In a previous article, I discussed the evolution of Web3 economies and current volatility, focusing on the participatory nature of Web3, which is the foundational technology enabling the creator economy. The term “metaverse” — meta and universe — often describes the anticipated future iteration or evolution of the internet powered by Web3 technologies like blockchain and decentralized resource distribution and consumption principles. Although the focus has often been on metaverse modalities such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), gaming, Second Life, avatars and so forth, in my view, these modalities represent an interesting evolution or shift from the digital …

On April 28, discount-brokerage platform Robinhood published its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Year-over-year, the firm's net revenue declined by 43% to $299 million. Specifically, revenue from cryptocurrency trading fell by 39% to $54 million during the same period. This was partly due to a decrease in the interest in meme stocks as well as an ongoing cryptocurrency bear market that dominated much of the first three months of the year. However, despite a decrease in sales, the company's net cumulative funded accounts rose by 27% year-over-year to 22.8 million. At the same time, total assets under …

Goldman Sachs has offered its first Bitcoin- (BTC)-backed loan, in a major step forward for institutional cryptocurrency adoption on Wall Street. A spokeswoman from Goldman told Bloomberg that the multinational investment bank had lent cash collateralized by Bitcoin owned by the borrower for the first time in Goldman Sachs’ history. She added that the deal was particularly interesting because of its structure and 24-hour risk management. Such a loan allows for a Bitcoin holder to borrow fiat currency such as the United States dollar by fronting up to their BTC as collateral to the bank. The underlying volatility of Bitcoin …

There’s a special bond between mothers and their sons. For “Alan,” a 28-year-old engineer who wished to remain anonymous, a Bitcoin (BTC) loan helped his mom to buy a house. Alan told Cointelegraph that he took out a Bitcoin-backed loan in 2021 — serendipitously, on his sister’s birthday — to gift his mom the tax-free money. She then used the funds to buy a house in North Yorkshire, England, while Alan kept his Bitcoin. Alan first used Bitcoin in 2012, learning it was a useful currency to buy things on the internet. He used the peer-to-peer (P2P) service LocalBitcoins — …

In his monthly crypto tech column, Israeli serial entrepreneur Ariel Shapira covers emerging technologies within the crypto, decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain space, as well as their roles in shaping the economy of the 21st century. The impending Metaverse dominates crypto headlines as analysts almost obsessively race to predict what innovations the new digital world will bring. Facebook’s rebranding to Meta seems to be the tip of the iceberg, as Microsoft — and some other Big Tech companies — announce their plans to integrate into the Metaverse. The hype around the Metaverse is only natural. There’s no question the humans …

21Shares, a major issuer of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETP), is launching a new ETP tracking a mix of Bitcoin (BTC) and gold. The Switzerland-based firm on Wednesday announced the launch of the 21Shares ByteTree BOLD ETP (BOLD), a new product aimed at providing inflation protection by tracking an index providing risk-adjusted exposure to both BTC and gold. Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, the new hybrid ETP is subject to monthly rebalances, according to the inverse historic volatility of each asset. At launch, BOLD comprises 18.5% of BTC and 81.5% of gold. The new ETP was developed in collaboration with …

Two former Jefferies Financial Group executives are set to launch a new cryptocurrency exchange designed for institutional investors. Named Crossover Markets Group Inc., the exchange is set to debut in “late summer to early fall” following the closure of a recent seed funding round. The Crossover Markets’ website describes the new exchange as a “digital asset exchange designed to meet the liquidity needs of institutional clients.” We are excited to officially announce the creation of Crossover Markets! More announcements coming soon!https://t.co/2igfAQleaS#Crypto #DigitalAssets #institutional #fx — Crossover Markets (@crossover_mkts) April 26, 2022 Jefferies is the largest independent full-service investment banking firm …

Global crypto exchange Bitstamp released its Crypto Pulse survey on Tuesday, concluding that both institutional and retail investors believe crypto will overtake traditional investment vehicles within a decade. Specifically, 80% of the institutional respondents and 54% of the retail investors answered the question in the affirmative. The survey also polled opinions on whether crypto will see mainstream adoption within the next 10 years. With slightly higher results, 88% of institutional respondents and 75% of retail investors responded affirmatively. This overall bullish attitude came from 28,563 respondents, including 5,450 senior institutional investment strategy decision makers and 23,113 retail investors, from 23 …

ApeCoin (APE) underwent a modest selloff a day after the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), a popular nonfungible token (NFT) brand, reported losing $2.4 million worth of digital collectibles in a robbery. APE price rally to $25 stalls The hacker compromised BAYC's official Instagram account, using it to post a phishing link that withdrew tokens out of users' cryptocurrency wallets. On April 25, the BAYC Twitter handle confirmed the hack, albeit too late as users had already transferred tokens to the hacker's account, thus losing ownership of their extremely expensive Bored Ape, Mutant Ape and Bored Ape Kennel Project NFTs. …

The Market Report with Cointelegraph is live right now. On this week’s show, Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss the top three trending altcoins you might want to consider looking at in 2022. But first, market expert Marcel Pechman carefully examines the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) markets. Are the current market conditions bullish or bearish? What is the outlook for the next few months? Pechman is here to break it down. Next up: the main event. Join Cointelegraph analysts Benton Yaun, Jordan Finneseth and Sam Bourgi as each of them makes his case for what he thinks is the top trending …

Amid Bitcoin (BTC) mining stocks such as Hut 8 Mining touching multi-month lows, a major industry executive has outlined key differences between BTC investment and investing in BTC-linked stocks. Ben Gagnon, chief mining officer of the major Bitcoin mining company Bitfarms, believes that direct BTC investment and exposure to BTC mining stocks are two “fundamentally different” investment strategies to suit different people and interests. “A direct investment in Bitcoin is a simple, long-term investment suitable for the vast majority of people,” Gagnon said in an interview with Cointelegraph. On the other hand, investing in publicly traded BTC miners is a …

America’s housing market may soon be facing its next bubble as home prices across the country continue to be fueled by demand, speculation and lavish spending that could result in a collapse. Moreover, many homeowners are opting to stay put due to climbing mortgage rates, creating a housing shortage. Data from the Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae, found that 92% of homeowners think their current home is affordable. Yet, findings further show that 69% of the general population, consisting of both homeowners and renters, believe it’s becoming too difficult to find affordable housing. Web3 and the …