U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talked about the dangers that sanctions based on the U.S. dollar might pose for the hegemony of the currency in international markets. According to Yellen, the government tries to use sanctions “judiciously,” as they can create a desire to find alternatives to the U.S. dollar. U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen Talks
Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week under $30,000 as analysts’ predictions of a short-term support retest come true. The largest cryptocurrency saw a classic dive following its latest weekly close as the latest gains evaporated, but will they return? Ahead of a fairly innocuous week for macro data releases, catalysts are likely to come elsewhere
The government of China protested the enactment of sanctions on a series of national companies by the U.S., barring them from doing business with U.S.-based entities for allegedly collaborating with Russia. China’s Commerce Ministry criticized the move, saying it is a “typical form of long-arm jurisdiction,” which damages the rights and interests of these companies.
Over 1 million Ether (ETH) worth $2.1 billion has now been withdrawn from Ethereum’s Beacon Chain within the first four days of the Shapella hard fork and Ether has pushed over $2,100 for the first time in 11 months. The 1.03 million ETH withdrawals have come from 473,7000 withdrawal requests, with Saturday, April 15 being
The United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex is reportedly facing potential action from the U.S. securities regulators despite preparing to shut down local operations. The enforcement division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is inclined to recommend the agency sue Bittrex over alleged violations related to investor protection, The Wall Street Journal reported on
A “temperature check” proposal to deploy the decentralized exchange (DEX) Aave on the zkSync Era Mainnet has passed with overwhelming support from the Aave community. When voting closed on April 16 more than 99% of Aave (AAVE) token holders voted in favor of launching the third version of the lending and borrowing protocol on the
Blockchain technology needs a benchmark communications standard that can be easily integrated by every network in order for a complete transition from Web2 to Web3 to occur, industry commentators say. Many expect there will be multiple blockchains and such an ecosystem requires communication protocols similar to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) used on the
More Freedom of Information Act requests seeking information on recently closed crypto-friendly banks have been submitted by cryptocurrency advocacy group the Blockchain Association to two regulators. On April 14, the association said that it had filed Freedom of Information Law requests to the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the New York Department of Financial Services,
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue: Inflation in Argentina goes over 100%, El Salvador issues its first digital assets licenses, and the crypto-linked corruption probe in Venezuela is still ongoing. Argentina Registers 104.3% Inflation In March,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler could be facing unemployment after United States Representative Warren Davidson declared he would introduce legislation to fire the SEC boss. In an April 15 tweet responding to Coinbase’s legal chief, Paul Grewal, the crypto-friendly Representative announced his intention to have Gensler removed from his role after the
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s chief adviser on foreign policy, Celso Amorim, says China and Brazil “are coming closer together” and they could play important roles in building a less centralized world with no hegemony. Commenting on de-dollarization, he stressed: “I think it’s very important that we are free from the dominance of
Recent turmoil in the banking sector has shown that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) can withstand a shaky economy, outperform other asset classes and function like gold, says ARK Invest chief executive Cathie Wood — though one long-time investor still isn’t sold. Wood explained in an April 15 interview that Bitcoin’s resilience throughout the most
Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has expressed concerns that a rising number of countries, including China, Russia, and the Middle East, are aligning themselves and gaining global influence. “I think [it] is a huge challenge for the United States,” he cautioned. Larry Summers on Countries Banding Together Against the US Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers
Kosovo police have seized dozens of crypto mining devices from residents of a majority Serb region in the north of the country. Authorities in Pristina and Belgrade exchanged accusations over the move, which has the potential to raise tensions in the ethnically divided, partially recognized Balkan state. Kosovo Government Cracks Down on Crypto Mining in
During the weekend, discussions about central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, trended on social media as many people believe the idea will result in increased financial surveillance and a totalitarian monetary system. In a recent interview, Lynette Zang, the chief market analyst at ITM Trading, warned that CBDCs will “take the world into a full
Amid the banking chaos of the 21st century, some are looking back more than 600 years ago, to the Medici Bank — one of the most powerful banks of its time. It established its business and became one of the most respected banks in Europe during its prime, and the prominent Italian family of bankers
Statistics recorded on April 15, 2023, show that the number of coins in circulation for the stablecoin BUSD dropped below the 7 billion range to 6.68 billion, marking the lowest number of BUSD in circulation since April 2021. Furthermore, data indicates that the supply of BUSD has shrunk by 19.8% over the past 30 days.
In crypto news this week, the Ethereum network’s long awaited Shapella upgrade took effect, unlocking staked ether. In the broader financial world, economist Harry Dent has predicted a massive crash to hit by mid-June, bank lending plummeted by a record $105 billion in two weeks, and the USD’s ability to maintain its value even in
Prosecutors investigating failed blockchain firm Terraform Labs have found out that its Singapore office sent millions of U.S. dollars to lawyers just before the crash of its cryptocurrencies. According to Korean media, the transfers suggest that co-founder Do Kwon was aware of the imminent collapse. Terraform Labs Transferred Large Amounts of Money to South Korean
Nigerian economic experts have said the country’s five-year-old currency swap agreement with China has not eased the pressure against the Nigerian currency. According to one expert, implementation of the swap arrangement is being held back by the size of the trade imbalance between Nigeria and China Easing Pressure on the Naira According to experts on