China bans Bitcoin (BTC) — again. No, we’re not traveling back in time. On Sept. 24, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) published a new set of measures to promote inter-departmental coordination on cracking down on crypto activity. The measures intended to “cut off payment channels, dispose of relevant websites and mobile applications in accordance with the law.” Most investors may have missed the $3 billion Bitcoin (BTC) and $1.5 billion Ether (ETH) monthly options expiry that took place less than one hour before the news of the crypto ban came out. According to “Molly”, a former Bitcoin Magazine contributor, …

The price of Bitcoin fell 5% today following “breaking” (read: weeks' old) news that the People’s Bank of China, or PBoC, had declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal. With that in mind, let's take a nostalgic look at the last 12 years of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) coming out of China, and see if we can spot any patterns. China banned 'virtual currencies' for the first time in 2009 1: Chinese regulators have never exactly been crypto advocates. When blockchain-based digital currencies were still in their infancy, i.e., 2009, China’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Commerce barred the use …

The bullish momentum that had been growing across the cryptocurrency ecosystem over the past few days came to a screeching halt on Sept. 24 as news that China had banned cryptocurrency transactions made the rounds on social media and initiated an abrupt fall in the price of Bitcoin (BTC) from $45,000 to $42,000. After the initial knee-jerk reaction and a brief period of time for the market to digest the news, traders jumped back in to buy the dips on several altcoins, which helped some of the losses seen earlier in the day. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView …

Morgan Stanley's Dennis Lynch shared a light-hearted analogy during a discussion at Morningstar’s yearly investment conference today, claiming that Bitcoin’s insatiable ability to defy the odds and rise from both technical and fundamental adversity portrays that of the South Park cartoon character Kenny. The 24-series show has garnered a global audience base for its weird and wacky sense of humour, epitomised by the long-standing gag that Kenny dies in each episode, only to be rebirthed and gleefully unaware of his brutal demise in the following show. Head of asset management firm Counterpoint, a Morgan Stanley subsidiary — and a keen …

Bitcoin (BTC) dipped deeper to challenge $40,000 support during Sept. 24 as the dust settled on what analysts stressed was a false alarm from China. A classic bull run formula? Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed new multi-day lows of $40,690 for BTC/USD on Bitstamp, down 8% on the day. Hodlers had been frustrated but remained unfazed by the news that China had allegedly upped its cryptocurrency “ban,” this in fact simply being a reiteration of the People’s Bank of China’s existing restrictions in place for four years. The events have a ring to them — in September …

The Chinese government is getting more serious about cracking down on the cryptocurrency industry as state authorities are bringing forces to combat crypto operations in the country. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) officially announced on Friday a set of new measures to fight against crypto adoption in China, including promoting stronger inter-departmental coordination in cracking down crypto activity. 10 Chinese state authorities, including the PBoC, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security, have established a “coordination mechanism” to prevent financial players from participating in any cryptocurrency transactions. According to the announcement, the involved authorities and …

The rapid adoption of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) poses a major challenge for the traditional financial system, an executive at the Chinese central bank has warned. Wen Xinxiang, director of the payment and settlement department at the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), has expressed concerns over the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and fiat-pegged stablecoins. Pointing to Bitcoin’s market value now surpassing $800 billion and the total stablecoin market capitalization exceeding $120 billion, Wen outlined major risks associated with the crypto market at a payment and settlement forum on Friday, the Shanghai Securities Journal reported. According to the official, one of …

This week's combination of bearish factors was enough to bring Bitcoin's (BTC) price down to its lowest levels in 46 days, and this nearly obliterated 86% of the $2 billion September call (buy) options that expire on Sept. 24. There's still room for some surprises, especially considering the deadline is 8:00 UTC on Sept. 24. However, the incentives for the bears seem small because the sub-$40,000 test on Sept. 21 caused less than $250 million in futures contracts liquidations. On Sept. 22, Evergrande Group eased some default fears after it confirmed that it would make an interest payment on an …

The total amount of Ether (ETH) held by all the crypto exchanges fell to its lowest levels, just as its price rose back above $3,000 per token on Sept. 23. Data collected by CryptoQuant, a blockchain analytics platform, showed that exchanges' net Ethereum token reserves dropped to 18.533 million ETH, compared to 23.92 million ETH a year ago. Meanwhile, the cost to purchase one Ether rose from almost $349 to as high as $3,078, showcasing an inverse correlation between ETH reserves on exchanges and prices. Supply-demand factor Lower exchange reserves point to traders' likelihood of holding the underlying cryptocurrency than …

As financial authorities around the globe become increasingly concerned about stablecoin regulation, a jurisdiction in China is preparing to pilot a new yuan-pegged stablecoin for international trade. Chris Banbury, head of global operations at permissionless blockchain project Conflux, told Cointelegraph on Sept. 21 that the firm will provide its technology to launch an offshore renminbi (RMB) stablecoin pegged to China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan. “This is going to be pegged to the digital yuan in price only with no formal integration,” Banbury noted, adding that the project will be exploring how the token trades against other …

Bitcoin (BTC) faced stiff resistance above $44,000 on Thursday, Sept. 23, as China told governments to prepare for property giant Evergrande to collapse. Buyers line up to snag sub-$40,000 BTC Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed volatility continuing for BTC/USD Thursday. The pair had seen a solid recovery overnight, this fading at what was previous support just above $44,000. At the time of writing, the pair traded at around $43,700, dipping as news hit that China was briefing governmental structures on Evergrande’s financial fallout. Signals remain mixed over the troubled firm, shares of which jumped amid signs of …

Bitcoin (BTC) may be hitting new all-time highs, but it may just be another bubble, new research suggests. Unveiling a theory that could well rile Bitcoin bulls, analytics guru Material Scientist revealed what seems to be a strong correlation between Bitcoin price cycles and Chinese debt cycles. Casting doubt on the power of Bitcoin halvings With BTC/USD hitting its latest all-time high in April 2021, expectations are high that another will come before the end of the year. Looking back at Bitcoin’s history, Material Scientist shows that previous cycle tops in Bitcoin have coincided with tops in Chinese debt cycles. …