Digital banks

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Bitcoin BTC has found its feet this year after a rocky 2022 that saw a steep price crash and the emergence of serious regulatory concerns . Subscribe now to Forbes' CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor and successfully navigate the bitcoin and crypto market rollercoaster The bitcoin price has climbed to around $28,000 per bitcoin, up from under $17,000 at the beginning of the year. The combined bitcoin, ethereum and crypto market has added over $300 billion amid rising expectations of a Federal Reserve u-turn and institutional financial giants quietly expanding into crypto . Now, some of the biggest bitcoin, ethereum and crypto bulls are predicting the ongoing banking crisis that's spread to German giant Deutsche Bank could have primed bitcoin for a fresh break out. It's at the beginning of a bull run you need up-to-date information the most! Sign up now for the free … [Read more...] about ‘Massive Shock’—New Bank Crisis And $300 Billion Fed Pump Has Primed Bitcoin After Huge Crypto And Ethereum Price Rally

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin MicroStrategy added $150 million worth of bitcoin to its stash at an average price per coin of $23,238 in February and March, generating an 18% gain over the past few weeks. The Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company sold equity to pay for the crypto and also to extinguish debt to Silvergate Bank. The business-software maker and bitcoin investor also freed up 34,619 bitcoins (BTC) of collateral used to back a $161 million term loan, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, by repaying Silvergate, the crypto-focused bank based in La Jolla, California that is winding up its business after a run on deposits. The floating-rate loan was scheduled to mature in March 2025 and bore interest at a rate of 8.27% a year as of Friday, when the payoff was executed. The most recent purchases of 6,455 bitcoins brought MicroStrategy’s holdings to about 138,955 BTC, worth $4.14 billion and acquired at an … [Read more...] about MicroStrategy’s $150 Million Of Bitcoin Purchases Catch Rally, Jump 18%

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Widely circulated reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating $20 billion crypto exchange Coinbase are just the tip of the iceberg, according to a staffer from U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis’ (R-Wy) office. The staffer says every U.S. crypto exchange—and the largest crypto exchange in the world, Binance—are in various stages of being investigated. There are more than 40 U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges, according to crypto data site, CoinGecko. The SEC has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Coming in the wake of a number of SEC actions asserting the regulator’s domain over the crypto industry, and an equally strong response by the U.S Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) pushing back against what it characterizes as “regulation through enforcement,” the staffer says the SEC urgently wants to resolve its dispute with the CFTC over crypto jurisdiction. If the matter isn’t … [Read more...] about Every U.S. Crypto Exchange (And Binance) Is Being Investigated By The SEC, Says Senator Lummis Staffer

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued a complaint against Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, alleging that the firm put profits over compliance and committed “numerous violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations.” Also mentioned were Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder and CEO, and former Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim, who is cited widely throughout the complaint and allegedly orchestrated much of the malfeasance. Today’s filing is the latest in a series of questionable behaviors by the company. However, while the CFTC is seeking disgorgement of profits, civil monetary penalties, registration bans and a permanent injunction against violations of the CEA and CFTC regulations, the long-term impact of this filing is unclear. Specifically the document, filed today in the federal courthouse in Chicago, alleges that the company offered crypto derivatives, … [Read more...] about U.S. Regulator Says That Binance Illegally Helped Americans Trade On Its Exchange

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Michael Saylor’s new job looks a lot like his old job: adding bitcoin to the balance sheet of his business-software company with religious fervor. “I'm a bitcoin maximalist, I happen to believe that bitcoin is an instrument of economic empowerment, it'll be beneficial to eight billion people,” Saylor told Forbes in an interview. “I also happen to believe that bitcoin is unique,” he continues, because of “the Immaculate Conception, decentralization, and its commodity status. All of these things make it the superior asset in the space.” The Immaculate Conception he means is the founding of bitcoin, as explained in a 2008 white paper by one or more people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Saylor stated that bitcoin is the only crypto asset which is truly decentralized and without an issuer. He backs bitcoin as a corporate investment in part because he believes there is regulatory agreement among U.S. regulators that bitcoin … [Read more...] about Bitcoin ‘Maximalist’ Saylor Makes Crypto His Only Job

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The cost of living crisis continues to challenge UK shoppers, as prices for food essentials like bread, milk and cheese continue to rise. The stark reality of the impact of food price inflation can be seen in the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which tell us that 3 percent of families across the United Kingdom (2.1 million people) used a food bank in the year ending March 2022. In a true north/south divide reality, families in the north of England and Scotland were most likely to interact with a food bank service in the last year. As the appetite for non-essential shopping continues to be suppressed, more consumers are turning to second hand sales platforms and discount retailers as a way to save. UK sales volumes saw a 1.2 percent in February 2023 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS); the most significant increase since October 2022 but nonetheless subdued. … [Read more...] about Reviving Retail: The Recommerce Revolution Is Helping Cash-Strapped Consumers

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin John Thomas serves as chief strategy and innovation officer at Relay Network , a complete customer engagement solution for the enterprise. Much has been written recently on how companies can better personalize the customer experience. Many consumers expect personalization, and executives want to deliver personalization to their customers. Yet, some companies continue to struggle with exactly how to translate personalization from a strategy deck to actual customer interactions at a reasonable cost and time frame and at scale. I’ve found the scholarly articles that suggest capturing more data, using it better in real time, driving segments and personas, and delivering more relevant content often fall short of how exactly to put these ideas into practice considering data and infrastructure realities. Truth is, I’ve had the opportunity to work on personalization across four different industries in the last 10 … [Read more...] about Practical Principles For Your Company’s Path To Personalization (Part One)

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Magna , a prominent global media investment and intelligence company, recently released their latest ad spend forecasts for 2023 with a recap of 2022. The economy in 2023 will be a combination of positive and negative trends both affecting ad spend. On the plus side will be a slow but sustained GDP growth, a positive job market, slowing inflation rates as supply chain issues have abated. On the negative side will be uncertainty in financial markets and wavering consumer confidence. In 2023 Magna projects the U.S. ad market to grow by 3.4% totaling an all-time high of $326 billion. Previously, Magna had projected annual growth to be +3.7%. Ad dollar growth will be slower in the first half of the year (+2% to + 4%), before picking up in the latter half of 2023 (+6% to +7%) with a stronger economy anticipated. For the year, growth will come from digital media which is expected to increase by 9%. Conversely, linear media ad … [Read more...] about Magna Forecasts U.S. Ad Spend To Reach $326 Billion This Year

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The tide has turned as housing markets in tech hubs and pandemic migration hot spots are cooling more rapidly than other parts of the country as the tech sector falters and mortgage rates remain elevated, according to a recent survey . The Redfin analysis found that Austin, Texas cooled the fastest over the last year as the housing market descended from its pandemic-era boom. The Fed started hiking interest rates to combat inflation, leading to an increase in mortgage rates a year ago. Austin is followed by Seattle; Phoenix; Tacoma, Washington; and Denver. Las Vegas, Stockton, California; San Jose, California; Sacramento and Oakland, California round out the top 10. When push comes to shove, high rates, low supply and tech layoffs dampen demand in West Coast hubs Measures of home buying demand and competition dropped off quickly in tech centers, including Seattle, San Jose and Oakland. The typical San Jose home … [Read more...] about Pandemic Boomtowns Go From Hot Spots To Not-So-Hot Spots