US-Saudi Tensions Escalate as Report Says Crown Prince Is No Longer Interested in Pleasing the United States 

After Saudi Arabia and members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) surprised the world by announcing cuts to oil production, a spokesperson for U.S. president Biden’s National Security Council stated that reducing production is not advisable. According to a recent report, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has told associates that … Read more

Saudi Arabia and OPEC Reveal Surprise Oil Production Cut; White House Insists Cuts Aren’t Advisable Right Now

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and several major oil producers announced their plan to cut oil production by 1.15 million barrels per day, starting in May and continuing until the end of 2023. According to the Saudi Energy Ministry, the move was coordinated with some members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and … Read more

US Government Plans to Sell Over 41,000 Bitcoins Confiscated from Silk Road Hacker

According to a court document filed on March 31, 2023, regarding the sentencing of James Zhong, who stole over 50,000 bitcoin from the Silk Road marketplace, the U.S. government plans to liquidate 41,490 bitcoin “over the course of this calendar year.” U.S. Government Discloses Strategy for Selling Confiscated Bitcoin The U.S. government, one of the … Read more

Bitcoin Difficulty Increases for Third Time in Six Weeks, Miners Remain Undeterred With High Hashrate

On March 23, 2023, bitcoin experienced another difficulty increase, following two previous rises in the last month, jumping 7.56% higher. Currently, bitcoin miners have not been deterred by the increases, as the network hashrate has been coasting along at 346 exahash per second (EH/s). Bitcoin Hashrate Remains High Despite Recent 7.56% Difficulty Rise As of … Read more

Saudi Arabia Open to Trading in Currencies Other Than US Dollar, Signaling a Shift Toward De-Dollarization

After a 48-year relationship solely with the U.S. dollar, Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said the kingdom is open to trading in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The statements follow China’s president, Xi Jinping, urging the Gulf monarchs to accept yuan for oil, and Riyadh officials saying last March the country would consider … Read more

Ukraine’s Tascombank Pilots Stellar-based E-hryvnia

Tascombank, one of the oldest banking institutions in Ukraine, has completed the pilot testing of a digital currency based on the Stellar network. The bank believes that its electronic money platform represents an economically viable implementation of blockchain technology. Tascombank Conducts Tests With New Ukrainian Digital Currency An “electronic hryvnia” has been tested by Ukraine’s … Read more

Ethereum’s Dominance on the Rise: Market Share Increases by 3% Among Global Crypto Assets

Since Dec. 31, 2022, ethereum’s market dominance has increased by more than 3% among the thousands of crypto assets worldwide, valued at roughly $856 billion on Jan. 11, 2023. According to coinmarketcap.com, a popular coin market capitalization aggregation site, ethereum’s crypto market dominance jumped from 18.4% to its current 19% dominance rating. Ethereum’s Market Share … Read more

Report: Federal Prosecutors in New York Probe Digital Currency Group and Subsidiary Genesis

Following accusations from Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss in an open letter to Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert, a report citing “people familiar with the matter” states that federal prosecutors from New York are scrutinizing transfers between Digital Currency Group and its subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital. Report Claims Digital Currency Group, Genesis Global Capital Allegedly … Read more

BUSD Sees $5 Billion Reduction in Supply in 24 Days, Relationship With Turkish Lira Continues

According to statistics, the stablecoin BUSD saw a significant drop in its supply over the past 30 days, shedding roughly 23.8% from Dec. 5, 2022, to Jan. 6, 2023. Since Dec. 13, 2022, BUSD’s supply has been reduced by more than $5 billion, going from $21.84 billion to its current level of $16.77 billion. Stablecoin … Read more