Crypto Guides, Knowledge & Insights

Visa, FTX team up to offer debit cards in 40 countries

In order to provide its debit card service to consumers in more than 40 countries, global payment processor Visa has teamed with cryptocurrency exchange FTX.　　By simply connecting their Visa card to their custodial account, FTX customers will be able to convert their cryptocurrency into fiat thanks to the cooperation. The conversion process will be finished by Visa and FTX in the backend.　　The corporations stated that they are trying to concentrate on emerging markets throughout Latin America, Asia, and Europe given the high rates of inflation in countries like Turkey and Argentina (83% and 78%, respectively).　　The cooperation, according to FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, will make it simpler for businesses to accept cryptocurrencies and expand the use of cryptocurrencies beyond their status as speculative assets.　　While Bankman-Fried claimed to CNBC that cryptocurrencies were created to challenge established payment methods, it is intriguing to observe how banks and payment providers are embracing the technology.　　It is a technology that, according to Bankman-Fried, “definitely sees challenging established payment networks.” I honor the fact that so many of them are embracing it.　　Despite a more than 50% decline in the cryptocurrency market in 2022, according to Visa CFO Vasant Prabhu, users are still interested in cryptocurrencies, with more

2022-10-09Deep Dive

What does The Merge mean for NFTs?

The Merge switched Ethereums Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm to Proof-of-Stake. Therefore, there will be no more mining, which is the process of solving an algorithm to create new blocks containing transactions. Instead, network validators—participants who lock a certain amount of the networks token (in this example, ETH) to be eligible to be chosen—propose the new blocks.　　When a collection is being minted, NFTs are renowned for requiring a significant amount of block space and transaction speed, which caused issues for Ethereum under PoW. In this post, well examine if PoS has improved the networks metrics to assist it cope with spikes in demand.　　Block Time　　Under PoW, the block time (the amount of time it takes to create a block with transactions) depended on the networks hashrate and the level of difficulty determined by the algorithm used to validate the transactions. As a result, this figure fluctuated between 12 and 15 seconds, not being a consistent value. Thus, there would be substantial variation in the number of daily blocks (and consequently the number of transactions that the network could handle.)　　These situations altered after PoS was introduced. The block time has changed and is now fixed at 12 seconds (time slots). Additionally, these intervals of

2022-10-09Deep Dive

Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum Offers Thoughts on Potential ETH Price Drop Following Merge

This excitement was short-lived because Ethereums price hasnt been particularly impressive after the merger.　　Ethereum has largely traded below the $1,400 barrier level since the merge event and is currently selling at $1,323.52, on top of a growth of 2.53% over the previous 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.　　In a recent interview with Ezra Klein of the New York Times, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sought to provide an explanation for this price decline.　　“I think the post-merge price drops, I mean, really surprised me. They really surprised everyone. There is an expression, by the rumor, to sell the news. And Ive never really known how seriously that expression should be taken or how often that kind of pattern actually plays out in real life,” When asked what he thought of the price reductions, he responded.　　“I guess, the reason why something like that would happen psychologically is that everyone gets very excited and confident running up to an event. But then when the event actually happens, it just feels, in retrospect, almost less significant than what everyone had been expecting going in. And then theres this wave of disappointment, and the price of it ends up dropping a bit.”　　According to Vitalik, this

2022-10-07Deep Dive

$100M BNB Stolen in Another Massive Cryptocurrency Hack

Approximately $100 million worth of Binance Coin (BNB) was seized after a bridge connecting blockchains was exploited. Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the affluent co-founder of Binance, posted on Twitter that the situation has been “contained now.”　　The incident affected between $100 million and $110 million in digital tokens, according to assessments from the best cryptocurrency marketplace in the world, BNB Chain, which is sponsored by Binance.　　Binance actually published the following on Twitter:　　“@BNBchain is currently under maintenance. We will suspend all deposits and withdrawals via the BNB chain temporarily until there are further updates. We apologise for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience!”　　The BSC Validators are urged to contact Binance within the next few hours so that they can schedule a node update, BNB added on Twitter.　　According to a spokeswoman, the bridge, BSC Token Hub, has been terminated and at least $7 million in stolen money has already been frozen.　　Another significant attack took place recently. Transit Swap, a multi-chain DEX aggregator platform, tweeted that it had lost $21 million as a result of a hacker using a bug in its swap contract. After the event, Transit Swap appealed to its users and stated that steps were being taken to retrieve the funds

2022-10-07Deep Dive

Binance Looks to Re-Enter the Japanese Market

In order to revitalize the Japanese economy, one of the top aims of Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas plan is to stimulate the expansion of Web3 businesses. In order to boost the growth and adoption of cryptocurrencies, Binance applies for an operational license in the country.　　A spokesman for Binance noted:　　“Binance is committed to working with regulators and policymakers to shape policies that protect consumers, encourage innovation, and move our industry forward.”　　 The Japanese government suggested a business-friendly cryptocurrency tax in August that would go into effect in 2023.　　For instance, a reduction from the existing rate of 55% to 20% was considered for the income tax on bitcoin gains made by private investors.　　Corporate taxation has indeed been condemned by lobbying groups as dragging cryptocurrency companies away and to nations like Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.　　For instance, the Web3 infrastructure company Stake Technologies Pte shifted to Singapore in 2020 due to the countrys high taxation. Watanabe Sota, the CEO of the company, revealed that if the corporate tax was reconsidered, he would move the business to Japan again.　　In contrast, the Japanese parliament approved a bill that categorizes stablecoins as digital money that must be linked to the yen, the countrys official currency,

2022-10-07Deep Dive

Dollar Spot Index Perpetual Futures are listed on the cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

The so-called FTX Dollar Spot Index, which is intended to measure the fluctuations of four important currencies, such as the Euro, Yen, Canadian dollar, and British Pound against the U.S. dollar, will serve as the basis for FTXs new perpetual contracts.　　This is how the FTX USD Spot Index (FTXDXY) is determined:　　35.7*EURUSD^-0.6*JPYUSD^-0.2*CADUSD^-0.1*GBPUSD^-0.1　　The volatility of the foreign currency market, however, has dramatically grown recently. The US dollar is currently at its highest level since 2022, especially after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates multiple times. This is due to tightening monetary policy and the swift increase in interest rates in the 　　The US dollar index went over the 111 mark, re-established a recent peak since 2002, and is currently looping the record-setting level of 111.76. 　　Foreign currency gradually reduced. The US dollars volatility will have a substantial impact on the world economy because it is the dominant currency in international trade and finance. 　　Due to the fact that Bitcoin (BTC) is still viewed as a risk asset against inflation, many traders think that for Bitcoin to increase, the dollar must decline.　　The messy implementation of Prime Minister Liz Truss economic plan, on the other hand, caused the pound to fluctuate. 　　On September 23,

2022-10-06Deep Dive

BTC & USDT Crypto Payments Accepted at McDonald's in Swiss Town

The McDonalds digital kiosk in the city of Lugano permits customers to place orders, which they can then purchase for using a smartphone application at the standard check-in desk. In addition to cryptocurrency payments, this area also accepts them for paying municipal fees, parking fines, taxes, public services, and tuition.　　The City of Lugano has declared that LVGA, Tether, and Bitcoin are all recognized as legal money. The local government intends to accept Bitcoin, USDT, and a specific Swiss franc-pegged Stablecoin as the only methods of payment for locals to pay their annual taxes and purchase items and services.　　One of the first cities in the world to implement a full cryptocurrency payments system will be Lugano, a city of 63,000 people in Italian-speaking Switzerland, which said in March that it will do so. The predicted adoption of cryptocurrency payments for products and services by more than 200 shops and companies. To that goal, Tether and Lugano will work together to establish the city as a key hub for the use of the blockchain in Europe.　　El Salvador became the first country to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender on September 7, 2021, and as a result, McDonalds has started taking Bitcoin as a

2022-10-06Deep Dive

Bitcoin Hits the $20K Mark as Whales Proceed to Amass Tokens

During intraday trade, the top cryptocurrency increased by 7.77% over the previous seven days to reach $20,154, per the CoinMarketCap. 　　Bitcoin whales on a spending binge based on increased accumulation are driving the upward momentum. Santiment, a source of market information, stated:　　“Bitcoin whales are showing signs of sustained accumulation, which has been a rarity in 2022. Since September 27th, addresses holding 100 to 10k BTC have collectively added back 46,173 BTC back to their wallets as large USDT holdings have dropped.”　　The continuous hodling behavior that whales on the Bitcoin network are exhibiting can also be observed in the fact that more coins have been leaving cryptocurrency trading.　　“Bitcoin continues to see its supply moving away from exchanges as traders show further signs of being content with their current holdings. With less than 9% of BTC on exchanges for the first time since 2018, it is a good bode of confidence for bulls.”　　Coins are transferred to digital wallets or cold storage for purposes other than speculative use after leaving bitcoin exchanges, which typically reflects a hodling culture. The fact that it reduces selling pressure makes it a bullish indicator. 　　Because more than 42 million addresses still hold BTC in spite of the

2022-10-06Deep Dive

Avoid Crypto Rocket, an Unregulated FX Broker.

If you want to make money on the Forex market, trading with Crypto Rocket is not advised. This broker is unregulated, has had numerous negative evaluations, and has even received a warning. Well explain what Crypto Rocket looks like in real life in this section.　　Not regulated, but cautioned　　On its page, scammer Crypto Rocket merely provides a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines address without mentioning any regulatory information. We thus performed a company name search with the S.t. Vincent and the Grenadines Financial Services Authority (SVG FSA) using the company name CryptoRocket Limited and discovered that it was an SVG-registered business. But a well-known offshore registration is the SVG FSA. It doesnt control forex transactions or grant forex licenses. Registration therefore does not entail regulation.　　More crucially, the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores in Spain has issued a warning about the scam (CNMV).　　Dangerous Leverage　　Because most regulators place severe leverage limitations on brokers in accordance with national regulations, Crypto Rockets assertion that it can offer high leverage of up to 1:500 is another way of suggesting that scammers are not subject to top authorities oversight. The maximum leverage a broker subject to FCA regulation may provide is 1:30. As high-risk leverage like

2022-10-05Deep Dive

Michael Saylor claims that Bitcoin is "100 times better than gold."

The bull in the cryptocurrency market not only believes that Bitcoin will return to its former glory but also believes that the leading cryptocurrency has a lot of potential to increase beyond its present trading level.　　Saylor sees Bitcoin as the next major “store of value asset” and thinks it is 100 times better than gold. Although the event was initially reported on Saturday, September 24, the CEO made the remarks during the Money Festival, which was hosted by MarketWatch on Wednesday. “I believe that Bitcoins next natural step will be to displace gold as a non-sovereign store of value asset. At the moment, gold is a $10 trillion asset. Bitcoin is 100 times better than gold,” according to Saylor.　　Saylor did not hold back while making his prognosis that the price of the cryptocurrency may approach $500,000 within the next ten years during the festivals Best New Ideas session, “You cant inflate it. The half-life of money in Bitcoin is forever. You can move it on billions of computers at the speed of light. So, if Bitcoin goes to the value of gold, its going to $500,000 a coin, and I think that will happen this decade.” the executive said. 　　According

2022-10-05Deep Dive

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