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3 key data points highlight the 60-day strength shown by altcoins. A wave of green has washed across the entire crypto market , and it won’t be long before traders on X (the social platform formerly known as Twitter) begin to explain that a new altcoins season has arrived.  Altcoin season, or ‘altseason’ as the crypto bros say, typically measures the rallying of altcoins and a positive market capitalization increase of the total altcoin market cap. Let’s take a look at some key indicators that market participants use to determine whether or not an altcoin season has emerged. Total crypto market capitalization hits a 14-month high The total crypto market cap recently hit a 14-month high, clearly reflecting the current bullish momentum. Crypto total market cap broke out to its highest levels in over 14 months. pic.twitter.com/0c6CPxDSfQ — TradingView (@tradingview) November 6, 2023 Similar strength is seen in the total altcoin market capitalization chart (TOTAL2). The met...

A report from the Bitcoin-only exchange River suggests increased Lightning usage will play a key role in Bitcoin becoming a better medium of exchange. Bitcoin’s layer 2 Lightning Network has seen an estimated 1,212% growth in two years , with around 6.6 million routed transactions in August, a significant jump compared to August 2021’s 503,000 transitions, according to data from the Bitcoin (BTC)-only exchange River. In an Oct. 10 report, River research analyst Sam Wouters explained the jump in routed transactions — which use more than two nodes to facilitate a transfer — came despite a 44% fall in Bitcoin’s price and considerably less online search interest. “‘Nobody is using Lightning’ should now be a dead meme,” Wouters said in an Oct. 10 follow-up X (Twitter) post, taking a shot at Lightning critics. “Nobody is using Lightning” should now be a dead meme. Launching a new #Bitcoin report from @River: How the Lightning Network grew by 1212% in 2 years It’s time to pay attention to ...

The financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, however as a full exit from Russia, Binance will have no ongoing revenue split, nor any option to buy back shares, the companies said. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has announced its full exit from Russia by selling its firm to the cryptocurrency exchange platform known as CommEX. Binance has entered into an agreement to sell the entirety of its Russia business to CommEX, the firm said in an announcement to Cointelegraph on Sept. 27. To ensure a smooth process for existing Russian users, the off-boarding process will take up to one year, the announcement reads. “All assets of existing Russian users are safe and securely protected,” Binance noted. “As we look toward the future, we recognise that operating in Russia is not compatible with Binance's compliance strategy,” Binance’s chief compliance officer Noah Perlman said, adding: “We remain confident in the long-term growth of the web3 industry around the world and will focus ...

Shiba Inu’s marketing strategist Lucie has offered instructions to help users reduce the risk of encountering phishing links and fraudulent schemes when using Shibarium. Lucie, Shiba Inu’s marketing specialist, has cautioned the public against potential exploit ation risks on Shibarium, the newly-released Ethereum layer-2 scaling protocol. According to a post by the executive on X (formerly Twitter), Shibarium is accessible for development by anyone, similar to other blockchains like Polygon and Ethereum. However, this openness also makes it vulnerable to potential attacks. Malicious entities could exploit the platform to target decentralized applications constructed on the layer-2 network or deploy fraudulent rug pull tokens. Users should exercise caution and remain vigilant, as some exploit ers might even utilize the Shibarium name in their scam project titles, Lucie highlighted. Similar to Polygon, Ethereum, and other blockchains, Shibarium is open for anyone to build on. Regret...

Bitcoin exchanges see the largest one-day exchange BTC inflow since the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Bitcoin (BTC) returned to exchange s en masse on July 27 in a sign that “major volatility ” could come next. According to data from on-chain analytics firm Glassnode, intraday BTC exchange inflows have hit multi-month highs. Trader warns of BTC price volatility “spike” BTC price action continues to linger below $30,000, and traders have consistently warned that further downside could come next. At current levels, Bitcoin’s largest-volume investor cohort, the whales, appear to be in a state of flux in an unclear market. Now, with large tranches of coins on the move in recent days, attention is focusing on entities sending funds to exchanges — with the implication that selling pressure could increase as a result. As noted by market observers, including James Straten, research and data analyst at crypto insights firm CryptoSlate, over 10,000 BTC in inflows on a single day represented th...

The crypto community has gathered to celebrate the recent ruling on XRP's securities status, but lawyers warn there's more to it than meets the eye. Ripple Labs’ split-decision victory against the United States securities regulator is being seen as a significant blow to the regulator’s “war on crypto,” however, crypto lawyers warn it isn't a definitive victory for the industry or the firm y In a landmark ruling on July 13, Judge Torres determined that XRP (XRP) is not a security — at least when sold to the general public. The decision was met with a joyous uproar from XRP token holders and came with a massive surge in the token's price, with industry heavyweights lauding the decision as likely to aid crypto exchanges Coinbase and Binance in their respective lawsuits. Luke Martin, the founder of crypto investment firm Venture Coinist noted that the “core component” of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) claim in its suits against Binance an...

Binance said it’s cooperating with Australian regulators to meet local regulatory requirements amid reports of office searches. Binance Australia is working with local authorities on meeting compliance requirements amid report s alleging that the company’s offices were searched on July 4. "We are cooperating with local authorities and Binance is focused on meeting local regulatory standards in order to serve our users in Australia in a fully compliant manner,” a spokesperson for Binance Australia told Cointelegraph. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) conducted searches at Binance Australia locations on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported . The investigation was part of an ongoing probe of Binance’s now-defunct Australian derivatives business, the report notes, citing anonymous people familiar with the matter. Binance’s representative did not confirm or deny to Cointelegraph whether the company’s offices were searched, or even whether the company was aware of...

One of the most notable results of self-custody is that it tends to decrease circulation, which in turn reduces the market cap. There is no way to measure the amount of Bitcoin (BTC) that is being sent to self -custody wallets so far, according to one industry executive. Amid the ongoing FUD over lawsuits against major cryptocurrency exchanges, investors have been increasingly offloading their Bitcoin from crypto trading platforms. As of mid-June, Bitcoin’s exchange supply fell to its lowest level since February 2018, according to data from the crypto intelligence platform Santiment. The massive exchange outflows have been triggered by the growth of self-custody fueled by uncertainty around Binance and Coinbase, Santiment said. BTC supply on exchanges since June 2017. Source: Santiment The growing self -custody trend has a massive impact on cryptocurrency markets, Santiment’s head of marketing Brian Quinlivan told Cointelegraph on June 15. One of the most notable results of self -c...

As the Web3 space continues to evolve, crypto exchanges are finding new ways to engage their users in their mission to success. The crypto industry is a constantly evolving sector. What may be the standard today can easily be very different tomorrow. Therefore, it is crucial for companies and platforms like crypto exchange s to stay on the cutting edge and implement new innovations. Community building is a vital element in running a successful business, irrespective of whether it offers crypto services or not. To cultivate communities based on shared interests, decentralized platforms and social tokens prove to be valuable tools. In addition, gamification and token-based rewards play a key role in motivating user involvement. A report by the Boston Consulting Group highlights the potential for Web3 technologies to create innovative loyalty programs that drive engagement and strengthen brand-consumer relationships. Engaging stakeholders Within the dynamic crypto industry, many projects...

Crypto services in the U.K. will face stricter regulations, including a “cooling-off period” for first-time investors and a ban on “refer a friend” bonuses. In a June 8 announcement, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that from Oct. 8, advertisers of crypto services in the U.K. would be subjected to stricter regulations. The U.K. watchdog has mandated that crypto companies in the U.K. implement a "cooling-off period" for first-time investors. Additionally, as part of measures to enhance investor awareness of risks, the FCA has prohibited the use of " refer a friend" bonuses by firms in the sector. Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers and Competition, stated in the written statement that while the decision to purchase crypto lies with individuals, research indicates that many express regret over impulsive choices. The implemented rules aim to provide people with sufficient time and appropriate risk warnings to enable an informe...

3 key indicators are behind the prolonged bearish trend in Ether, and data fails to identify an immediate catalyst for a price breakout. Ether’s price has been stuck below $1,920 for the past 16 days, which is especially concerning since the latest breakout attempt on May 6 lasted less than 24 hours. Excluding this brief price pump, Ether’s (ETH) journey below $1,920 was initiated on April 21, over 30 days ago. One can likely blame the Ethereum network’s $8.80 average transaction fee for investors’ diminished appetite, but the macroeconomic environment has also played an important role. On May 22, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said it is impossible to predict the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, designed to curb inflation. As CNN reported, Dimon added: “You’re already seeing credit tighten up because the easiest way for a bank to retain capital is not to make the next loan." The uncertainty surrounding the United States debt ceiling standoff between Joe Biden’...

The U.S. Federal Reserve is set to roll out a fresh interest rate hike on March 22, and options traders could use this risk-averse strategy to generate profits. Like it or not, for crypto investors, the U.S. Federal Reserve policy on interest rate hikes and high inflation is the single most relevant measure for gauging demand for risk assets. By increasing the cost of capital, the Fed boosts the profitability of fixed-income instruments, but this is detrimental to the stock market, real estate, commodities and cryptocurrencies. One positive aspect of the Fed's meetings is that they are scheduled well in advance, so Bitcoin (BTC) traders can prepare for those. Federal Reserve policy decisions historically cause extreme intraday volatility in risk assets, but traders can use Derivatives instruments to yield optimal results as the Fed adjusts interest rates. Another challenge for traders is they face pressure from Bitcoin being highly correlated to equities. For example, the 50-da...

The sun sets on algorithmic stablecoins as Frax shifts to a fully-backed model. The Frax community recently approved a proposal to make its FEI stablecoin fully backed by USD equivalents, rather than maintaining a partially backed and semi algorithmic stablecoin. With Frax’s decision, the days of experimentation with algorithmic stablecoins could finally be behind us. The decentralized stablecoin space has only proved effective with ETH, USDC and BTC backed stablecoins. The failure of algorithmic stablecoins (like UST) and depegging of overleveraged stablecoins (like MIM) has become one of the primary reasons for loss of confidence in decentralized stablecoins. The decentralized stablecoin space is still tiny Decentralized stablecoins account for 5.5% of the total stablecoin supply. MarkerDAO’s DAI commands the lion’s share of this with 71% dominance. The transfer volumes of decentralized stablecoins are largely dominated in DAI and have declined since Q3 2022, suggesting that activi...

The probe is reportedly looking at certain offerings that Kraken has made to its US customers that could be in breach of securities laws. Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is reportedly being probed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over whether it breached rules around the offering of securities.  According to a Feb. 8 Bloomberg report, the probe relates to certain offerings that Kraken has made to U.S. clients. A person with knowledge of the matter said the probe is at an advanced stage and could reach a settlement in the coming days. However, at this stage, it is not clear which offerings are being scrutinized by the securities regulator. When asked about the alleged probe, an SEC spokesperson told Cointelegraph, "The SEC does not comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible investigation.” Kraken did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. SEC’s Washington headquarters. Source: Wikipedia Gensler said in Dec. 2022 that his main...

United States prosecutors have labeled this as the first insider trading case in cryptocurrency. Ishan Wahi, a former product manager at Coinbase Global Inc., has admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire Fraud in a case that U.S. prosecutors have labeled as the first insider trading case involving cryptocurrency. Ex-Coinbase manager pleads guilty in insider trading case https://t.co/i6fG3c3wHc pic.twitter.com/zKfjqnNpzT — Reuters (@Reuters) February 7, 2023 According to a report by Reuters, the prosecutors claimed that Wahi disclosed private information to his brother Nikhil and friend Sameer Ramani, regarding imminent announcements of new digital assets that Coinbase would enable users to trade. The announcement later caused assets to rise in value, allowing Nikhil and Sameer Raman to generate illicit gains of at least $1.5 million. Nikhil Wahi and Ramani were charged with using Ethereum (ETH) blockchain wallets to acquire digital assets and trading before the Coinba...