Bitcoin Difficulty Increases for Third Time in Six Weeks, Miners Remain Undeterred With High Hashrate

On March 23, 2023, bitcoin experienced another difficulty increase, following two previous rises in the last month, jumping 7.56% higher. Currently, bitcoin miners have not been deterred by the increases, as the network hashrate has been coasting along at 346 exahash per second (EH/s). Bitcoin Hashrate Remains High Despite Recent 7.56% Difficulty Rise As of … Read more

Saudi Arabia Open to Trading in Currencies Other Than US Dollar, Signaling a Shift Toward De-Dollarization

After a 48-year relationship solely with the U.S. dollar, Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said the kingdom is open to trading in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The statements follow China’s president, Xi Jinping, urging the Gulf monarchs to accept yuan for oil, and Riyadh officials saying last March the country would consider … Read more

Ukraine’s Tascombank Pilots Stellar-based E-hryvnia

Tascombank, one of the oldest banking institutions in Ukraine, has completed the pilot testing of a digital currency based on the Stellar network. The bank believes that its electronic money platform represents an economically viable implementation of blockchain technology. Tascombank Conducts Tests With New Ukrainian Digital Currency An “electronic hryvnia” has been tested by Ukraine’s … Read more

Ethereum’s Dominance on the Rise: Market Share Increases by 3% Among Global Crypto Assets

Since Dec. 31, 2022, ethereum’s market dominance has increased by more than 3% among the thousands of crypto assets worldwide, valued at roughly $856 billion on Jan. 11, 2023. According to coinmarketcap.com, a popular coin market capitalization aggregation site, ethereum’s crypto market dominance jumped from 18.4% to its current 19% dominance rating. Ethereum’s Market Share … Read more

Report: Federal Prosecutors in New York Probe Digital Currency Group and Subsidiary Genesis

Following accusations from Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss in an open letter to Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert, a report citing “people familiar with the matter” states that federal prosecutors from New York are scrutinizing transfers between Digital Currency Group and its subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital. Report Claims Digital Currency Group, Genesis Global Capital Allegedly … Read more

BUSD Sees $5 Billion Reduction in Supply in 24 Days, Relationship With Turkish Lira Continues

According to statistics, the stablecoin BUSD saw a significant drop in its supply over the past 30 days, shedding roughly 23.8% from Dec. 5, 2022, to Jan. 6, 2023. Since Dec. 13, 2022, BUSD’s supply has been reduced by more than $5 billion, going from $21.84 billion to its current level of $16.77 billion. Stablecoin … Read more

Russia’s Largest Digital Asset Deal Denominated in Chinese Yuan

A Russian company has announced the country’s first authorized transaction with digital financial assets (DFAs) involving a foreign currency, China’s yuan. The deal, reportedly the largest made to date under the current Russian DFA law, covers the issuance of tokens secured by commercial debt. Digital Financial Assets for 58 Million Yuan Issued by Russian Platform … Read more

Bank of Thailand Needs More Time to Complete and Launch Retail Digital Currency

The central bank of Thailand is not going to rush with the launch of its digital currency as it’s not yet sure about the benefits it would bring. According to the head of the monetary authority, the development of the state-issued coin may take several years. Thailand’s Central Bank Wants to Better Understand Risks of … Read more

War Spurs Crypto Activity in Russia and Ukraine, Chainalysis Reports

The deadly conflict that started with Russia’s assault on Ukraine has increased crypto-related activity in both countries, according to Chainalysis. Fiat inflation and sanctions pressure led to several spikes in transaction volumes this year, the blockchain forensics firm has found, while Eastern Europe as a whole sustained its role in the global crypto ecosystem. Russians … Read more