CVI operates a basket of volatility products, including Armadillo’s impermanent loss protection.
The CVI team developed a toolbox of decentralized risk management solutions that are applicable and relevant in today’s highly dynamic crypto markets. Armadillo’s impermanent loss protection is just one recent addition to this toolbox and looks to be one of the most promising solutions for liquidity providers.
CVI + Chainlink Keepers
Chainlink Keepers supports secure and cost-efficient automated payouts to liquidity providers (LPs) for their incurred impermanent loss. As a result, the payout of impermanent loss protection can be made in a fully automated way, without any manual action required from LPs.
In order to help automate payouts and further decentralize Armadillo, a dependable solution was needed. Chainlink Keepers is a decentralized service purpose-built to manage tasks on behalf of smart contracts that “wake” up smart contracts when they need to perform critical on-chain functions.
In this case, Chainlink Keepers monitors Armadillo’s impermanent loss protection platform to check if any protection periods have passed. Whenever a user’s protection period has ended, Chainlink Keepers request the payout on behalf of the user, enabling a seamless user experience.
Crypto Volatility Index (CVI)
Using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, the Crypto Volatility Index (CVI) computes the implied volatility of bitcoin and ethereum option prices and then analyzes how markets anticipate future volatility.
CVI is a full-scale decentralized platform that brings the popular “market fear index” to the crypto market, which is created by computing a decentralized volatility index from cryptocurrency option prices and analyzing the market’s expectation of future volatility.
CVI is a DeFi tool suitable for analyzing volatility, hedging portfolios, and earning from being a liquidity provider.
Armadillo is a protocol that offers:
Multi-Chain Protection — Protects selected pairs staked across any chain, DEX, or platform.
Non-Custodial — The liquidity does not have to be moved in order to purchase the protection.
Customized — Each user sets the pair, amount, and timeframe to protect.
Decentralized On-Chain Protection — On-chain oracles and smart contracts are used to ensure security and manipulation resistance.
“We decided to decentralize the payout function of impermanent loss protection using Chainlink Keepers because it is operated by the same pool of time-tested, provably reliable node operators that currently help secure tens of billions of dollars across DeFi, even during record levels of network congestion and extreme volatility. The proven infrastructure of Chainlink helps ensure that every USDC payout for Armadillo’s impermanent loss protection is executed on time in a trust-minimized manner.” – The CVI Team
Some unique features of Chainlink Keepers include:
Decentralized Execution — Chainlink Keepers provide reliable, trust-minimized automation with no single point of failure, mitigating risks around manual processes and centralized servers.
Increased Efficiency — Projects that use Chainlink Keepers are able to reduce time spent on DevOps, minimize operational overhead, and streamline development workflows.
Easy-To-Use — Developers are able to schedule time-based automation jobs in seconds using the Chainlink Keepers Job Scheduler’s no-code UI.
“We’ve been using Chainlink Keepers to help rebase our volatility tokens, so the smart contract automation solution has already saved us a lot of operational costs and development time. With this new integration, Chainlink Keepers help ensure that payouts in our impermanent loss protection feature are executed autonomously, further establishing a high standard of security and decentralization for our platform.” – Shahaf Bar-Geffen, CEO, COTI
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology have the potential to change traditional finance and redefine businesses and economies. As an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way, blockchain ensures peer-to-peer transactions between individuals and organizations. With the idea of decentralization at its core, blockchain eliminates the need for any intermediary and is used for settling transactions, verifying ownership, and securing networks and user data.
Blockchain technology’s myriad utility across various disciplines accounts for the growing interest the industry has been enjoying for the last 13 years. Between 2009 and 2022, the sector’s market capitalization soared to nearly $3 trillion, attracting thousands of new projects and investors.
Storj is one such project aiming to disrupt the traditional cloud storage systems by changing how individuals store data. It’s an open-source, decentralized file storage solution that uses encryption, file sharding, and a blockchain-based hash table to store files on a peer-to-peer network. Storj is designed to offer an alternative to the traditional cloud storage solutions, like Amazon, Dropbox, or Google Drive, by making cloud file storage faster, cheaper, and more private.
STORJ is the native token of the platform used to pay network participants for providing their storage capacity.
Let’s get right to it!
What Is STORJ
Storj homepage
Storj is an open-source, decentralized blockchain project that enables users to store their data with access to privacy and security. The project operates without a central authority and stores data by splitting it into smaller fractions and distributing it across the Storj global cloud network. It uses encryption, file sharding, and a blockchain-based hash table to make cloud storage faster, cheaper, and private.
Storj presents an alternative to traditional cloud storage platforms provided by Google and Amazon and allows users to rent and use redundant disk space through decentralized peer-to-peer servicing. The project works through a distributed network of independent nodes, i.e., individuals across the globe who offer unused hard drive space to users looking to store their files on the platform.
Storj uses the Tardigrade software on node computers to organize and secure user data. The Storj system also ensures each file is securely encrypted before being scattered to the network of various individual nodes. To safeguard users’ data against hacks and malicious attacks, each node only gets a random fragment of the entire file, and decryption keys are divided among each node and the host. This system also eliminates the risk of storing data in a few isolated storage units which may be susceptible to a planned and coordinated attack.
Storj also claims to provide “lightning-fast, CDN-like performance” and bridge the gap between Web 2 and Web 3 by allowing developers and creators minting Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to store and serve those digital assets from Storj DCS, the leading decentralized cloud storage provider.
Storj was created by Storj Labs, the brainchild of Shawn Wilkinson and John Quinn, in 2014. The company’s vision of revolutionizing cloud storage has earned it the support of venture capital firms globally, with three successful funding rounds completed. In a public crowdsale in 2014, the firm raised $460,000 worth of Bitcoin and went on to raise $3 million and an additional $30 million in 2017.
How Does Storj Work
Storj stores files in a decentralized manner by encrypting the data and splitting it into indistinguishable fractions, making it impossible for any party to access all the uploaded data. First, the uploader must compress and encrypt their file that has only one key and keep the key locally on their computer or the Bridge. The Bridge is Storj’s server that stores encryption keys for you without centralizing access to those keys. It safely stores your keys so that you can access your files from multiple devices.
The process of splitting the data is known as sharding, enabling users to download data in fragments from various sources at the same time. The pieces are sent to nodes around the world. STORJ has over 13,000 node operators worldwide, and it has grown to 39 billion object pieces. For a user to retrieve the files, only 29 pieces of files out of the 80 pieces are needed to reconstitute them to the original state for download.
Sharding makes file transfer quicker, meaning that Storj downloads work faster when compared with traditional cloud storage services like Amazon or Google Cloud. Another advantage of sharding is that the uploader is the only person who knows where all the shards are located. Storj uses a distributed hash table called Kademlia that requires a private key to discover the shards.
When you upload a file, Storj will help you set the level of redundancy you require for your file to reduce significantly the chances of losing a shard of data from your file if one of the computers gets turned off or stops running Storj.
File verification is another essential feature of Storj. It completes an hour audit by sending a request to data hosts, called farmers. Farmers receive a micropayment for storing and maintaining the file. To get paid, farmers must prove that they have the shards they’ve sent by answering the request correctly. If the farmer has changed or deleted the encrypted shard, they won’t be able to answer the request.
At the center of the Storj ecosystem is STORJ, an ERC-20 token. STORJ is used to pay for storing files, and users who want to sell their unused storage capacity and bandwidth can accept STORJ to earn extra money. The STORJ token enables easy payments and reduces users’ transaction charges and currency conversion fees. STORJ has risen exponentially in value since creation and reached a high of $3.49 in March 2021.
STORJ has a total supply of 424,999,998 and a market capitalization of $273.7 million, putting it in the category of small-cap coins. STORJ has a market dominance of 0.03% and is ranked as the 100th most prominent cryptocurrency in the market.
If you’re considering buying STORJ, get started by checking the STORJ current price on CoinStats, one of the best crypto platforms around.
How to Buy Storj
Buy Storj on CoinStats
Now that you know how Storj works, here’s our simple step-by-step guide to help you in your STORJ purchase!
Step #1: Select a Cryptocurrency Exchange
Several cryptocurrency exchanges allow you to buy Storj. You’ll have to compare them to choose the one that supports Storj and has the features you want, such as low transaction fees, an easy-to-use platform, and 24-hour customer support. Also, consider if the cryptocurrency exchange allows buying Storj with your preferred payment methods, such as a credit or debit card, another cryptocurrency, or a bank transfer.
Step #2: Create an Account
After selecting a cryptocurrency exchange that ticks all the boxes, the next step is to create an account on the exchange with your email or mobile number. The requirements differ depending on the platform you pick. You will need to enter the verification code sent to your email or mobile phone to get verified and start trading.
Some exchanges might require stringent KYC and AML procedures, and you need to provide personal information like your name, contact number, email address, home address, social security number, and a copy of your driver’s license, passport, or government-issued ID to get verified. You must provide this information to be authenticated if you plan to deposit fiat currency from your bank account to purchase the Storj token.
It’s advisable to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to keep your funds safe once you’ve verified your identity.
Step #3: Deposit Funds
The next step is to deposit funds into your account. Many exchanges will allow you to use fiat currency like USD or EUR to fund your account. Simply choose your preferred method, such as a bank transfer, Master and Visa credit/debit cards, e-wallets, wire transfer, PayPal, etc. The payment method used to buy STORJ coins will be determined by the platform, location, and preferences.
Some deposit methods are almost instantaneous, while others require a confirmation from authorities depending on the amount. Remember also to check the costs associated with different deposit methods because some attract higher fees than others.
Step #4: Buying STORJ
The process of purchasing STORJ is similar across all exchanges. Search for STORJ in the search bar, select STORJ, and click on “Buy STORJ” or its equivalent. Input the amount of STORJ or the fiat amount to be spent. Most exchanges will automatically convert the amount to let you know how much you’ll spend and how much STORJ will be obtained. Before making your purchase, double-check the details and confirm.
You can place a market order to buy STORJ immediately at the current market price. Otherwise, you can place a limit order indicating that you want to buy STORJ at or below a specific price point. The coins will only appear in your wallet if your broker fulfills your order at or below your requested pricing.
Some cryptocurrency exchanges provide peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms to let users buy STORJ from other users directly. Users must select STORJ, a seller, and a payment method. After making your selections, just click the “buy” button. After confirming the transaction, the seller releases the STORJ tokens to the buyer.
Best Exchanges to Buy STORJ
Now that you know how to buy STORJ let’s explore the best crypto exchanges for buying the asset. Although the market capitalization of STORJ is small, leading exchanges worldwide have gone ahead to list the token on their platforms after it met their stringent criteria.
1. Crypto.com
Crypto.com homepage
Crypto.com, founded in 2016, is a top exchange to buy and trade STORJ. The Crypto.com exchange has a high transaction volume and supports over 260 cryptocurrencies. The platform provides its 50 million users with innovative features, a mobile app on Android and Apple devices, and a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods.
2. Coinbase
Coinbase homepage
Coinbase, the largest exchange in the US, was among the first exchanges to list the STORJ token. The exchange has more than 98 million verified users in over 100 countries and maintains approximately $256 billion in assets. Coinbase allows you to trade more than 130 types of cryptocurrency. The exchange is user-friendly, with professional customer support.
Despite the decline in crypto prices and bearish sentiments in the crypto markets, the exchange is still regarded as one of the best places to buy STORJ.
3. Binance
Binance homepage
Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange in terms of the trading volume. Its ease of use, lower fees compared to other exchanges, a vibrant Peer-to-Peer (P2P) platform, and high liquidity make Binance popular amongst traders and investors. If you’re interested in purchasing STORJ on Binance, you must register a Binance account first.
Unfortunately, users in the United States cannot use Binance to buy STORJ because the exchange has been banned in the US. However, you can still try Binance.US, which operates in the US, although it doesn’t offer all the advanced features of Binance global.
4.Kraken
Kraken homepage
Kraken, launched in 2011, is one of the most well-known crypto exchanges that gives you access to both huge projects and modest or new enterprises.
The exchange keeps the bulk of digital currencies in offline cold storage, and its servers are constantly monitored by military-grade monitoring.
Kraken offers a maker-taker price structure depending on the user’s degree of participation. Costs are the lowest for the most active traders and investors, making Kraken undoubtedly a better option for regular traders or investors wanting to buy STORJ.
5. KuCoin
KuCoin homepage
KuCoin is a global exchange allowing both professional and amateur traders to buy STORJ through cryptocurrencies, credit or debit card, SEPA, PayPal, etc. The trading platform has high liquidity and supports a wide range of fiat currencies and 599 cryptocurrencies, making it a top pick for trades looking to buy STORJ.
Investors looking to purchase STORJ can also use exchanges like Gemini and Paybis.
How to Store STORJ
After successfully purchasing STORJ, the next step is securely storing STORJ in one of the STORJ wallets that stores the public and private keys required to make crypto transactions. While you can leave your tokens on your exchange wallet, this leaves you more vulnerable should your broker be hacked, so we highly recommend creating a private wallet with your own set of keys. There are 2 major storage options to keep your STORJ token off exchange wallets: a Software Wallet (Hot Wallet) and a Hardware Wallet (Cold Wallet). You can also use a mobile wallet that offers the ability to create various types of cryptocurrency wallets, including a Storj wallet.
Hardware Wallet
Hardware wallets, also known as cold storage, are the safest way to store your STORJ tokens. These wallets often take the form of a USB device and are non-custodial, meaning users are in total control of the private keys. They offer offline storage, thereby significantly reducing the risks of a hack, and are secured by a pin, erasing all information after many failed attempts to prevent physical theft. Hardware wallets also let you sign and confirm transactions on the blockchain, giving you an extra layer of protection against cyber attacks. These are more suitable for experienced users who own large amounts of tokens.
A hardware wallet is more expensive than a hot wallet, with prices ranging between $50 – $200.
The best hardware wallets to store STORJ include the Ledger Nano S, Trezor Model One, and the SafePal S1.
Software Wallets
If you’re looking to trade STORJ regularly, software or hot wallets from your selected crypto exchange will suit you. Software wallets are user-friendly and free to use. They store your keys online and are therefore less secure than hardware wallets, but their ease of use makes them ideal for newbies with a few tokens.
Examples of software wallets include CoinStats Wallet, MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet, and Edge Wallet, amongst others.
Tracking STORJ With CoinStats
Cryptocurrency investors looking to take their trading to the next level will require the service of a crypto portfolio tracker to keep up with the pace of the industry. CoinStats offers one of the best crypto portfolio trackers in the market, packed with incredible features to help traders monitor all their holdings across different exchanges from one platform.
CoinStats, the leading crypto and DeFi portfolio tracker, supports over 250 cryptocurrency exchanges and over 7,000 cryptocurrencies. It offers charting tools, analytical data, advanced search features, and up-to-date news. Here you have the opportunity to connect an unlimited number of portfolios (wallets and exchanges).
CoinStats, allows users to track the prices of all their crypto assets, including STORJ, across several exchanges and wallets. Users can set price alerts, set a watchlist, earn up to 20% APY, get a 24-hour cryptocurrency market report, and the latest STORJ news on CoinStats. CoinStats uses military-grade encryption to protect data and adopts industry best practices for smooth transactions.
With over 400 supported platforms, tracking your STORJ coins has never been easier. Tracking your STORJ with CoinStats is straightforward and quick. To connect, go to the Portfolio Tracker page and:
Click Add Portfolio and Connect Wallet.
Click the wallet you want to connect to (e.g., Ethereum Wallet).
Input the wallet address and press Submit.
Conclusion
So now that you know how Storj works, why it’s unique, and how to buy STORJ in a few simple steps, you can decide if Storj is a suitable investment for you. You might even start using Storj to store your data or use STORJ coins for transactions on the STORJ network.
Investment Advice Disclaimer: The information contained on this website is provided to you solely for informational purposes and does not constitute a recommendation by CoinStats to buy, sell, or hold any securities, financial product, or instrument mentioned in the content, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other type of advice.
Cryptocurrency is a highly volatile market and sensitive to secondary activity, do your independent research, obtain your own advice, and only invest what you can afford to lose. There are significant risks involved in trading CFDs, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider your own circumstances and obtain your own advice before making any investment. You should also verify the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements) and consult the relevant regulators’ websites before making any decision.
Our information is based on independent research and may differ from what you see from a financial institution or service provider.
Chainalysis Report Says $2.2 Million in Crypto Has Been Sent to Pro-Russian Groups in Ukraine – Bitcoin News
According to a report stemming from the blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis, the firm identified 54 pro-Russian groups that have “collectively received over $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.” The paramilitary groups in Ukraine primarily received bitcoin and ether donations but also got tether, litecoin and dogecoin as well, the Chainalysis study details.
$2.2 Million in Crypto Sent to Pro-Russian Groups Located in Ukraine, Says Chainalysis
Chainalysis believes more than $2.2 million worth of crypto assets have been acquired by pro-Russian paramilitary groups located in the Donbas region of Ukraine. More specifically, Chainalysis says the recipients were located in Donetsk and Luhansk.
There’s been a conflict in Donbas and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine for quite some time. Separatists insist Donbas declared independence from Kyiv in 2014, and pro-Russian military groups agree with the separatists’ declarations. The blockchain intelligence company’s study notes that it discovered roughly 54 pro-Russian groups that have obtained donations in crypto assets.
Chainalysis chart from the company’s report published on July 29, 2022.
“Most of the cryptocurrencies donated thus far have been sent to just a few organizations in particular,” the Chainalysis report explains. “However, many more have received still-considerable sums. Five organizations have received over $100,000, 17 have received over $10,000, and 35 have raised more than $1,000 worth of cryptocurrency.”
Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war in February, the 54 pro-Russian entities in the Donbas region acquired $1.45 million in bitcoin (BTC) donations and $590K in ethereum (ETH) donations.
“The accounts that support militias often publish pictures of the purchased equipment and descriptions of how future donations will be used,” the Chainalysis report says with an accompanying picture of military equipment purchased with crypto. “Sometimes the posts even itemize the purchases,” Chainalysis researchers wrote.
Image shared in the Chainalysis report of pro-Russian groups sharing pictures of items allegedly purchased with crypto assets.
Chainalysis Says Onchain Data Gives ‘Gleaning Insights Into Pro-Russian Activities’
The news from Chainalysis was published on July 29, 2022, as the Ukraine-Russia war continues with no end in sight. In recent times a specific mining study shows that Russia is a popular destination for crypto asset miners. The research published by Intelion Data Systems discovered that crypto miners are flocking to Moscow and Moscow Oblast, Karelia, and Buryatia.
Furthermore, many believe that Russia, China, and the BRICS nations are targeting the U.S. dollar’s perceived hegemony by crafting a new international reserve currency. Just recently both Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over a deadly attack on a prisoner of war prison in a separatist region in Ukraine.
The Chainalysis report further says that funds are being sent to people listed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned individuals list. For instance, “Alexander Zhuchkovsky, an OFAC-designated Russian national, has used social media to solicit donations for the Russian Imperial Movement.”
While the $2.2 million in crypto is a significant sum, Chainalysis researchers remark that the information is useful. “Because public blockchains are transparent, we can follow each transfer in these accounts’ chains of payments, gleaning insights into pro-Russian activities that would be harder to extract from fiat money investigations,” the company’s report concludes.
What do you think about the recently published Chainalysis report that discusses $2.2 million sent to pro-Russian groups in Ukraine? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 5,700 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
A research platform for the entire cryptoeconomy: Coinbase Prices is now Coinbase Explore | by Coinbase | Jul, 2022
TL;DR — We’ve upgraded Coinbase Prices and rebranded it as Coinbase Explore to provide users with a single platform to research the entire cryptoeconomy
By Akshay Ramaswamy and Emmanuel Goh
The cryptoeconomy is about far more than buying and selling and assets. But as more people do more with their crypto — earn, lend, collect NFTs, build communities, etc. — they need accurate, actionable information to make sound decisions. Unfortunately, getting that information today is too complicated and time-consuming.
That’s where Coinbase Explore comes in. Coinbase Explore is an upgraded version of Coinbase Prices, which provided users with detailed research on crypto assets. Coinbase Explore will cover much more than asset prices — we’re bringing to market a full-scale, easy-to-use, searchable platform that enables users to research all aspects of the cryptoeconomy in one place.
All categories, all assets
We want to make it as easy as possible for our users to access up-to-date-information, no matter how fast the cryptoeconomy evolves, so they can do more with their crypto, with confidence.
Whether a user is looking for basic educational content, detailed data on DeFi protocols and NFT collections, or to search on-chain transactions and addresses, they need quick, accurate answers.
Coinbase Explore will provide these across all existing and emerging categories of the cryptoeconomy while still providing high quality pricing data for all existing crypto assets.
Further Explore-ation
Coinbase Explore can be found via the “Explore” tab on Coinbase.com. If you were previously familiar with Coinbase Prices, you’ll now find a new, expanded layout where searching for new crypto assets is even easier.
In the coming quarters, Coinbase Explore will include data on DeFi Protocols, NFT collections, and more. We’re excited to continue providing our users with critical tools and knowledge and to onboard the next generation of users into web3.
Bitcoin Breaks $24k As Exchange Whale Ratio Declines
On-chain data shows the Bitcoin exchange whale ratio has declined recently as the crypto surges above the $24k mark.
Bitcoin Exchange Whale Ratio (EMA 7) Is Currently Below 0.50
As per a post from CryptoQuant, the BTC exchange whale ratio has gone down recently while the price has surged up.
The “exchange whale ratio” is an indicator that measures the ratio between the sum of the top 10 Bitcoin transactions to exchanges and the total exchange inflows.
exchange whale ratio = sum of top 10 inflow txs (in BTC) ÷ total exchange inflows (in BTC)
Here, the ten largest transfers are considered as they generally belong to the whales. Thus, when the value of the ratio is high, it means whales are making up for a large part of the total inflows right now.
Since investors usually send their BTC to exchanges for selling purposes, this trend can be a sign that whales are dumping at the moment. and hence can be bearish for the crypto’s price.
On the other hand, low values of the metric can suggest whales are currently occupying a normal amount of the total inflows. Such a trend could be either neutral or bullish for the coin’s value.
Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the 7-day exponential moving-average Bitcoin exchange whale ratio over the past month:
The EMA-7 value of the metric looks to have been down in recent days | Source: CryptoQuant
As you can see in the above graph, the Bitcoin exchange whale ratio (EMA-7) has been below a value of 0.50 for seven out of the last eight days.
The 0.50 mark is the dumping threshold for the EMA-7 version of the metric and as the indicator has been below this value recently, the selling pressure from whales has been low.
While the ratio has gone down, BTC’s price has enjoyed some upwards momentum as the coin surged up above the $24k mark earlier today.
BTC Price
At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s price floats around $23.5k, down 1% in the last seven days. Over the past month, the crypto has gained 15% in value.
The below chart shows the trend in the price of the coin over the last five days.
Looks like the value of the crypto has observed some upwards movement during the last couple of days | Source: BTCUSD on TradingView
Around ten days ago Bitcoin had recovered above $23k, but only a few days later the crypto’s price again started to go downhill. However, in the last couple of days, the coin enjoyed some sharp upwards momentum as it retook $23k.
Earlier today, BTC even broke above $24k, though it wasn’t long before the crypto saw a slump and came down to the current level.
Featured image from Karl-Heinz Müller on Unsplash.com, charts from TradingView.com, CryptoQuant.com
Bitcoin bear market over, metric hints as BTC exchange balances hit 4-year low
Bitcoin (BTC) may already be beginning its new macro uptrend if historical “hodl” habits repeat.
That was the conclusion from research into the latest data covering the amount of the BTC supply dormant for one year or more as of July 2022.
Hodled BTC hints that the bear market is over
According to independent analyst Miles Johal, who uploaded the findings to social media on July 29, a “rounded top” formation in “hodled” BTC is in the process of completing.
Once it does, the price should react — just like on multiple occasions before.
The clue lies in Bitcoin’s HODL Waves metric, which breaks down the supply according to when each Bitcoin last moved. One year ago or more — the one-year HODL Wave — currently reflects the majority of the supply.
Johal’s accompanying chart shows that the greater the proportion of the overall supply stationary for at least a year, the closer BTC/USD is to a macro bottom.
More importantly, however, a slowing of the one-year HODL Wave — indicating accumulation is calming down — followed by the start of a reversal has always come at the start of a new long-term BTC price uptrend.
This “rounded top” chart phenomenon is thus being keenly eyed as a potential source of hope with Bitcoin already making up lost ground.
In comments, Johal argued that few had been paying attention to HODL Waves.
Bitcoin 1-year+ HODL Wave annotated chart. Source: Miles Johal/ Twitter
Exchange balances lowest since 2018
Separate data from on-chain analytics firm Glassnode, meanwhile, highlighted the ongoing trend of Bitcoin leaving exchanges.
Related: Bitcoin bull run ‘getting interesting’ as BTC price hits 6-week high
BTC in exchange wallets now accounts for just 12.6% of the overall supply, down 4.6% of the overall supply since the March 2020 crash, staff noted.
#Bitcoin balance on exchanges continues its macro decline, reaching 12.6% of the Circulating Supply (2.4M $BTC).
Exchange balances have now seen a macro outflow of over 4.6% of the circulating supply since the March 2020 ATH.
In BTC terms, the figure is 2.4 million BTC now compared to 3.15 million BTC in March 2020. The number is the lowest since July 2018.
BTC balance on exchanges chart. Source: Glassnode
Earlier this month, Cointelegraph reported on the accelerating trend of removing coins from exchanges.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.
Singapore’s FOMO Pay to utilize Ripple (XRP) for blockchain-enabled cross-border flows » CryptoNinjas
Ripple, the enterprise blockchain ad crypto solutions provider, today announced a partnership with Singapore-based payments institution FOMO Pay, which will utilize Ripple’s crypto-enabled enterprise technology to improve its cross-border treasury flows.
On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) leverages XRP, Ripple’s crypto-asset built for payments as a bridge between two fiat currencies, enabling instant and low-cost settlement without the need to hold pre-funded capital in a destination market.
Historically, ODL has been primarily utilized for cross-border payments to help payment services providers (PSPs) and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) manage trapped capital that could be better deployed to help grow and scale their businesses.
However, traditional treasury payments are subject to the same pain points and friction as cross-border payments due to the archaic infrastructure that correspondent banking relies on. In fact, an estimated USD 3.5B is spent annually to address issues associated with treasury and liquidity.
By leveraging ODL for treasury payments, FOMO Pay is able to get 24/7, all-year-round access to liquidity for EUR and USD, thereby enabling same-day settlement globally.
ODL for treasury payments makes it easy for PSPs like FOMO Pay to improve internal business cash flows, thereby allowing them to reduce business costs and improve operations.
Prior to using ODL, FOMO Pay’s treasury managers had to use other modes of payment in EUR and USD where funds would take 1-2 days to reach destination accounts.
“As one of the leading payment institutions in Singapore, FOMO Pay aims to provide our clients with more efficient and cost-effective payment modes in different currencies. We are excited to partner with Ripple to leverage On-Demand Liquidity for treasury management, which allows us to achieve affordable and instant settlement in EUR and USD globally.” – Louis Liu, Founder & CEO of FOMO Pay
Hurray, Ethereum is turning 7! We thank Vitalik Buterin for his creation and, impatient for the Merge to be fully implemented, wish him to go even further on his long and prosperous crypto-path.
Around 37% of CoinStats users hold ETH, and it’s dominant in about 17% of all portfolios connected to CoinStats. Those are pretty high numbers, aren’t they? They show just how important ETH is for the CoinStats community. Well, we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to celebrate Ethereum’s 7th birthday by announcing a thematic giveaway.
All you need to do to enter the giveaway is buy $100 worth of crypto via CoinStats mobile apps within the next 10 days. Invest in any coin you can think of! It’s fast, quick, and potentially rewarding. Note that CoinStats doesn’t take any additional fees, so it’s just a super convenient way to buy crypto with your card directly from our app.
50 lucky winners which will be determined at random will snatch their share from the up to 7 ETH prize pool. Yep, we decided to have 7 ETHs to celebrate the 7 amazing years we’ve had with Ethereum!
Let us summarize the whole thing for you. All you need to do is:
Buy min $100 worth of ETH with fiat from the CoinStats mobile app
Wait to see if you’re one of the 50 lucky winners and claim your share from the prize pool of up to 7 ETHs.
It sounds easy, because it is. The ethereal giveaway is a great way to flirt with Lady Luck as you wait for ETH to evolve into something even cooler.
CoinStats ETH Birthday Giveaway Prize Pool:
The prize pool depends on the total buying volume and the maximum pool can reach 7 ETH:
Up to $10,000 – 0.5 ETH
$10,000 – $30,000 – 1.5 ETH
$30,000 – $60,000 – 3 ETH
$60,000 – $100,000 – 5 ETH
> $100,000 – 7 ETH
Terms & Conditions:
__NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. __
1. Eligibility: CoinStats ETH Birthday Giveaway (the “Sweepstakes”) is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia and are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. The Sweepstakes is not available to entrants who are entering for commercial purposes. Employees, contractors, or persons similarly associated to CoinStats HQ PTE LTD., and their parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee, registered representatives of broker-dealers, employees of any securities regulatory organization or exchange, and employees of any market maker are not eligible to enter or win a prize. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. Participation constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules. Sponsor’s and Administrator’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
2. Sponsor: CoinStats HQ PTE LTD.,160 Robinson Road, #14-04 Singapore Business Federation Center SGP (068914)
3. Timing: The Sweepstakes begins on July 29, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) and ends on August 10, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. PT (the “Promotion Period”). Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Sweepstakes.
4. How to Enter: There are one (1) way to receive entries into this Sweepstakes:
Buy at least $100 worth of any crypto through CoinStats iOS and Android apps by Aug 10, 2022, follow CoinStats on Twitter, and like & retweet the giveaway tweet.
5. Prize Drawing: Administrator is an independent judging organization whose decisions as to the administration and operation of the Sweepstakes and the selection of the potential winners are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Administrators will randomly select the potential Sweepstakes winners from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period, on or around September 2, 2022. Odds of winning the prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor reserves the right to either decline to grant the prize, or, to the extent allowed by law, to claw back funds, in the event that Sponsor determines in its sole discretion that: (1) a winner did not meet the requirements and qualifications of the Sweepstakes; (2) potential winner participated in fraudulent activity; or (3) potential winner has violated these Rules. Where applicable as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, Sponsor may request additional documentation from a potential winner to confirm the winner’s account is valid in order to receive the prize. In the event that a Sponsor requests additional documentation and potential winner fails to provide it the potential winner forfeits the prize. In the event that the potential winner forfeits the prize or is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Only one (1) alternate drawing will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded.
The potential winners will be notified by email. The prize will be offered to each winner by transferring the prize amount in ETH (Ethereum) to winners’ CoinStats Wallet. The prize must be claimed by each winner. If the prize is not claimed within 3 days of the date of the email and/or notification, the prize will expire.
6. Prizes: FIFTY (50) GRAND PRIZES: Each winner will receive 2% of the total prize pool.
The prize may be added to winners’ CoinStats Wallet. This prize must be claimed by each winner following directions in the email and/or push notification within three (3) days of the date of the email and/or push notification.
Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. Consult with your tax advisor about the appropriate tax treatment for this prize and any tax implications associated with receipt of the prize. The value of prizes received may be reported as other Income on a Form 1099-MISC where required by applicable rules and regulations. Sponsor does not take responsibility for any tax related to this prize.
9. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Sweepstakes, if any fraud, technical failures, human error, or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, or any event or cause beyond Sponsor’s control (e.g. events such as natural calamities, national emergencies, wide spread illnesses, declarations of war, acts of God, acts of terrorism) interferes with any aspect of the Sweepstakes, including but not limited to fulfillment of the prize(s), as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance and may modify the prizes offered herein. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, administered by, or associated with any social media platform.
10. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the Sweepstakes, if it is possible. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims.
12. Entrant’s Personal Information: Information collected from entrants is subject to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.
Fed Board, FDIC Order Voyager Digital to Retract Federal Deposit Insurance Claims – Regulation Bitcoin News
Following Voyager Digital’s application for bankruptcy protection during the first week of July, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve Board today issued a joint letter to the company demanding a cease and desist against Voyager’s FDIC claims. The FDIC’s letter explains that Voyager’s FDIC claims are false and misleading, and the entity prohibits anyone from “representing or implying that an uninsured deposit is insured.”
FDIC Insists Voyager Digital Published Misleading and False Federal Deposit Claims
On July 28, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board and FDIC issued a letter to the publicly-listed company Voyager Digital Ltd. (TSE: VOYG). The letter claims the bankrupt Voyager misled investors with claims concerning FDIC deposit insurance and the company is accused of violating the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
“The FDIC and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System have reason to believe that Voyager Digital, LLC, and its related-entities, by and through their officers, directors, and employees have made false and misleading statements, directly or by implication, concerning Voyager’s deposit insurance status, in violation of 12 U.S.C. § 1828(a)(4),” the letter sent to Voyager details.
The FDIC details that Voyager made false and misleading statements on the website, mobile application, and social media that suggested “Voyager itself is FDIC-insured,” “customers who invested with the Voyager cryptocurrency platform would receive FDIC insurance coverage,” and the “FDIC would insure customers against the failure of Voyager itself.” The FDIC letter to Voyager highlights that these claims are false. The letter states:
These representations are false and misleading and, based on the information we have to date, it appears that the representations likely misled and were relied upon by customers who placed their funds with Voyager and do not have immediate access to their funds.
Voyager is now mandated to remedy the issue by removing any false statements suggesting in any form that Voyager is insured by the FDIC. Voyager has two business days to comply with the government’s request. If Voyager thinks the FDIC’s claims are inaccurate, the company can attempt to prove it via provided information and documentation.
The FDIC wants a “prompt response” or it will have to take “further action, as appropriate, with respect to the foregoing or any other violations of law or regulation, or unsafe or unsound banking practice.”
Tags in this story
App Claims, claims, false statements, FDIC, FDIC Claims, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Deposits, Federal Reserve Board, Insured Deposits, Letter, misleading, Regulation, violation, voyager, Voyager Digital, Website Claims
What do you think about the FDIC letter to Voyager Digital that claims the company made false and misleading statements that say Voyager was FDIC insured? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 5,700 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Editorial photo credit: Mark Van Scyoc – Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Operating efficiently at scale. By Brian Armstrong, CEO and Co-founder | by Coinbase | Jul, 2022
By Brian Armstrong, CEO and Co-founder
As companies scale, they usually slow down and become less efficient. It takes more dollars, more people and more time to get anything done. Coordination headwinds increase, vetocracies emerge, risk tolerance fades, and teams become inwardly focused instead of staying focused on their customers.
While this trajectory is natural, it is not inevitable. Every great company, from Amazon to Meta to Tesla, found ways to retain their founding energy in conjunction with appropriate controls, even as they scaled to be much larger than Coinbase is today. Great companies maintain their insurgent mindset, for fear of becoming complacent and irrelevant over time.
That’s why we’re focusing on driving more efficiency at Coinbase. After 18 months of ~200% y/y employee growth, many of our internal tools and organizing principles have started to strain or break. So we’ve been digging in to identify the set of changes we need to make to help us succeed at this new scale.
The first step was significantly slowing our growth, and making the difficult decision to reduce the size of our current team, which we announced last month. Moving forward, we’ll keep looking for ways to make Coinbase more efficient, and to get back to the mindset and approach that made us successful. I believe that these steps will carry us forward.
We use DRIs (directly responsible individuals) to help us execute faster. DRIs balance input from the team, and make clear decisions in a timely manner.
But now that we’re a larger company with many products instead of one, we need to adjust how we make decisions — pushing most decision making down in the org, removing bottlenecks and empowering our product leaders.
DRIs often have the temptation to push decision making up the chain when they aren’t sure or don’t want to take risks. Sometimes they’re afraid of being fired if the decision doesn’t go well. That’s why, where possible, we are increasingly focused on identifying “single-threaded” DRIs. Single-threaded is tech jargon that simply means solely focused on a single area. The single threaded DRI is the most senior person whose only job is to run a given product or initiative, this will typically be a product management or engineering leader. They can’t be the single-threaded DRI if they are the DRI of multiple areas.
This may mean that not every decision is perfect. But that’s OK if we can scale our impact and empower subject matter experts who are closer to the products and closer to our customers.
Each of our products have well funded competitors that are dedicated companies. We believe the right way to compete is to incentivize our product leaders to also run their product more like a standalone company. Companies must achieve profitable growth on some reasonable time horizon. Over time, we’ll be able to give product leaders direct visibility into their P&L, so they can move their product toward positive margins and make better decisions around where to invest, while at the executive level we will continue to look at consolidated performance.
While product leaders can operate independently, there are often common elements across products. We have shared services around how customers onboard, manage their accounts, store crypto, add payment methods, trade crypto, and more. Done wrong, shared services can slow down and frustrate product teams. But when they work well, they can create amazing synergies between products, and deeper product integration.
Product teams should not be required to use a half baked shared service. But once a shared service is mature, all products may be required to use it. We’ve found that it often helps to start a shared service with one anchor product in mind. When it becomes clear that we are duplicating effort or creating an inconsistent user experience across our products, services need to graduate into clearly decoupled services that any product can leverage.
Small teams are more efficient. That’s why it’s important to set a maximum size on teams, so they don’t grow too large and slow down.
We’re beginning to deploy a new concept that we call “pods” to create more structure around the appropriate size of a team. Within each product, we will be defining pods of <10 people working on a specific feature or area. If a pod grows to be more than 10 people, it will be time to split it in two and assign each one a more specific goal or focus. Pods also need to have a focus, and a north star metric that ties into the overall company metrics.
Inside growing companies, there’s a danger that product and engineering teams start shipping great slides decks instead of great products. It can be tempting to “manage up” and feel like a meeting went great with a beautiful deck shown to superiors. But our customers never see the slide decks we create. They only see the product.
So we’re experimenting with banning slide decks in product and engineering reviews. Instead of a slide deck, you can show:
A dashboard with your metrics — hopefully your team is looking at this at least weekly anyway
Figma mockups
But most importantly….show the product itself and use it live!
It’s fine to include a one page agenda to capture action items, or to link to any pre-reads like technical design documents. But the best use of time in product and engineering reviews is to share your screen and walk through the actual product on mobile or web. It could be the production version, or a staging version. The important thing is to get hands-on with the product, see what the customer is seeing (or is about to see), and make it better.
As we do this, we should avoid spending too much time talking about what’s going well in meetings. We can share what’s going well in the pre-read, and take a moment to celebrate it, but the majority of the time in meetings should be focused on what is not going well, so we can improve the product.
It’s hard to overstate this point. Inside companies, there are plenty of things that feel like work, but ultimately don’t improve the customer experience — from market cycles and negative press, to policy efforts, internal politics/drama, titles, and compensation. We have teams that focus on these areas, so that the vast majority of the company (80%+) can remain focused on talking to customers and building better products.
Larger companies also get slowed down by endless meetings around prioritization and feature requests. We need to move to a model where all product and engineering teams (not just shared services) publish APIs so that other teams can benefit from what they’re building without ever needing to schedule a meeting. In other words, they need to productize their services and allow other teams to use them in a self-service way.
This requires us to adopt an internal API catalog where any engineer at Coinbase can browse to find an appropriate service. Without this, it’s difficult for any engineer to even know if an API exists, leading to duplicate work. All services need to be architected using “paved roads”, meaning consistent libraries and languages for authentication, logging, instrumentation, etc. Many of these APIs will be surfaced in Coinbase Cloud for external customers as well, making them even more robust.
Ultimately, a lot of this comes down to retaining the founder mentality inside the company and acting like owners. Most companies start off by being anti-establishment, seeking to right some wrong in the world. But as they grow bigger and more successful, they start to become the new establishment. They get complacent, feeling that they’ve won, and bureaucracy sets in.
At Coinbase, one of our values is repeatable innovation, meaning we always want to be pushing the frontier. We use a 70/20/10 resource allocation model where we invest 70% of our resources in our core business, and 20% in strategic efforts, we also ensure 10% of our resources are always going toward ambitious new bets. And we always try to make products that are the most trusted and easiest to use, so we can bring a billion people into crypto. This is the best way to accomplish our mission of increasing economic freedom in the world.
Coinbase’s success has always been rooted in an ability to operate efficiently with a startup mindset. Now, as we adjust to our new scale, we need to get back to the things that made us successful — to drive more efficiency and shake off the complacency that can creep into a bigger company. We need to empower our leaders to make decisions, and our teams to deliver great products to customers. It won’t be easy, and we’ll need to keep adjusting. But we got this far, and I’m confident that if we make smart decisions now, it will only be the beginning.
Companies approach this problem of declining efficiency in different ways, to best fit their situation. We’ve aligned on implementing these changes and tools after doing significant research on how other companies have navigated this. Here are a few great books and resources that helped educate me on this topic:
Amp It Up: Frank Slootman has a great blog post on this that turned into a book. The core message is that when someone says I’ll get back to you next week, say how about tomorrow. When someone says it will take six months, ask how we would do it in six weeks or six days if we had to.
Turn The Ship Around: The core message of this book is instead of asking your manager what you should do, tell him or her what you intend to do, and they will edit your thinking if needed. You still need to inform, but it’s your responsibility to decide the best path.
Founders Mentality: The core message is to maintain an insurgent mindset, with a bias for action, bold mission, customer advocacy, and more. Try the quiz for more details.
Coordination Headwinds: Scaled organizations need to be loosely coupled and tightly aligned. In other words, align on a high level mission, values, and metrics, then empower leaders to make their own path with more localized decision making.
