The world's first cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) is one day away from matching its historic 15-day win streak if its positive price movement keeps up. In November 2013 Bitcoin posted a 15-day consistent positive price movement, the longest in its history. ₿REAKING: #Bitcoin price has increased 14 days in row — A single day away from making a historic new record! pic.twitter.com/qclJhikcds — Documenting ₿itcoin (@DocumentingBTC) January 17, 2023 Right now, BTC is on day 14 of its win streak, hitting four-month highs in the process. One more day of upwards price movement will match its 2013 streak. If it continues …

Central banks worldwide are pushing forward with digital asset projects despite the various crypto industry implosions over the past 12 months. China has rolled out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) to several cities, and it was available for use at the Winter Olympics. Many other central banks, including the Bank of England, are considering how to roll out a CDBC, while Nigeria’s CBDC has had poor uptake so far. India has already launched a pilot scheme, while Mexico has confirmed the launch of a digital peso. However, Tony Yates, Financial Times writer and former senior advisor to the Bank …

Crypto payment platform Wyre has lifted the 90% withdrawal limit it placed on its users earlier this week after securing additional funding. On Jan. 13, the San Francisco-based fintech firm announced that it had received financing from a “strategic partner” that allows it to continue the normal course of operations, including re-accepting deposits again. “As a regulated financial institution, we’re proud that we were able to continue delivering our services in a safe and sound manner without pausing withdrawals” it added. Hey Wyre community – we’re excited to share that today we received financing from a strategic partner that allows …

Nigeria’s central bank will explore the adoption of blockchain technology to power a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the potential of stablecoin adoption and regulatory considerations of initial coin offerings (ICOs) over the next two years. These are the key takeaways of a policy document titled Nigeria Payments System Vision 2025, published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The 83-page document touches on a variety of implications for its existing payments landscape, with blockchain-based systems coming to the fore. The document delves into the implications of a blockchain-based CBDC, outlining 11 potential advantages of such an offering. This includes …

Crypto wallet MetaMask is ending support for services of Wyre crypto payment platform amid reports of Wyre planning to shut down operations soon. MetaMask took to Twitter on Jan. 5 to announce that it has removed Wyre from its mobile aggregator, which allows users to buy crypto directly through its digital wallet. “We're currently working on extension removal and appreciate your patience,” MetaMask said, asking users not to use Wyre on the mobile aggregator. According to the announcement, MetaMask still supports a wide number of other payment gateways, including Transak, MoonPay, and Sardine. The services are available on Apple Pay, …

2022 saw the fall of many linchpin crypto and blockchain firms as the May market drawdown shook the industry. It caused many cryptocurrencies to lose value and many investors to pull their money from the market. Furthermore, the unprecedented knock-on effects of the meltdown exposed many blockchain and cryptocurrency firms that were ill-prepared for turbulent times. However, a collective of companies was able to resist negative market forces and grow amidst the turbulence. The crypto market as a whole continues to grow and has now reached 320 million users. As we look back on a year full of surprises, we …

Pharmacies in Ukraine are embracing digital payments amid the ongoing war, with a major local pharmacy chain enabling payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). ANC Pharmacy, one of the biggest pharmacy chains in Ukraine, has partnered with Binance Ukraine to debut cryptocurrency payments via contactless crypto payment service Binance Pay. Starting from Jan. 3, ANC Pharmacy enabled its customers to proceed with instant payments while purchasing pharmacy products online, the pharmacy chain officially announced on Tuesday. ANC Pharmacy operates more than 1,000 pharmacies across Ukraine, running its own online pharmacy service. According to an official announcement, Binance Pay payments will …

Days before the year's end, Italy's Senate approved its budget for 2023 on Dec. 29, 2022, which included an increase in taxation for crypto investors — a 26% tax on capital gains on crypto assets trading over 2,000 euros (approximately $2,131 USD at time of publication .) The approved legislation defined crypto assets as "a digital representation of value or rights that can be transferred and stored electronically, using distributed ledger technology or similar technology." Previously, crypto assets were treated as foreign currencies in the country, with lower taxes. As reported by Cointelegraph, the bill also established that taxpayers will …

Is USD Coin safe? Despite the fact that the USD Coin is subject to regulatory oversight, investors must weigh the pros and cons of investing in stablecoins before committing any funds. Comparing USDC with USDT, USDC is subject to regulations as it is audited from time to time, and Circle is fully transparent about its operations. However, investing in the cryptocurrency market, even in stablecoins, has its own cons. For instance, the price of the USD Coin will never appreciate as it is pegged to the U.S. dollar. This disadvantage is offset by the provision that USDC can be lent …

$4.2 trillion asset management firm Fidelity Investments has filed trademark applications in the United States for a host of Web3 products and services, including a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace and financial investment and crypto trading services in the metaverse. This is according to three trademark filings submitted to the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) on Dec. 21, of which was also highlighted by licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis in a Dec. 27 tweet. #Fidelity has plans for the metaverse! The company has filed 3 trademark applications covering ▶️ NFTs + NFT Marketplaces ▶️ Metaverse Investment Services ▶️ Virtual Real …

Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil set to leave office on Dec. 31, has signed off on a bill aimed at legalizing the use of crypto as a payment method within the country. In a Dec. 22 publication of the official journal of the federal government of Brazil, Bolsonaro’s office said the president had signed bill 14.478 into law following approval from the country’s Chamber of Deputies. The legislative body sent the bill to the president’s desk on Nov. 29 as the final step in recognizing crypto payments. According to the text of the bill, Brazil’s residents will not be …

Crypto-users may one day be able to automatically pay their electricity and telephone bills through their self-custodial crypto wallets, according to payments giant Visa. In a Dec. 20 blog post, Visa’s crypto thought leadership team proposed a solution that would allow providers to automaticall “pull” funds from users’ Ethereum-powered crypto wallets, without requiring the user to manually sign off on every transaction. Auto-payments for recurring bills are commonplace in the traditional banking world, giving users the ability to permit certain service providers to draw from their chosen bank accounts to pay off bills — such as a Netflix subscription or …