Global

December 30, 2023 @ 11:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The ETC Group has shared their 2024 Outlook report which provides a forward-looking analysis of the crypto-asset market, with a focus on Bitcoin, as the industry heads into a pivotal year. The report encompasses a comprehensive examination of “the interplay between macroeconomic factors, on-chain developments,… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 5:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Exchange-traded funds —more commonly known as ETFs — have transformed the financial landscape, according to an update shared by eToro. And lately, ETFs actually became a beacon “for everyday investors as they navigated rising rates and inflation,” the eToro team noted. Investors have reportedly “poured… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 5:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Gavin Wood, an Ethereum co-founder who has focused on Polkadot noted that we are seeing a global return to normalcy and resurgence of (in-person) events with it (even though various of COVID still seem to be affecting a significant number of people despite vaccinations being… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 5:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinGecko recently shared insights covering the largest Bitcoin ETFs in the world. According to research posted by CoinGecko, XBT Provider’s Bitcoin Tracker One (COINXBT) is the biggest Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) worldwide, “with $7.11 billion in total assets. The pioneering Bitcoin futures ETF was “launched… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 11:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

This year has been a “true test” for crypto, according to an update from CoinList. Digital asset platform CoinList noted in a blog post that during 2022, the blockchain/DLT industry “faced macroeconomic challenges, scandals, criminal trials, enforcement actions, and a handful of notable collapses and… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 10:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

VC firm Andreessen Horowitz has shared a comprehensive crypto-assets and blockchain ecosystem update / recap as we all get ready to enter “a new era of decentralization.” According to a16z, we keep seeing over and over again that when control of a powerful system or… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 10:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The AMF is warning the public against several companies proposing atypical investments without being authorised to do so. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers regularly “updates its black lists of new websites and entities proposing atypical investments to investors in France without being authorized to do… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 10:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In an industry that moves like no other, crypto has had “a year like no other,” according to an update from BitMEX. BitMEX, which was once the leading crypto derivatives exchange but experienced major regulatory challenges and enforcement actions a few year back, noted in… Read More

December 29, 2023 @ 9:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PeerBerry recently completed the repayments of the last Polish loans. Over €20 million of Polish loans (plus accrued interest) were “repaid to investors in November and December.” Previously, loans issued in Poland accounted “for about 25% of all loans” funded through the PeerBerry platform. PeerBerry… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 9:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

OakNorth – a UK-based digital bank, has added Lord (Adair) Turner as its Chairman of the Board. Lord Turner reportedly has “an extensive track record in financial services, including as Vice-Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, a Board Director of Standard Chartered, Chair of the Financial… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 6:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

After the launch of World ID 2.0 and the open sourcing of the Worldcoin iris recognition pipeline in mid December, World ID verifications are now “available in Singapore via the Orb, the project’s custom hardware device.” A full list of verification locations is available on… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 2:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockstream, the global firm focused on Bitcoin infrastructure technology, has  announced the upcoming Series 2 launch of its Bitcoin-denominated investment vehicle, the Blockstream ASIC (BASIC) Note. As stated in a blog post by Blockstream, here ar ethe Key Facts: Series 1 was oversubscribed, demonstrating strong… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 12:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Innovation Nation. Israel remains one of the hottest entrepreneurial hubs in the world. The country has punched above its weight class for years now and is well known for being the launch pad of many successful tech startups. But 2023 has hit the country… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 12:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

According to preliminary insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse, U.S. retail sales excluding automotive “increased +3.1% year over year this holiday season, running from November 1 through December 24.” Mastercard SpendingPulse from Mastercard (NYSE: MA) reportedly “measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 10:36 am By JD Alois  |  

  Revolut, a top digital bank based in the UK but operating around the world, has been approved to offer home loans. According to Fintech Lithuania, Revolut will start offering mortgages across the European Economic Area, first in Lithuania. The group describes the approval as… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 9:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Chief Executive Nikhil Rathi has issued a statement on the agency’s key achievements in the past couple of years. The update is part of a three-year strategy by the FCA to support financial services development while providing ample protection…. Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 8:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of Ireland credit and debit card data for the first two weeks of December revealed that spending levels rose nationwide compared to the same period in 2022. Cavan shoppers engaged in “the biggest pre-Christmas splurge, with spending in the county rising by 11% during… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 8:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cryptocurrency isn’t just here to stay – it’s the “future of money,” according to an update from Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN). The largest crypto exchange in the US has outlined the status of digital assets while predicting a bullish future for crypto. Even in the aftermath of… Read More

December 28, 2023 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Estateguru says that they saw €9.4 million in loan repayments in November, with an additional €1.3 million coming from recovered loans. As noted in a blog post by Estateguru, the total returns amounted to €1.1 million, “with an average return rate of 8.99%.” Estateguru has… Read More

December 27, 2023 @ 11:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On 20 December 2023 the legislative acts on the European Single Access Point (ESAP) for information on financial services, capital markets sustainability and diversity were published in the Official Journal of the EU. Eurocrowd notes in a blog post that the ESAP is “expected to provide the… Read More