Dangote Cement, Lafarge drag Industrial Index up by 2.84% to close the second week in green
FG yet to purchase Covid-19 vaccines – Minister of State for Health
Reps oppose school resumption date, ask for 3 months extension
Nigerian government spends equivalent of 83% of revenue to service debt in 2020
Crypto investors lose $530 million within a day
Top 5 billionaires lost $8 billion in a day
Very few nations permitted to issue their Crypto – IMF
$128 million worth of Bitcoin exchange hands, Bitcoin drops to $36,100
FG receives N144 billion in dividends from NLNG in 2020
Gold prices suffer worst two weeks in a row since November
Cryptocurrency
There are now 10,016 Bitcoin ATMs globally
Bitcoin over the years has become enormously popular in countries with volatile financial markets.
There are presently 10,016 crypto ATMs in 71 countries across the world. This means that an individual can now buy or sell crypto assets in 71 countries, according to the cryptocurrency ATM tracking website Coinatmradar.
According to a report recently released from Norwegian financial services company AksjeBloggen, Bitcoin over the years has become enormously popular in countries with volatile financial markets whose citizens require a quick exchange of their country’s currency for a digital asset not tied to or regulated by any government.
READ: BTC bounty: 69,000 Bitcoins worth $700 million waiting for you
What you need to know: Nigeria has Africa’s largest population and economy, so having its first Bitcoin ATM may be a signal for broader adoption across the continent, as Bitcoin use among Nigerians is gaining steady momentum.
Nigeria’s digital economy is on the rise. With the increased poverty level, more individuals are making an entrance into the global digital economy by providing digital services as freelancers.
READ: Why Ripple might be the future of digital payments
However, Nigerians have trouble receiving payments from their foreign clients, as they are not allowed to use even the most famous American based Paypal, and other options like Money Gram and TransferWise are not only expensive and slow, but also have inflexible verification systems.
Bitcoin, however, offers them a flexible, almost instant, and cheaper means of receiving cross border payment, after rendering services to clients and companies.
READ: Buying signal, Bitcoin whales with 1000 BTC or more continue to rise
The many economic problems in Nigeria, including inflation and the devaluation of the naira, have made the country’s fiat currency a poor store of value, pushing some to store their value in a deflationary currency like Bitcoin, which can protect its owners from excess money printing from central authorities and other uncertainties.
Cryptocurrency
Crypto investors lose $530 million within a day
The Crypto futures became overheated and record sell-offs began leading traders to lose more than $527 million in a single day.
These are surely bad times for many crypto investors on the account that roughly $530 million worth of Crypto positions disappeared into thin air within a day.
The mass liquidation of such trading positions, according to data retrieved from Bybt.com, showed such occurred before the flagship crypto dipped around $34,000 today.
What this means
Over the past day, Bitcoin, with the highest dominance rate in the crypto market gained 7% when it moved from $35,500 to nearly $38,000, taking into consideration future demand for the crypto asset could skyrocket.
- However high sell-offs gained momentum immediately Bitcoin touched $38,000 value amid several large sell orders placed around that price.
- The Crypto futures became overheated and record sell-offs began leading traders to lose more than $527 million in 24 hours.
What they are saying
A highly respected crypto expert, Ki-Young Ju, disclosed the ongoing activity in the ever-volatile Crypto market on his Twitter feed, by critically hinting that buying pressure has paused in recent days.
- “People trade $BTC with low leverage, open interest is skyrocketing, and the long-short ratio looks neutral. Strong on-chain buying signals that have driven this bull market hasn’t come up so far. Bitcoin might retest 30k, so I don’t have any position now in this uncertain market.”
People trade $BTC with low leverage, open interest is skyrocketing, and the long-short ratio looks neutral.
Strong on-chain buying signals that have driven this bull market hasn't come up so far. $BTC might retest 30k, so I don't have any position now in this uncertain market. pic.twitter.com/aSsA0M4k6r
— Ki Young Ju 주기영 (@ki_young_ju) January 17, 2021
At the time of drafting this report, Bitcoin’s volatility ensured that no firm market direction was in control, as Bitcoin fluctuated around $34,800.
Sequel to the sudden correction seen in the Bitcoin market lately, it had been in on a bullish run relatively.
Some days ago, leading the United Kingdom’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, recently issued a piece of stern advice on crypto investments
The statement highlighted the risks associated with investing in Bitcoin and other leading crypto assets and warned the public there were high chances all their funds could be lost;
“The FCA is aware that some firms are offering investments in crypto assets or lending or investments linked to crypto assets, that promise high returns.
Investing in crypto assets, or investments and lending linked to them generally involves taking very high risks with investors’ money. If consumers invest in these types of products, they should be prepared to lose all their money.”
Cryptocurrency
$128 million worth of Bitcoin exchange hands, Bitcoin drops to $36,100
Bitcoin traded at $36,262.41 with a daily trading volume of $56.4 billion, down 0.49% for the day.
Large crypto entities are definitely up to something with the prevailing bullish trend at the world’s flagship crypto. Before dropping to $36,100, an unknown Bitcoin whale moved about $128 million worth of cryptos.
Data retrieved from Whale alert, an advanced crypto tracker, revealed recently, that a large entity transferred 3,510 BTC valued at $128.3 million from an unknown wallet to an unknown wallet.
READ: Bitcoin’s market value can reach $600 billion – JP Morgan Chase
🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 3,510 #BTC (128,266,672 USD) transferred from unknown wallet to unknown wallet
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) January 16, 2021
READ: Bitcoin more valuable than any global bank
At the time of writing this report, Bitcoin traded at $36,262.41 with a daily trading volume of $56.4 billion. Bitcoin is down 0.49% for the day.
- While it is difficult to predict market movements, large owners of Bitcoins have shown historically that they often determine the BTC trend.
- The timing of this movement suggests that such activity could be linked to an institutional investor amid the bias that of late, a lot of institutional players are flocking into the world’s flagship crypto market at unprecedented levels.
READ: Polkadot fast-rising Crypto, jumps past XRP
What you should know
- In the Bitcoin market, investors or traders who own large amounts of bitcoins are typically known as Bitcoin whales. This means that a BTC whale would be an individual or business entity (with a single Bitcoin address), that owns around 1000 coins or more.
- The flagship cryptocurrency is mainly decentralized, the first of its kind, and created by Satoshi Nakamoto. It was launched around January 2009.
READ: You can now buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, Uniswap through Apple Pay
Cryptocurrency
Very few nations permitted to issue their Crypto – IMF
The IMF says close to 80% of the world’s central banks are not allowed to issue a digital currency under their existing laws.
While many countries are already planning to or already developing fiat-crypto, the International Monetary Fund’s most recent report has indicated that only a few nations are permitted legally to carry such actions.
“Countries are moving fast toward creating digital currencies. Or, so we hear from various surveys showing an increasing number of central banks making substantial progress towards having an official digital currency.
“But, in fact, close to 80% of the world’s central banks are either not allowed to issue a digital currency under their existing laws, or the legal framework is not clear,” the IMF stated.
READ: Cassava Fintech new COO projects an 80% online usage for its company´s payment platform
In the recent post, seen by Nairametrics, the global financial body disclosed various reports suggested a large number of central banks are examining the possibility of having a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
It stated;
“Still, a majority of such countries have legal structures that do not support the establishment of cryptocurrencies, or in some cases do not permit the development of them
“Any money issuance is a form of debt for the central bank, so it must have a solid basis to avoid legal, financial, and reputational risks for the institutions.
“Ultimately, it is about ensuring that significant and potentially contentious innovation is in line with a central bank’s mandate. Otherwise, the door is opened to potential political and legal challenges.”
READ: UBS warns Bitcoins could disappear like Myspace
What you should know: A digital currency is a cash balance recorded electronically on a store value card or other physical devices, which could someday replace the physical notes.
- Digital currencies can be decentralized, that is where the control over the cash supply can come from diverse sources. Digital currencies can also be centralized, where there is a midway point of control over cash supply, just like the way central banks work.
READ: Central banks digital currencies pose a threat against the U.S dollar
Recall some months ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a video illustrating what cryptocurrency is.
Besides suggesting that cryptocurrency could “completely change the way we sell, buy, save, invest, and pay our bills,” IMF went on by saying that it “could be the next step in the evolution of money.”
The IMF tweeted the video giving vital details on what cryptocurrency is. Referring to cryptocurrency as “a special currency,” the two-minute video attempts to outline its benefits in payments, such as by removing middlemen, lowering costs, and increasing transaction speed.
READ: U.S Banks permitted to use Crypto for payments
What are cryptocurrencies? https://t.co/ggONlLkA2r pic.twitter.com/yYpj3Jf37E
— IMF (@IMFNews) August 23, 2020
