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Can Cardano finally take off?

Cardano will become either a great success or a great failure. Released in 2017, Cardano used to be one of the most promising projects in the crypto space. Over time, however, dreams and hopes surrounding the blockchain started to dissipate, prompted by the lack of meaningful developments on it. 🧑‍🏫 Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson (also co-founder of …

Published by DCenter

septembre 29 2022

NFT domains’ success and what it means for the web3

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday In times like these, it can be difficult to see how an industry is doing: everything seems to crumble, be it crypto, stocks, or even commodities like gold. And yet, while prices do react to …

Published by DCenter

septembre 26 2022

SEC v Ripple: why this case is important for the crypto space

⚖️ The SEC v Ripple legal drama may soon come to its conclusion, and many believe it might be favorable to Ripple: $XRP has gained almost 70% vs last week, witnessing an overall positive sentiment. However, a positive ruling may be good not only for Ripple, but for the whole …

Published by DCenter

septembre 23 2022

Traditional finance increasing crypto exposure

TradFi, the traditional finance, continues advancing into the crypto territory. Just this week: 📍 American Nasdaq ($6.4 billion of total equity) launched the Nasdaq Digital Assets, a custody solution for institutional investors that will start with BTC and ETH. 📍 Japanese Nomura Holdings ($460 billion AUM), part of the biggest and oldest Japanese bank, …

Published by DCenter

septembre 22 2022

The SEC suggests USA has authority over Ethereum

🦅 Did the SEC just claim authority over Ethereum? Decentralization is a powerful notion for many reasons, but especially for its unique capacity to reshape the balance of power from a clustered pyramid hierarchies to a borderless network of peers. Decentralization is the main strength of a blockchain, which can make …

Published by DCenter

septembre 20 2022

After the Merge: Ethereum's perspectives and risks

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. On Thursday, September 15, Ethereum successfully merged its execution and consensus layers, becoming a Proof-of-Stake blockchain. The Merge may have been one of the most impressive endeavours in the history of open-source software: changing one …

Published by DCenter

septembre 19 2022

Searching for new money: CBDCs vs Lebanese bank crisis

After decades of status quo, the world needs new money. Bitcoiners praise Bitcoin ’s independence and censorship-resistance,China hoards gold and actively implements the digital yuan,Dollar and euro… well, they too must do something other than finding excuses for the inflation they have caused. And this something is CBDC – a central bank digital currency. Yesterday both …

Published by DCenter

septembre 17 2022

No, Proof-of-Stake is not an "improvement" of Proof-of-Work

The Merge is done. It was (probably) a good thing for Ethereum. However, let’s not push the PoS narrative further than that: it is not an “improvement” of the PoW, it is an alternative consensus that is yet to prove itself on a big scale and over time. Some of …

Published by DCenter

septembre 16 2022

Scam alert 🚨 How to stay safe in the Merge period

The Merge is expected in the next 24 hours. The event followed by millions of crypto users would most likely attract scammers of all kinds – and these guys have quite an imagination when it comes to tricking people into their traps. Here are some of the basic security rules for the …

Published by DCenter

septembre 14 2022

One year on, did El Salvador's Bitcoin bet pay off?

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. It has been a year since El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as its second legal tender, together with the US dollar. Has it been a success? a failure? As often, the reality is full of nuances, but …

Published by DCenter

septembre 12 2022

A short guide to Ethereum staking services

In 2 to 4 days Ethereum will transition to the Proof-of-Stake consensus, which will give the power of adding new blocks (and earning their rewards) to the users who staked at least 32 ETH and became a Validator. However, not everyone has $55k to lock for 6-12 months (until the Shanghai …

Published by DCenter

septembre 11 2022

USDC losing market trust in the aftermath of Tornado Cash

Stablecoins are crucial for the development of crypto economy, providing it with the connection to the fiat world. They make up 15% of the total crypto market cap, participate in most DeFi trading pairs, and penetrate almost every part of the crypto space. For an asset with such a broad reach, …

Published by DCenter

septembre 08 2022

The state of crypto derivatives and what it tells us about the crypto space

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Financial markets play an important role of facilitating the flow of capital, creating asset liquidity and helping its price discovery, putting together buyers and sellers and recording the price they have agreed to upon …

Published by DCenter

septembre 05 2022

UN requires developing nations to hinder crypto finance

The UN has now officially joined the club of “international” (US-based) crypto haters, already counting the IMF and the World Bank. In August, the UNCTAD, its arm charged with promoting interests of developing states in world trade, released its recommendations to “curb cryptocurrencies in developing countries”, arguing that crypto undermines their …

Published by DCenter

septembre 01 2022

BendDAO: NFT liquidity protocol tested by bear market

The bear market is not over yet, and the longer it stays, the more crypto protocols’ vulnerabilities emerge ❤️‍🩹 This week revealed a (relatively) new weakness in both DeFi and NFT worlds, and the industry is watching how it is being tackled. 🦧 The one doing the tackling is BendDAO, a decentralized …

Published by DCenter

août 24 2022

How Tornado Cash ban can help the crypto industry evolve

Tornado Cash ban is likely to have long-standing consequences for the crypto space, widening the chasm between its closely monitored custodial part, and non-custodial one, which will become more decentralized and more anonymous. The latter is necessary: taking away privacy services from the blockchain can be dangerous for average users. …

Published by DCenter

août 19 2022

Tornado Cash: why we all should be concerned for our freedoms

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Let’s face it: while our democratic authorities continue speaking of privacy as everyone’s right, in reality it is being methodically taken away from us, one bit at a time. The US Treasury banning Tornado Cash, …

Published by DCenter

août 15 2022

Nomad hack shows cross-chain bridges still vulnerable

🌉 Cross-chain bridges play an important role in building a multi-blockchain world, but they need to evolve. Cross-chain bridges are protocols that allow users transfer assets and information between different blockchains, and they are now hackers’ favorite prey. Last week’s exploit of Nomad was 13th of this type so far in …

Published by DCenter

août 11 2022

Banks and crypto: behind the hype

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Last week Portuguese banks closed the accounts of a licensed crypto exchange. This move, albeit surprising in a country positioning itself as “crypto-friendly”, is all but too common in a long and crooked story …

Published by DCenter

août 08 2022

Solana wallet hack shows why we need cold wallets

Managing your own money is a privilege that comes with many responsibilities, and crypto wallets are a good example. Our cryptoassets are only as safe as the private keys associated with their address, which leads to a set of crypto security rules: save your seed (private keys in a word …

Published by DCenter

août 04 2022

What does the Merge mean for Ethereum and the crypto markets?

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. The Merge is nigh. Ethereum transition from the Proof-of-Work to the Proof-of-Stake consensus was planned since its conception in 2014. After many delays, it looks like the Merge of the mainnet Ethereum and the PoS Beacon Chain – the event …

Published by DCenter

août 01 2022

Does digital fashion still have a future in web2

As digital fashion evolves, the rift between its NFT and non-NFT versions deepens. Last month Meta announced its Avatars Store, proposing to further customize the 3D Meta Avatars launched earlier this year. Along with the free outfit options, Avatars Store intends selling designer clothes, and it started strong with Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Brown. …

Published by DCenter

juillet 29 2022

Tether opens the door to easy creation of P2P apps

Social media is the domain that is ripe for disruption (and has been for quite a while), but a functional alternative is yet to be presented. Will it be Tether that will breathe fresh life into the way we exchange with each other? Yesterday Tether, the company behind the eponymous stablecoin, its …

Published by DCenter

juillet 26 2022

How NFTs create positive impact: a day with NFT Factory

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. It is not easy to start new technological trends in the time when climate change has become a painful reality. While very few people question the environmental impact of the existing services like their Facebook …

Published by DCenter

juillet 25 2022

Investments in crypto ventures continue growing

Is crypto an empty hype ? This question is visibly leaving investors’ minds, as investments continue pouring into crypto: from $5.5 billion in 2020 to $31 billion in 2021… with a real possibility to hit $60 billion in 2022 💰 A recent report by Cointelegraph and Keychain Ventures shows that the …

Published by DCenter

juillet 23 2022

US Senators misleading climate debate with Bitcoin mining

☀️ As heatwaves are hitting Europe and the US, politicians feel the urge to blame them on something, preferably without a strong lobby or connection to their previous activity. Bitcoin, of course, is a perfect excuse, even if it comes with some serious sacrifices of facts and logic. On July 15th, …

Published by DCenter

juillet 21 2022

This week's story: A simple guide to NFT marketplaces

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. NFTs are becoming an increasingly popular choice for digital projects of all sorts, from community building to artistic expression. The number of NFT marketplaces is growing just as fast, each fighting for its place …

Published by DCenter

juillet 18 2022

Why does the ECB attack crypto instead of inflation?

Has the European Central Banks forgot about its job? The Eurozone is speeding towards a crisis, which is in big part of the ECB’s own making, but the crucial problems stay untouched, while somehow the crypto domain has become the ECB’s new raison d’être. Here’s what has happened – in brief ⬇️ Here’s how the …

Published by DCenter

juillet 16 2022

Despite recession, crypto industry progresses fast

No, crypto industry hasn’t lost its mojo. Quite the contrary: millions of dollars are raised to fund new crypto ventures, more legacy financial institutions are taking the crypto turn and new NFT projects do not fail to attract users. 😵 Now that Celsius has officially filed for bankruptcy, joining 3AC and …

Published by DCenter

juillet 14 2022

Crypto games becoming better at being games

🎮 Crypto gaming is a recent phenomenon with a big potential. However, it has become almost trendy to compare its (still modest) user base and its (equally modest) user experience to those of well-established legacy games. Of course, in this comparison crypto games are abysmal. Does it mean they will …

Published by DCenter

juillet 12 2022

This week's story: 5 lessons about crypto finance we have learned in this bear market

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive them directly in your mailbox every Monday. Every bear market is a test. Those who fail to pass it are bound to disappear, and those who succeed will have more mistakes to learn from. Crypto finance is a very young sector, and the …

Published by DCenter

juillet 11 2022

Binance continues its worldwide license hunt

Crypto is now an integral part of financial and regulatory landscapes, and for any crypto service provider with global ambitions compliance is no longer an option, it’s a requirement. Binance going on a license hunt illustrates this perfectly. A company de facto without headquarters, Binance used to be known not only …

Published by DCenter

juillet 08 2022

The Great Deleveraging

Terra’s collapse has sent a shockwave to the whole crypto industry, and it is not over yet. However, this pain might not have been in vain, as individuals and companies learn the dangers of crypto finance. 🚨 Last week Three Arrows Capital, a crypto hedge fund largely exposed to Terra and …

Published by DCenter

juillet 07 2022

Is this the end of Bitcoin miner capitulation?

Times are tough for Bitcoin mining, but the glimmer of hope is on the horizon. 📉 Bitcoin has lost over 70% of their price since November’s all-time high, 📈 Bitcoin difficulty (the number of hashes needed to be generated on average to get Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work and add a block) is still at …

Published by DCenter

juillet 06 2022

This week's story: a simple guide to DAOs

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Simple guide to DAOs Autonomous Organizations, or DAOs, are largely acclaimed as the future of companies. They are also regularly accused of being an empty hype with few real benefits. Let’s try to understand what a DAO …

Published by DCenter

juillet 04 2022

Colombia puts its land registry on Ripple blockchain

Land ownership is one of the cornerstones of the economy, but in many countries legacy land registers are subject to corruption and manipulation, which often affects most vulnerable people living in rural areas. Blockchain can fix this 🌾 ✒️ This week the government of Colombia made a move towards more reliable …

Published by DCenter

juillet 02 2022

Meta continues NFT integration

Meta can push the NFTs mainstream, but can it really enter the web3 without changing its ways ? 🖼️ Yesterday the company made another step towards NFT integration, announcing Facebook’s “digital collectibles” tab, which will allow creators to connect their wallets and showcase their NFTs on their profiles. They will also …

Published by DCenter

juillet 01 2022

EU Council agrees on drastic AML measures for crypto

European Union’s stance on crypto takes form, and this form is heavily bureaucratic. Yesterday the EU Council reached a provisional agreement on crypto AML rules, previously voted by the EU Parliament. Key takeaways: 📌 All cryptoasset service providers (CASP) must comply with the AML “travel rule”, i.e. gather information about the parties …

Published by DCenter

juin 30 2022

BAYC hype lives on with Eminem & Snoop Dogg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrA-slMoZ4 Bored Ape Yacht Club and its creators Yuga Labs have been criticized harshly and repeatedly. They go on regardless 🦧 The most successful NFT collectibles project not only became the first target for all NFT sector attacks (price of success 🤷), it also got caught into some very Ape-specific controversies.Among other things, BAYC has been accused …

Published by DCenter

juin 28 2022

This week's story: Crypto companies' strategies in times of crisis

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Strategies in times of crypto crisis The times of crisis are among the most defining moments in our lives. This bear market is no exception, and it has already proven to be cathartic, unveiling …

Published by DCenter

juin 27 2022

Solana makes a (controversial) move into mobile

It’s a multi-blockchain world, and while Bitcoin is arguably untouchable, competition among other blockchains is harsh. Ethereum was the first network created specifically to serve as a smart contract platform, allowing people to build DApps, or decentralized applications running on a blockchain. The idea was excellent – and soon a plethora of aspiring …

Published by DCenter

juin 24 2022

This is not a crypto winter. Here's why.

No, it’s not a “crypto winter” ❄️ This term was coined in 2018, when Bitcoin price lost all of its bull run’s gains, and for the first time – at a scale involving general public. The ensuing devastation was so overwhelming that many crypto-related activities have simply stopped, including most of …

Published by DCenter

juin 23 2022

The UK and the EU taking opposite stance on crypto

Crypto Brexit is underway.While the European Union is growing increasingly crypto-wary (crypto-hostile won’t be an exaggeration neither), the United Kingdom seems to have spotted an opportunity to stand out. After being crypto sceptic for many years, mostly in accordance with the European stance, the UK government announced in the beginning of April its plans …

Published by DCenter

juin 22 2022

Solend troubles raise questions about DeFi governance

What is better for a DeFi protocol: try and save its users from liquidations, or hurt its reputation for good?The choice was not obvious for Solend, but it has finally made one – to the relief of the whole DeFi industry. 💰 Solend is a decentralized Solana-based lending platform that allows users to …

Published by DCenter

juin 21 2022

This week's story: How ECB failed the Eurozone

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Central Banks and their monetary policy were among the main fundamental reasons for Bitcoin creation. A small group of high officials with almost unlimited money creation power following political mood swings is a good recipe …

Published by DCenter

juin 20 2022

Ripple to dive into NFTs with The Open Metaverse

These past 12 months have shown that NFTs are here to stay, and that no blockchain (except Bitcoin) can stay in business without developing NFT projects on it. Even Ripple got it now. ⛓️ Being somewhat of a black ship in the blockchain world, Ripple has been developed and positioned itself as …

Published by DCenter

juin 18 2022

Bitcoin miners show signs of capitulation

Bitcoin miners ready to capitulate: what does it mean for the market? ⛏️ Bitcoin hashrate has been growing steadily for a year, quickly recovering after the Chinese mining ban and constantly hitting all-time highs ever since.A rising hashrate means more security for Bitcoin, but also more electricity expenses for the miners. So the …

Published by DCenter

juin 17 2022

Amid market fears, Tether assures USDT is well backed

One of the positive consequences of the crypto markets bloodbath is the increased effort many crypto companies are putting into securing their offer and their clients’ trust.This endeavour is all the more important if the companies in question already have some stains on their reputation, like Tether does. The issuer of a leading centralized stablecoin $USDT, …

Published by DCenter

juin 16 2022

Three Arrows Capital to face possible insolvency

As crypto market continues its descent, more flaws in protocols and companies are unveiled. 📉 We saw the failed logic of Terra protocol, 📉 the risks of over-exposure to synthetic assets like stETH of Celsuis, 📉 and now… the over-indebtedness of Three Arrows Capital ? Three Arrows, commonly known as 3AC, is a crypto …

Published by DCenter

juin 15 2022

What happened to Celsius?

Crypto companies continue showing us the many different dangers the CeFi and DeFi protocols can hide, and this week's most remarkable demonstration is courtesy of Celsius, American crypto lending firm that halted all clients' withdrawals and transfers yesterday 💣 Celsuis is (was?) offering 5 –18% APY (annual percentage yield) on deposited …

Published by DCenter

juin 14 2022

This week's story: New in Decentralized Identity: on Soulbound tokens and Web5

Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Our public identity is a set of features, achievements and online history, which are stored across different organizations, be it a passport issuing authority, a hospital or Facebook server. We have a …

Published by DCenter

juin 13 2022

Lightning Network hits 4k BTC as grassroot adoption rises

As Bitcoin adoption increases, so does the capacity of the Lightning Network. 🌍 One of the most important factors of a global crypto adoption is Bitcoin grassroot adoption, which takes into account individuals who use Bitcoin as a means to send money, to pay for a merchandise or to invest their …

Published by DCenter

juin 11 2022

Study: Bitcoin uses x56 less energy than fiat system

Does Bitcoin mining use too much energy? 🔋 The ecological debate on Bitcoin evolves in two directions: its energy consumption and the provenance of that energy.We have spoken at length about Bitcoin energy mix and its ability to boost green energy production worldwide, and now a brilliant study by Michel KHAZZAKA has tackled the …

Published by DCenter

juin 10 2022

85% of US retailers wiling to start accepting crypto

One of the signs we are still early in crypto adoption is that famous merchants starting to accept crypto as payment still make the news. This might end soon though. Balenciaga, Whole Foods, Chipotle, Manor hotel… By accepting crypto, they still can distinguish themselves from their competitors, showing an open mind, …

Published by DCenter

juin 09 2022

Crypto, human rights and first-world patronizing syndrome

Crypto debate can take many forms: from a dinner table chat with your uncle to arguing with strangers on social media to a Q&A session with an influent regulator.It looks like now we have another platform to continue the debate, and it is American Congress’ mailbox 📫 On June 1st, a group …

Published by DCenter

juin 08 2022

This week's story: Is crypto winter really coming?

As Bitcoin is struggling to clear the $30k level, and the global crypto market cap is threatening to fall under $1 trillion ($1.3Tr at the time of writing), the talks of a crypto winter become more and more common. So what is it exactly and should we be worried? Let’s try …

Published by DCenter

juin 06 2022

Another NFT Discord hack ends in thousands $ stolen

Who would have thought that Discord would become the ultimate security threat to the NFT world? This social network is widely used by the NFT projects to nurture their communities, exchange ideas, share news… and also announce airdrops, mints and other initiatives that can potentially make one rich. 👾 Of course, …

Published by DCenter

juin 05 2022

Crypto exchanges: winners and losers of May sell-off

Market downturns are good not only for the bears: crypto exchanges too profit from the sell-offs, pocketing an increasing number of trading fees. A recent study by The Block reported crypto exchanges trading volume increasing by almost 20% in May. Unsurprisingly, the leading exchange is still Binance with its 64.1% market share, …

Published by DCenter

juin 04 2022

Luxury fashion dives into Web3

Web3 is probably one of the most intriguing – and puzzling – development directions for the luxury fashion industry. For over a year already world’s most renowned fashion Houses are trying to figure out how exactly they can use it: sell digital products, communicate via the metaverse, target crypto-conscious clients, leverage …

Published by DCenter

juin 02 2022

Big finance is doubling down on crypto

As crypto sentiment is still in the “Extreme Fear” zone, and the talks of bear market multiply, one could easily give up to despair. However, when one is a seasoned finance specialist, this might as well give a signal to double down on crypto. Venture capital giant Andressen Horowitz, also known as …

Published by DCenter

mai 31 2022

Binance goes on collecting financial licenses

World’s biggest crypto exchange that has earned itself quite a sulphurous reputation with financial authorities is now on the path to redemption. After anti-crypto regulations pushed Binance to leave China in 2017, it moved its official headquarters to the Cayman Islands, all while continuing its global operations. The first country to point …

Published by DCenter

mai 30 2022

Terra 2.0 launched, but the confidence is yet to be regained

Three weeks after the de-pegging of its stablecoin, the Terra blockchain was reborn and produced its first block yesterday 🌑 As per the revival plan agreed on by the community, the new Terra does not have a stablecoin feature, and its currency $LUNA (the old $LUNA being renamed into $LUNC) will …

Published by DCenter

mai 29 2022

More countries are taking pro-crypto steps

The overall crypto sentiment has surely taken a hit after Terra’s spectacular crash. However, it appears to not be enough to discourage different countries from all over the world from advancing (or staying) in the crypto-friendly direction. Only this week we saw: ✔️ Kazakhstan signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Binances’ CEO CZ, …

Published by DCenter

mai 27 2022

Crypto in Davos: a subject that divides

World Economic Forum in Davos is a good opportunity to check on the world’s most discussed issues. And this year, together with inflation, russian-Ukrainian war and long-standing climate and social issues, Davos attendees are discussing crypto. Unsurprisingly, most quoted are the crypto haters holding offices in key economic institutions, even if …

Published by DCenter

mai 26 2022

Chinese crypto miners still active despite the ban

Bitcoin mining has once again proved just how powerful the principle of decentralization really is (spoiler: so far more powerful than the Chinese Communist Party 😅) The crypto world remembers the Chinese crackdown very well: the country with over 65% of the total Bitcoin hashrate (collective computational power of all Bitcoin …

Published by DCenter

mai 23 2022

OECD report: Nigerian crypto ban harmed its economy

Africa is the youngest continent with a great economic potential, but it is yet to start exploiting it. A recent report by the OECD on the economic power of the African cities paid a particular attention to the situation of young people and their role in the economy. It appears that, …

Published by DCenter

mai 22 2022

Bitcoin and Ethereum still the first choice of crypto

As always in troubled times, markets turn to less risky assets, and in the crypto world this still means Bitcoin and Ethereum 💪 Bitcoin dominance (its market cap share within the whole crypto market) has been on the rise these days, growing from last week’s 42% to 45.2%. First losing the >90% …

Published by DCenter

mai 20 2022

Aave releases a Web3 social media protocol

Elon Musk still hasn’t bought Twitter, but other companies have already moved forward with social media innovation. Yesterday London-based DeFi platform Aave launched its own version of a decentralized social network, or rather social graph to be precise. Lens Protocol allows users to store information related to their profiles, content and …

Published by DCenter

mai 19 2022

Terra community has approved a salvage plan

A week after $UST de-pegging, Terra-Luna community has finally approved a rescue plan 🌑 The newly formed Terra Builder Alliance published today the final version of Do Kwon’s “Luna go forward proposal”, which aims at salvaging the community and the ecosystem and consists in:👉 forking Terra into a new chain without an …

Published by DCenter

mai 18 2022

44 countries attending monetary conference in El Salvador

Today El Salvador is hosting a very interesting assembly.Central Banks’ and financial authorities’ representatives from 44 countries will gather to discuss financial inclusion and digital economy.Presided by El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, one of the important topics in this discussion will be Bitcoin rollout in El Salvador and its benefits for the country. The invitation …

Published by DCenter

mai 17 2022

This week's story: Terra-Luna’s crash: what happened?

This story first appeared in our Newsletter. Subscribe to receive our weekly story (and more) directly in your mailbox. The de-pegging of the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD ($UST) and the concurrent crash of its counterpart $LUNA have marked the “Lehman moment” of this May’s crypto markets capitulation. Mainstream media and crypto-haters were quick to …

Published by DCenter

mai 16 2022

More legislators discard anti-mining proposals

Sooner or later in their careers, many politicians with “green” ambitions will encounter this fundamental choice: 👉 attack a nascent industry with easily quantifiable energy spending and a confusing mission of bringing new money, or 👉 attack a well-established industry with a hardly quantifiable energy spending that strives to maintain the status …

Published by DCenter

mai 15 2022

ECB tries to dispel privacy concerns over CBDC

Is there still anyone excited about CBDCs other than Central Banks? Despite many efforts that central bankers deploy to promote the idea of a Central Bank Digital Currency, it just does not take root. Instead, more and more voices rise against it, mostly concerned about a threat a CBDC would pose …

Published by DCenter

mai 14 2022

Crypto market meltdown: key data to look at

After weeks of doubts, it looks like the crypto market capitulation is finally upon us. Market capitulation is a period of dramatic surge in selling pressure that launches a chain reaction: investors surrender and sell their crypto at lower and lower prices, leading to leveraged/derivatives positions liquidations, which in turn leads …

Published by DCenter

mai 12 2022

Instagram about to roll out its NFT support

While many NFT collections’ floor prices are nosediving together with the larger crypto market, an important news came almost unnoticed. Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Meta is testing Instagram’s new NFT feature, which would allow creators and collectors showcase their NFTs on Instagram. Reportedly, creators will be able to show …

Published by DCenter

mai 11 2022

How TerraUSD lost its peg: algorithmic stablecoin trouble

Volatility periods have always been difficult for decentralized stablecoins, and now TerraUSD experiences a trouble of its own, and a pretty big one. On Saturday, a whale sold $285M of TerraUSD, which led to it briefly losing its peg and falling to $0.98. $LUNA, the currency that fuels Terra blockchain and …

Published by DCenter

mai 10 2022

This week's story: Do monetary institutions have too much power?

Economic well-being of the world depends on the decisions of a handful of people seated on the boards of key Central Banks and institutions like the IMF. This statement alone should raise concern, even under the assumption that these people believe they act in the best interest of people and in …

Published by DCenter

mai 09 2022

US crypto lobby strengthens ahead of the Midterms

In just 13 years crypto has grown from one software protocol to a multi-trillion-dollar industry. This growth has been organic and decentralized, like the crypto itself, but it may be about time for the crypto industry to step up its game and assert its rights on the political arena. Crypto lobby is …

Published by DCenter

mai 08 2022

Can "consumer protection" go as far as impede free will?

It is a thin line between consumer protection and patronizing, and most institutions are dangerously close to crossing it (or have they already?) Last month one of the world’s biggest asset managers Fidelity Investments announced it would roll out 401(k) retirement plans with up to 20% of portfolios allocated to Bitcoin. …

Published by DCenter

mai 07 2022

Yes, NFT activity is still high

Are NFTs losing their hype? Is the bubble about to burst? Despite somewhat decreasing enthusiasm in the media these days, the numbers are reassuring. A recent Chainalysis report analysed NFT-related activity from several standpoints: 📈 Trade volume Despite its dramatic fluctuations (spikes related to the launches of the Mutant Apes in August’21 and then …

Published by DCenter

mai 06 2022

California and Hawaii to develop crypto initiatives

Two more American states are about to jump on a crypto train. Already worldwide leader in technology and innovation, California is set to create a comprehensive crypto legislation, as per its governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order signed yesterday. The EO instructs state agencies to create a “transparent and consistent business environment for companies operating …

Published by DCenter

mai 05 2022

Otherside's mega mint war rises controversy

Will Yuga Labs use Otherdeeds’ mint war as a pretext to create its own blockchain? Four days after Yuga Labs’ Otherside land NFTs mint, crypto community is still dwelling on its controversial execution. Otherdeeds was probably the most hyped, and definitively the largest mint in history of NFTs: users have spent a total of …

Published by DCenter

mai 04 2022

Solana halts due to high transaction load. Again.

Are Solana ’s outages becoming a running gig?3 days after its creator Anatoly Yakovenko said that “if Bitcoin eventually doesn’t switch to Proof-of-Stake, nobody is going to use it”, Solana crashed. Again 🙄 The recent outage adds to Solana's already long track record:🤕halting for 17 hours in September (DDoS attack)🤕clogged in December …

Published by DCenter

mai 03 2022

This week's story: Social networks integrating crypto

Social networks have changed our world. Not only have they helped us find millions of people sharing our interests and views, they have also allowed to interact with each other with an ease that would have been totally unimaginable before. Social networks have shifted a unilateral Web1, where people merely consulted content, to …

Published by DCenter

mai 02 2022

Details of Otherside metaverse revealed at mint

A strange new world is being born. Yesterday BAYC creators Yuga Labs launched a mint for the Otherside land NFTs called the Otherdeeds. Described as “part galaxy and part archipelago” populated with mysterious natives called Kodas, the Otherside metaverse will be anything but boring, or at least this is what Yuga …

Published by DCenter

mai 01 2022

Telegram rolls out crypto payment service

Social networks are extremely efficient in spreading trends and knowledge, including relative to crypto. These days everyone’s eyes are on Twitter, as speculations relative to Elon Musk’s possible innovations abound. However, it is Telegram that has quietly introduced a very important feature – crypto payments. 💸 Telegram will now allow its 550 …

Published by DCenter

avril 30 2022

Panama passes a crypto-friendly regulation

After the Central African Republic’s President confirmed his country is indeed embracing Bitcoin as legal tender, another country across the globe made a move towards crypto. The Central American nation of Panama has recently approved a bill regulating different aspects of cryptoassets, including trading, issuance and use as payment. The bill …

Published by DCenter

avril 29 2022

Buenos Aires planning crypto initiatives

Buenos Aires has become another major city willing to embrace crypto. This week its Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta presented a program called Buenos Aires+, destined at " building a modern, efficient State that takes advantage of technology to accompany all the potential that the citizens of Buenos Aires have." The …

Published by DCenter

avril 28 2022

Fidelity to allow retirement plans invest in Bitcoin

Bitcoin market cap is $740 Billion. Retirement market in the USA is $25 Trillion. The difference between these two numbers shows just how early we are, but Fidelity is about to speed things up. One of the world’s largest asset managers with over $4 Tr of AUM, Fidelity is reportedly considering allowing 401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans …

Published by DCenter

avril 27 2022

Central African Republic willing to embrace crypto

Another African country made a step towards crypto. Last week the Central African Republic ’s Parliament passed a crypto law aimed at boosting the country’s financial sector and innovation. The law is now in the hands of the Assembly that is tasked with examining it. The full text is yet to be made …

Published by DCenter

avril 26 2022

This week's story: the state of crypto gaming

The state of crypto gaming The key difference between crypto games and a garden variety online games is that the former integrate blockchain tokens, allowing gamers not only truly own and trade their gaming artifacts or heroes, but also earn tokens while playing. Crypto games can fully exploit the play-to-earn concept, and we …

Published by DCenter

avril 25 2022

Bitcoin Jungle initiative in Costa Rica gaining ground

Grassroot adoption is what will make Bitcoin universal money. A year ago we wrote about Bitcoin Beach – a community project in El Salvador’s surfing village of El Zonte. It developed thanks to an anonymous BTC donation that asked its recipients to not sell their bitcoins, but rather use them to create a …

Published by DCenter

avril 23 2022

More and more businesses start accepting Bitcoin

“Ok, so when I get your Bitcoin, what do I do with it?” This phrase inevitably comes up each time we explain crypto to beginners. As a response we used to speak about Bitcoin’s quality as a store of value, or using crypto banks’ cards as intermediaries between your crypto account and …

Published by DCenter

avril 22 2022

Axie Infinity to reimburse victims of its $622M hack

Remember last month's $622M hack of Axie Infinity ’s Ronin sidechain? It seems like Sky Mavis, the company behind Axie, is indeed willing to reimburse users’ stolen funds. The amount is huge, however, and to do that the company decided to not only tap the existing company assets, but also organise …

Published by DCenter

avril 21 2022

Hype growing around BAYC's Otherside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6hRhQAWgA4 The Apes from the Yacht Club may be notoriously bored, but people following the BAYC project development are surely not 🦧 After a period of parties and masterfully organised celebrity marketing, BAYC creator Yuga Labs reached a whole new level.Last month the project saw the birth of the ApeDAO, the issuance of the community …

Published by DCenter

avril 20 2022

MetaMask and safety: crypto wallet's basic rules

MetaMask is one of the most popular crypto wallets, supporting Ethereum and its tokens, as well as BSC (which is a fork off Ethereum). Owned by ConsenSys, MetaMask has been constantly ameliorating its user interface, with most recently allowing ApplePay users to buy crypto with their credit cards. It now also …

Published by DCenter

avril 19 2022

European crypto ETP markets are booming

While Europe is tightening the regulatory net on crypto, its investors are increasingly interested in crypto ETPs and ETNs (exchange-traded products and notes). ETPs are traditional financial products backed by or tracking the performance of cryptoassets. They offer investors an exposure to cryptoassets without the technical and especially regulatory hurdles related …

Published by DCenter

avril 17 2022

Three Central African countries to adopt crypto

Few countries need crypto as direly as Central African nations. Most countries use the CFA franc, which now stands for Franc of the Financial Community of Africa, but is in reality nothing more than the Franc of the French Colonies in Africa, its original name. Yes, the colonial money is still …

Published by DCenter

avril 16 2022

Lightning Network grows fast

Lightning Network is gaining ground. Fast. LN is the biggest second layer built on Bitcoin to increase its transaction throughput, and it is confidently paving its way. Arcane Research has recently published an interesting report, which estimated that the number of LN payments has increased x2 since last year, and their volume – …

Published by DCenter

avril 15 2022

Battle for Twitter: and the winner is... crypto

Big news may be coming to Twitter and the whole social media world. Today Elon Musk made a public offer to buy Twitter shares at $54.20 each, which represents a 38% premium over the stock price of the day before. Already holding 9.2% of Twitter stocks purchased earlier this month, Elon Musk …

Published by DCenter

avril 14 2022

Money continues pouring into crypto ventures

Crypto and Web3 continue to attract big money. Last year over $31Bn was poured into crypto ventures, and it looks like this year is not going to fall behind. 💰 Famous crypto venture firm Pantera Capital announced that it has raised $1.3 billion for its Blockchain Fund, which will invest in Web3 …

Published by DCenter

avril 13 2022

Inhumane Shanghai lockdown shows autocracy's ugliness

We have all read 1984, and we all understand that authoritarian countries like China are moving in that direction. But still, it is hard to believe that this is really happening, and this is happening now. Amidst yet another outbreak of Covid Chinese government decided to implement a zero-Covid policy, and …

Published by DCenter

avril 12 2022

This week's story: Shaping the future world map of crypto hubs

Crypto is a not a niche topic anymore. As crypto adoption progresses and big money pours into crypto ventures, crypto is becoming more of a political topic, and one that divides. Crypto opponents resort to the standard crypto FUDs like “criminal activity” or “environmental harm”, while pro-crypto politicians are speaking about innovation …

Published by DCenter

avril 11 2022

Decentralized oracle tracking CPI gives 13.5% inflation

Inflation is one of nowadays’ most discussed economic topics. Long denied by the Central Banks that created it, but impossible to ignore now that the official Consumer Price Index in the US is increasing at a 7.9% rate (March) 📈 Some Americans would even say that it feels much more than …

Published by DCenter

avril 09 2022

Crypto industry changing the working landscape

The Industrial revolution and economic development pushed people to cluster in cities. The Internet and remote working tools are now fuelling the inverse trend, as many companies and workers choose to settle beyond the established economic centers 🏙️ The crypto industry, being born in the era of digital nomads, is taking advantage …

Published by DCenter

avril 08 2022

Miami becoming a crypto hub

The Charging Bull of Wall Street vs the Miami Bull 💥 Yesterday Bitcoin 2022 conference kicked off in Miami, and its crypto enthusiast mayor Francis Suarez presented the statue of a laser-eyed Bitcoin bull – a great symbol of crypto’s ambitions to take over the old finance. It also shows Miami’s …

Published by DCenter

avril 07 2022

Successful law enforcement operations seize crypto

Blockchain use does not makes criminals invincible, and each new law enforcement operation proves it. After an impressive seizure of $4Bn in crypto related to the Bitfinex hack, this week the US Department of Justice announced having seized $34M in BTC from a Florida resident accused of selling online accounts data on the darknet. Another joint …

Published by DCenter

avril 06 2022

Indonesia's particular approach to crypto

Is there a way for a country to reconcile a strict “crypto is not money” approach with a desire to not miss out on the benefits crypto industry can bring? Indonesia may have an idea. While Indonesian Central Bank is nurturing the idea of a CBDC as a “part of an effort to address the …

Published by DCenter

avril 05 2022

This week's story: Why Bitcoin is still the gold standard of cryptocurrency

This week the 19’000’000th bitcoin was mined. This means that there are only 2’000’000 left to mine by 2140. Bitcoin is scarcer than gold and basically any other valuable fungible asset, and there will only be 21 million of it. This is all public knowledge, but it still looks like most people …

Published by DCenter

avril 04 2022

European deputies forcing crypto industry to leave

European deputies decided they didn’t want the crypto industry. European crypto industry decided it did not want the EU. ⚖️ This week’s outrageous RTF (regulation on transfers of funds) vote that would effectively oblige crypto service providers to gather detailed data on every single crypto transaction, including to/from non-custodial wallets, was the …

Published by DCenter

avril 03 2022

Michael Saylor gets Bitcoin-backed loan to buy more Bitcoin

The 19’000’000th bitcoin was mined yesterday. A round number is a good wake-up call for those who haven’t yet gotten some: Bitcoin is scarce, and there’s only 2’000’000 of it left to mine. The competition for Bitcoin ownership is even more dire now that there are people who just can’t get …

Published by DCenter

avril 02 2022

EU Parliament voted on drastic crypto AML measures

EU Parliament might just have condemned its crypto industry. 🔫 Earlier in March the EU crypto sector dodged the first regulatory bullet (PoW-based crypto ban was excluded from the MiCA law), but was caught up by the second. Yesterday the ECON and LIBE Committees approved a new set of regulations targeting crypto …

Published by DCenter

avril 01 2022

A Bill to prohibit the Fed from issuing a retail CBDC

The CBDC discussion in the US finally starts to take shape. CBDC, or Central Bank Digital Currency, is a project dear to many Central Banks all over the world, as it would offer them a direct access to every citizen. A CBDC could be used to distribute “helicopter money” or other …

Published by DCenter

mars 31 2022

Over $600M hacked from Axie Infinity's Ronin network

One of the biggest crypto hacks took place on Ronin network, home of Axie Infinity game. Ronin is an Ethereum sidechain created to match the rapidly increasing popularity of Axie Infinity play-to-earn game. Sky Mavis, the company behind Axie, transferred the game from Ethereum to Ronin last year, in order to …

Published by DCenter

mars 30 2022

Vietnam planning to build a legal framework for crypto

Isn’t it ironic that the nation with the world’s highest crypto adoption rate per capita is also the nation that has crypto formally banned? In 2017 the Vietnamese Central Bank prohibited the issuance, supply, and use of crypto as a means of payment. Curiously enough, without giving any justification. Since then, many Vietnamese understood the value …

Published by DCenter

mars 29 2022

This week's story: The State of crypto FUDs

FUD acronym stands for Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, and is used to describe the strategy influencing public opinion by disseminating negative, dubious or false information. Like so many new technologies before, crypto is disrupting the status quo so far comfortably exploited by many institutions: monetary, banking, finance, gaming, commerce etc. Some of …

Published by DCenter

mars 28 2022

NFT collectibles entering the media space

More and more successful NFT projects are entering the media/entertainment space. 🎬 BAYC is famous for Timbaland-backed hip-hop band TheZoo, which features 5 Apes and has already released its first single. Universal Music’s Kingship band, which also uses Ape NFTs, is yet to produce music, but the expectations are high (remember Gorillaz?)NFT collection World of Women will …

Published by DCenter

mars 27 2022

Ukraine creates NFT Museum of War

https://youtu.be/6xwTHBETpro The war in Ukraine is now being documented in an NFT museum. History is one of the strongest and most fragile concepts there are. It determines our present and influences our future, but it can be easily manipulated, twisted or obliterated depending on the political forces in power. History is fragile: people can be …

Published by DCenter

mars 26 2022

ExxonMobil to use Bitcoin miners to capture flared gas?

Bitcoin mining is a way to capture energy value in the most eco-friendly way. While some politicians still cling to Bitcoin’s “environmental” FUD despite its mining being the most green-powered industry in the world (58% coming from renewables), the reality shows just how useful crypto mining can become. 🪔 Crypto mining is …

Published by DCenter

mars 25 2022

Metaverse Fashion Week starts today in Decentraland

End of March is when Paris Fashion Week terminates the worldwide fall-winter collections season. From now it is also when the Metaverse Fashion Week starts. From March 24 to 27 Decentraland will host a series of events: virtual catwalks, exhibitions, games, panels and parties, all dedicated to the Digital Fashion and Web3. Traditional fashion …

Published by DCenter

mars 24 2022

Terra buying $10Bn in Bitcoin

Terra continues growing 🌑 The blockchain created specifically for the decentralized dollar-pegged stablecoin Terra USD (UST), and which has since become a popular playing ground for the DeFi projects, is about to enter a whole new level.Terra’s founder Do Kwon has recently announced the company’s buying over $10Bn in Bitcoin to backstop short-term UST redemptions and fill a decentralized forex …

Published by DCenter

mars 23 2022

Southeast Asia taking a stance on crypto

🌏 Southeast Asia is a dynamic region with very different approaches to crypto across countries. While Singapore has a very specific (some would even say constraining) crypto legal framework, those who comply can profit from the overall rational attitude to crypto business. Philippines and Thailand have very crypto conscious populations and the …

Published by DCenter

mars 22 2022

Free money: dangerous to leave, dangerous to stay

Last week the Federal Reserve bought the last batch of bonds under the Covid-induced quantitative easing season. These last $4Bn have put an end to the biggest QE season ever, with almost $5Tr created out of thin air during the last 2 years, more than doubling the Fed balance sheet. 🤑 QE is …

Published by DCenter

mars 20 2022

ApeCoin: the BAYC community currency

The Apes have their coin now. Bored Apes Yacht Club is one of the best examples of how a collectible #NFT can be leveraged to earn profit beyond speculation. Since the NFT’s IP rights belong to its owner, they can use the Ape image on all sorts of commercial products and …

Published by DCenter

mars 19 2022

IMF uses Argentine debt to make it discourage crypto

Does IMF know that Bitcoin is not good for the illicit activity? 👨‍🏫 This old FUD has been dismantled so many times, that even the US Treasury (crypto’s die-hard opponent) in its recent reports notes that crypto use for money laundering “remains far below that of fiat currency and more traditional …

Published by DCenter

mars 18 2022

Can Bitcoin become the new international trade tool?

Oil trade is still crucial for the world economy, and the currency it is denominated in matters. For decades oil trade was done in dollars, helping maintain US currency’s dominance as a universal unit of account. For some time already, however, the status quo has been put in question. In 2018 …

Published by DCenter

mars 17 2022

Ethereum completes the Merge on Kiln testnet

Ethereum is one step closer to the Merge. An eventual transition from the PoW to the PoS consensus was outlined since Ethereum white paper was presented to the public in 2014.Project with a long-term roadmap, Ethereum has since successfully reached and passed the stages of Frontier, Homestead and Metropolis, and is now …

Published by DCenter

mars 16 2022

The Gimmicks: NFTs to co-write the show

There are many ways NFTs can be leveraged by the media: to finance the production, to act as tickets, to engage with the audience… 😼 American actress Mila Kunis, together with her husband Ashton Kutcher, have already successfully tested the NFTs in their animated series Stoner Cats. Released last summer, the …

Published by DCenter

mars 15 2022

Polygon suffers outage. Again.

Polygon network, the biggest Ethereum layer-2, has once again found itself in the middle of a controversy. 💀 Last week the network was down for over 11 hours, leading to numerous users experiencing stuck transactions or missing funds. The downtime was caused by a flaw in the so-called Heimdall chain, Polygon’s PoS …

Published by DCenter

mars 14 2022

Yuga Labs buys IP of Cryptopunks and Meebits

Managing an NFT project is a serious job, and it’s only normal that some companies are better at it than the others. 👾 Larva Labs were among the pioneers in the NFT space, giving out the Cryptopunks collection as early as 2017. The Cryptopunks have since become a symbol of early …

Published by DCenter

mars 13 2022

Newest MiCA regulation threatens EU crypto industry

The newest version of MiCA legislation can sign the end of the crypto industry in the EU. Its text has been amended many times, and when the most controversial provisions concerning PoW-based cryptoassets were removed last week, MiCA became a comprehensive legal framework protecting consumers and setting AML rules in a rather standard way (although …

Published by DCenter

mars 12 2022

South Korea elects a crypto-friendly President

South Korea is a country with high crypto awareness: at least 10% of adults are considered to be crypto investors. Its legislation, however, is far from perfect: while the comprehensive legal framework on crypto is still missing, some aspects, like the AML rules, are very strict. Unreasonably strict, some would say: …

Published by DCenter

mars 11 2022

Biden's first executive order on crypto

A good news for the American crypto industry came yesterday: President Biden’s executive order on crypto signed and published. Much-feared by many, the order has been in the works for a couple of months, and the media have repeatedly spoken about how intolerant it would be towards crypto, citing the crypto-hostile …

Published by DCenter

mars 10 2022

Ethereum's decreasing demand

Ethereum gas price, unlike the real-life one, is seeing a steep decline. Crypto analytics firm Messari has noted an average transaction fee of $10, down from $62 in November. 📉 The decline, measured in dollar terms, coincided with lower ETH prices, of course. However, measured in ETH, gas fees have decreased as …

Published by DCenter

mars 09 2022

Gender gap in crypto still big, but the trend is good

Crypto is still a men’s world: only 5-10% of global crypto users are women. Historically this isn’t surprising: first crypto users were cypherpunk/IT specialists, later joined by traders – all predominantly male communities. 👩 However, as more and more women come to tech, the gender gap in this “core base” is susceptible …

Published by DCenter

mars 08 2022

Rising insecurities highlight the importance of crypto

Covid and the ensuing money-printing craze have been eye-openers to many people on the value of Bitcoin and its provable scarcity. War in Ukraine and the general insecurity that is taking over the world now act as eye-openers on the value of crypto as an independent and resilient system, and some …

Published by DCenter

mars 06 2022

Metamask revealed a centralized weak point

Crypto was created as an independent alternative to centralized money systems: blockchain ensures independent functioning, while crypto wallets, being a client-side software, allow anyone anywhere in the world connect to it. Having a wallet running directly on user’s device is a great way of ensuring its independence, but as recently showed …

Published by DCenter

mars 05 2022

Lugano ambitions to become a new crypto hub

Switzerland is known for its crypto-friendliness and for the famous cluster of crypto companies in Zug, also called the Crypto Valley. Another part of Switzerland – the Italian-speaking Lugano – is now stepping up its crypto game as well. The city will not only accept crypto as payment for taxes (like some …

Published by DCenter

mars 04 2022

Crypto as a way for anti-war Russians to donate to Ukraine

As war in Ukraine continues, photos and videos of its atrocities make it to Russia despite a country-wide censorship that goes as far as forbidding the word “war”. However, those Russians who know what is really happening and who feel ashamed by this treacherous act of aggression, have very little room …

Published by DCenter

mars 03 2022

Bitcoin decoupling

A full-blown war at the gate of the EU is a major event for all world markets, and so far the stocks reacted traditionally, by going down. Bitcoin is not an asset like the others, and the war has highlighted its unique qualities. 💰 Ukrainian government needs help in defending the country from …

Published by DCenter

mars 02 2022

NFTs as fundraising tool

Blockchain and NFTs are great tools for donations, not only because crypto moves fast without any borders or intermediaries, but also because of the blockchain’s transparency. The notion of trust is a cornerstone for charities of all kinds. Blockchain cannot always eliminate it, because at the end of the line transactions are …

Published by DCenter

mars 01 2022

Ukrainian governmant fundraising in crypto

On Saturday, Ukrainian government announced it will start accepting donations in crypto, notably BTC, ETH and USDT. Donations are to be used to buy supplies critically needed to help Ukraine resist Russian invasion: petrol, food, military equipment. The addresses were posted on the Twitter accounts @Ukraine (account promoting Ukrainian tourism) and @FedorovMykhailo (Minister of …

Published by DCenter

février 28 2022

El Salvador opens Bitcoin-funded vet hospital

The world went nuts this week. Here’s a 30-second break from this madness and one kind news to your feed: El Salvador opened its first public veterinarian hospital funded with Bitcoin. It offers all pet services for $0.25 if paid in BTC. That’s all. Try to stay sane.

Published by DCenter

février 27 2022

Can Russia dodge the sanctions with crypto?

Eyes of the world are fixed on the Ukrainian invasion, and politicians across the globe prepare their sets of sanctions against Russia. US, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, European Union and Japan have so far imposed sanctions targeting Russian political and economy elite, its banking sector, key state-owned companies. Ukraine is also pushing …

Published by DCenter

février 26 2022

Crypto donations to Ukraine spike amidst the invasion

Russian invasion of Ukraine caused outrage across the globe, with millions of people taking it to the streets or social networks. Crypto community did not stay aside. According to Elliptic, crypto donations to the Ukrainian military have exceeded $4M so far. Come Back Alive is the most popular Bitcoin-accepting volunteer group that …

Published by DCenter

février 25 2022

We stand with Ukraine

Dear Friends, We have been publishing the analysis of crypto news every day for over a year now.Today is an exception.Today Russia invaded Ukraine.Today we stand with Ukraine and we wish its people courage and strength to resist the aggression and to maintain their sovereignty.Today this is what matters most. Here's a link to …

Published by DCenter

février 24 2022

How Canadian government made the best Bitcoin ad

Superbowl crypto commercials were cool, but so far it is Canada ’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is leading the most impactful Bitcoin advertising campaign in the Western world. 🍁 Last week Mr Trudeau invoked an emergency act declaring Freedom Convoy, a series of protests against the Covid mandate, illegal. The …

Published by DCenter

février 23 2022

Can centralized NFT services better protect users - for now?

Unfortunately, scams and bugs are still frequent in the NFT space. 🍎 Solana’s most popular NFT marketplace Magic Eden paused its minting service two weeks ago after two notable rug pulls (scam type where founders run away after having drained the collected the funds): “King of Chess” and “Balloonsville”, which scammed …

Published by DCenter

février 22 2022

Credit Suisse leak as another pledge for blockchain

Murder, drug and human trafficking, corruption… people who resort to these activities have an unfortunate obligation to launder the proceeds. To do so, and despite the deeds’ gruesome nature, the perpetrators do not search for suspisciously-looking criminals in dark alleys – they put on suits and schedule meetings with senior bankers …

Published by DCenter

février 21 2022

Phishing in the OpenSea

OpenSea’s smart contract migration was marked by a phishing attack, still ongoing. 🎣 Phishing is one of the most popular scam types, be it a phone call by a “bank employee” precising your personal details, an email from a “payment provider” asking to reset your password, or a phony “merchant site” waiting for you …

Published by DCenter

février 20 2022

Crypto's vital signs stay strong

Financial macro outlook can be dim, but crypto’s vital signs and its diamond hands stay strong. 📉 Financial and crypto markets are not correlated per se, but sometimes they share common macroeconomic fears.Right now, investors all over the world are bracing themselves for the Fed increasing interest rates in March, as well as …

Published by DCenter

février 19 2022

Asset managers dive into NFT

(Some) NFTs are (very) good investment 💰 With crazy yields on the blue-chip collections, and a weekly trade volume of around $500M, it is not surprising that professional asset managers start diving into the space. By buying a number of NFTs and putting them into a fund they allow accredited investors …

Published by DCenter

février 18 2022

These states embracing crypto

American states are increasingly interested in crypto. While on the Federal level crypto is met with growing hostility, state governments are more and more numerous to see the opportunities crypto industry could bring. The states of Wyoming, Florida and Texas are already known for their crypto-friendliness and a plethora of incentives …

Published by DCenter

février 17 2022

The US will seize half of Afghanistan foreign reserves

🔑 Not your keys, not your money. In most cases this maxim refers to a commercial bank or a payment processor that can block any individual’s account, but the US President Biden took it to a whole new level, disposing of the account of an entire country. During the American occupation, Afghanistan’s …

Published by DCenter

février 16 2022

SEC is after crypto lenders

The SEC has now set its sights on crypto lenders 🦅 You know how upon entering some (most of?) crypto finance and DeFi websites you are asked if you’re a US citizen? Well, that’s because the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and its fellow organizations make it very hard, and sometimes …

Published by DCenter

février 15 2022

Super Bowl 2022: crypto to the masses

After years of advertising bans on Google, Facebook and alike, crypto took an Ad highway yesterday at the Super Bowl 🏈 Annual playoff championship game of the National Football League, Super Bowl is the most watched event in America, regularly gathering around 100 million viewers and featuring the most spectacular artist performances. It also has …

Published by DCenter

février 14 2022

VC investments keep pouring into crypto

Crypto is one of the most fast-growing industries, and it has a decent shot in shaping our future. It’s no wonder that investments are flooding in. Last year VCs have poured an impressive $30Bn in crypto companies, and this year might be no different. So far among the biggest fundraisers of 2022 we can name …

Published by DCenter

février 13 2022

Hungarian National Bank calls to ban crypto. To what avail?

Central Bank vs Finance Ministry opposition on the crypto issue is growing stronger across countries. After India and Russia, where Finance Ministers resisted their respective Central Banks’ urges to ban crypto, it may now be Hungary’s turn. This Central European country is famous not only for its beautiful architecture, but also for …

Published by DCenter

février 12 2022

Larva Labs vs V1 Punks: the battle continues

V1 punks continue to stir up controversy in the NFT community. The first version of the famous NFT collection, discarded by Larva Labs because of a bug, was discovered by a group of crypto archaeologists, who then created a smart contract allowing to “wrap” the flawed NFTs and put them …

Published by DCenter

février 11 2022

Russia to acknowledge crypto as form of currency

Russia has finally taken a side in the crypto debate. After a heated battle between the Central Bank, which proposed to ban crypto, and the Ministry of Finance, which preferred to regulate it, the latter scored a net victory (not without help from President Putin who made a point earlier saying …

Published by DCenter

février 10 2022

FBI seizes $4Bn in bitcoins from Bitfinex' hack

“Blockchain for criminals” is actually a bad idea: unlike the banking system or cash, it is transparent, and using it for money laundering could easily get you an FBI on your tail. Yesterday the US authorities arrested a married couple on charges of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of 119,754 Bitcoin …

Published by DCenter

février 09 2022

CoFundMe and Canadian truckers: what's wrong with it

⚠️ Not your keys, not your money. Did you think this were relevant only to the people living in autocratic countries ? 🚚 Canadian truckers protesting against the government’s vaccine mandate have been making the news for many days now. Many people have donated over C$10M ($8M) to their movement, known …

Published by DCenter

février 08 2022

Luxury carmakers roll into NFTs

Luxury brands entering the NFT space are always interesting to watch. One the one hand, they have this precious baggage of heritage and brand identity they need to conserve, and on the other, they must follow the trends to stay relevant. It looks like the luxury cars sector has made its choice. 🚘 …

Published by DCenter

février 07 2022

US growing concern with digital yuan

Controlling the currency is in many aspects akin to controlling those who use it 💸 For many decades the world’s finances have been following the American lead, with dollar being most popular reserve currency (60% of all allocated reserves), unit of account (e.g. all oil is quoted in dollars) and an …

Published by DCenter

février 06 2022

Crypto archaeology and V1 Punks controversy

Blockchain is transparent and immutable, which means that it can be freely explored by anyone searching for the relics of the crypto history 🤠 Crypto archaeology is becoming a thing now, and the recent V1 Punks story has only made it more popular. Released in 2017 by Larva Labs, Cryptopunks are …

Published by DCenter

février 05 2022

Major sports events embrace the NFTs

Sports and crypto are definitely a good match ❤️ It has become clear ever since the NBA struck a deal with Dapper Labs for a series of NFTs commemorating golden moments of basketball, which turned into a top10 NFT collection of all times. Since then, other sports have in one way or …

Published by DCenter

février 04 2022

Two cross-chain protocols hacked in a week

❎ Cross-chain protocols play important role in building a multi-blockchain world, but they are not without flaws. This week saw not one, but two hacks involving bridges: Wormhole and Qbridge. 🕳️ Wormhole, an interoperability protocol bridging Solana and Ethereum, was exploited yesterday on the Solana side. As most bridges, Wormhole uses a two-way peg to simulate the experience of …

Published by DCenter

février 03 2022

Meta abandons its stablecoin project

It’s official: Meta’s stablecoin project is no more. ♎ Announced in 2019 as Libra, a project of a stablecoin backed by a basket of currencies, then rebranded into Diem, a project of a stablecoin backed by dollars, it has met a vigorous opposition from the regulators around the world, and in the …

Published by DCenter

février 02 2022

India prefers to tax crypto instead of banning it

It looks like India has finally defined its stance on crypto. It’s shouldn’t have been easy though:❌ One the one hand, crypto can be seen as a threat to the current monetary and financial system.⭕ On the other hand, it is a fast-developing high added-value industry that can potentially change the world. Indian rulemakers …

Published by DCenter

février 01 2022

Supermarkets coming to the metaverse

Metaverse is a $8 Trillion opportunity, according to the Goldman Sachs’ analysts.No wonder more and more consumer brands secure their place in virtual worlds. 🛒 Retailers follow. Not so long ago the American giant Walmart was spotted registering various metaverse- and NFT-related trademark applications, and today it was the French supermarket chain Carrefour that announced having …

Published by DCenter

janvier 31 2022

Crypto to help fight hunger in Afghanistan

People of Afghanistan are living a nightmare, and crypto can help survive it. Exactly 5 months ago the US completed the withdrawal of its armed forces from Afghanistan, after 20-year-long efforts to maintain a friendly government and train its domestic military. Sadly, not only the efforts were notoriously vain, their ending was so abrupt it …

Published by DCenter

janvier 30 2022

America COMPETES Act 2022: unlimited power to Treasury

🗽 American regulators are showing increasing autocratic ambitions, and it’s dangerous not only for the #crypto industry, but for the whole country. The 2022 edition of the America COMPETES Act vows to “reinvigorate the innovation engine of our economy to outcompete China and the rest of the world for decades to …

Published by DCenter

janvier 29 2022

OpenSea multiplies missteps, but ready to make up

OpenSea is having a tumultuous week 🌊It provoked a community backlash on two separate issues: old listings and minting limits. Amid much Twitter noise we would like to give a clearer picture of what happened. 📝 Listings exploits. On Monday several attackers took advantage of a user interface flaw and managed to …

Published by DCenter

janvier 28 2022

Putin confronts the Central Bank on the crypto issue

Russia is unlikely to abandon crypto, despite a hostile Central Bank and control-obsessed intelligence services. ✋ Last week the Central Bank of Russia proposed to ban crypto, precising later that the ban would only concern financial institutions processing crypto-related operations. The proposal was applauded by the Federal Security Service (FSB), the …

Published by DCenter

janvier 27 2022

lMF urges El Salvador to abandon Bitcoin

El Salvador made IMF grind its teeth ever since it announced its support for Bitcoin. A small Central American state who dared to challenge the all-mighty dollar has been attacked on many occasions since it acknowledged Bitcoin as legal tender last September. ⚠️ Important note: Bitcoin is not the only legal tender in El Salvador, it is …

Published by DCenter

janvier 26 2022

Crypto adoption grows x3

Crypto is gaining ground. Fast. It is now difficult to find a person who has never heard of Bitcoin. Even though cryptocurrencies are still largely misunderstood (mass media being the primary vehicle of misinformed FUD), every now and then a curious mind decides to learn about it and inevitably falls …

Published by DCenter

janvier 25 2022

NFT scams: don't get fooled

NFTs are undoubtfully the best investment one could make in 2021, and leading collections’ prices continue to rise even now, with weekly NFT sales increasing 81%. As other lucrative areas though, NFTs naturally attract all sorts of scammers. Solana has recently registered on of the biggest NFT scams pulled off by the “Big Daddy Ape …

Published by DCenter

janvier 24 2022

Bitcoin difficulty all-time high

Bitcoin price does not reflect Bitcoin value.Ok. What does then ? 🤔 Bitcoin’s importance as an independent borderless money can be measured is several ways:🧑‍🤝‍🧑 people who use it (estimated at 300M)💻 full nodes who verify it (around 15k)👨‍💻 miners who secure it (better understood via hashrate – i.e. their collective computational …

Published by DCenter

janvier 23 2022

Diamond hands take over

📉 Crypto markets are bleeding red, with Bitcoin and Ethereum dropping -50% from its all-time high in November.Time to panic? Maybe not so fast. Crypto sector is very young, which makes its meteoric rise so remarkable, and its dips so dramatic.Throughout its history Bitcoin has lost 50%, and even 80% of its price many …

Published by DCenter

janvier 22 2022

Google Pay open to more crypto partnerships

Can Google become another vehicle of cryptoadoption? Mobile payments market is not an easy one, and even such giant as Google had to fight for its place under the sun. 🥊Launched in 2015, it was slower in attracting users than Apple Pay, its main competitor, which lead the company to reconsider …

Published by DCenter

janvier 21 2022

Meta to integrate NFTs

And what if Meta actually allowed some degree of decentralization? The company’s metaverse plans have been widely discussed recently, mostly with mistrust: few people want an alternative reality centrally controlled by Mr Zuckerberg. Can it be possible that he actually listened? It became known today that Meta is working on allowing Facebook and Instagram users to …

Published by DCenter

janvier 20 2022

Intel to reveal a Bitcoin miner

World’s biggest chipmaker will produce Bitcoin miners. Steadily losing its market share to AMD and Nvidia (who design chips) and TSMC (who manufactures them), Intel has been stagnating these recent years. Some argue that its struggles come from its closed development model: while open systems like Arm (later acquired by NVIDIA) are now used in …

Published by DCenter

janvier 19 2022

Consumer brands and Web3

NFTs and metaverse are an opportunity for consumer brands to find new ways of engaging with their customers, and maybe find new ones. More and more brands are pouring into the space: most recently it was Walmart and Crocs that filed several documents within regulatory bodies, notably for the creation of NFTs and providing …

Published by DCenter

janvier 18 2022

Associated Press to launch an NFT marketplace

Free journalism is important, and NFTs can contribute to protecting it. NFTs are not only about cartoon characters or internet communities. They can also help support meaningful endeavours – like the one started by Associated Press 175 years ago. The Associated Press is a non-profit news cooperative dedicated to support free journalism, …

Published by DCenter

janvier 17 2022

Crypto industry grows strong

Crypto industry is developing fast, and the recent reports on VC investments and job openings can give us the idea just how fast. A whopping $33Bn of venture capital was poured in crypto in 2021 – an increase of 450% vs last yer, as per the report recently shared by Galaxy Digital Research. This …

Published by DCenter

janvier 16 2022

Rio to become a crypto hub?

Brazil is becoming a crypto-conscious place 🌴 It occupies 14th place in Chainalysis’ crypto adoption ranking, and the biggest retailer in the LatAM region – Mercado Libre – not only allows to use crypto to pay for the products on its platform, but also rolled out a crypto payment service for …

Published by DCenter

janvier 15 2022

Block to tackle the future of crypto mining

Crypto mining may be on a verge of a drastic change. Since the Chinese miners left China (and then Kazakhstan), proving how flexible they can be, the issue of Bitcoin mining centralisation, actively discussed not so long ago, has somewhat been forgotten. It is still true though that mining has become an industry, requiring …

Published by DCenter

janvier 14 2022

Two Polynesian nations to embrace crypto

More sovereign nations are on their way to adopt crypto. A small island nation of Tonga announced its plans to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, copying the legal framework of El Salvador. Tongans currently use the pa’anga, a currency pegged to a basket of the Australian, New Zealand, and US dollars and the Japanese yen. By …

Published by DCenter

janvier 13 2022

Iran to authorize crypto for international trade

Iran is about to demonstrate another use case for crypto. For an authoritarian country, of course, it is not obvious to open up to crypto, which often means relinquishing control. However, for a country that has been enduring US-imposed sanctions for decades now, crypto can be a great tool of connecting to the world, …

Published by DCenter

janvier 12 2022

Community-focused NFT marketplaces are coming

NFTs have exploded in 2021, generating over $23Bn of trading volume overall. OpenSea, the biggest NFT marketplace, was responsible for over $14Bn of it, pocketing at least $350M in 2.5% fees. Last week OpenSea announced having closed another funding round of $300M (after two rounds of $23M and $100M in 2021), which brought the company’s valuation …

Published by DCenter

janvier 11 2022

Bitcoin hashrate unmoved by Kazakhstan's blackout

No, Kazakhstan isn’t the 2nd-largest mining country anymore. No, its energy crisis was not cause by mining. No, its internet shutdown did not affect global Bitcoin mining 🙄 The media has written a lot about Kazakhstan these days, sometimes linking its energy crisis to crypto mining. Kazakhstan indeed was accountable for 18% …

Published by DCenter

janvier 10 2022

60% of Web3 developers joined the space in 2021

Crypto is code + community, and the quality of code is decisive in whether the community adopts it or not. 👨‍💻 👩‍💻 Among many people contributing to the crypto industry developers are, for us, the most important kind, and their activity can say a lot about the industry perspectives. A recent report by a crypto VC …

Published by DCenter

janvier 09 2022

Pudgy Penguins' rebellion

A new page in NFT history is being written by Pudgy Penguins this week – the one about governance. It has always been an exciting issue in the decentralized space, and major community disagreements, be it Bitcoin Segwit update or Ethereum roll back, have usually ended in forks, with the “opposition” …

Published by DCenter

janvier 08 2022

Polygon clogged by a game

Blockchain scalability issue continues to loom large. Ethereum layer-2 Polygon, which is currently its most popular sidechain scaling solution, has had its Cryptokitties moment this week 🐱 Just like one of the first NFT Kitty successes clogged Ethereum network in 2017, a farming game Sunflower Farmers 🌻 has managed to overload Polygon sidechain, …

Published by DCenter

janvier 07 2022

NFTs and Metaverse at Australia Open

https://youtu.be/VhB5hZrNdZI Tennis ❤️ NFT If some tennis fans have missed the US Open’s NFT cards or Serena Williams’ Cryptopunk profile picture, they are about to learn more about NFTs with Australia Open’s new crypto adventure. The first tournament of the Grand Slam will issue an NFT collection of 6’776 generative Art Balls, with each …

Published by DCenter

janvier 06 2022

Solana experiences troubled performance. Again.

Despite much progress in the blockchain tech, scalability still often comes as a trade-off for security or decentralization, two other points in the blockchain trilemma. Yesterday Solana, touted for its high speed and low fees, suffered another network incident – the 3rd one in just several months:👾in September it halted for 17 hours …

Published by DCenter

janvier 05 2022

Politics as a new NFT use case?

Can NFTs be used to hold politicians accountable? South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has chosen an innovative way to fund his campaign, all while attracting young voters and showing his taste for tech. His party will not only accept crypto, but also issue NFTs to the election campaign donators. These NFTs containing the …

Published by DCenter

janvier 04 2022

Where will crypto go in 2022?

First days of the new year are often the occasion to make predictions for the rest of it. We combed through the highlights of 2021 and picked the some of the openings the crypto industry can use in 2022: Bitcoin price >$100kall major consumer brands create their metaverse experiencescrypto mining goes carbon-neutral with …

Published by DCenter

janvier 03 2022

Happy holidays from D.Center team!

What a year it has been! The world has changed more than we could have imagined: 🤑Bitcoin is now legal tender in a sovereign country and its price of $50k is taken for granted 🎬World-famous artists make music videos with characters of an NFT collection, and it has become normal to pay …

Published by DCenter

décembre 24 2021

BAYC flipped Cryptopunks.Why?

And just like that, Bored Ape Yacht Club flipped Cryptopunks. Yesterday the floor price (the cheapest NFT on sale) of BAYC (53.9ETH, or $217k) exceeded for the first time the floor price of Cryptopunks (52.69ETH, or $210k). NFT revelation of the year, BAYC earned its place under the sun via genius marketing and partnerships, …

Published by DCenter

décembre 23 2021

China likely to embrace NFTs and metaverse... in its own way

Even China cannot escape the metaverse and NFT craze, although its version may be completely distorted. The country banned crypto and all related services this year, and the Communist Party’s newspaper People’s Daily has reiterated the metaverse’s “risks of volatility, fraud, illegal fundraising and money laundering”. Altogether quite unsurprising, taking into account the Party’s “regulation should …

Published by DCenter

décembre 22 2021

Terra blockchain on the rise

Stablecoins don’t have to be at the mercy of a company that promises to keep them aligned with fiat. Decentralized stablecoins exist for four years already, since MakerDAO issued its first DAI in 2017. DAI keeps its 1:1 peg to the USD through the system of Ethereum-based smart contracts managing an overcollateralized …

Published by DCenter

décembre 21 2021

Meta buying trademark rights

Facebook is dead serious about the metaverse, and it moves forward it in its signature “I am the biggest one here” style. It has recently become known that Facebook (or rather its new entity Meta Platforms Inc.) bought the trademark rights for “Meta Financial” name from a South Dakota bank for a whopping $60M. According to …

Published by DCenter

décembre 20 2021

Interoperability: Polkadot parachains go live

It’s a multi-blockchain world. Crypto noobies are often puzzled by the number of different cryptocurrencies, getting a false impression that it is easy to create a blockchain, and therefore “the cryptos” have little value. It is difficult to create a blockchain, and especially a blockchain that brings a new quality that other blockchains do not …

Published by DCenter

décembre 19 2021

Put your NFTs to work

What if you could use your NFTs to earn profit instead of them juts lying idle in your wallet? An increasing number of solutions, both centralized and decentralized, are now allowing you to do so. This week lending company NEXO (centralized) announced that it will from now on accept NFTs as collateral, …

Published by DCenter

décembre 18 2021

Crypto crime in 2021: Ponzi, rug pulls and more

Crypto finance and DeFi are great tools democratizing finance and allowing every person in the world to invest, trade and earn yields on crypto markets (and not only). Its democratic nature, however, attracts not only honest developers, but also all sorts of scammers who surf on the hype and users’ naivety. On-chain analytics firm …

Published by DCenter

décembre 17 2021

USDT now official currency of Myanmar shadow government

Crypto is the only money that truly belongs to its owner. This looks so simple and a mere formality to some, but in difficult situations this quality becomes paramount. The National Unity Government (NUG) – the shadow government of Myanmar supporting imprisoned Aung Sang Suu Kyi – must have understood the importance of …

Published by DCenter

décembre 16 2021

Crypto firms' funding hits new highs

The amounts of money flowing into the crypto ecosystem are becoming really impressive. This year crypto firms raised over $20Bn through venture capital alone, shared between payment and trading companies, crypto games, NFT-focused projects, green mining… and it doesn’t look like this is going to stop. What’s more, the ticket size is …

Published by DCenter

décembre 15 2021

Ukraine to launch a CBDC pilot on Stellar

Ukraine’s CBDC is on its way, and it might use a public blockchain. While many countries have been considering CBDCs for many years already, the only examples so far include digital yuan, a Chinese CBDC, the “sand dollar”, a CBDC issued by the Bahamas last year, and recently launched eNaira, Nigeria’s CBDC. This list may very …

Published by DCenter

décembre 14 2021

90% of all bitcoins have been mined

90% of all bitcoins have been mined as of today. As miners’ reward – which is the only possible way to produce new bitcoins – is halved every 4 years, Bitcoin supply is capped just under 21 million. In almost 12 years 18.89 million bitcoins have been mined, but following the rules of mathematics …

Published by DCenter

décembre 13 2021

ECB celebrates Euro amid decreasing buying power

We spoke a lot about dollar’s decreasing buying power, it’s about time we speak about the euro. This week European Central Bank officials had another opportunity to gather and tap each other on the backs: Euro currency is 20 years old next year, and champagne is flowing. On this occasion there were many discussions …

Published by DCenter

décembre 12 2021

UNICEF to use NFTs for fundraising

NFTs are good for many things: securing ownership, allowing access to borderless markets, creating communities… Exploiting all these qualities can take charity fundraisers to a whole new level: issuing an NFT collection can help target a worldwide group of donators, who instead of a boring (and forgeable) certificate will get a piece …

Published by DCenter

décembre 11 2021

Crypto miners leaving Kazakhstan

It looks like Kazakhstan is about to lose its second place among the world’s biggest hashrate producers. After China banned crypto mining and the miners fled to crypto-friendlier countries with excess energy, Kazakhstan’s share in the global Bitcoin hashrate soared from 8% in April to 18% in August. The country has several …

Published by DCenter

décembre 10 2021

Kickstarter to go crypto

The future of crowdfunding is crypto. Kickstarter, one of the world’s biggest crowdfunding platforms, has recently announced its intentions to build a decentralized platform governed by an independent lab. The protocol will be built on Celo blockchain, chosen for being carbon-negative – Celo uses PoS consensus and runs a carbon offset program. It also …

Published by DCenter

décembre 09 2021

Ubisoft to introduce NFTs

Crypto and NFTs are the future of gaming, and it is becoming increasingly obvious not only with the rising popularity of crypto games, but also as traditional gaming companies turn to it. After Epic Games (Unreal, Fortnite) said it will “welcome games that make use of blockchain tech”, it is now Ubisoft that took …

Published by DCenter

décembre 08 2021

Jack Dorsey: LDK to boost Bitcoin adoption

https://youtu.be/P4ECx9H722g What is the best way to encourage Bitcoin adoption? For Jack Dorsey the answer is: “Make it easy to use it as payment”, and he has already taken a number of steps in that direction. His payment platform Square (recently renamed to Block) added Bitcoin trading to its Cash app back in 2018, and …

Published by DCenter

décembre 07 2021

BadgerDAO and BitMart: two crypto hacks in a week

It’s holiday season, but not for the hackers 😬 This week two exploits have shaken already feverish crypto markets. 🦹 On Thursday BadgerDAO, an Ethereum-based DeFi protocol that allows to stake Bitcoin and earn yields, announced having discovered an “unauthorized withdrawal of user funds”. The platform fell victim to a front-end attack, which led some BadgerDAO …

Published by DCenter

décembre 05 2021

Can NFT-based platforms disrupt music streaming?

In one of our recent Newsletters we were speaking about the crypto’s potential to change the music industry 🎶 Saxo Bank, Danish investment bank specialized in online trading, has released another series of predictions for the year to come, and one of them gives us yet another perspective on the crypto …

Published by DCenter

décembre 04 2021

First NFT-exposed ETF in the US

With the NFT hype as high as ever (“NFT” was even chosen as a word of the year by the Collins dictionary) and billions of dollars’ worth of NFTs traded monthly, it was only a matter of time until they hit the stock markets. Now they officially have, even if somewhat …

Published by DCenter

décembre 03 2021

Jerome Powell and inflation: the Finale

https://youtu.be/8Ciu_urGqw0 Ttoday’s masterclass in rhetoric 👨‍🏫 is gracefully offered to you by the Honourable Jerome Powell, the Chair of the US Federal Reserve. This masterclass will teach you how to change your statement… without changing your statement. Spoiler alert : just claim that the words have changed meaning 🤭 This is the Fed’s …

Published by DCenter

décembre 02 2021

Indonesian Central Bank plans to "fight crypto" with CBDC

Central bankers and an increasing number of politicians are getting truly scared by crypto. This transpires even in the language used to describe of it: few officials now speak of its “insignificance” (a widely used characteristics until some time ago), and warfare terms appear increasingly often. After Erdogan’s “We are at war with crypto”, …

Published by DCenter

décembre 01 2021

Turkish lira falling, Erdogan still "at war with crypto"

This is Turkish lira. It has lost 44% of its price vs USD since the beginning of the year. Together with the inflation hitting 20% and unsustainable level of debt, it has been ruining the livelihoods of Turkish people for many months now. Decidedly, banning crypto payments in April out of fear that they “may …

Published by DCenter

novembre 30 2021

Thailand to become a "crypto-positive spciety"

It is a pivotal time for countries: as crypto industry is causing controversy within governments, those who embrace it now could enjoy great first-mover advantages. It looks like Thailand has made its choice. The country’s tourism industry has suffered a lot from Covid-related restrictions, and The Tourism Authority of Thailand has a …

Published by DCenter

novembre 29 2021

ConstitutionDAO members not ready to quit

An old money guy outbidding a DAO and buying a copy of the Constitution could have been a sad sign of what the American democracy has become. This is without taking into account how crypto tools can empower people. A DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Organisation, is an entity governed by its members …

Published by DCenter

novembre 28 2021

El Salvador buys the dip

Nayib Bukele did it again 🙌 As the new Covid variant scared the markets, both stocks and crypto, El Salvador’s President was quick to react, buying the dip (again) and adding 100 more bitcoins to the country’s Bitcoin Fund. With “100 extra coins acquired with a discount”, as the President put …

Published by DCenter

novembre 27 2021

Hillary Clinton spreading FUD on crypto

https://youtu.be/__J7rYwJfs4 Is crypto dangerous for states? US democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has found a new crypto FUD to play with – “destabilizing nations”, and she must be quite proud of it, multiplying her public appearances speaking on this topic. When speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, she said that cryptocurrencies have “the potential …

Published by DCenter

novembre 26 2021

Niantic to launch a metaverse

Remember Pokemon Go and the worldwide obsession over it? Its creator Niantic is now nurturing its own metaverse plans, and it has secured a serious support in the form of $300M 💰 raised from Coatue, a New-York-based investment firm. Since the release of Pokemon Go back in 2016 some 1Bn people downloaded …

Published by DCenter

novembre 25 2021

Traditional Finance going crypto

Crypto is steadily pouring into traditional finance, despite their noticeable ideological differences. The latest financial institution to come on board is Australian retirement fund Rest Super, managing over $46Bn of assets for its 1.8M members. Pension Funds are among the most conservative institutions there are, and Rest Super’s decision to add crypto to its …

Published by DCenter

novembre 24 2021

Nike and Adidas going to the Metaverse

https://youtu.be/KWsdNYxN2WY Metaverse is not only the alternative reality where people can reinvent themselves as they wish, it is also a brand-new marketing playfield for consumer brands, offering them new ways of connecting with their customers. In the sport gear world it is already obvious. 👟 Last week Nike presented …

Published by DCenter

novembre 23 2021

Bored Apes band TheZoo releases its first single

https://youtu.be/1n8VmEXfE5E Last week we wrote about Ape-In Production (AIP) - Timbaland’s new production company for Bored Apes owners, where the Apes are the Artists. AIP was conceived as a “new platform for entertainment in the metaverse era, owned by its artists”, and it has already produced a hip-hop band called TheZoo featuring 5 Bored …

Published by DCenter

novembre 22 2021

El Salvador to fund a Bitcoin City with Bitcoin-backed bonds

"If you want Bitcoin to spread over the world, we should build some Alexandrias" El Salvador has become an important player in the crypto world thanks to the boldness of its President Nayib Bukele. Now is time to capitalize on this. Speaking at Bitcoin Week’s closure, he announced the country’s plans to …

Published by DCenter

novembre 21 2021

tbDEX to bridge fiat and crypto without intermediaries

You thought it was impossible for a DEX to bridge the worlds of fiat and crypto currencies? Jack Dorsey’s tbDEX protocol might change that. Yesterday Twitter and Square’s CEO shared the whitepaper of a DEX (decentralized exchange) that ambitions to solve the ultimate DEX riddle: How to allow people exchange fiat to crypto …

Published by DCenter

novembre 20 2021

Winklevoss v Zuckerberg: a rematch in the metaverse?

Zuckerberg vs Winklevoss may become a Walled Garden vs Open Metaverse competition quite soon 🥊 Winklevoss brothers, who once accused Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their social platform idea and its source code, are well-known early crypto adopters. They started buying Bitcoin when its price was as low as $10 🙌 and …

Published by DCenter

novembre 19 2021

India to define its stance on crypto

https://youtu.be/bQjIm4m02MY India is about to define its stance on crypto. For several years its officials’ attitude has been contradictive, guessing different forces at play. Its Central Bank is a huge naysayer (which is understandable 😏): in 2018 it banned all crypto transactions, but 2 years after the country’s Supreme Court overturned the ban. In the beginning of …

Published by DCenter

novembre 18 2021

Crypto and basketball love story

There’s a special chemistry between crypto and basketball. 🏀NBA Top Shot NFT collectibles’ series is 5th most-traded ever (DappRadar), with almost $1.5Bn volume 🏀Coinbase signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with NBA. 🏀FTX has not only signed partnerships with Kentucky University’s Wildcats and Miami Heat, but also bought the rights to rename Miami Heat’s …

Published by DCenter

novembre 17 2021

Senators introduce a Bill overriding Biden's impossible crypto provisions

Yesterday President Biden signed his Infrastructure Bill into law. The good thing for crypto is that it includes a $1.2Tr spending, much of which will be “sponsored” by the Fed by creating new dollars, thus increasing inflation fears and demand for scarce assets like Bitcoin. The bad news for crypto is …

Published by DCenter

novembre 16 2021

Bored Apes Yacht Club: the hype continues

https://youtu.be/vQvjwDxigzk Bored Apes Yacht Club’s hype is hitting its all-time high. The success of NFT collectibles series is in big part due to its community and the hype around it. Bored Apes Yacht Club’s creators Yuga Labs definitely know how to maintain it. Recently it has been about music. Last week Universal …

Published by DCenter

novembre 15 2021

Bitcoin Taproot upgrade is live

The biggest Bitcoin update in 4 years went live today. Called Taproot, it will replace ECDSA signatures with Shnorr, saving blocks storage space and making cheaper complex transactions like Multisig and Layer-2 pegs. As smart contracts are taking less space, Bitcoin is becoming more efficient and suitable for the further development of …

Published by DCenter

novembre 14 2021

Central Bank of Nigeria trying to fight crypto

Nigeria is becoming increasingly authoritarian in the matter of currency 🚫 With the official annual inflation rate of around 16%, Nigerians naturally try to find a better store of value than naira, and the Central Bank’s efforts to cut access to alternative currencies only exacerbates the problem. In February the Central …

Published by DCenter

novembre 13 2021

Miami staking its coins to give BTC yield to its residents

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is well on his way to becoming a superstar 🌟 Not only he’s been successfully encouraging crypto industry in every possible way, this August he also participated in the launch of MiamiCoin – a token that allows residents to support their city while earning BTC. It uses CityCoins …

Published by DCenter

novembre 12 2021

Real inflation might be worse than 6.2%

Yesterday the US Labor Department reported a 6.2% yearly increase in the consumer price index (CPI) - a basket of products ranging from gas and healthcare to groceries and rents. This figure didn’t really come as a surprise, even if it has sent a small shockwave across the markets. Since the …

Published by DCenter

novembre 11 2021

Too late to buy Bitcoin ?

Bitcoin price reaching new highs is always exciting. Crypto community celebrates, HODLers HODL, and the “specialists” calling for Bitcoin death are taking a break to lick their reputation’s wounds (don’t worry, many will reappear when the next correction comes). It is also the time when many people are considering buying …

Published by DCenter

novembre 10 2021

Zimbabwe to consider crypto

Zimbabwe to consider adopting crypto Zimbabwe is a country that knows a thing or two about inflation. In 2008 its year-on-year inflation rate was 89’700’000’000’000’000’000’000 %, leading the government to stop printing the currency the following year. In June 2019 a new ZimDollar was launched, and by July 2020 the inflation rate was already at 737%. In a …

Published by DCenter

novembre 09 2021

Australia becomes increasingly crypto-friendly

It looks like crypto adoption in Australia pushed through the boundaries of the old world, forcing it to enter the new one. Only 2 months ago we wrote about banks denying their services to crypto businesses and the absence of a clear regulatory framework. Now the Commonwealth Bank of Australia is announcing its intentions to offer crypto services to …

Published by DCenter

novembre 08 2021

The success of NFT.NYC 2021

Both the NFTs and the New York City’s importance in the world of crypto are definitely on the rise. While in 2019 NFT.NYC conference drew only 460 attendees, this week they were 5000, including some big names like Quentin Tarantino, Beeple (the artist behind the most expensive NFT ever), Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, rapper Busta …

Published by DCenter

novembre 07 2021

Decentralized metaverse tokens price is soaring

We are about to see an interesting competition. Facebook metaverse vs decentralized ones. Nothing is decided yet: Facebook will leverage its almost 3Bn users and very deep pockets, while decentralized metaverses will try to play the advantages of a user-owned virtual world powered by the blockchain. Crypto markets are already preparing to …

Published by DCenter

novembre 06 2021

NYC and Miami pro-crypto mayors can make a difference

November mayoral elections in the US have shown an interesting trend. While Miami’s pro-crypto mayor Francis Suarez was re-elected with almost 79%, the citizens of New York City elected another crypto enthusiast Eric Adams, who was quick to announce “NYC is going to be the center of the cryptocurrency industry and other …

Published by DCenter

novembre 05 2021

Institutional interest for crypto growing

Bitcoin was created as a universal tool allowing everyone to freely access a borderless and independent money. However, as it becomes increasingly attractive in comparison to fiat money, not to mention a totally new class of asset, financial institutions are more and more invested in it. Crypto funds, whether they are …

Published by DCenter

novembre 04 2021

Microsoft announces its metaverse plans

https://youtu.be/ohdDLdK5ulw Decidedly, metaverse becomes the most discussed notion of this end of the year. Last week Facebook rebranded itself into Meta to highlight its commitment to developing a virtual world, and now it’s Microsoft announcing its metaverse plans for Teams and Spaces. Dubbed Mesh and expected to roll out in 2022, …

Published by DCenter

novembre 03 2021

First deflationary weekly ETH issuance

Scarcity should be the main word for 2021, as people realize the fundamental difference between an infinitely printable fiat money and crypto. #Bitcoin of course is a benchmark of scarcity, conceived as such from the beginning, but Ethereum – which has no hard cap - is catching up pretty quickly using …

Published by DCenter

novembre 02 2021

How crypto mining could help Texan power grid

Texas is a crypto-friendly place with deregulated power grid and abundant energy sources, including 28% of windpower and abundant natural gas, coming also as a byproduct of oil extraction. It is no surprise that Texans have jumped on the opportunity provided by the Chinese mining ban and deployed many efforts to …

Published by DCenter

novembre 01 2021

13th anniversary of Bitcoin White Paper

It all started with it. Bitcoin whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto, whoever he or she or they might be, laid down the foundation for the first ever truly independent and decentralized asset, signing a new era of trustless data handling. A masterpiece of “mathematical purity”, as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak put it, …

Published by DCenter

octobre 31 2021

FATF revised crypto guidelines

Money laundering is a worldwide problem that is handled rather badly. The organisation that is charged with creating homogenous international AML guidance is FATF, which determines money handling standards and reserves the option to “penalize” non-compliant countries by adding them on a gray or black lists. FATF’s favourite strategy appears …

Published by DCenter

octobre 30 2021

Facebook rebrands into Meta: big bet on the metaverse

On the occasion of the annual Facebook Connect event Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed his major interest in the metaverse and announced Meta - a new name for the parent company of all Facebook-owned entities, moving “from being Facebook first as a company to being metaverse first”. Metaverse is an extension of …

Published by DCenter

octobre 29 2021

Bitcoin mining uses less energy than Xmas lights

With the holiday season upon us, who isn’t rejoicing to see our cities all lit up with cheerful Christmas lights? We do not necessarily think about the amount of energy it costs, because it provides us joy. What would you say if you knew that the asset that provides us monetary independence (which …

Published by DCenter

octobre 28 2021

Web3 actors react to Steam crypto games ban

Play-to-earn is an undisputable quality of crypto games, but it is not the only one. Blockchain-based games can turn any of the in-game attributes (artifacts, characters, plots of land…) into an NFT, allowing gamers to fully possess them and freely trade whenever they wish to, without intermediaries or restrictions. With 2.8 …

Published by DCenter

octobre 27 2021

Mastercard to integrate crypto

Crypto adoption is about to receive a very serious boost. Thousands of banks and millions of merchants on the Mastercard payment network will soon be able to easily add crypto to their services, be it a Bitcoin wallet, giving rewards in crypto or convert loyalty points to crypto. To do that …

Published by DCenter

octobre 26 2021

In economic turmoil more Americans turn to crypto

While the Americans are taking on themselves the inflation hit, the US officials continue weaving a yet tighter net of all sorts of surveillance and taxes, which risks making things even worse (Janet Yellen speaking on taxing unrealized capital gains’ is characteristic). In this climate more and more Americans turn to crypto: as …

Published by DCenter

octobre 25 2021

European banks' tax fraud damage revised to €140Bn

While many traditional finance players and regulators still oppose the “lawful” image of centralized organizations to the “criminal” one of the blockchain-based projects, the quantity and the scale of bank frauds continue increasing 💸 In 2018 a collective of journalists reported a huge tax scam across several European countries known as …

Published by DCenter

octobre 24 2021

Australia warming up to crypto?

Australia is not a crypto-friendly place. In the absence of comprehensive laws, the crypto industry is operating largely in a regulatory grey area, and the country’s banks are famous for denying service to crypto companies. Hopefully, this is going to change. This Wednesday, the Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology published a …

Published by DCenter

octobre 23 2021

Crypto adoption on the rise

How far did the crypto adoption go? The news that even a year ago would make the headlines are now casually mentioned inter alia. Just scooping this week:✔️Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund (a public pension fund!) acquires #Bitcoin ✔️Wallmart installs 200 ATM machines in its stores ✔️Venezuelan airport now accepts …

Published by DCenter

octobre 22 2021

Where will Bitcoin price go?

Now that Bitcoin price has reached its new all-time high, the question we all would like to hear the answer is: “Will it rise higher?" The price being only a second-long equilibrium between the supply and demand, it depends of course on the market sentiment, and there’s no way to predict …

Published by DCenter

octobre 21 2021

Bitcoin ETF marking best-ever first trading day

https://youtu.be/FPqIC3jzfVA The first Bitcoin-linked ETF officially launched yesterday on the NYSE and it was definitely a success. On its very first day Proshares’ $BITO registered a turnover of almost $1Bn, marking the highest natural (not pre-planned) volume ever seen on the first day. Even if the ETF is not directly backed by bitcoins, but only …

Published by DCenter

octobre 20 2021

Venezuela's growing crypto adoption says it all

On the 7th place in Chainalysis’ world crypto adoption ranking, Venezuela is a country that can end any crypto-skeptic debate in a matter of seconds. It is poor, and hyperinflation and the US sanctions hinder its chances to get better: how do you accumulate capital if your money is losing value …

Published by DCenter

octobre 19 2021

Crypto games are gaining traction

https://youtu.be/HtYA_uyyeZo Crypto games are gaining traction, as more and more users get seduced by the Play-to-Earn principle. According to DappRadar, in-game NFT collectibles generated $2.32 billion in sales during Q3, or 22% of the total NFT trading volume industry-wide. The leader here is still Axie Infinity, a collection which has become the most …

Published by DCenter

octobre 18 2021

Polkadot schedules its first parachain auction

When it comes to blockchains, it is already pretty obvious that there won’t be any major one “to rule them all”. Instead they would specialize, leveraging their differences. In such a world, however, these blockchains would have to interact, and that’s exactly what Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood had in mind while presenting Polkadot …

Published by DCenter

octobre 17 2021

SEC to approve first crypto ETFs

https://youtu.be/1A6aKH7rdSA Bitcoin price has broken through the $60k resistance, as traders rejoice at the growing possibility of the first crypto ETFs, or Exchange-Traded Funds, to be approved by the US SEC. ETFs are financial products that track an asset, allowing to invest in it without actually buying it. Traditional investment companies in the US …

Published by DCenter

octobre 16 2021

Putin says crypto has value

People outside the dollar/euro zone have a better understanding of fiat money vulnerabilities, for they experienced it on their own skin – and often the hard way. The Russians are well aware of how unstable the rouble is, so when Covid hit the world economy, their first reaction was to massively withdraw their money from …

Published by DCenter

octobre 15 2021

New Bitcoin mining map

When it comes to crypto, one country’s loss is almost always another country’s gain, and Bitcoin mining is no exception. China’s mining crackdown forced its miners, previously responsible for an impressive 65% of Bitcoin hash rate, to relocate. And so they did, mostly to the neighbouring Kazakhstan and the enthusiastic North America - …

Published by DCenter

octobre 14 2021

FTX and Coinbase launching NFT marketplaces

The incredible rise of NFTs – and of NFT marketplaces by consequence – was hard not to notice. With monthly trading volume of almost $3Bn, the success of OpenSea should have been on the minds of all world’s leading exchanges, so Binance launching its own NFT marketplace in June came as …

Published by DCenter

octobre 13 2021

Switzerland so into crypto

We at D.Center believe that educating people on crypto matters is paramount and can help us change our societies for the better. So we cannot but applaud the initiative of a Swiss think-tank 2B4CH to introduce Bitcoin to the Swiss federal constitution as such: “The Swiss National Bank shall create sufficient …

Published by DCenter

octobre 12 2021

EL Salvador to fund a vet hospital with Bitcoin Trust gains

https://youtu.be/B89Fazut32A Here’s a heartwarming news for your Monday: El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced that the country’s Bitcoin Trust generated a surplus of $4M due to Bitcoin price rise, and this money will go to funding a new top-notch veterinary hospital. He precised that the Trust will not sell any BTC, but use …

Published by DCenter

octobre 11 2021

Edward Snowden warns of CBDCs

As Central Banks all over the world are enthusiastically announcing their plans to create a CBDC, and China has already rolled it out, it is time for us citizens to really understand what it is. First things first – Central Bank Digital Currency is not a cryptocurrency. It is conceived as …

Published by DCenter

octobre 10 2021

NYC's Penn Station to host NFT sale

https://youtu.be/YunYZB6rFtk Dozens of artists will have the opportunity to present and sell their NFTs in one of the most crowded places in the Western hemisphere – the Penn Station in NYC’s Madison Square. Curated by Nathan “Mogul” Nakhmanovich, the Art in Motion will exhibit over 200 NFT QR codes that commuters can scan and …

Published by DCenter

octobre 09 2021

Lightning Network usage soars

While many in the rich and widely banked countries, blindfolded by our dollars’ and euros’ (seeming) stability, still maintain the “Bitcoin is not money” rhetoric, people in the rest of the world increasingly use it as such. Of course, the main chain, with its high fees and slow throughput, is …

Published by DCenter

octobre 08 2021

Brazil to recognize crypto as means of payment

It’s becoming impossible for regulators all over the world to ignore crypto or treat it as a commodity, trying to fit it into the existing laws. The assets created on a blockchain are of a class that never existed before, and they require specific regulations, and an increasing number …

Published by DCenter

octobre 07 2021

XRP holders granted amici status in SEC v Ripple trial

The government and its agencies are there to protect the society and people who live in it. But we are all humans, and at some point the sweet taste of power overshadows the initial mission, and the American SEC might be in that place now. Its lawsuit against Ripple is particularly ill-conceived: 8 years …

Published by DCenter

octobre 06 2021

Facebook problems show the importance of decentralization

In a short period of time Facebook has gracefully provided us with several examples of the importance of decentralization: ⚠️ Opaque algorithm managed by a central authority leaves us completely at its mercy The documents recently leaked by ex-employee Frances Haugen show that Facebook news feed still prioritizes hateful and divisive content, …

Published by DCenter

octobre 05 2021

Pandora papers show fiat is still the best option for tax evasion

Offshore leaks of 2013, Panama Papers of 2016, Paradise Papers of 2017, and now Pandora Papers of 2021, the biggest leak to date on offshore activity of the world’s elite. It looks like the only way to bust some (only some!) of the illegal activity of the world’s rich and powerful is …

Published by DCenter

octobre 04 2021

Coinbase to reimburse 6000 victims of a phishing scam

One of the collateral benefits of the progressing crypto adoption could be increased computer literacy, as people learn to take responsibility for their assets: chose a legit exchange, move fiat, place a correct crypto buying order, set up and move funds to a non-custodial wallet… etc. What’s sad, however, is …

Published by DCenter

octobre 03 2021

Dolce&Gabbana dive into NFT fashion

https://youtu.be/LG-piraQFhQ As another defile season is coming to an end with Paris Fashion Week, the metaverse is now claiming its own fashion.It makes total sense: as digital worlds become populated, our avatars should also be able to express their personalities via clothing and pay respects to this form of art. It also makes …

Published by DCenter

octobre 02 2021

Société Générale to refinance its bonds with DAI stablecoin

We’re so thrilled to report a major event in crypto finance coming from France, D.Center’s home country and a very conservative place when it comes to banks. There’s indeed a persisting problem of banks refusing crypto companies their services, but today a new perspective appeared. Société Générale, the third biggest French bank …

Published by DCenter

octobre 01 2021

Compound protocol overpays $15M to users

DeFi is a fascinating tech allowing everyone to participate in an independent financial ecosystem that does not answer to any central authority. However, it is still in its early age and bugs in smart contracts’ code are all too common, even in the long-established protocols, especially when they undergo updates. Yesterday …

Published by DCenter

septembre 30 2021

Bitcoin mining off volcano in El Salvador

https://youtu.be/5NO0izuh7NE This is what Bitcoin mining on volcano looks like. ElSalvador President Bukele staying true to his word, shared the video of first mining rigs installed on the country’s geothermal station. In the meantime, Chivo wallet users exceeded 2.2M, which is more than a third of the total population – and also more …

Published by DCenter

septembre 29 2021

Snoop is all over the metaverse and NFTs

https://youtu.be/QqQPBTAxuK0 Snoop is all over the metaverse and NFTs now. The coolest (in our opinion) of the rappers revealed last week he was the NFT collector known as Cozomo de’ Medici, owning an impressive collection worth around $20M and featuring CryptoPunks, ArtBlocks and most recently – a $3M XCOPY artwork. Snoop Dogg also …

Published by DCenter

septembre 28 2021

Chinese traders turn to DEX

This is becoming so exiting to watch. Days after crypto transactions were made illegal in China, the country’s trading activity switches to decentralized options.Tokens of UniSwap and Sushiswap Decentralized Exchanges gained +41% and +36% in one day, while the decentralized derivatives platform DYDX registered more than a triple increase …

Published by DCenter

septembre 27 2021

NFTism at Art Basel

Art Basel is one of the most influential art fairs, which has been spotting new cultural trends for over 5 decades. It’s no surprise that this year’s edition was marked by the presence of the NFTs, like the NFT-dedicated corner by the famous Gallery Nagel Draxler. The gallery had to …

Published by DCenter

septembre 26 2021

China bans all crypto use

Chinese state is nothing but thorough. In a carefully planned state of surveillance there’s no room for services that could connect Chinese people to the outside world, and even less – for libertarian inventions that cannot be censored. Bitcoin and other crypto, of course, should be banned in order for the …

Published by DCenter

septembre 25 2021

Twitter launches another crypto adoption wave

What could be better for a global crypto adoption than a social network of over 350M monthly active users who are now allowed to tip and receive tips in Bitcoin ? In a partnership with Strike, a company that developed non-custodial Lightning Network-enabled wallet, Twitter users can instantly and almost free …

Published by DCenter

septembre 24 2021

NFTs allowing new ways of enjoying sports

NFTs can offer so many new ways of enjoying sports, and their development in this sector is remarkable. NBA TopShot collectibles collection was once largely responsible for NFT market growth, and its mother company Dapper Labs is valuated at $7.6 Bn after the recent funding round. Across the pond the most popular …

Published by DCenter

septembre 23 2021

Banks want more Bitcoin

Is there a rebellion brewing in the banking system? Commerical banks that not long ago were so eager to damn Bitcoin and other crypto are now fighting against new regulation proposal that would oblige them to set aside one dollar in capital for each BTC they own. The Global Financial Markets Association, whose …

Published by DCenter

septembre 22 2021

DeFi attack season is open

There has been 4 important DeFi exploits in the last 7 days. Sept. 14: Solana-based Raydium fell victim to a DDoS attack, forcing the whole network to suspend its operations for over 14 hours, Sept. 17: SushiSwap’s token launch platform MISO had malicious code injected into its front end, replacing the …

Published by DCenter

septembre 21 2021

If the debt ceiling isn't raised, USA defaults in October

A debt is something owed. When a company doesn’t have enough resources to return it, it defaults. One of China’s biggest companies – a real estate developer Evergrande – is about to give us yet another demonstration of this simple economic truth. However, what if the defaulting company can influence the money-printing institution to …

Published by DCenter

septembre 20 2021

Cuba officially recognizes crypto as means of payment

It’s official: Bitcoin and other crypto are recognized as a means of payment in Cuba and can be legally used for commercial transactions and investments. The Resolution of Banco Central de Cuba also foresees a licensing regime for crypto exchanges and other providers of crypto services operating in Cuba. It’s a welcome move for a …

Published by DCenter

septembre 19 2021

Central bankers' wishful thinking on crypto

https://youtu.be/7vm2rO-jPlI It is amusing to watch central bankers freaking out about crypto. Today our thoughts go to Christine Lagarde from the ECB who is desperately trying to convince the general public that her institution must have the monopoly over money until the end of times. In yesterday’s interview she said that “cryptos …

Published by DCenter

septembre 17 2021

Africa's grassroot crypto adoption growing fast

It seems like nothing can stop crypto adoption in Africa now. It still has the smallest crypto economy, but it grows very fast. A recent report by Chainalysis shows a 1200% yearly volume growth, with retail transfers’ share higher than the world average. This means that the grassroot adoption is thriving, and …

Published by DCenter

septembre 16 2021

Solana halts for many hours after a DDoS attack

Solana claims to be “the fastest blockchain in the world”, and its “400 millisecond block times” and low transaction costs have been the main arguments supporting SOL extraordinary price rally of over 400% in under a month, corrected since to “only” 260%. However, it might be too early to announce the …

Published by DCenter

septembre 15 2021

Bitcoin vs gold: Michael Saylor's choice pays off

When they say that Bitcoin is a digital gold, it often sounds like an aspiration. However, Bitcoin largely surpasses gold in many aspects: it’s easy to exchange, it’s limited at 21M, and when BTC price goes up and miners double down on their efforts, it does not affect the supply, …

Published by DCenter

septembre 14 2021

Crypto as a solution to Zimbabwe money problem

89’700’000’000’000’000’000’000 %. This was the year-on-year inflation rate in #Zimbabwe in 2008, leading the government to stop printing the currency the following year. In June 2019 a new ZimDollar was launched, and by July 2020 the inflation rate was already at 737%. Clearly, a state currency appears to be a difficult challenge for the …

Published by DCenter

septembre 13 2021

Financial regulators and investor (over)protection

What is investor protection? In a centralized world it means checking if the companies providing financial services and those behind a financial product are legit, which would decrease (but not eliminate) the risk of a scam. This is the job of regulators empowered to say yes or no to any financial project. In a decentralized …

Published by DCenter

septembre 12 2021

Crypto in Latin America: who's next?

After El Salvador’s Bitcoin law the eyes of the crypto community are all on Latin America. Who will be next to pick up the trend? Will it be Panama? This week a deputy presented a project of law aiming at promoting crypto and making it a legal means of payment (although it won’t …

Published by DCenter

septembre 11 2021

SEC impeding crypto business: an overreach?

Did we all miss that time when the US SEC changed its mission from “protecting investors and promote a market environment worthy of public’s trust” to “try to impede crypto industry at all costs” ? To recap its recent achievements, we can mention: - ill-conceived lawsuit against Ripple - stonewalling Coinbase’s novel …

Published by DCenter

septembre 10 2021

Ukraine passes crypto law

Bitcoin itself does not need a regulation. It exists on its own, carried by millions of people who believe it’s a better money. The regulation is needed by the people who make their living developing crypto-related businesses, as they weave crypto into the existing economies, and their clients of course. A country …

Published by DCenter

septembre 09 2021

Australian exchanges bullied by banks

While some financial institutions are starting (slowly) to wrap their heads around crypto and see how they can profit from it, others just won’t let go off the privilege they’ve inherited from the times when money was considered a banks’ monopoly. Down Under, it seems, the banks are still in …

Published by DCenter

septembre 08 2021

It's Bitcoin day for El Salvador

It’s a historical day for El Salvador and the whole crypto community. Bitcoin is officially recognized as a legal tender alongside dollar, allowing Savadorans to: save over $400M in yearly fees paid to fiat money-transferring services ( 23% of its GDP is made of remittances)have an alternativen store of value to …

Published by DCenter

septembre 07 2021

Lobby Lobsters to defend crypto industry's interests

US politics is a curious and complicated phenomenon, which happens to influence the whole planet, for better or for worse.Its influence on the crypto world recently was rather negative: the controversial Infrastructure Bill provision putting on crypto companies near-impossible reporting obligations, wacky SEC lawsuit against Ripple and other regulators’ …

Published by DCenter

septembre 06 2021

Internet Computer's first NFT success

The great thing about disruptive tech is that new use cases continue to appear even when you think you’ve thought of it all. We know NFTs are used as collectibles, digital art, gaming artifacts, rights to access a movie or another digital service, deeds of ownership to basically anything… Dfinity development company proved …

Published by DCenter

septembre 05 2021

Ethereum issuance in 24h just became deflationary

Ethereum does have insane fees recently. NFTs go through the ceiling, DeFi as hot as ever… and every action becoming ever more expensive. However, there’s a silver lining to these often-restrictive costs. The base fee, introduced with EIP1559 and enacted in the beginning of August, is burned with every transaction. During …

Published by DCenter

septembre 04 2021

Apple loosening AppStore policy would be a good news for NFTs

An important settlement is about to be approved in a California court. Apple decided to strike a deal in a class-action suit brought by a group of small developers in 2019 alleging that App Store rules were breaking antitrust laws. Among the concessions Apple agreed to loosen its strict rules on users’ …

Published by DCenter

septembre 03 2021

Joint CBDC platform to be launched by 4 countries

Blockchain has been on central bankers’ minds for quite some time already, and CBDC projects are being considered across the globe, from China (the most advanced) to Nigeria. The recent project is international though. Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa announced a joint initiative called Project Dunbar – shared DLT platform that will …

Published by DCenter

septembre 02 2021

Celo aiming at bringing the DeFi to everyone

While Bitcoin is consolidating, it’s altcoins’ time to score new highs, and one coin in particular has been especially popular this week - CELO, the currency of the namesake blockchain. Celo was conceived as a mobile-first blockchain with a BFT consensus aiming primarily at facilitating payments, but also allowing DApps development on it. …

Published by DCenter

septembre 01 2021

NFTs starting to attract institutional interest

NFTs are definitely here to stay. Other than the ever-rising interest from the general public (together with prices of course), they are starting to attract institutions. Last week VISA bought a $150k CryptoPunk for its “collection of historic commerce artifacts”. Yesterday a crypto-hedge fund Three Arrows announced the creation of a specialized NFT …

Published by DCenter

août 31 2021

China to reinforce its no-crypto policy

China seems determined to continue a “no-crypto” policy: after the crackdown on mining, it will take proactive steps to detect traders using offshore crypto exchanges and block trading websites and apps.This is a perfectly logical step for such an authoritarian regime, especially considering its significant progress in the matter of …

Published by DCenter

août 30 2021

Bitcoin accumulation: it's still everyone's game

Bitcoin whales from ancient times of 2010s are not the only ones amassing big amounts of BTC.Companies and asset managers that came much later are now becoming players to be reckoned with, holding over 6% of BTC supply (data by Buy Bitcoin Worldwide).4.3% are held by 14 financial institutions, with Grayscale Bitcoin Trust as …

Published by DCenter

août 29 2021

Cuba to recognize and regulate crypto

While the president of Minneapolis Fed arrogantly (and ignorantly) affirms that he “hasn’t seen any use case that is legitimate so far that Bitcoin solves”, millions of people around the would beg to differ. Cubans are most certainly among them: poor country withered by the decades of US sanctions, suffering from weak currency, …

Published by DCenter

août 28 2021

Art Blocks NFT collection gaining traction

NFT sales continue marking new highs, with over $2.8Bn trading volume in August across platforms (data by DAppRadar). The leaders unsurprisingly include Axie Infinity, which is still most popular crypto game by volume, and Cryptopunks, surfing on a renewed interest from whales. The third place is more of a surprise, with …

Published by DCenter

août 27 2021

African P2P Bitcoin trade volume surpasses North America's

While many developed countries’ citizens look at crypto mostly as an investment portfolio diversification, people in the rest of the world - who by the way make up 87% of the total population – need it for much more pressing issues. Send money home to your family without paying …

Published by DCenter

août 26 2021

$1200 stimulus check invested in Bitcoin would now be worth $9000

Giving free money is always a good idea for politicians: while people are too busy being happy with the checks in their mailbox, they don’t think too much about the decreasing value of the currency. More practical minds, however, couldn’t help but wondering if this “magic free money” system is a country-wide deceit. Thus, …

Published by DCenter

août 24 2021

Deutsche Börse to offer Europe's first Bitcoin futures

Germany continues to show Europe (and the world) how the traditional finance can benefit from crypto. Deutsche Borse was the first regulated stock exchange in Europe to offer crypto ETPs (exchange-traded products), followed by the French Euronext. German company ETC Group pioneered this trend with its leading product BTCetc launched …

Published by DCenter

août 23 2021

Cardano to lauch student ID system in Ethiopia in autumn

Africa is the youngest continent and one of the regions with the biggest cryptoadoption rates. Its potential in terms of embracing blockchain technology and putting it to use is huge, and that’s exactly what Cardano’s founder Charles Hoskinson is trying to prove. He recently revealed Cardano’s progress in Ethiopia, where a …

Published by DCenter

août 22 2021

Crypto may help Afgan women to resist the oppression

The drama that is unfolding in Afganistan will impact the majority of its population, however its women and girls will suffer the most. The Taliban dictatorship will deprive them of that ounce of independence they could gain during the last 20 years and condemn to invisibility and total submission. How …

Published by DCenter

août 21 2021

Bitcoin outflow from exchanges dominant this August

Since Bitcoin price successfully bounced from the local bottom of $29k in the end of July, the mood has shifted from “Extreme fear” to “Greed”, and as it often happens, bitcoins start to outflow from the exchanges.The chart by the on-chain analytics Glassnode show the trend very clearly: when …

Published by DCenter

août 20 2021

US mortgage giant to implement crypto payments

USA is a huge real estate market, big part of which is paid through mortgage. United Wholesale Mortgage is a leader in its sector, with market share as big as 20%. At this scale no wonder that their decision to start accepting Bitcoin has been much talked about. The mortgage …

Published by DCenter

août 19 2021

Fleeing Afgans struggling to withdraw cash

If your money is in the bank, it is the bank’s money. Afgan people learned it the hard way: when rushing to the banks to withdraw their savings in order to flee the Taliban-seized country, they found themselves stuck in absurdly long waiting lines, with bank employees giving diverse excuses as …

Published by DCenter

août 18 2021

Crypto-based music platform partners with TikTok

75% US-based TikTok users discover new artists through the app. With almost 1 Bn monthly active users, that’s a huge exposure, and now a blockchain-based music streaming platform Audis will have access to it. Designed to help independent musicians to distribute their music and get paid directly from their fans, Audius has signed …

Published by DCenter

août 17 2021

50th anniversary of Nixon shock: story of a scam

On August 15, 1971, President Nixon unpegged the US dollar from gold, signing a new are of fiat money. The 50th anniversary of this event is a good opportunity to remember what exactly happened and how it affects our present days. The after-war Bretton-Woods agreement, championed by the US, was supposed to …

Published by DCenter

août 16 2021

Crypto adoption booming in Vietnam

How are thing going with crypto adoption?A recent survey by Finder, a financial product comparison website, revealed an outstanding crypto adoption in South-East Asia, with Vietnam leading the way with as many as 41% of responders saying they own #crypto. Other countries in the region, such as Indonesia, India, …

Published by DCenter

août 15 2021

Bitcoin hashrate recovering from China mining crackdown

It is very hard, if impossible, to kill a truly decentralized system that anyone can join, and Bitcoin is a living proof. Only last year big Chinese miners accounted for 65% of Bitcoin network’s hashrate (or computational power), and now they’re all out. The hashrate and the big amount of …

Published by DCenter

août 14 2021

President of Argentina to consider crypto

While the world finance is being disrupted on an increasingly large scale, some government officials still hope that the weight of their positions could transfer to their words. The Head of Central Bank of Argentina is certainly among them, declaring on Tuesday that crypto “is not a financial asset” and that interaction of …

Published by DCenter

août 13 2021

Crypto investment on the rise

Crypto is not a niche anymore, it is an industry. All kinds of products and services are being built on top of blockchain, and despite regulatory hurdles in some countries, where an old world is fighting the new, crypto sector is growing fast. Moreover, this growth is likely to accelerate, …

Published by DCenter

août 12 2021

Hacker returns funds after a $600M DeFi exploit

DeFi doesn’t stop surprising us. Yesterday a cross-chain protocol PolyNetwork was hacked and over $600 M were stolen from the three blockchains PolyNetwork was bridging: Ethereum, Polygon and BSC. This is the biggest DeFi hack so far, and while we’re still waiting for a postmortem analysis, experts suspect that a …

Published by DCenter

août 11 2021

Janet Yellen taking millions from banks in plain sight

As the US Senate is debating on Biden’s infrastructure bill and a controversial crypto-related provision, crypto community took a closer look at one of the fiercest crypto opponents in the federal government – the head of Treasury and the ex-head of the Fed Janet Yellen. We used to think that the …

Published by DCenter

août 10 2021

Crypto games gaining speed

Blockchain can contribute significantly to online games, notably by bringing crypto to the in-game economies and tokenizing artifacts or heroes. It is also the driving factor behind the play-to-earn phenomenon, developing at great speed. According to DappRadar, 880k users are playing blockchain games on a daily basis, with ~$50M worth of …

Published by DCenter

août 09 2021

Ethereum becoming scarcer with EIP1559

Bitcoin taught us to appreciate scarcity, which becomes increasingly important when fiat money-printing machines go brrrrrr non-stop. Ether was conceived differently, without a hard cap and positioned as a “world computer” rather than a “world money”. However, Ethereum development is going in the scarcity direction, making it even more valuable …

Published by DCenter

août 08 2021

US Senate to decide on American crypto industry

Who could have thought that a major piece of American legislation would be stuck in the Senate because of… a crypto-related issue? And yet that’s what’s happening with Biden’s gigantic $550Bn infrastructure bill, which includes an obligation for “brokers”’ to report the details on crypto transfers. The main problem …

Published by DCenter

août 07 2021

Uruguay to consider a crypto-friendly bill

As Latin American countries show an increasing interest in crypto, the region looks ready to challenge its financial status quo. This week Uruguayan Senator Juan Sartori presented a bill proposing to accept crypto as a valid means of payment and establish 3 special licenses for crypto trading, custody, and security tokens issuance. Uruguay is …

Published by DCenter

août 06 2021

Bitcoin SV hit by a 51% attack

Bitcoin is a perfect combination of block time, block size, decentralization, and other factors within a PoW blockchain, which made it the most robust crypto by far. Bitcoin forks are the attempts to modify one aspect or another to increase scalability, but in the long run they are all missing …

Published by DCenter

août 05 2021

Spain warming up to crypto?

Has the crypto awakening reached Spain? Its leading Partido Popular has introduced a bill that would allow for the payment of mortgages with crypto. Spain is already a popular European place for real estate tokenization, which allows to easily invest even small sums of money into a property, which is then rented out …

Published by DCenter

août 04 2021

Interest in crypto growing even on vacations

One would think that summer vacations would slow down the interest in crypto, but it’s actually the opposite. According to Glassnode, last week the number of active Bitcoin entities rose by 30% to 325k per day, and the users with 100-10k BTC have been accumulating more bitcoins than ever. On the NFT …

Published by DCenter

août 03 2021

Bank of America growing fond of crypto

In today’s Newsletter we spoke about the hypocrisy of the IMF and the World Bank, who condemn El Salvador’s decision to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender, in spite of the actual needs of the country. In the meantime, El Salvador got an unexpected supporter in the form of Bank of …

Published by DCenter

août 02 2021

Is it dangerous for the DeFi to stay in America?

Decentralized Finance is a marvellous invention: with an open-source code run on a blockchain, no central authority can intervene in its processes. 2021 saw the DeFi becoming more liquid and user-friendly, which explains its extraordinary growth: since the beginning of the year the Total Value Locked increased x6 from $20Bn …

Published by DCenter

août 01 2021

IMF and Moodys attacking El Salvador on Bitcoin law

Since El Salvador ratified the decision to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender, traditional financial organizations around the world have been freaking out. They moved up a gear recently, as the Bitcoin law is moving closer to coming into force on September 7. This week two IMF officials issued “warnings”, pointing …

Published by DCenter

juillet 31 2021

Cats and Ethereum love story

Who doesn’t love cats? Ethereum users surely do. Back in 2017, at the dawn of NFTs, all eyes were on CryptoKitties – a game of breeding and collecting cute NFT kitties. It became so popular at one point that Kitties have clogged the entire Ethereum network, highlighting its scalability issues. More than 3 years …

Published by DCenter

juillet 30 2021

US Senators risk over-regulating crypto industry

USA is a big country, and while it is home to some forward-thinking politicians, the majority still cannot wrap their heads around #crypto. The US Senate Banking Committee meeting held on Tuesday was a disastrous show of ignorance. Calling the blockchain a “shadowy faceless group of super coders and miners” or “shady …

Published by DCenter

juillet 29 2021

Shopify to support NFT sales

NFT is an ownership right to a digital piece, stored on a decentralized support which is blockchain. Everyone can mint and sell them, but it sure requires some skills – which is why most NFTs end up at NFT marketplaces. This should have struck Shopify as an opportunity to extend their …

Published by DCenter

juillet 28 2021

Stoner Cats series disrupting media standards with NFT

Who said only big media groups can produce cool content? The Hollywood star Mila Kunis is set to prove otherwise: her animated series Stoner Cats will be using NFTs to reverse-finance the original content and change the way it is accessed. The series is about cats whose owner accidentally throws …

Published by DCenter

juillet 27 2021

Amazon to integrate crypto

Last week Amazon posted a job offering for “Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead”, inciting speculations about its possible involvement with crypto. The rumours got stronger last night, when an anonymous source told that Amazon is planning to integrate Bitcoin payments by the end of the year, and probably …

Published by DCenter

juillet 26 2021

More Americans add crypto to their retirement plans

While the SEC keeps postponing its decision on crypto ETFs (exchange-traded products), Americans are finding ways to include crypto into traditional financial instruments, like the ones created for retirement. The most popular tool is now IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, which allows to invest crypto (legally considered property) in a tax-free …

Published by DCenter

juillet 25 2021

Twitter to integrate Bitcoin

While Facebook is still trying to figure out how to implement its Diem stablecoin, Twitter might have its own crypto project brewing, but featuring a true decentralized and independent currency. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that “an open standard that’s native to the Internet is the right way to go, which …

Published by DCenter

juillet 24 2021

Crypto investment on the rise

Crypto is as attractive investment as ever, for average people as well as institutions or public companies. While dollar/euro printing machines go brrrrr, more and more people turn to crypto. A recent Gallup survey revealed that 6% of American investors (adults with over $10k in stocks, bonds and funds) now have …

Published by DCenter

juillet 23 2021

EU politicians wtill ignorant of what crypto is and how it works

Politics is not an easy job, as it requires to have a good understanding of the phenomena one is trying to regulate. On the subject of crypto, however, most EU politicians do not do their homework. On Tuesday, the EU Commissioner for Financial Services Mairead McGuinness announced the proposal to “ban …

Published by DCenter

juillet 22 2021

Tokenizing Picasso to democratize art investment

Art is always a good investment, but only a lucky few with enough money and connections in the art world can afford a Picasso. Or is it so? What if ownership rights to a Picasso were split into many “shares”, tokenized, and broadcasted to a blockchain? This would allow an average …

Published by DCenter

juillet 21 2021

CBDCs can divide nations. Crypto can unite them

Here’s a news worth a dystopian novel: US Senators propose to ban US Olympic athletes from using the digital yuan, Chinese CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency). While many countries, including USA and the EU, debate on the possibility to “digitize” their currencies, China is by far the most advanced in this …

Published by DCenter

juillet 20 2021

Bitcoin amazing resilience

Bitcoin might be among the most resilient systems there are. Last week Chinese Anhui province was the last one to force its mining farms to close, bringing to an end this epic crackdown. Only last year big Chinese miners accounted for 65% of Bitcoin network’s hashrate (or computational power), and …

Published by DCenter

juillet 19 2021

Jack Dorsey to develop DeFi services on Bitcoin

Did you think the DeFi was limited to Ethereum and alike? Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey has a different opinion. His new business called TBD – an open platform aiming at building DeFi services on top of Bitcoin – could make us reconsider the practices in this young and …

Published by DCenter

juillet 18 2021

Damien Hirst selling his artwork as NFT

Damien Hirst has been vocal about his love of crypto for some time now. Earlier this year he started accepting it for his artworks, and now, quite logically, it’s time for NFTs. Not without irony, the artwork he decided to sell in NFT form is called “The Currency” – a series …

Published by DCenter

juillet 17 2021

The rise of DEX

There was time – not long ago – when centralized exchanges (CEX) seemed like the only viable option for buying and selling crypto: decentralized alternatives were hard to use and struggling with liquidity.However the speed of innovations in the crypto world is sensational and the new generation of DEX …

Published by DCenter

juillet 16 2021

Lightning Network capacity surge

Is it finally time to stop complaining about Bitcoin’s low scalability? Yes, it is about 7 transactions/second, which is the consequence of the protocol’s time-proven robustness. And no, there’s no point in changing this by sacrificing its decentralization or security. We believe that Bitcoin should be perceived as a base layer and the guardian of value, …

Published by DCenter

juillet 15 2021

On-chain data shows Bitcoin accumulation

When Bitcoin price action is boring, does it mean that nothing’s happening ? Not quite. At the moment there are actually some interesting on-chain trends that can not only give a hint about the future price direction, but most importantly – about users’ sentiment. Coins continue to outflow from exchanges, accelerating in particular for …

Published by DCenter

juillet 14 2021

Mining incentives to help the planet

The creativity of crypto miners continues to fascinate us. We’re not speaking here about huge mining farms looking for a nice dam to settle, but the smaller projects that help making our planet greener, all while mining Bitcoin. We’ve already spoken about stranded natural gas from oil extraction fields that is …

Published by DCenter

juillet 13 2021

Axie Infinity: the play-to-earn phenomenon

NFT sales hit the record $2.5 Bn in the first half of 2021, driven mostly by collectibles like CryptoPunks or sports-related series like NBA Top Shot. However, the series that generated the biggest trade volume during this period does not contain collectibles, but the characters of a crypto play-to-earn game …

Published by DCenter

juillet 12 2021

VISA connection with crypto bearing fruit

In February Visa announced its plans of introducing crypto to its network. Since then it partnered with over 50 crypto platforms like FTX or Coinbase to issue cards allowing to easily convert and spend crypto at over 70 M merchants of Visa network. With Crypto. com Visa is working on a …

Published by DCenter

juillet 11 2021

Decentralized Identity: crypto tool to control your data

Do you own your digital identity? If you think you do, just imagine what happens if you’re locked out of your email and cannot login to any of websites that use it as a credential. Or imagine expressing an opinion that does not fully correspond to the dogma of the moment - social …

Published by DCenter

juillet 10 2021

Anthony Hopkins new movie on NFT platform Vuele

Streaming platforms may soon be transformed by the blockchain and Vuele, an NFT-based viewing platform, is showing the direction. Launched only last month, Vuele is starting strong with an exclusive premier of a movie featuring Anthony Hopkins and available to the owners of Vuele tokens. More movie-related content in the NFT form, such as behind-the-scenes …

Published by DCenter

juillet 09 2021

Argentine lawmaker proposes a bill to allow workers be paid in crypto

What do you do if your salary is losing its buying power faster than you spend it, and converting it to another currency is not an option? The government of Argentina put its people in this desperate situation by restricting monthly foreign currency purchases to the equivalent of only $200, and then introducing …

Published by DCenter

juillet 08 2021

Bitcoin getting ever greener

Crypto ecology trend is getting stronger, and we can see it. Recently formed Bitcoin Mining Council shared the results of its first mining survey for Q2 2021. Roughly a third of the network took part, revealing a 67% sustainable energy mix. Based on this data the total mining energy mix is …

Published by DCenter

juillet 07 2021

Crypto progresses around the world

Crypto steadily gains the hearts of people all over the world. The news come pouring in, and just yesterday we heard of Vietnam’s Prime Minister asked the Central Bank to trial crypto implementation. Ukraine’s leading e-bank Monobank has completed crypto integration pilot and is now waiting for the Central Bank approval. Brazil’s first …

Published by DCenter

juillet 06 2021

Wyoming legally recognizes DAO

Wyoming continues its path to the permission-based crypto economy. It already recognizes cryptocurrencies as money and gives bank licenses to crypto businesses (Kraken exchange was the first to receive it in 2020). It is tackling more complex notions now, such as DAO – Decentralized Autonomous Organizations - member-managed or algorithmically managed …

Published by DCenter

juillet 05 2021

Hermitage considering NFTs for fundraising

One of the biggest art museums in the world – the Hermitage in Saint-Petersburg – is considering NFTs as a tool for fundraising. For example, to finance a painting restauration, it could be tokenized in the “before” state and auctioned off among art lovers. NFT being programmable, it can be …

Published by DCenter

juillet 04 2021

Football and crypto love story

Footbal and crypto is a long-term love story. FC Barcelona, Milan, Juventus, PSG and others have been selling NFT fan tokens, some with artistic value, some allowing to take part in club’s decisions. Platforms like Chiliz or Footballstars make it easy. The French platform Sorare is selling NFTs of players that …

Published by DCenter

juillet 03 2021

Germany so into crypto finance

It looks like Germany doesn’t want to miss any of the possibilities the crypto can offer to the traditional finance. Not only it has 0% tax on crypto gains and its banks can offer clients crypto services with a special licence. Since yesterday the most popular investment vehicle in Germany – …

Published by DCenter

juillet 02 2021

Historical moments to collect via NFT

NFTs have opened up a world of new possibilities for collectors. Not only digital artpieces’ ownership is more secured with them, but the very notion of what can be collected is now broader than ever. In March Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sold an NFT of the first tweet ever for over $2.9 M. Yesterday …

Published by DCenter

juillet 01 2021

Decentralized Finance in the making

DeFi sector is booming, and new projects pop up like mushrooms after the rain. Unsurprisingly, they can go both ways : either to a great success or crashing down, allowing others to learn from their mistakes through the beauty of open source. This month saw Iron Finance and SafeDollar algorithmic stablecoins on Polygon network …

Published by DCenter

juin 30 2021

The “faketoshi” wins in court

The way Bitcoin was launched is in perfect sync with the ideas of freedom and accessibility for all that it represents. With decentralization as a cornerstone, Bitcoin blockchain cannot have any owner, and that is why its creator Satoshi Nakamoto not only stayed anonymous, but also left the project when …

Published by DCenter

juin 29 2021

Indian investment in crypto grows x200 vs last year

Crypto adoption growth – and thus the future of money – will definitely come from developing nations, as they tend to better understand its huge potential. India is one of the driving forces, and it’s already becoming obvious: in one year Indians’ investment in crypto rose from $200 M to $40 …

Published by DCenter

juin 28 2021

NYC Mayoral frontrunner pro-Bitcoin

New York City is a formidably dynamic place, with financial & business expertise that allowed it to develop some of the most prominent crypto firms (Gemini, Paxful, Chainalysis to name a few). It is also one of the first to introduce crypto-specific legislation, with it infamously strict BitLicense. However, since other parts of the …

Published by DCenter

juin 27 2021

El Salvador airdropping $30 in BTC as an incentive to use crypto

Published by DCenter

juin 26 2021

Blockchain as a tool for the freedom of press

As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong, the freedom of press might soon be a thing of the past there. A pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to shut down this Wednesday, prompting citizens to form lines to buy the last edition. All is not lost though. Newspaper supporters have …

Published by DCenter

juin 25 2021

CFA region monetary dependence on France and how Bitcoin can end it

Did you think colonization times were over? You may change your mind if you take a closer look at the monetary dependence of the CFA countries on France. We believe that the CFA should end now, and Bitcoin take over. Here’s why. The CFA was created to provide monetary stability to …

Published by DCenter

juin 24 2021

Crypto economy’s map is changing

Unsurprisingly, China continues its crackdown on crypto, this time by scaring its leading banks and payment platforms into “investigating & identifying” crypto exchanges and dealers. In the meantime, Cardano might be preparing another interesting project in Sub-Saharan Africa. After education & mobile infrastructure projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania, this one …

Published by DCenter

juin 22 2021

Crypto mining to repair coal mining environmental harm

A coal plant is not only emitting large quantities of greenhouse gas, it also causes a local environmental disaster, notably because of the leftover coal waste. Acid mine drainage resulting from it pollutes rivers and threatens their aquatic life, coal waste fires destroy forests and their ecosystems… After a century …

Published by DCenter

juin 23 2021

The great mining migration

Contrary to what it announced earlier, Chinese Sichuan region will not allow its miners to stay until September to benefit from the cheap hydropower of the rainy season. In a note released last Friday it ordered its biggest miners to shut down by June 25. This is not surprising at …

Published by DCenter

juin 21 2021

Portugal grants crypto exchange licenses

Portugal is one of the few crypto-friendly countries in Europe, famous notably for 0% tax on gains from non-professional crypto trading (like Switzerland and with some reservations - Germany and Malta). It is also a delightful place to live, which incited many digital and crypto nomads to move there. Developing crypto …

Published by DCenter

juin 20 2021

Illinois to become another crypto-friendly state?

It is no stranger to crypto already, with the world’s largest derivatives market CME (Chicago) proposing Bitcoin futures since 2017, a Bitcoin ATM company CoinFlip (Chicago) operating since 2015 and the ambitious plans of the Sangha systems crypto mining firm to build solar-powered mining farms downstate. It is now considering the …

Published by DCenter

juin 19 2021

Russian billionaire advocating for Bitcoin

Billionaires too have their little grievances.For example, Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska’s is annoyed that he and his companies have been sanctioned by the US, which is of course affecting the business and international payments in particular.Being a smart man, Mr Deripaska seems to have found a solution in Bitcoin, publicly …

Published by DCenter

juin 18 2021

The World Bank refuses to help El Salvador in implementing Bitcoin

What is the role of World Bank ? They say they work on « sustainable solutions that reduce poverty », but their recent refusal to help Salvadoran government in implementing Bitcoin is making us doubt it. Bitcoin is one of the few tools that can effectively fight poverty, offering an …

Published by DCenter

juin 17 2021

Michael Saylor looking to buy more bitcoins

It looks like Michael Saylor just can’t get enough of Bitcoin. With an admirable tenacity he explores every possible way to get some more. Beyond his personal holdings, his company Microstrategy has already purchased 92079 BTC for its treasury. Then it issued and successfully sold $500 M of bonds, with the proceeds used …

Published by DCenter

juin 16 2021

Positive crypto vibe starting in Tunisia

Its Minister of Finance announced his intentions of introducing crypto-friendly laws, that would notably "decriminalize" Bitcoin.The news is more than welcome, especially after the recent outrageous arrest of a 17-year old Tunisian boy who used Bitcoins in his online activity. The absurd accusation of money laundering shows that Tunisian police …

Published by DCenter

juin 15 2021

Tanzania to become the next country to turn to crypto?

Monetary independence is becoming a hot topic across the world's developing countries. After EL Salvador making Bitcoin legal tender it may be Tanzania's turn. Yesterday its President instructed the country’s Central Bank to prepare for wider adoption of crypto around the world, saying that the age of crypto and blockchain was dawning. The first …

Published by DCenter

juin 14 2021

Taproot locked in!

The biggest Bitcoin update in 4 years, has been well confirmed by over 90% miners - the threshold required by the "Speedy trial" activation mode.Taproot will replace ECDSA signatures with Shnorr, saving blocks storage space and making cheaper complex transactions like Multisig and Layer 2 pegs. The coolest thing though is how …

Published by DCenter

juin 13 2021

The Fed balance sheet exceeds $8 Tr

As the Fed balance sheet exceeds $8 trillion for the first time, the fears of inflation soar - and they are justified. It's been barely 13 years that the US and other major economies are testing the new "economic theory", which resumes to "print as much as you can".Before the 2008 crisis the Fed …

Published by DCenter

juin 12 2021

Bitcoin is bad for crime

This week the U.S. justice department announced having seized 64 bitcoins paid to the hackers that attacked Colonial Pipeline in May. The attackers disrupted fuel supplies to the US Southeast by stealing one single password, showing how vulnerable the company security was. Yet, the media mostly preferred to concentrate on …

Published by DCenter

juin 11 2021

Mining crypto off a volcano

El Salvador continues making headlines, now with President Bukele instructing the state-owned geothermal electric company LaGeoSV to put up a plan for Bitcoin mining farms.Cheap, renewable, and 0% carbon emissions – with its 23 active volcanoes El Salvador can contribute to making Bitcoin greener, its geothermal plants - more lucrative, all while creating jobs. Win-win …

Published by DCenter

juin 10 2021

El Salvador’s Assembly passed the Bitcoin law

Here it is. El Salvador’s Assembly passed the Bitcoin law by supermajority of votes. It will not only reduce the dependence on the dollar and people who decide its fate, but also provide many opportunities for Salvadorans and the crypto industry in the country. Blockstream has already committed to providing …

Published by DCenter

juin 09 2021

Do You want the dollar to be the currency of the world?

Here's the history of dollar’s dominance in a nutshell. After the WWII the US became the center of the global monetary system by being the biggest owner of gold (many of which was bought by force from American people at $20/ounce), to which all currencies were tied back then. The US …

Published by DCenter

juin 08 2021

Sichuan lets its miners enjoy the rainy season excess electricity

Imagine if it rains a lot and your local hydropower station produces 3 times what the region needs in electricity. Being notoriously difficult to store and transfer, this extra electricity will simply be lost - a difficult thing to accept when you can set up mining farms and …

Published by DCenter

juin 07 2021

El Salvador to make Bitcoin its legal tender

El Salvador is a small country in Latin America known for its surfing spots on the Pacific ocean, many volcanoes and high poverty rates. It is also known for the “Bitcoin Beach” – a coastal village of El Zonte that have been using Bitcoin as money for two years already, following …

Published by DCenter

juin 06 2021

Over 300 applications for Singapore crypto licence, while Russia holds back

Not all countries develop the same. And while many factors are usually responsible, the ability to embrace the future is key. Singapore, with its comprehensive crypto legislation, is a good example, and it has already received over 300 applications for its crypto exchange licence, including those from Google and Alibaba. Meanwhile, …

Published by DCenter

juin 05 2021

Philipino payment app GCash planning to introduce crypto

Payment apps around the world hop on the crypto train, but some can have more impact than others. As a country relying heavily on remittances (money sent to their families by people working overseas), Philippines can benefit greatly from mainstream crypto – something that the country’s leading payment app GCash might have understood. GCash is servicing …

Published by DCenter

juin 04 2021

The age of regulated crypto fundraising

2017 was the Wild West of ICO that amazed investors with their simplicity and accessibility. Unsurprisingly, it was also the period of magnificent scams, for the sector was completely unregulated and the aspiring investors – too naive. The scammers didn’t do a service to crypto adoption then, but eventually …

Published by DCenter

juin 03 2021

Crypto ETPs listed on Euronext Stock Exchange

Crypto is an alluring investment, but institutions don’t always have the possibility to buy it directly, due to regulatory restrictions or simply lacking technical knowledge. From today, however, investors can get exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum through ETPs (Exchange-Traded Products) traded on Euronext stock exchanges in Paris and Amsterdam. Four investment …

Published by DCenter

juin 02 2021

Decentralized game customized by community

Haven’t we all wanted to add some special features to a game we’re playing? Well, unless game developers create a special content just for you (highly unlikely), this is not possible. At least in the centralized games’ world. Decentralization (and its inherent interoperability) changes everything, allowing almost endless possibilities. The code of …

Published by DCenter

juin 01 2021

Blockchain in space

On June 3rd Ethereum blockchain will become even more secure. An Ethereum node will be taken to the International Space Station by SpaceX and run from there, ensuring its independence from terrestrial services. Spacechain, the company that developed it, already sent a Bitcoin node into space in 2019, which is currently working from a satellite. …

Published by DCenter

mai 31 2021

Greener mining week by week

While the Internet is full of data manipulation concerning Bitcoin mining carbon footprint, it is becoming ever more sustainable, whether it is due to green mining or carbon offsetting.Only this week we learned about:- Miners of FX Solutions seeking a permit to build a huge $300 M solar plant in Montana,- …

Published by DCenter

mai 30 2021

Crypto games gathering steam

Horse breeding and racing fascinated people throughout the centuries, however it’s been losing the hype for many decades now, limited accessibility and animal welfare issues being some of the reasons. There’s a cool solution to revive the tradition though – digital horse racing fueled by the blockchain, like the one …

Published by DCenter

mai 29 2021

Crypto-friendly legal environment in Texas

As the news of a gigantic new spending plan of $6 Tr (!) proposed by President Biden hits the Internet, some American states prove that they think long-term by heading towards including crypto in their economy. Yesterday Texas state Senate passed the “Virtual Currency Bill” that formally defines cryptocurrencies and creates …

Published by DCenter

mai 28 2021

Carl Icahn looking to invest in crypto

The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions, as James Russel Lowell once subtly noticed. This applies to everyone, but when it comes to billionaires willing to put their money where their mouth is, a change of heart can have big consequences. One of the Wall Street’s …

Published by DCenter

mai 27 2021

Crypto and the city

The famous New York skyline could soon display another building with unusual characteristics. Todd Morley, cofounder of the investment firm Guggenheim Partners ($270 Bn in AUM), has an ambitious project in mind that would boost crypto awareness and adoption in one of the most dynamic places in the world. The …

Published by DCenter

mai 26 2021

Bitcoin Mining Council to promote green mining

Elon Musk will not stop tweeting. So instead of attacking him with all the energy that Bitcoin community is capable of, it would be much better to explain him one or two things that might be missing from his reasoning and give a promising solution. This weekend Elon Musk participated …

Published by DCenter

mai 25 2021

China bans Bitcoin mining

Decentralized systems are incredibly resilient, because everyone can join. So, when China banned crypto in 2017, it lead to dismantling of 90% (!) of the world crypto exchange services that were Chinese at that time – and this did not stop Bitcoin from reaching its then-all-time high just 3 …

Published by DCenter

mai 24 2021

Bitcoin Pizza Day

Yesterday was Bitcoin Pizza Day, the holiday marking the first real-world transaction using Bitcoin. The two pizzas on the photo were paid 10’000 BTC by Laszlo Hanyecz in May 2010. Bitcoin has gone a long way since, establishing itself as an international borderless money, which, despite its price volatility, has …

Published by DCenter

mai 23 2021

Netherlands: Exchange vs Central Bank

“US innovates, China copies, Europe regulates”. This cliché can be doubted as Chinese innovations are gaining speed, but, unfortunately, Europe is still handicapped by its overbearing legislative system. Of course, some countries do better than others, like the two crypto enclaves of (non-EU) Switzerland and Malta, but many others …

Published by DCenter

mai 22 2021

Israel-Palestine: for impartial payment services

It’s increasingly difficult to see clear in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It’s too complex, and Internet companies must take big care to stay as impartial as possible. It appears that it’s not often the case, especially in the light of the recent news of the American social payments app Venmo blocking …

Published by DCenter

mai 21 2021

Bitcoin price and paper hands

End of the bull market? Crypto winter? Strong correction ? All of them valid questions. However, it’s important to remember that financial speculation is a mere byproduct of crypto, not the initial goal. Yesterday's Bictoin price plunged as low as -50% vs its all-time high in April (recovering 30% since), which pushed many …

Published by DCenter

mai 20 2021

China banning financial institutions from dealing with crypto

It’s no surprise that a decentralized, and thus inherently independent currency irritates authoritarian institutions. So yesterday’s news about China banning financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to crypto transactions was quite trivial. China already banned ICOs and forced crypto exchanges to close in 2017, and the new ban …

Published by DCenter

mai 19 2021

Vitalik Buterin and Shiba Inu: a reminder on crypto values

Let’s talk seriously. Crypto is a solution to many problems related to centralized authorities, whether they are banks with ever increasing power on people’s personal finances or Silicon Valley companies keeping tons of people’s data to themselves. So while enthusiastic billionaires amuse themselves with jokecoins like Doge, this really should …

Published by DCenter

mai 18 2021

New research on Bitcoin mining ecological impact by Galaxy Digital

In the light of (mostly poorly-argumented) eco-shaming that Bitcoin is going through now, the new research made by Galaxy Digital hits the nerve. Taking into account only 4 areas of electricity consumption by the banking system (banks datacenters, braches, ATMs and card network’s datacenters), it appears that its energy …

Published by DCenter

mai 17 2021

Samsung adding hardwallet possibility to its Blockchain Wallet

Samsung continues its crypto strategy, updating its Blockchain Wallet so that it can connect with Ledger hardware wallet.Launched in 2019, Samsung Blockchain Wallet comes with Galaxy smartphones and allows to manage a big array of cryptoassets. It is also connected to Gemini exchange. Speaking adoption, the wallet now holds an equivalent …

Published by DCenter

mai 16 2021

1inch DeFi protocol joins Aave in Sushiswap by integrating Polygon

Ethereum is a powerful blockchain allowing to build a great variety of DApps, but it hardly scales enough to support their functioning, which leads to traffic jams and huge fees. The solution came in the form of Polygon, a layer-2 running on top of the main blockchain. More and …

Published by DCenter

mai 14 2021

Crypto mining eyeing carbon-neutrality

Bitcoin mining is not carbon-neutral, but it CAN become such. The recent Elon Musk’s eco- outburst can only highlight this trend. Some of the latest projects include Argo miner, who not only agreed to create a green mining pool with another miner DMG, but also purchased two Canadian …

Published by DCenter

mai 15 2021

News of the day - archive

This section is dedicated to the news that shape the crypto world - day by day, choosing one piece of news that would influence our future the most. May 13, 2021 - Tesla suspends accepting Bitcoin due to ecological considerations Elon Musk is once …

Published by DCenter

mars 28 2021

Daily news

Can Cardano finally take off?

NFT domains’ success and what it means for the web3

SEC v Ripple: why this case is important for the crypto space

Traditional finance increasing crypto exposure

The SEC suggests USA has authority over Ethereum

After the Merge: Ethereum's perspectives and risks

Searching for new money: CBDCs vs Lebanese bank crisis

No, Proof-of-Stake is not an "improvement" of Proof-of-Work

Scam alert 🚨 How to stay safe in the Merge period

One year on, did El Salvador's Bitcoin bet pay off?

A short guide to Ethereum staking services

USDC losing market trust in the aftermath of Tornado Cash

The state of crypto derivatives and what it tells us about the crypto space

UN requires developing nations to hinder crypto finance

BendDAO: NFT liquidity protocol tested by bear market

How Tornado Cash ban can help the crypto industry evolve

Tornado Cash: why we all should be concerned for our freedoms

Nomad hack shows cross-chain bridges still vulnerable

Banks and crypto: behind the hype

Solana wallet hack shows why we need cold wallets

What does the Merge mean for Ethereum and the crypto markets?

Does digital fashion still have a future in web2

Tether opens the door to easy creation of P2P apps

How NFTs create positive impact: a day with NFT Factory

Investments in crypto ventures continue growing

US Senators misleading climate debate with Bitcoin mining

This week's story: A simple guide to NFT marketplaces

Why does the ECB attack crypto instead of inflation?

Despite recession, crypto industry progresses fast

Crypto games becoming better at being games

This week's story: 5 lessons about crypto finance we have learned in this bear market

Binance continues its worldwide license hunt

The Great Deleveraging

Is this the end of Bitcoin miner capitulation?

This week's story: a simple guide to DAOs

Colombia puts its land registry on Ripple blockchain

Meta continues NFT integration

EU Council agrees on drastic AML measures for crypto

BAYC hype lives on with Eminem & Snoop Dogg

This week's story: Crypto companies' strategies in times of crisis

Solana makes a (controversial) move into mobile

This is not a crypto winter. Here's why.

The UK and the EU taking opposite stance on crypto

Solend troubles raise questions about DeFi governance

This week's story: How ECB failed the Eurozone

Ripple to dive into NFTs with The Open Metaverse

Bitcoin miners show signs of capitulation

Amid market fears, Tether assures USDT is well backed

Three Arrows Capital to face possible insolvency

What happened to Celsius?

This week's story: New in Decentralized Identity: on Soulbound tokens and Web5

Lightning Network hits 4k BTC as grassroot adoption rises

Study: Bitcoin uses x56 less energy than fiat system

85% of US retailers wiling to start accepting crypto

Crypto, human rights and first-world patronizing syndrome

This week's story: Is crypto winter really coming?

Another NFT Discord hack ends in thousands $ stolen

Crypto exchanges: winners and losers of May sell-off

Luxury fashion dives into Web3

Big finance is doubling down on crypto

Binance goes on collecting financial licenses

Terra 2.0 launched, but the confidence is yet to be regained

More countries are taking pro-crypto steps

Crypto in Davos: a subject that divides

Chinese crypto miners still active despite the ban

OECD report: Nigerian crypto ban harmed its economy

Bitcoin and Ethereum still the first choice of crypto

Aave releases a Web3 social media protocol

Terra community has approved a salvage plan

44 countries attending monetary conference in El Salvador

This week&#039;s story: Terra-Luna’s crash: what happened?

More legislators discard anti-mining proposals

ECB tries to dispel privacy concerns over CBDC

Crypto market meltdown: key data to look at

Instagram about to roll out its NFT support

How TerraUSD lost its peg: algorithmic stablecoin trouble

This week's story: Do monetary institutions have too much power?

US crypto lobby strengthens ahead of the Midterms

Can "consumer protection" go as far as impede free will?

This week's story: Terra-Luna’s crash: what happened?