176 million– #Bitcoin – $BTC: U$133m inflows Short Bitcoin: US$3.6m inflows Trading volumes in ETPs remain… pic.twitter.com/Elon1F2pHl— CoinShares (@CoinSharesCo) December 4, 2023 CoinShares’ weekly reports over the past 10 weeks shows at least $1.44 billion of inflows went to Bitcoin investment products over the period, as the price of Bitcoin has gained from $26,600 to $37,700 on Dec. Meanwhile, the latest week ending Dec. Bitcoin (BTC) investment products were the “main beneficiary,” said Butterfill, recording $132.8 million of inflows over the past week, while Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) products tallied $30.8 million and 4.3 million, respectively.Digital asset flows (in millions) week by week in 2023. Source: CoinSharesRelated: Bitcoin prices should ‘logically’ correct in January, but crypto’s a ‘wild card’ The inflows come as spot Bitcoin ETF applications are inching closer toward potential approval in the U.S. Some Bitcoin futures-based products could be reaping benefits of the recent excitement over approvals, said James Edwards, cryptocurrency analyst at fintech firm Finder in a previous interview with Cointelegraph.Read more

If approved, this third version of the plan will go into effect on Jan. 5, 2024, and see the company add 372 MW in capacity by 2027. Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific has released a presentation outlining its plans to emerge from bankruptcy in early January 2024. The presentation is based on the third amended joint Chapter 11 plan filed on Nov. Common shareholders and holders of two series of convertible notes are being planned for separately. Planned Core Scientific indicators through 2027. Source: Core ScientificNoteholders will receive $1.628 on every $1 of face value for notes due in April and $1.201 per $1 face value for notes with an August due date. If it reaches agreements with key shareholders, Core Scientific will emerge from bankruptcy with $709 million in net debt and $791 million in equity value on Jan. Related: ‘Unjustly enriched’ — Core Scientific knocks back $4.7M claim from CelsiusCore Scientific operates seven facilities in five states and has a total operational capacity of 724 MW. Today’s $CORZ daily self-mined #Bitcoin for the last reported 24-hour period (02-Dec-2023): 30.1 pic.twitter.com/KuKyORAkkaRead more

According to the fiscal year 2023 report, the IRS unit investigated failures to disclose crypto holdings and report on capital gains for transactions. The Criminal Investigation (CI) Unit of the United Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported an increase in the number of investigations around digital asset reporting.In its annual report released on Dec. 4, the IRS investigative arm said it had initiated more than 2,676 cases in which it had identified more than $37 billion related to tax and financial crimes in the 2023 fiscal year. “These investigations consist of unreported income resulting from failure to report capital gains from the sale of cryptocurrency, income earned from mining cryptocurrency, or income received in the form of cryptocurrency, such as wages, rental income, and gambling winnings,” said the Criminal Investigation Unit. Our FY23 Annual Report highlights more than 2,600 investigations, $37.1 billion identified from tax and financial crimes. #IRSC #ByTheNumbers#WhatWeDoCounts https://t.co/B1hZw8ClXm pic.twitter.com/EZWQKNB2uu— IRS Criminal Investigation (@IRS_CI) December 4, 2023 Related: IRS extends comments period for new crypto tax rule to mid-NovemberStarting in 2019, the IRS began requiring U.S. In the report, CI chief Jim Lee said that “most people using cryptocurrency do so for legitimate purposes,” but digital assets pose a risk for financing terrorism, ransomware attacks, and other illicit activities.Since it began increasing efforts to investigate crimes involving cryptocurrency in 2015, the IRS has seized more than $10 billion in digital assets. Magazine: Best and worst countries for crypto taxes — plus crypto tax tipsRead more

The crypto market is up today as Bitcoin’s rally to a new 2023 high triggers a breakout in altcoins and DeFi tokens. The crypto market is up today as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) rallied to new 2023 highs and Cardano (ADA) and numerous altcoins tacked on notable gains. The positive growth was led by Bitcoin, which topped $40,000 for the first time in 19 months on Dec. Coinciding with gold hitting an all-time high, Bitcoin price then topped $42,000 on Dec. 4, setting a 20-month high. Crypto performance map. Coin360Let’s examine three major factors influencing today’s crypto market rally.Bitcoin continues to leave centralized exchangesThe crypto market’s price gains in the past 24 hours follow a period of rising withdrawals from centralized crypto exchanges.For instance, over 20,000 Bitcoin have left crypto exchanges since Nov. Bitcoin balances on exchanges. Source: CoinglassThe reduction in Bitcoin balances across crypto exchanges has largely coincided with rising prices. Read more

The man who introduced the Winklevoss twins to crypto ended up in prison. He expressed no regrets to Cointelegraph. Charlie Shrem paid a steep price for his place in crypto history. Major figures in the crypto world were part of his story, and his personal life was transformed as he went from online retailer to CEO of Bitcoin (BTC) exchange BitInstant and convicted felon before he was even 30. Coming from a prominent family in Brooklyn’s Syrian Orthodox Jewish community, Shrem was on the path to becoming a rabbi from an early age. “The only way to get out was through money,” Shrem realized. He said on Cointelegraph’s Crypto Stories: “On the internet, people didn’t judge me based on any other factors other than what I was contributing to the conversation […] My opinion was appreciated very greatly.”Shrem learned of Bitcoin and developed the concept for BitInstant, a company that facilitated purchases of Bitcoin at a time when it could only be obtained from Mt. “Bitcoin Jesus” Roger Ver invested in BitInstant. Read more

Spain and Brazil are chasing cryptocurrency stored abroad, while the U.K. wants taxes paid for crypto assets that weren’t previously declared. Last week, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) presented an unpleasant Christmas surprise to hodlers in the United Kingdom, demanding they declare any crypto holdings they failed to report in the last four, six or even 20 years. The disclosure must include “exchange tokens,” such as Bitcoin (BTC), as well as any nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and “utility tokens.”Less harsh in its demands, the Spanish Tax Administration Agency has also reminded its citizens about their obligations to declare crypto, even if they store it abroad. Brazil will also proceed to tax its citizens’ foreign crypto holdings via a bill already passed in the Chamber of Deputies and expected to be approved by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The change makes those funds taxable at the same rate as domestic funds. The SEC is still digging into Binance.USThe United States Securities and Exchange Commission is still looking for evidence that Binance.US had a backdoor to potentially control customer assets similarly to FTX. Anti-Money Laundering laws as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Read more

Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation. Cosmos-based networks Umee and Osmosis have announced plans to merge and create a so-called “DeFi Hub.” Meanwhile, Brazilian bank Itau Unibanco has reportedly launched a cryptocurrency trading service for its clients as part of its investment platform, and Bitcoin has reached the $40,000 milestone, its highest price level in 19 months.Cosmos-based networks announce merger plansUmee and Osmosis, two networks that operate on the Cosmos chain, have announced plans to merge through a software upgrade and create a “DeFi Hub” for the entire Cosmos ecosystem. According to the Dec. Osmosis x UmeeThis is much needed for $OSMO and also great for $UMEE. With Mars planning to migrate to Neutron, Osmosis needs to gather the DeFi legos required to offer a complete exchange experienceCosmos ecosystem making moves. https://t.co/vjiDXMfA0T https://t.co/P0cZG6reLP— Liam Connor (@L1am_Crypto) December 4, 2023 “The combined architecture of both chain functionality will open up the door for flash loans and new forms of MEV on the same DeFi Hub,” said Sunny Agarwal, Osmosis’ co-founder.Osmosis made news in October by allowing a bridged version of Bitcoin to be traded on the exchange.Brazil’s largest bank Itau Unibanco launches Bitcoin tradingBrazilian bank Itau Unibanco has launched a cryptocurrency trading service for its clients as part of its investment platform, Reuters reported on Dec. Itau, the largest bank by assets in Brazil and one of the leading lenders in Latin America, is debuting crypto trading with Bitcoin and Ether, digital asset head Guto Antunes reportedly said. Read more

Big Blue’s roadmap says it’s on pace to execute 100 million gates over 200 qubits in 2029 before a 10x improvement by 2033. IBM announced the unveiling of its 1,121-qubit “Condor” quantum computing processor on Dec. Alongside the new chip, IBM delivered an updated roadmap and a trove of information on the company’s planned endeavors in the quantum computing space.The Condor quantum processorThe 1,121-qubit processor represents the apex of IBM’s previous roadmap. In quantum computing terms, qubit count isn’t necessarily a measure of power or capability so much as it is potential. Currently, IBM considers its experiments with 100-qubit systems to be the status quo, with much of the current work focused on increasing the number of quantum gates processors can function with.“For the first time,” writes IBM fellow and vice president of quantum computing Jay Gambetta in a recent blog post, “we have hardware and software capable of executing quantum circuits with no known a priori answer at a scale of 100 qubits and 3,000 gates.”2029: A quantum inflection pointGates, like qubits, are a potential measure of the usefulness of a quantum system. The next major “inflection point,” per the blog post, will occur in 2029 when IBM will execute “100 million gates over 200 qubits” with a processor it’s calling “Starling.”Read more

Presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy and Dean Phillips will discuss blockchain and crypto ahead of the New Hampshire Primary. The “Stand With Crypto” campaign launched by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase plans to bring candidates for the 2024 United States presidential election together to discuss blockchain technology and digital assets.According to its website as of Dec. 4, Stand With Crypto confirmed that Republican candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, will appear in person in New Hampshire on Dec. “This special opportunity allows you to hear from each presidential candidate and will provide candidates with a venue to address the crypto and blockchain community in New Hampshire,” said Stand With Crypto. We are excited to announce the first-ever Crypto Presidential Forum!Join us in New Hampshire to hear directly from candidates about their positions on crypto policy and a wide range of other topics. Local leaders will also be… pic.twitter.com/B5fqd5TlfE— Stand With Crypto️ (@standwithcrypto) December 1, 2023 On Jan. At the time of publication, polls suggested that President Biden was most likely to face Trump in 2024, with the former president double digits ahead of DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy — roughly 58% to their 5%–13%. 1 Quinnipiac poll showed Kennedy Jr. Related: FTX founder mulled giving Trump $5B not to run for president, says authorIt’s unclear whether the Dec. and Ramaswamy, have made digital assets one of the key issues in their campaigns, but frontrunners Biden and Trump rarely speak publicly on crypto and blockchain.In El Salvador, former President Nayib Bukele resigned from his position on Dec. Bukele advocated for the Central American nation to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender and has been behind multiple buys of the cryptocurrency for the government.Read more

Altcoins show compelling technical setups after Bitcoin price blew past $42,000 on December 4. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) surged above their respective overhead resistance levels on Dec. Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit said in its 4th quarter report that institutional traders held 35% of their assets in Bitcoin, 15% in Ether and a large portion kept 45% of their assets are in stablecoins. Only a miniscule 5% was held in rest of the altcoins.This shows that there is still enough firepower available with institutional investors to buy the cryptocurrency of their choice by selling stablecoins.Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360Matrixport research head Markus Thielen said in a recent note that the three previous crypto bear markets were followed by a three-year bull cycle, and this time is going to be no different, with 2023 being the first year. Could bulls hold on to the gains in Bitcoin and select altcoins, or will higher levels attract aggressive selling by the bears? Let’s analyze the charts to find out.S&P 500 Index price analysisThe bulls kicked the S&P 500 Index (SPX) above the overhead resistance of 4,541 on Nov. SPX daily chart. Source: TradingViewThe up-move is likely to face selling in the zone between 4,607 and 4,650. Read more

The outspoken executive also said that Meta isn’t pursuing quantum computing because it isn’t currently useful. Meta AI boss Yann LeCun sounded off on the industry-wide state of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing during a recent event to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the founding of Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) team.During LeCun’s commentary, he commented on Nvidia’s current stranglehold on the AI hardware industry, the likelihood that human-level AI will emerge in the near future, and why Meta isn’t currently pursuing quantum computing alongside its competitors.By “not any time soon”, I mean “clearly not in the next 5 years”, contrary to a number of folks in the AI industry.Yes, I’m skeptical of quantum computing, particularly when it comes to its application to AI.https://t.co/5t63w1GNfL— Yann LeCun (@ylecun) December 3, 2023 The artificial intelligence warLeCun’s views on the imminence of so-called human-level AI are well-documented. By comparison, Elon Musk recently made the bold prediction that a “digital god” would arrive within the next three to five years.In the middle, perhaps, lies Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. He recently stated that AI would be able to complete tests in a manner “fairly competitive” with humans in the next five years. Read more

Bitcoin futures data counters the assumption that BTC’s rally to $42,000 was primarily propelled by shorts liquidations. What is next for BTC? In the past seven days, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a whopping 14.5% surge, hitting a 20-month high at $41,130 by Dec. BTC liquidation mapEnough shorts to run it up all the way to $45-46k pic.twitter.com/7O2zYD4j8Q— Nik Algo (@nik_algo) December 4, 2023 The impact of the recent liquidations in Bitcoin futures marketsWhile the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) trades USD-settled contracts for Bitcoin futures, where no physical Bitcoin changes hands, these futures markets undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping spot prices. In the same seven-day period, a mere $200 million worth of BTC futures shorts were liquidated, representing only 1% of the total outstanding contracts. Bitcoin futures aggregate open interest and volume, USD. Source: CoinglassEven when focusing solely on the CME, which is known for potential trading volume inflation, its daily volume of $2.67 billion should have readily absorbed a $100 million 24-hour liquidation. $BTC Next Possible Plan A Quick Wick to 42k-42.5k To Hunt BSL Of Shorts then A Quick Flushout of the Long’s & We Might see $BTC Pullback down to 39k-38.5k Retracement to 39k-38.5k Will be good Buying Opportunity For the Last Leg upto 45k-47k Before ETF Approval pic.twitter.com/yc7k0hOBpZ— VeLLa Crypto (@VellaCryptoX) December 4, 2023 One could attempt to gauge the extent of liquidations at different price levels using tape reading techniques. Read more

The protocol will expand to liquid staking and layer-2 solutions while retaining its NFT lending services. Despite rebranding to Parallel Finance for a greater focus on the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, the nonfungible token (NFT) lending protocol ParaSpace will continue to focus on its core product amid sector woes.In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Yubo Ruan, founder and CEO of ParaSpace (now Parallel Finance), explains that the protocol uses a combination of diversified liquidity pools, dynamic loan-to-value ratios and price-discovery partnerships to mitigate the risks associated with high volatility, which can often result in a lack of bidders on the underlying asset.“Despite the market downturn, we believe NFT margin lending remains viable,” said Ruan. During the past year, NFT trading volume has plunged by 99% from its peak in May 2022, although there have been signs of stabilization with blue chip collections. “Also, we’re looking at the evolution of soulbound tokens that serve as non-transferable proofs of experience, skill and reputation.”As the protocol rebrands to offer a greater variety of DeFi services, Ruan said the two main focuses are liquid staking and Parallel L2. “Users receive a tradable derivative token, representing their staked investment, which can be traded or used like other crypto tokens. This approach addresses the typical liquidity challenge in staking, allowing users to engage in other investment opportunities without unstaking their assets.”Ruan founded ParaSpace in 2022. We are still working in our SF office. Read more

The latest Cointelegraph Report explains how to prepare for the next crypto bull run in five simple steps. The next bull market could kick off as soon as next year, propelled by catalysts such as the upcoming Bitcoin (BTC) halving and the potential approval of a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund in the United States.In our latest Cointelegraph Report, we explain how to prepare for the next parabolic move in five simple steps.First, it’s important to understand the Bitcoin market cycle theory, which states that crypto bull markets happen roughly every four years following Bitcoin halving events, when the supply of new BTC gets cut in half.According to professional trader Eric Crown, we are still in a pre-halving rally, which will probably exhaust itself in the low $40,000 for Bitcoin. “Then we spend the rest of the next, I’d say, three to six months playing out a sideways and downside move,” he predicts.As a second step, we need to pick our crypto portfolio. According to Crown, Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) should be the backbone of a balanced crypto portfolio since they are the safest and most battle-tested cryptos. Read more

Through a software upgrade, Umee UX Chain code will be implemented on Osmosis, combining the two networks. Cosmos-based networks Umee and Osmosis will merge via a software upgrade, according to a Dec. Umee user interface. Source: UmeeUmee is a decentralized lending protocol that runs on its own dedicated Cosmos chain called “UX Chain.” Osmosis, on the other hand, is one of the largest decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in the Cosmos ecosystem, also running on its own dedicated network. It has over $23 billion in cumulative volume and is the fourth-largest Cosmos chain in terms of total value locked (TVL), according to DefiLlama. According to the announcement, the development teams behind the protocols agreed to combine the two networks, allowing the lending app and DEX to exist on the same chain. “The combined architecture of both chain functionality will open up the door for flash loans and new forms of MEV on the same DeFi Hub,” said Osmosis co-founder Sunny Agarwal, adding, “We originally thought of flashmint via protorev for multiple types of cross chain arb, and realize[d] a lending protocol on the same chain would further optimize this vision.”Related: Cosmos Hub greenlights ATOM inflation cut for security boostThe announcement did not state a specific date for the merger. Read more

The country’s Bitcoin investment has returned to profit after a devastating crypto winter. According to a Dec. 4 post by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, the country’s cumulative Bitcoin (BTC) investments currently amount to $131 million with a net profit of $3.6 million, for a total gain of 2.84%.“Of course, we have no intention of selling; that has never been our objective,” said Bukele. El Salvador’s #Bitcoin investments are in the black!After literally thousands of articles and hit pieces that ridiculed our supposed losses, all of which were calculated based on #Bitcoin’s market price at the time…With the current #Bitcoin market price, if we were to sell… pic.twitter.com/gvl2GfQMfb— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) December 4, 2023 On Dec. 1, Bukele resigned as the president of El Salvador following approval from the country’s legislative assembly, allowing him to take a leave of absence to focus on his 2024 reelection campaign. Despite this, Bukele continued to dollar-cost-average the country’s Bitcoin investments, making repeated purchases throughout 2022. At one point in time, the country’s Bitcoin portfolio fell as low as $45 million from a book value of $103.9 million.In 2021, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. The International Monetary Fund has since warned that Bitcoin’s risks to El Salvador have “not materialized” due to limited adoption in the country. Read more

Envision Blockchain and the HBAR Foundation have teamed up with the UN to create a new suite of decentralized tech to streamline the complex carbon markets. The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, saw several new initiatives aimed at innovating the fight against climate change and streamlining the complex carbon credit markets. The dMRV system was developed in collaboration with the UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub (GIH) and built on the HBAR blockchain. The platform offers a suite of features, including artificial intelligence and guided search features for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodology library and other standard registries across the carbon market Industry.The CDM methodology library consists of hundreds of rulesets required to create a carbon credit, independently developed in an analog process supporting the carbon market. The further scaling of the library of digitized and open-source methodologies allows registries, project developers and other market stakeholders to use digital technologies to resolve trust and transparency issues.Cointelegraph spoke with Wes Geisenberger, vice president of sustainability and ESG at HBAR Foundation, to understand the importance and workings of the new dMRV platform and how it could help digitize the complex carbon credit market. Geisenberger told Cointelegraph that the UN GIH/UNFCCC secretariat’s staff were deeply involved in methodology development while supporting the “toughest challenges in climate negotiations. Read more

Bitcoin analysis is getting more and more suspicious of the “up only” BTC price action in recent days. Bitcoin (BTC) faces sharp volatility as the new week begins with BTC price action focusing on $42,000 — can it endure?The largest cryptocurrency, fresh from weekend gains that topped 10%, is still keeping traders guessing over its next move.While a trip to $40,000 was well anticipated, the question now is whether or not the latest move represents the beginning of a new trend or, conversely, a new bull trap.Appraisals currently vary widely, with bullish and bearish perspectives battling for vindication.Cointelegraph takes a look at the most important support and resistance levels now in play after recent BTC price performance reshapes the market landscape.BTC/USD is currently trading at around $41,600, per data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView, having hit 19-month highs of $42,160 earlier on the day.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Read more

Many Bitcoin maximalists are even hesitant to apply the term “crypto” to their preferred asset, as it brooks association with more centralized coins. Jan3 CEO Samson Mow has said that comparing Bitcoin to crypto is like comparing “an aircraft to a paper airplane.” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said, “It will be a multichain world.”These opposing statements are the latest front in the longest-running feud in cryptocurrency — the battle between Bitcoin (BTC) and everything else that followed. For the crypto masses, those individuals who hold only to a single blockchain are often referred to as the maximalists. Bitcoin maximalism is almost as old as Bitcoin itself, with the phenomenon emerging not long after its creation. According to Bitcoin educator and self-confessed Bitcoin maximalist Giacomo Zucco, maximalists hold four truths dearly:Everything that is not Bitcoin is a scam.Every attempt at changing Bitcoin is a scam.Every attempt at pushing people to spend Bitcoin is a scam.We shouldn’t be nice to scammers.Even in the earliest days of blockchain, altcoins began proliferating. By 2010, the term shitcoin was born.Read more

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has released its latest quarterly report, revealing the trading and holding trends of its institutional traders heavy in positive Bitcoin sentiment. The cryptocurrency exchange Bybit released its fourth quarter report on Dec. The report found that institutional traders had some 45% of their assets in stablecoins, with the remaining split 35% in Bitcoin (BTC), 15% in Ether (ETH) and only 5% in altcoins, which the exchange categorizes as anything other than the aforementioned digital assets.The survey suggests that the “flight” to “safer assets,” like stablecoins, in a bear market “might explain this risk-averse asset allocation from traders.”Nonetheless, institutional traders’ allocation of Bitcoin did spike in September, which differentiated itself from the holding patterns of other types of users.Surge in institutional traders’ BTC holdings in September 2023. Source: BybitAccording to Bybit, the alignment of a surge in institutional BTC holdings with the prevailing positive market attitude toward Bitcoin can be correlated with “favorable lawsuit outcomes, fostering anticipation for the SEC’s potential approval of a spot BTC ETF.”On Dec. 4, BTC surged above $41,000 for the first time in 19 months, and the overall market capitalization for the digital asset passed $800 billion, overtaking the real multinational holding company Berkshire Hathaway, and is now behind companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Nvidia.Related: Coinbase warns customers about subpoena in apparent CFTC Bybit probeRead more

Cointelegraph sat down with Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen to talk about how Web3 can become a better experience for everyone. Bringing the global crypto and blockchain communities together in Istanbul, Turkey, the Binance Blockchain Week 2023 was a clear indicator that the Web3 ecosystem continues to grow regardless of price movements. Despite being a Binance event, the conference housed several key players from the crypto industry. Among them was Trust Wallet, a decentralized Web3 wallet provider acquired by Binance back in 2018. Since its acquisition, Trust Wallet has been widely seen as “the wallet arm of Binance.” This is why the Binance Blockchain Week visitors were caught off-guard when the crypto exchange announced its own Web3 wallet. Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen — a former vice president at Binance — clarified that “Binance focuses on the centralized, while Trust Wallet works toward the decentralized ecosystem,” adding that Trust Wallet has a neutrality that can serve and partner with anyone in the crypto industry.“We think that keeping that independence and distance is the best way to keep the culture and the talents running for its own mission.”Trust Wallet was born in 2017 during the initial coin offering craze due to the need for an accessible mobile wallet, Chen said. Cointelegraph sat down with Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen during Binance Blockchain Week Istanbul. Source: Cointelegraph“Recently, we became a sister company of Binance rather than operating under Binance because we can have a better playing field,” Chen explained. “Scammers provide better customer support”Compared to fixing the user experience, solving the security issues across Web3 is trickier, according to Chen. Read more

The most effective founders are resilient individuals with a growth mindset who are great delegators. I heard recently that Vitalik choosing the term “Decentralized Autonomous Organization” in 2015 (defined here) was influenced by the 1997 book, The Sovereign Individual. Skeptics believe it is complete overhype whilst decentralization maxis see it as our immediate technological future. During this bear market, skepticism prevails among Web3 leaders. The second sub-group of skeptics, less extreme in their stance but equally steadfast, consists of disillusioned Web3 builders. On the other side of the argument stands the maxis. The skeptics group still actively participates on-chain every day. Conventional banks can’t assist in executing on-chain operations. Read more

Cointelegraph spoke with architect and designer Tina Marinaki about her work using generative AI and text-to-image prompts to reimagine the ancient Athenian cityscape. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has presented modern society with new means for understanding and visualizing the world.Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, recently introduced new AI video and image-generating tools for creators, while OpenAI updated the premium version of its popular AI model ChatGPT to include powerful text-to-image generating capabilities. As the pace of AI development continues to accelerate rapidly, many artists are faced with the challenge of embracing the new tools as a part of their workflow while still managing to keep their unique vision. One such artist is the New York-based Greek architect Tina Marinaki, who has incorporated AI tools into her creative work and, in the process, created an online community of nearly 20,000 users on Instagram through “Athens Surreal,” which follows her reimagination of the ancient Athenian cityscape. Cointelegraph spoke with Marinaki about incorporating AI into her work and how she reenvisions her home city using emerging technology.She explained that the concept of Athens Surreal stemmed from the desire to understand “the way the different AI tools work” while testing ideas for a “different, sometimes romantic, sometimes utopian, futuristic Athens.”Technical difficulties According to Marinaki, one of the primary difficulties working with text-to-image AI systems is “translating” an image description to communicate a vision with the AI systems. “Other challenges are found in algorithmic ethnicity, gender or other biases when algorithms are trained using biased data.”For example, she reported that a greater number of men can appear in AI-generated images even when a user’s parameters have no mention of gender, and in some cases, AI can create “racist or stereotypical images.”Despite its biases in text-to-image generation, these weaknesses can lead to strengths if trained correctly. Read more

Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco has reportedly launched a cryptocurrency trading service for its clients as part of its investment platform. Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco has launched a cryptocurrency trading service for its clients as part of its investment platform, Reuters reported on Dec. Itaú, the largest bank by assets in Brazil and one of the leading lenders in Latin America, is debuting crypto trading with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), digital asset head Guto Antunes reportedly said. Itaú Bank will serve as the cryptocurrency custodian for the crypto trading service, meaning that it will store crypto assets for its clients. “The most important thing is that when you keep your money in the bank account, you will have the guarantee of Itau’s balance sheet as security for the amounts invested.”Itaú Unibanco didn’t immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request to comment.Related: Swiss crypto bank Seba rebrands to Amina amid global expansionThe news comes as Brazil’s biggest lenders — including Itaú Unibanco, BTG Pactual and Santander Brasil — are reportedly ramping up headcount and adding resources in preparation for the nationwide rollout of the digital Brazilian real, called the Drex. It’s been about a month since two local players announced they were leaving the crypto market. Magazine: Bitcoin ETF race has a new player, Binance ends support for BUSD, and more: Hodler’s Digest: Nov. 2Read more

Trezor has officially launched its educational program in Africa in addition to funding Bitcoineta, a West African Bitcoin awareness campaign, and the Africa Bitcoin Conference. Hardware cryptocurrency wallet firm Trezor is continuing its efforts to promote Bitcoin (BTC) education globally by launching a new educational initiative in Africa.The Trezor Academy was launched at the Trezor-backed Africa Bitcoin Conference in Ghana’s capital of Accra on Dec. The academy is an educational program focused on spreading Bitcoin knowledge in Africa. According to Trezor’s blog, the Trezor Academy pilot has been active in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Burundi and Kenya. “Bitcoin adoption is perhaps more relevant in Africa than on any other continent,” Trezor CEO Matej Zak said, adding that its properties provide several benefits related to local initiatives such as payment schemes, microfinancing and savings.As part of Trezor’s education program in Africa, the firm also funds Bitcoineta, a Bitcoin-themed car dedicated to spreading Bitcoin awareness in the West African region, particularly Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Bitcoineta was launched in 2018 by nonprofits Bitcoin Argentina and Bitcoin Americana, with the campaign’s name referring to the combination of “Bitcoin” and “camioneta,” the Spanish word for minivan.Related: South African regulator may license 36 crypto companies in DecemberAccording to Trezor, the Bitcoineta campaign is being launched with Bitcoin Cowries, a Ghanian Bitcoin education initiative. Read more

While Mohammed M. and his brother were cleared of all criminal charges, 7.8 million euros worth of crypto tokens became inaccessible after getting stuck in a wallet. A French court has allowed two brothers responsible for the theft of $8.5 million from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Platypus to walk free with no repercussions.On Feb. 16, hackers managed to drain and move $8.5 million from Platypus through a flash loan attack, forcing the protocol to suspend trading services until a resolution was found. #CertiKSkynetAlert We are seeing a #flashloan attack on @Platypusdefi resulting in a potential loss of ~$8.5M.Tx AVAX: 0x1266a937c2ccd970e5d7929021eed3ec593a95c68a99b4920c2efa226679b430Stay Frosty! pic.twitter.com/AM2HOM5M2r— CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) February 16, 2023 With the help of Binance’s security team and independent crypto investigators, the stolen funds were tracked, eventually leading to the hackers: Mohammed and his brother Benamar M. The brothers had been held in custody since Feb. Considering its similarity to a bug bounty attempt, the court cleared the brothers of all criminal charges. Related: Platypus Finance recovers 90% of assets lost in exploitAmid the legal proceedings related to the hack, Platypus recently suffered a $2.2 million loss in another flash loan exploit.Read more

The collaboration aims to create a zero-shot generative AI model that would work on creating new antibody therapeutics and enhancing existing ones. The pharmaceutical company that developed one of the vaccines for COVID-19, AstraZeneca, will partner with a United States-based artificial intelligence (AI) biologics firm, Absci, to design an antibody for cancer.According to a Financial Times report on Dec. Related: AI in healthcare: New tech in diagnosis and patient careAbsci’s website claims its AI screens “billions of cells” each week, going from antibodies to wet “lab-validated candidates” in six weeks. “AI is enabling us to not only increase the success and speed of our biologics discovery process, but also enhance the diversity of the biologics we discover.”Absci CEO Sean McClain had also publicly confirmed the partnership, stating that AstraZeneca will help leverage its AI work, according to a Reuters report. AI is gaining momentum in the healthcare industry, as it could significantly accelerate both innovative research and the accuracy of data analysis. In November, Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority revealed the launch of an AI pilot to combat multidrug-resistant organisms or superbugs. Magazine: Real AI use cases in crypto: Crypto-based AI markets, and AI financial analysisRead more

Bitcoin surges past the key $40,000 amid a macro liquidity boost, but traders’ predictions include a BTC price crash of 25% or more. Bitcoin (BTC) starts the first week of December looking better than it has since early 2022 — at over $40,000.BTC price action is delighting bulls already as the month begins, with the weekly close providing the first trip above the $40,000 mark since April last year.Shorts are getting wiped and liquidity taken as the bull run sees its latest boost on the back of macroeconomic changes and anticipation of the United States’ first spot price exchange-traded fund (ETF).Despite misgivings and some predicting a major price retracement, Bitcoin continues to offer little respite for sellers, who continually miss out on profits or are left waiting on the sidelines for an entry price that never comes.The party mood is not just reflected on markets — Bitcoin miners are busy preparing for the halving, and with the hash rate already at all-time highs of its own, the trend is set to continue this week.Is there more upside left, or is Bitcoin getting ahead of itself?This is the question that longtime market participants will be asking in the coming days as legacy markets open and adjust to a post-$40,000 BTC price.Read more

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority reviewed 128 applications from crypto service asset providers. South Africa’s principal financial regulator, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), reviewed 128 applications from crypto service asset providers (CASPs) but intends to discuss only 36 during its next meeting in December. The numbers were published on Nov. The fate of all the remaining applications wasn’t specified by the Authority, which explained its evaluation method as the combined assessment of Know Your Customer onboarding, data protection, cyber risk management, conflict of interest management, complaints handling, and credit counterparty risk management.The FSCA also published its “Crypto Assets Markets Study” for 2023 on the same day, Nov. Related: Kenyan lawmakers ask local Blockchain Association to come up with crypto billAccording to the survey, the average crypto asset provider in South Africa (46%) has an annual revenue of between 1 and 50 million South African rand ($53,000 to $2.7 million). Source: The Crypto Assets Markets Study 2023The highest monthly transaction value on the South African crypto market was recorded in November 2022, when it peaked at over 8 billion rand (around $427 million). In July 2023, the FSCA warned that any CASP in the country should obtain a license by the end of the year. Magazine: This is your brain on crypto. Read more

Several on-chain metrtics demonstrate the growing optimism about Cardano (ADA). Concurrently, the cryptocurrency has managed to break through a significant resistance level against the backdrop of a bullish market attitude. Not only is Cardano seeing a boost in momentum, but top altcoins are also feeling the effects. Strong positions held by Bitcoin and Ethereum above $40,000 and $2,200, respectively, add to the overall favorable market dynamics. Related Reading: ORDI Rockets To Unprecedented Peaks Alongside Bitcoin’s $42,000 Breakthrough Cardano Network Transactions Rise Cardano has been steadily rising, and expert cryptocurrency trader Ali Martinez pointed out that the cryptocurrency’s consolidation in the middle of November resembled that of the 2018–2022 phase. This suggests that Cardano may overcome the $0.45 resistance and reach $0.75 by the end of December. Cardano has had a pivotal three months, and what’s to come could be even more so. This is due to the fact that the network has seen numerous transactions totaling more over $100,000. Martinez claims that the spike in transactions indicates a rise in institutional interest in ADA. #Cardano | In the last three months, there’s been a significant increase in $ADA transactions over $100,000, reaching new highs consistently. This surge points to growing interest in #ADA from institutional players and whales, which is usually a precursor to price spikes. pic.twitter.com/APczM2PGxM — Ali (@ali_charts) December 4, 2023 Meanwhile, there’s another interesting development happening of late. According to the most recent data, once Bitcoin broke above the $41,000 mark, there was a bullish rebound that saw the percentage of lucrative Cardano addresses rise to a two-year high of 42%, or roughly 1.76 million addresses. Source: IntoTheBlock Based on IntoTheBlock’s examination, this increase in profitability not only represents a transient spike but also highlights ADA’s long-term potential. This encouraging development contributes to the general sentiment among investors by fostering a sense of assurance and faith in cryptocurrencies. ADAUSD currently trading at $0.399 territory on the daily chart: TradingView.com Whales’ Influence On ADA’s Price And Sentiment And speaking of sentiment, Martinez emphasized the possible influence on the price of ADA while pointing out that whales have also been participating in the recent large-scale transactions on the Cardano network. The expert noted that actions such as these might be essential to a significant rise in the price of ADA. Source: IntoTheBlock Related Reading: Solana TVL Balloons To Over $600 Million – What This Means For SOL Price The recent announcement of 150 initiatives and the ongoing development of 1,304 projects demonstrate a thriving ecosystem. Another explanation for Cardano’s high transaction growth could be this. The remarkable production of 9.1 million native tokens demonstrates the wide range of customization possibilities on Cardano. A further demonstration of the versatile utility of Cardano’s asset generation capabilities is the establishment of 81,447 token policies. At the time of writing, ADA was trading at $0.399, up 2.3% in the last 24 hours, and down 7.1% in the last seven weeks, data by Coingecko shows. (This site’s content should not be construed as investment advice. Investing involves risk. When you invest, your capital is subject to risk). Featured image from Shutterstock

North Rock Digital, a player in the digital assets hedge fund arena, recently made a bold prediction regarding the altcoin Stacks (STX). In a statement released on X, the fund highlighted its investment strategy and reasoning for STX being the best altcoin to long at the moment. “When looking for long ideas, we target those with strong fundamentals, supportive tokenomics, and significant upcoming catalysts. STX stands out with the most compelling catalyst path over the next few months and the greatest chance to rerate,” the fund stated. In-Depth Analysis Of Stacks’ Prospects North Rock Digital’s full thesis, published on Medium, delves into the details underpinning their positive outlook on STX. The thesis asserts, “Key developments have brought our initial STX thesis into further focus […] demand for Bitcoin block-space has solidified, increasing the demand for the product STX is building.” Related Reading: Stacks (STX) Fired Up Along With Top Coins With 26% Rally Significant is the Nakamoto upgrade, scheduled before the Bitcoin halving in April. This upgrade is seen as a pivotal moment for STX, promising dramatic improvements in speed and efficiency, including 5-second block times and support for sBTC, a secure version of wrapped Bitcoin. This development, according to North Rock Digital, positions STX closer to being a true Bitcoin L2. The hedge fund also points out the broader context within the Bitcoin ecosystem that favors STX. The rising demand for Bitcoin’s block space, notably with a 50x spike in network average gas fees this year, alongside the development of Ordinals, indicates a growing interest in utilizing Bitcoin beyond just a store of value. These developments, coupled with the anticipated US spot Bitcoin ETF approval, are expected to boost the demand for STX’s offerings. Furthermore, STX has been somewhat overlooked recently, providing what North Rock Digital sees as a unique investment opportunity. “Despite these positive developments, attention on STX has declined […] leaving us with a unique opportunity,” the thesis elaborates. Notably, the Stacks developer team’s progress towards the Nakamoto upgrade is on track, with the Mockamoto milestone already completed. The fund also emphasizes Stacks’ international partnerships and upcoming initiatives. These include the launch of a marketing campaign in Asia and the roll-out of the second Nakamoto testnet by January. “Stacks is expanding their footprint globally… They will run a marketing campaign to raise awareness for Bitcoin L2s in the first quarter of ’24 with a focus in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai,” the fund explains. Related Reading: Stacks (STX) Rockets 26% Higher In A Single Week: The Factors At Play “Stacks is expanding their footprint globally… They will run a marketing campaign to raise awareness for Bitcoin L2s in the first quarter of ’24 with a focus in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai,” the hedge fund explained. Moreover, the introduction of new Bitcoin L1 tools like BitVM is also seen as a significant step towards realizing a true Bitcoin L2 vision without needing changes to Bitcoin L1. STX Valuation In terms of valuation, STX is currently seen as undervalued, especially when compared to other L1/L2 ecosystems. With the Nakamoto upgrade and the proximity to the next BTC halving, STX is expected to narrow its valuation discount relative to other assets, North Rock Digital claims. Post-Nakamoto, STX is anticipated to enable a range of applications, including a performant BTC-denominated NFT marketplace and traditional DeFi applications. The potential for these applications, combined with the strong BTC-centric community of STX, presents a compelling case for its future growth. At press time, STX stood near its yearly high and was trading at $1.15. Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

The value of ORDI has increased significantly during the last week, more than tripling, following an astonishing climb. This noteworthy increase aligns with the upward trend of Bitcoin’s value, adding to the cryptocurrency’s recent surge in popularity. A remarkable occurrence was the overnight rise of ORDI to an unprecedented all-time high, which injected excitement into its recent performance. Based on the Ordinals protocol of Bitcoin, the token is by far the largest BRC-20 asset. It reached a new peak price of $49.05 today, according to CoinGecko data, after rising 16.3% over the previous day and an astounding 148% over the previous seven days. The fact that ORDI has increased by more than 500% during the past 30 days is similarly astounding. Related Reading: Solana TVL Balloons To Over $600 Million – What This Means For SOL Price ORDI Surges: Technicals Mirror Bitcoin’s Bull Market The market value of ORDI has increased by more than 380% in the past year. These performance gains have demonstrated a significant relationship with the characteristics of the Bitcoin market, raising the prospect that ORDI may follow Bitcoin’s lead during the bull market. Furthermore, one important technical indication is to support the optimistic viewpoint. The 4-hour chart’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and Relative Strength Index (RSI) both show positive movements. ORDIUSD currently trading at $48.82 territory on the daily chart: TradingView.com Interestingly, the RSI reached 90.24, indicating an overbought state that can indicate a possible decline in price. On the other hand, the MACD’s bullish momentum suggests that there is still buyer interest and that the price will probably continue to rise. ORDI has had tremendous growth since its founding as a technical experiment on Bitcoin in early 2023. With a $903 million market capitalization, ORDI is the most valuable cryptocurrency by market valuation, ranking it 63rd overall and first within the BRC-20. Regarding social dominance, Santiment data indicates that ORDI has had an upward trend. ORDI Doubles In A Week Alongside Bitcoin’s 20-Month Highs ORDI’s recent surge, fueled by adoption from major exchanges like Binance and OKX, saw its largest increase in the past week, doubling in price. This coincided with Bitcoin reaching its highest point in 20 months, exceeding $42,000. Bitcoin’s 20% rise over the past month, currently at around $41,800, further emphasizes the synchronized momentum of both cryptocurrencies since ORDI’s launch. Source: Dune Analytics Thanks in part to increased activity on the Ordinals protocol, market analysts continue to have a positive outlook for ORDI. With a varied content library and over $46 million in total inscriptions as of writing, ORDI’s popularity inside the Bitcoin network has increased in tandem with the rise in transaction fees. It is a crucial component of the network. Related Reading: Ethereum Breaks Through $2,200 Ceiling, Investors Expect $3,000 This Week Source: Coincodex Meanwhile, Coincodex predicts a 104% increase to $55.74 during the course of the following year. ORDI would have reached a new all-time high following its most recent breakout, which coincided with price discovery. (This site’s content should not be construed as investment advice. Investing involves risk. When you invest, your capital is subject to risk). Featured image from Freepik

XRP price is eyeing a key upside break above the $0.650 resistance. The price could rally toward $0.70 if it clears the $0.650 resistance. XRP is slowly moving higher above the $0.612 level. The price is now trading above $0.615 and the 100 simple moving average (4 hours). There was a break above a major declining channel with resistance near $0.618 on the 4-hour chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair start a fresh rally if it clears the $0.645 and $0.650 resistance levels. XRP Price Aims Higher In the past few days, XRP formed a base above the $0.5880 pivot level. The price started a decent increase above the $0.600 resistance but failed to rally like Bitcoin and Ethereum. There was a move above the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the main decline from the $0.720 swing high to the $0.5720 swing low. Besides, there was a break above a major declining channel with resistance near $0.618 on the 4-hour chart of the XRP/USD pair. The price is now trading above $0.615 and the 100 simple moving average (4 hours). On the upside, immediate resistance is near the $0.625 level. The first major resistance is near the $0.645 zone or the 50% Fib retracement level of the main decline from the $0.720 swing high to the $0.5720 swing low. Source: XRPUSD on TradingView.com The main resistance sits at $0.650. A close above the $0.650 resistance zone could spark a steady increase. The next key resistance is near $0.685. If the bulls remain in action above the $0.658 resistance level, there could be a rally toward the $0.700 resistance. Any more gains might send XRP toward the $0.720 resistance. Another Decline? If XRP fails to clear the $0.650 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $0.615 zone and the 100 simple moving average (4 hours). The next major support is at $0.600. If there is a downside break and a close below the $0.600 level, XRP price might accelerate lower. In the stated case, the price could retest the $0.572 support zone. Technical Indicators 4-Hours MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone. 4-Hours RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is now near the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $0.600, $0.588, and $0.572. Major Resistance Levels – $0.645, $0.650, and $0.700.

Ethereum price is gaining pace above the $2,200 resistance. ETH is up over 8% and might continue to rise toward the $2,500 resistance in the coming days. Ethereum is gaining pace and recently surpassed the $2,250 resistance. The price is trading above $2,200 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a key bullish trend line forming with support near $2,225 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could extend its rally if it clears the $2,275 resistance zone. Ethereum Price Follows Bitcoin Ethereum price started a strong increase above $2,000, like Bitcoin. ETH cleared many hurdles near $2,120 to enter a positive zone. The price even surged above the $2,200 level to set the tone for a larger increase. A new multi-month high was formed near $2,275 and the price is now consolidating gains. There was a minor move below the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $2,148 swing low to the $2,275 high. However, Ethereum is still trading above $2,200 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is also a key bullish trend line forming with support near $2,225 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. On the upside, the price is facing resistance near the $2,250 zone. Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com The next key resistance is near the $2,275 level. A clear move above the $2,275 zone could send the price toward the $2,320 level. The next resistance sits at $2,350. Any more gains could start a wave toward the $2,500 level. Are Dips Limited in ETH? If Ethereum fails to clear the $2,250 resistance, it could start a downside correction. Initial support on the downside is near the $2,220 level and the trend line. The next key support is $2,175 or the 76.4% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $2,148 swing low to the $2,275 high. The main support is now near $2,150 or the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. A downside break below $2,150 might start a steady decline. The key support is now at $2,080, below which there is a risk of a move toward the $2,020 level in the near term. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is losing momentum in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is now above the 50 level. Major Support Level – $2,175 Major Resistance Level – $2,250

Bitcoin price extended its rally above the $42,000 resistance. BTC is now correcting gains and might test the $40,800 support zone. Bitcoin surged further above the $41,200 and $42,000 levels. The price is trading above $41,200 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. There is a major bullish trend line forming with support near $40,880 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair could correct lower toward $40,800 before it starts a fresh increase. Bitcoin Price Rises Over 10% Bitcoin price started a strong increase above the $38,500 resistance zone. BTC gained over 10% in the past few sessions and broke many hurdles near $40,000. It even cleared the $41,200 resistance and spiked above the $42,000 zone. A new multi-month high is formed near $42,415 and the price is now correcting gains. There was a move below the $42,000 level. The price is now testing the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $39,360 swing low to the $42,415 high. Bitcoin also trades above $41,200 and the 100 hourly Simple moving average. Besides, there is a major bullish trend line forming with support near $40,880 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. The trend line is close to the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $39,360 swing low to the $42,415 high. On the upside, immediate resistance is near the $42,200 level. The first major resistance is forming near $42,500, above which the price might rise toward the $43,200 level. Source: BTCUSD on TradingView.com A close above the $43,200 resistance might send the price further higher. The next key resistance could be near $44,000, above which BTC could rise toward the $45,000 level. Are Dips Limited In BTC? If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $42,200 resistance zone, it could start a downside correction. Immediate support on the downside is near the $41,200 level. The next major support is near $40,800 and the trend line. If there is a move below $40,800, there is a risk of more downsides. In the stated case, the price could drop toward the $40,000 support in the near term. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is now losing pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now above the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $41,200, followed by $40,800. Major Resistance Levels – $42,200, $42,500, and $43,200.

In a recent Bloomberg report, it has been suggested that the rise of Bitcoin price to over $42,000 is just the beginning of a new crypto super cycle that will push the world’s largest cryptocurrency to over $500,000. According to Bloomberg, proponents of this theory argue that Bitcoin represents a new monetary order that is captivating Wall Street and fueling a “palpable sense of euphoria” within the digital asset community. Bitcoin Price Potential Soars The remarkable performance of the Bitcoin price in recent months took many by surprise, as the cryptocurrency posted three consecutive monthly increases, including another 11 percent in December alone.  The enthusiasm surrounding Bitcoin’s price rally has led to optimistic predictions of further gains, often based on intuition or technical analysis. The cryptocurrency has experienced a significant price revival in 2023, with its value surging over 150% thus far. Market observers attribute this surge to growing anticipation of a potential approval of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) for trading in the United States.  Related Reading: Crypto Analyst Says It’s “Not Too Late” To Buy Ethereum, Here’s Why Per the report, the prospect of an ETF has led to jubilation within the industry. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong suggests that “Bitcoin may be the key to extending Western civilization.” Forecasts regarding the future price of Bitcoin have ranged from $50,000 in the immediate term to above $530,000. Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak & Co., cautions about the rapidly changing sentiment in the asset class, highlighting the importance of the liquidity influx caused by the pandemic in driving Bitcoin’s strong rally in 2020 and 2021.  Maley suggests that without a similar liquidity injection, some of the optimistic predictions surrounding Bitcoin’s future value may be unrealistic. The long-awaited launch of a Bitcoin-based ETF in the United States aims to facilitate easier access to the cryptocurrency for money managers, potentially attracting billions of dollars in new investments to the space.  BTC ETF Speculation Sparks Optimism  Researchers at Kaiko note a noticeable shift in the market sentiment since mid-October, driven by increasing institutional interest in the potential approval of a spot BTC ETF and a more favorable macroeconomic environment.  The researchers also highlight recent inflows into crypto investment products and a seven-month high in daily spot-trading volumes in November. Nevertheless, while excitement about a broader crypto rally often spreads across social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), it is important to acknowledge Bitcoin’s historical volatility.  Related Reading: Shiba Inu Open Interest Falls Behind General Crypto Market, What This Means For Price According to Bloomberg, the cryptocurrency has experienced multiple hype cycles in recent years, with celebrated gains followed by significant downturns.  Despite Bitcoin’s recent gains and departure from a prolonged consolidation phase, Bloomberg suggests that a significant correction may still be on the horizon. At present, Bitcoin is trading at $41,800, displaying sustained bullish momentum as it strives to reclaim the $42,000 level.  The outcome remains uncertain whether the cryptocurrency will successfully consolidate above this critical level, positioning it favorably for continued upward movement throughout the month.  Alternatively, the current yearly high level could act as a formidable resistance barrier for the Bitcoin price, further supporting Bloomberg’s thesis of a potential correction.  Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

Web3 gaming represents a revolutionary intersection of blockchain technology and interactive entertainment, heralding a new era in the gaming industry. This article serves as your comprehensive guide to understanding the intricacies of Web3 gaming, providing insights into the top web3 games and web3 gaming companies that are leading this digital transformation. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer curious about the transition from traditional to Web3 gaming, or a crypto enthusiast eager to understand the synergy between gaming and blockchain, this guide has you covered. We’ll introduce you to the best web3 games that are redefining player experience and discuss the innovative mechanics that set these games apart. Additionally, our curated list of top Web3 games will serve as a valuable resource for enthusiasts and gamers alike. What Is Web3 Gaming? Web3 gaming, at its core, is an innovative fusion of traditional gaming elements with the decentralized, secure, and transparent features of blockchain technology. Unlike traditional gaming, where the game’s data and assets are centrally controlled, Web3 gaming introduces a decentralized approach. This paradigm shift allows players to have true ownership of in-game assets, such as skins, characters, and virtual real estate, in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This ownership is verifiable and transferable across different platforms, thanks to the underlying blockchain technology. The integration of cryptocurrencies in Web3 gaming also introduces novel monetization models, including Play to Earn (P2E). In these models, players can potentially earn cryptocurrency rewards for their in-game achievements and participation, adding a layer of financial incentive that goes beyond traditional gaming experiences. Another hallmark of Web3 gaming is the emphasis on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). These player-driven governance structures enable a more democratic and transparent way of making decisions about the game’s future, including updates and rule changes. This level of player involvement is unprecedented in traditional gaming paradigms. The Rise of Web3 Games The rise of Web3 games can be traced back to the increasing interest in blockchain technology and the success of early blockchain-based games like “CryptoKitties,” which demonstrated the potential for integrating blockchain with gaming. This success sparked a wave of innovation, leading to more sophisticated and engaging Web3 games. Web3 games have gradually evolved to offer complex gameplay and rich narratives, rivaling their traditional counterparts. This evolution is driven by advancements in blockchain technology, enabling faster transaction speeds, improved scalability, and enhanced user experience. As a result, these games have started to attract not just blockchain enthusiasts but also mainstream gamers. The rise is also fueled by the increasing awareness and acceptance of cryptocurrencies and NFTs among the general public. As people become more comfortable with these concepts, the barrier to entering Web3 gaming diminishes, leading to a broader and more diverse player base. Another factor contributing to the rise of Web3 games is the growing interest from traditional gaming studios and developers in exploring blockchain technology. This interest is leading to partnerships, investments, and development efforts aimed at creating hybrid models that blend the best of both worlds – the immersive experiences of traditional gaming with the innovative features of Web3. The rise of Web3 games marks a significant shift in how we perceive and interact with digital content. It represents not just a new form of entertainment but also a new economy where players have a real stake and say in the gaming worlds they inhabit. Top Web3 Games List The landscape of Web3 games is rich and varied, offering a multitude of experiences that cater to different tastes and interests. These games are not just technologically advanced but also creatively diverse, ranging from simple collectibles and strategy games to complex virtual worlds with rich narratives. In this segment, we explore some of the best Web3 games that have captivated players worldwide. Overview Of The Best Web3 Games To understand what makes a Web3 game stand out, it’s essential to look at the best examples in the market: Axie Infinity: Often likened to Pokémon, this game allows players to collect, breed, and battle creatures called Axies. What sets it apart is its robust economy, where players can earn cryptocurrency through skilled gameplay and contributions to the ecosystem. Decentraland: More than just a game, Decentraland is a virtual world where players can buy, develop, and trade land and assets, all verified on the Ethereum blockchain. It’s a prime example of a virtual economy where players have true ownership and control over their digital assets. The Sandbox: This is a community-driven platform where players can create, own, and monetize their gaming experiences. The use of NFTs and the game’s native cryptocurrency, SAND, allows for a unique player-driven economy. CryptoKitties: As one of the earliest introductions of NFTs to the mainstream, CryptoKitties allows players to buy, collect, breed, and sell virtual cats. Its simplicity and novelty factor have made it a staple in the discussion of NFT-based games. Sorare: Merging the world of fantasy sports with blockchain, Sorare lets players collect, trade, and play with officially licensed digital cards of soccer players. It’s an excellent example of how real-world sports can intersect with Web3 gaming. Illuvium: An open-world RPG game built on the Ethereum blockchain, Illuvium offers a visually stunning experience with a decentralized governance model, allowing players to participate in the game’s decision-making process. Gods Unchained: A strategic trading card game that empowers players by offering real ownership of their cards. It combines traditional card game strategies with the unique benefits of blockchain technology. Aavegotchi: This game blends elements of DeFi (decentralized finance) with NFT collectibles. Players can stake tokens on their Aavegotchis, enhancing their attributes and increasing their value. Popular Web3 Game Mechs (Mechanics) The mechanics of Web3 games are what distinguish them from traditional gaming, introducing new layers of engagement and interaction. Here are some of the most popular mechanics found in Web3 games: True Digital Ownership: Players have real ownership of their in-game assets, thanks to blockchain technology. These assets, often NFTs, can be bought, sold, or traded on various marketplaces, providing players with tangible value for their in-game achievements. Play to Earn (P2E): This model allows players to earn real-world value, often in the form of cryptocurrencies, for their in-game activities. P2E mechanics have revolutionized the gaming industry by providing financial incentives for gameplay. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): Many Web3 games use DAOs for governance, allowing players to vote on key decisions regarding game updates, rules, and future development. This fosters a sense of community and gives players a stake in the game’s direction. Interoperability: Unlike traditional games, where assets are confined to the game they were created for, Web3 games often allow for asset interoperability across multiple games and platforms, enhancing the utility and value of in-game assets. Tokenization: In-game currencies are often tokenized as cryptocurrencies. This not only enables easy transactions within and outside the game but also integrates with the broader DeFi ecosystem, opening up new financial opportunities for players. Provable Scarcity And Rarity: Blockchain enables the creation of items with provable scarcity and unique attributes, increasing their collectability and value. Smart Contract Functionality: These self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code govern transactions within Web3 games, ensuring fairness and transparency. Web3 Gaming Companies And Crypto The surge in Web3 gaming has given rise to a new breed of gaming companies that are at the forefront of blending blockchain technology with interactive entertainment. These companies are not only game developers but innovators who are reshaping the gaming landscape with their unique approaches to decentralized gaming and cryptocurrency integration. Leading Web3 Gaming Companies Here are some of the leading companies that are making significant strides in the Web3 gaming space: Sky Mavis: The creators of ‘Axie Infinity,’ Sky Mavis, have established themselves as a powerhouse in the Web3 gaming world. Their innovative approach to Play to Earn gaming and NFT integration has set new standards in the industry. Animoca Brands: Known for backing ‘The Sandbox’ and other blockchain ventures, Animoca Brands is a key player in the space, with a vision to drive digital property rights via NFTs and build an open metaverse. Dapper Labs: The company behind ‘CryptoKitties’ and the Flow blockchain, Dapper Labs, has been instrumental in bringing blockchain to the mainstream through their engaging and accessible games. Sorare: As the minds behind the popular fantasy football game that uses blockchain, Sorare has carved a niche in combining sports with Web3 gaming, creating a unique and compelling experience. Decentral Games: Operating in the virtual world of Decentraland, Decentral Games is pioneering in the realm of decentralized virtual casinos and gaming experiences, blending entertainment with player-owned economies. Mythical Games: With their focus on building games where players are part-owners and stakeholders, Mythical Games is pushing the boundaries of how games are played, shared, and monetized. Enjin: Known for creating an ecosystem for NFTs that can be used across various games, Enjin is a significant contributor to the concept of a multiverse where assets are interoperable across different gaming platforms. The Role Of Crypto In Web3 Gaming Cryptocurrency plays a pivotal role in the ecosystem of Web3 gaming, fundamentally altering how value is created, distributed, and exchanged within games. Here are key ways in which crypto is integral to Web3 gaming: Facilitating In-Game Transactions: Cryptocurrencies provide a seamless medium for transactions within Web3 games. Whether it’s purchasing items, trading assets, or paying for services, crypto ensures fast, secure, and borderless transactions. Enabling True Digital Ownership: Through the use of crypto wallets, players have real ownership of their in-game assets. This not only adds a layer of security but also allows players to have control over their assets outside the game environment. Play To Earn (P2E) Model: This innovative model rewards players with cryptocurrency for gameplay and achievements. It’s a significant shift from traditional gaming models, offering players not just entertainment but also a potential source of income. Governance And Voting: In many Web3 games, players use cryptocurrencies as governance tokens, allowing them to participate in the decision-making process for the game’s development and updates. Staking And Yield Farming: Some Web3 games incorporate elements of DeFi, allowing players to stake their crypto tokens to earn rewards or to enhance their in-game assets and abilities. Creating A Decentralized Economy: Cryptocurrencies are central to creating a player-driven economy within games, where the value is determined by the community and market dynamics, rather than by the game developers alone. Web3 Game Developers: Pioneers of the Industry Web3 game developers are at the cutting edge of integrating blockchain technology with gaming. The latest report by Footprint Analytics for October 2023 reveals a landscape of both opportunities and challenges. Despite a significant growth in token market capitalization, developers face hurdles in user acquisition and retention. With 73.1% of games having fewer than 10 active users, it’s clear that while the industry is expanding, with a total of 2,651 games, attracting and keeping players engaged remains a key challenge. Notably, the web3 game development landscape is geographically diverse, with the Asia-Pacific region leading the charge, hosting 40% of Web3 game developers. Notably, the United States remains a significant market, accounting for 30% of Web3 game development teams. South Korea has also emerged as a key player, contributing 27% to the Web3 gaming teams, nearly doubling its involvement from the previous year​. Upcoming Web3 Games To Watch The Footprint Analytics report highlights an interesting development with the upcoming release of “Gas Hero” by Find Satoshi Lab, known for their successful game “StepN.” Set for a community beta in late 2023, “Gas Hero” is an MMO set in a sci-fi world, distinct from “StepN’s” focus on physical activity. It’s expected to bring a fresh narrative and immersive experience to the Web3 gaming space, using Polygon blockchain and leveraging GMT tokens. Trends, Data, And Predictions For Web3 Gaming The Footprint Analytics report underscores a crucial trend in the Web3 gaming industry: while the number of games is increasing, active user growth is lagging, with only a small proportion of games having more than 1,000 monthly active users. This suggests a “false boom,” raising questions about the industry’s sustainability. Despite these challenges, the industry sees promising developments. For instance, Sega’s co-COO Shuji Utsumi expressed optimism about blockchain gaming and NFTs, marking a shift in attitude from traditional gaming giants. Furthermore, the dominance of blockchains like BNB, Ethereum, and Polygon in hosting Web3 games is evident, with new partnerships, such as Immutable’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), aiming to provide infrastructure solutions for Web3 gaming. The market capitalization of Web3 gaming tokens has seen a notable increase in October 2023, aligning with Bitcoin’s surge. Standout projects like Axie Infinity have shown resilience and growth, suggesting that despite the broader market conditions, there is potential for success in the Web3 gaming sector. Still Early, But A Nascent Industry Moreover, the Web3 gaming sector has seen significant investments, with a reported $19 billion funneled into related projects since 2018. Despite a market correction in 2022, investment in Web3 gaming stabilized in 2023, maintaining pre-bull market levels. Notably, sports, MMOs, RPGs, and action game genres have attracted the most funding​​. The majority of the Web3 gaming ecosystem comprises indie-level and midsize projects, with high-budget AA & AAA titles being relatively scarce. RPG, action, strategy, and casual games dominate the genre spectrum. Interestingly, most Web3 games are free-to-play, but a significant portion requires players to hold specific NFTs to access the game​​. Furthermore, blockchain networks targeting the gaming sector are expanding despite market challenges. In 2023 alone, the announcement of over 81 new blockchain networks focusing on gaming indicated a 40% year-over-year growth. Developers primarily build the majority of web3 games on general-use L1 networks like Ethereum. However, there’s a rising interest in L2 and L3 solutions, particularly in Optimism’s L2/L3 networks. The Play To Earn Model In Web3 Gaming The Play to Earn (P2E) model is a revolutionary concept in Web3 gaming that intertwines gaming achievements with real-world economic incentives. This model not only enhances player engagement but also creates a new avenue for income generation through gaming. Understanding Web3 Play To Earn Games Play to Earn games in the Web3 space enable players to earn digital assets or cryptocurrencies as rewards for gameplay and achievements. These rewards often come in the form of NFTs or native game tokens. The P2E model capitalizes on blockchain technology to authenticate and secure these transactions, ensuring transparent and fair distribution of rewards. This model has opened up new opportunities for players, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional financial systems, by providing a platform where their gaming skills and strategies can translate into tangible economic benefits. Popular Play To Earn Web3 Games Several games have successfully implemented the P2E model, gaining popularity and a dedicated player base. Notable examples include: Axie Infinity: In its vibrant ecosystem with engaging gameplay, players breed, raise, and battle fantasy creatures called Axies, earning tokens that they can trade or sell. Decentraland: Players can create and monetize content and applications in this virtual world, earning cryptocurrency for their creations and land transactions.…

The Terra Classic (LUNC) price has been on a tear recently and over the last month, it has managed to outperform almost every cryptocurrency in the market. Its price has risen over 300% in a 30-day period, and this has brought its market cap back over $1.5 billion once more. As the coin continues to outperform, the possibilities of it returning to its previous all-time high market cap become greater. LUNC Price Breaks One-Year High Following the Terra collapse in 2022, the LUNC (then known as LUNA) price crashed completely, going from above $100 to less than $0. This has continued through the last year especially as the LUNC supply has swelled to over 6.5 trillion. Related Reading: AVAX Uprising: Crypto Analyst Predicts Bullish Wave To Push Price To $30 As the price has plunged, so has the market cap. But with the recovery in price so far, the jump in market cap has come as no surprise. However, it is still a long way from its all-time high market cap of $45 billion which was reached back in 2021. Now, if LUNC were to return to this all-time high market cap once more, it would be a significant increase from its current price. But it will still be a long way from its ATH price of $$120. At a market cap of $40 billion, the price of the altcoin would be just around $0.007. This would mean a more than 10x increase from its current price. However, it’ll still be very low compared to its previous price as well as the price of the new LUNA token which was launched in 2023 and is already trading above $1. Token price breaks $0.0002 | Source: LUNCUSDT on Tradingview.com Can Terra Classic Break Previous ATH? The LUNC community has implemented a burn initiative to reduce the amount of tokens in circulation. This has seen billions of tokens taken out of circulation in less than a year. Data from the LuncMetrics website shows that so far, 83.77 billion tokens have been burned since the burn initiative was introduced in 2022. However, this is only a drop in the ocean of the total token supply which numbers in the trillions. Related Reading: 3 Bitcoin-Like Proof Of Work Altcoins That Could Make You A Millionaire In 2024 Nevertheless, the community continues to burn tokens in a bid to drastically reduce the circulating supply. In the last seven days, a little over 5.2 billion LUNC tokens have been sent to the burn address, reducing the supply little by little. The LUNC price is already far from returning to its past glory, but there is still a lot ahead for the coin. If it continues to perform well in the bull market, a return to the $0.01 level is a possibility. As the crypto industry grows, the likelihood of top coins crossing the $100 billion market cap becomes even more likely, signaling a better future for the altcoin. Follow Best Owie on X (formerly Twitter) for market insights, updates, and the occasional funny tweet… Featured image from Analytics Insight, chart from TradingView.com

As institutional interest in Bitcoin grows, Fidelity and BlackRock’s proposed spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) faces an unexpected hurdle: the crypto market’s unwillingness to let go of the coin at bargain prices.  Bitcoin To $60,000 In Progress? According to Mike Alfred, who claims to be a value investor and a board director, the market will “unlikely” allow BlackRock to purchase BTC below $60,000. Taking to X on December 4, Alfred said BlackRock and other Wall Street players keen on issuing spot Bitcoin ETFs would have to “buy for Boomer’s 401k plans for at least $60,000.”  This preview stems from the rapidly growing demand among institutional investors, as seen by the number of Wall Street players willing to issue complex derivatives tailored for, among other investors, “baby boomers,” most of whom are “approaching retirement.” With their substantial retirement savings, baby boomers increasingly recognize BTC’s potential as a hedge against inflation and a store of value. Related Reading: ADA In The Spotlight: Heavyweight Investors Pile Into Cardano, What’s Next? Following Federal Reserve intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation rose to multi-year levels in 2021. To preserve purchasing power, the central bank began hiking interest rates. Although inflation has fallen and the economy stabilized, it remains higher than the target of 2%. The Fed continues to track this metric and may further intervene by raising rates to lower inflation. This might impact Bitcoin prices, as seen in the past months. Nonetheless, the potential influx of boomer money into Bitcoin via a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved derivatives product is a big boost for the coin. Though the SEC has yet to authorize multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs, the crypto and Bitcoin market expects the strict regulator to greenlight the first product in the next few weeks.  BlackRock And Company To Buy BTC At A Premium Accordingly, ahead of this milestone development for the Bitcoin and crypto market, Alfred thinks BlackRock, Fidelity, and other players won’t secure Bitcoin at spot rates. Instead, the market anticipates that BlackRock, one of the world’s largest digital asset managers, will make their “bi-weekly purchases at prices above $60,000.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Cycle Analysis And Macro Factors Reveal When Price Will Reach $125,000 The coin is trading at April 2022 levels, ripping above $40,000 over the weekend as bulls step up. Looking at the BTC candlestick arrangement on the daily chart, the first clear resistance is around $48,000.  The coin trades within a bullish breakout formation following gains above $32,000. As buyers step up and investors anticipate the SEC approving the first batch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, the coin will likely continue increasing toward all-time highs of around $70,000. Feature image from Canva, chart from TradingView

An analyst who nailed the bottom of the 2018 Bitcoin (BTC) bear market thinks that Ethereum (ETH) is about to take center stage. Pseudonymous analyst Bluntz tells his 230,300 followers on the social media platform X that Ethereum has closed above its multi-month accumulation range for the first time last week. According to the analyst, […] The post Time for Ethereum To Finally Have Moment in the Sun As ETH Breaks Out of 530-Day Range, Says Top Trader appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

An analyst who continues to build a following with his timely Bitcoin (BTC) calls believes that the crypto king could be in the midst of a full-blown bull market. In a new video update, pseudonymous analyst Credible Crypto tells his 355,800 followers on the social media platform X that Bitcoin traders who are using leverage […] The post Bitcoin Transitioning to Full-Fledged Bull Market As Spot Market Traders Absorb BTC Pullbacks, Says Analyst appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

In today’s interconnected world, trust is the currency of interaction. The higher the risks, the higher the stakes, and the more trust is required. By trusting another party, you essentially empower them to act and decide in a manner that affects you, and by subsequently verifying their actions, you can confirm that they do indeed […] The post The Future of Trust in a Digital World – Self-Sovereign Identity appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

A widely followed crypto strategist believes big rallies are imminent for a trio of altcoins including Cosmos (ATOM) and Gala (GALA). Pseudonymous analyst Kaleo tells his 608,200 followers on the social media platform X that he believes a strong breakout rally is in sight for the native asset of the interoperable blockchain Cosmos. According to […] The post Analyst Predicts Rallies for Cosmos, Gala and One Bitcoin Ecosystem Altcoin – Here Are His Targets appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Ripple Labs’ Metaco is integrating with an institutional custody firm backed by financial services giant Standard Chartered. According to a new press release, Metaco, a provider of digital assets infrastructure, is integrating with the London-based crypto custodian firm Zodia Custody as a means of creating a global network for institutions. “The integration enables institutions to […] The post Ripple-Owned Metaco Integrates With Institutional Custody Firm Backed by Standard Chartered appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

A closely followed crypto analyst is outlining his next Ethereum (ETH) price target, saying that the top altcoin has more potential to expand, while updating his outlook on Bitcoin (BTC). In a new thread, crypto trader Kevin Svenson tells his 131,200 followers on the social media platform X that even though the leading smart contract […] The post Crypto Analyst Lays Out Ethereum Price Target, Says ETH Has a Lot More Room To Run appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Digital assets manager CoinShares finds that blue–chip investors continue to allocate to Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto investment products as markets surge. In its latest fund flows report, CoinShares says that institutions poured asset $176 million into crypto markets last week, reaching a 10-week total of $1.76 billion. “Digital asset investment products saw inflows totaling $176 […] The post Institutions Continue Heavy Allocation to Crypto As Bitcoin (BTC) Hits $42,000 Mark: CoinShares appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

North Korea has greatly increased its focus on the crypto industry since 2017, stealing over $3 billion in digital assets, according to cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. The firm says that the North Korean regime has a “highly trained cadre of computer science professionals” with privileged access to new technology and information. State-backing allows the country’s […] The post $3,000,000,000 Worth of Crypto Stolen by North Korean Hackers in Six Years, Says Cybersecurity Firm appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Crypto.com is announcing that it has been authorized as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In a new announcement, the crypto exchange says that the new EMI authorization will allow it to offer a series of UK-based e-money products “as part of the robust FCA regime that aligns with Crypto.com’s […] The post Crypto.com Gets Regulatory Approval for Electronic Money Institution in UK With Financial Conduct Authority appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

December 4, 2023 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates After two years in development LandX, the agricultural finance protocol, successfully closed its private investment round, surpassing expectations. The round raised over $915,000 from private investors, which brings the total raised to over $5 million. The milestone marks a significant vote of confidence in the potential for […] The post LandX Closes Private Round Securing Over $5 Million in Private Funding appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Whether hype or doomsaying, for Meta’s Yann LeCun, the advent of the singularity is not as imminent as many AI enthusiasts are predicting.

OpenAI now blocks prompts that researchers say tricked ChatGPT into revealing contact information of OpenAI employees.

At the 2023 Film3 Summit, Jordan Bayne—director and founder of The Squad—spoke with Decrypt’s Sander Lutz about how the Film3 world has progressed over the last year and what decentralized technologies can offer to creators that want to buck the Hollywood system.

Rockstar Games dropped the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer a day early, showcasing the open-world game—but it’s not coming very soon.

Final Fantasy maker Square Enix’s first character NFTs for its Symbiogenesis game have names like “Condiment” and “Wastebasket.” Why?

Projects like Pudgy Penguins, Mad Lads, and Milady Maker are leading the charge for a NFT market upswing across Ethereum, Solana, and beyond.

As Solana continues to climb in recent weeks, its top meme coin BONK is reaping the rewards, now up 762% in the past 30 days.

The estate of 90s rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is doing another crypto collaboration—this time, with the metaverse platform The Sandbox.

Crypto investment funds have received their biggest 10-week inflows since the October 2021 bull run.

As Bitcoin rises, so too does the leading BRC-20 token built on its Ordinals protocol—and other Bitcoin tokens are surging too.

This collaboration aims to revolutionize the way marketers track and analyze user engagement, combining mobile app data with on-chain Web 3 metrics.

Bitcoin isn’t the only digital currency on the up today—it’s pulled along meme coins, Ethereum, and one of its spin-offs.

Nayib Bukele took to Twitter to celebrate Bitcoin’s latest rally pushing El Salvador’s holdings into the black—and lambast critics.

In a series of Twitter posts, Brian Armstrong argued that Bitcoin could provide an alternative to the reserve currency as an “antidote to inflation.”

Mere hours after it hit $40,000, Bitcoin surged past $41,000 on renewed optimism over the possible approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF.

Bitcoin is back above $40,000, continuing its recent rise amid anticipation over a potential spot ETF approval in the U.S. And ETH is up too.

A frenzy of increasingly absurd tokens dominated discourse this week—and fanned hopes of an impending crypto bull market. 

Many games are using Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Immutable X or the upcoming Immutable zkEVM. Here’s what you’ll find on the Epic Games Store.

Investors this week have had their eyes on Bitcoin and a bunch of obscure meme coins following the death of Charlie Munger and Henry Kissinger.

Leading AI artist Refik Anadol speaks with SCENE about MoMA’s acquisition of his towering work—and what it means for the art world.

The Israeli Defense Force showcased its AI-powered ‘Gospels’ targeting system, running around the clock since the Hamas attack.

The startup stressed the importance of the open-source approach in building generative AI models.

The event by Sporting Crypto, supported by award-winning agency L+R, brought together the worlds of sports, gaming, tech, and web3.

The biggest digital asset hit $39,000 per coin today. Could it be only up from here?

Users can now check how much JUP token they’re entitled to claim through DeFi platform Jupiter’s upcoming airdrop.

Although Grayscale says Bitcoin ETF timelines are “inherently uncertain,” it still believes an approval is a “matter of when, not if.”

Crypto gaming didn’t scale as fast as it needed to for the Aqua NFT marketplace to stay afloat, its CEO said in a message.

Bright Moments’ Phil Mohun dishes on some favorite memories from his time planning immersive experiences across the world for the popular on-chain art collective.

Recent AI advances make it possible to render high-resolution images quicker than quick.

Bright Moments co-founder Phil Mohun joins 5 Questions With SCENE to recount some favorite moments from the road, including negotiating with Patagonian gauchos, falling in love with Tokyo, and gaining a newfound appreciation for shrooms chocolate bars. Shot and edited by Vincent Roazzi Jr.

Twitter owner Elon Musk’s verbal assault on former advertisers has degens creating and flipping all sorts of GFY tokens.

UPDATE: Free-to-play PC game Splitgate offers the latest way to earn Bitcoin and stack satoshis while having fun. But there’s plenty more to play.

Cyberpunk 2077’s recent overhaul isn’t the end: the next update adds metro travel and expanded radio, vehicle, romance, and accessibility options.

As the optimism mounts, all eyes are on three key dates in January.

Pixels’ move to Ronin has sparked a surge in blockchain activity in the past month. Now, Ronin’s wallet is adding Binance Pay support.

Bitcoin has not been this high since Terra collapsed in May 2022.

The worlds of artificial intelligence and crypto will intersect in the future through autonomous AI agents, said Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.

UPDATE: Mark your calendars—the first official Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer goes live on December 5, and it’s bringing Vice City vibes.

Despite earlier comments from a Coinbase exec to the contrary, Armstrong says the company won’t be launching a native token for its layer-2 network.

Every four years, the amount of Bitcoin awarded to miners is halved, an event known as the Bitcoin halving.

Reddit has “officially renounced” the contract for the Community Points token Moons, rendering the token fully decentralized.

In this weeks episode we sit down with Cashtro from Arcade.xyz to discuss NFTs, shitcoins, what collections have held onto their floor prices, and more.

Animoca Brands CEO Robby Yung, EndeavorXR CEO Amy Peck and Gamee co-founder CEO Bozena Rezab joined Decrypt’s Stephen Graves on stage at Web Summit to talk about the future of Web3 gaming.

Welcome to the first IRL episode of This Time Will Be Different! In this week’s episode, our host, Reza Jafery, is joined by Allie Eve Knox, the Spankchain Chief of Staff and FinDomme. They discuss – How to sell feet pics – If crypto is really as permissionless as it seems – the intersections between crypto and sex work

Artist Jeff Davis joins 5 Questions with SCENE to answer burning questions about his artistic practice, the path that brought him to Art Blocks, and his quietly sophisticated DJ abilities. Video shot and edited by Vincent Roazzi Jr.

Decrypt joined Heatbit founder Alex Busarov at Web Summit for a walkthrough of the firm’s flagship product, a Bitcoin miner that acts as a domestic space heater—aimed at the casual user.

The founder of privacy-preserving mixnet Nym sat down with Decrypt at Web Summit to talk about its new decentralized VPN, the Web3 privacy landscape and why “devs should be defended” in the wake of the Tornado Cash crackdown.

Welcome to the first Markets Edition of This Time Will Be Different! In this episode we dive into the current macroeconomic conditions around crypto and look at the data behind the price action. Reza sits down with Pat Felder, founder of Prismatic Capital to discuss the current macro environment, and to answer the question on everyone’s mind– is the bear market really over?

Decrypt sat down with The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget at Web Summit to talk about AI, the open metaverse and the creative challenges of interoperability.

Decrypt joined Dacoco CEO Sarojini McKenna at Web Summit 2023 to talk about Alien Worlds’ new Lore DAO and its AI-powered collaboration with sci-fi author Kevin J Anderson.

The post Terra Classic Price Prediction: Here is What’s Next for the LUNC Price Rally! appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News The Terra Classic price has been soaring since the last few days of November following an investment in its algorithmic stablecoin, USTC. The move was an attempt to rejuvenate the fallen and debugged stablecoin, which also witnessed a significant rise in its value. However, the USTC price failed to sustain the gains, but the LUNC …

The post Near Protocol Price Prediction 2023, 2024, 2025: Will NEAR Price Hit $3.0 This Year? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Story Highlights The live price of Near Protocol is . Near Protocol is predicted to reach a maximum of $2.704 this year. NEAR price with a potential surge could reach a high of $22.656 by the end of 2030. The global crypto market has been generous enough to emerging protocols and its native assets. A …

The post Taiwan Considers Crypto ETFs, Mulls Regulatory Demands! appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Taiwan’s financial regulator, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), is considering allowing cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) but is waiting to analyze their development in other markets. The FSC has previously blocked crypto-ETF proposals due to volatility concerns. Crypto regulatory developments have accelerated in Taiwan with the introduction of a 30-page document outlining regulatory demands for the …

The post BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Gets Seed Funding and SEC Approval Soon! appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News BlackRock has disclosed that it received $100,000 in “seed capital” for its proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The investment was made by an unnamed investor who agreed to purchase 4,000 shares at a price of $25 each on October 27, 2023. This funding will be used to create the underlying units for the ETF, allowing …

The post Sect Bot ($SECT): Transforming Crypto Trading with Trackable Calls and Competitive Rewards appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News In the ever-evolving landscape of cryptocurrency trading, Sect Bot ($SECT) has emerged as a game-changer, offering a novel approach to tracking trading calls and fostering healthy competition within private Telegram groups. With an aim to incentivize and reward top performers, this revolutionary bot has garnered significant attention and adoption since its inception. Revolutionizing Trading Calls …

The post Bitcoin Bull Run : Expert Prediction On Post-Halving – Here’s What To Expect appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Bitcoin’s future looks promising as leading cryptocurrency analyst Rekt Capital delves into pivotal trends that could shape its trajectory. With a crucial chart in focus, the analysis indicates a potential shift from a macro downtrend to an optimistic macro uptrend. This comes as the Bitcoin community anticipates the halving event, a significant occurrence in the …

The post Litecoin Price Stumbles Again: Is a 10% Correction Underway for LTC? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Despite the top cryptocurrencies displaying massive price jumps with major tokens recording over 100% YTD, the LTC price continues to display a neutral trend with a gain of less than 5% Year-to-date (YTD). Will the LTC price ever reclaim the $100 mark? The LTC price constantly traded in a consolidated range between $68.01 and $70.49 …

The post Ripple News : XRP Price Remarkable Surge Amidst Cryptocurrency Rally appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News XRP is on fire! From processing a whopping 293 million transactions daily with 3,400 TPS, it’s paving the way for a $5 price! In light of Bitcoin’s run beyond $42,000, Gemini, a big U.S. crypto exchange, has highlighted XRP’s price action. Analysts and the crypto behemoth have great hopes for it. XRP has risen 1.74% …

The post Top Meme Coins Set For A Whopping 20% Surge This Month! appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News With Bitcoin and Ethereum leading the market to a realm of recovery, the altcoins are preparing for a bull run, evident by their price action. Similarly, the top meme coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Pepe display a breakout entry opportunity arriving shortly. Moreover, the top meme coins did perform exceptionally well over the past …

The post GTA 6 Trailer Leak Fuels Gaming Token Mania; PEPE Price Jumps! appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News The gaming world collided with the crypto market in a big way when the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 trailer leaked, sending shockwaves across both realms. This unexpected revelation not only buzzed up the gaming community but also caused a ripple effect in the crypto market. Here are the details of this thrilling development. PEPE …

North Korea has escalated cyber attacks on cryptocurrency since 2017, stealing over $3 billion and stealing $1.7 billion in 2022, posing a serious threat to the country’s economy and military budget. (Read More)

Ethereum head, Péter Szilágyi, expressed frustration over his alma mater’s lack of interest in blockchain technology, contrasting with global demand for blockchain education driven by major corporations and student interests. (Read More)

Arbitrum Decentralized Autonomous Organization approves $23.4 million budget increase for STIP, supporting emerging builders and creating welcoming environment for new projects, raising total budget to 71.4 million ARB tokens. (Read More)

Circle denies CfA’s allegations of illicit financing and Justin Sun ties, emphasizing regulatory compliance and advocating for stronger stablecoin laws, as clarified by Dante Disparte. (Read More)

CapCut, an online editor, offers customizable image template categories for various industries, including product displays, sales promotions, beauty, fashion, and more. These versatile templates cater to various niches and interests. (Read More)

Google AI and robotic systems have predicted the stability of nearly 400,000 new substances, accelerating material discovery and synthesis, with implications for clean-energy technologies and other fields. (Read More)

Binance.US declares operational independence from Binance.com, reassures customers, and remains compliant with U.S. regulations, following a $4.3 billion settlement. Chairman Changpeng Zhao steps down. (Read More)

Microsoft’s significant investment in the UK’s AI infrastructure is expected to significantly enhance the country’s technology sector and its global AI standing. (Read More)

Mastercard’s Dynamic Yield has introduced “Shopping Muse,” an AI-driven personal retail assistant tool, enhancing its digital personalization and AI portfolio to provide personalized product recommendations and meet evolving retail industry demands. (Read More)

Upbit’s owner, Dunamu, is facing an 81% drop in Q3 2023 profits due to falling crypto prices and a sluggish investment environment. (Read More)

Chromia, an innovative blockchain platform cofounded by Henrik Hjelte, Or Perelman, and Alex Mizrahi, has announced today plans to officially launch its mainnet in 2024, unveiling a groundbreaking ‘relational blockchain’ architecture. Birthed by the Swedish-based company ChromaWay, Chromia aspires to blend the efficiency of relational databases with the secure, permissionless attributes of blockchain technology. Per […]

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the personal finance book Rich Dad Poor Dad, has reiterated his support for Bitcoin, gold, and silver —  sometimes referred to as “safe haven” assets…

Jacob Canfield, a respected entrepreneur and Bitcoin advocate, has spotted a rather interesting pattern on the Bitcoin chart.

Jelly Labs AG and Fintonomy LTD, the masterminds behind the DeFiChain Accelerator and the initial protocols for Jellyverse, have announced today that they have successfully achieved up to $2 million in seed funding from private investors. Following an unrelenting mission to usher crypto users into the era of DeFi 3.0, this funding injection is earmarked […]

Renowned agricultural finance protocol, LandX announced it had exceeded expectations by closing its private investment round with over $915,000, bringing the total raised to an impressive $5 million.  LandX is committed to bridging the agriculture financing gap which is exemplified by providing upfront capital to farmers secured by underlying farmland, offering sustainable yield backed by […]

The surge in Bitcoin’s value is part of a staggering performance throughout 2023, where the cryptocurrency has more than doubled in price, rebounding over…

A known Bitcoiner has taken to X, formerly Twitter, to make one of the boldest Bitcoin price predictions. Interestingly, the prominent figure is not forecasting a price target, rather, he is certain that Bitcoin will no longer trade below a certain price mark. In a post that has since sparked up a debate amongst community […]

Binance’s reputation has been a top concern for the exchange’s user base and cryptocurrency market. Although it has maintained its position as one of the most valued exchanges in the world, recent developments have stirred criticism amongst users. Despite the ongoing chaos, its newest CEO is laying down its long-term plans.  In an official announcement, […]

Bitcoin (BTC) has surged beyond $800 billion in market capitalization, catapulting itself into the elite league of the top 10 assets globally.

Bitcoin surged to new heights, breaking the $41,000 mark on Monday, marking its highest point in 18 months.

Renowned Bitcoin maximalist and advisor to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Max Keiser, has lashed out at Cardano (ADA), again setting the crypto community abuzz with controversy.

In the world of cryptocurrencies, Solana (SOL) has surged ahead, overtaking two major Ethereum Layer 2 solutions – Polygon (MATIC) and Optimism (OP) – in daily trading volume, marking a significant milestone in its trajectory within the blockchain space.

Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, broke past $41,000 on Dec. 4 for the first time since a fierce digital asset crash in May 2022 that ushered in a months-long crypto winter. 

After climbing above the psychological price of $0.60, XRP has found the much-needed momentum to breach new year-end highs.