Blockchain Industry Update (Pizza hut, Facebook’s Libra, Chinese yuan, Coinbase)

Investors continue to favor Bitcoin. The future of commerce seems taking shape with new digital currency. 

::A central bank digital currency (CBDC)::

  • Chinese digital yuan trial to be held in Suzhou as the central bank gears to roll out the CBDC. All residents across Chinese city Suzhou will receive the central bank digital currency in so-called “red packets through a local lottery.
  • Olaf Scholz, the Grman Finance minister on Friday said that the European Central Bank must work very hard towards finalizing their plans for a digital Euro and a digital pay network.
  • Facebook’s Libra stablecoin is expected to be launched in January 2021. After facing scrutiny from global financial regulators for more than a year, Libra will finally launch in the form of a United States dollar-backed digital currency.

:: Acquisitions, mergers, announcement, Funding::

  • Yearn announced yet another merger, this time with Akropolis, a multiproduct decentralized finance protocol featuring yield optimization and undercollateralized loans.
  • VanEck Europe has launched an exchange-traded note physically backed by Bitcoin. The ETN will be listed on the German trading venue Xetra.

::Bitcoin::

  • Russian government to recognize bitcoin as property.
  • Investment Giant Alliance Bernstein now says Bitcoin has a role in investors’ portfolios. The global investment manager with $631 billion in assets under management, has had a change of heart when it comes to bitcoin as an investment asset.
  • Guggenheim’s billion-dollar Marco Opportunities Fund may seek indirect exposure to BTC through the investment of 10% of its net asset value into Grayscale’s BTC Trust. The investment means MOF will have committed as much as $497 million into the GBTC.
  • Paul Tudor Jones hints BTC rally.
  • High priced $32K Bitcoin options show some pro traders expect more upside. $32,000 per Bitcoin seemed unreasonable in October, but the 950% spike in the January call option suggests some traders think it’s a possibility.
  • Guggenheim considering investing up to $500M in Bitcoin. Guggenheim Investments is “the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners and has more than $233 billion in total assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies.”
  • Chinese Police seize 1% of Bitcoin’s total supply. Crypto assets worth more than $4.2 billion have been seized by Chinese police over the PlusToken Ponzi scheme.
  • Pendal Group, an Australian investment firm begun investing in bitcoin futures contracts through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The firm reports increased demand from wholesale investors and high-net-worth clients.
  • Coinbase CEO warns of ‘Rushed’ wallet regulation, Bitcoin drops below USD 17K.
  • $262 Million in Bitcoin longs were liquidated in just one hour. A sudden drop in Bitcoin prices caused massive liquidations across some of the biggest crypto exchanges.
  • The number of large Bitcoin whales has hit a new all-time high as data shows that while those with smaller holdings have started selling at different price points, BTC whales kept on accumulating.
  • OKEx Bitcoin outflows surged to levels last seen in May 2019, just after the withdrawal service was restored. Some of the coins were moved to Binance and other exchanges, including hardware wallets.
  • Crypto Whale transfers 40 Million XRP to Bitstamp. The unidentified user moved XRP tokens from an address that has been dormant since 2013.

::Blockchain::

  • The Australian Border Force, the country’s customs and border protection agency wants to simplify cross-border trade with Singapore using blockchain technology.
  • South Korean government to delay crypto tax rules by three months. Following lobbying by the Korean Blockchain Association, crypto exchanges have extra time to implement a new tax infrastructure.
  • DeFi protocol Money on Chain, a lending platform and stablecoin issuer based on Bitcoin sidechain RSK, announced the launch of TEX, an automated token swap platform based on an order book with a unique twist.

::Crypto::

  • The president of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, spoke about the future of payments in the region on November 30. She spoke positively about the prospects for a digital euro while striking a dour note on crypto assets and stablecoins.
  • Russia to introduce a “Civilized Direction” for the crypto market and protect users from scams.
  • Pizza Hut locations in Venezuela now accept cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Pizza Hut joins Burger King, Intercontinental Hotel, Traki, and several other major stores in Venezuela that accept bitcoin.

::Others::

  • XRP’s Google search interest is back to early December 2017 levels. Interest in XRP has been primarily due to the Flare Networks snapshot.
  • Ripple in a first of its kind move has filed for selling one-third of its shares in MoneyGram, one of its key strategic partners from 2019.
  • Stellar’s native token XLM is up 21.39% this week, following the network’s recent upgrade dubbed the protocol 15. The price surge represents 100% gains putting XLM among the currently top performing altcoins.
  • Poloniex and KuCoin have announced their support for XRP´s Flare Networks snapshot and airdrop. KuCoin and Poloniex join Binance in supporting the event.
  • $100 Million liquidated on Defi protocol Compound following oracle exploit.

Credit: Telegram VYSYN – Capital News

Dappros Team
Dappros Team
Articles: 131

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