Helios is a “transformative acquisition” for Galaxy, according to Mike Novogratz.

Helios is a “transformative acquisition” for Galaxy, according to Mike Novogratz.

The Galaxy CEO seemed undaunted by this year’s devastation in the BTC mining business, stating that the company plans to dramatically increase its mining activities. Galaxy Digital Holdings CEO Mike Novogratz describes the Helios mining purchase as a game changer for the company. Bear markets are for construction. We are long-term supporters of $BTC and think that the lowest-cost miners will triumph over time.

Helios is a game changer that will broaden our mining capabilities and services as we continue to develop towards a decentralized future. In a more detailed explanation of the transaction, Mike Novogratz stated that the business has a certain philosophy on how to approach the mining sector- low-cost power, a very efficient staff, and buying ASIC miners cheaply. Previously, Argo Blockchain CEO Peter Wall announced on December 28 a $65 million transaction with Galaxy Digital to sell the Helios mining operation.

The crypto investment business announced the $65 million acquisition of Argo Blockchain’s main mining operation on December 28 as part of Argo’s extreme measures to avoid bankruptcy. In a tweet regarding the acquisition on December 29, Novogratz stated that Galaxy is a “big believer” in Bitcoin’s long-term prospects and that the firm would continue to scale up its mining initiatives:

The Galaxy CEO went on to explain that the company has an unique “thesis” on how to approach the mining sector: “low-cost power, a highly efficient crew,” and “purchasing ASIC miners inexpensively.” “That’s a prescription for mining success, even as the hash rate climbs,” he added.

According to Hash rate Index, Bitcoin ASIC miner prices are at a level not seen since at least 2021, with the most efficient ASIC miners seeing their prices collapse 86.8% from their high in May 2021. Galaxy offers five business lines: trading, asset management, cryptocurrency mining, venture capital, and investment banking.

According to its website, it presently manages assets worth $1.9 billion. Galaxy now relies heavily on hosting services for its mining activities. However, Novogratz points out that Helios’ 200 megawatt (MW) capacity will allow the firm to not only run miners on its own site, but also host for others.

Helios has the potential to become one of the largest miners on the market. Argo Blockchain earlier stated in May of this year that it intended to expand its energy capacity to 800MW in the “coming years.” At the time, Helios claimed it intended to attain a BTC mining capacity of 5.5 exahashes per second by the end of the year, with the potential to reach 20 EH/s in the future.

Galaxy looks to have some capital to burn during the 2022 bear market, since it also provided Argo Blockchain with a $35 million equipment financing loan as part of the deal. The acquisition follows Galaxy’s earlier this month acquisition of crypto self-custody platform GK8 for an unknown sum.

GK8 was auctioned off as part of the Celsius bankruptcy process, after the failed crypto lender purchased the company for $115 million in 2021. The purchase, according to Novogratz, is a “critical cornerstone in our endeavour to develop a genuinely full-service financial platform for digital assets.”

Ethereum Whales Sold 880K ETH: Is there a Silver Lining?

Ethereum Whales Sold 880K ETH: Is there a Silver Lining?

Following the demise of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Ethereum (ETH) is under intense selling pressure. According to Ali Martinez, ETH whales traded about a million coins in December 2022, escalating investor concerns. According to Martinez, whales with between $10,000 and $100,000 in ETH sold or dispersed around 880,000 coins. At the time of publication, trading volume had declined by 3.05% in 24 hours. However, trading volume increased 23% to $4.5 billion the day before, while the market cap fell 2%.

To put it mildly, Ethereum’s price performance in December was poor. The key causes of the market’s lack of momentum were poor fundamentals, a grim economic background, and a lack of network activity. However, after investigating whale wallets, it appears that the fundamental problem is rather more basic. According to on-chain statistics, Ethereum whales with up to 100,000 ETH have sold or moved up to 880,000 ETH since the beginning of the month. At least a portion of the money was most certainly sold on the market, mirroring the selling pressure we experienced all month.

Ethereum has had a difficult year, with its value plummeting by 75.5% from its all-time high and 70.4% in a single year. Many people are concerned that the value of ETH may fall much more as we enter the new year. ETH has dropped below $1200 and may continue to decrease if it does not rise over $1215. Furthermore, since mid-December, issuance has grown.

While trading activity on Ethereum has been slow in December, with the market’s low liquidity, merely 500,000 ETH of selling pressure would be enough to push the market’s second largest cryptocurrency below the $1,200 barrier.

Another significant contributor to active asset redistribution was the global trend of capital migrating from centralised cryptocurrency exchanges to self-custody. Although migration from exchanges to wallets is not directly tied to selling activities, it may be a factor since some investors choose to liquidate their holdings rather than simply shift them to their own wallets.

As previously said, the primary cause for the ETH price drop might be related to decreased network activity as more investors leave the sector for good, or at least until the market rebounds. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $1,199, attempting to hold the $1,200 price mark, which serves as a platform for any advance toward the next resistance.

What may propel Ethereum higher?

With issuance growing, the most likely scenario would be a rise in coin issuance with a gradual decline in supply following the new year. If more investors return to the market and produce more activity, the market’s burning process will speed up.

Guy of Coin Bureau, a well-known cryptocurrency specialist, forecasts that Ethereum will have a spectacular year in 2023. Guy believes that the upcoming Ethereum Shanghai upgrade will lead Ether’s trend to reverse. The Shanghai update will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2023.

If billions of dollars in ETH tied up in smart contracts are released, the analyst believes that investors will be enticed to stake their tokens for a potentially stress-free investment experience. The Shanghai update, among other things, will allow ETH stakers and validators to withdraw cash from the Beacon Chain. At the time of publication, ETH was trading at $1,194.74, up 0.2% in the previous 24 hours. However, in the previous 14 days, the cryptocurrency has fallen by 8.8%.

Binance has temporarily ceased operations of Terra Traditional (LUNC) Burns: Token Drops 12%

Binance has temporarily ceased operations of Terra Traditional (LUNC) Burns: Token Drops 12%

Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange that is the largest in the world in terms of daily cryptocurrency trading volume. It was formed in 2017. Its headquarter is in the Cayman Islands. Binance was founded by Changpeng Zhao, a developer who previously built high frequency trading software. Binance was founded in China but relocated its headquarters soon before the Chinese government put limits on cryptocurrency trading.

Binance was investigated for money laundering and tax evasion by the US Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service in 2021. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority ordered Binance to discontinue all regulated activities in the UK by June 2021. Binance provided Russian authorities with client information, including names and addresses, in 2021.

Binance Suspends Terra Classic ($LUNC) Trading, LUNC Price Drops

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has temporarily halted the burning of Terra Classic (LUNC) transaction fees until March 2023. The move follows the discussions around Proposals 10983 and 11111 to support the commodities pool. Furthermore, instead of 100%, the crypto exchange will burn 50% of LUNC spot and margin trading costs.

Binance Makes Terra Classic (LUNC) Burning Changes

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced on December 28 that it is changing its LUNC burn process to continue to help the Terra Classic community in limiting the LUNC token supply. Thus, Binance will burn 50% of the LUNC spot and margin trading fees instead of 100% with effect from December 28. Binance claims the decision follows recent developments linked to Proposals 10983 and 11111, in which LUNC burn is re-minted as a development fund.

Furthermore, until March 1,2023, the crypto exchange will postpone delivering Terra Classic (LUNC) trade fees to the burn address. It will restrict the re-issuance of LUNC trading fees unless the community approves crucial measures. Furthermore, Binance is in talks with the Terra Grants Foundation, lead by Terra Classic core developer Edward Kim, to implement the necessary adjustments.

It entails generating a new burn wallet to prevent LUNC token re-minting and whitelisting Binance’s wallets to avoid tax when transferring between these wallets. Binance has stated that if the community does not make these modifications, the crypto exchange may discontinue the burn mechanism.

Terra Rebels was blamed by Validator LUNC DAO for entirely breaking its partnership with Binance. He proposes that the LUNC community meet the requirements in order to keep Binance’s support. The community voted to cancel Proposal 10983, which would have restored 10% remint from the 0.2% burn tax and added it to the communal pool instead of 50% remint.

What are Binance’s demands?

The exchange is in contact with the Terra Grants Foundation team in order to make certain improvements. Binance has requested the construction of a new burn wallet, according to the announcement.

The exchange will transmit the LUNC spot and margin trading costs to the new wallet, which will not enable the burn amount to be re-minted. The company has also requested that its wallets be whitelisted. It is done to avoid paying the transaction tax while transferring funds between these wallets.

Binance has halted delivering LUNC trading fee burn donations till March 1st. This will provide the project enough time to make the required improvements. However, if the adjustments are not implemented within the time limit specified, the exchange “will consider withholding the burn contribution in the future.”

The price of LUNC has fallen by 12% in the last 24 hours. It is crucial to note, however, that the asset has recovered 47% since December 22nd. LUNC was trading at $0.00016568 at press time, up 1% in the previous hour.

Cardano: Is ADA slowly building toward a price rebound?

Cardano: Is ADA slowly building toward a price rebound?

What is Cardano?

According to definitions, Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform: the first to be built on peer-reviewed research and evidence-based approaches. It is sometimes referred to as a third generation blockchain, succeeding Bitcoin (first generation) and Ethereum (second generation) (second generation). Cardano (ADA) was created as a development of the Ethereum concept, with the goal of creating a blockchain that is more versatile, sustainable, and scalable for running smart contracts, as well as providing a platform for a wide range of decentralized finance apps, new crypto currencies, and much more.

Vasil Hard Fork by Cardano Explained

Cardano’s Vasil Hard Fork is the next phase in its goal to increase network performance and scalability. This effectively moves the project one step closer to dethroning Ethereum, the world’s largest smart contract and DeFi platform. Cardano’s developers anticipate that this latest version will increase the efficiency of smart contracts, making Cardano cheaper and faster to use.

What makes this such a historic occasion? Because it will address two of the most pressing concerns that a blockchain network will encounter as it grows in popularity. Congestion and costs on the network. Ethereum is already struggling with it, with gas fees soaring above any tolerable levels, and this is what Cardano is attempting to address and avoid. Cardano’s smart contract capabilities debut witnessed a surge in traffic, with a large number of developers wishing to construct DeFi protocols on the chain. As blockchains become busy, speeds often drop and fees rise. As a result, the Vasil Hard Fork is likely to resolve this two-pronged problem instantly.

Impact of Cardano Vasil Upgrade on ADA Price

  • Cardano completed yesterday’s session at $0.458, with a market value of $15.55 billion and a circulating supply of 34.23 billion ADA.
  • The ADA price received the much-needed boost with the upgrade, which was greatly needed to prevent a price drop below $0.42.
  • Cardano is trading over $0.47 after gaining a temporary boost after the long-anticipated Vasil Hard Fork went live during the early trading hours. While it is clear that the price failed to attract bulls, the cryptocurrency was rejected at the critical resistance level of $0.48. However, the rejection looks to be a temporary measure that will be reversed very shortly.
  • Cardano (ADA) volatility has increased to some level as a result of the upgrade, which may cause the price to rise near to the necessary resistance. Furthermore, a modest push may result in a price above $0.48, which may then go towards $0.49 to complete a parabolic recovery. The ADA price may have a brief reversal here, but the rebound presently appears to be on track to reclaim $0.5 levels at the earliest.

Will the ADA price reach $0.55 by September’s end?

Following recent price swings, the Cardano price prediction for the month has lately shifted to optimistic. ADA coin began the September trading on a strong note, similar to August, however the token slid back towards the same support at $0.43. The ADA price is currently attempting to recover somewhat, although purchasing pressure remains below average. As a result, an upward consolidation may be on the way until the monthly closure.

On the contrary, a tiny probability of a major rise may not be eliminated as long as the RSI remains near ordinary levels. With a little increase in purchasing pressure, the Cardano price might easily rise over $0.5 and test greater resistance. As a result, the approaching weekend might be critical for the token, perhaps lifting the price from the protracted consolidation.

Will Cardano prices rise in the near future?

Based on the three factors presented above, the price of ADA should ideally rise in the future months. However, given the lack of other evidence, it is difficult to assess the study’s credibility. Furthermore, the crypto markets are linked, with Bitcoin at the top (BTC). It is doubtful that ADA will move unless BTC recovers on the charts.

Nonetheless, Cardano has made significant progress in terms of development. Cardano (ADA) has the most development activities, according to Santiment. According to the analytics firm, ADA has grown by 18% more than Polkadot (DOT). At the time of publication, ADA was trading at $0.255929, down 3% in the previous 24 hours.

The Co-Founder of Bitfarms Resigns, and Crypto Miners Are Still in Crisis

The Co-Founder of Bitfarms Resigns, and Crypto Miners Are Still in Crisis

The current price movement in Bitcoin has resulted in a market capitalization of $319,176,208,585.94 for tokens. Bitcoin has changed -64.05% so far this year. Bitcoin is classified as a currency by CoinDesk’s Digital Asset Classification Standard (DACS).

Bitcoin is the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency, which is a sort of digital asset that employs public-key cryptography to record, sign, and transport transactions across the Bitcoin blockchain without the control of a central authority.

The Bitcoin network (capital “B”) was founded in January 2009 by a mysterious computer programmer or group of programmers under the identity “Satoshi Nakamoto.” The network is a peer-to-peer electronic payment system that uses bitcoin (lower case “b”) as a cryptocurrency to send money over the internet or as a store of value, similar to gold and silver.

Because each bitcoin is made up of 100 million satoshis (the smallest unit of bitcoin), it is divisible to eight decimal places. This means that anyone may purchase a fraction of a bitcoin for as little as one US dollar.

Bitcoin price

By early 2013, the dominant cryptocurrency had rebounded from an extended negative period and briefly surpassed $1,000. However, due to the infamous Mt Gox hack, China’s initial crypto ban, and other factors, it took another four years for the BTC price to rise beyond $1,000. However, after that threshold was reached, bitcoin’s price proceeded to rise substantially throughout 2017, until it reached its previous all-time high of $19,850.

Over the course of 2018, the whole crypto market entered what is now known as the “crypto winter,” a year-long bear market. It wasn’t until December 2020, when bitcoin returned to challenge the previous all-time high, that it finally eclipsed it, rising 239% over the next 119 days to a new all-time high of $64,799.

Crypto Miners are still in trouble. According to a business statement on Thursday, Emiliano Grodzki, co-founder and CEO of Canadian bitcoin miner Bitfarms (BITF), has quit, effective immediately. Geoffrey Morphy, President and Chief Operating Officer, has been elevated to take his position.

Grodzki, who co-founded the firm with Nicolas Bonta in 2017, will continue to serve as a director. Bonta will be promoted to chairman of the board from executive chairman.

Geoff was instrumental in transforming Bitfarms from a primarily Canadian company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange with five farms in Quebec to a global powerhouse in little over two years. Exahash is a metric for computing power.

Bitcoin miners’ values have fallen as a result of rising energy costs and declining bitcoin (BTC) prices.The bankruptcy of Compute North and Core Scientific (CORZ) shook the market even further, as did the likelihood of other firms applying for Chapter 11 protection, such as Greenidge Generation (GREE). Bitfarms are not immune. Its stock has fallen 92% this year, and the business has a market capitalization of under $85 million. Bitfarms has been attempting to minimize its debt load in order to stay viable. It paid down $27 million in debt last month in an effort to repair its balance sheet. The firm, which mostly mines bitcoin with hydroelectric electricity, operates ten mining facilities in Canada, the United States, Paraguay, and Argentina. In premarket trade on Thursday, its shares were up 3.5%.