China

Tim Draper: Pandemic Could Be The Tipping Point For Bitcoin

The global spread of the coronavirus played a major role in the dramatic 2020 stock market crash. The bailout bill for saving the world’s economy is $7 trillion and rising fast. Bitcoin bull Tim Draper believes this confluence of factors may be the tipping point that allows innovations such as Bitcoin and smart contracts to flourish.In an interview on April 6, the global venture capital investor said he was skeptical about the government’s infinite money printing bailout plan and said it would take years before that money “permeates” the global

Bitcoin Has Gained $600 for 3 Consecutive Mondays — Price Hits $7,400

Bitcoin (BTC) bulls showed up early Monday morning and took full control of Bitcoin price by sending the price through the $6,900-$7,200 resistance zone to a nearly 4-week high of $7,454. The surge to $7,454 occurred as the United States’ markets opened strong, leading the S&P 500 and Dow to rally 7.03% and 7.73%, respectively. It seems investors are beginning to gain some confidence as the rate of novel coronavirus infections begins to slow down in Italy, Spain and China along with murmurs of additional financial stimulus packages from governments. Crypto market

Most of China’s DLT Firms That Closed in 2019 Were Scams or Poorly Planned

Most of the blockchain firms that closed in 2019 were cryptocurrency scams or had deficient business models, according to recent research.Research sent to Cointelegraph by Chinese market research firm EqualOcean on March 26 suggests that most blockchain-backed Chinese businesses that halted their activity last year had major flaws.Short-lived companiesThe report found over 70 blockchain projects that shut their doors last year. Among them over 70% of the projects reportedly did not survive their first year and 30% did not last 6 months. The research reads:“A considerable number of which were

Major Chinese Mining Pool Drops out of BTC Mining Race, Looking to Altcoins

Although the Bitcoin hashrate has increased 33% in the last 48 hours the mining industry still faces uncertainties. This has left Baite mining pool, one of the top Chinese pools with no choice but dropping out of the mining race. According to local blockchain media on April 6, Chinese mining company Valarhash’s Baite mining pool hash rate decreased significantly from 4000 to 200 petahashes per second earlier in March. The pool decided to leave the Bitcoin mining business and possibly move into altcoin mining in the near future. Over 9% of Bitcoin

Charities Are Turning to Bitcoin Amid the Global Fight Against Coronavirus

In the war against the novel coronavirus, cryptocurrencies are emerging as a much-needed tool for charity and fundraising projects. Already there are a number of large nonprofits accepting Bitcoin donations. Plus, some blockchain and crypto firms are contributing medical supplies to hospitals in an attempt to curb the virus, while others are setting up fundraisers and charities that are aimed at helping its victims.As a number of nonprofits continue to accept cryptocurrency donations, they are starting to realize that crypto transactions significantly reduce costs in terms of fees. Here are

Bank of Korea Launches Experimental Trial for National Cryptocurrency

The central bank of South Korea has announced the launch of its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project to determine the requirements of issuing a government-backed cryptocurrency in the future.  According to a report by Yonhap today, the trial which commenced last month is a 22-month program focused on the technological and legal provisions needed to launch a CBDC. The Bank of Korea (BoK) believes the possibility of issuing a CBDC in the future is slim because of the increased demand for fiat currencies, the competitive nature of the global

People’s Bank of China Continues CBDC Development Talks

The People’s Bank of China held a teleconference on April 3 in Beijing, China. One of the main points confirmed during the call involved the institution’s continued research and development of a central bank digital currency, or CBDC.CBDC development is one of the bank’s top priorities The meeting summarized the central bank’s achievements with fiat currency, gold, silver, and securities since the end of 2019. Executives analyzed the bank’s present challenges in depth, while acknowledging that their top priority for 2020 is the continued research and development of a CBDC, saying: “The

Africa Using Blockchain to Drive Change, Part Two: Southern Solutions

With pundits like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey predicting that Africa “will define” the future of Bitcoin (BTC), cryptocurrency and blockchain technology continue to attract interest from both public and private establishments across the continent. Many of these adoption cases have been moving beyond finance, developing solutions targeted at issues like unemployment, identity management, health care and supply chain, among others.Amid the growing enthusiasm for crypto and blockchain technology in Africa, industry stakeholders interviewed by Cointelegraph identify a lack of education as one of the major hurdles standing in the way of more

Top 5 Cryptos Other Than Bitcoin This Week (Mar 29): XMR, BNB, HT, CRO, BSV

Consumer attitudes are changing towards banknotes and credit cards as reports suggest that the deadly coronavirus can spread by their use. The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has, therefore, urged the central banks to consider developing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). BIS believes that under the current circumstance, CBDCs will quickly gain prominence. However, it has warned that this move could have a “severe impact on unbanked and older consumers.”  Chamath Palihapitiya, the billionaire CEO of venture capital firm Social Capital, believes that the setting is right for Bitcoin (BTC) to