Bitcoin’s mining difficulty reached an all-time high (ATH) on Feb. 24, 2023, at block height #778,176, reaching 43.05 trillion hashes and surpassing the 40 trillion mark for the first time ever. The network’s difficulty increased by 9.95%, which is the second-largest rise this year, as Bitcoin recorded a combined 24.89%Continue Reading
The second-largest bank in Germany, DZ Bank, is preparing to become a provider of custody services for crypto assets. The offering will be facilitated by a partnership with Metaco, a Swiss company that specializes in helping financial institutions to operate in the digital asset space. DZ Bank to Use Metaco’sContinue Reading
Financial giant JPMorgan has announced it will open a new blockchain innovation lab in Greece. The lab will be focused on the development of applications on top of Onyx, the blockchain platform launched by the bank in 2020, and on digital identity solutions. JPMorgan to Push Blockchain Development in NewContinue Reading
Chain Reaction, a Tel Aviv-based blockchain startup, announced it has raised $70 million as part of its Series C funding round. The objective of the company is to expand its engineering staff to accelerate the production of its blockchain-focused silicon and collaborate in the development of its cryptographic-focused chips. ChainContinue Reading
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided guidance for member countries to develop effective crypto policies. The board stressed the need to develop comprehensive crypto regulations to “better mitigate the risks posed by crypto assets while also harnessing the potential benefits of the technological innovation.” IMFContinue Reading
U.S. regulators and the Federal Reserve have issued a joint warning about key liquidity risks associated with crypto assets. However, the regulators clarified that banks “are neither prohibited nor discouraged from providing banking services to customers of any specific class or type, as permitted by law or regulation.” US RegulatorsContinue Reading
On Friday, the cryptocurrency firm and stablecoin issuer Circle announced that the financial institution Citizens Trust Bank will hold $65 million in usd coin cash reserves. Circle said the move is part of the company’s plan to allocate shares of the stablecoin’s denominated reserves to minority-owned depository institutions (MDIs) andContinue Reading
This week, Bloomberg Intelligence senior macro strategist Mike McGlone shared his March outlook and noted that the “top catalyst” that could push gold above the $2,000-per-ounce range is a recession. McGlone further explained in an update about bitcoin and the Nasdaq that a key ingredient to force the U.S. FederalContinue Reading
Non-fungible token (NFT) sales have soared this past week, climbing 138.15% higher than the week before. Sales recorded between last Friday and Feb. 24, 2023, indicate that $801 million in NFT sales have been settled over the last seven days. Ethereum Digital Collectibles and Mutant Ape Yacht Club Lead NFTContinue Reading
The Kenyan Senate’s Information, Communication and Technology committee has said it is ready to engage the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and other stakeholders in shaping the country’s policy towards crypto assets and virtual asset service providers. According to the committee, such a policy helps govern the use of cryptoContinue Reading
