Articles by Ben Thompson

Brazil Proposes Ban on Stablecoin Withdrawals to Self-Custodial Wallets Amid Currency Struggles
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Brazil Proposes Ban on Stablecoin Withdrawals to Self-Custodial Wallets Amid Currency Struggles

Brazil’s central bank, Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), has proposed a ban on transferring stablecoins to self-custodial wallets, coinciding with the Brazilian real hitting all-time lows against the U.S. dollar. On Nov. 29, the BCB issued a proposal that would prohibit transfers of stablecoins like Tether’s USDt (USDT) to wallets like MetaMask, which are self-custodial...

Bitcoin Rises above $29,000, Hits a New High since June 2022
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Bitcoin Rises above $29,000, Hits a New High since June 2022

The bitcoin rate rose above $29,000. On the morning of March 30, the price of BTC exceeded this mark, updating the maximum since June 10, 2022. The asset rate rose from $28.3 thousand to $29.12 thousand within half an hour, after which it dropped back to $28.3 thousand in 40 minutes. According to CoinGecko, at...

Best Hardware Wallets for Crypto Storage 2023
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Best Hardware Wallets for Crypto Storage 2023

Ledger Nano X The Ledger Nano X is the latest generation hardware wallet from Ledger, which has been manufacturing digital asset self-storage devices since 2014. The wallet allows you to securely store private keys to more than 5500 cryptocurrencies and NFTs, as well as stake your crypto assets wherever you are. Unlike the more budget-friendly...

OKX Will Establish a Licensed Division in Hong Kong
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OKX Will Establish a Licensed Division in Hong Kong

Crypto exchange OKX announced the establishment of a company in Hong Kong and the intention to apply for a local virtual asset service provider (VASP) license. OKX is a centralized crypto exchange founded in 2017. The platform is operated by the OK Group, which also includes the OKCoin exchange. According to CoinGecko, OKX ranks fourth...

Binance to Add Six Trading Pairs with TrueUSD Stablecoin
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Binance to Add Six Trading Pairs with TrueUSD Stablecoin

Crypto exchange Binance will add six trading pairs with the stablecoin TrueUSD (TUSD). According to the announcement of the exchange, new pairs will be added to the site on March 29. Binance will open trading for TUSD with Lido DAO, Polygon (MATIC), Optimism (OP), Solana (SOL), SSV Network (SSV) and Ripple (XRP) cryptocurrencies. Market Makers...

Hong Kong Regulators to Hold Meeting between Crypto Firms and Banks
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Hong Kong Regulators to Hold Meeting between Crypto Firms and Banks

The Hong Kong authorities have scheduled a meeting of representatives of cryptocurrency companies and banks, according to Bloomberg. It will discuss the issues of providing banking services to firms working with digital assets. The meeting will take place on April 28 at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and will be held jointly with the...

ICO Organizer Alan Stollery Sentenced to 4 Years in US Prison for Fraud
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ICO Organizer Alan Stollery Sentenced to 4 Years in US Prison for Fraud

Titanium Blockchain (TBIS) CEO Alan Stolleri has been sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison for a $21 million cryptocurrency fraud, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice. Stolleri raised this amount during the initial offering (ICO) of BAR tokens from investors from the US and other countries. Titanium...

UAE Central Bank Launches Digital Dirham
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UAE Central Bank Launches Digital Dirham

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has launched a strategy to introduce the digital dirham, a new form of national currency (Central Bank Digital Currency, CBDC). The project is part of the state Financial Infrastructure Transformation Program (FIT program), aimed at accelerating the digitalization of the financial services sector. To implement the...

Telegram Adds Support for USDT Transfers
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Telegram Adds Support for USDT Transfers

Messenger users can now send stablecoins to each other in chats in the simplest way – USDT has been added to the @Wallet bot in Telegram. The new option expands the messaging app’s ability to buy and sell digital assets, as Tether is a leading stablecoin and one of the most popular cryptocurrencies. To send...

Nigeria CBDC Adoption Spikes as Fiat Currency Shortage Grip the Nation
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Nigeria CBDC Adoption Spikes as Fiat Currency Shortage Grip the Nation

Nearly 18 months after launching its in-house central bank digital currency (CBDC), the eNaira, Nigeria is seeing increased adoption in the CBDC as national fiat reserves face severe shortages. The acute cash shortage in Nigeria was due to the central bank’s decision to replace older bank notes with bigger denominations amid rising inflation. While developing...