Bitcoin Soars 30% in One Week: Fear & Greed Index Hits 16-Month High

• The Fear and Greed Index – a metric that shows the overall sentiment toward bitcoin – currently points at 66, the highest level since November 2021.
• One factor behind the investors’ predominantly bullish perspective could be the impressive price performance of the primary cryptocurrency, which has been up nearly 30% for the past week.
• Bitcoin recently tapped $28,500, increasing its price by almost 30% in one week.

Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Reaches 16-Month High

The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index has soared to 66 – a level unseen since mid-November 2021 as Bitcoin surpasses $28K. This index tracks numerous segments such as price volatility, social media comments, and surveys to determine investor sentiment towards BTC.

Investors Showing Predominantly Bullish Perspective

Most cryptocurrencies have shown remarkable resilience to global economic issues surging to levels unseen in several months. This surge in prices is one factor that has contributed to investors’ bullish perspective on Bitcoin.

Fear & Greed Index Details

The popular Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index currently sits in “Greed” territory with an index value of 66. Some crypto proponents believe this is an indication that the bear market has finally loosened its grip and that asset class could continue its impressive performance moving forward.

Impact of Price Performance on Investor Sentiment

As mentioned earlier, bitcoin recently tapped $28,500 increasing its price by almost 30% in one week which is likely having a positive effect on investor sentiment according to this index. This suggests that investors are feeling more secure about investing in bitcoin compared to other assets right now due to its recent strong performance.

Conclusion

It appears that investors’ fear towards bitcoin has decreased significantly over the past few months due to its impressive price performance as indicated by this index reaching 16-month highs. Thus far it appears that investors are feeling confident about investing more into this digital asset going forward despite current global economic issues impacting traditional markets negatively

HSBC Acquires SVB UK for Just a Pound: Report

• HSBC Holdings is reportedly acquiring Silicon Valley Bank UK for £1 ($1.20).
• SVB had loans of approximately $6.7 billion and deposits of around $8.1 billion as of March 10, 2023.
• Noel Quinn – CEO of Britain’s biggest bank – commented that this acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for their business in the UK.

HSBC Acquires Silicon Valley Bank UK

Britain’s leading bank – HSBC – plans to purchase SVB UK for approximately $1.20. The largest banking institution in the United Kingdom has made a deal with SVB to acquire its UK unit for a little over a dollar.

Liquidity Issues and Balance Sheet Holes

Silicon Valley Bank made the headlines last week when it revealed liquidity issues and balance sheet holes, triggering huge panic among venture capital firms who advised investors to withdraw their funds from the bank. After failing to raise the necessary capital to stay afloat, financial regulators of California shut down SVB.

Financial Details

As of March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank had loans of approximately $6.7 billion and deposits of around $8.1 billion while its tangible equity was nearly $1.7 billion at the end of last year with a profit before tax amounting to $106 million. All assets and liabilities belonging to the parent companies of SVB UK are excluded from the deal with HSBC.

Noel Quinn’s Comments

Noel Quinn – CEO of Britain’s biggest bank – commented: “This acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for our business in the UK.” He added that it strengthens commercial banking franchise and enhances their ability to serve innovative and fast-growing firms, including in technology and life-science sectors, both locally within the UK as well as internationally.

SVB’s Clients Protection

Quinn also assured clients that they will be subject maximum protection when transferring information from SVB’s system into HSBC Holdings’.

G20 Takes Step Towards Crypto Regulations: IMF, BIS, and FSB to Develop Roadmap

• The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting concluded with a strong commitment to regulations for the cryptocurrency sector.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and Financial Stability Board (FSB) have been tasked to come up with recommendations and a roadmap for regulating the cryptocurrency sector.
• Klaas Knot, Chairman of FSB, mentioned that the FSB was preparing recommendations for regulating cryptocurrency and decentralized finance.

G20 Meeting of Financial Chiefs Takes A Step Forward Towards Crypto Regulations

The need for regulation is being felt across the crypto spectrum after the series of collapses and bankruptcies since May 2022. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting on February 24-25 in Bengaluru, India, concluded with a strong commitment to regulations for the cryptocurrency sector.

Tasking IMF, BIS & FSB

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and Financial Stability Board (FSB) have been tasked to come up with recommendations and a roadmap for regulating the cryptocurrency sector. G20 Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document said: “We look forward to the IMF-FSB Synthesis Paper, which will support a coordinated and comprehensive policy approach to crypto-assets, by considering macroeconomic and regulatory perspectives, including the full range of risks posed by crypto assets.”

Klaas Knot’s Involvement

Besides finance ministers and central bank governors, Kristalina Georgieva – Managing Director of IMF – Agustin Carstens – General Manager at BIS – representatives from Financial Stability Board (FSB) attended this meeting. Klaas Knot, Chairman of FSB also sent a letter to this meeting in which he mentioned that his organization was preparing recommendations for regulating cryptocurrency as well as decentralized finance.

Conclusion Of The Meeting

This outcome document reaffirmed that participants are committed towards deploying regulations related to cryptocurrencies. Moreover, they are planning to deploy these regulations in such a manner that it ensures sustainable growth while mitigating associated risks like money laundering or terrorist financing through cryptosystems.

Future Developments

This year FSB will finalize its recommendation about regulation as well as supervision along with oversight related to cryptocurrencies. In addition, G20 has already planned its next meeting by June 2021 so we can expect more developments regarding this topic within coming months.

Missouri Man Receives 5 Years Probation for Shooting Bitcoin ATM

• Matthew Klinger is a 51-year-old Jefferson City, Missouri resident who has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation after admitting to shooting a bitcoin ATM with a handgun.
• He arrived at Vapor Maven on Missouri Boulevard in August last year and requested to talk to the general manager of the store (where the ATM was placed). After hanging up, he took out his handgun, fired five rounds into the machine, and left the scene.
• Klinger pleaded guilty in Cole County to first-degree property damage and received five years of supervised probation. Such criminals are assigned to a law enforcement officer who monitors their actions and ensures they obey the court’s ruling.

Missouri Citizen Sentenced for Shooting Bitcoin ATM

Matthew Klinger – a 51-year-old Jefferson City, Missouri resident – has been handed down five years of supervised probation after admitting to shooting a bitcoin ATM with a handgun.

Details of Offense

Klinger arrived at Vapor Maven on Missouri Boulevard in August last year and requested to talk to the general manager of the store (where the ATM was placed). After hanging up, he took out his handgun, fired five rounds into the machine, and left the scene. When asked about his motives behind this act, he said he ravaged the bitcoin ATM “so that it could not take money from anyone else.”

Sentence Given

Klinger pleaded guilty in Cole County to first-degree property damage last week and got five years of supervised probation as part of his sentence. Such criminals are assigned to a law enforcement officer who monitors their actions and ensures they obey the court’s ruling. This serves as an alternative form of jail but can still become prison if necessary.

Supervision Period

The law enforcement officer will monitor Klinger’s actions for five years after he destroyed BTC ATM in Jefferson City. During this period, any sign of misconduct could lead him directly back into prison due to violating court orders set by authorities.

Conclusion

With this incident being an example for other citizens caution should be exercised when dealing with cryptocurrency ATMs or anything related such as digital wallets or exchanges . Destroying public property carries heavy penalties under law so it is best not take any chances with this sort of behavior.

OpenSea Drops Fees to Zero on NFT Sales: No More False Choice

• OpenSea, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace giant announced some changes to its fee structure.
• OpenSea temporarily drops fees on NFT sales to zero and moves to optional creator earnings (0.5% min).
• Marketplaces with the same policies will not be blocked by the operator filter.

OpenSea Drops Fees on NFT Sales

OpenSea, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace giant announced some changes to its fee structure in response to an open challenge from one of its competitors – BLUR. The platform will now offer 0% fees on secondary sales for a limited period and move to optional creator earnings of at least 0.5%. Additionally, marketplaces with the same policies as OpenSea will not be blocked by the operator filter tool.

Temporary Zero Percent Fee

The biggest change is that OpenSea has dropped its fee down to zero percent for all secondary sales made through the platform, although this is only temporary. The original fee was 2.5%, but it has been waived in light of competition from rival platforms such as Blur.

Optional Creator Earnings

Creators also now have access to optional creator earnings, with a minimum of 0.5% being charged for all collections without on-chain enforcement – both old and new ones. Sellers are allowed to pay more than the minimum if they wish, giving them greater control over their earnings potential when selling their work through OpenSea’s platform.

Marketplace Filtering Tool Upgraded

In order to make sure creators aren’t forced into making false choices between receiving income through OpenSea or Blur, OpenSea upgraded its operator filter tool so that sales using either platform would not be blocked out. This ensures that creators can make use of whichever platform better suits their needs without sacrificing any potential revenue stream opportunities due to restrictions imposed by either side’s filtering systems or policies/fees structures in place at any given time period!

Conclusion

Overall, these changes should give creators more power over their own NFTs while also allowing them greater freedom when it comes time for them making decisions about where and how best they want those works sold on different marketplaces across the web!

Two Thirds of Millennials See Bitcoin as Safe Haven

• A study by BanklessTimes revealed that 67% of millennials consider bitcoin a safe haven.
• Millennials are more open to digital innovations and are more likely to deal with BTC than older generations.
• They see BTC as a better monetary tool than the dollar, euro, or any other national currency due to its decentralized nature and limited supply cap.

Millennials View Bitcoin as Safe Haven

A recent survey conducted by BanklessTimes reveals that two thirds of millennials aged 27-42 consider bitcoin a safe haven asset. These figures show that the younger generation is much more open minded towards cryptocurrencies than older generations and believe it can provide financial freedom in times of economic uncertainty.

Millennials Embrace Digital Innovation

The poll also shows that millennials are leading the charge when it comes to embracing digital innovation and dealing with cryptocurrency assets like Bitcoin. In contrast, many Baby Boomers and Generation X individuals remain predominantly conservative by sticking to traditional fiat currencies and expressing skepticism towards the crypto sector.

Advantages of Bitcoin Over Traditional Currencies

Most participants in the survey believe that Bitcoin will go mainstream in the near future, seeing it as a superior monetary tool when compared to traditional currencies such as the dollar or euro. The primary advantage behind this sentiment is mainly due to Bitcoin’s decentralized nature which allows users to stay out of reach from central banks’ policies which may sometimes be dubious. Additionally, its fixed supply cap ensures inflation does not affect its value over time making it an attractive store of value for millennials.

Why Is Bitcoin Considered A Safe Haven?

Due to these advantages, millennials regard bitcoin as a safe haven asset where they can diversify their portfolio during periods of economic volatility or instability caused by geopolitical events or global pandemics – such as COVID-19 – which has seen many countries introduce drastic measures including money printing leading to currency devaluation.

Conclusion

The survey results demonstrate that nearly two thirds of millennials view bitcoin favorably and believe it offers them financial freedom while also providing protection against uncertain economic conditions caused by external factors beyond their control.

Core Scientific Pays Off $38.6M Debt with 27K Mining Rigs

• Core Scientific has agreed to hand over 27,403 of its mining machines to NYDIG to pay off a debt of $38.6 million.
• The agreement needs to be approved by the relevant magistrates before becoming official.
• The company borrowed $77.5 million from the investment firm in 2020, but stopped settling its debt towards the end of 2022 due to shrinking revenue caused by the bear market.

Core Scientific Agrees to Hand Over Mining Rigs

Core Scientific has come to an agreement with the New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) wherein it will hand over 27,403 of its mining machines in order to pay off a debt of $38.6 million. This agreement still needs approval from relevant magistrates before it can become official.

How Did Core Scientific Accumulate Its Debt?

In 2020, Core Scientific borrowed $77.5 million from an investment management firm in order expand its business operations; however, towards the end of 2022, it was unable to settle this debt due to decreasing revenue caused by a bear market and increasing energy costs. Net losses for Core Scientific reached $1.7 billion by Q3 2022 and as a result, they were forced into filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly before Christmas that year.

What Is Included In The Agreement?

Under this agreement, Core Scientific will transfer 27,000 of its mining rigs (which are no longer vital for their business) back to NYDIG in order eliminate their debt completely. However, until this deal is approved by relevant magistrates, it cannot become official yet and remains just an agreement between both parties involved at present time.

Implications Of This Deal

If this deal does get approved then not only would Core Scientific have paid off all its debts but also have more room for maneuvering within their business operations due lesser financial obligations and liabilities on their part which would ultimately help them bounce back from bankruptcy more easily than expected earlier on..

Conclusion

The deal between Core Scientists and NYDIG is still pending approval from relevant magistrates; however if it does go through then both parties could reap significant benefits from it that could help them move forward in a much better position than they were previously standing at prior to entering into this agreement with one another

Strike and Fiserv Partner to Enable Bitcoin Lightning Payments on Clover

• Strike has partnered with Fiserv to integrate Bitcoin’s lightning network with the point-of-sale terminal provider, Clover.
• This will allow certain Clover merchants to accept lightning payments, expanding Bitcoin’s use case as a medium of exchange.
• Strike’s service converts Bitcoin payments into a merchant’s currency of choice on the back end, letting merchants accept alternative forms of payment.

Strike, a Bitcoin payment and wallet company, has recently announced their partnership with Fiserv, a giant in the fintech industry, to integrate Bitcoin’s lightning network with the point-of-sale terminal provider, Clover. This new integration is a major step forward in expanding the use case of Bitcoin, allowing certain Clover merchants to accept lightning payments.

The integration allows Clover to accept “cash-final” USD over lightning, thanks to Strike’s service. This service converts Bitcoin payments into a merchant’s currency of choice on the back end, making it easier for merchants to accept alternative forms of payment. This integration is beneficial for both merchants and customers, as it provides a much more convenient payment option.

On Thursday, Strike CEO Jack Mallers took to Twitter to announce the integration, and to explain how it works. Mallers stated that the integration will provide merchants with more options when it comes to accepting payments, and that it is a “game-changer” for the cryptocurrency industry. He emphasized that this integration is a major step forward in making Bitcoin more accessible, and will help to encourage more people to use it.

The integration of Bitcoin’s lightning network with Clover is an important milestone for the cryptocurrency industry. Not only does it make Bitcoin more accessible, but it also opens the door to more use cases and applications for the cryptocurrency. With this new integration, merchants and customers will have more options when it comes to making and receiving payments, and this could prove to be invaluable for the industry.

Cardano CEO Charles Hoskinson Eyes CoinDesk Acquisition: Seeks Journalistic Integrity

• Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output Global, is interested in purchasing the crypto news website CoinDesk.
• The latter is exploring a potential sale as its sister firm slid into bankruptcy.
• In the latest livestream, Hoskinson said his media interest is broad and would like to “figure out how to get to journalistic integrity again.”

Cardano’s CEO Charles Hoskinson has recently expressed his interest in purchasing the crypto news website CoinDesk. The news outlet is exploring a potential sale as its sister firm slid into bankruptcy. This has sparked a flurry of speculation, which only intensified when Hoskinson made an appearance on a livestream.

During the stream, Hoskinson commented on his potential acquisition of the website. He expressed his desire to find a way to “get to journalistic integrity again”. He also stated that he would review the financial data before making a decision. It is clear that the CEO is interested in restoring the website to its former glory, and is committed to doing whatever it takes to make it happen.

Hoskinson also commented on the current state of the crypto industry and its need for strong media outlets. He expressed his belief that media outlets are essential for the development of the industry, and that CoinDesk would be a valuable asset to Cardano. He noted that it would provide a “clear and unbiased voice” for the industry, which is sorely needed.

In addition, Hoskinson also discussed the importance of blockchain technology, and how it can be used to drive innovation. He emphasized the need to create a “global infrastructure” that is secure, efficient, and reliable. He also noted that blockchain technology can be used to create a more transparent and accountable system, which could lead to more efficient and secure economic systems.

It remains to be seen what will come of the potential acquisition of CoinDesk. However, it is clear that Hoskinson is committed to the cause and is interested in restoring the website to its former glory. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both Cardano and CoinDesk.

Miami Mayor Confident in Bitcoin’s Potential Despite FTX Collapse

• Miami Mayor Francis Suarez remains confident in Bitcoin’s potential despite the collapse of one of world’s largest crypto exchanges, FTX.
• Suarez believes Bitcoin can provide numerous benefits not available from the fiat currency system.
• He suggests the panic surrounding FTX and crypto is largely media-driven.

Despite the recent collapse of an international crypto exchange, Miami’s Bitcoin-bullish Mayor Francis Suarez remains confident in the asset’s potential. During a recent interview with CNBC, Suarez suggested that Bitcoin can provide numerous benefits not available from the fiat currency system.

He also suggested that much of the public panic surrounding FTX and the crypto industry, in general, is media-driven. Suarez noted that while the events of the past few weeks had been unfortunate, they did not reflect the potential of the asset itself.

The Mayor has been a long-standing advocate of Bitcoin, which he believes provides stability and security that is not available with traditional currency. He has also expressed support for other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum and Litecoin, which he believes can provide a valuable entry point into the world of digital assets.

In the past, Suarez has pushed for the city of Miami to be at the forefront of cryptocurrency regulation, with the aim of making it a safe and secure environment for investors. He has also called for the creation of a digital asset task force to provide guidance on the use of cryptocurrencies in the city.

Despite the collapse of FTX, Suarez remains confident in the underlying potential of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He believes that these digital assets can provide a much-needed alternative to traditional fiat currency, as well as new opportunities for investors. He has also suggested that, while the events of the past few weeks have been unfortunate, they should not detract from the potential of the asset itself.