Category: Bitcoin News

The Council of the European Union has given its final approval to new regulations for crypto assets and markets in the EU. The decision completes a lengthy and complex legislative process for what’s considered to be the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for digital assets like bitcoin. EU Finance Ministers Give Final Nod to Markets in Crypto Assets Law At a meeting on Tuesday, the EU Council, composed of the finance ministers of the member states, adopted the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation. The set of rules brings crypto…

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Indonesia is introducing a new national payment system as the country furthers its de-dollarization efforts and protection against “possible geopolitical consequences.” The new payment system will replace Visa and Mastercard in state-owned institutions and companies, a top central bank official said. “We expect that very soon it will become widespread.” Indonesia Establishes New National Payment System Indonesia will introduce a new national payment system that will replace Visa and Mastercard in state-owned institutions and companies, according to Dicky Kartikoyono, Bank Indonesia’s Head of Strategic Management and Governance Department. The central…

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Bitcoin is on a roll in 2023, breaking records left and right. For instance, on May 2, at block height 787,895, the cryptocurrency’s hashrate soared to 491 exahash per second (EH/s). Moreover, on April 20, at block height 786,240, the difficulty hit a new high of 48.71 trillion. But that’s not the only thing that’s been skyrocketing this month. The number of daily transactions processed on the Bitcoin network has also hit an all-time high, with 682,281 transactions on May 1 and 671,668 confirmed transactions just nine days later. Bitcoin’s…

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Chinese and French foreign ministers have expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation and pursue a “close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership,” according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This followed a “successful” meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China and France to Strengthen Relations State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna in Paris last week, according to a statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, both Qin and…

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The South African currency’s exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar plunged to a new all-time low of ZAR19.51:US$1 on May 12. The rand’s latest fall came a day after the U.S. ambassador to South Africa accused the country of secretly supplying weapons to Russia. Banking giant JP Morgan said it now projects South Africa’s gross domestic product to contract by 0.2%, down from the earlier positive projection of 0.3%. South Africa Denies It Supplied Ammunition to Russia The exchange rate of the South African currency versus the greenback fell to…

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Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, announced on Friday that it is “proactively withdrawing from the Canadian market.” The company thanked the regulators who worked with them and said that the Canadian market was “small.” Binance Bows Out of Canada Due to Regulatory Guidance The cryptocurrency exchange Binance has decided to withdraw from the Canadian market. The company noted that it was the home country of its founder and cited regulatory guidance as the reason for its decision. Binance claims that the new regulatory climate in Canada…

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A project to build two large-scale facilities for cryptocurrency mining is underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The high-tech data centers will rely on a full immersion solution to cool the power-hungry miners as the desert climate renders air-cooled mining infeasible, participants said. Advanced Crypto Mining Facilities in Abu Dhabi to Defy Cooling Challenges in Arab Peninsula Marathon Digital Holdings, a leading U.S.-based crypto mining company, and emerging blockchain infrastructure developer Zero Two, are working to launch what they say will be the Middle East’s first immersion bitcoin mining…

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The BRICS nations are set to discuss the feasibility of a common currency at the upcoming leaders’ summit. “It’s a matter we must discuss and discuss properly,” a South African minister stressed, noting that a growing number of countries are saying: “Why can’t we trade in our own currencies? Why are we committed to trading through the dollar?” BRICS Currency to Be Discussed at Upcoming Leaders’ Summit The BRICS countries are planning to discuss the feasibility of introducing a common currency at their upcoming leaders’ summit, which will be hosted…

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The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee has warned that China and Russia would seek to exploit the chaos resulting from a U.S. default. He further cautioned that the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status could be eroded if the U.S. defaults on its debt obligations. U.S. Lawmaker’s Debt Default Warning Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, warned Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” about the risks of the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations. The lawmaker was asked whether…

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Bank of America has warned that the key threats to the U.S. dollar’s dominance are largely domestic, as opposed to competition from other currencies, including a BRICS currency. “U.S. fiscal brinkmanship, with risks for government shutdown, or even worse a default, keeps coming up during debt ceiling discussions,” the bank’s analysts stressed. Bank of America on Threats to U.S. Dollar’s Dominance Bank of America reportedly said in a note Thursday that despite recent de-dollarization headlines, the U.S. dollar is not in danger of losing its dominance anytime soon. However, the…

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