Musk fires Twitter execs, research stirs blockchain energy debate and CFTC brass shares crypto concerns: Hodler’s Digest, Oct. 23-29

Coming each Saturday, Hodler’s Digest will enable you monitor each single necessary information story that occurred this week. The most effective (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, main cash, predictions and rather more — every week on Cointelegraph in a single hyperlink.

High Tales This Week

Twitter’s high brass gutted as Elon Musk’s takeover begins

Elon Musk’s buy of Twitter grew to become closing this week, after which he reportedly fired three top-level executives: CEO Parag Agrawal, head of authorized and coverage Vijaya Gadde and chief monetary officer Ned Segal. Musk reportedly claims the three had been dishonest about Twitter spam accounts — a difficulty that nearly brought about Musk to desert the Twitter deal. On a extra optimistic observe, Musk mentioned he has massive plans for Twitter, together with making certain free speech on the platform. Twitter additionally commanded different headlines this week as Binance invested $500 million within the platform, and the New York Inventory Alternate delisted the now-private firm.

Kazakhstan to construct central financial institution digital foreign money on BNB Chain

Binance’s BNB Chain will host Kazakhstan’s central financial institution digital foreign money (CBDC), based on Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. CBDCs have made headlines lately as areas throughout the globe have taken numerous steps towards the brand new type of cash. The digital tenge, a product of the Nationwide Financial institution of Kazakhstan, will function on BNB Chain. Binance has made regulatory strides in Kazakhstan — a rustic that has proven curiosity in crypto.

Report: Overwhelming majority of blockchain vitality research ’lack scientific rigor’

A lot of the data floating round about blockchain carbon emissions lacks validity on a number of ranges, based on a preprint produced by researchers from a number of universities. In brief, the preprint states that quite a few research on blockchain vitality consumption use incomplete knowledge, lack readability on electrical energy prices, and have made assumptions based mostly on outdated knowledge, amongst different factors. Blockchains and their vitality necessities have been a subject of a lot debate.

Aussie federal price range reaffirms BTC gained’t be handled as international foreign money

Australia won’t be making Bitcoin authorized tender, based on the nation’s newest federal price range. The doc detailing the price range indicated that Bitcoin will probably be taxed in the identical class as different crypto property and never as a international foreign money, regardless of El Salvador’s transfer to make BTC authorized tender. El Salvador categorized Bitcoin as authorized tender in 2021. The Central African Republic additionally classifies Bitcoin as foreign money. Since 2014, Australia’s tax authority has categorized crypto typically as a sort of funding relatively than a type of foreign money, based on feedback from Koinly head of tax Danny Talwar.

Equifax, identified for large knowledge breach, is constructing a Web3 KYC resolution

Equifax is working with blockchain agency Oasis Labs on a decentralized id product that will enhance Know Your Buyer practices. Hosted on Oasis’ platform and dealing with software programming interface (API) keys from Equifax, the answer will basically let people present id affirmation with out exposing delicate data, with the data sustaining a path on the group’s blockchain. Tech specifics for the answer weren’t revealed, nevertheless. Equifax’s repute is overshadowed by a big world knowledge breach it suffered in 2017.

Winners and Losers

On the finish of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $20,485, Ether (ETH) at $1,536 and XRP at $0.46. The entire market cap is at $994.97 billion, based on CoinMarketCap.

Among the many largest 100 cryptocurrencies, the highest three altcoin gainers of the week are Klaytn (KLAY) at 77.92%, Dogecoin (DOGE) at 46.52% and TerraClassicUSD (USTC) at 18.72%.  

The highest three altcoin losers of the week are Chain (XCN) at -23.33%, Maker (MKR) at -13.67% and Casper (CSPR) at -9.28%.

For more information on crypto costs, be certain to learn Cointelegraph’s market evaluation.

Most Memorable Quotations

“Blockchain shouldn’t be merely a technological change but in addition one that permits socio-political change.

Yat Siu, co-founder and government chairman of Animoca Manufacturers

“The U.Ok. authorities has a coverage imaginative and prescient that the U.Ok. will turn into a global hub of cryptocurrency and digital property.

Lisa Cameron, member of U.Ok. Parliament

“Conventional property are pushed by financial development, Fed insurance policies, inflation. Crypto is pushed by the know-how itself, millennial adoption.

Mark Yusko, CEO and founding father of Morgan Creek Capital Administration

“I do imagine that the IMF is an implacable foe of crypto.

David Tawil, co-founder and president at ProChain Capital

“When [China] loves crypto, the bull market will come again. It will likely be a gradual course of, however the purple shoots are budding.

Arthur Hayes, former CEO of BitMEX

“Data drives empowerment and confidence.

Flori Marquez, co-founder and chief working officer of BlockFi

Prediction of the Week 

Analyst places Bitcoin value at $30K subsequent month with breakout due

Early within the week, Bitcoin traded sideways between $19,000 and $20,000 with comparatively little value fluctuation. On Oct. 25, the asset started transferring up towards $21,000, discovering resistance on the degree on Oct. 26 earlier than retracing again towards $20,000 on Oct. 27, based on Cointelegraph’s BTC value index. 

On Oct. 25, Eight CEO Michaël van de Poppe forecasted a potential near-term surge as much as $30,000 for BTC. “Inside 2-3 weeks, #Bitcoin will escape considerably,” he tweeted, including: “My take is the upside. My guess might be $30K.”

FUD of the Week

CFTC commissioner compares crypto contagion danger to 2008 monetary disaster

Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee head Christy Goldsmith Romero just lately requested extra energy from america authorities to make sure crypto issues don’t have an effect on mainstream finance. Romero drew parallels between the 2008 monetary disaster and the present environment by citing Terra’s downfall as a contagion danger for mainstream markets. She famous that the crypto sector might negatively influence mainstream finance resulting from growing crossover exercise between the 2 worlds.

3Commas points safety alert as FTX deletes API keys following hack

Following investigations, crypto trade FTX and digital asset buying and selling bot service 3Commas discovered the reason for suspicious DMG cryptocurrency buying and selling on FTX. Hackers phished victims out of their FTX API keys by way of pretend web sites that appeared like 3Commas’, leading to unauthorized trades for DMG asset pairs on FTX. Different strategies, together with malware, can also be at fault.

Bithumb ex-chairman might face 8 years in jail over alleged $70M fraud

Bithumb ex-chairman Lee Jung-hoon faces fraud fees in South Korea for allegedly defrauding potential Bithumb purchaser Kim Byung-gun out of $70 million. Jung-hoon allegedly obtained $70 million from Byung-gun as a down fee for the acquisition of the Bithumb trade. Nevertheless, the deal was contingent on Bithumb itemizing crypto asset BXA, which allegedly by no means occurred. If deemed responsible on Dec. 20, Jung-hoon might face eight years in jail.

Greatest Cointelegraph Options

Crypto Metropolis: Information to San Francisco Bay Space

“There have been quite a lot of cypherpunks at these early Bitcoin meetups that I went to.”

Constructing neighborhood resilience to crises by means of mutual help and Web3

“We’re going to make use of no matter appears best — no matter’s going to work. And when it’s not working, we’re going to ditch it.”

Ethereum on the middle of centralization debate as SEC lays declare

Ethereum’s transition to PoS was celebrated as a key improve. Nevertheless, a month after the transfer, centralization considerations are mounting excessive.