BITCOIN

If extradited to the United States, crypto exchange BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik will become a “hostage” due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to his Greek lawyer. France is likely to send the Russian back to Greece soon and Zoe Konstantopoulou is trying to prevent his subsequent transfer to U.S. custody. Alexander Vinnik’s Greek Defense Fights His Extradition to US A French court is expected to approve next week the return of convicted money launderer Alexander Vinnik to Greece. Greek authorities arrested the Russian national in 2017 and handed him over to France, two years later, where he was charged with identity theft and extortion as well. He has now served his five-year sentence there, taking into account the time spent in detention prior to the trial. Vinnik was apprehended in Thessaloniki, where he arrived on vacation with his family, on a warrant from the U.S., where he is also accused of laundering at least $4 billion through the infamous BTC-e e

Charles Schwab’s $655 billion asset management arm is launching its first crypto-related exchange-traded fund (ETF). The new fund is expected to start trading this week on the NYSE Arca exchange. Charles Schwab Launches Its First Crypto-Related ETF Schwab Asset Management, a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corp., announced last week the launch of the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (NYSE Arca: STCE), calling the new product “its first crypto-related ETF.” Charles Schwab is a major American brokerage, banking, and financial services company. Schwab Asset Management currently has over $655 billion in assets under management, according to its website. It is the third largest provider of index mutual funds and the fifth largest provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The first day of trading for the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF is expected to be on or about Aug. 4, the announcement details, adding: The fund is designed to track Schwab Asset Management’s new proprietary index, the Schwab

Quik.com is offering minting of NFT domains, which will allow users to host their decentralized web pages and even change their digital wallet’s heavy addresses, while the evolving virtual universe, the decentralized web3, and its related technologies are still in the early stages of adaptation. Users will have the opportunity to obtain their lucky number as the race has just begun. Visit Quik.com’s NFT Domain Marketplace . Mint your first Metaverse Domain Name . Mint your first VR Domain Name . Mint your first Web3 Domain Name . Minting NFT domains is more than just a trend; it’s an innovative possibility that optimizes blockchain technology and enables users to construct decentralized websites with full control and ownership over the data and content. as opposed to conventional domains that are run, controlled, and even licensed by the ICANN regulatory body. It permits the user to buy a domain but does not transfer the actual ownership. Users are the actual owners of the d

Regulators in the U.S. and U.K. have met to discuss broader crypto regulatory initiatives. They reaffirmed their commitment to “continued cooperation to support safe financial innovation, as well as to strengthen regulatory outcomes for stablecoins across jurisdictions.” US and UK Regulators Collaborate on Crypto Regulation The U.S. Department of the Treasury published a joint statement last week on the U.K.-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group. The group held a meeting on July 21. Participants included officials and senior staff from HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Board, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The statement explains that the financial regulatory working group was formed in 2008 “to deepen bilateral regulatory cooperation

In a move seen as an attempt to pacify protesting bank clients, Chinese authorities in Henan province announced their latest repayment plan which sees customers with deposits ranging between $14,827 and $22,240 qualify for reimbursement. In addition, authorities said two unnamed officials from the province are being investigated for allegedly violating the law. Reimbursements Set to Commence in August Authorities in China’s Henan province have reportedly announced plans for another round of repayments to clients of rural banks whose bank accounts have been frozen since April. The repayments program is set to start on August 1 and according to an arrangement put forward by authorities, only clients with deposits that range between 100,000 yuan ($14,827) and 150,000 yuan ($22,240) qualify to receive a reimbursement. According to a Reuters report , authorities in the province are now moving to pacify the restive bank clients who have been protesting against the three rural banks’ deci

The latest troubles in the crypto space have allegedly led to an increased supply of second-hand luxury watches, according to a leading trading platform. As a result, prices of sought-after models by major brands like Rolex and Patek have dropped, the company revealed. Higher Supply After Crypto Crash Hurts Resale Prices of Top Watches From Swiss Brands Like Rolex The recent decline in the valuations of crypto assets has directly impacted pricing of luxury watches from Rolex, Patek Philippe and the like, a German online platform that lists hundreds of thousands of watches has noticed. The supply of trophy watches, such as the Rolex Daytona or Patek Nautilus 5711A, “is now much larger,” the Karlsruhe-based Chrono24 said in a statement, quoted by Bloomberg. The crypto collapse is easing supply of the most desired models on the second-hand market, it elaborated. The report notes that the decreasing prices of the most wanted timepieces is an indication that the second-hand luxury wat

Veteran investor Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with billionaire investor George Soros, has warned that more bear markets are coming and the next one will be “the worst” in his lifetime. Noting that many stocks will go down 90%, he stressed that investors will lose a lot of money. Jim Rogers Says ‘the Worst’ Bear Market in His Lifetime Is Coming Next Famed investor Jim Rogers warned about an incoming bear market that will be “the worst” in his lifetime in an interview with Kitco News, published last week. Rogers is George Soros’ former business partner who co-founded the Quantum Fund and Soros Fund Management. Citing that we are somewhat in a bear market right now, he predicted that the worst has yet to come, warning: More bear markets are coming … The next one is going to be the worst in my lifetime. While explaining that in 2008, “we had a problem with too much debt,” he stressed that the debt has skyrocketed since then. “The debt, oh my God, look out the window

The famous author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has discussed what he believes is the “best investment value today.” What is the Best Investment Value Today? Rich Dad Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki Answers The author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has suggested that investors buy silver, stating that the precious metal is the best investment value today. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. Kiyosaki tweeted Thursday: “Q: What is best investment value today?” He replied that the answer is silver, noting that gold’s price has climbed above $1,700 but silver has fallen to $20. “I do not touch paper gold or silver ETFs [exchange-traded funds]. I only want real gold or silver coins. Silver is an industrial precious metal. Gold is not. Do

The Central African Republic’s token sale appeared to have gotten to a slow start after less than 13 million out of the 210 million Sango coins were sold since the commencement of the sale on July 25. The country has claimed its decision to adopt bitcoin has won praise from “other African countries exploring the possibilities of adopting a similar system.” Just Over $1.2 Million Raised Since Token Sale Commenced The sale of the Central African Republic (CAR)’s Sango crypto token, which commenced on July 25, has reportedly started off slowly with just under 13 million coins having been sold to date. With the initial selling price set at $0.10 per coin, it means the CAR has now raised approximately $1.26 million since the commencement of the sale, a website tracking the token sale has shown. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, investors that wish to acquire their share of the 210 million Sango coins on offer must fork out a minimum of $500. Prospective buyers can pay using

Ripple’s general counsel has urged U.S. lawmakers to pass “sensible crypto legislation” amid a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit over the sale of xrp. “Rather than providing regulatory clarity through rulemaking, the SEC is bullying crypto markets by filing unproven allegations masquerading as regulation,” he opined. Ripple’s Counsel Calls for ‘Sensible’ Crypto Regulation Stuart Alderoty, general counsel for Ripple, stressed the importance of sensible cryptocurrency legislation in an opinion piece published Wednesday. Referencing a House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on Investor Protection where Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) pushed the SEC to go after major cryptocurrency exchanges that traded XRP , Alderoty emphasized: Sherman’s off-base remarks underscore the urgent need for sensible crypto legislation from Washington. The SEC sued Ripple Labs, CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and co-founder Chris Larsen in December 2020, alleging that the XRP sale was an u

The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has published a video explaining how the agency plans to regulate crypto exchanges. “I’ve asked our staff to work directly with the platforms to get them registered and regulated,” the SEC chief revealed. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s Video About Regulating Crypto Exchanges U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler published a video Thursday explaining how the securities watchdog plans to regulate crypto exchanges and provide investor protection. Gensler explained in the video the similarities and differences between crypto trading platforms and traditional exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). “When you trade on a stock market, you have certain protections,” he began, adding that investors are “protected against fraud, manipulation, running, and the like.” Noting that crypto platforms serve “millions, sometimes tens of millions” of retail customers who are directl

A U.S. lawmaker has demanded answers from Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai about their measures against fake cryptocurrency apps appearing in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. “Millions of Americans use mobile apps to invest in unregulated digital assets,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “Reports have emerged of fake crypto apps that have scammed hundreds of investors.” U.S. Senator Questions Chief Executives of Apple and Google on Fake Crypto Apps Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and the CEO of Alphabet and Google, Sundar Pichai, regarding their measures against fake cryptocurrency apps on their platforms. He stressed that it is “imperative that app stores have the proper safeguards in place to prevent against fraudulent mobile application activity.” Senator Brown’s letters followed a warning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) against fake cr

Authorities in Iran have revised some rules for the crypto mining industry in order to facilitate its access to green power. Licensed miners will now be able to purchase electricity produced from renewable sources from across the country at lower rates. Cryptocurrency Miners in Iran Allowed to Source Green Energy From Across Country Iran’s Ministry of Energy has changed certain crypto mining regulations to ease access to renewable power for entities authorized to mint digital currencies in the Islamic Republic. A recently issued decree relieves miners from the obligation to use on-site power generation capacities and permits them to buy electricity from renewables from across the country and through the national grid, Bargqnews unveiled. Until now, mining enterprises could only sign contracts with renewable power plants located in the same province, pointed out Mohammad Khodadadi, an official at the Iran Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Company (Tavanir). Quoted by

Global investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan have predicted an imminent recession in the euro area. “The risks to our forecast are skewed toward a sharper recession in the event of an even more severe disruption of gas flows, a renewed period of sovereign stress or a U.S. recession,” said the economists at Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs’ Predictions Two major global investment banks, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, released reports Wednesday, independently predicting an impending recession in the euro area. Goldman Sachs’ analysts, led by chief European economist Jari Stehn, expect a euro-area recession in the second half of this year that will last until the end of the year. They are also predicting a contraction of 0.1% in the third and 0.2% in the fourth quarter, expecting growth to return in 2023. “Looking across countries, we have Germany and Italy in clear recession in the second half, while Spain and France continue to grow,” the Goldman Sachs economists detailed, elaborati

Europe’s banking sector regulator is worried it won’t manage to find the specialized personnel needed for the oversight of the EU’s attempt to regulate the crypto market. The authority is also concerned over the lack of clarity regarding which digital assets it’s supposed to supervise. Banking Watchdog Faces Staffing Problems Threatening Its Ability to Regulate Crypto in EU Retention of talent for anything crypto-related is a “major concern,” the man who chairs the European Banking Authority ( EBA ), revealed in an interview. The deficit applies to other areas as well, including technology and digitization, with high demand for specialists across society, the executive added, quoted by the Financial Times. The Paris-based EBA was established in 2011, after the last financial crisis, to ensure that European banks had enough capital to overcome similar challenges in the future. More recently, it was also tasked to oversee Europe’s bid to regulate cryptocurrencies. It now says it’s al

Ripple’s chief executive has shared his views on possible outcomes of the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the sale of xrp, which the regulator claims to be an unregistered securities offering. Ripple’s CEO Discusses Implications of SEC Winning the Lawsuit Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse discussed the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over XRP earlier this month in an interview with Axios at the Collision 2022 event. The SEC sued Ripple Labs, Garlinghouse, and co-founder Chris Larsen in December 2020, alleging that the XRP sale was an unregistered securities offering. Ripple disagreed with the SEC and has since been fighting a legal battle with the securities regulator. During the interview, Garlinghouse was asked what would happen if he does not get a ruling in his favor and XRP is deemed a security. The Ripple executive quickly emphasized that in that situation, XRP would only be considered a securit

Hedge fund manager Michael Burry, famed for forecasting the 2008 financial crisis, believes that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) neither has the resources nor the IQ points needed to correctly investigate crypto listings on Coinbase. Michael Burry on SEC Investigating Crypto Listings on Coinbase Famous investor and founder of investment firm Scion Asset Management, Michael Burry, briefly commented on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigating crypto exchange Coinbase Tuesday. He is best known for being the first investor to foresee and profit from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010. He is profiled in “The Big Short,” a book by Michael Lewis about the mortgage crisis, which was made into a movie starring Christian Bale. Commenting on a Bloomberg article titled “Coinbase Faces SEC Probe on Crypto Listings,” Burry tweeted: Pretty sure the SEC does not have the resources or the IQ points to do this correctly.

About 53% of South Africans have little to no knowledge about cryptocurrency, while only 14% thought or felt they had a better understanding of the subject, a report has said. Nearly half of the respondents said they would only invest in cryptocurrency if or when their respective banks are involved. South Africans Weigh In on Crypto Knowledge According to the findings of Merchant’s consumer survey study, just over half of South Africans (53%) have little to zero knowledge about cryptocurrency. The study also found that out of the surveyed South Africans, only 14% believed they had a strong hold on the subject of cryptocurrencies. Some 23% of the respondents said they were “neutral.” As per a report by IOL, young people aged between 18 and 24 were likely to be more knowledgeable about cryptocurrencies than those aged 25 and above. The results of this study appear to back the findings of an earlier research study which said only 11.3% of South Africans are cryptocurrency owners or

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate that would simplify the use of cryptocurrency for everyday purchases by creating tax exemption for personal crypto transactions under $50 as well as when the capital gains are less than $50. New ‘Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act’ A new bipartisan bill , known as the “Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act,” was introduced in Congress Tuesday by Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). According to the announcement by the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the bill aims to “simplify the use of digital assets for everyday purchases” by creating “tax exemption for small personal transactions.” Senator Toomey commented, “While digital currencies have the potential to become an ordinary part of Americans’ everyday lives, our current tax code stands in the way.” He added: The Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act will allow Americans to use cryptocurrencies more easily as an everyday method of paym

Tesla has revealed that it is still holding bitcoin worth $222 million in market value after selling 75% of its crypto holdings. The company recorded realized gains of $64 million on its recent bitcoin conversion into fiat currency. Tesla Realizes Gains of $64 Million From Bitcoin Sale Tesla Inc. filed its second-quarter report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Monday. The company explained that it converted about 75% of its bitcoin holdings into fiat currency, as Bitcoin.com News reported last week. The BTC conversion added $936 million of cash to the electric car company’s balance sheet. Tesla informed the SEC that in the second quarter: We recorded $170 million of impairment losses resulting from changes to the carrying value of our bitcoin and gains of $64 million on certain conversions of bitcoin into fiat currency by us. Tesla originally purchased $1.5 billion of bitcoin in Q1 2021. In the same quarter, the company sold BTC worth $272 million. T

The head of the Bank of Central African States (BCAS), Herve Ndoba, has told the regional central bank’s board that it must create a common digital currency which will be used by six countries belonging to the Central African Monetary Union (CAMU). Ndoba reportedly wants the BCAS to establish a common legal framework for regulating cryptocurrencies as well. Digital Currency to Modernize Payment Structure In a move seemingly aimed at countering the Central African Republic (CAR)’s recent decision to embrace bitcoin, the head of the BCAS, Herve Ndoba, has reportedly urged the institution’s board to introduce a common digital currency for its six member states. The envisioned digital currency will ostensibly help modernize the region’s payment structure and promote financial inclusion. According to a Bloomberg report , Ndoba’s call came just days after the BCAS concluded that the CAR’s law adopting bitcoin is “incompatible with the agreements and conventions governing the Central Afri

Bastyon is a social platform that combines elements of Youtube, Twitter and Torrent; it is closing in on half a million users and growing fast. Bastyon is built on the premise that social media should be Web 3.0, decentralized with an open-source code, distributed node infrastructure and no corporate entity to control it, like the Bitcoin model. In Bastyon the users enjoy the content and moderate that content based on transparent rules, while bloggers and node operators earn Pocketcoin (PKOIN). Daniel Satchkov is the inventor of Bastyon . He recently rejoined the Bitcoin.com News Podcast to talk about topics such as protecting online privacy, censorship resistance and how to build for survivability in times of crisis, internet outages and cyber warfare. Daniel worked and published in the fields of quantitative finance and machine learning. In 2015 he was a winner of the prestigious Peter L. Bernstein award for the article in the Institutional Investor Journals. Daniel’s mission i

The real estate market in the metaverse is projected to pass $5 billion by 2026. This is the prediction of the latest metaverse report by Technavio, a global market research firm. The report states that the rise will be fueled by the growth of the metaverse into a mixed reality environment, where people can take advantage of these spaces. Metaverse Real Estate Market to Grow Exponentially As the metaverse becomes a more living, tangible breathing world, more and more people will be interested in becoming part of its social ecosystem. The real estate market in the metaverse is affected by this popularity. A recent study produced by Technavio, a global market research firm, predicts exponential growth in the value of this market. The report, which also studies other factors related to this new market, estimates that the value of virtual real estate will grow by $5.36 billion by 2026. This expansion will be fueled by two factors. First, the metaverse will gradually move towards a mor

Former President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. economy is facing “a much bigger problem than recession.” Noting that “We’ll have a depression,” he stressed: “We have to get this country going, or we’re going to have a serious problem.” Donald Trump on Economic Recession and Depression Former President Donald Trump warned Friday in a speech during a “Save America” rally in Arizona that the U.S. could enter an economic depression due to the fiscal policies of President Joe Biden. His remark was in support of Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Trump warned that the U.S. economy could enter a depression similar to the Great Depression of 1929. Recent data showed that inflation in the U.S. rose 8.6% in May from a year prior, the highest rate in four decades. “Real wages are collapsing and we’re on the verge of a devastating, and this is devastating. It’s called stagflation look it up. It’s not good,” Trump stressed. “What I’m concerned about, they keep talki

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been heavily criticized for its approach to regulating the crypto sector. The criticism followed the securities regulator’s action against a former Coinbase employee in an insider trading case, in which the SEC named nine crypto tokens listed on Coinbase as securities. SEC Slammed for Regulation by Enforcement The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been heavily criticized for taking an enforcement approach to regulating the crypto sector after the regulator charged a former Coinbase employee in an insider trading case. In its complaint, the SEC stated that nine crypto tokens listed on Coinbase are securities, a finding immediately disputed by the Nasdaq-listed crypto exchange. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Caroline D. Pham released a statement about the case Thursday. She wrote: The case SEC v. Wahi is a striking example of ‘regulation by enforcement.’ “The SEC complaint alleges t