Bitcoin continued to garner attention globally as a national legal tender with Central African Republic becoming the latest suitor. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra signed the bill into law on Wednesday and his chief of staff Obed Namsio hailed the move as one that could forever change the economic fabric of a country that has been embroiled in rebel violence for many years now.

Namsio said the bill was supported by the president because it would improve the citizens’ status. He added it would open up new economic opportunities for the landlocked country. The new bill provides a framework for use of cryptocurrencies in smart contracts, payments systems, online trade, and all electronic transactions alongside the CFA franc currency. 

“This move places the Central African Republic on the map of the world’s boldest and most visionary countries,” he said. 

Traders will also be capable of paying taxes with crypto and the finance minister Gourna Zacko who introduced the bill, believes it will ease cross-border transfers that have become increasingly difficult to do. These transfers will now become very cheap. Citizens will also be capable of undertaking legal financial transactions in the mainstream financial realms using crypto, and without necessarily going through middlemen banks. Cryptocurrency exchanges will not be taxed.   

The bill has clauses that prescribe up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of between 100 million to 1 billion CFA francs for anyone who breaks the crypto law. 

With a per capita income of only 750 USD per year, the country is one of the poorest in the region and world as a result of years of conflicts and war. This is despite having a vast amount of gold and diamond reserves. 

The country would, however, have to pursue an aggressive Internet coverage agenda to make this plan effective. It currently has an Internet penetration rate of just 7.1 percent and 355,000 Internet users out of a total population of 4.97 million people.   

It is not clear if and how the new move would help alleviate the country’s ailing inflation or GDP. Inflation has increased from 2.7 percent in 2019 to 3.3 in 2021. The country’s GDP also flipped to the negative last year at -0.6 from a 3.1 in 2019. Despite relying heavily on agriculture and mining, illegal gold and diamond exports undermine government revenue. The country is also embroiled in bad political and economic decisions, conflicts, and insecurity.  

The bill that governs use of cryptocurrency as legal tender in the country was unanimously adopted by the parliament last week. However, the move was not approved by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) which governs the Central African CFA franc regional currency used by the country and about 14 others. The franc is tied to the Euro and largely controlled by the West. Two ministers said the move to adopt Bitcoin as a national currency was a serious offense. 

The move was also criticized by former Prime Minister Martin Ziguele who said it was not a priority for the country, and that it was undermining the CFA franc. The decision could also be challenged in court by some legislators.      

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The Founder of Cardano (ADA) has invited Tesla owner and billionaire, Elon Musk, to work with him in developing the first decentralized social media platform. Charles Hoskinson, who also doubles up as the CEO of Input-Output Global is offering to help Elon Musk achieve his goal of free speech on social media.

The news follows Elon Musk’s acquisition of a stake in Twitter last week. The Billionaire bought 9.2% of Twitter, estimated at $2.89 Billion, and was even offered a seat on the micro-blogging site’s board. However, after deliberations, Elon passed on the offer since it would bar him from owning beyond a certain threshold of Twitter’s shares.

Free speech advocate

Elon Musk is on record for being a passionate supporter of free speech and open internet policies. He has in the past openly accused Twitter of muzzling free speech and open internet use. He recently held a poll that indicated that most users would prefer an edit button on Twitter and said that if he is not allowed to acquire the platform, he would have to reconsider his position as a major shareholder of Twitter.

To actualize this cause, he has offered to acquire the platform for a reported fee of $43 Billion in cash. This intended acquisition has left his critics and supporters talking and would go a long way in helping him bring much-needed changes to Twitter. His intention has however come under fire with his critics, including Dogecoin co-founder, Jackson Palmer saying that Elon Musk is planning a hostile takeover of Twitter. 

Hoskinson’s offer to Elon Musk

Upon seeing the opposition against Elon Musk’s plan, Hoskinson wooed Elon to join him in creating a decentralized social media platform. He tweeted:

“@Elon if Twitter rejects your offer, then hit me up. Happy to build a decentralized one.”

This offer follows Elon Musk’s Twitter poll where he sought the opinion of his 80 million followers about a decentralized social media platform. He posited that were he to be barred from acquiring Twitter, he would establish his decentralized platform that would be founded on free speech and open internet.

Elon Musk’s campaign for free speech and open internet has not been welcomed by all. Some of his critics have argued that coating his move with good intentions, his true intention is to get revenge against the SEC for muzzling his Twitter activities.

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• Russia’s imminent invasion of Ukraine has had dire consequences on the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
• At the close of the week, Bitcoin, Ethereum and other altcoins took a steep dive.
• Ethereum’s founder, Vitalik Buterin has voiced his concern against an invasion.

As the world watches with bated breaths, investors are dumping their digital assets in anticipation of chaos. In the midst of it all, the Russian-Canadian founder of Ethereum tries to be the voice of reason.

Russia and Ukraine’s Dance Is Hurting Crypto

On Friday, the cryptocurrency market experienced a blip in prices that led to the loss of billions of dollars in value. The cause of this was adjudged to be the mounting tensions between Ukraine and Russia with the Kremlin ordering the movement of troops to the borders. According to information from the White House, the US government believes that Russia could invade Ukraine in the coming days.

The result of this was a devastating loss for cryptocurrencies as investors panicked. Bitcoin slipped by 3.27% to trade at $39,965 while Ethereum lost 6.98% in less than a day. Perhaps, the grim nature of the decline in values was felt by the altcoin markets as Solana, Cardano and Avalanche lost 11.66%, 9.97%, and 11.24% respectively. Shiba Inu and Dogecoin were not left out of the route as they also recorded double-digit losses.

On the larger scale, trading volumes are down by over 17.10% while the global cryptocurrency market cap sits at under $2 trillion after a cumulative loss of 5.15%. While the sell-off is thought to be because of the incoming invasion, there is the worrying threat of inflation that has continued to be a thorn in the flesh of investors. The recent report on inflation for January puts US figures at 7.5%, the highest in almost 40 years. Given the increasing correlation between cryptocurrencies and the stock market, investors are also dumping their digital assets.

On the flip side, there is the use of cryptocurrencies to fund NGOs according to a report by Elliptic. The report noted that there has been a steep rise in BTC donations to NGOs in Ukraine that are being used to equip the Ukrainian army against the planned invasion by Russia.

Vitalik Buterin Kicks

Ethereum co-founder, Vitalik Buterin has voiced his displeasure over Russia’s proposed plan to invade Ukraine. The Russian-Canadian took to Twitter to air his views in the Russian language which was a break from his typical mode of English.

“An attack on Ukraine can only harm Russia, Ukraine, and humanity. Whether the situation will return to a peaceful path or there will be war can now be decided not by Zelensky, not by NATO, but by @KremlinRussia. I hope they choose wisely,” he wrote.

Vitalik Buterin is no stranger to interactions with the Kremlin after he had a conversation with Putin in 2017 in an attempt to foster increased usage of cryptocurrency in the country. Buterin’s father has openly called out Putin’s government as being murderous. Russia is one of the largest contributors of hash rates to the Bitcoin network after it took in a significant number of fleeing miners in the wake of the Chinese crackdown.

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Binance Smart Chain has been rising in popularity as interest rates from different parts of the world, including South Korea, sent the network’s transaction records to new highs. However, this has not deterred analysts’ from pointing out the increasing level of centralization within the network. Ryan Watkins, a Messari analyst recently addressed the influence that Binance has on the entire Binance Smart Chain, explaining that most of the commendable progress made on the network is not the result of the implementation of innovative concepts. Rather, it is a product of Binance’s control over the BSC network.

“The reason why BSC is faster and more scalable is not because of some magical technological innovation. No, it’s instead the magic of centralization. BSC is an Ethereum fork with a centralized validator set. That’s it. Nothing more.” He wrote on Twitter.

Unlike some other networks, the Binance Smart Chain has a total of 21 validators (people who verify the transactions and confirm their legitimacy, before adding them to the Blockchain). These validators are handpicked by the Binance Chain, further strengthening the notion that the network may be more centralized than it shows itself to be. 

Wilson Withiam rolls out some points to consider, starting with the pattern of resetting active validators, which is determined by the voting power of each validator. He notes that BNB staking and delegation is carried out on the Binance Chain, by Binance Chain validators as well.

In essence, Withiam argues that the pattern of validator distribution across the Binance Smart Chain is questionable as the identities of those behind the nodes in the validator sets are not made transparent. As he puts it “BSC now supports several third-party validators, although at least 5-6 others have close ties to Binance. The distribution of validator accounts is far less clear for Binance Chain.”

To dispute that Binance’s user experience is not ahead of other networks is false, and Withiam agrees with this. Even Watkins acknowledges this as he noted that BSC has fueled mainstream adoption of DeFi “Binance has incredible reach and influence and has used that to funnel a boatload of new users in DeFi. Binance executes period. That’s why BSC is winning.” He asserted. 

However, he argues that speed and scalability outside Ethereum without sharding or a centralization can only be legitimately found on the Solana Blockchain. Conclusively, Withiam urges BSC users to poke into the network, enough to understand where the loopholes are. 

“For those using BSC, take the time to understand the topology of the network. Sure, the fees and speed (both UX factors) are undoubtedly preferable. But strong censorship resistance and fault tolerance are not part of the package.” He wrote in conclusion.

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Joe Kernen, popular co-host of CNBC’ Squawk Box, has recently suggested on the show that the king coin could reach $55,000 by next year’s halving. This is one of a few bullish comments Kernen has expressed in recent times.

What Could Push Bitcoin that High?

On Monday the 29^th of July, while talking to the episode’s guest – Fairlead Strategies founder and Managing Partner, Katie Stockton – Kernen asked her whether or not she believed that Bitcoin could surge more than 470% and hit $55,000 by next year. One of the reasons Kernen believes this could happen is Bitcoin’s upcoming halving.

Expected to happen by May 2020, the halving will see a reduction in the number of Bitcoins being mined, by exactly half. Miners currently receive 12.5 BTC per block and this number is expected to drop to 6.25 BTC. This was done from Bitcoin’s inception as a way to control inflation for the coin and to also make sure that only 21 million coins will ever be produced. Bitcoin’s halving takes place after every 210,000 blocks which roughly takes four years.

The traditional laws of supply and demand dictate that prices will increase if supply is reduced and demand is still growing. Also, there is usually a recorded increase in Bitcoin’s value after every halving since its inception more than a decade ago. Some analysts already posit that Bitcoin could hit $20,000 before the end of the year and if that happens, then it’s possible that it could be higher than that figure, post-halving.

The Stock to Flow Model

Kernen also mentions the Stock-to-Flow ratio as a possible explanation for a Bitcoin surge. This model tries to make a connection between the number of assets already produced and possible inflation. It posits that Bitcoin has a stock-to-flow ratio of 25, derived from the calculation that at current speed and with halvings, the current amount of produced Bitcoins, about 17.5 million, can only be re-produced after another 25 years.

This ratio, according to the model, is tied to Bitcoin’s value and will rise after the next halving. If this happens as expected, the model proposes that Bitcoin’s market capitalization could hit $1 trillion from the $170 billion where it is. A market cap this high supports a value of $55,000 per Bitcoin.

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Ripple has published its XRP Markets Report for the second quarter of 2019. The report notably mentions a few interesting things about the firm’s 2^nd quarter achievements and includes a few new decisions the firm will be taking, including a change in its volume benchmark.

According to the publication, Ripple very strongly believes in “proactive transparency and in being a responsible stakeholder” and will continue ensuring these with its transparent quarterly reports.

Underscoring Ripple’s Q2

Some of the highlights mentioned include the following

·      XRP’s spread is rapidly increasing wit Ripple’s efforts to keep this up. Compared to 120 in Q1 of 2019, the report states that XRP is now listed on 130 exchanges worldwide.

·        In Q1, Ripple sold a total of $169.42 million worth Of XRP. By Q2, this number had increased by more than $82 million to $251.51 million worth of XRP. It is also noted that the firm’s future XRP sales will be “substantially reducing.”

Volume Benchmark

Ripple, and pretty much the entire sector at large, has always been plagued with deliberately misreported trading volumes with a lot of overblown figures. This is one of the ideas that birthed CryptoCompare – a need to evaluate and give proper reports to institutional and retail investors. The report now notes that Ripple will officially use CryptoCompare’s Top Tier (CCTT) to reduce the likelihood of false data.

“For now, Ripple will use CCTT as its benchmark, and will continue to work proactively with industry participants toward resolving the issues around unreliable industry volume data.”

RippleNet

Ripple’s network of financial institutions which uses the firm’s solutions for their core businesses, recorded a considerable surge in the number of transactions and official partners.

The report notes that the number of xRapid transactions successfully settled in Q2, increased by 170% from the number in Q1. Furthermore, Ripple’s Xrapid in Q2, recorded a 30% jump in the number of active partners, from Q1.

CEO Weighs In

Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, has also taken to Twitter to reiterate the firm’s commitment to transparency. According to him:

“In this nascent industry, we need to be transparent and urge others to do the same. As a responsible stakeholder of XRP, @Ripple is confronting this issue by updating the benchmark for market volume and reducing future sales of XRP.”

The report also encourages other players in the sector to follow suit.

“Ripple urges others in the industry to follow its lead to build trust, foster open communication, and raise the bar industry-wide.”

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The recent price upheaval seen in cryptocurrencies has been the hot topic in the cryptocurrency community. Crypto traders and investors have had a rough couple of days as this volatile market keeps shifting by the day.

At press time though, most cryptocurrencies, led by bitcoin seem to have struck a purple patch as they are recording small gains over the last 24 hours.

However, at the University of Cambridge, a certain group of researchers have been busy developing an index that computes the amount of electricity used by the bitcoin network.

This online tool indicates that the bitcoin network consumes more electricity than Switzerland. This revelation has left many in shock. 

It is not the first time we’ve heard bitcoin and Switzerland in the same sentence. Not so long ago, a lot of conversations have sprung up concerning the correlation between the price of bitcoin and Swiss franc, Switzerland’s fiat currency. Now with the ongoing economic uncertainties, bitcoin has been recognized as a safe haven by investors alongside Swiss franc.

Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption Exceeds That of An Entire Nation

This time around, the conversation is centered on bitcoin’s electricity consumption. This research was prompted by concerns over the impact of bitcoin mining on the environment.

Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge developed an index known as Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI) to calculate the amount of electricity that powers bitcoin in real-time then calculating annual power usage.

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A Bitfinex investor staked a 20,000 bitcoins short order and gambled that BTC prices would slide in the near term. Within a fortnight, the BTC price dropped to $10, 765 from a whopping $11,900. After a span of a few hours, the valuation of the crypto market fell by over $20 billion.

Market experts have been wondering whether a quick upward recovery is even possible. Some analysts, like the incredible – Josh Rager were quite skeptical if the price of BTC went below $11, 500. Below this point could prompt even a further drop from $10, 000.

Whale movements seem to be key influencers in the price movements of crypto markets. Where the effect on the market is not rapid sales of crypto assets (Let’s say BTC); the trivial effect is maybe a dip in the prices and market capitalization.

Minor corrections of Bitcoin markets has resulted in the declining power of top crypto assets against the pair of BTC/USD. Litecoin had recorded a 5% rise against the U.S dollar during the weekend but has dropped by 5%. Other crypto assets that have slid by an average of more than 5% include, Ethereum, EOS, Bitcoin cash, and Binance Coin.

Experts predict the 8.5% BTC drop was a result of technical factors. The large short contract created panic among many retail investors. As a result, they end up selling their assets and pulling down the market. It was such an abrupt drop, however, experts believe a bullish fundamental catalyst still exists around the market. This bullish expectation, they predict could improve sentiments within crypto markets. 

Analysts identified  a generally positive trend for BTC from factors such as; 

• Opening of trading venues such as Bakkt and Fidelity in the second quarter of 2019
• The gradual increase in retail investment
• Rising institutional interest

Short term traders are however skeptical and remain wary of the declining trend of bitcoin prices. An extended correction of market insights forecast that crypto assets tend to follow the bitcoin movement. Therefore, illustrating intensified markets moving both to the upside and the downside.

However, some traders are very optimistic and have spotted positive medium-term indicators in the monthly BTC trend. Despite the fact, investors did not expect an abrupt pullback in the magnitude of 8.5%. Investors have faith that pullbacks are quite necessary for the stabilizing of crypto market foundations.

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TP ICAP has entered the crypto market where it is to offer crypto derivatives, hoping to boost its dwindling core business which is in commodity, financial and energy markets. Last year, TP ICAP lost 36% of its market value in the wake of the financial crisis.

It has since salvaged about 10%. TP ICAP is set to be the intermediary between customers wanting to buy and sell Bitcoin futures, Bloomberg reports.

The firm’s new venture will be based in London and will be led by Simon Foster and Duncan Trenholme. This move is however not sudden as it might seem. Roughly a year ago, TP launched a working group tasked with examining the firm’s best approach to cryptocurrency.

Notably, a year later, they announce their approach to crypto to be trading of Bitcoin futures and they envision adding non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) tied to Bitcoin.

This is a sweet spot for the firm as it joins other big players such as Fidelity Investments, JP Morgan, and Intercontinental Exchange to engage in crypto derivatives trade. These firms’ decision to engage in Bitcoin, derivatives trade is unlike their clients’ who prefer to not trade in cryptocurrencies that are still recovering from the infamous yearlong slump.

Bakkt, a much-anticipated crypto trading platform known for its multiple delayed times is set to launch its own physically settled Bitcoin futures trading testing on July 22. Additionally, Nasdaq is set to launch its own crypto futures platform during the course of this year.

“Every institution is on an educational journey,” said Trenholme, who is co-leading TP ICAP’s new venture. “Many are exploring how tokens can legitimately be traded or stored and I’d expect more projects to hit the market over the next year or two.”

TP ICAP is also exploring other digital asset offerings. The firm is thinking about participating in the actual cryptocurrency market. “We want to be close to what’s happening within this nascent asset class because we believe it’s important to invest in the early stages of a growing market,” said Simon Foster.

“TP ICAP also understands that this technology could disrupt or impact other asset classes where we currently operate, so we feel it’s important to be informed.”

This venture will entail cash-settled futures contracts trading on a regulated market which will be managed by CME Group to avoid potential risks of fraud and market manipulation. Their clients will also have to undergo rigorous anti-money laundering and identity checks.

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Bitcoin has exhibited a pattern in the past which can be said to be booms and busts in its price. There have also been similarities between the percentage of increment and decrement between certain years.

However, Bitcoin may not decline by 85 percent as is evident in the past, reports Bloomberg on June 13, 2019.

Similarities in Bitcoin’s Performance in the Past

Per the report, Bitcoin surged from $0 in 2009 to almost $150 in 2013 but later dumped 60 percent in price only to rebound to $1,150. In 2015, it declined by 85 percent to $175 which is considerably higher than its price in 2013. Similarly, it surged to $20,000 in late 2017 only to dump by over 85 percent in December 2018.

Therefore, if one considers the pattern, they can expect a sharp rise in the virtual asset’s price between $60,000 to $400,000 before it also dumps by 85 percent. While that may sound pessimistic, there are reasons to believe that the spike and sudden crash in price will not be the case this time around. So far, Bitcoin is currently trading at $8,600 and its year-to-date high is $9100.

Reasons Bust Percentage May be Lower

On the other hand, the previous performance might not be evident since Bitcoin’s market cap is not $152 billion which is larger than its $1 billion and $3 billion market cap in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Moreover, more people have ventured into space as well as companies. An instance is the case of JP Morgan who launched its own cryptocurrency.

Nonetheless, crashes can still be expected since volatility is prevalent even in crypto assets that have no value. However, they may not be as significant as in the past where the dump amounted to 80 percent. What can be expected, is something around 20 percent or less.

Bitcoin’s Options Market

While throwing more light on what may have led to its conclusion, Bloomberg made reference to the Bitcoin options market. According to the media, when cryptocurrencies prices in late 2017 were similar to what’s happening today, the $10,000 one-month Bitcoin calls had an active trading and implied volatility of 300 percent.

The latter meant paying $2,200 just for the right to buy Bitcoin at $10,000 when its price is $8,000. Another factor that was a consideration is the correlation between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 Index.

Generally, crypto assets correlate with the index due to their performance in good economic times with support for innovation and inexpensive capital.

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