Visa has approved Alchemy Pay as an official service provider for cryptocurrency purchase in 173 countries
Alchemy Pay, a blockchain payment system, has formally announced that Visa has classified it as an official service provider and that it has been added to Visa’s third-party agent (TPA) program.
Alchemy Pay, which acts as a ‘bridge’ between traditional finance and cryptocurrency, can currently process fiat payments to purchase cryptocurrencies for Visa cardholders in 173 countries.
Socios allows the token fan community to win balls in actual matches
On January 16, Socios announced that fans who own enough tokens purchased through the platform would have a chance to win a Game-Scored ball in the upcoming Italian Super Cup match between the two clubs A.C. Milan and Inter Milan.
A user must possess the required number of fan tokens of either team to be eligible. They will compete in an auction according to the company’s regulations if qualified.
SushiSwap lays out 2023 plans with focus on DEX and user experience
SushiSwap CEO Jared Gray said that SushiSwap currently accounts for about 2% of the DEX market and intends to increase its market share tenfold by 2023.
The protocol created its DEX aggregation router in “stealth mode” during 2022, according to Grey, and it will help offer the greatest user experience by delivering consumers with optimum pricing. DEX aggregation joins the liquidity pools of numerous decentralized exchanges, allowing traders to get better prices and liquidity.
Ethereum turns deflationary amid weekend market rally
Ethereum (ETH) issuance turned deflationary over the weekend amid a market-wide rally.
ETH supply growth is roughly -0.10% per year — 622,000 ETH issued yearly and 739,000 ETH burnt yearly — according to Ultrasound.money data.
Tether’s 2022 settlement volume flips Visa and Mastercard
Despite the challenges facing the crypto industry, stablecoins appeared to have thrived. Tether USDT processed $18.2 trillion in transactions in 2022, placing it ahead of traditional payment processors like Visa and Mastercard.
In comparison, Mastercard and Visa processed transactions worth $14.1 trillion and $7.7 trillion, respectively.
Hong Kong to publish approved list of crypto assets for retail trading
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is preparing a list of crypto assets open to retail traders, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The SFC’s new CEO, Julia Leung Fung-yee, said these whitelisted crypto tokens will be highly liquid ones deemed safe enough for non-professional investors. Apart from the list of approved tokens, Leung added that the SFC will liaise with the public on regulations for retail crypto trading.
Bitcoin mining difficulty jumps 10%, its biggest move since October
The mining difficulty — which determines how hard it is to create the next block of transactions — reset just after 4 p.m. ET, following its roughly two-week schedule. The metric rose 10.26%, according to BTC.com data.
Bitcoin hashrate also surged 20% to a new high on January 12, 2023. This is the second time the hashrate rose to a new ATH in the past week.
Short liquidation volume hits 18-month high
The volume of short liquidated orders in the cryptocurrency market has just reached its highest level since July 2021, resulting in the largest loss in the last 18 months for traders who have been “short” Bitcoin and Altcoins in recent days.
Over the past 4 days – from January 11 to 14 – Bitcoin rallied from a low of $17,318 to a high of $21,247, representing a 22.5% increase. Additionally, most Altcoins are also recording double-digit gains this week. The total capitalization of the cryptocurrency market has risen above $1 trillion, according to CoinGecko.
Fed governor says they don’t want to hinder innovation
Michelle Bowman, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, says while “cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks,” the Fed does not want to “hinder innovation.”
According to the Fed governor, as regulators, Fed should support innovation and recognize that the banking industry must evolve to meet consumer demand.
One of the largest US colleges has begun teaching students about Bitcoin
The news was announced on Jan. 13 by Associate Professor Korok Ray of Mays Business School at Texas A&M, who will be teaching the “Bitcoin Protocol” course to students in the College of Engineering and Mays Business School when the Spring Semester starts on Jan. 17.
Other universities now offering cryptocurrency courses include Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oxford University, National University of Singapore, Cornell University and University of California Berkeley.