Date: 08/16/2021
Today in History:
Richard Nixon administration’s decision to take the dollar off of the gold standard in 1971, exactly 50 years ago.
Weekly News Report:
1. U.S. retail giant Walmart has posted a position for a cryptocurrency product lead on its website and careers platform LinkedIn. The position seeks an “expert in Digital Currencies/Cryptocurrency and Blockchain related technologies,” which will “drive the vision for the product and capabilities roadmap.”
2. The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is looking to hire a Deputy Superintendent for Virtual Currency. The move will bolster the state’s BitLicense regulator following Superintendent Linda Lacewell’s departure.
3. Twitter picks crypto developer Jay Graber to run a decentralized social media wing. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey chimed in Monday, saying Graber’s appointment represents “Another step towards decentralizing Twitter and social media.”
4. Crypto market tops $2 trillion for the first time in nearly 3 months as bitcoin rallies. Bitcoin topped $48,000 over the weekend, its highest level since May, but pared some of those gains on Monday.
5. Dogecoin rallies after Elon Musk agrees with Mark Cuban that it’s the strongest cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange. Meme-inspired cryptocurrency dogecoin surged on Monday morning, hitting 35 cents.
6. Solana price soars to new highs with DeFi project launch, $70M DEX funding. The latest bull run in the Solana market also appeared as gains in top cryptocurrencies slowed down.
7. Shares of Bitfarms were up 0.5% to $6.42 in after-hours trading on Monday following the release of its earnings. Shares are up almost 240% year to date as China has cracked down on crypto mining and the price of bitcoin has increased significantly.
8. Celsius announced today the opening of its retail-lending services to customers in California. Currently, borrowers in California can request a Celsius loan issued in USD and stablecoins against 39 cryptocurrencies at 0% APR (25% LTV).
9. Watford FC players will wear a Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) logo on their jerseys for the 2021/22 season. Stake.com has also announced to give away 10 million DOGE (worth $2 million).
10. The LA Clippers have announced a new partnership with fan influence and rewards platform Socios.com, the leading global blockchain provider for the sports and entertainment industry. The multi-year relationship will include Socios.com integrations into Clippers social media, digital and mobile platforms as well as hospitality experiences.
11. Microsoft wants to use Ethereum blockchain to fight piracy. In a new paper released by Microsoft’s research department, with the participation of researchers from Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University, the Redmond-based software giant studied a blockchain-based incentive system to bolster anti-piracy campaigns.
12. Chinese multinational e-commerce firm, Alibaba Group Holding, has launched a new nonfungible tokens (NFTs) marketplace allowing trademark holders to sell tokenized licenses to their intellectual property.
13. Singapore crypto owners are more likely to hold Ether than bitcoin. Ether is the most popular cryptocurrency in Singapore, a survey published Monday found. Almost four-fifths of crypto investors, 78%, hold ether compared with 69% who own bitcoin.
