The popular bitcoin perma-bear Peter Schiff has carried out another verbal attack on X during the most recent price correction that drove the asset to a multi-day low of around $63,000.

Schiff, known for his support and admiration for gold, believes BTC’s price could plummet even more if it breaks below $60,000.

Not Looking Good?

Although the fourth halving took place less than a week ago, an event typically related to the start of another bull run, many crypto experts, including Arthur Hayes, warned that the largest crypto asset could retrace ahead, during, and shortly after the block reward reduction.

This has indeed been the case so far, as bitcoin dumped hard last week amid the geopolitical issues between Iran and Israel, recovered some ground after the halving but started losing value in the past 24 hours again.

The latest decline drove BTC south by approximately four grand, from almost $67,000 to around $63,000 as of now. Such corrections are usually used by bitcoin critics, such as Peter Schiff, to (perhaps) exaggerate the current market conditions and issue big warnings for HODLers.

In his latest attempt to spread FUD, Schiff said new investors who are not used to the volatile nature of bitcoin, could be “in for a rude awakening.” He also pointed out the $60,000 level as the most important psychological line BTC has to maintain to prevent further declines.

It’s not looking good #HODLers. You guys need to hope #Bitcoin can hold $60K. Otherwise it’s a long way down. All the hard core Bitcoiners are use to big drops. But the newbies who own the ETFs are in for a rude awakening. pic.twitter.com/Dw6mJXXi3r

— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) April 24, 2024

What About Gold?

As mentioned above, Schiff is a well-known gold bug and recently also commented on the yellow metal’s correction. The safe-haven asset went from an all-time high of $2,425/oz to under $2,300 in the span of a few weeks.

However, it managed to bounce off and is currently trading above $2,320. Consequently, Schiff believes the worst for gold is over as he sees $2,300 as the new support level that won’t be broken soon. Moreover, he predicted that the precious metal would go above $2,400 shortly and forecasted another BTC correction.

The pullback in #gold is likely over. $2,300 looks like the new $2,000. There is resistance above $2,400, but I don’t expect it to last long. In contrast, the #Bitcoin pullback is likely just getting started. There is support at $60,000, but I don’t expect it to hold up.

— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) April 24, 2024

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TL;DR

Robinhood now offers Shiba Inu (SHIB), Avalanche (AVAX), and Compound (COMP) to New York residents, building on its crypto services in the USA.

Despite a recent price drop, the meme coin has potential for a rally, bolstered by a significant increase in its burn rate and developments in its layer-2 blockchain network, Shibarium.

Attention New Yorkers

The American-based financial services company – Robinhood – unveiled additional cryptocurrency options for the residents of New York. It said the popular meme coin Shiba Inu (SHIB) and the altcoins Avalanche (AVAX) and Compound (COMP) are now available for locals.

Attention New York Shiba Inu ($SHIB ), Avalanche ($AVAX) and Compound ($COMP) are now available for New York State residents!

Buy, sell and trade your favorite crypto assets on the Robinhood app.

See the full list of assets available: https://t.co/B41xoSGcQA pic.twitter.com/mLBxz3Devx

— Robinhood (@RobinhoodApp) April 24, 2024

Several months ago, Robinhood expanded its crypto presence in the state of Nevada, enabling users to buy and sell 15 digital assets. The two largest meme coins in terms of market capitalization – Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE) – were included in the list.

The firm initially embraced SHIB in April 2022, triggering a 35% price rally for the token. However, the asset’s valuation did not react positively to the latest announcement. In fact, SHIB is down around 8% on a 24-hour scale amid an overall market decline. 

SHIB Gearing up for a Bull Run?

Despite the recent downtrend, some metrics suggest that the price of Shiba Inu might take off in the short term. The asset’s burn rate exploded by 500% earlier this month, resulting in millions of tokens being removed from circulation. The program’s ultimate goal is to create a scarcity effect, thus propelling a value ascent (assuming demand stays the same or rises).

Another factor is the SHIB exchange netflow, which has been predominantly negative in the last week. A shift from centralized entities to self-custody methods is considered bullish since it reduces the immediate selling pressure.

Some industry participants believe that the advancement of Shiba Inu’s L2 blockchain network – Shibarium – could also contribute for a SHIB price rally. The feature underwent a major update as of late, while total transactions surpassed the 400 million mark.

Those curious to learn more about Shibarium’s purposes and specifics can watch our dedicated video below:

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Bitcoin’s price movements over the past several days were quite promising as the asset had recovered from last week’s crash and stood above $66,000 and even $67,000 before the landscape changed for the worse once again today.

The altcoins, though, are in an even worse state, with numerous massive price declines across almost all charts.

BTC Slides Below $64K

CryptoPotato reported the adverse price movements last week that were propelled by the escalating tension between Iran and Israel. This culminated in a price drop to under $59,500 on Friday, hours before the fourth halving.

However, when Iran tried to calm the situation, bitcoin went on the offensive and jumped by over five grand in hours. It faced the completion of the halving at around $65,000 and kept climbing gradually over the next few days to just under $67,000.

The latest failed attempt to overcome that level was yesterday. However, the bears were quick to intercept the move and pushed the cryptocurrency south hard.

In a matter of hours, the asset fell by more than $3,000 and kept dropping to a multi-day low of $63,500 (on Bitstamp). Its current price tag is not much higher amid the growing ETF outflows, and its market cap has declined to $1.260 trillion on CG. Its dominance over the alts has remained at the same level of 50.7%.

Bitcoin/Price/Chart 25.04.2024. Source: TradingView Alts Turn Red

The landscape around the altcoins is even worse today. Aside from BNB, TRX, and LEO, who have been spared by the crash, the rest of the larger-cap alts are deep in the red. ETH is down by 4% and trades inches above $3,100. Similar losses are evident from XRP, LINK, LTC, and NEAR.

More painful declines come from the likes of Solana (-7%), Dogecoin (-8%), Toncoin (-9%), Cardano (-6%), Shiba Inu (-8%), Avalanche (-10%), Bitcoin Cash (-6%), and Polkadot (-8%).

The total crypto market cap has dumped by around $100 billion in a day and is under $2.5 trillion on CG now.

Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto

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After a few days of hovering above $66,000, bitcoin (BTC) has dropped to a low of $63,500 amid heightened volatility.

Coincidentally (or not), the amount of outflows from the United States spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) market on April 24 hit $120 million.

BTC Plunges by 4.5%

Data from CoinMarketCap shows that BTC lost roughly 4.5% of its value within a few hours, plummeting from $66,700 to $63,500. Although the leading cryptocurrency had recovered slightly by the time of writing and was changing hands at $64,000, it was still in the red and down 3.8% from its value the previous day.

Bitcoin’s fall from the $66,000 level dragged a large portion of the crypto market down, wrecking over 91,000 traders with liquidations running into $208 million, per data from CoinGlass. Short liquidations totaled $32.18 million, while long positions were $176 million.

Notably, some large-cap altcoins, including Avalanche, Shiba Inu, Toncoin, Solana, and Cardano, plunged even more than BTC did, recording losses above 7% each.

Spot ETF Outflows Hit $120M

Wednesday saw investors withdraw more than $120 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs, breaking a three-day streak of positive flows. Every other ETF, except Fidelity’s FBTC and Ark Invest’s ARKB, received zero inflows, bringing the total amount received by the funds to $9.8 million.

BlackRock’s IBIT broke its 71-day inflow streak, halting its ascent on the list of the top ten ETFs with the longest inflow streaks. IBIT earned its spot on the elite list on Tuesday after experiencing inflows non-stop since its launch on January 11.

On the other hand, Grayscale’s GBTC continued its outflows, with more than $130 million withdrawn on Wednesday. The ETF, which has witnessed consistent outflows since its launch, now holds around 302,000 BTC worth over $19.3 billion with a volume of $526 million.

Meanwhile, analysts have urged the crypto community to remain calm on days when ETFs record zero inflows, as this is a regular occurrence. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said the vast majority of exchange-traded funds would have no inflows on any given day, and it is nothing to be worried about.

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TL;DR

Bitcoin (BTC) rose significantly post-halving, hitting $67K, but recently dropped to $64,000. Future projections suggest a potential rise to $150,000 by end of 2024.

Ripple is currently in a trial phase with the SEC over XRP’s security classification, resisting a $2 billion fine and arguing for a maximum of $10 million. One popular attorney envisioned a potential settlement around $100 million to be reached this summer.

Despite a recent 8% price drop, SHIB’s market indicators, like low exchange reserves and a major upgrade to Shibarium, hint at a possible upcoming price rally.

BTC’s Price Swings

The price of the primary cryptocurrency has been on an uptrend since the halving took place on April 20. Its value gradually rose over the past several days, surpassing the $67K mark on April 24. 

However, the crypto market flashed red today (April 25), with Bitcoin (BTC) nosediving by 4% on a daily scale to approximately $64,000.

BTC Price, Source: CoinGecko

Many analysts and industry experts believe the following months will be quite successful for the asset, predicting new all-time high prices. Most recently, Geoff Kendrick – head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered – forecasted that BTC may ascend to $150,000 by the end of 2024.

What’s New on the Ripple v. SEC Front?

The legal battle between Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently entered its trial phase. The dispute is centered on allegations of XRP sales violations, while the company argues that its native token should not be classified as a security, thus not falling under the regulator’s jurisdiction.

Last month, the SEC sought a whopping $2 billion fine on Ripple. The company filed its opposition to the request earlier this month, suggesting the penalty should not exceed $10 due to numerous important reasons.

It claimed there is no allegation that Ripple deceived or misled individuals and entities who purchased XRP years ago. It also insisted that most of its transactions involving its native cryptocurrency were lawful, adding they caused no substantial financial losses to investors.

Despite the start of the trial, it remains unclear when the case will be officially closed. The popular lawyer Jeremy Hogan recently argued that the resolution may occur sometime this summer, envisioning a $100 million settlement.

If you are curious to learn more about the lawsuit and its impact on XRP’s price, feel free to take a look at our dedicated video below:

SHIB’s Potential

While the latest market correction resulted in an 8% daily price decrease for the meme coin, it remains well in the green on a weekly scale. Moreover, some essential factors indicate that the token is yet to experience another significant rally.

As CryptoPotato reported, SHIB exchange reserves have sunk to a two-year low of approximately 150 trillion assets this week. A reduction in that metric means fewer Shiba Inu coins are available for trading, leading to enhanced scarcity and a possible price spike in the future (assuming demand stays the same or rises).

The development of the meme coin’s layer-2 scaling solution – Shibarium – may also trigger a bull run. Earlier this month, the network underwent a major upgrade, with the team introducing a new user interface (UI) update, describing it as “faster, smoother, and more accessible than ever.” The developers also expanded compatibility with popular self-custody wallets such as Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, Trust Wallet, and others.

The post Important Ripple v. SEC Lawsuit Developments, Bitcoin (BTC) Volatility, and More: Bits Recap April 25 appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin’s price stood tall above $66,000 for a few days and even challenged $67,000 on a couple of occasions but to no avail. The subsequent rejection brought enhanced pain for the bulls and over-leveraged traders with long positions, as the total value of liquidations on a daily scale has soared to more than $200 million.

However, the altcoins also have a big say in this, as most have plummeted even more than bitcoin.

Bitcoin/Price/Chart. Source: TradingView

Last week was quite painful for the primary cryptocurrency as the asset plunged below $60,000 on two separate occasions amid the ongoing growing tension between Iran and Israel.

As the former said it will refrain from retaliating, at least for now, bitcoin’s price regained a lot of value and jumped to around $65,000 by the time the fourth halving was completed.

Since then, BTC was gradually increasing in value and jumped to over $67,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Yet, the bears stepped up at this point and reversed bitcoin’s trajectory.

In a matter of a few hours, the asset slumped to $64,500 before another leg down pushed it to a multi-day low of under $63,600. Despite recovering a few hundred grand since then, BTC is still well in the red at just over $64,000.

Even more painful declines are evident from the likes of Solana (-7%), Toncoin (-7%), Dogecoin (-7%), Avalanche (-10%), Shiba Inu (-8%), and many others.

As such, it’s no wonder that almost 100,000 traders have been wrecked in the past day, most of them with long positions. The total value of liquidations on a daily scale is at just over $210 million on CoinGlass.

24-hour Liquidation Heat Map. Source: CoinGlass

The post Bitcoin’s Drop to Under $64K Results in Over $200 Million in Liquidations appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Standard Chartered Bank analyst and head of digital assets research, Geoff Kendrick, believes bitcoin (BTC) will likely trend higher following the halving due to lower leveraged positions in the market.

Speaking to BNN Bloomberg during an interview over the weekend, Kendrick said the current market environment, which has lower leverage, could propel the value of BTC upwards toward Standard Chartered’s end-of-year price target of $150,000.

A Lower Leveraged Market

The week preceding the Bitcoin halving weekend ended with the crypto market witnessing millions of liquidations in short and long positions as tensions escalated in the Middle East. BTC plunged by almost ten grand as news of Iran’s attacks against Israel made the rounds, leaving a trail of ruin in its wake.

Bitcoin fell from $71,000 to $65,000 and then to $61,000 within a day. Over 300,000 traders were wrecked, with liquidations running into $1.8 billion. The bloodshed from that weekend flushed out millions of leveraged Bitcoin positions, with April 13 alone marking the highest daily liquidation since October 2023.

Kendrick said the liquidation of leveraged positions has cleared a pathway for the crypto market to trend higher and that it is poised to move up from its current position. Since the market went into the halving squared in terms of leverage, it could rebound and surge to new levels.

ETF Inflows to Drive BTC Uptrend

Besides the lesser leveraged positions in the market, Kendrick also mentioned inflows into the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) and positive news expected from the situation between Iran and Israel as potential catalysts for higher BTC trends.

Although the inflows of spot Bitcoin ETFs have stalled for now, the Standard Chartered analyst expects capital inflows of $50-$100 billion within the next 18 to 24 months as the market matures. Likening the Bitcoin ETF space to that of gold, Kendrick predicted that it could grow by 4.3x as inflows continue over time, propelling BTC to $150,000 by the end of 2024 and $200,000 by 2025.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered predicted that BTC could hit $250,000 in 2025 if Bitcoin ETF inflows reach the mid-point estimate of $75 billion.

The post Here’s What Will Drive Bitcoin to $150K After the Halving: Standard Chartered appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Balaji Srinivasan – the popular venture investor and Coinbase’s former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – believes Bitcoin Maximalism is due to gain steam as a philosophical and economic belief system.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, the entrepreneur argued why faith in the existing financial system is bound to erode over time as the U.S. dollar inflation pushes a new generation into Bitcoin.

Unstoppable Inflation

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, twelve-month consumer inflation in the United States rose to 3.5% in March, now having stayed substantially higher than the nation’s 2% target for three years straight.

While the Federal Reserve has raised its policy interest rate substantially to fight higher prices, Balaji claims this method brings harsh side effects for consumers – such as higher interest payments on loans and cars.

“There’s really nothing they can do,” wrote Balaj. “High rates mean the regime is piling up interest costs in an unsustainable way, so they can’t keep rates elevated forever.”

Federal Reserve data shows that personal interest payments in the U.S. have risen from $240 billion in 2021 to $520 billion today.

Meanwhile, Bank of America research shows that U.S. Treasury interest payments have skyrocketed to $1.1 trillion per year, and are projected to reach $1.6 trillion by Q4 2024 if rates remain stable. If the Fed were to cut rates by 150 basis points before then, such payments would still rise to $1.2 trillion.

Adding to its interest burden is the nation’s continual debt issuance through notes, bonds, and bills, which rose back to $7 trillion in Q4 2023. According to the US debt clock, the nation’s total debt burden has now surpassed $34.6 trillion after Congress voted to suspend its debt ceiling last year.

A Bitcoin Maximalist Revolution

Balaji believes the country’s debt levels will lead it to print “gigantic quantities of money” – a dangerous prospect given that 64% of 18 to 29-year-olds view inflation as their top national issue.

“That is the stuff of which revolutions are made,” he said. “That’s why it the next one really is the people vs the government, the network vs the state, and — most of all — the dollar vs Bitcoin.”

“I am no maximalist, but Bitcoin Maximalism will rise,” he added.

Bitcoin maximalism is a movement and belief system that views Bitcoin as superior to all other financial assets. That includes precious metals, fiat currencies, bonds, stocks, and even other cryptocurrencies.

Michael Saylor – executive chairman of MicroStrategy, the world’s largest corporate BTC holders – has referred to himself as a Bitcoin maximalist.

The post Bitcoin Maximalism Will Rise Over Time, Predicts Balaji appeared first on CryptoPotato.

São Paulo-based Nubank announced the launch of a new feature that allows withdrawals and deposits of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

With this latest move, customers will now be able to send and receive Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana using the Nubank app. The withdrawal and deposit options are now available, allowing users to check the functionality on the app’s main crypto screen.

Nubank Adds Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Features to App

The launch includes an initial selection of three cryptocurrencies, but Nubank plans to add support for more in the near future.

According to the report by Livecoins, users are advised to consider some important points before completing a transaction. For one, withdrawals may be subject to variable fees depending on the chosen network, and crypto transactions may take approximately 60 minutes.

A loosely translated statement from the bank reads,

“We are releasing the Withdrawal and Deposit options, and you can check if you already have the new functionality on the main crypto screen of the app. For now, it’s possible to send and receive Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, but we plan to add new coins soon.”

Users are also required to verify if the selected network and currency are supported by the Nubank wallet. The Brazilian bank emphasizes the importance of ensuring that assets are sent to supported networks and correct addresses, as incorrect transfers may result in irreversible loss of funds.

Brazil’s Crypto Landscape

Nubank’s latest feature, enabling withdrawals and deposits of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, is poised to boost Brazil’s growing crypto environment further. As the largest fintech bank in Latin America, with a massive customer base of 80.4 million in Brazil and additional millions in Mexico and Colombia, Nubank’s move into cryptocurrency signals a significant step in mainstream acceptance.

The latest development closely follows Brazil’s largest bank, Itau Unibanco’s, debut in the cryptocurrency exchange market in early December 2023.

Brazil is one of the top Latin American countries with a high level of cryptocurrency adoption. Additionally, it is one of three nations showing strong “grassroots adoption” and is ranked within the top 20 on Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index.

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Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX is looking to offload its remaining Solana native tokens, SOL, via an auction this week.

According to a Bloomberg report, people familiar with the matter said the bankruptcy estate would auction an unspecified amount of SOL in the hopes of receiving a higher price than that which they would have gotten through direct sales.

FTX to Sell SOL Via Auction

The blond auction represents a shift from the fixed-price sales the bankruptcy estate has engaged in over time. Notably, most creditors have expressed dissatisfaction with the direct sales approach as it undermines the value of the FTX’s assets, minimizing creditors’ potential recovery.

Since FTX began offloading its SOL via direct sales, it has attracted the interest of major crypto firms like Pantera Capital, Neptune Digital Assets Corp, and Galaxy Trading, a division of Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital.

Last month, the bankruptcy estate sold between 25 million and 30 million locked-up SOL at $64 each, netting as much as $1.9 billion. Although the deal seemed juicy enough, the buyers acquired FTX’s SOL at a price 67% down from the token’s value at the time. While FTX is yet to disclose its SOL sales for April, previous reports show the asset has sold tokens worth roughly $2.6 billion.

Unidentified sources revealed that the deadline for the auction is Wednesday, April 24, with the results to be announced on Thursday.

Figure Markets Declares Interest

One of the firms that has publicly declared interest in the FTX SOL blind auction is the crypto exchange Figure Markets. The company’s co-founder and CEO, Mike Cagney, disclosed that the firm would create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) open to non-U.S. and U.S. investors for the auctions.

The SPV will take investments in the U.S. dollar and Circle (USDC), with community consensus on bid prices to be determined on a $1:1 vote basis. The vehicle also allows retail investors and FTX creditors to participate in the auction with a minimum investment of $5,000, starkly contrasting the $5 million set by the estate for direct sales.

FTX creditor activist Sunil Kavuri commended Cagney’s approach to the auction, insisting that Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm overseeing FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings, was adamant on selling the locked SOL at a heavy discount to their clients, regardless of objections from creditors.

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The creator of the popular ‘Bitcoin Power Law’ has unveiled a chart detailing his price model’s exact BTC price targets for the next several market cycles.

The model predicts that Bitcoin will reach $218,875 at its cycle peak in November 2025, before descending to $96,677 at its bottom in December 2026.

What Is The Bitcoin Power Law?

The Bitcoin Power Law is a long-term price model that forecasts Bitcoin’s future market value as if it were bound by the laws of physics. The man behind the model – Giovanni Santostasi – is a former physics professor, who believes Bitcoin’s long-term price trajectory follows a “power law” relationship with time.

“Price is a power law, hash rate is a power law, adoption is a power law,” wrote Santostasi to Twitter on Monday. “We even understand why and have a full Theory about it.”

A power law is a perfect relationship between two quantities such that one is proportional to a fixed power of the other. One example is the law of planetary motion, which states that a planet’s distance from the sun is directly proportional to the time it takes to fully orbit around the sun.

Power laws have even been discovered in the financial realm, having been used to predict the average waiting time for a stock price’s directional change.

Because such laws maintain themselves at any scale, the Bitcoin Power Law Theory is supposed to stay relevant across any span of time, and can forecast the asset’s price range indefinitely. For example, the model expects BTC to peak at $1,212,799 in November 2033, before retracing back to $802,399 in December 2034.

Santostasi insists that the Power Law model is no “model” at all, but a “ full and coherent theory of what Bitcoin is and how it works.” For instance, the price floor of the power law is not based on technical analysis, but instead on the “physics of mining” and a point of “miner capitulation.”

“We actually put a lot of time in developing meaningful indicators that use both the power law and the cyclic nature of Bitcoin using the Bitcoin clock,” the physicist wrote on Tuesday.

What About the Stock to Flow Model?

Santostasi is a non-believer in other popular price models, such as Plan B’s “stock-to-flow” model, which predicts exponential gains for Bitcoin in the future without diminishing returns. The model attempts to forecast Bitcoin’s price as a function of its diminishing supply inflation following each Bitcoin halving.

Technical indicators, such as Bitcoin’s “Pi Cycle Top” indicator for identifying market peaks, have been “lucky” in achieving historical accuracy, he claims.

“S2F is deeply wrong conceptually, logically, mathematically, from a construction point of view,” Santostasi said on Tuesday. “it is almost poison because gives really the wrong information about Bitcoin, basically a magic trick and a lie.”

The post Here’s The Exact Top Of The Next Bitcoin Cycle, Power Law Says appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Tether has announced that all wallets associated with Venezuela’s attempts to bypass U.S. sanctions on oil exports will be frozen.

The decision follows recent reports indicating an increased use of Tether’s USDT by Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, to avoid sanctions imposed by the United States.

Venezuela’s PDVSA Turns to Tether Amid Sanctions

According to a Reuters report, Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, transitioned to using Tether’s USDT after facing renewed sanctions on its oil exports.

Tether took a similar stance in December last year, freezing 161 wallets in compliance with U.S. sanctions.

A spokesperson for the stablecoin issuer emphasized the company’s commitment to upholding sanctions by stating, “Tether respects the OFAC SDN list and is committed to working to ensure sanction addresses are frozen properly.”

PDVSA’s increased use of cryptocurrency payments is part of a broader strategy to mitigate the repercussions of U.S. sanctions re-imposed due to Venezuela’s failure to implement electoral reforms.

By using cryptocurrencies like USDT, PDVSA can conduct transactions while minimizing the risk of assets being seized by U.S. authorities. Reuters notes that PDVSA uses intermediaries to hide the trail and evade tracking in USDT transactions.

However, a recent PDVSA scandal has complicated matters, as investigations uncovered around $21 billion in unexplained receivables from oil exports. This scandal is partly linked to prior transactions involving other cryptocurrencies, adding complexity to the situation.

USDT Prepayment for Oil Deals

In 2024, PDVSA restructured its spot oil deals to require prepayment for half of each cargo’s value in USDT. This requires new customers interested in buying Venezuelan oil to possess a digital wallet capable of conducting cryptocurrency transactions.

Furthermore, the U.S. government has conditionally permitted the resumption of business with PDVSA. This decision came in October when Washington issued a six-month license, allowing trading houses and former PDVSA customers to resume business with Venezuela. However, due to digital transaction requirements, many of these entities had to rely on intermediaries to facilitate the transactions.

Venezuela’s venture into cryptocurrencies dates back to 2018, when it introduced the “petro” token to mitigate the economic turbulence induced by U.S. sanctions. However, the petro’s poor adoption led to its shelving earlier this year.

Meanwhile, OFAC has recently intensified its scrutiny of the cryptocurrency industry. In December, OFAC imposed fines on crypto exchange CoinList amounting to $1.2 million for facilitating Russian users in evading sanctions. Before this, the agency sanctioned a crypto mixer allegedly used by hackers in North Korea.

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Polkadot’s recent price movement has seen it finding support from the crucial 200-day moving average, prompting a bullish retracement. However, despite this upward trajectory, the cryptocurrency faces several critical resistance levels ahead, casting doubt on the sustainability of the bullish retracement.

Technical Analysis

By Shayan

The Daily Chart

A thorough daily chart analysis reveals a modest bullish reversal near the key 200-day moving average of $7, following a quick decline in Polkadot’s price. However, the lack of substantial bullish momentum raises questions about the longevity of the recent action.

Additionally, significant resistance lies ahead. Notably, the 100-day moving average at $8.1 aligned with the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement level ($8), potentially hindering upward movement. These levels, combined with the crucial support from the 200-day MA, serve as pivotal reference points for Polkadot in the short term. A breakout from this critical range will likely determine the market’s next move.

Source: TradingView The 4-Hour Chart

A closer examination of the 4-hour timeframe reveals a period of indecisive consolidation near the pivotal $6 mark, culminating in a notable bullish reversal. The subsequent surge in buying pressure propelled the price towards a significant resistance region, delineated by the 0.5 ($7.4) and 0.618 ($7.8) Fibonacci levels.

This critical range carries a substantial supply, making it an important area to monitor. Therefore, the price action in this region holds significant implications for Polkadot’s future trajectory. A breakthrough above this critical region would likely extend the current uptrend toward the critical resistance level at $9.

Source: TradingView Sentiment Analysis

By Shayan

Polkadot’s recent price action has shown a bullish retracement, signaling a potential revival in positive sentiment. In light of this, it’s helpful to analyze futures market sentiment and liquidity levels to anticipate future market direction.

The accompanying chart depicts the Binance DOT/USDT heatmap, which predicts price levels where significant liquidation events may occur. When price levels indicate the likelihood of a liquidation cascade, highlighted in yellow, making these levels noteworthy support and resistance regions.

According to the chart, there is a notable concentration of liquidation levels above the $9 threshold, accompanied by many buy-stop orders. This suggests that the price will likely move towards the $9-$10 zone in the mid-term, with a notable liquidation of short positions expected.

Source: Coinglass

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TL;DR

Core (CORE) has significantly outperformed Bitcoin and many other major cryptocurrencies with a 350% price surge this year.

Other digital assets related to BTC’s ecosystem, such as Sovryn (SOV) and Ordiswap (ORDS), also reported notable gains, with increases of 210% and 100%, respectively.

CORE Leads the Pack

Bitcoin (BTC) has been making serious waves since the beginning of the year, with its price rising from approximately $42,000 on January 1 to almost $67,000 on April 24 (a 60% increase). However, some cryptocurrencies related to its ecosystem have witnessed even more substantial gains over the same period, and Core (CORE) is the perfect example.

It is a new blockchain that leverages the advantages of Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work network and the delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism to offer more security, scalability, and decentralization. 

Its native token, CORE, is currently worth around $2.51 (per CoinGecko’s data), a 350% surge compared to the $0.55 observed at the start of 2024.

CORE Price, Source: CoinGecko

The asset’s price was even higher at the beginning of April, briefly surpassing the $4 mark, while its market capitalization crossed the $3.5 billion milestone before settling at its current level of around $2.2 billion.

Sovryn (SOV) Comes Next

The protocol, running on a Bitcoin sidechain called Rootstock Smart Contract (RSK), has also witnessed a significant resurgence in the past several months. 

Its native token – SOV – has been up 210% since New Year’s Eve, currently trading at approximately $2.10. However, its price performance is far from its glory days in 2021, when a single coin was worth over $35.

SOV Price, Source: CoinGecko Ordiswap (ORDS)

Ordiswap is the first Automated Market Maker (AMM) designed for the BTC blockchain. Its main purpose is to provide liquidity provision and decentralized trading directly to Bitcoin’s native layer.

The governance cryptocurrency of the AMM—ORDS—was launched at the end of December last year and has jumped by 100% since then. Last month, it soared to an all-time high of $0.26 before retracing to its current mark of $0.10.

ORDS Price, Source: CoinGecko LeverFi (LEVER)

This is a decentralized leverage trading platform with a native token called LEVER. The latter ascended by 98% since January 1, 2024. It is also among the notable gainers today (April 24), registering a 10% increase on a daily scale.

LEVER Price, Source: CoinGecko

LEVER’s market capitalization recently jumped above $120 million for the first time while currently hovering around $100 million.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

The popular hard-fork blockchain, split from Bitcoin in 2018, finds a place in the list, too. Earlier in April, it completed its second halving, with its price ascending substantially in the months prior to the event. Two weeks ago, BCH hit a multi-year high of more than $700, but it has been on a downtrend as of late. 

Currently, a single token is worth around $500, which is still a 93% increase compared to the figure observed at the beginning of the year.

BCH Price, Source: CoinGecko

 

 

The post Here are the Top 5 Gainers in the Bitcoin (BTC) Ecosystem YTD: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ripple has been one of the underperforming cryptocurrencies during the recent bull market, as it failed to rise like Bitcoin and Ethereum over the last few months. Yet, things might be about to change soon.

Ripple Price Analysis: Technicals

By TradingRage

The USDT Paired Chart

Against USDT, the cryptocurrency has recently rebounded from the $0.43 and $0.50 support levels and is on its way to testing the $0.6 resistance zone. The 200-day moving average is also around the $0.6 level and can provide additional resistance.

However, if the price successfully climbs back above this area, investors can be hopeful that a rally toward the $0.7 mark and potentially beyond is probable.

Source: TradingView The BTC Paired Chart

The Bitcoin pair’s weekly chart shows that the price has been consistently trending down since dropping below the 200-day moving average. It is currently testing the 600 SAT support level. If the level breaks down, it would be catastrophic as XRP can experience a much deeper decline in the upcoming months.

On the other hand, the Relative Strength Index shows a clear oversold signal, and the market is more likely to finally rebound from the level.

In this case, a rise toward the 1200 SAT level and the 200-day moving average nearby would be highly probable in the short term.

Source: TradingView

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Bitcoin’s fourth halving has sparked speculation about significant price surges, but Glassnode, an analytics firm, advises that investors should “ground expectations” based on historical data.

The Bitcoin halving happened less than a week ago, leading to a 50% reduction in supply inflation, increasing the issuance scarcity.

Glassnode Says Fourth Halving is Different

The halving has historically impacted price performance. However, Glassnode highlights diminishing returns and shallower drawdowns seen over time due to the market’s growth and capital flow requirements.

Glassnode observes diminishing returns comparing epochs, with the second showing a price increase of 5,315% and a maximum drawdown of 85%. Meanwhile, the fourth epoch saw a more modest 569% increase and a 77% drawdown. The report notes similar price performance across the last three cycles before the halving, with increases ranging from approximately 200% to 300%.

However, the current cycle is different, with bitcoin surpassing the previous all-time high (ATH) before the halving, a phenomenon not observed in previous cycles. Glassnode’s report notes the significant unrealized profit held by investors during this halving event, with the MVRV Ratio indicating an average paper gain of +126%.

The fourth halving is also different when comparing bitcoin to gold. For the first time in history, bitcoin’s steady-state issuance rate of 0.83% becomes lower than that of gold, which is approximately 2.3%.

Regarding network fundamentals, the hash rate continues to grow, indicating increased investment in mining infrastructure. Miner revenues, while exhibiting a diminishing growth rate in USD terms, have seen a net expansion, with cumulative revenue exceeding $3 billion over the past four years.

The realized cap, which measures the capital invested in bitcoin, supports the now $1.3 trillion market cap, marking a 439% increase over the last epoch.

Glassnode Co-Founders Predict Rebound to $72K

Glassnode also noted that despite volatility and negative headlines, Bitcoin’s transfer volume has reached $106 trillion over the last four years, which shows the network’s capacity for settling transactions.

Meanwhile, Glassnode co-founders have provided insights into bitcoin’s potential rebound in a recent post on X. They suggest a potential surge to $72,000 and note the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $62,000 as a key support level.

They further advised investors to utilize short-term dips in BTC’s price as valuable buying opportunities, especially during the ongoing consolidation phase within the broader bullish trend that the asset has been experiencing.

According to CoinGecko data, bitcoin’s price is trading at $66,50, representing a slight 0.2% increase over the last day and a 5.0% rise over the week.

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TL;DR

Binance is offering 10,000 FDUSD in token vouchers to users who haven’t traded in the last 90 days, requiring a minimum of $100 trading volume on specific pairs to qualify.

The promotion reflects the company’s strategy to boost user engagement and adapt to market trends.

Binance’s Promotion

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange introduced an offering for all users who have not traded on Binance Spot in the past three months, promising a total reward of 10,000 FDUSD in token vouchers. 

To qualify for the promotion, eligible users need to click on the “join in” button on the dedicated page and accumulate a total trading volume of at least $100 on specific pairs such as DOGE/BTC, SHIB/EUR, SHIB/USDT, WIF/BTC, WIF/FDUSD, FLOKI/FDUSD, FLOKI/TRY, PEPE/FDUSD, PEPE/TRY, and many more.

“Binance reserves the right to change, modify, or impose additional restrictions with respect to the access to and use of Binance Spot trading services from time to time in its sole discretion at any time without notification,” the firm announced. 

The token vouchers will be distributed to eligible users within 21 working days after the end of the Promotion Period, which will run until May 5. Traders should claim their rewards before the expiration date.

The exchange reserves the right to disqualify operations that are “deemed to be prohibited activities, including but not limited to churning, pump-and-dump schemes, ramping,” and other market manipulation affairs.

The Previous Updates

This is not the first time Binance touches upon meme coins to enhance user experience and respond to current market trends. Earlier this month, it included 18 new loanable assets to its Binance Loans program, with dogwidhat (WIF) and Pepe (PEPE) being some examples. 

In March, it added PEPE/FDUSD among the pairs supported on Binance Spot, whereas Floki Inu (FLOKI) and numerous other altcoins were introduced as loanable tokens. 

The post These Meme Coins Are Included in the Latest Binance Update: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

TL;DR

Santiment’s latest ranking shows which cryptocurrencies have accounted for the most development activity over the past 30 days.

Interestingly, Bitcoin (BTC) is not included in the top 10 list, while Ethereum (ETH) is at the bottom.

The Latest Ranking

The crypto market intelligence platform – Santiment – revealed which digital currencies have been most active in terms of development frequency over the last 30 days. Optimism (OP), Cardano (ADA), and Hedera (HBAR) are those placed in the first three spots, while Polkadot (DOT) and Kusama (KSM) rounded up the top 5 list. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization – Ethereum (ETH) – was placed ninth. 

“Our platform pulls notable github activity from project repositories via a back-tested process to ensure only a team’s significant efforts to innovate and improve are included,” Santiment explained.

Earlier this year, ADA topped the same ranking, leaving behind DOT in the second spot and KSM in the third. BTC was not included in the top 10 list (just like the latest data shows), while ETH claimed the tenth position.

ADA and DOT Price Outlook

Both cryptocurrencies have performed quite well on a seven-day scale, witnessing price spikes of 11% and 14%, respectively.

Earlier this month, the popular X user Ali Martinez presented a chart showing that ADA’s valuation “is exactly where it should be.” He believes the token is poised to reach $1.70 as long as it enters the $0.55-$0.80 range. Currently, it hovers around the $0.50 mark (per CoinGecko’s data).

Those interested in exploring additional ADA price predictions, please take a look at our dedicated video below:

DOT was also projected to reach new heights in the near future. The X users World of Charts, CRYPTOWIZARD, and CryptoYoddha envisioned a rally towards the $15-$20 level. 

Michael van de Poppe and Flash went even further, revealing they have added Polkadot’s native token to their personal portfolios.

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DeGods, the NFT project that once held the highest market value on Solana, is contemplating a return to its original blockchain.

Founder Rohan Vohra, who goes by the pseudonym ‘Frank’ recently shared a test picture of bridging NFTs back to Solana, indicating a potential shift back to the platform where it first gained prominence.

When DeGods debuted in late 2021, Solana was approaching its peak price, and its NFT ecosystem was growing rapidly.

However, by the time it became Solana’s most valuable large-scale NFT project, SOL had significantly depreciated, and the broader NFT market was experiencing a downturn.

DeGods first announced its departure from Solana in December 2022 and revealed that it would be migrating to Ethereum.

This decision followed a tumultuous year for Solana, marked not only by prolonged outages but also by the Layer 1 blockchain’s entanglement in the turmoil surrounding the collapsed crypto exchange FTX. Vohra then said,

“There’s an argument to be made that [DeGods] has capped out on Solana. It’s hard to accept, but it’s been tough to grow at the rate we want to grow. If Ethereum is where we have to go to keep growing, it’s what we have to do.”

Now, with the landscape potentially shifting once again, the project is exploring the possibility of returning to its roots in Solana, where its journey began.

The news has sparked a range of reactions, with some expressing skepticism and criticism towards the idea of moving back and forth between blockchains.

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended a three-year prison sentence for Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Binance.

This recommendation follows Zhao’s guilty plea last year for violating the Bank Secrecy Act last November.

CZ’s Sentencing

According to documents filed by DOJ attorneys on Tuesday night, Zhao should serve 36 months in prison and pay a $50 million fine.

The filing asserted that “the sentence in this case will not just send a message to Zhao but also to the world,” emphasizing the need for a severe penalty to deter similar misconduct in the future.

The filing outlines the DOJ’s assessment of the sentencing guidelines, acknowledging that they typically propose a range of 12 to 18 months. However, it highlights Zhao’s awareness of Binance’s legal violations and his active role in promoting them.

It also criticizes the adequacy of the Sentencing Guidelines in addressing violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, asserting that they fail to sufficiently penalize misconduct of this magnitude or its potential impact on U.S. national security.

Zhao, who initially faced a maximum of 18 months in prison under the terms of his plea agreement, is now confronted with the possibility of a much lengthier sentence.

CZ had previously consented to the $50 million fine and waived his right to appeal any sentence up to 18 months.

DOJ’s Argument

The filing emphasizes the magnitude of Zhao’s transgressions, highlighting how he presided over a massive financial institution that processed trillions of dollars in cryptocurrency trades annually, all while violating U.S. regulations.

The DOJ argues that Zhao’s deliberate disregard for legal obligations enabled Binance to handle millions of dollars in unlawful proceeds, including funds from darknet markets and crypto mixers.

It also states that the scale of Zhao’s misconduct warrants an “upward variance,” pointing to Binance’s massive processing of cryptocurrency trades and its large profits from U.S. businesses and customers.

Central to the DOJ’s argument is Zhao’s failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program at Binance, which led to the exchange becoming a hub for illegal activities, including transactions related to ransomware attacks, darknet market proceeds, and various scams.

Despite the initial schedule for sentencing set in late February, it was postponed to April 30 by mutual agreement.

Meanwhile, Binance faces its own repercussions. Together with Zhao’s guilty plea, Binance agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine and the appointment of a court-appointed monitor. However, the appointment is still pending.

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