2020

Bitcoin Posts Laudable Performance Over the Quarter 

The first quarter of 2020 was a bit of a mixed bag for cryptocurrencies. As expected, no other asset can demonstrate this better than Bitcoin. While the top digital asset led a market rally into the year and started 2020 gaining as much as 13 percent in its value, the coronavirus hit, and the market soon experienced a massive slump – with record drops witnessed on multiple fronts. Accounts Surged, but Transactions Stalled However, the market has corrected, and things appear to be on the uptrend once more. Bitcoin crossed the $7,200 mark

VanEck: Bitcoin Correlation to Gold Jumped in 2020 Amid Market Sell-off

New York-headquartered investment management firm, VanEck has revealed in a new report that Bitcoin’s correlation to gold has risen significantly in 2020, especially during the recent broad market sell-off caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the report published by Gabor Gurbacs, a Digital Asset Strategist at VanEck, Bitcoin’s correlation to gold has surged since the turn of the year and especially in recent weeks, further strengthening the debate the cryptocurrency is maturing as a safe-haven asset. Source (VanEck report) While the rest of the equity markets dipped in the

Past Halvings in Review: Case for an Immediate Bitcoin Upsurge Is Flawed

The block reward halving of Bitcoin (BTC) has long been touted as an optimistic factor to drive the short-term price trend of BTC in the first half of 2020. Historical data, however, shows that the halving does not necessarily coincide with an immediate upsurge in the price of Bitcoin.On the Bitcoin network, miners create blocks that record Bitcoin transactions to essentially verify and confirm payment data using computing power. Through large-scale mining centers filled with ASIC mining chips and sophisticated equipment, miners use a large amount of electricity and have

Bitcoin Bull Mike Novogratz Says He Might Ditch BTC if it Fails to Hit $20k This Year

As Bitcoin (BTC) struggles to recoup the 2020 gains it shredded last month amid the Coronavirus pandemic, Mike Novogratz of Galaxy Digital is still bullish on the cryptocurrency, and he believes that BTC still has much more to offer. Novogratz predicts BTC at $20k in 2020 More like a life bet on Bitcoin, Novogratz said in an interview with CNBC’s Closing Bell segment on Thursday that he is ready to retire if the world’s most valuable crypto doesn’t hit the $20,000 mark this year. Speaking optimistically, the CEO of Galaxy

South African National Blockchain Alliance Holds Online Launch

The South African National Blockchain Alliance carried out an online livestream launch while the country is in the midst of a 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The organization was due to be launched at the beginning of April in Johannesburg but had to be taken online as South Africa and the world tackles a global health crisis.The launch happened during a livestream on YouTube on April 3, which included a panel of speakers elaborating on how SANBA will help nurture blockchain-focused startups and companies that

Battle of Elrond Launches on Samsung Galaxy Store

The Battle of Elrond, a blockchain-based game from Elrond Network, is now available on Samsung dApp store to give users of the Samsung Galaxy and Note, the opportunity to interact with a medieval multiplayer 5v5 PVP arena. The development, according to the announcement today, is a product of a collaboration between Samsung and Elrond. The game will support a blockchain-based in-game economy integrated by the Samsung Blockchain Wallet and new players will receive $ERD, Elrond’s native token, as a welcome bonus for 5 PvP games.  The move was first revealed

As Malta Delays Regulatory Clarity, Fewer Firms Remain on ‘Blockchain Island’

It seems that Malta is becoming both less popular among and less populated with crypto firms. The European Union country attracted dozens of industry players in 2018 on the back of the “blockchain island” agenda championed by the local government, but the relevant framework has not yet proven to be effective. Meanwhile, the official rhetoric apparently started to shift away from the blockchain sector, as the government now aims to consolidate it with “other niche sectors.”Meanwhile, the Malta Financial Services Authority, continues to pluck out non-registered crypto agents — be

Binance Set To Launch Bitcoin Options Amid Many Other Developments

There are a few certainties when it comes to reporting within the crypto industry. Binance extending its offerings is one such thing, even amid a global pandemic. It doesn’t happen every day, it might not also occur every week, but Binance will always expand, it seems. The company has established itself as a heavyweight in the industry and doesn’t seem to be keen on letting that title go.Incorporating Options To Its ArsenalAs a testament to this, Binance has announced yet another new development to its service offering, adding Options trading

Revolut Reacts To Corona Crisis, Pushes out New Crypto Support

Revolut, a digital banking app, has recently rolled out its cryptocurrency services to all of its standard users. This comes alongside a statement from the app itself that it widened its access earlier due to the current global economic crisis.This Is No April Fools’On the first of April, 2020, the UK-based fintech service provider made the announcement that it will allow for cryptocurrency accounts and trading to all of its standard users, with a 1.5% flat fee per trade. Before this announcement, these services were reserved only to its Premium

Top Crypto Exchange Binance Hints at Launching Bitcoin Options Trading

Top crypto exchange Binance has hinted that it plans to launch Bitcoin (BTC) options trading. Two tweets — via the exchange’s official handle and CEO Changpeng Zhao (“CZ”) — posted on April 3 revealed “testflight leaks” and a screenshot of an apparent prototype for trading BTC/Tether (USDT) options contracts:Source: @cz_binance official Twitter handle, April 3“Notice anything new”?Binance’s performative social media “leak” revealed options trading support as one of the items on a “what to test” list, which included other products that have previously been officially announced, such as the Binance Card

Staked Token Supply Doesn’t Correlate with Price, Says Messari Analyst

As cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, crypto players can’t stop arguing about what really impacts the price of certain coins and what does not.Some crypto pundits believe a larger amount of tokens staked in Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchains could push the price upwards by reducing the circulating supply, making the remaining tokens more valuable. But blockchain and crypto analytics firm Messari has crunched the numbers and reports that there is little correlation between the two.Announcements correlate with price thoughIn an April 1 blog post, Wilson Withiam, a researcher at the Messari