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…

Russia Launching Payment System With ‘No Restrictions’ — Digital Currencies to Be Completely Unrestricted

Russia is launching a new payment system that is “bound by no restrictions” where digital currencies could be used in cross-border payments, said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. “Two parties come to an agreement, make settlement payments, and no other country…

Bitcoin Halving Approaches: Less Than 400 Days Until Block Reward Subsidy Is Cut in Half

According to current statistics, the Bitcoin network is fewer than 56,000 blocks away and less than 400 days away from the next reward halving. After the next halving, the block reward will be reduced by 50%, and the current block subsidy…

Starkware Plans to Open Source Key Tech Linked to Starknet Prover

At the Starkware Sessions 2023 event, held at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv, Israel, Starkware co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson informed the audience that the company intends to open source “key tech” linked to the Starknet Prover. During the event, the co-founder…

South African Retailer Pick n Pay Now Accepting Payments via BTC at All Its Stores

Pick n Pay, one of South Africa’s leading retailers, reportedly now accepts bitcoin as payment at all its stores across the country. Using the bitcoin lightning network, Pick n Pay’s customers can now buy items such as groceries, airtime and electricity…

Matrixport Joins Growing List of Crypto and Blockchain Companies Letting Employees Go

The crypto firm Matrixport, led by former Bitmain CEO Jihan Wu, is laying off 10% of the company’s staff, according to reports published on Friday. Matrixport’s COO, Cynthia Wu, cited a “shift in the regulatory climate” and “industry-wide capitulations” as reasons…

Crypto, Equity, Metal Markets Plunge as Tech Earnings Disappoint and US Economic Weakness Deepens

Equity markets began the day in the red following the latest corporate earnings reports from some of the world’s largest firms, including Microsoft. The tech giant’s recent conference call was considered disappointing, and earnings from firms such as Boeing, Texas Instruments,…

Axie Infinity’s Monthly Player Count Drops to Low Not Seen Since November 2020

After recording $4.26 billion in total non-fungible token (NFT) sales, the play-to-earn game Axie Infinity’s monthly player count has dropped to levels not seen since November 2020, a period of 26 months. Despite the low player count, the project’s native token,…

Digital Currency Group Suspends Dividends Amid Regulatory Trouble With Subsidiary Genesis

According to a shareholders’ letter from Digital Currency Group (DCG) viewed by finance and crypto publication Coindesk, the company has suspended dividends until further notice. This news follows the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charging a subsidiary firm of DCG,…

Smart Contract Tokens, Defi Economy See Strong Growth, Market Capitalization Swells by $78 Billion in 30 Days

Smart contract tokens and the decentralized finance economy have been on a tear during the last month, gaining against the U.S. dollar. The market capitalization of the smart contract platform token economy has swelled by $78 billion over the last 30…