Bitcoin

In this week’s newsletter, read about the United States Secret Service’s nonfungible token (NFT) collection, and how Elon Musk’s tweet caused a surge in an NFT collection’s floor price. Check out how someone tried to sell an image for Bitcoin (BTC) months before the infamous Bitcoin Pizza Day, and learn about LG’s new patent for

According to Eun Young Choi, the head of the crypto unit at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the United States has resolved to target digital platforms because they are making it easy for criminals and money launderers. Choi said the DOJ hopes taking action against entities such as crypto exchanges is “going to have

On May 15, European cryptocurrency investment firm CoinShares published its latest “Digital Asset Fund Flows Report,” which revealed that digital asset investment products experienced another week of consecutive outflows, with a total of $54 million exiting the market. This brings “the total outflow to US$200m, representing 0.6% of total assets under management (AuM),” CoinShares reported. 

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia mulls using the Chinese yuan in international trade settlements, inflation reaches 108.8% in Argentina, and Steve Hanke states he can eliminate Venezuela’s inflation in 30 days. Bolivia Mulls Using

Crypto mining firm Riot Platforms – formerly Riot Blockchain – is seeking to recover “more than $26 million” in alleged unpaid fees from Texas-based Bitcoin (BTC) miner, Rhodian Enterprises, according to its Q1 2023 report. Published on May 10, Riot’s Q1 2023 financial report stated that Whinstone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Riot, filed a petition on

Inflation in China registered an increase of 0.1% year-over-year in April, according to numbers from the National Bureau of Statistics of the country, falling below expectations. Some analysts are already warning about the dangers of deflation, even calling on the Chinese government to deliver cash handouts in order to push consumer demand. Low Inflation Numbers

IRS wants $38 billion tax from Alameda According to recent flings posted by the claims agent of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is claiming a total of $44 billion from the exchange’s bankruptcy and related firms, including $38 billion against its sister quantitative trading firm Alameda Research. In one single

The Bitcoin mempool, otherwise known as the network’s transaction backlog, is still clogged with over 390,000 transactions waiting to be processed by miners. To clear the mempool, more than 190 blocks need to be mined. As the scaling issues continue to plague the network, a conversation between former Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen and the network’s

Increased fees and a backlog of transactions are besieging the Bitcoin (BTC) network and it’s due to a popular new “token” standard according to a CryptoQuant analyst. On May 9, Axel Adler Jr, an analyst with the crypto data firm, explained that BRC-20 memecoin minting on the BTC blockchain is causing the surge in block

Former House Representative Ron Paul has presented his stance when it comes to the financial crisis that the U.S. is currently facing. Paul stated that the continued application of quantitative easing (QE), a policy used to increase the money supply, and the decades of almost null interest rates, are what nurtured the current financial crisis

A sudden spike in Bitcoin (BTC) transaction fees and unconfirmed transactions sparked concern on Crypto Twitter over the weekend of a potential Denial of Service (DoS) “attack” on the network.  Some Bitcoin analysts and commentators have been quick to allay these fears from their respective followers. Bitcoin average transaction fees are currently $19.20, or 0.00068

On May 4, in a recent Youtube video, Validus Power Corp.’s executive director, Greg Foss, discussed the potential for the banking industry’s failures to wipe out $10 trillion in equity. Foss expressed his support for “hard assets” such as real estate, gold, and bitcoin. He believes that bitcoin, the leading crypto asset, is one of

On May 4, Argentina’s central bank banned payment providers from offering crypto transactions, alleging it intends to reduce the country’s payment-system exposure to digital assets.  According to a statement from the monetary authority, payment providers may not offer or facilitate crypto services through their applications. The move brings payment fintechs and financial institutions under the

The European Central Bank (ECB) raised its key interest rates by 25 basis points, slowing the pace from previous increases. However, as inflation in the euro area remains persistently high, future rate hikes may still be expected with the regulator insisting it will continue to seek a “timely return” to its 2% inflation target and

The Bitcoin price successfully defended the $28,000 support on May 2, but it has yet to prove the strength needed to reclaim the $29,200 level from April 30. $30K becomes crucial for Bitcoin bulls Some analysts will pin the recent downtrend on the expectation of an interest rate increase by the United States Federal Reserve

Russia is closely monitoring the U.S. economy amid discussions of the U.S. government defaulting on its debt obligations. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Treasury will be unable to pay the government’s bills if Congress does not act by June 1. Russia Monitoring US Economy in Case of Debt Default Russia is closely monitoring the

Business intelligence platform MicroStrategy has reiterated its commitment to its Bitcoin (BTC) investment strategy after turning its first quarterly profit since 2020.  The Michael Saylor-founded firm went back into the green in the first quarter of 2023 with a profit of $94 million, which was largely attributed to a one-time income tax benefit of $453.2

Cryptocurrency may be bad for investors but it can be useful in international settlements, according to a top government official in Moscow. Russian authorities intend to set up a special committee that would issue permits to operators employing crypto in foreign trade transactions, he indicated. Russia Plans to ‘Experiment’ With Cross-Border Crypto Payments Amid Sanctions

Top Stories This Week Circle launches cross-chain USDC transfer protocol Circle launched a cross-chain protocol that enables USDC transfers between the Ethereum and Avalanche blockchains. The protocol works by burning the selected amount of native USDC on the source chain, and minting an equivalent amount of new USDC on the intended destination chain. The protocol

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has slammed the actions of the elites in the U.S. and Europe, stating that they do not always act in the best interest of their own people. “It will backfire on them,” he said. Putin also called for a cohesive response to the West’s economic aggression, emphasizing that Russia will strengthen