Hong Kong

Cryptocurrency News Roundup for August 14, 2020

In a polarising move that has drawn mixed reaction from the company’s user-base, cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX announced today that it’s making KYC verification mandatory on the platform. The noises surrounding the move are hardly surprising given that privacy and easy-registration were two of the primary factors that contributed to the exchange’s growing popularity. Some BitMEX users are, however, in favor of the decision as it may help the exchange improve its security and appeal to would-be customers. All said and done, the u-turn into a conventional exchange underlines the impact

Gold Tokens Reach Milestone Market Cap; Does This Pose a Threat to Bitcoin?

Bitcoin and gold have been rising in tandem, as the dollar has been falling. It has also driven the growth of the market cap of digital gold tokens, backed by the precious metal commodity, to record highs. What exactly has caused this rapid growth in market cap, and does this pose any threat against Bitcoin? Market Cap of Commodity-Backed Gold Tokens Soars 1000% In 2020 Bitcoin and gold share several key similarities, such as supply scarcity. Bitcoin’s benefits soon begin to outweigh the precious metal, especially in terms of storage

All Aboard the Bitcoin Express Says Max Keiser on Asian Capital Flight

For investors, Hong Kong has long served as the global financial system’s friendly intermediary with China. But after a year of social upheaval, the Chinese Government has imposed a comprehensive new national security law that would reportedly grant it “semi-autonomy” until 2048. Passed on June 30, 2020, the new law features 66 articles that affect many aspects of life in Hong Kong, including the potential for financial censorship by Beijing. The conditions for capital flight are ripe in the wake of this legislation. Investors Move 10% of Their Gold From

‘Capital Flight out of Asia Is Taking Bitcoin Express’ Says Max Keiser

Capital flight out of Asia is one of major reasons for Bitcoin (BTC) hitting new 2020 highs in August, a major Bitcoin advocate believes.Max Keiser, a famous American broadcaster and known Bitcoin bull, is confident that rising tensions in Asia are one of factors for Bitcoin’s rally up to $12,000.“You can’t take it with you, unless it’s Bitcoin”In an Aug. 10 tweet, Keiser argued that Bitcoin is a solid method to move big amounts of money abroad while crossing borders. According to Keiser, a number of people in Asia are

Bitcoin Price Seals Best Weekly Close in 2.5 Years: 5 Things to Know

Bitcoin (BTC) greets another week with a push to $12,000 and its highest weekly close since after it hit $20,000 — will it return?Cointelegraph takes a look at five things that stand to impact BTC price performance in the coming five days.BTC: A two-and-half-year record weekly closeBitcoin hitting $12,000 again early Monday was more than just a boon for traders — in doing so, BTC/USD sealed its highest close on weekly time frames since January 2018.This means that no single week of price action ended at such high levels since,

Binance CEO CZ: Stricter Regulations in Asia Will Lead to Consolidation of Crypto Exchanges

The fragmentation of the Asian market has brought about more rigorous scrutiny from financial regulations and this has led to a consolidation of many cryptocurrency exchanges according to a report on Wednesday. The report cited a decline in the number of Mergers and Acquisitions by 76% in 2019 and a good number of these transactions had involved exchanges and payment services. While the number of deals conducted in the US fell by 40%, those conducted in Asia rose from 14% to 22%. Binance leading the way Binance, the world’s largest

Fear, Greed and the Evolution of Money in the Age of the Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is not going to end soon. Fear and anxiety have skyrocketed, and nearly half of the people in the United States feel the coronavirus has harmed their mental health. People are scared, anxious, depressed, on edge and struggling to sleep through the night.We watched as China took extreme measures to improve the coronavirus crisis there. We watched as Italy locked down the country and people scurried to other parts of Europe. We then watched as California Governor Gavin Newsom took early measures for the U.S. and locked

Coronavirus & Bitcoin Price: Is China Losing Its BTC Mining Monopoly?

This week the price of Bitcoin (BTC) surged more than 15%, reaching a high at $7,200 before pulling back into the $6,800 range. Despite the recovery, Bitcoin still has a way to go in order to reach the $8,000 level seen before the coronavirus-triggered selloff on March 12.Cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360The drop had several consequences on the Bitcoin network. Having reached the $3,800 price range, the accentuated drop forced some Bitcoin miners to throw in the towel and shut down their operations due to mining becoming unprofitable.As miners have

Celo to Issue at Least $15.7 Mln in Community Grants During 2020

Open-source payments network, Celo (cGLD), announced on March 31 that it had awarded $700,000 in developer grant funding to 16 startups looking to build on the Celo network. Cointelegraph spoke to Xochitl Cazador, the head of ecosystem growth at cLabs — the company behind Celo — to discuss what they look for from grant applicants, and Celo’s plans for 2020.Celo provides grant funding to 16 startupsCazador states that the most important criteria applicants are assessed on is whether they “support Celo’s mission of building an open financial system that creates conditions

Cardano’s Byron Reboot Goes Live, Paving Way to Shelley Mainnet

Proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain Cardano (ADA) went live with its Byron reboot yesterday, March 30, as the project prepares its transition to the Shelley mainnet.Announced by Cardano’s developer, the peer-to-peer technology firm Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), the reboot involves a series of updates to major components of the Cardano network — the Cardano node, explorer, and Daedalus wallet backend, which is being spun out as a new version, Daedalus Flight.A process, not an eventIn an outline of the reboot’s significance, which has taken 18 months to complete, IOHK explained that