Warren Buffett Warned Against Holding Cash, Gold, Bitcoin During Wars

Warren Buffett has warned in opposition to dumping shares, hoarding money, and shopping for gold or bitcoin when struggle breaks out, as he believes investing in companies is one of the simplest ways to construct wealth over time.  The billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO told CNBC in March 2014 that Russias invasion of Ukraine on the time would not spur him to promote any shares.  “If shares are cheaper, I will be extra more likely to be shopping for them,” he mentioned, celebrating the truth that a inventory he was actively shopping for had dropped in value. The investor added that he would not money out even when the battle escalated into one other chilly struggle or World Warfare III.  “Properly, if you happen to inform me all of that‘s going to occur, I’ll nonetheless be shopping for the inventory,” he mentioned. You are going to make investments your cash in one thing over time. The one factor you could possibly be fairly certain of is that if we went into some very main struggle, the worth of cash would go down.  “I imply, that is occurred in nearly each struggle that I am conscious of,” Buffett continued. “So the very last thing

2022-02-25Deep Dive

Ukraine Blocks Issuance of Digital Money Amid Martial Law

Ukraines central bank has temporarily prohibited the issuance of new electronic money and the topping up of digital cash wallets.  Ukrainian Government Restricts Digital Money Supply  Per a Thursday announcement, Ukraine‘s central bank has suspended the country’s electronic currency markets. This news comes after the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law in the country following the invasion of Russian forces earlier today.  The National Bank of Ukraine implemented new rules this morning, including an order to suspend e-money issuers, stop the replenishment of e-wallets with e-money, and halt distribution of e-money to e-money issuing banks. E-money refers to digital fiat cash used with various payment and traditional banking applications.  While it is not clear why the central bank curbed e-money issuance, it may likely be a prudent step to safeguard Ukraines financial systems from any cyber-attacks and prevent capital outflows amid the crisis. Notably, the order did not mention cryptocurrencies, which are classed as “virtual assets” under Ukrainian law. However, the reasons why the Ukrainian central bank has placed restrictions on e-money likely also apply to crypto assets.  Russias military invasion of Ukraine has negatively impacted global markets, including the crypto sector, which has seen more than $200 billion in value wiped Thursday. Meanwhile,

2022-02-25Deep Dive

The Role of Blockchain in the Multi-Trillion Global Commodity Trading

Commodities are the backbone of the global economy. It is hard to think of an industry, government, or organization existing independently of commodities. To highlight their significance, governments will go to great lengths to secure batches of rare gold—and other precious metals. The yellow metal will be held in reserve for stabilizing the economies during tumultuous times.  At the same time, mega industries perpetually demand raw materials from mining or agriculture to produce finished goods, boosting shareholders‘ investments, creating employment, and contributing directly to a country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The list can go on and on.  Accordingly, it is also hard to ignore the role of commodity trading, and the primary role technology plays, in many ways, increasing efficiency, transparency, and reducing costs. From manual trading to the digitization enabled by computers and to the blockchain, this inevitable transition is shaping the commodity trading landscape.  The Blockchain Question  In the age of blockchain and decentralization, the debate lies on how fast the technology will impact commodity trading and how the diffusion of power will shape broker-trader interactions. Although novel and highly disruptive, some doubters maintain that the technology is still nascent and needs to be thoroughly battle-tested before implementation in critical systems. Whether

2022-02-25Deep Dive

Vitalik Buterin: Putin’s Military Operation Is a Crime Against the Ukrainian and Russian People

Earlier today (February 24th), Russian military forces launched a “special military operation” (as Vladimir Putin calls it) in Ukraine. However, it all seems like the beginning of a full-scale invasion, which could disrupt the continents peace.  Vitalik Buterin – the Co-Founder of Ethereum – criticized that act calling it a “crime against the Ukrainian and Russian people.” Despite being born in Russia, the 28-year-old programmer finished his statement by saying: “Glory to Ukraine.”  In his most recent tweet, Vitalik Buterin said he is “very upset” by Vladimir Putins decision to go to war against Ukraine. In his view, the military operation will lead to devastating consequences for both Ukrainian and Russian citizens.  Ethereums Co-Creator is also pessimistic that the conflict will be resolved diplomatically. “I know that there will be no security,” he grimly predicted.  Born in Russia, Buterin seems to stand against his motherland in this war dispute, adding “Glory to Ukraine” at the end of his tweet. Moreover, he stated that while Ethereum is neutral, he is not.  The rising tension between the two nations has caused a huge disruption of the cryptocurrency and financial markets. Bitcoin, for one, crashed to nearly $34,000, while most of the altcoins are deep in red, too.  The

2022-02-25Deep Dive

BitMex Founders Plead Guilty to Violating Bank Secrecy Act

IN BRIEF  BitMex founders Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo have pleaded guilty to violating the US Bank Secrecy Act  As part of a plea deal the two will have to pay $10M each in fines  The deal means that the pair will avoid a custodial sentence  BitMex founders Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo plead guilty to violating the US Bank Secrecy Act on Thursday. The Department of Justice branded BitMex ‘a money-laundering platform.’  As a consequence of their malfeasance the pair have been instructed to pay $10 million each in fines.  Prosecutor Damian Williams outlined the position of the district of New York, which said that BitMex violated the Secrecy Act by ‘willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an anti-money laundering program.’  “The opportunities and advantages of operating in the United States are legion, but they carry with them the obligation for those businesses to do their part to help in driving out crime and corruption,” said Williams. “Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo built a company designed to flout those obligations; they willfully failed to implement and maintain even basic anti-money laundering policies. They allowed BitMEX to operate as a platform in the shadows of the financial markets. Today‘s guilty pleas reflect this Office’s continued commitment

2022-02-25Deep Dive

Russia-Ukraine war: Putin may use cryptocurrency to bypass sanctions

As Russia declared a war on Ukraine, there are possibilities of further western sanctions to hit Moscow where it hurts most. At this critical juncture, crypto currencies or digital currencies may emerge as a powerful tool for the Kremlin to steer clear of sanctions.  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine on Thursday in what appeared to be the start of war in Europe over Russias demands for an end to NATOs eastward expansion.  US President Joe Biden hit back by saying he would announce further sanctions on Russia on Thursday, in addition to financial measures imposed earlier this week.  Sanctions are considered the most potent ways to have an impact on the behaviour of other countries.  RUSSIA MAY USE CRYPTOCURRENCY  Russia may use cryptocurrencies to blunt the impact of the sanctions through bypassing control points. It may also ink deals with anyone globally working with them via digital currencies, Business Today reported.  The learning comes from 2014 when the US imposed sanctions on doing business with banks, oil and gas developers of Russia after the latter invaded Crimea. Back then, the Russian economy was badly hit by the sanctions, Business Today reported, quoting the New York Times.  WHY CRYPTOCURRENCY?  Russia had

2022-02-25Deep Dive

Finder's Experts Predict Dogecoin Will Reach $0.16 This Year, Panelist Says ‘Luster Will Wear Off as

Finder‘s Dogecoin Prediction Report Shows a Lower Forecast Than the Panel’s Prediction in July 2021  The product comparison website finder.com published a new prediction report concerning the meme-based crypto-asset dogecoin (DOGE). The web portal has published a myriad of prediction reports in the past, covering crypto coins like cardano (ADA), ethereum (ETH), and bitcoin (BTC).  Moreover, back in July 2021, Finder‘s expert panelists predicted dogecoin’s value would reach $0.39 per unit by year-end 2021. This months DOGE prediction is a lot different and significantly lower than the July forecast.  In fact, by the end of 2022, the panelists predict that dogecoin will only accrue 16.5% in value from its current price point reaching $0.163 per unit. Presently, dogecoin is trading for $0.132 which is lower than when the Finders researchers recorded the value at $0.14 per DOGE on February 2, 2022.  Finder‘s report authors Tim Falk and Richard Laycock highlight that the future outlook of dogecoin’s value has changed a great deal among participating panelists. “Around the time of our last survey, many people thought that DOGE was going ‘to the moon’ and cresting the $1 mark, but our panel was fairly skeptical about the coin‘s ability to hit that milestone,” Falk and Laycock’s

2022-02-24Deep Dive

Mitsubishi UFJ ditches blockchain payment venture

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) will close its blockchain payment venture due to slow profits, Japans largest bank announced on Tuesday.  Fast facts  MUFG said it is preparing to halt and liquidate Global Open Network Japan, Inc. (GO-NET Japan).  GO-NET Japan, set up in April 2019, is a subsidiary of Global Open Network — MUFGs joint venture with U.S.-based Akamai Technologies.  The Japanese financial conglomerate said the closure was mainly due to the harsh business environment amid the pandemic, and the products commercialization took longer than anticipated.  MUFGs decision comes after it earlier this month announced a plan to issue a stablecoin pegged to the Japanese yen in 2023.  For more blockchain news, please download WikiBit- the Global Blockchain Regulatory Inquiry APP.

2022-02-24Deep Dive

Three Predictions for Crypto Regulations in 2022

2021 may not have been the year that your grandparents started trading cryptocurrencies, but it was certainly a watershed year for the technology. Indeed, the volume of crypto transactions grew 567% year on year to reach a value of USD 15.8tn in 2021, demonstrating that the trading of digital assets is becoming increasingly mainstream. Even if the market is seeing some correction in early 2022, 2021 was such a leap year that no one can deny cryptoassets are here to stay.  While the total volume of illicit activity in cryptoassets has grown in absolute terms; illicit activity today still accounts for less than 1% of all transactions, according to cryptoasset compliance provider Elliptic. However, in the emerging decentralized finance (DeFi) space, which has seen the greatest impact by far, losses due to theft and fraud are accelerating to over USD 10.5bn in 2021, up from USD 1.5bn in 2020. These rising figures were a driving factor in the many examples of regulatory activity that occurred across the globe last year – with significant developments taking place in Dubai, the US, the EU, and South Korea to name just a few.   These developments are so important because they bring trust to cryptoassets,

2022-02-24Deep Dive

Bitcoin bounces back, markets worry less about Russia-Ukraine crisis

Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto markets are continuing to struggle, with the bitcoin price trading down from the weekly high of $44,274 on Wednesday last week, down below the psychological $40,000 level at $36,629, as per data from Goingecko. At the moment of writing, BTC price is hanging just below $39,000, up 3.3% on the daily.  The general sentiment in both Bitcoin, and traditional markets, seems to be a reflection of risk and uncertainty associated with the U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes expected to be implemented in March, and continue throughout the rest of the year. There are also continuing fears of conflict in Ukraine, as well as uncertainty around the development of unrest in Canada and elsewhere.  Additionally, Germany has halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an $11 billion project meant to ferry natural gas directly from Russia to Germany.Probability of sustained bear market expected to increase  Analysts at Glassnode are raising red flags if the traditional and crypto markets continue to go deeper into a negative sentiment.  “As the prevailing downtrend deepens, the probability of a more sustained bear market can also be expected to increase, as recency bias and the magnitude of investor losses weighs on sentiment. The longer

2022-02-24Deep Dive
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