BLOCKCHAIN FUNFACTS

The Federal Conduct Authority (FCA), known as the vigilant guardian of the UK’s financial markets, has unfurled a comprehensive set of regulations for crypto firms operating in the country. While the new guidelines sought to create a more secure and accountable environment for crypto, they initially forced major exchanges like Binance, OKX, and Bybit to pull the plug on their UK operations. 

Bear market or not, MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor remains committed to his company's Bitcoin treasury philosophy - announcing the purchase of another 5445 Bitcoin since August the 1st.
MicroStrategy Incorporated has disclosed its acquisition of approximately 5,445 bitcoins between August 1, 2023, and September 24, 2023. The acquisition, involving MicroStrategy and its subsidiaries, amounted to approximately $147.3 million in cash, with an average price of approximately $27,053 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses.

The regulator alleged that Bit Trade — which is the provider for Kraken in Australia — did not make a target market determination before offering its margin trading product to Australian customers.

Copy trading exchange Bitget has launched a global education program. Dubbed Blockchain4Youth, the program is designed to empower and inspire young people for a blockchain-based future. The platform believes that the crypto users among Generation Z and Generation Alpha – those born since 2010 – will play a vital role in promoting crypto adoption. For that reason, Bitget aims to encourage and inspire them.

Representatives from MPB cited by cointelegraph.com have confirmed this collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education, supported by Bitcoin Beach. The educational content for the Bitcoin component will primarily rely on the Mi Primer Bitcoin program, which issues students a completion diploma.

Representatives from MPB cited by cointelegraph.com have confirmed this collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education, supported by Bitcoin Beach. The educational content for the Bitcoin component will primarily rely on the Mi Primer Bitcoin program, which issues students a completion diploma.

Since the emergence of Bitcoin (BTC), its proponents have often regarded the cryptocurrency as a potential rival to the traditional store of value, gold. It’s worth noting that these two products belong to distinct asset classes, and as Bitcoin matures, proponents believe it may eventually surpass gold. This topic has sparked debates within financial circles.

Distributed technologies can reshape supply chains, and help consumers and businesses to make more responsible decisions.

Binance contacted some projects asking for details about their market makers and whether they would consider contribution some of their tokens to Binance savings pools.

According to the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, crypto asset firms operating in the country will be required to comply with the Financial Action Task Force’s travel rule starting on Sept. 1, 2023. Crypto asset businesses will be required to take “all reasonable steps” to ensure compliance with the travel rule. When the rule becomes effective, compliance with the rule is still expected even when a crypto asset business uses a third-party supplier.

According to Brandon Brown, the co-founder and CEO of Fairside Network, self-custody crypto wallets generally lack inbuilt insurance coverage to protect against theft or loss. Brown attributes this to the challenges encountered when assessing digital asset risks as well as “the absence of historical loss data, and evolving threats.”

El Salvador’s dollar bonds have seen a 70% return, making them the best-performing in emerging markets and drawing the attention of JPMorgan, Eaton, and PGIM. Despite initial disquiet over the country’s financial strength after adopting Bitcoin, notable investors have either accepted or considered investing in El Salvador’s debt, showing confidence in its upward trajectory. President Nayib Bukele has taken a big bet on Bitcoin, orchestrated two debt buybacks, and recruited an ex-IMF veteran as an advisor to alleviate apprehension in the bond market.

Consumer bitcoin provider Azteco recently announced a $6 million seed funding round at an $84M valuation led by Jack Dorsey as the company introduces bitcoin gift cards to enhance the cryptocurrency’s spending power near the level of the U.S. dollar.

PYUSD is a stablecoin backed by the US dollar ayPal has launched PayPal USD, a form of cryptocurrency it says can “seamlessly connect fiat and digital currencies”. This form of cryptocurrency is a little different to often-discussed digital currencies like Bitcoin, though. PayPal USD is a stablecoin. This means its value is linked to the US dollar. One PayPal USD equals one dollar.

A report published by Vantage market research in 2023 found the global market size for blockchain in healthcare is expected to reach around $1189.8 million by 2028. This represents a CAGR (compound Annual Growth Rate) of 61.3% during this period.
According to the report, the rising issues with healthcare data breaches during the pandemic, the threat of counterfeit trugs and the rapid demand for transparency in the healthcare environment are all fuelling growth.

A Deloitte study into the marketplace adoption of blockchain in 2021 found around 96% of Financial Services pioneers believe blockchain is a broadly scalable solution, which has already achieved mainstream adoption.
93% of the pioneers also said they believe there’s a compelling business case for the use of blockchain, cryptocurrencies and digital assets in their organizations. The same number also claimed business partners, suppliers, and customers are discussing working on blockchain and digital assets as of 2021.
97% of pioneers believe their organization will lose opportunities for competitive advantage by failing to adopt blockchain, while 93% believe the technology will open the door to new revenue streams.

According to Statista reports, there are a multitude of markets which can benefit from access to blockchain technology. However, the financial market currently accounts for more than 30% of the complete market value of the technology, as of 2020.
The value of the ecosystem has also begun to spread to other technologies, such as manufacturing (17.6%), distribution and services, (14.6%) and the public sector (4.2%).

Markets and Markets believes North America will have the highest market share in the blockchain landscape in the years between 2022 and 2026. The region has achieved significant increases in platforms and services dedicated to blockchain in recent months.
According to Markets and Markets, the rising demand for blockchain in North America is linked to the early adoption of cryptocurrency in the region, and an increasing investment by businesses in new security and vulnerability management tools.

The PwC “Time for Trust” report on blockchain and the evolving market found the technology could improve global GDP by an average of $1.76 trillion by 2030. According to PwC economists, this is a total of 1.4% of the global GDP today.
The report defines blockchain as particularly valuable today, as 61% of companies are now placing digital transformation initiatives at the top of their list of priorities for growth. Blockchain also helps companies to address the rising demand for better security and transparency in the business world.

According to a study by TripleA and Grandview research, more than 300 million people worldwide owned or used a cryptocurrency in 2021, meaning they also interacted with an element of the blockchain. The report from Grandview Research also believes the market for blockchain is much larger than many analysts think.
The rapid digitization across the BPFSI sector, and the use of contactless blockchain ticketing at various events has the potential to drive the market. Grandview sees the industry growing at a rate of around 85.9% between the years of 2023 and 2030, to a value of $1,431.54 billion.

This statistic is a testament to the growing importance of blockchain technology. It shows that companies are investing heavily in the development of blockchain-based solutions, indicating that the technology is becoming increasingly popular and widely adopted. This is an important indicator of the potential of blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize the way we do business.

This statistic is a powerful testament to the potential of Blockchain technology to revolutionize the banking industry. By reducing infrastructure costs by up to 30%, Blockchain could drastically reduce the overhead costs associated with traditional banking, allowing banks to pass on the savings to their customers. This could lead to a more efficient and cost-effective banking system, making it easier for people to access financial services.

This statistic is a clear indication that blockchain technology is becoming increasingly important to businesses. It shows that companies are recognizing the potential of blockchain technology and are actively investing in it. This statistic is a testament to the growing importance of blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize the way businesses operate.

This statistic is a testament to the potential of blockchain technology in the healthcare industry. By 2025, the majority of healthcare apps will be leveraging the power of blockchain, indicating that the technology is becoming increasingly popular and accepted in the healthcare sector. This is a significant milestone for blockchain technology, and it is likely to have a major impact on the industry in the years to come.

The question of whether blockchain can disrupt our traditional financial system is no longer the one you should be asking. Now it’s a matter of when it will take full control.

According to blockchain industry statistics, it is being integrated into the global financial sector at a rapid pace, especially in banking. Banks in countries like Japan, the US, Belarus, Switzerland, and a few others are already accepting cryptocurrency transactions as a part of their system, and more will follow suit shortly.

The IoT is already a billion-dollar industry, and there are also billions of IoT devices scattered all over the world. These IoT devices were built to enhance the human experience and improve the efficiency of specific tools and automation processes.

Statistics for blockchain show that bringing blockchain into the fold will significantly enhance the security of data exchange between connected devices and IoT platforms. Plus, there’s the added advantage of automated backup files in case of a successful breach. This is ensured by the millions of individual nodes in the blockchain that help store system data.

Ethereum, Avalanche, Cardano, and Polkadot are some of the important and interesting blockchain projects that people should consider in 2023 and beyond.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, BNB, and USD coin are five of the biggest blockchain networks by market cap as of June 2023.

The usage of cryptocurrency has grown by an incredible amount over the past couple of years. Between 2018 and 2020, the number of cryptocurrency users grew by 190% globally. The industry’s growth rate has continued to expand in the past year alone.

Compared to the over $23,000 price of Bitcoin, Ethereum costs closer to $1,600 as of 2023. However, Ethereum has still experienced massive growth in the past couple of years.In March of 2020, the price of Ethereum was only $133.76, which means its price increased by more than elevenfold over the past three years.

The top 20 cryptocurrencies have the most influence in the market, and the rest are relatively insignificant.

An analysis of the Blockchain marketplace in 2021 by Markets and Markets found the industry should grow from a value of $4.9 billion (as of 2021), to $67.4 billion by 2026. According to the analysis team, this represents a Compound Annual Growth rate of 68.4% during the forecast period.

This is a lot younger than an average stock investor, who is 47 years old. They are not only younger than stock investors but are also more diverse. More precisely, 44% of crypto investors are people of color, while only 35% of stock investors belong to this group. However, as the research was done on only 1,004 US adults, the results likely vary worldwide.

Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of MicroStrategy, commissioned a Twitter poll on May 27 to gauge whether voters believe a presidential candidate must support their right to Bitcoin to secure their vote. As of May 28, almost 30,000 Twitter users had shared their opinion, with a resounding 84% responding ‘Yes’ to the question, “Will you demand that any presidential candidate supports your right to Bitcoin before earning your vote?” Only 16% of respondents voted in the negative.

The same study found that over half of these individuals did not consider crypto investing a hobby, but alternatively, as a means of income.
Additionally, the study found that the top three reasons users invest in crypto are to create a long-term investment strategy (55%), a distrust of the current financial system (38%), and short-term trading (31%).

Digital asset investment products, including cryptocurrencies, saw a surge in trading volumes in November 2022. Trading volumes rose to $139 million, breaking the downward trend since the middle of the year. The FTX collapse is believed to have contributed significantly to this surge.

The global blockchain gaming market will grow significantly during the next seven years and is expected to reach a market cap of $301.53 billion by 2030, according to a report issued by markets and intelligence firm Grand View Research. The “Blockchain In Gaming Market Size”

Hacker stole around $400 million from crypto projects during 40 attacks in the first three months of 2023, blockchain intel firm TRM Labs said in a new report. This is a 70% decline from the Q1 of 2022. The average hack size also got smaller, according to TRM, from $30 million in 2022 to $10.5 million for the same period in 2023. The sanctions against Tornado Cash, as well as last year's arrest of the Mango Markets infiltrator, motivate hackers to return their loot, researchers believe.

Before taking the stage at the Bitcoin 2023 conference in Miami, U.S. presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the democratic nature of bitcoin, calling it an “exercise in democracy.” Additionally, during his Florida appearance, Kennedy revealed that his campaign would accept bitcoin for political contributions.

On May 22, 2010 Laszlo Hanyecz paid Jeremy Sturdivant 10,000 bitcoins (BTC) for two Papa John’s pizzas which were delivered to Hanyecz’s home. This exchange is widely celebrated because it is viewed as the first use of bitcoin in a commercial transaction with bitcoin as the medium of exchange.

A recent Gallup Poll reveals a significant decline in the percentage of Americans favoring real estate as their preferred long-term investment, despite its continued popularity. Conversely, the Gallup survey indicates that the perception of long-term investments in gold has experienced an almost twofold increase compared to the previous year’s poll on the same topic.

In four days, the market capitalization of all the BRC20 tokens built on top of the Bitcoin network was a modest $95 million. However, over the past four days, the BRC20 market valuation has seen tremendous growth, increasing by 192% and reaching $279 million.

The Nigerian Federal government said on May 3 it had passed what it called the “national blockchain policy.” The Nigerian minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami, said the new policy is a product of consultations with 56 institutions and personalities. Lucky Uwakwe, the founder of the technology service delivery company Sabi Group, said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is unlikely to reverse its stance on privately issued digital currency.

On 30 April, 2023,, as the U.S. government worked behind the scenes with two major banks to engineer the latest financial rescue plan, the Bitcoin network hit a new all-time high for the number of daily transactions processed. There were more confirmed transactions than it ever had in its 14-year history, beating the previous record set during the 2017 bull run. Today, JPMorgan Chase has acquired First Republic after the distressed bank’s assets were seized by regulators, becoming the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

In the midst of the banking upheaval in the United States, Google Trends has revealed a notable surge in searches related to the acquisition of gold, with the search query reaching a perfect score of 100 during the first week of April 2023. Similarly, the search term “how to buy bitcoin” reached the same score two weeks earlier, on March 20, 2023.

Based on present data, within the last four months, a mere three block rewards from the year 2010 have been transferred after 13 years of dormancy. This is due to the fact that dormant wallets from that era are becoming a rarity to behold. The latest expenditure of a 2010 block took place on April 22, 2023, at 11:14 p.m. (UTC), when a miner spent 50 bitcoin that was valued at approximately $1.3 million. A historic moment occurred today, as a transfer of 400 bitcoin from 2011 took place, marking the first time in over a decade that these digital assets had been moved.

Following the transfer of $60 million worth of bitcoins on April 19, after more than nine years of dormancy, another whale has made its move. The whale, who acquired 1,129 bitcoins in 2012 and 2013, has transferred 464 bitcoins worth $13 million for the first time in nine years.

April 18 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) said on Tuesday it has discontinued production of its bitcoin mining chip series, just a year after its introduction. A rout in the cryptocurrency market hurt some chip companies including Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), whose high-end graphics chips became popular for crypto mining. Intel expects to stop taking orders for the series, called Blockscale, by October 20 this year and end shipping by April 20 next year, according to a document on the company's website.

On April 6, 2023, Bitcoin’s difficulty rose 2.23% higher at block height 784,224, touching another all-time high. It’s the fourth consecutive difficulty increase on the Bitcoin network since Feb. 24, and the protocol’s current difficulty is 47.89 trillion, which is only 2.11 trillion away from reaching the 50 trillion range.

According to data from the cryptocurrency automated teller machine (ATM) aggregation website Coin ATM Radar, over 3,600 crypto ATMs went offline in March. Since the end of 2022, the number of crypto ATMs has declined by 13.91% in the last three months.

KazTransOil, the national oil transporter of Kazakhstan, plans to ship 125,000 tons of oil from Kazakhstan through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in April, Trend reports, citing KazTransOil.This constitutes a significant increase compared to the 20,000 tons estimated to be shipped in March.

Bitcoin's past six months of price action closely resemble its 2014 Mt. Gox bear market. This pattern suggests Bitcoin has entered the next bull phase of its global monetary adoption process.

Nigerians have increasingly turned to a once-spurned digital currency to transact, after a chaotic demonetisation policy gave rise to a shortage of banknotes and bolstered demand for alternative payment methods.

In the ongoing banking crisis in the United States, the US Dollar (USD) appears to correlate directly with Bitcoin.Bitcoin Positively Correlates With USD According to Kaiko, a digital assets market provider, Bitcoin, the most valuable cryptocurrency, appears to be moving synchronously with the USD as the market adopts a wait-and-see approach amid fear of further turbulence in the United States financial markets.

The Galaxy Digital CEO predicts tough times ahead for the United States economy but continues to be bullish on crypto.The United States is headed for a credit crunch and now is the right time to buy gold, silver and Bitcoin ,BTC tickers down $24,709, says Galaxy Digital founder and CEO Michael Novogratz.

XSpring Digital (XD), a Bangkok-based initial coin offering (ICO) portal service provider, is upbeat about its business outlook this year after the cabinet recently decided to waive value-added tax (VAT)... The company aims to become a leader in the ICO portal business by more than doubling the number of customers using the service this year, said acting chief executive Tanasak Krishnasreni.

Thailand is offering companies raising funds through initial coin offerings exemptions from income and value-added tax.

The country has shown promise, with a recent report pegging the country as the nation with the highest global level of crypto adoption. However, it needs to compete with a recent Web 3 accelerator program launched by the Hong Kong.

El Salvador’s Mi Primer Bitcoin learning initiative recently released a new student workbook that covers Bitcoin-related topics suitable for learners of different ages. Commenting on the recent changes to the curriculum, Dalia Platt, the Chair of Mi Primer Bitcoin

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's administration announced that the Central American nation will begin offering bonds backed by Bitcoin, making El Salvador the first nation to do so. 

Previously in 2021, El Salvador shocked the world when the Bukele administration announced they would recognize Bitcoin as a legal tender, despite the cryptocurrency's volatility.

Bitcoin allows you to be your own bank, giving you complete control over your finances and assets, without relying on traditional financial institutions.

Bitcoin transactions are highly secure, with blockchain technology ensuring protection against hacking and other malicious activities.

Owning Bitcoin can offer a path toward financial autonomy and security, providing an alternative to traditional banking systems often prone to failures and collapses.

It's a paradise for globe-trotting libertarians
Driving along El Salvador’s Pacific coast, I’m greeted by a sign: “Bitcoin Beach. The future is here.” As I turn onto a dirt road, another appears: “Pay in Bitcoin, $10 Pupusas and Beer”. Finally, I arrive at the beach — with its volcanic black sand, thunderous waves, and vendors selling refreshments for both cash and cryptocurrency. The Bitcoin logo of two lines through a “B” is plastered all over the resort, even spray-painted on plastic dustbins.

A new link between the Central American nation and Texas has been borne out of Bitcoin.After opening its first Bitcoin Embassy in Lugano, Switzerland, El Salvador is opening a second one in Texas.

According to DappRadar, the total worth of the NFT ecosystem went from $9.3B to $3.7B in 2022 —a 59.6% drop. On February 9th, DappRadar published a report showing that the Ethereum NFT market cap value fell by 59.60% from $9.3 billion in 2022 to around $3.7 billion in early 2023.

The Chinese authorities distributed over $26 million worth of e-CNY to the residents of Shenzhen, Jinan, Lianyungang, and Hangzhou. Major Chinese cities, including Shenzhen, Jinan, and Lianyungang, have reportedly launched approximately 200 activities involving the digital yuan during the Spring Festival.

Bitcoin hit the highest since August as investors interpreted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments about progress on inflation as a sign that a less harsh monetary policy backdrop lies ahead. 

According to a new study, out of the estimated 55.3 million cryptocurrency holders that are spread among 33 African countries, three countries — Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya — account for approximately 36.14 million or nearly two-thirds of this total. In contrast, the study found that Seychelles, which is home to several cryptocurrency exchanges, has approximately 1,000 cryptocurrency holders.