Australian crypto exchange Swyftx is set to shutter its crypto-interest product this week, citing a “constantly changing regulatory landscape” for crypto products in the country. From Jan. 10 local time, the crypto exchange will cease to operate the "Earn" program, while users will have their entire Earn balances returned to their trade wallets. Swyftx said the decision might be “disappointing” for users, but they are “committed to doing what is best for the program in the near term.” While we believe in the value and potential of cryptocurrency, what we currently need is greater clarity on the regulation of crypto …

In the spring of 2022, the Central African Republic (CAR) became the first African country to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as a legal tender. As the second country globally to recognize Bitcoin in such a fashion, the CAR followed in El Salvador’s footsteps. El Salvador has since boasted surging tourism numbers, a resilient economy and a healthy amount of free PR since allowing its citizens to make everyday purchases with the seminal cryptocurrency. The CAR, a substantially less economically developed economy than its Central American counterpart, would hope to emulate El Salvador’s success. Despite the nation’s vast natural resource wealth, the …

Bitcoin (BTC) traded nearer $17,000 on Jan. 7 after the end of the year’s first trading week delivered a spike higher. All eyes on CPI Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it briefly passed the $17,000 mark the day prior. The pair had seen flash volatility on the back of fresh economic data from the United States, this nonetheless fading to leave the key level “unflipped” as resistance. Nonetheless, the brief uptick delivered Bitcoin’s highest price point since Dec. 20, 2022. Reacting, market participants continued to look to next week’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) print as …

Undoubtedly, 2022 was one of the worst years for Bitcoin (BTC) buyers, primarily because the asset’s price dropped by 65%. While there were some explicit reasons for the drop, such as the LUNA-UST crash in May and the FTX implosion in November, the most important reason was the U.S. Federal Reserve policy of tapering and raising interest rates. Bitcoin’s price had dropped 50% from its peak to lows of $33,100 before the LUNA-UST crash, thanks to the Fed rate hikes. The first significant drop in Bitcoin’s price was due to growing market uncertainty around potential rate hike rumors in November …

Cryptocurrency adoption has been on the rise in El Salvador in recent years, with the country becoming the first in the world to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as a legal tender. This landmark decision has attracted the attention of the global cryptocurrency community and has sparked discussions on the potential benefits and challenges of widespread adoption. El Salvador’s controversial move with its cryptocurrency adoption would not have been possible if it was not due to President Nayib Bukele, who garnered international attention after announcing the Bitcoin adoption plan and passed it into law. The legislation required all businesses within the country …

The United States December nonfarm payrolls report showed a growth of 223,000 jobs, above the market's expectation of an increase of 200,000 jobs. While this shows that the economy remains strong, market observers shifted their focus to the slower wage growth of 0.3% for the month, below economists’ expectation of 0.4%. In addition, the euro zone’s headline inflation dropped from 10.1% in November to 9.2% in December. Both economic data boosted hopes that the central bank’s aggressive rate tightening may slow down. This triggered a rally in the U.S. and European stock markets. However, the reaction in the cryptocurrency space …

Bitcoin (BTC) flashed volatility at the Jan. 6 Wall Street open after fresh United States economic data disappointed risk-asset bulls. Analyst: BTC price in line for $17,000 retest Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD dipping to $16,669 on Bitstamp around non-farm payrolls and unemployment figures. Both those came in better than expected, with mixed implications for the Federal Reserve having room for maneuver when it comes to its continued tightening of monetary policy. There may be some chance of relief for Bitcoin, crypto and the broader risk asset stage in the weeks and months to come, with …

Cathie Wood, veteran investor and CEO of ARK Invest, remains bullish on the cryptocurrency industry and centralized exchanges (CEX) despite the bear market and the crypto crisis. Wood’s investment management firm ARK continues accumulating the stock of the major United States cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase. On Jan. 5, ARK purchased 144,463 Coinbase (COIN) shares for allocation by its financial technology-focused fund, ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF), according to a trade notification seen by Cointelegraph. At the time of writing, the purchase is worth $4.8 million, with COIN closing at $33.5 on Thursday. On the same day, ARK also bought 27,813 COIN …

Mt. Gox creditors will have more time to decide on which repayment method they want to be paid in and register their payee information at the defunct crypto exchange. In an announcement dated Jan. 6, Mt. Gox trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi stated that the previously announced deadline for repayment selection which was on Jan. 10, has now been moved to Mar. 10 citing the “progress by rehabilitation creditors” in the selection and registration as a reason for the change in deadline. The announcement also urged creditors to complete the necessary steps before the new deadline. The update wrote that the rehabilitation …

Bitcoin (BTC) could be busy forming fundamental support in its current tight trading range, the latest research suggests. In a tweet on Jan. 6, trading platform Trend Rider noticed that $16,800 is becoming an increasingly important BTC price support zone. Point of control establishing below $17,000? Bitcoin’s lack of volatility has led commentators to debate when a breakout could occur — and in what direction it could go. So far, however, the increasingly narrow trading range in place since the FTX saga in November remains in control. Now, on-chain analysis is hinting that, contrary to some beliefs, BTC/USD may not …

Huobi cryptocurrency exchange has confirmed plans to lay off 20% of its employees as part of the ongoing restructuring following Justin Sun’s acquisition of the firm. “The planned layoff ratio is about 20%, but it is not implemented now,” a spokesperson for Huobi said in a statement to Cointelegraph on Jan. 6. The representative emphasized that the allegations on Huobi firing as many as 40% employees is a rumor. Huobi has established a new organizational structure after the new shareholders have taken over, the spokesperson said, adding that the firm has adjusted the business departments. “With the current state of …

During the winter storm in Texas in December 2022, Bitcoin (BTC) mining operators returned up to 1,500 megawatts of energy to the distressed local grid. It became possible due to the flexibility of mining operations and the ancillary services, provided by the state authorities. In his commentary to Satoshi Action Fund, Texas Blockchain Council president Lee Bratcher stated that miners returned up to 1,500 megawatts to the Texas grid. This amount of energy would be enough to heat “over 1.5 million small homes or keep 300 large hospitals fully operational,” according to the calculations from the Bitcoin advocacy group. While …