• Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have seen a significant rally in the last seven days.
• Credit Suisse Group AG is facing pressure to merge with rival UBS AG, which could result in increased investor confidence.
• The current global crypto market capitalization has reached $1.17 trillion, showing an increase of 5.41% from the previous day.
Price Increase of Bitcoin and Ethereum
Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have seen a significant price surge in the last seven days, with Bitcoin soaring by more than 35% and Ethereum by more than 25%. This boost in the crypto market has sparked the interest of investors, who want to know how far these cryptocurrencies can go.The considerable increase in the value of Bitcoin can be attributed to actions aimed at improving the financial system. Moreover, increased investor optimism in the potential of the US decreasing interest rates later this year has also played a role in supporting Bitcoin’s gains.
Ethereum Price Surge
Ethereum, ranked as the second-biggest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization, has witnessed a substantial rise in its value. Presently, it is being traded at $1,809.90, with a 24-hour trading volume amounting to $12,940,582,584. This upswing in ETH’s price indicates a bullish trend in the cryptocurrency market. As of now in 2023, Bitcoin’s value has increased by an impressive 55%, which is quite a feat for such a short time. The current global crypto market capitalization has reached $1.17 trillion, which shows a 5.41% increase from the previous day.
Regulators Urge Credit Suisse and UBS To Merge
Credit Suisse Group AG is facing a critical weekend as authorities urge the failing Swiss lender to consider a merger with rival bank UBS AG. However, both banks have shown an unwillingness to merge; regulators do not have power to force merger either way .The 167 year old Credit Suisse shares jumped 9% amid it borrows$54 billion from Swiss central bank for liquidation and investor trust building purpose .
Bitcoin Prices Rise as Investors Seek Safe Haven
It’s worth noting that over this weekend , Credit Suisse CFO Dixit Joshi and his team worked on plans for strengthening liquidity position by using cash reserves instead of borrowing funds from other sources . As expected , investors reacted positively towards this decision leading them look towards bitcoin as safe haven asset .
Conclusion
These events demonstrate that despite recent bearish sentiment experienced throughout 2020 , there are still strong signs that digital assets could continue their upward trajectory moving into 2021 . It will be interesting to see how both BTC & ETH react over coming days once more news regarding their respective markets become available .
• South Korea’s top financial regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), has launched a „comprehensive inspection“ of the nation’s crypto exchanges that do not have licenses to trade fiat KRW.
• FSC specifically wants to probe the 20 trading platforms and focus on anti-money laundering protocols.
• GDAC is the first exchange being inspected by the FSC, as it was involved in a controversial delisting of Wemix token last year.
South Korea Launches Crypto Trading Platform Probe
South Korea’s top financial regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), has begun a „comprehensive inspection“ of the nation’s crypto exchanges that do not have licenses to trade fiat KRW. The FSC is investigating 20 trading platforms and plans to focus on anti-money laundering protocols.
Which Exchanges Are Involved?
Under South Korean law, exchanges can offer crypto-to-crypto trading services provided they meet certain criteria. To obtain fiat-trading licenses, however, they must form partnerships with commercial banks. These banks must provide all exchange users with real name-, social security number-verified accounts linked to their crypto wallets.The “big four” crypto exchanges – Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit and Coinone – have had such banking partnerships in place for several years. The remaining 21 South Korean exchanges have been left to pursue banking deals with domestic banks; only one – Gopax – has been successful so far.
FSC Probes GDAC Exchange First
The FSC stated that it would begin its probe with GDAC; this is one of the exchanges involved last year in the controversial delisting of Wemix token – a coin created by domestic gaming giant WeMade – which left observers stunned when it announced that it would list Wemix just two hours after “big four” announced their removals from their platforms. Some insiders believe that the FSC has decided to start its probe at GDAC due to this reason; others appear to believe that authorities may have started its investigation ahead of a possible GDAC application to rejoin KRW market which suggests some behind-the scenes deal could have been struck with a bank.
Real Name Verification Rule for All Exchanges
For all South Korean exchanges wishing to obtain licenses for fiat markets must partner up with commercial banks who must provide users real name-, social security number verified accounts linked up with their crypto wallets before they can start offering services legally on these markets according tot he law set by FSC regulations in place since 2019.
Conclusion
In conclusion, South Korean’s top financial regulator, Financial Services Commission (FSC) has launched an investigation into twenty cryptocurrency trading platforms without any license from KRW market and will be focusing mostly on anti money laundering protocols enforced by law in order for these platforms adhere too before beginning operations legally in accordance with existing rules set out by them officially since 2019..
• The Head of the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) has announced that a new decree will be released in the coming days to better regulate the crypto sector.
• This decree is expected to grant CVM the power to determine which tokens are securities.
• The Central Bank will function as the regulatory body for tokens that are not classified as securities, and they are also working on a decentralized finance (DeFi) project called Open Capital Market.
Brazilian Regulator Says New Crypto Laws Coming
The head of the Brazilian financial markets regulator, João Pedro Nascimento, has stated that a „decree“ will be released in „the next few days“ that will allow government-appointed bodies to better police the crypto sector. He added that this decree will likely grant the Securities and Exchange Commission (known in Brazil as CVM) the power to determine which tokens are securities.
Regulatory Power
Per Nascimento, whenever something touches on the field of securities it will fall under remit of CVM. Meanwhile, he noted that Central Bank is expected to function as regulatory body for tokens not classified as securities. Moreover, Nascimento claimed that these regulations have been „very well received“ by crypto sector and they have also been focusing on decentralized finance (DeFi) project called Open Capital Market with Central Bank’s collaboration.
Tightening Regulations
Late last year, Nascimento claimed that CVM’s regulations would not hamper domestic crypto market development and his objective was to help its development without making rules strangling it. Last month, Central Bank claimed it was also looking to tighten crypto regulations with its central bank digital currency (CBDC) project Digital Real; designed with view of helping small businesses grow faster rate than other nations’ retail-focused CBDC models.
Conclusion
It appears Brazil is gearing up for tighter regulation on cryptocurrencies with upcoming decrees from both Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) for classifying security tokens and from Central Bank for other types of tokens such CBDCs along with DeFi Projects like Open Capital Market .
The Chainlink price has risen by 12.5% in the past week and 20% in the last 30 days, with the altcoin up by 43% since the start of the year.
Some analysts are predicting that LINK may carry through to $10 in the coming weeks, helped by a combination of price momentum and growing usage.
Chainlink’s chart is showing signs of potential growth including its 30-day moving average climbing over its 200-day average, and its relative strength index rising from 50 to 60.
Overview of Chainlink Price Movement
The Chainlink (LINK) cryptocurrency has seen an impressive rise in price over recent weeks, increasing by 12.5% in the past week and 20% in the last 30 days. The altcoin is up by 43% since January 2021, although it has dipped slightly by 0.5% within the last 24 hours as part of a general decline across all cryptocurrencies within this timeframe. Despite this dip, some analysts are predicting further gains for LINK due to both current momentum and increased usage surrounding its decentralized oracle network.
Analysis Indicating Potential Growth
Chainlink’s chart is currently indicating potential growth with two key indicators pointing towards a possible breakout rally. Firstly, its 30-day moving average (red) has recently crossed over its 200-day average (blue), forming what traders call a ‘golden cross’ that can often indicate upward movement for an asset. At the same time, LINK’s relative strength index (RSI) has also risen from under 50 earlier this month to over 60 now – again suggesting growing buying pressure which could continue gaining momentum before being played out. If LINK breaks through resistance at $8 then it may continue rising until such time as buying pressure plateaus or reverses direction.
Price Predictions
Many experts are predicting that LINK will reach $10 in coming weeks while some supporters believe that SWIFT’s partnership with Chainlink may help propel it much higher than this figure eventually. Michaël van de Poppe – founder of Netherlands-based trading platform Eight – believes that LINK will soon reach $10 before breaking out of an accumulated 10-month period thereafter; while many Link supporters claim that it is ‘about to explode’ without giving any specific figures on what they expect from its future performance.
In conclusion, there is much speculation surrounding future performance for Chainlink; however there are many indicators suggesting potential growth for the cryptocurrency over coming weeks – particularly if it can break through resistance at $8 which appears likely given current trends and technical analysis. Ultimately only time will tell whether these predictions come true but LINK certainly warrants closer attention at present given their impressive performance so far this year coupled with increasing usability around their decentralized oracle network infrastructure
• Positive funding rates suggest speculators are bullish on Bitcoin.
• The cryptocurrency recently printed fresh 8-month highs at $25,270.
• A surge of new investors is likely helping drive the recent gains seen in Bitcoin.
Recent Price Jump
Bitcoin recently saw its price jump to eight-month highs at $25,270 earlier this week, before pulling back to the upper $23,000s. The positive price movement of the last few days has also resulted in a spike in liquidations of Bitcoin future short positions according to crypto analytics website coinglass.com.
New Investor Influx
Crypto data analytics platform Glassnode reported that the number of wallets with a non-zero balance recently surged above 44 million for the first time, driven by an influx of new wallets with small BTC balances (presumably retail investors). Wallets containing under 0.01 BTC (so-called „plankton“ addresses) and those containing under 1 BTC (so-called „shrimp“ addresses) both hit all-time highs above 32 million and 43 million respectively – suggesting more and more new investors are entering the market.
Realized HODL Ratio
The Realized HODL Ratio takes the ratio between coins that are one week old and coins that are one to two years old; when this ratio reverses it can be an indicator that a new bull market is beginning and new investors are returning to the market once again – as was seen during Bitcoin’s recovery following its bear market at the end of 2018/start of 2019.
Can New Investors Keep Pumping?
The recent surge in new investor numbers could help maintain or even increase Bitcoin’s current upward momentum – however there is no guarantee that this will be sustained in future if prices start to decline again or if a large enough portion of these newer investors decide to cash out their profits quickly following any further increases in price.
Record High Number of Bitcoin Addresses With Non-Zero Balance
• The number of Bitcoin wallet addresses holding a non-zero balance of BTC hit a new record high this week.
• This surge was triggered by optimism for a better macro backdrop in 2023 and signs that the Bitcoin bear market is over.
• The majority of the new wallets are those holding less than 1 BTC, suggesting small investors are driving the growth.
FTX Collapse Triggers Shift to Crypto Self-Custody
In November 2022, the collapse of one of largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world FTX resulted in customers losing access to billions in funds. Investors rushed to get their Bitcoin off exchanges, triggering a surge in address numbers at the time.
However, capitulation as Bitcoin’s price fell to fresh 2022 lows caused many wallets to get rid of all their Bitcoin, leading to an equally swift pullback in non-zero address numbers.
January Price Surge Entices New Investors Back into Market
It has taken a roughly 40% surge in Bitcoin’s price since the start of 2023 amid increased on-chain and technical signs that the bear market is over to entice enough new investors back into the market and drive up wallet address counts back to a record high.
Rotation In Ownership Away from Larger Investors
Data from Glassnode on BTC wallet address cohorts reveals that this most recent surge was led by wallets holding small amounts (<1BTC). At the same time, there has been no significant change in numbers for Crab, Fish and Shark wallets (holding 1-10; 10-1K; >1K respectively), indicating no significant shift towards larger investors yet.
Conclusion
The rise in non-zero wallet address numbers suggests that small investors are driving this growth as they return to take advantage of improved macroeconomic conditions and bullish sentiment surrounding Bitcoin’s future prospects
• A 47-year-old resident of Orenburg in Russia has been sentenced to four years in prison for crypto mining-related fraud.
• The man had duped a local entrepreneur into investing money in a crypto mining project, but had failed to deliver on any of his promises.
• He was ordered to pay full compensation as well as a fine of nearly $4,300.
Russian Crypto Mining Fraudster Jailed
A 47-year-old resident of Orenburg in Russia has been sent to prison for four years for committing cryptocurrency mining fraud. The man had duped a local entrepreneur into investing money in a crypto mining project, but had failed to deliver on any of his promises, and was subsequently ordered to pay full compensation as well as a fine of nearly $4,300.
Details of the Fraud Scheme
The court heard that the fraudster offered the local entrepreneur an opportunity to work with him on a project where they would buy and resell cryptocurrency hardware for profit. The entrepreneur provided approximately $108,000 from his own funds and another company he founded invested nearly $172,000 into the scheme. Unfortunately, no crypto mining equipment was ever delivered nor were any refunds issued.
Guilty Plea Denied by Defendant
The defendant pleaded not guilty in court claiming that he „had no intention“ of deceiving the entrepreneur; however the court found him guilty on two counts of fraud resulting in his sentence and financial restitution order being issued.
Growth of Crypto Mining Industry
Crypto mining is becoming increasingly popular throughout Russia with certain parts such as Irkutsk becoming known as hotspots for miners. Russian energy firms are also looking at potential gas powered crypto mining projects at various oil drilling sites due to their low cost prices compared to other countries like Kazakhstan which has 18% hash rate compared with 11.23% from Russia and 35% from USA according the Lil Morrison (@LillyMoCrypto).
• Shiba Inu (SHIB) is now the 13th largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $6.8 billion and 549 trillion tokens in circulation.
• The price of Shiba Inu has risen by 50% from its low point in December and its daily trading volume has seen an increase to $300 million.
• Whale Alert has identified a large-volume investor who moved slightly over 3 trillion SHIB tokens, worth approximately $38 million at the time of writing.
The Shiba Inu (SHIB) meme coin has seen remarkable growth in the past few weeks, with its price rising by 50% from its low point in December. The coin has now become the 13th largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $6.8 billion and 549 trillion tokens in circulation. Recently, SHIB’s daily trading volume has seen an increase to $300 million, making it one of the most actively traded coins on cryptocurrency exchanges.
The increased interest in SHIB has been reflected in the increased number of whale transactions involving the coin. According to WhaleStats, Shiba Inu is among the top ten most used smart contracts for the top 1,000 biggest Ethereum whales on Friday. Furthermore, it has been identified among the most used smart contracts for the top 100 Ethereum whales in the past 24 hours. This suggests that Ethereum whales have been accumulating SHIB tokens, likely in anticipation of the upcoming launch of the new protocol, Shibarium.
Recently, Whale Alert, a platform monitoring whale transactions in the crypto market, identified a large-volume investor who moved slightly over 3 trillion SHIB tokens, worth approximately $38 million at the time of writing. The transfer originated from an unknown wallet and still ended up in another unknown wallet. Interestingly, the wallet received roughly the same number of tokens a fortnight ago from an unidentified wallet which at the moment has a zero balance, according to data from Etherscan.
Given the increased interest from whales and the upcoming launch of Shibarium, it remains to be seen if the Shiba Inu price uptrend will remain intact in the near future. Analysts and traders alike will be closely watching the cryptocurrency space to see if SHIB will continue to increase in value, or if the coin will suffer a price correction. With the expected launch of Shibarium, it is likely that the Shiba Inu price will continue to increase, given the current level of investor interest in the coin.
• Axie Infinity (AXS) has pulled back by close to 20% from the highs it hit above $14 per token just a few days ago, but is still up around 90% this month.
• Investors are increasingly returning to the most speculative corners of the crypto investment space as risk appetite returns.
• Tokens presales, such as Meta Masters Guild, may offer investors the potential to secure 10x gains when they move from the presale stage to trading on exchanges later this year.
Recent days have seen the cryptocurrency market experience a notable revival as investors increasingly return to the most speculative corners of the crypto investment space as risk appetite returns. One such coin that has seen explosive gains this month is Axie Infinity (AXS), the cryptocurrency that powers one of Web3’s leading play-to-earn crypto games Axie Infinity.
AXS/USD hit a high of $14 per token just a few days ago, up around 90% this month, before pulling back by close to 20% and is now changing hands just below $11.50. This is the largest rebound that AXS has seen since the bear market began, with past bear market rallies having only seen trough-to-peak rebounds of around 70-80%.
As such, the latest rebound is being interpreted by some as more than just another bear market rebound and AXS isn’t the only altcoin to have seen notable gains this month. Thus, investors may be looking for alternative ways to secure 10x gains and one of the best potential ways might be via investing in token presales.
One such token that may offer investors the potential to secure 10x gains is Meta Masters Guild (MEMAG). The platform is an up-and-coming mobile-based web3 gaming ecosystem that is developing a host of fun and addictive games. These games will utilize non-fungible tokens (NFTs), allowing community members to earn rewards, as well as stake and trade. The platform hopes to in the future become the go-to destination for blockchain gaming, and is currently in its third stage of presales.
Investors need to remember to do their own research before investing in any token, especially ones in the presale stage as there is a greater risk associated with presales as the projects are yet to launch. However, if the rebound in altcoins continues, then investing in token presales may offer investors the potential to secure 10x gains.
• Dogecoin (DOGE) has seen explosive growth in the past 14 days, increasing in value 22.2% to $0.088.
• Other popular meme coins have also seen a surge in value, with the total market capitalization of meme coins reaching $19 billion.
• Dogecoin is sitting on top of robust support at $0.0847 and is likely to continue its uptrend and hit prices above $0.1.
Dogecoin (DOGE) has been on a bullish run in the past two weeks, with its price increasing by 22.2% to $0.088 at the time of writing. This growth in DOGE’s price has been propelled by the increasing popularity of meme coins, with their total market capitalization hitting a whopping $19 billion.
Out of all the meme coins in the market, Dogecoin is the clear leader, with its market capitalization standing at $11.8 billion. Other popular meme coins include Shiba Inu, which has seen a 15.4% surge in the past 24 hours, bringing its market cap to $7.1 billion. Other top meme coins include Dogelon Mars, FLOKI, Kishu Inu, Shiba Predator, Hoge Finance, and Tamadoge (TAMA). While Dogelon Mars has seen a 15.7% increase in value in the past seven days, FLOKI, Kishu Inu, Shiba Predator, and Hoge Finance have all seen increases of 27%, 28.2%, 20%, and 31% respectively in the same period. Tamadoge (TAMA) has also had a good run, with its price increasing 6.6% in a week to trade at $0.0143.
The excitement for Dogecoin and other meme coins is likely to continue, with DOGE in particular sitting on top of robust support at $0.0847. This support has been reinforced by the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) (in purple). Just below this level is confluence support created by the 100-say EMA (in blue) and the 50-day EMA (in red) at $0.0806. The immediate downside of Dogecoin is also home to a critical falling trend line. All these support areas emphasize DOGE’s undeniable ability to continue with the uptrend and hit prices above $0.1. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator is also in a bullish crossover, indicating that prices could soon break out of the falling trend line and hit the resistance at $0.095.
It is likely that Dogecoin, and by extension other meme coins, will remain in the spotlight for the coming weeks. With the current support levels and bullish indicators, Dogecoin seems to be on track to obliterate one zero and close the week above $0.1.
