Cryptocurrency
Nobody is going to ban Bitcoin – US Bank regulator
Following fears of potential regulation on cryptos, it has been revealed that a ban on Bitcoin and other cryptos is far from the truth.
One of the leading financial regulators in the world’s largest economy, the United States, recently disclosed that the world’s flagship crypto is here to stay, amid rumours coming from different quarters on the likely ban on Bitcoin.
In a report credited to CNBC, Brian Brooks, the Acting Comptroller of the currency, hinted that more regulations on bitcoin and other cryptos are already in the works but downplayed fears that such regulation was going to change the core fundamentals of the crypto market
READ: Top U.S regulator says more crypto banks coming
In a recent interview with Melissa Lee on “Squawk Box,” he disclosed further on “clarity” measure being put in place for cryptocurrency in the next six-to-eight weeks, but said, “nobody’s going to ban bitcoin.”
“We’re very focused on getting this right, on not killing this. And it’s equally important that we develop the networks behind bitcoin and other cryptos, as it is what will prevent money laundering and financing terrorism,” he added.
READ: Bitcoin is highly volatile, illiquid, supports digital Euro – European Central Bank
Fears about potential regulation got strengthened last month when Coinbase CEO, Brian Armstrong, disclosed via his Twitter handle on hearing rumours that the U.S Treasury Department was working to rush out new crypto regulations before President Donald Trump’s tenor ends.
“We heard rumours that the U.S. Treasury and Secretary Mnuchin were planning to rush out some new regulation regarding self-hosted crypto wallets before the end of his term. I’m concerned that this would have unintended side effects and wanted to share those concerns,” Armstrong said.
READ: U.S top regulator speaks on Cryptos and future of banking to U.S Congress
Last week we heard rumors that the U.S. Treasury and Secretary Mnuchin were planning to rush out some new regulation regarding self-hosted crypto wallets before the end of his term. I'm concerned that this would have unintended side effects, and wanted to share those concerns.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) November 25, 2020
READ: CBN issues banks new guidelines, fines over customers’ complaint
However, the top U.S regulator dismissed such fears by saying, “I think you’re going to see a lot of good news for crypto before the end of the term,”
What you should know
- At the time of writing this report Bitcoin traded at $18,999.05 with a daily trading volume of $28,550,005,376. BTC price is down -1.7% in the last 24 hours.
- It has a circulating supply of 19 Million BTC coins and a max supply of 21 Million.
Cryptocurrency
Nigerians increasingly using Bitcoin since CBN’s Crypto ban
A growing number of Nigerians are not giving up on the crypto that has outperformed any Nigerian-based financial asset.
It’s been roughly three months since the Central bank restricted Nigeria’s financial institutions from dealing with anything crypto-related, yet recent data suggests its citizens have increasingly found other alternatives to access the world’s flagship crypto.
Data retrieved from Usefultulips (a Bitcoin analytic data provider) shows that the usage of Bitcoin’s peer to peer trading in Nigeria surged by 27% since the CBN directive took effect about 85 days ago, as Nigerians moved about $103 million worth of Bitcoins on just Paxful and LocalBitcoins channels alone.
Bitcoin recorded gains and its suitability in hedging against inflation, coupled with access to other crypto assets that offer more viable options, seem not to have weakened despite the recent N5/$ rebate scheme introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria to encourage Nigerians in the diaspora to use official channels to remit their funds instead of doing so through Cryptocurrencies.
READ: Crypto market surges above $2 trillion, as Bitcoin stages a huge comeback above $60,500
The world’s most popular crypto has rallied by almost 500% since its latest bull run began at the start of Q4 2020, hitting record highs of almost $65,000 this month before pulling back to $55,000 at the time of drafting this report amid strong institutional purchases sighted in emerged markets.
Some market analysts argue that Nigeria’s apex bank’s hold on the country’s financial system has further complicated transactional processes in Africa’s largest economy because Bitcoin still relies heavily on fiat currencies despite being virtual, from pricing its value to how its ownership is being ascertained. In spite of this, the growing interest in Bitcoin has not weakened.
Adding credence to Nigeria’s grip on Bitcoin includes data collated from Google trends, printing that Africa’s largest crypto market, emerged as the first amongst other countries by a long-distance over its interest in Bitcoin with a perfect score of 100%.
READ: Nigerian banks allegedly close accounts dealing with Crypto
Nigeria’s relatively young educated population coupled with its growing internet adoption and smartphone penetration has facilitated Bitcoin to thrive exponentially amid rising inflation that has eroded the savings of many Nigerians.
The borderless feature of Bitcoin also makes payment effortless for Nigerians in addition to offering outrageously low transaction fees.
READ: Why Bitcoin could triple in value annually
To give context, many Nigerian banks charge 1–2.5%. For a $1 million offshore transfer, bank charges may go up to $10,000, but with the flagship crypto, transfer of such amount would not exceed $300, even at peak periods.
Consequently, a significant number of Nigerians already pay a premium for accessing the crypto market, as data from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume, at the time of writing, posted a rate of N607 to 1 USDT with Nigerian banking channels close to the global crypto ecosystem.
Bottom line
A growing number of Nigerians are not giving up on the crypto that has outperformed any Nigerian-based financial asset. They are thus ready to pay a premium to hold on to Crypto irrespective of the Central Bank’s ban.
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