Latam Insights: Bolivia Mulls Chinese Yuan for Trade Settlements, Steve Hanke Proposes 30-Day Solution for Venezuelan Inflation

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia mulls using the Chinese yuan in international trade settlements, inflation reaches 108.8% in Argentina, and…

Bitcoin, Ethereum Technical Analysis: ETH, BTC Fall to Multi-Week Lows, Following US Inflation Data

Ethereum fell below $1,800 in today’s session, as markets continued to react to the latest U.S. consumer price index. Inflation in the United States fell to 4.9% in April, less than the 5% sum many had expected. Bitcoin was also lower…

US Banking Industry in Turmoil: A Comprehensive Look at the ‘Great Consolidation’ and Largest Bank Failures of 2023

2023 has been a rollercoaster ride for the U.S. banking industry. The collapse of three major banks has sent shockwaves through the financial world, with their combined assets surpassing the top 25 banks that crumbled in 2008. The following is a…

The Elusive Satoshi Nakamoto: Last Emails Reveal Bitcoin Creator’s Thoughts Before Disappearing Over a Decade Ago

Twelve years ago, on this very day of April 23, 2011, a cryptic individual, known only as Satoshi Nakamoto, penned one of the final correspondences to software developer Mike Hearn. The elusive mastermind behind Bitcoin conveyed in the message that he,…

Biggest Movers: DOGE, SHIB Drop to Multi-Week Lows, Following Crypto Red Wave

Dogecoin dropped to a multi-week low on Saturday, as a red wave continues to wash away recent crypto bulls. The meme coin dropped below a key price floor at $0.080 following today’s plunge. Shiba inu was also lower to start the…

Economists Expect the Fed to Reveal Another 25bps Rate Hike Before Pausing for the Rest of 2023

After the March rate hike by the Federal Reserve, economists believe that the recent move by Saudi Arabia and several members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut oil production could complicate the central bank’s mission. Additionally,…

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…

Value Locked in Defi Holds the Line at $50B, After Temporarily Shedding $8B in Mid-March

The total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (defi) during the first week of April is about $50 billion, roughly the same as on March 1. The value locked dropped to $42 billion on March 12 but has since rebounded as…