BITCOIN

With just over two weeks until The Merge, Ethereum network fees have reduced significantly as the average ethereum transfer fee has dropped to 0.00092 ether or $1.37 per transaction on August 28. Median-sized fees have slid to 0.00036 ether or $0.544 per transfer, and etherscan.io’s gas tracking tool notes a priority fee will cost 11 gwei or $0.34 to get a transaction confirmed in roughly 30 seconds. Ethereum’s Onchain Transfer Cost Remains Low, L2 Transfer and Swap Fees Are Still Cheaper On August 16, the Ethereum Foundation updated a previously published blog post in order to make it clear that The Merge would not reduce gas fees and improve throughput. While The Merge is a little more than two weeks away , Ethereum gas fees have been far less expensive than they were before mid-June. At that time, in the middle of June, Ethereum’s average gas fees started to drop lower from $3.86 per transaction to 0.00086 ether or $1.46 per transfer during the first week of August. Gas fees

The Central Bank of Russia has relaxed some limitations for Russian banks selling U.S. dollars and euros to the public. The increased supply of foreign cash may affect the crypto market in the country as currency restrictions have been a driver of increased demand for digital coins. Monetary Authority of Russia Expands Citizens’ Access to Foreign Cash The Central Bank of the Russian Federation ( CBR ) has lifted one of the restrictions on the sale of U.S. dollars and euros in cash to private individuals imposed amid Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported. Until recently, Russians could buy only dollars and euros sold to the banks at their cash desks after April 9, 2022, by other physical persons. Now the CBR has allowed Russian lenders to sell the two convertible currencies if they are also obtained from other sources. The regulator explained that these may include transactions with non-resident banks as well as foreign cash deposited by Russi

A Latvian national has been handed over to the United States where he is accused of fraud through several companies offering false crypto investment opportunities. Ivars Auzins will appear in a federal court in Brooklyn to face multiple charges of wire and securities fraud. Latvian Authorities Transfer Alleged Crypto Fraudster to US Custody Ivars Auzins, a citizen of the small Baltic nation of Latvia, was extradited to the United States on Friday. The Latvian has been handed over to the American judiciary on a six-count indictment charging him with wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracies to commit wire and securities fraud in connection with the operation of eight businesses that purported to offer, invest in, or mine digital assets. Auzins will be arraigned on the indictment on Saturday in a federal court in Brooklyn before the Honorable Roanne L. Mann., the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release. The charges were announced by United States Attorney for the East