Ripple proposes ‘no more than $10M’ in penalties after SEC seeks $1.9B

Ripple Labs pushed back against the Securities and Exchange Commission’s request for the court to impose nearly $2 billion in fines. 

“In a case that had no allegations (or findings) of recklessness or fraud, and in which Ripple won on significant issues, the SEC’s ask is just more evidence of its ongoing intimidation against all of crypto in the US,” Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty said in a post on X. 

In the filing, Ripple argued that the SEC didn’t allege “fraud, deceit” or manipulation and the case failed to “show that Ripple recklessly disregarded the law.”

Instead, Ripple argued, the court should impose a penalty of “no more than $10…

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NEW: Bitfinex Predicts 5x Demand Surge After Bitcoin Halving

Bitcoin’s latest mining reward halving has significantly altered its market dynamics, potentially tilting the balance in favor of increased value. Following the recent reduction of mining rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC per block, the daily addition of new coins has plunged, leading to a drastic supply drop. Bitfinex analysts predict that the daily supply might further decrease to $30 million, considerably less than the $150 million average inflow from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. This supply squeeze, alongside a marked reduction in miner selling and increased investor custody of coins, suggests a robust demand poised to outstrip supply.

The tightening of Bitcoin’s availability is evident from on-chain data, with exchange outflows hitting peaks unseen since early 2023, indicating that many investors are shifting to cold storage in anticipation of rising prices. Despite these shifts, the anticipated pre-halving price drop has not materialized, underscoring a strong market absorption of coins. This scenario paints a potentially bullish future for Bitcoin as supply constraints and growing investor interest converge to possibly drive prices upwards.

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Bitcoin Decentralization and Where to Find It

Introduction

One of Bitcoin’s undeniable and frequently touted strengths is its decentralization. It’s often claimed that the Bitcoin network offers levels of decentralization, accessibility, and distribution unmatched by any other cryptocurrency. But just how decentralized is Bitcoin in reality? And how do we go about measuring its decentralization? Before delving into these questions, it’s crucial to clarify the concepts of centralization and decentralization, as they are often muddled.

To provide a clear definition, the centralization/decentralization dynamic can be understood as the degree of concentration/diffusion of authority among the participants in a system. Here, “authority”…

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PayPal research proposes greener bitcoin mining

An internal research group at PayPal released a report late Monday on how economic incentives could spur bitcoin miners to use cleaner energy.

Bitcoin’s proof-of-work consensus mechanism has drawn criticism from environmental groups and legislators for being computationally intensive. The PayPal report suggests solving this problem by stashing extra bitcoin rewards in certain transactions for miners using low-carbon energy sources. 

Bitcoin miners are paid with bitcoin for their computational labor under PoW, and PayPal’s report would shuttle a little extra bitcoin to environmentally conscious miners.

Read more: This Bitcoin halving cycle, miners need a new energy strategy

The…

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LATEST: Bitcoin’s New Whales Outpace Old Whales in Investment

The landscape of Bitcoin ownership is evolving, with recent data from CryptoQuant highlighting a significant surge in investment by new whales. These fresh entrants to the market, defined by a balance of over 1,000 BTC and coin age less than 155 days, have now amassed holdings that nearly double that of their long-term counterparts. As of April 21, 2024, short-term holder whales boast a staggering realized cap of $110.6 billion, overshadowing the $66.9 billion held by long-term holder whales, who meet the same balance criteria but with coins aged over 155 days. This shift represents a dynamic change in the Bitcoin ecosystem, emphasizing the growing trust and appeal of Bitcoin to a broader base of substantial investors. The enthusiasm of new whales reflects a potent mix of confidence and market opportunity, indicating a robust and expanding market for the premier cryptocurrency. This trend underscores the maturing of Bitcoin as a significant financial asset, attracting a diverse array of investors looking to make their mark in the digital age.

CryptoQuant

Top Trending Crypto Coins of The Day

BIGCAP COINS:

  1. Bitcoin: Market Cap of $1.3 Trillion.
  2. Pepe: Market Cap of $3.2 Billion.
  3. Solana: Market Cap of $70.9 Billion.

MIDCAP COINS:

  1. Mumu the Bull: Market Cap of $25.5 Million.
  2. Voxies: Market Cap of $47.2 Million.
  3. Hooked Protocol: Market Cap of $142 Million.

RISING COINS:

  1. FLOKI: Market Cap of $1.9 Billion.
  2. MAGA: Market Cap of $220 Million.
  3. Mog Coin: Market Cap of $259 Million.

Disclaimer: Market capitalizations can vary in real-time. The information provided here is intended purely for educational purposes and should not, under any circumstances, be construed as financial advice.

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How To Keep Your Bitcoin Safe When You Have to Flee Your home

The world is becoming an increasingly unstable place politically and economically speaking. Many people all over the world are currently living somewhere presenting serious risks to their livelihood and well being, everything from totalitarian and persecutory governments to the general state of the economy deteriorating so badly that their ability to sustain themselves is in question.

This puts people in a horrific position, having to choose between continuing to tough out the situation and maintain their possessions, or leaving most of what they own behind to flee from abusive governments or a destroyed economy. If they are lucky enough to even have the financial and practical…

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The Weekly Reorg: This Time Is Different

My buddy Harry Sudock has a wager with Danny Knowles of What Bitcoin Did fame about the prospect of a 50 BTC block reward in this new epoch. Putting aside a couple of fat fingers, the last time this happened was over 4000 days ago.

Late last Friday night, his bet almost hit on the very first halving block, a 40.751 BTC stunner.

Ironically, miners were the big winners at this turn of the epoch, netting just over 100 million dollars in total revenue on the day — almost five times the previous all-time high.

The days around the halving, visualized as block fee rates. pic.twitter.com/xcS22GPw79

— softsimon (@softsimon_) April 21, 2024

Beyond the numbers, this time…

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Families like mine need safe, secure digital identities

It was just a few months after the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, and everyone in my family was headed to visit our relatives in Nigeria for a month. Everyone — except for me.

My mother, holding three American degrees, had been in the United States for years via student and work visas, and my four siblings were all born in New Jersey. I wasn’t an American citizen yet, because I was born in Nigeria. And if I left the United States, I would be placed on a blacklist that would prevent me from returning. 

I cried as my mother told me that I would be staying with my cousins in New York City instead — not because I was being left behind, but because neither of us knew what the future held,…

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LATEST: XRP Millionaire Addresses Achieve All-Time High

XRP has reached a new all-time high in millionaire addresses, with data from Santiment indicating a count of 2,013 wallets each holding at least one million XRP. This number is just one short of the previous record set in June 2023. The trend suggests a burgeoning bullish sentiment, echoing the dramatic increase in value experienced by the altcoin last year. In a remarkable surge following a favorable legal judgment in the SEC v. Ripple case, XRP prices nearly doubled, achieving close to $1 per token in merely a month.

The correlation observed between the growth in millionaire addresses and subsequent price rallies offers an intriguing insight into the dynamics of the XRP market. As XRP edges closer to breaking its previous record, the cryptocurrency community watches keenly, anticipating another significant price movement. This activity highlights the broader potential within the crypto market, underscoring the influence of major stakeholders and historical trends on pricing, and by extension, hinting at the latent power of Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies to similarly capitalize on such dynamics.

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