A closer look at the evolving stablecoin ecosystem

The rise of digital currencies, exemplified by Bitcoin (BTC), brought a groundbreaking shift in the financial landscape. 

However, it also brought to light a critical challenge: price volatility. Bitcoin and many other early cryptocurrencies exhibited extreme price fluctuations, making them difficult to use for everyday transactions or as a reliable store of value.

Users recognized the need for stability when dealing with digital assets, particularly when conducting business or holding assets for an extended period. This need for stability in the digital currency realm paved the way for the development of stablecoins.

As a result, stablecoins emerged to address the need for a reliable and…

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Crypto investors are in for a ‘very exciting spring,’ says Van Eck CEO

Politically-motivated rate cuts could coincide with the bitcoin “halvening” — as well as potential spot bitcoin ETF launches — making for a “very exciting spring” for crypto investors, Van Eck says.

“We’re near the end of this Fed cycle of tightening,” he says. “We’re certainly closer to the end than the beginning.”

“If one is cynical about the election, then you want at least six months for lower rates to kick in,” he adds. 

On the Empire podcast (Spotify/Apple), the Van Eck CEO admits he is not a “mind reader” when it comes to the timing of potential spot bitcoin ETF approvals. But he sees “movement at the [US Securities and Exchange Commission] now,…

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President of El Salvador Bukele Announces Re-Election Bid

In a move that has stirred both excitement and controversy, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has officially announced his bid for re-election in the Central American nation. Bukele, who gained international recognition as a pro-Bitcoin leader for his efforts to make Bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, made his re-election intentions public, setting the stage for a significant political showdown.

Source: X

President of El Salvador to Continue Plans

Bukele and El Salvador’s Vice President Felix Ulloa officially submitted their re-election candidacy despite legal uncertainties at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in the capital, San Salvador. The submission took…

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Analyzing The United Nations’ Report

The United Nations (UN) recently released a new report about Bitcoin in which they claim their research reveals a “staggering carbon, water and land footprints of the global Bitcoin mining network”. The full report and key findings can be found here.

While most provided findings were negative, there were some positive points. Let’s go over the major findings from the report, and discuss some Bitcoin facts.

The Positives

The substantial growth in bitcoin price, evidenced by a 400% increase from 2020 to 2021, indicates a robust and potentially lucrative market. Bitcoin mining can also provide income opportunities in countries with inexpensive electricity.

The… Read more on bitcoinnews

Warren Buffett’s ‘crypto stock’ beats Apple and Amazon — but not Bitcoin

Warren Buffett may still view cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin (BTC) as “rat poison squared,” but he is generating big profits from his position in a crypto-friendly bank in 2023.

Warren Buffett’s “crypto bet” up $130 million in 2023

The “Oracle of Omaha” purchased 107 million shares of Nu Holdings, a Brazil-based fintech company and owner of the crypto-friendly Nubank, via his firm, Berkshire Hathaway, in two separate rounds in 2021.

Berkshire invested $500 million in Nu Holdings in June 2021 and raised its stake by another $250 million in December 2021. The firm has not sold a single share since, according to its second quarter 2023 earnings report.

Nu’s share price is…

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Bittrex’s US bankruptcy plan cleared by court

The US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved Monday the amended Chapter 11 liquidation plan for Bittrex and its associated entities, including Desolation Holdings LLC.

Despite the procedural rigor behind the ruling, questions remain as the court-approved decision moves the Seattle-based company toward liquidating its assets to repay creditors. 

Bittrex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the US in May. Rather than reorganizing its debts, which is often the objective of Chapter 11 filings, the company elected a plan of liquidation. 

With the green light from the court, Bittrex is now authorized to proceed with the selling off of its US-based assets, per a court…

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Sam Bankman-Fried lawyers pitch for changes to judge’s jury instruction

The attorneys representing former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried have written another letter to the judge, seeking changes to the jury instructions; in the letter addressed to Judge Kaplan, the defense attorneys requested that the jury consider the role of English law in governing FTX’s terms of service.

The proposal calls on 12 jurors in the case to consider that for misappropriation to have occurred, there must have existed a trust, fiduciary relationship, or a similar relationship between FTX and its customers. However, the firm’s terms of service have made it clear that there was no such relationship between the two parties.

The defense attorneys’ proposal read:

“Under English law,… Read more on Cointelegraph

Tales of lost Bitcoin wallets

In the shadowy corners of the digital world, where the glow of computer screens illuminates faces with eerie light, there exist tales of lost fortunes. These tales act as a terrifying reminder of the unpredictable nature and volatility present in the cryptocurrency markets and the need to adopt stringent security measures. 

1. James Howells and the lost 7,500 BTC

A British man named James Howells unintentionally threw away a hard drive in 2013 that contained 7,500 Bitcoin (BTC), currently valued at over $2.5 billion. The hard disk is still buried; he can’t figure out where it is, even after making several desperate attempts to retrieve it from the landfill in New Port, Wales. Howell’s…

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No concerns over Bitcoin halving supply shock, says Bitvavo CEO

Supply and demand dynamics could mitigate concerns of a potential Bitcoin market supply shock during the upcoming mining reward halving in 2024, according to Bitvavo CEO Mark Nuvelstijn.

The co-founder of the Netherlands-based cryptocurrency exchange weighed in on Bitcoin-related market movements in conversation with Cointelegraph during the European Blockchain Convention held in Barcelona.

Related: There are now nearly 40M Bitcoin addresses in profit — A new record

Nuvelstijn expressed his belief that exchanges would likely have sufficient Bitcoin supply to meet the demand from users:

“If there’s more demand the price will increase, and it will keep increasing until there’s a match… Read more on Cointelegraph

Telegram trading tool Unibot suffers exploit

Unibot, a well-known Telegram bot for Uniswap trading, suffered an approval vulnerability on Tuesday, resulting in a loss of tokens valued above $600,000.

A newly deployed contract was compromised, leading to the loss of several meme coins belonging to users. 

The firm pinpointed the problem as a “token approval exploit” from its new router, which led them to momentarily halt the router to address the issue.

“We experienced a token approval exploit from our new router and have paused our router to contain the issue,” the team said on X.

“Any funds lost due to the bug on our new router will be compensated. Your keys and wallets are safe.”

PeckShield initially detected the…

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