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Bitcoin Boom Prompts New Developments for Financial Institutions

Posted on March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 by Martin S.

The past couple of months have been quite monumental for the world of crypto. Bitcoin, in particular, managed to scale to even greater heights and broke records it had set before, something that has a ton of impacts on the way individuals and institutions perceive crypto. Already, we are seeing several new developments with the most notable ones being by leading financial institutions. It is not just gambling operators anymore.

Goldman Sachs to Reopen Its Cryptocurrency Trading Desk

Beginning next week, Goldman Sachs Group Inc will be reopening its crypto trading desk. It is the second time that the banking powerhouse will be pursuing a piece of the crypto market. The previous attempt was in 2018 and was abandoned following the crash of bitcoin at the time. Now, there has been a change of heart for the company which is without a doubt a result of the mind-numbing bitcoin surge recorded over the past several weeks.

Goldman Sachs’ new crypto trading operation will see it deal bitcoin futures for clients. In addition to that, it will also be trading non-deliverable forwards which are already quite popular in foreign exchanges and commodities markets. This move has been equated to decisions by investors and companies to use bitcoin as a hedge against inflation especially as governments and central banks turn on various stimulus taps.

Coinbase’s Impending Listing

Riding on the back of a very strong 2020 and a solid first two months of 2021, Coinbase which happens to be one of the world’s most popular exchanges is finally taking another leap forward by becoming a public company. This will not only enable it to raise capital publicly but also push forward its plans to give more people access to crypto. If you missed out on the crypto boom, this will be the perfect opportunity to jump onto the bandwagon.

An official offering date is yet to be announced but if the ongoing rumors and speculations are anything to go by, we should expect some developments very soon.

Robinhood Records Massive Surge in Crypto Activity

Robinhood has also recently reported seeing growing consumer interest in crypto trading – the volumes have already risen significantly which goes to show just how lucrative the sector is becoming. To put this into context, the company saw a whopping 6 million new crypto traders at the beginning of 2021, a number that is still growing.

Perhaps the next move will involve the expansion of its crypto portfolio. As it stands, it only supports seven digital currencies which is a rather small number when compared to other trading platforms. This should, hopefully, change very soon.

India’s Parliament Proposes Crypto Ban

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Laura P.

Last week, news broke of a proposal by the Indian parliament to ban what they termed as “private” cryptocurrencies. Now, crypto has always been on the sights of several governments around the world but not a lot has been done to threaten the sector in most jurisdictions. India is, on the other hand, a little different hence the attention.

As it stands, the country’s ruling party has control over both houses of Parliament which implies that there is a huge possibility that the proposed bill could become law. Known as the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2021, the new proposal seeks to outlaw the use of crypto in India.

However, this does not mean that India will be completely cutting ties with crypto. Instead of the so-called “private” cryptocurrencies, the Indian government will be shifting its focus to providing a framework for creating an official digital currency. This will be overseen by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which will not only distribute the currency but also regulate it.

The Industry Reacts

This is not the first time that India has made controversial proposals with regards to the crypto sector and, as expected, the move has generated some buzz. Both local and international crypto investors have already weighed in on the issue.

To begin with, many members of the crypto industry have been very open to the idea of the government developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). This not only affirms the strength of crypto as a worthy replacement of fiat currency.

However, crypto stakeholders are not too happy about the plans by the country’s parliament to term certain digital currencies as “private”. In essence, any cryptocurrency that is not sovereign, including bitcoin, may be prohibited.

It is worth noting that, as it stands, there is no certainty about which specific digital currencies will be affected. This is because the government is also considering some unspecified exceptions in a bid to promote the underlying blockchain technology.

“The digital currency bill to be introduced in the Lok Sabha is a welcome step. Its success will depend on the details, particularly the definition of what the bill calls ‘private cryptocurrencies’. This is not a common term. Bitcoin is not privately owned by anyone. It is a public good, like the internet,” said Rahul Pagdipati, CEO of ZebPay.

A consensus among industry stakeholders is that these crypto-assets and the government’s digital currency are more than capable of coexisting. Hopefully, more consultations will be conducted to ensure that the new laws can adopt a more forward-looking approach.

Binance Partners with Swipe for Crypto Card

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Laura P.

The crypto community has welcomed great thanks to a new move by Binance that will make crypto payments much easier and more familiar than ever before. Thanks to the partnership between the huge crypto exchange and Swipe, users of digital currencies may soon be able to use a crypto credit card for their payments.

Rumors of a potential partnership between Binance and Swipe have been floating around for quite some time. It was initially anticipated that Binance was planning to buy a majority stake in the crypto startup. While the page that details the partnership has since been taken down, there is enough evidence suggesting that Binance is well on its ways in disrupting the payment card ecosystem.

The first time that Binance unveiled its crypto debit card was back in March. According to the company, the move was meant to give crypto users a fiat gateway through which they pay for goods and services. The hype seemed to have cooled off but that is perhaps because the company was working on getting a partner to push that particular project to even greater heights.

Thankfully, the goal of the crypto card is not just to cater to existing crypto users – it is also quite easy to see that it is geared towards appealing to non-crypto users as well. The card has been advertised as being very similar to other bank-issued cards which means that it will certainly be just as easier to use. Moreover, preregistration for the card cost as a little as $15 which may have been quite the incentive for more adoption of crypto.

The Rise of Crypto Cards

Crypto card usage is not even close to peaking, at least not yet. This is very understandable considering the massive interest that both individuals and companies have shown towards crypto. Even PayPal has reportedly been considering direct sales of crypto and Visa may also be pursuing similar ambitions. These alone are enough to prove that perhaps its time to take crypto to the next level. That said, crypto cards are going to be a huge part of the next phase of the payments revolution.

We can, however, not overlook the issues that have already cropped up in the space. For instance, crypto debit cards that were issued by Wirecard stopped working after the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) suspended Wirecard Card Solutions (WCS. This is a very big deal especially because of the picture it paints of the gaming industry. Still, it is a great opportunity for the industry to learn and find ways to ensure more reliability. Maybe that is why Binance is so cautious about its next move.

Bitcoin SV and Provably Fair Gambling in the Online Space

Posted on June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 by Martin S.

It has been over a decade now since the online gambling industry began to tap into the mind-blowing features that crypto has to offer. One of the most notable concepts in that regard has been provably fair gambling that is made possible by the blockchain which is trusted for recording transactions both immutably and transparently.

Bitcoin, which is the mother of all digital currencies, has been an option for gamblers since 2014 but despite its popularity, it is receiving a decent amount of competition from other currencies such as Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Bitcoin SV.

In several places, the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain has been growing in popularity especially because of its growth and the tremendous development it has gone through. As it stands, the Bitcoin SV blockchain is considered to be the very best network when it comes to hosting provably fair games. Unlike other digital currency projects, Bitcoin SV has put aside most of its efforts to push electronic cash and instead opted to focus on allowing unlimited scalability. The ultimate goal has been to do all that while at the same time keeping the BSV blockchain secure, stable, and efficient.

That said, it is not too surprising that many online gambling operators are leaning towards Bitcoin SV. Already, people in some states in the United States and some countries around the world are able to buy the digital currency using either credit cards or bank transfers. This is made possible by BuyBSV.com, a site that is touted as one of the easiest and safest ways to buy Bitcoin SV.

Are There Alternatives?

There are, of course, a lot of things that make Bitcoin SV stand out from all the rest. However, its popularity and adoption are still undermined by the fact that it is undervalued. A decent number of digital currency exchanges do not support the currency and even the ones that do have made it quite hard to trade it.

Thankfully, the world of crypto is largely about freedom of choice. Gamblers and crypto enthusiasts can stick to BSV or try out some other options including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, and USD Tether (USDT). USD Tether, for instance, has been gaining quite a bit of attention on the online gambling space due to the fact that it is tied to the US Dollar. This means that it is not nearly as volatile as other digital currencies. Most casinos can consider this as an option for gamers who are looking for an entry point into the world of crypto gambling.

CryptoSlots Joins the Fight Against Coronavirus

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Laura P.

The efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic are still in place and thankfully, many of the businesses that we know and love have also stepped in to aid in the fight. The gambling industry has not been left behind as several gaming businesses have been using proceeds from gambling for a good cause. One of the most notable ones is CryptoSlots.

The crypto-based online slots platform has recently released Micro Monsters, a new slot game that has gained a lot of popularity for the amazing features that it offers. These included bonus extras that make it one of the most exciting crypto-based games in existence. That is not the only thing that makes the game exciting though.

CryptoSlots has pledged to donate all of the proceeds from the new game to Direct Relief which is a charity that is currently supporting both the COVID-19 patients as well as the health workers that are catering to them. The charity’s main focus has been the provision of personal protective gear for those who are at high risk and therefore any kind of help they can get will be vital to their operations.

“Hopefully this contribution will make a difference to those on the front line as well as providing entertainment to those doing their part by staying at home,” said CryptoSlots manager Michael Hilary.

Players can even take part by taking advantage of the amazing bonuses designed just for this. Using the FIGHTCOVID100 bonus code, Micro Monsters will be able to claim a 100 percent match bonus on their deposits.

More Efforts

In addition to offering assistance to organizations that are directly trying to help in the fight against COVID-19, many others have been trying to offer other kinds of support services to other people. The world needs all the help it can get and these efforts are certainly appreciated.

One notable case of this is the efforts by SmartSessions, an Ehtereum-based cryptocurrency paywall that is helping firms and individuals take payments for their services via Zoom. As such, service providers such as teachers, yoga, and gym instructors among other professionals whose businesses have been affected by the pandemic can keep making a living.

App aside, there has been a notable increase in hires from several crypto exchanges despite overall job losses across the world. This can be attributed to speculations regarding a potential Bitcoin bull run which might result from the halving that is set to happen sometime this month. There is a lot of optimism regarding the rise in interest in digital assets hence the hiring spree. It goes without saying that hearing news about people get jobs is quite good. The outcome of all this, however, remains to be seen.

Crypto Facilitates Illegal Gambling in Asia, Report Claims

Posted on March 2, 2020March 2, 2020 by Laura P.

A recent report compiled after a study of the Asian marker revealed that there has been an upsurge on illegal and unregulated crypto-based gambling. This has been attributed to the meteoric rise of digital currencies and the advancement of blockchain technology over the past few years. The report further showed details and highlights of how big the crypto-gambling industry has grown with the gamblers now being able to place bets that are substantially higher than what they could before.

Illegal gambling activities are still a huge problem across the globe. In Asia alone, the market was estimated to be worth a whopping $400 billion back in 2018 – it has definitely grown bigger now.

Why Crypto?

Digital currencies have lived up to their potential in so many ways. The core promise was to deliver fast, reliable and cheap payments to consumers and operators. They have managed to achieve this and more. Moreover, considering the legal standing of gambling activities across the globe, it is easy to see why the gaming operators would opt for digital currencies – in Asia, crypto offers the best alternative to the available restrictive banking options.

“Card issuers have made it so difficult for people to gamble (deposit and withdraw) even when the transactions are legal. As such, it is not surprising that people are looking for alternative currencies and payment methods. Cryptocurrency is an excellent facilitator for online gambling, which is a huge industry even without it,” a crypto lottery company executive explains.

Is Crypto Solely Responsible for Illegal Gambling?

Well, even though the crypto and blockchain technology has grown immensely over the past couple of years or so, fiat currency still rules. On that note, a lot of illegal gambling activities are still carried out using traditional currencies from Asian currencies.

It would seem like the reason why crypto is being cited as a major contributor is the fact that it remains unregulated and out of the control of traditional financial institutions. It is therefore much easier to point fingers at crypto than to highlight the shortcomings of the other players in the financial sector.

In fact, crypto is slowly beginning to shed off some of the baggage that was associated with it. It will definitely take some time before we can safely assume that everything has been cleared up but the progress that is being made is certainly very significant. Perhaps soon it will be much easier to identify, prevent and reports illegal gambling activities that are utilizing digital currencies. It may also be important for Asian countries to review their gambling laws in order to give their citizens good options when it comes to gambling platforms. This will keep them from turning to illegal and unregulated platforms.

Bitcoin Three Months from Having Its Supply Halved

Posted on February 2, 2020February 1, 2020 by Laura P.

In a little less than 100 days, Bitcoin’s long-awaited halving will finally happen, making the digital twice as scarce as it is now. The halving which is considered to be one of the most anticipated events in the world of crypto is expected to happen on May 12. In addition to being a lot scarcer, the digital currency is set to be even more valuable. Mining it will be much more expensive once that happens simply because the rewards have now been cut in half.

What This Means for The Future

The topic of the upcoming halving has been subject to a lot of debate over the past several months. One of the most debated issues is whether the expected price increase will occur before or after the halving. None of the speculations made in this regard are verifiable and this majorly because despite the complexity of the data presented, they are dependent on simplistic comparisons from previous events in the bitcoin space.

Even so, we do not intend to invalidate the significance of the occurrences related to past halvings and how they may give us some insight into the possibilities. It will be an interesting year for bitcoin enthusiasts. That is for sure.

Another thing that is also assured is some serious volatility. The halving is quite important but we have to agree that what comes after is probably what needs more focus. We will just have to wait and see if the digital currency can pick up a fresh round of momentum in the course of the year.

Ambitious Long-Term Projections

According to renowned Wealth Manager Andy Edstrom, the Bitcoin economy is going to reach $8 Trillion in market value within the next decade. Speaking during a recent interview on the Citizen Bitcoin podcast, the wealth manager references a multi-faceted approach that took a number of factors into accounts. These factors included the devaluation of traditional or fiat currencies, speculations, and geopolitics, all of which have affected the global financial systems in one way or the other.

“…I think the total valuation on 10 years that I use is about $8 trillion and that comes from various buckets, whether it’s taking share from gold, or taking share from fiat, or taking share from offshore assets, or slightly demonetizing other stores of value like real estate or new uses that we haven’t thought of or are still under construction,” he said.

As it stands, Bitcoin’s market value sits at about $170 billion – this is rather small especially when compared to other stores of value such as gold and real estate. However, the uptrend of the cryptocurrency has given a number of pro-crypto analysts some optimism about the future of the sector. Bitcoin’s value is expected to skyrocket after the halving and this is perhaps the first step towards its $8 trillion valuation.

Major Premier League Club Partners with Bitcoin Lottery

Posted on December 2, 2019December 1, 2019 by Martin S.

Last month, Crypto Millions Lotto which is arguably the biggest bitcoin lottery on the planet announced that they had inked a lucrative partnership with English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. The soccer club which is also referred to as the “Wolves” now has the lottery as its “Official Online Lottery Partner”. Obviously, this is another great milestone for the crypto community as it continues to champion mainstream adoption.

While partnerships between Premier League Clubs and sports betting companies are quite common, this one is quite special since it involves an online lottery business. Furthermore, it is also one of the few partnerships with crypto-related businesses. The Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is no stranger to the world of crypto. It has previously partnered with CoinDeal – this was the very first time that a cryptocurrency exchange sponsored a professional soccer team.

What It Entails

As implied above, the partnership is groundbreaking particularly because of the expected outcomes. Already, the football club is considered by many members of the crypto community to be the “go-to” club. Pairing it up with Bitcoin which is also widely considered to be a default option for many crypto enthusiasts is perhaps the best way to drive the agenda forward.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the partnership is the fact that it represents a huge step forward for the mainstream adoption of digital currencies. Both the online lottery and the football club are doing their best to encourage people to use bitcoin.

Crypto Millions Lotto has taken this a step further by offering a unique referrer program which allows their customers to receive referral fees in bitcoin. In addition to that, the lottery also gives them the chance to compete for a humongous $2.5 million prize and they do not even need to buy a ticket in order to participate. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.’s very larger fanbase will be very beneficial to this course.

“We are delighted to have found a partner that has the same disruptive ethos as ourselves. Wolves’ success last year has put the club’s name on the world stage in a sport that is by far the most-watched on the planet. As a company, we are big football fans, and Wolves is the most crypto-friendly club in England. They were an obvious choice,” Sulim Malook, the Crypto Millions Lotto CEO, said.

The online crypto-based lottery is currently licensed in over 100 countries where it has built up a great reputation for offering transparent, fair and trustworthy lottery services. Like many other crypto-based businesses, the company has been eyeing expansion plans as the crypto sector continues to mature. Clearly choosing to go with a football club which already has a huge customer base is a great way to go about it.

Crypto to Have More Impact on the Future of Online Gambling

Posted on November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 by Laura P.

Over the past decade, cryptocurrencies have, without a doubt, been one of the most influential technologies on the planet. Even though most people may only be aware of a couple of cryptocurrencies and a few rather mainstream applications, there is much more that underlies the industry. These are mostly in niche sectors but they have been significantly impacted nonetheless.

One of the growing numbers of areas where digital currencies and the blockchain are making a wave is in the gambling sector. This is especially true for the online gambling sector. For this piece, we are interested in breaking down some recent developments involving two digital currencies.

BlockchainTRON (TRX) Revolutionary Technology

On online gambling websites, bitcoin still reigns supreme but it has been receiving massive competition from BlockchainTRON (TRX) which is viewed by many to be a viable alternative. That said, as hard it may seem, there is a chance that the digital currency could potentially match up to or even dethrone bitcoin in the online gambling space.

Right off the bat, the TRX project is mainly aimed at ensuring the provision of a decentralized global digital gambling and entertainment system. In its quest to achieve that, it has managed to outshine bitcoin and some other digital currencies in a number of ways including its ability to provide simple and cost-effective sharing of digital content.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that TRX has is the fact that the platform already boasts of having a number of decentralized apps (dApps) on its network. Most of these ones are online casinos with a plethora of casino games that players can dive into.

As such, the future of online gambling will certainly be tied to crypto and blockchain technologies in one way or the other. TRX will definitely be a part of that thanks to its decentralized TRON blockchain platform.

The Rise of Tether

A year ago, Tether was not a very recognizable name, especially among mainstream users. However, things have changed dramatically with some digital currency payment processors revealing that they were recording up to 30 times the number Tether transactions they were processing last year.

Despite the controversies surrounding its use – there are speculations that it is being used to manipulate the prices of other digital assets – Tether actually has so much to offer. Its main selling point is its stability, that is, it was built on the principle of stability with its price being kept at a 1 to 1 ratio with the US Dollar. This is achieved through the use of reserves. It is this feature that has made it so popular among hundreds of merchants including a number of popular online gambling platforms.

In fact, it is being used in place of many other cryptocurrencies which is definitely proof that it might just be here to stay.

Crypto Industry Preparing for Google’s “Quantum Supremacy”

Posted on October 2, 2019October 2, 2019 by Martin S.

Recent reports have suggested that Google appears to have reached an impressive milestone that is known as “quantum supremacy.” This basically means that the company has managed to use a quantum computer to perform calculations that are practically impossible for classical computers to solve. Referred to as Sycamore, Google’s quantum computer was able to perform the fete with only 54 qubits – one of which reportedly failed to work. This is quite impressive especially considering the fact that for quantum computers to really come into their own, they will need up to thousands more qubits.

While this is certainly great news for tech enthusiasts who are interested in quantum computing, it has sent the crypto and blockchain communities into a frenzy. For a very long time, members of the crypto community and cryptography experts have debated endlessly about the potential impact of quantum computing on digital currencies.

In fact, since the first digital currency came to be, researchers, technologists, and governments have developed deep interests in building software that is aimed at mitigating the threat of quantum computing. While still largely theoretical, quantum computers such as Google’s Sycamore, are considered to be able to vastly speed up the process of solving complex computations. This poses a huge threat to existing cryptographic technologies such as cryptocurrencies and the blockchain.

David Chaum Calls for Quantum Resistant Technology

After news of Google’s massive breakthrough hit the airwaves, David Chaum who is considered to be the “godfather of crypto”, weighed in on the issue by calling on the blockchain industry to focus on quantum-resistant technology. According to the cryptographer, the threat may already be quite real since there is no sure way of telling how long various nations have been working on the development of quantum computers. In retrospective, a number of governments have in the past been in possession of advanced cryptographic capabilities for extended periods of time without anyone knowing.

“The news that Google has achieved quantum supremacy strengthens my belief that quantum computing is coming and as a consequence, I believe we should all use approaches that are quantum-resistant,” he said.

Chaum further took the opportunity to share some details about his own digital currency which itself is supported by Praxxis, a quantum-resistant blockchain. The Praxxis protocol utilizes quantum-resistant signatures based on large random numbers while simultaneously overcoming the challenges faced by legacy blockchains. These include such things as scalability, privacy as well as security. Praxxis was developed by a team of cryptographers and developers under Chaum’s leadership and it features a new approach to consensus.

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