Breaking News: Venezuela Announces Whitepaper and Pre-Sale of Its Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency Petro

Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro has announced the pre-sale of his country’s national oil-backed cryptocurrency, the petro. In addition, he has presented and signed the official petro’s whitepaper and unveiled the Petro Container for mining the new currency.

Will Bitcoin crash in 2018?

Forget the Bitcoin bubble-talk and gear-up for surprise Mega-pumps

In the last few weeks, we saw a steep correction unfolding across cryptocurrency markets as a spate of hacks compounded worries that the world’s third-largest market for Bitcoin trade-South Korea-was cracking down on the nascent assets. Some cryptocurrencies lost as much as 90% of value, while Bitcoin dipped to a low of just below $9,000 after topping $20,000 at the end of 2017. As prices begin rebounding, however, it is apparent that the latest wild downswing and potentially the biggest reverse of 2018 was a healthy correction due to market overvaluation.

50 Cent Bags Millions Selling Album For Bitcoin

Curtis Jackson also known as "50 Cent" made a fortune by being an early believer in Bitcoin, TMZ.com reported on Tuesday.After giving the cryptocurrency an opportunity 4 years back, he's now reaping the benefit which add up to over $7 mln with current exchange rates.

Crypto Industry: Bitcoins & Altcoins Down Across The Market after a Short Stint Of Green

Following a volatile beginning of the  new year, the crypto markets are again falling throughout the board. The vast majority of the very best twenty coins on CoinMarketCap have been in the red on Monday, Jan. 22, with the largest loss around 13 percent over a 24 hour period.

Bear, Bull, Pigs and BitCoin

“Bears get rich. Bulls get rich. Pigs get poor.”

Bear

A bear is someone who believes the market will do poorly. They invest in bonds, safe stocks and find ways to bet against the market. They make money because they play it safe.

First Bitcoin Futures Contract Expires At $10,900, ‘Win for Bears’

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE)’s first Bitcoin futures contract closed Wednesday, Jan. 17, at $10,900 after a relatively turbulent week in the crypto market had briefly brought Bitcoin’s (BTC) price below $10,000.

Asia: Crypto Market Losses Up to 40%

Bitcoin and altcoins lost as much as 40% in value the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 16, as regulatory pressure from China and South Korea generally seems to upset optimism.

Cross-exchange data from CoinMarketCap reveals the extent of bear sentiment arising from the confused situation in Seoul and the headlines of additional trading sanctions from Beijing.

Russia: Blogger Who ‘showed off’ his Crypto Wealth Beaten and Robbed For ₦154 Mln ($425k)

A Russian cryptocurrency investor and blogger known online as Pavel Nyashin was attacked and robbed in his home in Leningrad Oblast the nights Jan. 14. The assailants stole funds worth 24 mln rubles ₦154 Mln  ($425,000), based on local media.

LBC (LocalBitcoins.com) under Gov. pressure, Next on the Banned List like BTC-e ? - Users Beware !

Jeremias Kangas Founder of Local Bitcoins

Thousands of LBC users are complaining about the recent rules imposed by the Localbitcoins staffs against the users of the website. Some claimed LocalBitcons.com is no longer a site to be trusted due to pressure from the government, 'it has recently become another scary site of the day' according to a frequent user of the site.

G20 to Gang up against Bitcoin: France Comes Out Against Bitcoin and Digital Currencies, Wants Tough New Laws

Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Economy, has strongly come out against this space today in a Press Conference, stating according to a rough translation:

“We want a stable economy: we reject the risks of speculation and the possible financial diversions linked to bitcoin,” Le Maire said before adding:

Vladimir Putin: It is Imperative to Regulate Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his intentions to enact laws that will comprehensively regulate the cryptocurrency markets very soon.

Crypto Legislation on the Cards
The no-nonsense Russian president Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his regime is not ready for half-baked crypto regulations going forward. Putin is of the opinion that the complete management of the Bitcoin and altcoin ecosystem is a load too heavy for the Central bank to carry alone.

Bitcoin Fees Are going down as more Exchange Platforms Adopt Segwit

Transaction fees, a bugbear for a lot of in the bitcoin community, are on the way down. Spiraling fees were a contentious issue that reached fever pitch in the twilight of 2017. But with the dawn of a brand new year, bitcoin has been blessed with reduced fees, set against a backdrop of increased Segwit adoption.

Russian Bishop Condemns Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies have crept into all walks of life and as a result, we have pundits from almost every sphere of influence throwing their two cents into the mix. Banking and traditional financial institutions have been the loudest critics of virtual currencies but the list of naysayers ranges from politicians to actors.

Egypt says ‘Bitcoin’ currency is prohibited by Islam

Egypt’s Dar Al Iftaa yesterday issued a Fatwa (Islamic ruling) that deems the Bitcoin virtual currency as forbidden by Islam.

“Bitcoin could be harmful to the country’s social and economic security,” Dar Al Iftaa said, stressing that the currency could break through the national security and central financial systems.

The Egyptian Grand Mufti’s Counsellor, Magdy Ashour, said that the currency “is used directly to fund terrorists,” explaining that its transactions threaten major damage to the economy.