A new report from the International Monetary Fund has emphasised Bitcoin’s role as a unique economic driver. The analysis focussed on cross-border transactions to identify how Bitcoin was similar (or unique) to traditional capital flow. The report uncovered that BTC is often used by people in developing nations to circumvent capital flow restrictions and financial instability such as inflation and corruption. The IMF also found that on-chain BTC transactions are typically higher-value than off-chain transactions (eg. L1 vs L2). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a recent repor ..read more

Two SEC attorneys have resigned after being accused of making potentially false and misleading representations to the court by the judge in the regulator’s case against DEBT Box. The judge also accused the SEC itself of a gross abuse of its powers, prompting an apology from the regulator’s head of enforcement. The SEC has been ordered to pay some of DEBT Box’s legal fees and the regulator has now filed a motion to have this case dismissed. Well, well well. If it isn’t another questionable SEC case against a crypto company. This time two Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) attorneys h ..read more

The Bitcoin halving reduced miner rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC at block 840,000, coinciding with high transaction fees due to the Runes launch. Fees initially surged to over US$146 for medium-priority and $170 for high-priority transactions, but have since decreased to around $16. Mark Cuban suggests miners might pivot to AI, exploiting high GPU demand, as mining’s economics shift post-halving. The Bitcoin halving is over and what’s called the ‘block subsidy’ – the reward miners get for their work – has decreased from 6.25 bitcoin to 3.125 bitcoin on block 840,000. So far so good, but f ..read more

Coinbase’s APAC Managing Director has implored the Aussie Government to work together with major industry players to improve regulatory clarity. According to John O’Loghlen, Australia is home to several “could-be” unicorn startups in the blockchain sector – but regulatory muddiness may be holding them back. Meanwhile, crypto ownership in Australia is set to reach new heights in 2024. Australian crypto unicorns may be on their way – but first, the rest of the country needs to catch up. According to Coinbase’s Asia Pacific Managing Director, John O’Loghlen, the land Down Under is home to so ..read more

Solana’s rapid expansion is partly due to its appeal for creating memecoins, attracting both enthusiasts and scammers. Twelve memecoin projects on Solana were abandoned after collectively raising over 180,650 SOL (US$26.7M), as reported by crypto-sleuth ZachXBT. Despite warnings, investor greed and FOMO continue to fuel these risky investments, with similar patterns emerging in the layer-2 network BASE. Solana has seen immense growth over the past few months, and some of this comes on the back of the recent memecoin craze. Solana has cheap transaction fees and high speeds and is the ideal ..read more

Swiss Bitcoin enthusiasts have initiated a campaign for the Swiss National Bank to hold Bitcoin alongside gold in national reserves. The proposal leverages Switzerland’s direct democracy, requiring 100,000 signatures to bring the initiative to a referendum. Advocates like Yves Bennaïm and Luzius Meisser argue that including Bitcoin would ensure Swiss neutrality and financial sovereignty. After El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, with much fanfare, it has been relatively quiet around the topic of nation-states and BTC. Now the Swiss could be the first We ..read more

Despite Bitcoin’s dominance, Michaël van de Poppe notes a lack of momentum in altcoins, which he attributes to Bitcoin’s rally and market narratives. He predicts longer cycles for altcoins influenced by regulatory clarifications and changing trends, moving focus from Bitcoin to altcoins. Michaël’s top altcoin picks, like Chainlink and Sei, show potential due to their foundational roles and innovative features. Michaël van de Poppe predicts a dynamic future for altcoins, post Bitcoin halving. In his latest analytical deep dive, he said that despite Bitcoin’s strength, there is a lack of mo ..read more

Morgan Creek Capital founder Mark Yusko thinks that we have not yet seen the FOMO (fear of missing out) phase grip Bitcoin (BTC) market participants. Speaking at the Bitcoin Investor Day, the hedge fund veteran says that Bitcoin’s latest halving kicked up BTC’s fair value from $50,000 to about $80,000. According to Yusko, he sees sidelined traders and investors rushing in to load up on Bitcoin once BTC rallies toward its new fair value. “Fair value has doubled in each of the previous halving cycles. Now I don’t think it will double this time because now we have inscription fees related to ord ..read more

The fourth Bitcoin halving has finally been completed, as the blockchain reached its 810,000th block on April 20th. The block reward for miners halved to 3.125 BTC per successful block, adding to the already diminishing supply. BTC’s remained fairly stable over the weekend following the halving. Yes, the fact that the halving occurred on 4/20 has not been lost on the meme-obsessed community. After weeks of anticipation and hype, the Bitcoin halving is finally behind us. The monumental event, slashing the block reward for BTC miners, concluded on the 20th of April amid a broader market dow ..read more

Bitcoin’s weekend halving cut miner profits by reducing BTC issuance, but the Runes protocol launch offset losses with significant fee increases. Runes, developed by Casey Rodarmor, boosted transaction costs to nearly US$128, funnelling a record US$107.8 million into miner wallets. Despite criticism, Runes simplifies token creation on Bitcoin, emphasising efficiency without needing off-chain data or a native token. The Bitcoin halving on the weekend was set to reduce miner profitability with the slashing of new BTC issued. While the halving happened without problem, the launch of the new R ..read more