BITCOIN

Kraken, the San Francisco-headquartered digital currency exchange, has received a court order from a U.S. judge requiring the release of customer data to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The court filing, submitted on Friday, states that the IRS is seeking details pertaining to accounts that registered an annual trading activity of $20,000 or higher during the years 2016 to 2020. IRS Gains Court Order for Kraken’s Customer Data in Crypto Tax Investigation Last February, the IRS submitted a court petition to the Northern District of California, outlining its intention to thoroughly investigate Kraken’s financial records and data in order to uncover cryptocurrency users who may have neglected their tax obligations. The petition specifically requested access to Kraken’s “books, records, papers, and other data.” “The IRS is conducting an investigation to determine the identity and correct federal income tax liability of U.S. persons who conducted transactions in cryptocurrency for

Veteran trader Peter Brandt has urged the U.S. Federal Reserve to stay hawkish and increase interest rates another 100 basis points to protect the nation’s wealth. He stressed that there is nothing more destructive to wealth than inflation, emphasizing that the Fed “must keep their feet to the floorboard to prevent a re-occurrence of inflationary pressures.” Peter Brandt’s Advice for the Federal Reserve Veteran trader Peter Brandt has urged the Federal Reserve to remain hawkish and increase interest rates by another 100 basis points. Brandt has been a futures and FX career trader since 1975. He is a chartist and the author of the Factor Report. He trades a variety of markets, including Dow futures, bonds, corn, crude oil, European wheat, Osaka Dow, U.S. dollar, and sugar. “The U.S. Fed was negligent for not aggressively raising rates in early 2021,” he tweeted Thursday. “Traders knew this, but the Ph.D.s had their heads up their butts.” He added: “But now, I congratulate the Fed as

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has reaffirmed the Fed’s hawkish stance. Noting that the latest economic data indicates that the Fed’s policy “may not be restrictive enough” and “has not been restrictive for long enough,” Powell stated that the central bank could raise interest rates “at consecutive meetings.” Fed Chairman Powell on Rate Hikes Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reaffirmed the Fed’s hawkish stance on Wednesday during a central banker panel hosted by the European Central Bank in Sintra, Portugal. With the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting slated for July 25-26, Powell emphasized that the Fed is not done curbing inflation and hinted at the possibility of consecutive interest rate hikes. The Federal Reserve paused raising interest rates in June after 10 consecutive rate hikes. “If you look at the data over the last quarter, what you see is stronger than expected growth, a tighter than expected labor market, and higher than expected inflation,” Pow

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges, has filed a 177-page answer to the complaint introduced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where the agency states the company was involved in the illegal brokerage of securities. Coinbase alleges that the institution lacks “any powers to regulate” cryptocurrency exchanges and that this enforcement action “offends due process and the constitutional separation of powers.” Coinbase Contests SEC Powers to Regulate Cryptocurrency Exchanges Paul Grewal, CLO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced the filing of an answer to the complaint presented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where the institution accuses the Coinbase of unregistered securities brokerage. In the 177-page document , Coinbase explains that in April 2021, the SEC approved its registration to go public through an IPO on Nasdaq, “allowing Coinbase’s shares to be sold to millions of re

The South African crypto platform, Revix, said on June 28 that customers can now only access just over three-quarters (76%) of their crypto assets. Revix said the move to block customers’ access to 24% of their crypto assets was made after one of its primary service providers Haru Invest suspended deposits and withdrawals. Impact of Haru Invest’s Abrupt Suspension of Deposits and Withdrawals Revix, the South African crypto investment platform, said on June 28 that it has rendered “24% of crypto asset balances held on the Revix platform as of Tuesday, 13th June, at 02:00 GMT+2 as reserved.” The decision means Revix customers can only withdraw 76% of their crypto assets which are stored on the platform. In a statement explaining the rationale behind the move, Revix said the unexpected suspension of deposits and withdrawals by one of its primary service providers Haru Invest prompted the decision to reserve 24% of customers’ crypto assets. The statement revealed that “Haru is part of

Failed crypto exchange FTX has unexpectedly halted the sale of its stake in the artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic. The stock has been viewed as a source of funds that can be used to compensate customers who suffered losses as a result of the coin trading platform’s collapse. Cryptocurrency Exchange FTX Postpones Sale of Anthropic Shares Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has decided to hold off the sale of its stake in the AI company Anthropic. The stock, worth $500 million, has been among the exchange’s most sought-after assets, Bloomberg noted in a report. According to sources who chose to remain anonymous, bidders have been informed this month about the pause by Perella Weinberg Partners, the financial services firm acting as an advisor in FTX’s bankruptcy which was looking to sell the Anthropic shares. The AI startup was established in 2021 by former employees of Openai, the developer of the chatbot Chatgpt . In May of this year, Anthropic announced it had raised $450 m

Paysafe will discontinue support for bank transfers of euros to and from Binance, the payments provider announced. The news comes when the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange finds itself under pressure from regulators and banking partners in Europe and elsewhere. Paysafe to Stop Euro Deposits and Withdrawals for Binance Crypto exchange Binance, the global leader in terms of daily trading volume, will lose access to payments in the common European currency, another setback for its operations on the Old Continent that comes amid regulatory crackdown in various jurisdictions. “Following a strategic review, we have taken the decision to cease offering our embedded wallet solution to Binance across the region,” its U.K.-based payment processor, Paysafe, said in a statement, quoted by Bloomberg. The company added: Paysafe and Binance are now working to mutually implement an orderly and fair process to terminate this service over the next few months. Paysafe will no longer suppor

Mastercard has introduced its Multi-Token Network (MTN), an app store powered by blockchain technologies for building regulated financial applications. “MTN represents one of Mastercard’s most ambitious projects in the digital asset space to date,” said the payment giant’s head of crypto and blockchain. “Our goal is to support the wider digital asset industry and interested parties to help fortify confidence in its future.” Mastercard Unveils Multi-Token Network Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s head of crypto and blockchain, announced in a blog post on Wednesday: Today, we are taking the next step on our journey with the introduction of Mastercard Multi-Token Network, a tailor-made solution for the industry. “Our vision for MTN is to provide a set of foundational capabilities designed to make transactions within the digital asset and blockchain ecosystems secure, scalable, and interoperable — ultimately enabling more efficient payment and commerce applications,” he explained. The

On June 28, 2023, Bitcoin saw its first downward difficulty adjustment in 56 days, or since May 4, with a decline of 3.26%. This modification lowered the network’s difficulty to 50.65 trillion from its record high of 52.35 trillion on June 14. Bitcoin Mining Gets a Breather: Difficulty Decreases by 3.26% in Recent Adjustment Today, mining bitcoin ( BTC ) is now 3.26% less challenging than it was in the previous fortnight or since June 14. This decline of 3.26% happened at block height 796,320 on June 28, reducing the difficulty to the current level of 50.65 trillion. Shortly after the difficulty increase on June 14, the adjustment that took place on June 28 was initially anticipated to be a rise due to soaring hashrates and quicker block intervals. Nonetheless, following June 19, 2023, this all shifted as a reduced hashrate and slower block intervals resulted in the drop. In fact, as of Thursday, June 29, 2023, the total hashrate dipped below the 300 exahash per second (EH/s) ran

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has reconsidered a decision to delist some privacy tokens in several European markets. The leading coin trading platform will continue to offer trading in these digital assets after revising their classification to comply with EU regulations. Binance to Continue Support for Certain Privacy Coins Despite Earlier Intentions to Remove Them The world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, Binance, has decided to reverse a plan to delist privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies in several EU jurisdictions. The move comes after the company received feedback from some of the projects and traders. Last month, Binance informed customers it intends to remove 12 privacy coins in France, Spain, Italy, and Poland. Those set to be delisted on June 26 were dash ( DASH ), verge (XVG), beam (BEAM), monero ( XMR ), navcoin (NAV), firo (FIRO), horizen (ZEN), secret (SCRT), zcash (ZEC), pivx (PIVX), decred (DCR), and mobilecoin (MOB). At the time, the exchange cited lo

U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has promised to ensure that “your right to use and hold bitcoin is inviolable” if he is elected U.S. president. “Bitcoin is not only a bulwark against totalitarianism and the manipulation of our money supply, it points the way toward a future in which government institutions are more transparent and more democratic,” said the presidential hopeful. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Bitcoin Promise U.S. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has made a promise regarding bitcoin if he is elected president of the United States. Kennedy is a son of former U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. RFK Jr. tweeted Tuesday: As president, I will make sure that your right to use and hold bitcoin is inviolable. “Bitcoin is not only a bulwark against totalitarianism and the manipulation of our money supply, it points the way toward a future in which government ins

Binance’s attempt to prevent the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from making public statements alleging that the crypto exchange mishandled U.S. customers’ assets has been denied by the judge overseeing its enforcement case. A former SEC head of internet enforcement warned that the motion may “prompt the criminal authorities to expedite whatever action, if any, they plan on taking with respect to Binance.” Judge Denies Binance’s Motion Against SEC Binance’s motion against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was denied by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Monday. The motion was filed as part of the case in which the SEC charged Binance , CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), and Binance US with securities law violations. The cryptocurrency exchange filed a motion asking Judge Jackson to prevent the securities regulator from making public statements alleging that Binance and Zhao mishandled the assets of U.S.-based customers. The cryptocurrency exchange argued that the SEC h

In a recent submission to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas, the Nevada Financial Institutions Division has expressed its intention to take decisive action against the crypto custodian Prime Trust. The regulatory body seeks to not only shut down Prime Trust but also swiftly seize its property, assets, books, papers, documents, and records. The state’s financial overseer aims to place Prime Trust under receivership, ensuring a comprehensive resolution to the matter. Nevada Regulator Moves to Shut Down Prime Trust as Crypto Custodian Faces Insolvency and Asset Accessibility Issues Nevada’s financial watchdog has raised concerns about the financial status of crypto custodian Prime Trust. In a recent development, the Nevada Financial Institutions Division revealed that Prime Trust faced insolvency and was unable to fulfill customer withdrawal requests. This disclosure, made five days ago, prompted the regulator to assert that Prime Trust had breached its fiduciary respon

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive director for Russia says a growing number of countries are switching to trade in Chinese yuan, not only with China but also with third countries. He stressed that it is wrong for the U.S. dollar to be widely used globally given that the U.S. government uses the currency “for the purposes of national interests” and “the economic and financial obligations of one country.” IMF Director on De-Dollarization Gaining Momentum Worldwide The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive director for Russia, Aleksei Mozhin, shared his thoughts on the global de-dollarization trend in an interview with RIA Novosti Monday. He explained that Washington’s policies and actions have compelled countries around the world to seek alternatives to the U.S. dollar, noting that more nations are ramping up the use of alternative currencies, particularly the Chinese yuan, in cross-border transactions. The IMF executive director described: We can see that I

Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s managing director, has said Egypt needs to plug leakages of foreign reserves if it wishes to successfully support its currency. According to the IMF leader, Egyptian authorities must also do more to support the vulnerable and to ensure that such support does not benefit the rich. Multiple Exchange Rates ‘Create Privileged Positions for Some’ According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, attempting to shore up the Egyptian currency without first plugging foreign reserves leakages is akin to “putting water in a bucket that has holes.” Georgieva also argued that Egypt’s multiple exchange rate policy has created a system that only benefits the privileged. However, in her remarks during an interview with Asharq Business, the IMF boss insisted the global lender is still holding discussions with Egyptian authorities. She also highlighted how a closer working relationship with the

Banking giant HSBC has begun letting customers buy and sell bitcoin and ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX) using its mobile apps. The stock exchange currently has three crypto futures ETFs listed. HSBC Customers Can Trade Crypto Futures ETFs Using Mobile Apps Banking giant HSBC has reportedly begun allowing customers to buy and sell bitcoin and ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX) through its mobile apps. Chinese reporter Colin Wu tweeted Monday: HSBC, the largest bank in Hong Kong, today allows its customers to buy and sell bitcoin and ethereum ETFs listed on the Hong Kong exchange, and is also the first bank in Hong Kong to allow it. The move will expand local users’ exposure to cryptocurrencies in Hong Kong. Wu further noted that HSBC has launched “Virtual Asset Investor Education Centre,” emphasizing: “Investors need to read and confirm the educational materials and risk

Over 500 companies in Argentina have reportedly requested to pay for imports using Chinese yuan as the U.S. dollar shortage worsens. “The central bank doesn’t have dollars so it needs the emergency aid China is offering,” a trade economist in Buenos Aires explained. Chinese Yuan Usage Hits Record High in Argentina The Argentine customs agency has revealed that over 500 companies in Argentina, spanning various industries such as electronics, auto parts, textiles, oil, and mining, have requested to use Chinese yuan for import payments, Bloomberg reported Friday. As the scarcity of U.S. dollars persists in Argentina, the use of the Chinese yuan has reached an all-time high in the country. According to officials from the country’s central bank, import payments authorized in the Chinese currency have amounted to $2.9 billion. Marcelo Elizondo, a trade economist in Buenos Aires, explained: The central bank doesn’t have dollars so it needs the emergency aid China is offering … For Argen

A North Korean analyst has cautioned that the actions taken by the U.S. to restrict the usage of the dollar and the growing interest of countries to join the BRICS bloc are “accelerating” the decline of the USD as the world’s dominant currency. North Korean State Media on De-Dollarization and the BRICS North Korea’s state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), published an article Sunday titled “Expansion of BRICS is an inevitable result of the present unfair international economic order.” The article is authored by Jong Il Hyon, an international affairs analyst of the DPRK. He explained that the primary driving force behind numerous countries joining the BRICS bloc is “the present unfair and unreasonable international economic order” that centers around the U.S.-led international monetary system built upon the dollar. Jong added that the U.S. established the Bretton Woods system in July 1944 with the dollar as the international standard currency after accumulating a vast a

Following the spending of 50 bitcoins from 2010 on June 15, after more than 12 years of dormancy, approximately 11 days later, another group of dormant wallets created in 2010 transferred 100 bitcoins worth just over $3 million for the first time in well over a decade. 2023 Records 8 Block Rewards From 2010 Spent, 2 Occured on Monday, June 26 So far this year, a total of eight block rewards from the 2010 era have been transferred out of wallets for the first time in more than 12 years. Two of them occurred on Monday, June 26, 2023, after the blockchain parser Btcparser.com detected the movements. Both block rewards were obtained on July 12, 2010, suggesting that the two block subsidies were owned by the same individual. The first transaction was confirmed at block height 795,936, and the owner sent 49 BTC to a single address, while the remaining 0.99 BTC was transferred to another address. Both of those wallets remain idle and have not spent the bitcoin. The second transfer was

A U.K. citizen has been sentenced by а New York court to five years in prison for his role in a Twitter hack including the hijacking of accounts of U.S. political and business figures. The man is also responsible for the theft of large amounts of cryptocurrency in a SIM swap attack. Hacker Goes to Jail for Breaching Twitter Accounts of U.S. Officials and Business Leaders A British national got a five-year prison sentence for his involvement in a Twitter hack that targeted the accounts of leading U.S. politicians and businessmen. The hijacking is one of several crimes that he was charged with, including stealing cryptocurrency and cyberstalking victims. The sentencing comes after Joseph James O’Connor pleaded guilty in New York in May to participating in a number of online schemes including a Twitter hack that led to the impersonation of former U.S. President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett, among others, to adver

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports interest in central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in Latam and the Caribbean is picking up, Lula criticizes the current international economic system, and Venezuela integrates the Russian Mir payments system. IMF Finds Interest in CBDC Picks up Steam in Latam and the Caribbean A report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that interest in central bank digital currencies (CBDC) remains high in Latam and the Caribbean. According to a recent survey with governments of the region, “half of the respondents were considering both retail and wholesale CBDC options.” Brazil is one of the countries experimenting with a two-tiered CBDC model, which is in its proof of concept stage. If issued, it would be connected to the “Open Finance” concept of the Central Bank of Brazil. The reasons for

The Bank of England made an impactful move last Thursday, June 22, 2023, as it raised the benchmark bank rate to 5%, marking a significant 0.5 percentage point increase. This decision catapults the central bank’s rate to its highest level since 2008 and represents the most substantial surge in three months. Coinciding with this development, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) published a study on the same day, asserting that the escalated interest rates would translate into elevated mortgage payments, potentially pushing 1.2 million households in the U.K. towards insolvency in 2023. Bank of England’s Interest Rate Hikes Endanger 1.2 Million UK Households’ Financial Stability, NIESR Researchers Say In a noteworthy announcement on Thursday, the Bank of England (BOE) unveiled its decision to increase the key bank rate by 0.5%, propelling it to a solid 5%. Shedding light on the rationale behind this move, the BOE articulated in a blog post that inflation in t

A subsidiary co-owned by Crédit Agricole and Santander has registered as a digital asset service provider in France. The registration of Caceis, a company that specializes in offering financial services to institutional investors, allows the two major European banks to tap into the crypto market. Crédit Agricole Asset Management Unit Obtains AMF Registration in France An asset servicing business owned by France’s second largest bank, Crédit Agricole, and Spain’s biggest bank, Santander, has registered with the French financial markets authority, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) as a digital asset service provider (DASP). The registration , granted by the AMF earlier this week, will allow the entity, Caceis, to provide custody services for digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. At the end of 2022, the firm had 4.1 trillion euros ($4.51 trillion) in assets under its custody. The move adds a major traditional financial services group to the growing number of crypto companie

From the latter half of 2022 and continuing into 2023, the concept of de-dollarization has gained significant traction, making its mark on the mainstream media. This surge in attention can be attributed to the concerted efforts of BRICS countries such as Brazil, China, and Russia, who are endeavoring to diminish the dominance of the greenback, preventing it from reclaiming its former position as the alpha currency. Although a prevailing sentiment suggests that the U.S. dollar’s global reserve status is on the brink of dissolution, there are dissenting voices asserting that the hype surrounding de-dollarization has been exaggerated. Decoding De-Dollarization: Unraveling the Shift Away From the Greenback’s Global Hegemony Two noteworthy subjects have captured considerable public interest as of late: the strategies pursued by the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the concept of de-dollarization, which has emerged as a prominent talking point. Although

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has defended the dominance of the U.S. dollar amid rising efforts by emerging countries to de-dollarize. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in particular, is set to raise the issue of de-dollarization at the next BRICS meeting. “There is a very good reason why the dollar is used widely in trade,” Yellen argued. Yellen Defends US Dollar’s Hegemony U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended the global dominance of the U.S. dollar Friday at a press conference in Paris, where she attended a summit on global finance hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who also attended the summit, appeared on a panel with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Reiterating his call for countries to abandon the U.S. dollar and trade in their own national currencies or other alternatives, the Brazilian leader stressed that the use of the USD in international trade puts countries like Brazil at a di