Bitcoin

Popular instant messaging platform WeChat has warned Chinese users against using the app to process transactions involving digital assets. This warning is in line with the directive issued by the Chinese Government last May. The directive banned financial institutions from providing crypto-related services, and warned investors against speculative crypto trading.  Therefore, WeChat, China’s largest social media platform, declared that it would limit or ban accounts that trade crypto or NFTs. Recently, it updated its rules to state what transaction behaviors…

MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor recently described the ten things he believes are holding Bitcoin back from becoming a mainstream asset. Should these so-called “pain points” be met, they will each be “very bullish” for the Bitcoin industry. In an interview with Bloomberg on Friday, Saylor named wash trading as his first gripe. Since Bitcoin has no rules against this yet, traders can harvest tax gains through buying and selling their own Bitcoin. That is a no-no in traditional equities markets.…

New findings reveal that Bitcoin usage may have a smaller carbon footprint than the classical banking system.   Bitcoin's popularity has skyrocketed within the last few years as more institutions turn to cryptocurrency and the solutions it provides. However, despite its numerous advantages, the king crypto has come under fire for its massive energy consumption rates. The digital coin reportedly uses 122 TWh of electricity per year, more than is used by some countries, such as Finland.  How BTC’s Power…

Kraken CEO Jesse Powell recently affirmed that Kraken is at no risk of suffering any Celsius-style debt or liquidity crises. Rather, his exchange will stand out as one of the few that hire and stack Bitcoin during the bear market. Kraken: Staying Humble, Stacking Sats On Monday, a Twitter user asked Powell whether customers should fear any “risk of contagion” from bad debt in the crypto ecosystem. On Monday, crypto lending platform Celsius announced that it would freeze customers’ funds…

Eric Adams – the crypto-bullish mayor of New York City – stands against the proposed bill to ban carbon-based Bitcoin mining across the state. In a recent interview, he revealed plans to speak with Governor Kathy Hochul to encourage her to veto the bill. Reversing His Position? Speaking with the New York business paper Crain’s on Monday, the mayor claimed that the proposed ban could interfere with mining upstate. Considering that billions of dollars go into crypto already, he doesn’t…

After a brief and jarring freeze of funds on Binance, users may once again withdraw their Bitcoin from the exchange. However, users with pending withdrawals from before the pause will have to resubmit their requests. In a tweet on Monday morning, Binance announced that it had temporarily suspended BTC withdrawals on the Bitcoin network. This was reportedly due to a “stuck on-chain transaction,” which the exchange needed to actively solve. The event caused a stir among the crypto community, who…

As the crypto market and related businesses suffer, some of the industry's biggest players are now announcing job cuts. BlockFi – a popular crypto lending platform – has confirmed that it will be cutting its headcount by as much as 20%. Crypto Companies Start Downsizing In a Twitter thread posted by BlockFi’s CEO on Monday, Zac Prince clarified that the layoffs will not impact customer experience or funds. However, he expressed deep regret about the decision, saying it had not…

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies aren’t the only assets suffering right now. Companies built around or connected to the crypto market are also in deep water following the crash, including Coinbase and MicroStrategy. MicroStrategy is down 21.61% on the NASDAQ today, in line with Bitcoin’s 21.23% slump over the last 5 days. The software company is the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, with 129,000 coins on its balance sheet as of April. This collapse alone puts MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin position down $1 billion.…

Yet another central bank is coming after Bitcoin – this time for its oft-criticized proof of work (POW) consensus mechanism. It  recently suggested that POW mining consumes too much energy, and ought to be banned in favor of “less energy-intensive methods.” As the central bank tweeted on Friday, energy consumption has increased sharply in recent years – especially for Bitcoin. According to estimates from Cambridge University, the network currently consumes around 128 TWh of electricity per year. That’s more than…