Bitcoin

The Connection Between Cryptocurrencies And The Equity Markets

Published

5 years ago

August 7, 2019

As you probably know the stock market went down hard, it’s been one of the I would say shocking pieces of what had happened when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell decided to cut the interest rates in order to boost the economy, the reason why this is critical for you to know this is because this marks a turning point in the sentiment towards fiat currency.

Prior to the Fed cut that happened a couple of days ago, the Federal Reserve and our government officials had decided that the economy was doing well and the recent remarks that were shown by by mr. Powell indicated that perhaps there was a lot of weakness in the economy, something that people have already been talking about in the past about a recession but somehow never really materialized. If you take a look at the historical range for recessions, we usually get in recession once every six or seven years, we are actually long overdue for one and it has been delayed for so long, in fact we our last recession was almost 10 years ago is that this is really kind of not something normal. What had happened here was stock market beginning to react to the fact that there could be a possibility that this could be the end of the bull market run and the end of a bull economy as we’re heading into 2020.

Crypto plays a very critical and strategic role, the first one has been the fact that cryptocurrencies are considered to be a very different asset class and what I mean by that is that if you take a look at cryptocurrency as a whole it evolved as a payment system but what we are currently seeing is cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more like an asset that people are storing their wealth in. This has been a fundamental shift from Satoshi Nakamoto’s specific reference to payment channels he envisioned a world where you can bypass fiat completely clean and maybe we’re gonna get there at some point I just don’t feel that now it’s a time because there just isn’t enough awareness for Cryptos. I could be completely wrong and tomorrow the whole Fiat system goes down the tubes and the next thing you know cryptocurrencies are adopted it doesn’t matter whether that’s gonna happen or not but the big question is, is crypt going to be something that will continue to be here in the next ten years and the answer is I think yeah absolutely.

Going back to Bitcoin price in the next couple of weeks, you’re probably gonna see people talk about how Bitcoin probably gonna go up to 50k or even to hundred thousand or whatever the case is and that’s where we start getting into the FOMO event you probably will get some some massive gains if you are a BTC holder.

The Altcoin markets right now are facing something that we haven’t seen before in a while, the last time we’ve had something like this was back in 2012, in 2015 and 2016 most of the Altcoins are getting flushed out of the system and this has to do with a couple of things happening number one being the fact that the exchanges are getting fragmented we’ve had almost a 400 percent growth in exchanges in just the last two years alone in fact the exchange is now constitute are the source of a lot of the new cryptos and because of that the supply of cryptos is just rising exponentially which means as more exchanges are coming online there really isn’t enough demand to soak up that so at some point these exchanges are gonna start collapsing and when they do collapse there’s going to be a rush for the exits and I think this turmoil that we’re seeing right now in the equity market and also in the cash market is a canary in the coalmine to what’s coming ahead. Now crypto right now is facing a pretty nice run but I suspect that you know we’re gonna get some sort of action coming in in the next couple of weeks because as the market begins to consolidate both from the exchange perspective and also from these many cryptos you’re gonna start seeing a lot of cryptos literally kind of get off and die off and when that happens there’s going to be a lot of shift in wealth.

As an example many of these exchanges are running stable coins and sable coins there’s too many of them right now, I think there isn’t going to be a lot of the quiddity for them in the future because every exchange wants to have their own stable coins obviously you it’s kind of like having their own fiat currencies and you’re gonna have to switch between one or two of the other.

Either way the the roadmap for this rally this epic rally what a call for Bitcoin is going to really focus on stability and security and I think that bitcoin is in a very very special position that many of these other stable coins are not one being it’s been around for ten years second to is we already know the tech and three is the fact that we have a huge event coming up next year now stable coins are going to be its rival but the problem with stable coins as I mentioned is that you have way too many exchanges with questionable reserves and even if they issue up their own stable coins there’s no guarantee that another exchange gonna pick it up, it would br very similar to what ripple is encountering when they’re trying to sell the XRP token to banks because banks don’t want to be trading other bankss currencies.

Bitcoin

Telecom Giant Vodafone Bringing Crypto to the Masses Via SIM Cards

Published

3 months ago

May 6, 2024

June G. Bauer

The major telecom company Vodafone has unveiled an ambitious plan to integrate cryptocurrency wallets directly into the SIM cards used by mobile phones on its network. This cutting-edge move aims to make blockchain technology and crypto easily accessible to millions of smartphone users worldwide.

What’s Happening?

Vodafone, one of the largest mobile operators based in the UK, intends to combine crypto wallets with the subscriber identity module (SIM) cards inside phones. SIM cards are little chips that allow mobile devices to connect to a carrier’s network.

By embedding a crypto wallet into these ubiquitous SIM cards, Vodafone wants to introduce blockchain and virtual currency technology to the masses through the smartphones we all use daily.

The Bigger Blockchain Picture

This crypto SIM integration is part of Vodafone’s bigger blockchain strategy. The company has developed its own “PairPoint Digital Asset Broker” platform to enable secure digital identities and transactions across different blockchains.

Vodafone’s blockchain lead David Palmer emphasized in an interview that mobile phones are the main way billions access digital services and commerce. So partnering blockchain with SIM card tech is crucial for widespread adoption.

By 2023, there will be over 8 billion mobile phones in use globally. And estimates suggest crypto wallets on smartphones could reach 5.6 billion by 2030 as digital money goes mainstream.

Financial Restructuring

The crypto wallet announcement comes as Vodafone seeks to restructure its finances and raise billions in new funds through debt offerings and loans over the next couple years.

The company plans to take on $2.9 billion in total debt, including $1.8 billion in direct loans. Some of this financial overhaul relates to issues at Vodafone’s Indian subsidiary Vodafone Idea Ltd.

While navigating these monetary hurdles, Vodafone still sees major opportunities in emerging technologies like blockchain and aims to be an innovator helping drive mainstream crypto adoption through the SIM card strategy.

Bitcoin

No Evidence of Hack, Says Bitfinex CTO Amid Ransomware Gang’s Allegations

Published

3 months ago

May 5, 2024

M. Ali

In the world of cybersecurity, claims of data breaches can cause significant concern and speculation. Recently, a ransomware group named FSOCIETY claimed to have successfully hacked several organizations, including the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. However, Bitfinex’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Paolo Ardoino, has dismissed these rumors, stating that a thorough analysis of their systems revealed no evidence of a breach.

According to Ardoino, who is also the CEO of Tether, less than 25% of the email addresses allegedly stolen from Bitfinex’s servers match legitimate users. This casts doubt on the validity of FSOCIETY’s claims regarding the supposed hack.

The ransomware group, styled after the fictional hacking group from the TV show “Mr. Robot,” claimed to have breached several victims, including Rutgers University, consulting firm SBC Global, and a cryptocurrency exchange they referred to as “Coinmoma,” which is likely a misspelling of Coinmama.

Ardoino expressed skepticism about the group’s claims, stating that if they had indeed hacked Bitfinex, they would have demanded a ransom through the exchange’s bug bounty program, customer support channels, emails, or social media accounts. However, Bitfinex received no such requests from FSOCIETY.

Furthermore, Ardoino shared a message from a security researcher suggesting that the real motivation behind the alleged hacks might be to promote FSOCIETY’s ransomware tools, which they reportedly sell access to in exchange for a subscription fee and a commission on stolen profits. Ardoino questioned the group’s need to sell their tools for $299 if they had truly hacked a major exchange like Bitfinex.

It’s worth noting that Bitfinex has previously fallen victim to a significant hack in 2016, resulting in the theft of a substantial amount of Bitcoin. Two individuals, including crypto rapper ‘Razzlekhan,’ pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in connection with that incident.

While the claims made by FSOCIETY have yet to be verified by the alleged victims, Bitfinex’s CTO remains firm in his stance that no breach has occurred. As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, it is crucial for organizations to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect their systems and users’ data.

Bitcoin

Indian Police Seize 268 Bitcoins Worth $17 Million in Crypto Bust

Published

3 months ago

May 5, 2024

Sying Tien

Indian authorities have seized a large sum of bitcoins from a resident of Haldwani, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The seized cryptocurrency stash of 268 bitcoins is worth around $17 million at current prices.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), a law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes, carried out the bitcoin seizure. They arrested Parvinder Singh from his home in Haldwani after a raid prompted by information from US authorities.

Singh is allegedly part of an international drug trafficking syndicate called “The Singh Organization.” The criminal group used dark web marketplaces like Silk Road to sell drugs in the US, UK and other European countries.

To hide their illegal activities, the syndicate laundered the drùg money by converting it into bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. ED officials said Singh and his associates received around 8,488 bitcoins over the years from their drùg sales on the dark web.

The bitcoin seizure was a rare collaboration between Indian and US law enforcement agencies. American officials have been investigating Singh and his accomplice Banmeet Singh for their roles in the international drùg cartel.

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are popular among criminals due to the anonymity they provide. However, this case shows authorities are getting better at tracing illegal crypto transactions and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The investigation is still ongoing, and more arrests and seizures are expected as officials unravel the entire money laundering operation of The Singh Organization.