BITCOIN

Crypto lender Blockfi is moving closer to returning funds to clients after a bankruptcy judge confirmed its Chapter 11 plan on Tuesday. The plan outlines a process for the company to distribute the remaining assets to clients and attempt to recover additional funds. Blockfi Advances on Client Asset Reimbursement Following Chapter 11 Plan Approval With over 90% of voting creditors approving the plan, Blockfi expressed optimism about providing client recoveries relatively quickly compared to similar crypto bankruptcies. The plan confirmation comes after Blockfi originally filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2022, amid the broader crypto market downturn. Under the approved plan, Blockfi will first distribute the remaining digital assets back to clients with funds in Blockfi Wallet accounts. The company will then make an initial distribution to clients with funds in Blockfi Interest Accounts (BIAs) and retail crypto-backed loans. “Over the coming months, you will receive an e

Bitcoin.com, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency wallet developers and news portals, has partnered with the Busan International Film Festival as a major sponsor. The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), held annually in South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in all of Asia. By sponsoring the event Bitcoin.com seeks to support artistic endeavors and reach new audiences. The 28th Busan International Film Festival will take place on October 4-13, 2023 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. The festival will showcase the best of Asian cinema and feature various events and programs, such as master classes, open talks, hand-printing ceremonies, and awards ceremonies. The opening film will be Because I Hate Korea by Jang Kun-jae, and the closing film will be The Movie Emperor by Ning Hao. The festival will also honor Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat with the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. You can find more information about the festival on its offici

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler has explained why the securities regulator is taking a litigation-heavy strategy to regulate the crypto industry. The SEC chair insisted that enforcement actions against crypto firms are not brought with a political agenda, emphasizing that he is protecting the American public. “This is a field where the American public is at risk and being harmed every day on these platforms that are commingling and often trading against their customers,” he cautioned. Gensler Reveals Why SEC Focuses on Litigation in Regulating Crypto The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. During the hearing, several members of Congress raised questions about cryptocurrency and the regulation of crypto tokens. Congressman John Rose (R-TN) asked Gensler: “Regarding cryptocurrencies … I’m interested in why you have pursued a litigation-hea

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s former head of internet enforcement says former U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-crypto stance may change dramatically . He further predicted that if a Republican is elected U.S. president, a Republican-appointed SEC chair would, at a minimum, approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) and “may even slow down considerably SEC crypto-related enforcement efforts.” Former SEC Official on Donald Trump’s Anti-Crypto Stance Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official John Reed Stark has argued that former President Donald Trump could “dramatically” change his position on cryptocurrencies. Stark is currently president of cybersecurity firm John Reed Stark Consulting. He founded and served as chief of the SEC Office of Internet Enforcement for 11 years. He was also an SEC enforcement attorney for 15 years. Trump is running for president in 2024. “Former President Trump is on record as being strongly anti-bitcoin and anti-c

The city of Buenos Aires has announced that it will roll out a blockchain-based, privacy-focused digital ID wallet starting in October. The Quarkid project, previously known as Tangoid, will allow its users to download a “self-sovereign” wallet to hold their birth and marriage certificates, with more digital documents to be added later this year. Buenos Aires to Roll Out Blockchain-Based ID Program The City of Buenos Aires government announced the deployment of a digital, blockchain-based “self-sovereign” ID project for its citizens. The wallet, called Quarkid, formerly known as Tangoid and scheduled to be operating by last January, will supposedly allow its users to exert full ownership of their data, granting only trusted and permissioned third parties access. The Quarkid wallet will use Zksync Era, a zero-knowledge (ZK) Ethereum L2 (Layer 2) protocol, as its base, allowing the use of this kind of mathematical proof for privacy and confidentiality purposes. Quarkid was co-creat

A calendar has been set for the upcoming trial of United States v. Bankman-Fried, with jury selection beginning October 3, 2023. The FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was denied temporary release from prison but will be allowed to use an “air-gapped,” internet-disabled laptop for note-taking in the courtroom. In the coming month and a half, the public will likely hear testimonies from FTX senior personnel such as Zixiao (Gary) Wang, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, and Ryan Salame. The Bankman-Fried Trial Kickoff Next week, the co-founder and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is set to face trial following charges leveled by the U.S. government. The litany of accusations against him includes wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, commodities fraud conspiracy, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering. The charges are associated with FTX’s collapse after the once-$32 billion crypto empire failed in November 2022. Bankman-Fried is the only one named in the lawsuit and on September 2

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its decisions on the spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) proposed by several companies. The delays of the applications of financial powerhouse Blackrock, asset manager Valkyrie and others come ahead of an expected government shutdown that would affect the SEC. U.S. Securities Regulator Pushes Back Verdicts on Multiple Bitcoin ETF Applications The future of a number of attempts to issue spot bitcoin ETFs in the United States remains unclear after the country’s regulatory body overseeing the securities market delayed its decisions again. The move concerns the high-profile application of investment giant Blackrock as well as those of Valkyrie, Bitwise, and Invesco, according to filings on Thursday. The development follows the postponing of the verdict on the Ark 21shares and Global X spot bitcoin ETFs earlier this week. The first was jointly proposed by Cboe BZX Exchange, 21shares, and Ark Invest, while the second was

According to Jack Vinijtrongjit, the co-founder and CEO of the Web3 infrastructure company AAG, more prospective users will be drawn to decentralized finance (defi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) if tools that help them avoid falling prey to scammers are developed and deployed. Vinijtrongjit argued that the need for such tools will even become “more crucial” if and when the much-talked-about widespread adoption of Web3 becomes a reality. Onus on Industry Participants While he acknowledged the key role that education can play in making Web3 a safer space for new users, Vinijtrongjit insisted that the onus for solving this problem rests on the shoulders of industry participants. He told Bitcoin.com News that this is especially true at the latter stages of mainstream adoption of emerging technologies. Turning to the regulation of Web3 or the lack thereof, the AAG co-founder said he concurred with those who believe that a lack of regulation makes mainstream adoption harder. In writte

Crypto exchange Binance is closing down all exchange services and business lines in Russia. The company has entered into a sales agreement with Commex. A Binance executive explained that operating in Russia is not compatible with the company’s compliance strategy. “We remain confident in the long-term growth of the Web3 industry around the world and will focus our energy on the 100+ other countries in which we operate,” he emphasized. Binance Fully Exiting Russia Cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced Wednesday that it will fully exit Russia. According to the announcement: “ has entered into an agreement to sell the entirety of its Russia business to Commex.” According to its website, Commex is “a centralized cryptocurrency exchange backed by top-tier crypto VC.” Binance added that to “ensure a smooth process for existing Russian users, the off-boarding process will take up to one year.” Noting that the financial details of the deal will not be disclosed, the crypto exchange str

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has slammed JPMorgan’s British retail bank, Chase UK, for changing its policy to block all crypto-related payments. Calling the move by Chase “totally inappropriate,” the Coinbase boss said: “UK crypto holders should close their Chase accounts if this is how they’re going to be treated.” Meanwhile, the British government is striving to make the U.K. a global crypto hub. Coinbase’s CEO Slams Chase Bank Over Anti-Crypto Policy The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN), Brian Armstrong, publicly criticized JPMorgan’s British retail bank, Chase UK, on Wednesday for changing its policy to block all crypto-related payments. The Coinbase executive wrote on social media platform X: Totally inappropriate behavior from Chase UK (this is their UK bank only is my understanding) … UK crypto holders should close their Chase accounts if this is how they’re going to be treated. Armstrong also alerted British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Member of

Trying to make the digital yuan more attractive for foreigners, China has added a “recharge before use” feature to its digital currency system. The upgrade will allow visitors from abroad to replenish a digital yuan wallet through the global payment networks Visa and Mastercard among other methods. China Allows Foreign Users of Its Digital Yuan to Preload Their E-CNY Wallets The operators of China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) platform have upgraded its payment services to make the process of spending the digital yuan (e-CNY) more user-friendly to foreign nationals visiting the country, the state-run China.org.cn portal informed readers. The newly introduced “recharge before use” feature on the digital yuan app allows visitors to replenish the built-in e-CNY wallet using the online services of the leading global payment networks Visa and Mastercard. Foreigners can also load the Chinese digital currency wallet by depositing cash in a bank office. At the end of their stay,

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has expressed concerns about the Federal Reserve potentially raising interest rates to 7% and that the U.S. economy could experience stagflation. “I am not sure if the world is prepared for 7%,” he stressed, adding that there is “a range of outcomes.” Jamie Dimon’s Economic Warnings The CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, discussed various aspects of the U.S. economy, including the impact of further interest rate hikes, in an interview with the Times of India, published Tuesday. When asked about the possibility of a hard landing in the U.S., the JPMorgan boss replied: “No one knows. There is a range of outcomes. It will be affected by everything else — Ukraine, oil, gas, war, Europe.” The executive added: “I would be cautious … We have to deal with all these serious issues over time, and the deficits can’t continue forever. So rates may go up more. But I hope and pray there is a soft landing.” Dimon explained: “When rates go up sharply, there is stre

The Bank of Tanzania said on Sept. 25 that it has kickstarted an initiative that seeks to boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves by buying gold with local currency. The bank said its objective is to acquire six tonnes of gold from miners and traders in 2023 alone. The Tanzanian Gold Reserve The Tanzanian central bank said on Sept. 25 that it had commenced the so-called domestic gold purchasing program which aims to boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves. According to a report in The Chanzo Initiative, the start of the gold-buying program came nearly six months after the Tanzanian government unveiled the process to launch the gold reserve. In a video update shared a few days before the Sept. 25 announcement, the Bank of Tanzania (BOT) governor Emmanuel Tutuba said the institution had already bought some 418 kilograms of gold. However, the commodity was subsequently sold and the revenues generated have since been transferred to the country’s forex reserves. The centra

Despite the role it has played in narrowing the financial inclusion gap, the e-naira central bank digital currency still poses a risk to financial stability. In addition to bolstering the financial inclusion rate, the central bank claimed that the CBDC would “widen the size and stability of banks’ deposit base.” Nigeria’s Financial Inclusion Rates According to a new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) study, the country’s nearly two-year-old e-naira central bank digital currency (CBDC) poses a risk to financial stability. This is despite the fact that such a digital currency can potentially help improve Nigeria’s “financial inclusion rate from 64.1 percent recorded in 2021 to the 95.0 percent target for 2024.” Launched in late October 2021, the e-naira, which was championed by former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele, has not been widely received by the Nigerian population. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News in August 2022, there were fewer than one million downloads of the e-naira

Worldcoin, the biometric wallet and ID project, has reported that it has signed up more than 1% of the population of Chile. According to the organization, more than 200,000 Chileans are already using Worldcoin, a popularity uptick shared with other South American countries, including Argentina, where 9,500 Argentines verified their IDs in a day. Worldcoin Achieves Milestone in Chile; More Than 1% of the Population Reportedly Registered Worldcoin, the project that uses biometric iris scanning as “ proof of personhood ,” has reached a milestone in Chile. The organization reported having signed up 200,000 Chileans since its launch. With Chile having approximately 19.5 million residents, this means more than 1% of the population would have signed up to receive Worldcoin’s grant in the form of WLD, the native token of the protocol. This growth signals the popularity rise of the project in South American countries, that have shown interest in the proposal of the World ID app. Due to thi

A controversy surrounding Alex Welch, an alleged spokeswoman of Tether, the company behind USDT , erupted last week as an article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted her as a source for information on the company’s loans. However, Tether CTO Paolo Ardoino denied any involvement of Welch with the stablecoin company, criticizing the publishing practices of the news outlet. Alleged Tether Spokeswoman Alex Welch Causes Controversy Alex Welch, who has been presented in several articles as a spokesperson for Tether, the stablecoin company behind the issuance of USDT , is at the center of a controversy between the company and mainstream news outlets. Welch was mentioned as a source for allegations regarding the rise in Tether’s outstanding loans in a recent article by WSJ journalist Jonathan Weil, which was criticized as “tabloid-style” reporting in a press release issued by the company. In the article, Welch is reported to have given information regarding these loans, stating that

Microstrategy has acquired 5,445 more bitcoin, bringing the company’s total holdings to 158,245 BTC . According to the company’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the additional bitcoins were acquired during the period between Aug. 1 and Sept. 24. Microstrategy Adds 5,445 Bitcoin to Its Treasury The Nasdaq-listed software intelligence firm Microstrategy has continued to increase its bitcoin holdings. On Monday, Michael Saylor, founder and chairman of Microstrategy, announced on social media platform X: Microstrategy has acquired an additional 5,445 BTC for ~$147.3 million at an average price of $27,053 per bitcoin. As of 9/24/23 Microstrategy hodls 158,245 BTC acquired for ~$4.68 billion at an average price of $29,582 per bitcoin. $MSTR According to the company’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the additional bitcoins were acquired between Aug. 1 and Sept. 24. Microstrategy also announced on Monday that as of Sept. 2

U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley has warned that China is preparing for war and Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to win. “China is an existential threat. It has spent half a century plotting to defeat us,” she stressed, cautioning that China is “building a massive cutting edge military, capable of threatening America and dominating Asia and beyond.” Nikki Haley Warns of China’s Preparation for War U.S. presidential hopeful and former governor of the state of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, warned in a speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on her economic policy Friday that China is preparing for war. “Strength and pride are essential to our national survival, especially in the face of Communist China,” she began, elaborating: China is an existential threat. It has spent half a century plotting to defeat us. “It’s taken our manufacturing jobs. It’s taken our trade secrets. Now, it’s taking control of critical industries — from medicines to advanced technology

According to several posts on the social media platform X written by Tron founder Justin Sun, the crypto exchange HTX (formally Huobi) was hacked for 5,000 ether. Despite the loss, Sun contends that user funds on the exchange are safe and the “platform is operating completely normally.” HTX Exchange’s Security Breach Results in 5,000 ETH Loss, Says Tron’s Justin Sun Justin Sun , the founder of Tron and an advisor of the exchange HTX, took to the social media platform X on Monday to disclose that HTX had been breached. “HTX has suffered a loss of 5,000 [ethereum] ($8 million USD) due to a hacker attack,” Sun wrote. “HTX has fully covered the losses incurred from the attack and has successfully resolved all related issues. All user assets are SAFU and the platform is operating completely normally.” Sun further shared the ethereum addresses associated with the hacker which include “ 0xdb1 ” and “ 0x799 .” Approximately $6.3 million is located in the “0xdb1” wallet. “$8 million repre

A London-headquartered law firm is preparing a lawsuit against the fugitive mastermind of the Onecoin crypto pyramid scheme, ‘Cryptoqueen’ Ruja Ignatova. Its lawyers intend to file a class action suit in the United Kingdom’s High Court, the British press revealed. Fugitive Cryptoqueen May Face U.K. High Court Lawsuit Over Investor Losses Mishcon de Reya, the elite British law firm that once had Princess Diana among its high-profile clients, is now working on a lawsuit against the founder of the notorious crypto scam Onecoin, the still “missing Cryptoqueen” Ruja Ignatova. The lawyers are planning a class action lawsuit in Britain’s High Court, the Mail on Sunday reported. Mishcon seeks to recover funds lost by investors in the Ponzi scheme. Claimants can sign up on a “no-win, no-fee” basis, the newspaper detailed. Mishcon partner Rhymal Persad elaborated: The claim aims to achieve at least partial redress for investors taken in by the deception and who suffered losses as a result.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit is suspending services in the U.K. next month in order to comply with the new rules set by Britain’s top financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). “The suspension will allow the company to focus its efforts and resources to best meet the regulations outlined by the U.K. authorities in the future,” Bybit explained. Bybit Halting UK Services Crypto exchange Bybit announced Friday that it is suspending services in the U.K. in order to comply with the new rules on marketing and communications for crypto businesses set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The new rules are outlined in Policy Statement PS23/6 , titled “Financial promotion rules for cryptoassets,” which the FCA published in June. “It has always been Bybit’s primary objective to operate our business in compliance with all relevant rules and regulations in the U.K.,” the announcement details, adding: Bybit has made a choice to embrace the regulation proactively and paus

Recently, Ethereum has seen a shift towards inflation, sparked by a dip in network activity and onchain fees. Data reveals that, with decreased activity and lower fees, Ethereum’s inflation rate stands at 0.270%. The decline in overall activity and people transitioning to layer two (L2) networks has notably curtailed base fee burning. From Deflation to Inflation: Ethereum’s Issuance Rate Changes Course After The Merge and up until three months ago, Ethereum’s supply trended deflationary. Historical data highlights that on May 27, 2023, ultrasound.money pegged Ethereum’s inflation rate at -0.654% annually. Yet, by September 23, 2023, this rate had risen to 0.270% . Ethereum’s shift towards deflation was driven by two landmark events: the implementation of EIP-1559, known as the London hard fork, and The Merge ‘s switch from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS). After the implementation of EIP-1559, an Ethereum transaction’s base fee now gets “burned” by sending it to a nul