Crypto Guides, Knowledge & Insights

UK Watchdog FCA Announces £11 M Marketing Campaign to Warn Users of Crypto Risks

UK watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced the launch of its upcoming digital marketing campaign worth £11m to alert the younger investors in the crypto community of the risks in the crypto market.　　Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive officer delivered a speech at the ‘FCA’s Our Role and Business Plan webinar‘. He expressed the FCA’s concerns on the issue of an increased number of younger investors in the volatile market of cryptocurrencies. Rathi stated that with the increased use of technology to promote investments, an increased set of regulations and precautions shall also be put in place.　　“When technology is used to promote new investments to consumers, it is essential that the right controls are in place. Weve seen an explosion among younger people speculating on cryptocurrencies or other high-risk investments. In the last year, we published research that found nearly 2.5 million people in the UK had bought crypto assets.”, Rathi said according to the Draft of the speech.　　Young crypto investors don‘t think ’rationally before investing　　The younger investors are criticized for looking at risky digital investments as community formation and entertainment. Rathi has also referenced GameStop‘s episode to prove his point that younger investors are influenced by celebrity marketing

2021-07-16Deep Dive

This Startup Harness AI and NFT to Predict Digital Marketing Strategy

Building a digital marketing strategy can be a daunting task in this day and age. There are many options to choose from, yet every brand and company is unique. Using artificial intelligence, as Ojamu does, may be the next frontier.　　Transforming Digital Marketing　　There is a growing focus on digital marketing strategies to suit the needs of brands and companies today. It does not replace physical marketing by any means, but one cannot overlook the digital aspect these days. Thanks to social media and other tools, it is now easier than ever to find brands online and interact with them like never before.　　Rolling out such a digital plan requires a very different approach. Every brand has its own requirements and preferences, thus no two strategies can be alike. It is essential to diversify ones approach as much as possible to create something memorable. MarTech, or Marketing Technology, is an exciting industry in this regard.　　Using innovative technologies to enhance the appeal of MarTech is crucial. For example, Ojamu, a blockchain-based service provider, leverages artificial intelligence to enhance its MarTech approach. Moreover, the company sees potential in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to help businesses and brands grow their online exposure.　　How It All Comes Together　　Combining blockchain,

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Pompliano Dunks On The Digital Euro, Saying Its Not Bitcoin

Bitcoin bull Anthony Pompliano shares his thoughts on the digital euro, reminding everyone that it wont be decentralized, nor will it signal a change in monetary policy.　　This week, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced it had started researching the digital euro. They added that they had not decided on whether it will get implemented.　　“In July 2021 we decided to launch a digital euro project. This doesnt mean that we will necessarily issue a digital euro, but rather that we will get ready to possibly issue it.”　　Nonetheless, Pompliano predicts that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are inevitable. This then raises questions on whether authorities will move to stamp out the competition. Some argue that a cryptocurrency crackdown has already begun.　　The ECB Is All For A Digital Euro　　The ECB frames the digital euro as a natural evolution of money in the digital age. At the same time, they say it offers a safe and trustworthy means of payment.　　“In this new era, a digital euro would guarantee that citizens in the euro area can maintain costless access to a simple, universally accepted, safe and trusted means of payment.”　　Interestingly, the ECB says the digital euro will act as a complement to cash. Meaning they

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Cardano Successfully Deploys Alonzo White Hard Fork

Cardano has successfully deployed the Alonzo White hard fork, marking another step forward in the road towards smart contracts.　　Cardanos Alonzo hard fork has been successfully deployed, according to developer Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK). In a series of tweets published on July 15, IOHK said that the “network is happily making blocks already.”　　The Alonzo hard fork is a key moment along with Cardanos roadmap, paving the way for smart contract functionality. The full release has a tentative release date of August. It would bring several significant changes to the Cardano network, including the ability to host decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.　　Many are expecting the potential and utility of ADA to explode following this release, which is the culmination of years of development if one looks at the carefully calculated roadmap. The hard fork falls under the Goguen phase of the roadmap, which deals specifically with the challenge of implementing smart contracts.　　It also announced that members of ProjectCatalyst and more Plutus partners will be joining the network. Several hundred people are reportedly on the Alonzo White Network. ProjectCatalyst has also funded various DeFi applications for the network.　　IOHK CEO and co-founder Charles Hoskinson, whom many see as the face of Cardano, also spoke

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Mass Payments Solution for Your Business by NOWPayments

NOWPayments has a special feature for those businesses which are interested in cryptocurrency payouts.　　Mass Payments can work perfectly for casinos and betting, faucets, or e-gaming services, but generally, it works for any project dealing with payouts.　　If your employees would love to get their salary in cryptocurrency – a cryptocurrency payroll is a solution.　　If your partners want to get their affiliate rewards in cryptocurrency – NOWPayment is your choice.　　If you need to send commissions to your freelancers – check out NOWPaymentss feature for mass payments.　　Of course, many people are concerned about the volatility of cryptocurrencies, and this is where stablecoins step into the game. Employees сan receive a salary in stable cryptocurrencies if they wish – the price of stablecoins is designed to be pegged to fiat currencies which are less volatile.　　Explore Mass Payments Solution in cryptocurrency.　　The payment process is easy. Basically, all you need is to follow those 3 steps:　　1.Deposit your funds into your account.　　2.Specify the addresses and the amounts of each payment.　　3.NOWPayments sends the funds on your behalf straight away.　　Why NOWPayments？　　NOWPayments has a transparent fee policy and offers the lowest fees on the cryptocurrency market. At the same time, NOWPayments supports 70+ cryptocurrencies, and the auto coin conversion processed

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Italy Becomes 7th Nation to Issue Regulatory Warning Against Binance

Binance‘s regulatory woes don’t seem to be near the end as one more nation has joined the growing list of regulators that have issued some form of warning against the worlds largest crypto exchange over the past month.　　CONSOB, Italys regulatory watchdog has become the seventh regulator to issue a warning against Binance. The regulatory watchdog said Binance Group of companies are not authorized to offer any investment services in the country. The official warning read,　　“The Consob warns investors that the companys ” Binance Group “ is not authorized to provide investment services and activities in Italy, even though the site www.binance.com whose sections called ” derivatives “ and ” Stock Token “ regarding instruments related to crypto-assets, were previously also written in Italian.”　　CONSOB also advised traders to do due diligence before investing via any such online exchange platform to ensure it falls under the jurisdiction of the law. The warning by CONSOM was quite similar to UK watchdog FCAs warning.　　 Will Binance Lose Its Global Dominance？　　Binance is the leading crypto exchange in terms of traded volume, website visits, and the number of customers. It offers crypto services to millions of customers from across the globe. However, the string of regulatory

2021-07-16Deep Dive

PayPal Dramatically Increases Limit for Cryptocurrency Purchases

PayPals decision to support operations with cryptocurrencies has brought outstanding results, and a few hours ago, it just hit the gas pedal and increased the limit on cryptocurrency purchases giving its customer more freedom to buy their beloved digital assets.　　According to an Official PR, duly registered customers will now be able to buy up to $100,000 in crypto per week, without any other monthly or yearly limit. The company assured that the move comes in response to the feedback from its clients:　　“As part of our efforts to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, we are pleased to announce that we have recently raised the purchase limits of cryptocurrency for eligible PayPal customers in the U.S. to $100,000 per week with no annual purchase limit. These changes will enable our customers to have more choice and flexibility in purchasing cryptocurrency on our platform.”　　In addition, PayPal noted that it had updated its educational material, providing better information about cryptocurrencies, improving the guides, and increasing the number of answers to frequently asked questions.　　PayPal Goes Deeper Down The Rabbit Hole　　The news is simply the latest step in the execution of a corporate strategy that seems to increasingly focus on the world of cryptocurrencies

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Ripple Scores Major Win Against SEC as Judge Authorizes William Hinman's Deposition

Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn has ordered the deposition of William Hinman, former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions Division of Corporation Finance during a recent hearing.　　As reported by U.Today, the SEC argued that approving Hinmans testimony would set a dangerous precedent that could deter other lawyers from taking public service jobs.　　However, Netburn notes that this is not “a run of the mill” enforcement case, adding that there is huge public interest in its resolution.　　She claims that the deposition is not supposed to affect other departments.　　While Hinman was recently scheduled to be deposed on July 19, his testimony has been postponed by the judge so that the parties can work out its scope in advance.　　Hinman will likely be asked to clarify whether his 2018 speech about Ethereum not being a security is official or not.　　During the hearing, the SEC mentioned that it hadnt made a decision on Ethers regulatory status at that time. The watchdog is adamant that Hinmans speech contained his personal remarks.

2021-07-16Deep Dive

Apple Has Bought BTC: Bulls Smell a Short Squeeze

The number of Bitcoin short positions has risen astronomically to a two-year all-time high.　　The accumulation of short positions is an indicator of a pervasive bearish sentiment that surrounds Bitcoin.　　The opinion is split amongst the camps with believers forecasting a short squeeze amid rumors of a mammoth purchase by Apple.　　According to Oscar Winner, Spike Lee Bitcoin is heralding the “digital revolution”.　　For over a month, the cryptocurrency markets have languished under the throes of bearish sentiments. Prices have fallen abysmally from their previous highs, leaving the global cryptocurrency market cap at $1.3 trillion.　　This pervasive sentiment has led to a spike in the number of short positions for the assets after Bitcoin fell to lows of $28K. Despite the increase in the number of short positions, there is a whirlwind of rumors of massive institutional purchases with Apple said to have splurged over $2 billion on Bitcoin.　　Rising BTC Short Positions　　BTC short positions have been on the rise following Bitcoins lackluster performance over the last few months. After surpassing $64K a few months ago, the asset tumbled by over 50% to touch a low of $28,893 that it had not reached since the start of 2021.　　While the community puts the blame on Elon Musk

2021-07-15Deep Dive

NFL’s Saquon Barkley converting endorsements to BTC to create ‘generational wealth’

NFL star Saquon Barkley has revealed that he will be converting all of his endorsement money into Bitcoin.　　Barkley was the 2018 NFL offensive rookie of the year and plays as a running back for the New York Giants — a team that is also sponsored by Grayscale.　　The 24-year-old explained the rationale for the move earlier today during an appearance on “The Best Business Show” hosted by Bitcoin proponent and Morgan Creek Digital co-founder Anthony Pompliano. He noted that his research on inflation is what drove his interest in Bitcoin:　　“Were seeing inflation and were learning you cant save wealth. Thats why I am going to be taking my marketing money in Bitcoin.”　　Barkley was joined on the show by Jack Mallers, the CEO of Strike, a payments company based on the Lightning Network. The NFL star cites the CEO as a key person who helped educate him on the benefits of investing in Bitcoin. Mallers was also highly influential in El Salvadors embrace of Bitcoin.　　As part of the move to convert his reported eight-figure yearly marketing endorsement money, Barkley will take direct deposits into his Strike account and instantly convert the money into BTC.　　Barkley stated that he sees his opportunity in the

2021-07-15Deep Dive