Original: https://decrypt.co/120560/jack-dorsey-decentralized-twitter-nostr-damus-banned-china
By: Sander Lutz
Posted: February 3, 2023, 9:51 pm

Once a highly touted exchange, tZERO facilitates securities offerings, some of which are blockchain tokens.

The tZERO Crypto exchange, whose majority owner is Overstock, will shut down on March 6, the company announced via Twitter on Feb. 3. The company says that it will continue to focus on its regulated securities products after the shutdown, as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulators clarify the legal status of crypto assets.

Today, tZERO Crypto informed its customers that it will be ceasing operations on March 6, following an orderly withdrawal of assets by the customers, which continue to be held by the custodian. 1/7

— tZERO (@tZERO) February 3, 2023

tZERO is a financial technology company headquartered in New York. It facilitates securities offerings for private companies that want to go public. In the crypto community, tZERO is most well known for its offering of tokenized shares or “digital securities,” which can potentially be traded on a blockchain.

Online retailer Overstock owns approximately 55% of tZERO, according to the company's Aug. 26 press release.

In 2019, tZERO released a traditional crypto exchange called “tZERO Crypto” that allowed users to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and other cryptocurrencies. But, in this recent announcement on Feb. 3, the company confirmed it would wind down this exchange on March 6.

In the announcement, tZERO implied that unregulated crypto exchanges are on their way into obsolescence, stating: “We believe that many digital assets would be treated as securities and trade in a regulated ecosystem.” The announcement explained further:

“While the regulatory environment around crypto assets is clarified by the SEC and other regulators (including in view of recent events), we will continue to focus on our unique regulated securities business, which we believe will be the venue where most digital asset securities will trade.”

Related: Australia introduces crypto assets classification scheme

The company said that the shutdown was set for March 6 to allow for an “orderly withdrawal of assets by the customers, which continue to be held by the custodian.” It did not clarify whether security tokens being traded on the tZERO ATS stock exchange will also be affected by the shutdown of tZERO Crypto. Cointelegraph reached out to tZERO ATS to clarify this point but could not get a response by the time of publication.

Original: https://cointelegraph.com/news/overstock-funded-tzero-crypto-exchange-will-shut-down-march-6
By: Tom Blackstone
Posted: February 3, 2023, 9:22 pm

Original: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/02/03/russias-sberbank-will-introduce-defi-platform-by-may-report/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines
By: Oliver Knight
Posted: February 3, 2023, 8:35 pm

Original: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/02/03/binance-tells-indian-crypto-exchange-wazirx-to-withdraw-customer-assets-held-in-its-wallets/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines
By: Amitoj Singh
Posted: February 3, 2023, 8:33 pm

Original: https://decrypt.co/120529/microstrategy-stock-michael-saylor-stays-bullish-bitcoin
By: Mathew Di Salvo
Posted: February 3, 2023, 7:25 pm

Original: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/02/03/uk-bank-nationwide-restricts-card-payments-to-binance/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines
By: Jamie Crawley
Posted: February 3, 2023, 4:19 pm

Original: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/02/03/india-reveals-imf-is-working-with-g-20-for-crypto-regulations/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines
By: Amitoj Singh
Posted: February 3, 2023, 4:05 pm

Original: https://decrypt.co/resources/what-is-ethereums-shanghai-upgrade
By: Nathan Reiff
Posted: February 3, 2023, 1:22 pm

A company spokesman says the second-biggest publicly listed holder of BTC wants to have a “war chest” of liquidity composed of both cash and Bitcoin.

The second largest publicly-listed holder of Bitcoin, crypto mining firm Marathon Digital Holdings has offloaded some of its Bitcoin (BTC) for the first time in two years. 

A spokesman told Cointelegraph this was not a result of financial distress. 

According to an update posted on Feb. 2, the company disclosed that during January it sold 1,500 BTC, worth $35.3 million at current prices.

While some crypto miners have been forced to sell Bitcoin due to distress, Marathon vice president of corporate communications Charlie Schumacher said this was not the case for Marathon.

Schumacher said that Marathon had been diamond-handing its Bitcoin until now, as the firm didn’t want to sell while production was down, and has been bullish on the long-term prospects of the leading cryptocurrency.

But coming into the new year, Marathon wants to have a “war-chest” of liquidity composed of both cash and Bitcoin and is looking to continue paying down debt and increase its cash positions.

Schumacher also noted that Bitcoin’s recent uptick in price contributed to the decision to sell some of its holdings.

 January saw Bitcoin rise above the $24,000 price level for the first time since August.

Even after the sale, Marathon managed to increase its unrestricted Bitcoin holdings in the month to 8,090 BTC ($189.8 million).

Marathon said it also had significantly ramped up Bitcoin production throughout January, producing 687 BTC, which represents an increase of 45% compared to the month prior. In the update, Marathon chairman and CEO Fred Thiel noted: 

“The improvement in our bitcoin production was primarily a result of our team’s ability to work in tandem with the new hosting provider in McCamey, Texas, to address the maintenance and technical issues at the King Mountain data center that had suppressed our bitcoin production in the fourth quarter of 2022."

Last year, Marathon noted in a May 4 update that the last time it had sold any Bitcoin was on Oct. 21, 2020, and has been hodling since then.

When asked how it had managed to avoid selling the main product of its business operations, Schumacher pointed to the firm’s low headcount, consisting of “32 people as of today,” and suggested it was a result of sound long-term financial strategies.

Related: Bitcoin price is up, but BTC mining stocks could remain vulnerable throughout 2023

Marathon is the second-biggest publicly listed holder of Bitcoin according to CoinGecko, beaten only by software analytics company MicroStrategy. It has recorded a significant boost in its share price in recent days, with MARA stock rising 135% so far this year to $8, according to MarketWatch.

Original: https://cointelegraph.com/news/marathon-s-first-bitcoin-sale-in-2-years-not-the-result-of-distress
By: Luke Huigsloot
Posted: February 3, 2023, 4:46 am

The hedge fund manager instead wants to see an “inflation-linked coin” be brought to the masses which would serve to ensure consumers secure their buying power.

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has described fiat currency as being in serious “jeopardy” as an effective store of wealth but doesn’t believe Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins will be the solution either.

The founder of hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates explained on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Feb. 2 that the mass money printing of the United States dollar and other reserve currencies has him questioning whether they are forms of “effective money.”

“We are in a world in which money as we know it is in jeopardy. We are printing too much, and it’s not just the United States, it is all the reserve currencies.”

However, Dalio was quick to add his thoughts on whether Bitcoin was a potential solution, acknowledging that despite what it has accomplished in “12 years,” it is still too volatile to serve as money:

"It's not going to be an effective money. It's not an effective store holder of wealth. It's not an effective medium of exchange," he argued.

He also dismissed stablecoins as an effective form of money, as they are replica of state-backed fiat currency.

Instead, Dalio proposed the creation of an “inflation-linked coin” that would serve to ensure consumers secure their buying power.

“The closest thing to that is an inflation index bond, but if you created a coin that says OK this is buying power that I know I can save in and put my money in over a period of time and transact in anywhere, I think that would be a good coin,” he said.

"#Bitcoin has no relation to anything. It's a tiny thing that gets disproportionate attention," says @RayDalio on #crypto. "The value of $BTC is less than 1/3 of $MSFT stock. It's not an effective store of wealth. But we are in a world where money as we know it is in jeopardy." pic.twitter.com/Cc7o2TwkxG

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) February 2, 2023

“So I think you’re going to see the development of coins that you haven’t seen that probably will end up being attractive, viable coins. I don’t think Bitcoin is it," he added.

However, not everyone agreed with Dalio’s take on Bitcoin and the viability of an inflation-linked coin.

Digital asset manager Eric Weiss of Bitcoin for Family Officers was one, telling his 38,300 Twitter followers that such a coin could not exist:

“According to Ray, [Bitcoin] is very close to being the solution to the world’s problems but it’s too volatile. He's waiting for and vaguely describes a solution that doesn’t and can’t exist," said Weiss.

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood also had a different view of Bitcoin, referring to it as a defense against wealth confiscation in parts of the developing world:

“I’m struck that the market is now leading the Fed,” @ARKinvest Founder @CathieDWood says on bond market downtrends.https://t.co/DDNw4dbOPD pic.twitter.com/AAS0UWf0kh

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) February 2, 2023

“Those populations need a fallback, an insurance policy like Bitcoin,” she said.

Related: Crypto-friendly Ray Dalio steps back from Bridgewater’s $150M fund

Dalio’s latest views on Bitcoin come despite once having labeled it “one hell of an invention” that could serve as a viable inflation hedge. However, these remarks were made on Jan. 28, 2021 — before the current bear market took effect.

The billionaire investor has also previously recommended BTC should make up 1-2% of an investors portfolio on Jan. 6, 2022.

As an investment product, the hedge fund manager said back in May 2021 that he would rather buy BTC over bonds but stated a few months later that he still prefers gold.

On Oct. 4, Dalio stepped down as Bridgewater’s co-chief investment officer, but he remained on board as a mentor.

Original: https://cointelegraph.com/news/fiat-is-in-jeopardy-but-bitcoin-stablecoins-aren-t-the-answer-either-ray-dalio
By: Brayden Lindrea
Posted: February 3, 2023, 1:20 am

Original: https://decrypt.co/120468/bitcoin-hyperinflation-insurance-policy-cathie-wood
By: Andrew Throuvalas
Posted: February 2, 2023, 10:52 pm

Original: https://decrypt.co/120466/nfts-on-bitcoin-ordinals-counterparty-stacks
By: Jason Nelson
Posted: February 2, 2023, 10:33 pm

Original: https://decrypt.co/120459/will-it-run-doom-bitcoin
By: Kate Irwin
Posted: February 2, 2023, 10:04 pm

Original: https://decrypt.co/120456/metamask-adds-new-wallet-settings-but-is-it-enough-for-user-privacy
By: Kate Irwin
Posted: February 2, 2023, 8:33 pm

Original: https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-magazine/2023/02/02/why-ex-sec-official-john-reed-stark-is-wrong-about-crypto/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines
By: Miller Whitehouse-Levine
Posted: February 2, 2023, 4:54 pm