Bitcoin’s (BTC) recent price rally from $16,500 to $25,000 can be attributed to a short squeeze in the futures market and recent macroeconomic improvements. However, while prices increased, data suggests that many interested buyers (including whales) were left on the sidelines. The recent rally to $25,000 shared many similarities with the 2019 bear market rally, which saw a 330% surge in Bitcoin’s price to highs around $14,000 from the November 2019 low at $3,250. Recently, the BTC/USD pair rose 60% from its November 2022 low. On-chain and market indicators relative to the 2019 rally are sending mixed signals on whether …

The Central Bank of Jordan is closer to its next step toward a retail central bank digital currency (rCBDC) with the completion of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) technical report on the country’s markets. The IMF conducted a three-month mission last year to assist the bank with preparations for a CBDC feasibility report. The IMF released its report Feb. 23. Working between July and September 2022, the IMF gave the country’s existing retail payment market a largely positive review, calling it well-integrated. Two nonbank payment service providers (PSPs) have “generally accessible and appropriate product” and the country has high smartphone …

The World Wide Web, as its name implies, is borderless, and so is crypto. The internet and cryptocurrency’s common ethos is wide-open communication and exchange, unimpeded by national boundaries. On the ground, however, as crypto has become a more significant player in the financial system, nations have begun to consider issues of sovereignty and regulation. While many countries have so far remained open to crypto, others have restricted its use or outright banned it. The same reason that some have advocated for crypto and blockchain technology — as a means of revolutionizing the international financial system — has alarmed plenty …

Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you significant developments over the last week. The backlash from the Terra implosion still haunts the crypto world, with the now-shuttered stablecoin yield platform Stablegains being sued for customer losses. The plaintiffs allege that the platform funnelled customer funds into Anchor Protocol without users’ knowledge or consent. Platypus, the DeFi protocol that was exploited for over $8 million, is working on a compensation plan to recover some of the funds. Florida’s Cogent Bank is proposing a $100 million participation in loans …

The Bank of Canada has released a working paper that examines lending protocols in decentralized finance (DeFi) with regard to sources of instability and their relation to crypto asset prices. Its findings point to potential ways to optimize DeFi lending platforms, or possibly the practical limits of decentralization. The authors of the paper, titled “On the Fragility of DeFi Lending” and released Feb. 22, acknowledged the inclusiveness DeFi offers and the advantages of smart contract protocols over the use of human discretion. They went on to identify the systemic weaknesses of DeFi. Information asymmetry, a key issue for regulators, was …

Crypto assets made their way onto the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s list of priorities for 2023. So far, though, we haven’t tasted the “regulatory certainty” many have been calling for. Instead, the regulator threw the book at Kraken for allegedly failing to register its staking program. Coinbase appears next on the chopping block, but its lawyers are ready to fight. This week’s Crypto Biz newsletter delves into Coinbase’s defense of its staking program and its not-too-pleasant quarterly financials. We also look at the latest company to fall victim to Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX. Coinbase beats Q4 earnings estimates amid …

'Recycle to Earn' was the motto presented by Eric Vogel earlier this month while pitching his startup at the European Blockchain Convention, decades after he started recycling plastics and cans from his grandmother's house to earn extra money for a Game Boy. Vogel's love for video games and increasing interest in the impact of recycling in the world are behind his inspiration for Circularr, a London-based company seeking to connect recyclers, manufacturers, and brands throughout a decentralized recycling ecosystem. Proper recycling is a growing challenge.According to the Plastic Waste Makers Index, recycling across the world is not expanding fast enough …

Bitcoin (BTC) is struggling to stay above $23,000 as the weekend approaches. The selling pressure increased after the personal consumption expenditures excluding food and energy rose 0.6% in January and 4.7% over the year, above market expectations of an increase of 0.5% and 4.4% respectively. This could trigger fears that the United States Federal Reserve may have to continue its rate hikes to bring inflation under control. Expectations of a rate hike could strengthen the U.S. dollar index further, which is already near a seven-week high, and that may put pressure on the cryptocurrency markets in the near term. A …

Citizens Trust Bank, a financial institution regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), has partnered with Circle Internet Financial to hold some of its reserves in USD Coin (USDC) — a move the companies said would promote financial inclusion and digital literacy in the greater Atlanta area. On Feb. 24, Circle announced the Atlanta-based Citizens Trust Bank would hold $65 million in USDC reserves as part of a broader collaboration between the two companies. The bank’s USDC reserves will provide small businesses with access to capital and be used for other financial inclusion initiatives. Citizens Trust’s president and chief …

The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, reported its delegates had come to an agreement on an action plan “to drive timely global implementation” of global standards on cryptocurrencies. In a Feb. 24 publication, the FATF said the plenary for the financial watchdog — consisting of delegates from more than 200 jurisdictions — met in Paris and came to a consensus on a roadmap aimed at strengthening “implementation of FATF Standards on virtual assets and virtual asset service providers”. According to the task force, in 2024 it will report on how FATF members have moved forward on implementing the crypto …

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are digital versions of fiat currencies that are backed and issued by central banks. Here are five ways in which CBDCs could impact the global financial system. Digitalization of payments CBDCs might make payments quicker and more efficient because they would do away with the need for intermediaries. Costs could be brought down as a result, along with financial inclusion and an improved global payments system. CBDCs could also enable cross-border payments to become faster and more efficient, as they would not be subject to the limitations of the traditional financial system. The ease and …

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed lower at the Feb. 24 Wall Street open as United States macroeconomic data showed inflation biting back. PCE sparks fresh doubts on inflation Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it traded in a narrowing range around $23,800. The pair saw an attempt to reclaim $24,500 the day prior, but this ultimately proved unsuccessful as resistance kept gains in check. Bitcoin nonetheless saw only a muted reaction to the latest U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index print, which at 4.7% versus 4.3% forecast suggested that inflation was not ebbing as quickly as hoped. For …