Coronavirus

Pandemic Is Changing Bitcoin Usage in ‘Unexpected Ways,’ Says Chainalysis

Leading blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis has found that the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic contraction is affecting Bitcoin (BTC) consumer habits in surprising ways.In a new report published on March 30, Chainalysis details how Bitcoin spending trends in three areas — merchant services, gambling and darknet marketplaces — have changed, or even reversed. Weakening correlation could be a boon for Bitcoin merchant services, says reportChainalysis reported that one such change in trend shows resilience among Bitcoin merchant services in the current economic crisis. For example, the firm’s data for Bitcoin spending using

Investment in Blockchain in Energy Markets Will Top $35 Billion by 2025

According to a new report released by Premium Market Insights (PMI), global investment in blockchain technology in energy markets is set to reach $34.7 billion by 2025. Valued at just $156.5 million in 2016, the sector is forecast to grow at a rate of 82% a year. Although $35 billion seems high, it’s dwarfed by the net worth of $1.85 trillion for the energy market as a whole. Key players using blockchain and DLT in the field include Accenture, AWS, Bigchaindb, Deloitte, IBM, Infosys, Microsoft, Nodalblock, Oracle, SAP, Enosi, and Electron. Blockchain

Decoupling? Bitcoin Price Surges Above $6.7K as Stocks Again Bearish

Since topping out at $6,500 on March 31, Bitcoin (BTC) price had spent the majority of Wednesday in a steady slump which saw the price drop from $6,494 to $6,147. The pullback mirrored the poor performance in traditional markets where the S&P 500 and Dow dropped by 4.41% and 4.44% respectively. The slump in traditional markets appeared to be a reaction to dismal news that the United States surpassed more than 200,000 Coronavirus cases. Earlier this week the White House also stated that it concurs with the estimate that up to

Indian Cryptocurrency Exchange to Expand Internationally

An Indian cryptocurrency exchange, BuyUcoin, has just received a license to expand internationally, according to a report from Business Standard.Apparently, the platform received what is called a crypto trade and wallet license from Estonia. Based in Delhi, BuyUcoin will only expand to countries with a clear regulation for cryptocurrencies.Speaking on the matter is BuyUcoin CEO and a co-founder of the project, Shivam Thakral:“The incredible judgment will lead to economic growth, job creation, investment opportunities along with overall mass adoption for blockchain and cryptocurrency-based products and services. At BuyUcoin, we strive

Crypto to the Rescue After Khan Academy’s COVID-19 Traffic Surge

The founder of education platform Khan Academy has put out an urgent call for donations following a 250% surge in users due to the coronavirus crisis.CEO Sal Khan asked users to donate fiat — or they can donate Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) via their Brave browsers — to help the platform stay open during the pandemic.Khan said the surge was due to record numbers of students forced to stay home during lockdowns and social distancing requirements. A billion schoolkids are staying home because of COVID-19Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that

Doing Well by Doing Good: 5 Reasons Why it Works

“Do well by doing good.” The phrase has a deep meaning during this time in human history. In a nutshell, it means that companies that do good (i.e., help out during the Coronacrisis) will do well (i.e., make money and thrive). This is counter-intuitive. Logically, you would not help out during a recession: you would lay off workers, conserve your remaining cash, and “hunker down,” to use an unfortunate phrase. Here are a few reasons why the opposite is true. Your name gets out there. Many of our clients are

Brave Browser Gains 1M New Users in a Single Month

Open-source internet browser, Brave, tallied more than one million new users in March alone, a tweet from Brave’s head of marketing, Des Martin, detailed on April 1. Isolation has increased web trafficWith much of the world limiting their exposure to the coronavirus through self-imposed quarantine, web usership has undoubtedly increased.As a result, various internet-based services have hosted significantly greater demand for activities such as web browsing, gaming, and shopping, a March 20 Bloomberg article stated.  Brave sees increased attentionSome of this attention has been funneled toward Brave, as evidenced by its spike

CMT Digital Head Says BTC Trading Still Strong Despite Global Conditions

Amid global coronavirus fears and plunging mainstream markets, Bitcoin (BTC) trading has remained largely unchanged, according to CMT Digital head of trading and business development, Brad Koeppen.“Bitcoin trading has not been that different,” Koeppen told Cointelegraph in a March 31 email. “Volatility and volumes saw an uptick as BTC sold off with the traditional markets but high volatility is nothing new in Bitcoin.”Koeppen also referenced the problems seen on exchanges around the time of Bitcoin’s massive drop between March 11 and 13, noting that this is “nothing new” in the

U.S. Crypto ATM Network Helps to Promote Social Distancing

Bitcoin Depot, the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in the world, has begun powering down some of its machines in an effort to halt further spread of COVID-19.As much of the world sits in quarantine, Bitcoin Depot has chosen to temporarily shut off crypto ATMs which specifically reside in high traffic areas. The company is undertaking this push as a way to encourage social distancing.“As we monitor the ongoing situation, the number of locations temporarily taken offline will likely increase,” Bitcoin Depot’s director of product, Alona Lubovnaya, told Cointelegraph in an

Printer Goes Brrrr: Rich Dad Poor Dad Author Calls Bitcoin People’s Money

The outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on global economies, which has left the less privileged in most affected nations exposed to series of hardships and has made many experts provide insights on possible ways to avoid such reoccurrence in the future. Robert Kiyosaki, a bestselling author of popular financial literacy book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, is the latest to weigh in on the topic as he encouraged his followers on Twitter to save their money via Bitcoin instead of fiats currencies. Kiyosaki who recently started a series

Fed’s Quantitative Easing Strategy Holds Long-Term Benefits for Crypto

These are perilous times, and it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice that the United States Federal Reserve is doing its part to alleviate the suffering — which began with the coronavirus pandemic and has spread to the global economy. It’s printing more money. “There is an infinite amount of cash at the Federal Reserve,” Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, told Scott Pelley of CBS on March 22, adding: “We will do whatever we need to do to make sure there is enough cash in the financial