Harvard Economics Professor: US Default Could Spark Global Financial Crisis

Harvard economics professor Kenneth Rogoff, who previously served as the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has warned that the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations could spark a global financial crisis. “It’s a very perilous situation and we…

Iran Shuts Down Over 8,000 Illegal Crypto Mining Farms in 3 Years

Authorities in Iran have closed down more than 8,000 underground facilities for cryptocurrency mining in the past three years, local media reported. Despite the government’s crackdown, illegal crypto mining continues to account for a serious amount of energy consumption, official figures…

Bitcoin Network Overwhelmed by 390,000 Unconfirmed Transactions and Surging Fees

In just under two weeks, the number of unconfirmed transactions on the Bitcoin network has skyrocketed from 134,000 to over 390,000, causing a bottleneck in the mempool. This surge in unconfirmed transactions has resulted in a staggering 343% increase in transaction…

Bitcoin Cash Smart Contracts ‘Comparable to Those on Ethereum’ Possible via May Upgrade, ‘1000x Efficiency Advantage’: Dev Jason Dreyzehner

Pro-freedom technologies advocate and software developer Jason Dreyzehner recently spoke with Bitcoin.com News via email about the upcoming Bitcoin Cash network upgrade on May 15. One of the most talked about improvement proposals set to go through on that date —…

Bitcoin Network Hits 75% Progress Towards Next Reward Halving

At 11:06 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on April 29, 2023, at block height 787,500, the number of blocks left to discover until the next Bitcoin blockchain halving is now fewer than 52,500 blocks. This means the network has progressed 75% through…

Bitcoin Difficulty Reaches New All-Time High After Fourth Consecutive Increase

On April 6, 2023, Bitcoin’s difficulty rose 2.23% higher at block height 784,224, touching another all-time high. It’s the fourth consecutive difficulty increase on the Bitcoin network since Feb. 24, and the protocol’s current difficulty is 47.89 trillion, which is only…

Rogue Validator Exploits MEV Bots on Ethereum, Resulting in $25.3M in Crypto Losses

On April 3, 2023, at Ethereum block height 16,964,664, a group of MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) bots were exploited for $25.3 million. An analysis of the exploit revealed that a renegade validator switched the MEV bots’ transactions and seized various crypto…

First Republic Bank’s Shares Downgraded to Junk Status by S&P Global; Stock Slides More Than 25% Lower

After UBS acquired Credit Suisse and close to a dozen financial institutions injected $30 billion into First Republic Bank four days ago, S&P Global downgraded First Republic’s shares to junk status on Sunday. Investors are concerned that the cash infusion from…

US Prosecutors Seek to Further Restrict Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s Internet Access

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Damian Williams, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are requesting “proposed modifications” to the bail conditions of former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried. The SDNY prosecutor is asking the court to…