Bitcoin is up 1% at $43,103
Ethereum is up 1% at $3,386
and Binance Coin is up 1% at $465

MoneyGram has picked up a minority stake in the crypto company Coinme

Kazakhstan’s hashrate has dropped amid an internet blackout

Bitcoin fell below its 43k support which led to 800M in futures position liquidations

Thailand’s crypto traders could face 15% capital gains tax

Links:

• MoneyGram buys minority stake in crypto company Coinme
• Kazakhstan’s Hashrate Drops as Internet Blackout Persists
• Crypto traders subject to 15% capital gains tax

Bitcoin is up 1% at $54,361
Ethereum is up .5% at $3,577
and Binance Coin is up 1% at $445

Shiba Inu up 43%
Fantom up 32%
Arweave up 16%

CoinSwitch Kuber has raised 260M in a series C.

Moneygram is partnering up with the Stellar development foundation for crypto payouts in local currencies.

Billionaire investor George Soros’ family office has invested in some Bitcoin

The US FDIC is looking into whether it can handle deposit insurance for stable coins.

Links:

• Indian crypto exchange CoinSwitch Kuber raises $260M in new funding
• MoneyGram Announces Innovative Partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation to Utilize Blockchain Technology
• US FDIC Said to Be Studying Deposit Insurance for Stablecoins — CoinDesk
• Soros Fund CEO Fitzpatrick on Market Outlook - YouTube

Bitcoin is up 1% at $51,200
Ethereum is up 1% at $1611
and Binance Coin is down slightly at 247

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Fantom up 30%
Icon up 16%
and Matic Network up 16%

Microstrategy adds to their hoard trading an additional 19,452 Bitcoins for $1.02B in cash.

Coinbase reveals that it holds Bitcoin, and other cryptos on its balance sheet.

The Federal Reserve will turn to the public to see appetite for a digital dollar beginning this year.

MoneyGram suspended the use of Ripple’s platform for the duration of the SEC lawsuit

Links:

• Coinbase offers corporations a trusted solution for adding crypto to their corporate treasury | by Coinbase | Feb, 2021 | The Coinbase Blog
• MicroStrategy Acquires Additional 19,452 Bitcoins for $1.026 Billion
• Powell says the Fed will engage the public on a digital dollar this year
• MoneyGram says it has 'suspended' use of Ripple's platform amid SEC lawsuit

Bitcoin is up 1% at $17,185
Ethereum is up 1% at $519
and XRP is up 5% at 56 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Cardano, up 16%
Dash up 16%

Ripple is selling one third of its stake in MoneyGram.

Cyberpunk holdings has liquidated its Ether and Monero to buy more bitcoin.

Curve Finance will distribute nearly $3 million in fees to governance token holders.

Crypto Custodian Copper is looking to make the DeFi space more desirable to institutions.

A DAI price increase led to liquidations in excess of $88 million at Compound.

Links:

• Moneygram International Inc Acquisition Statement SC 13D/A
• Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. Announces Updated Bitcoin Holdings
• Curve Finance Votes to Disperse $3M in Fees to Governance Token Holders - CoinDesk
• Crypto Custodian Copper Aims to Bridge Gap Between DeFi and Traditional Finance With New Tool - CoinDesk
• 🤖 Leshner on Twitter: "This morning, $DAI prices on Coinbase Pro escalated rapidly, leading to the liquidation (repayment) of 85.2M DAI borrowed from Compound. 124 of 225,793 users were impacted; there are no under-collateralized accounts, and all markets are healthy. https://t.co/p2l3v7fNov" / Twitter

Bitcoin is up 1% at $11,469
Ethereum is up 2% at $393
and XRP is up 0.5% at 27 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Numeraire up 45%
UMA up 39%
and Elrond up 16%

The New Zealand stock exchange faced a barrage of criminal cyberattacks this week.

US House members have called for a briefing on recent seizure of crypto assets from terrorist groups.

NASA is backing a blockchain-based communications system.

Fidelity’s head of strategy and planning is at the helm of a new bitcoin-focused fund.

Bitcoin is up 1.5% at $11,203
Ethereum is up 8% at $343
and XRP is up 1% at 25 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Bancor up 20%

Ripple paid 15 million in XRP incentives to MoneyGram in the second quarter of 2020.

David Schweikert, congressman from Arizona has been ordered to pay 50k in fines for violating ethics standards.

The SEC is getting ready to take a closer look at Binance coin and other coins related to Binance’s blockchain.

The US dollar has reached its lowest since May of 2018.

Links:

• Ripple paid $15.1 million in XRP incentives to MoneyGram in Q2 2020 - The Block
• Ethics Committee reprimands Schweikert for slew of violations - POLITICO
• beta.SAM.gov
• Dollar Falls to Lowest Level in Over 2 Years While Gold, Silver, Bitcoin Continue to Shine - CoinDesk

Virus Freezes Dev of Digital Yuan

Ripple Pays MoneyGram $11 Million

Links:

• China's Digital Yuan Research Delayed Amid Coronavirus Epidemic
• Coinbase Releases its Plan for the Coronavirus Spread | Cointelegraph
• MoneyGram Got Another $11M From Ripple to Use Its Cross-Border Payments Tech - CoinDesk

Ripple Completes MoneyGram Deal

CryptoTrader.tax Launches Pro Product

Links:

• Missouri Firm Launches New Software For Reporting Crypto Taxes
• Ripple Archives - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is up 0.5% at $8,850
XRP is up 1.5% at 28 cents
and Ethereum is up 1% at $184

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Dentacoin, up 15%

The US Customs and Border Protection is set to track Canadian oil and natural gas imports using blockchain.

Chinese police have arrested former Bitmain employee Yang Zuoxing—who is the CEO of its rival company MicroBT.

MoneyGram processes 10% of its transactions between the US and Mexico using XRP.

A vietnam based crypto exchange called VinDax was hacked late this week and lost around 500k in cryptocurrencies.

Hugh Haney, who is associated with the silk road, pled guilty in New York for laundering $19 million in Bitcoin in early 2018.

Links:

• US Customs agency to track oil imports using blockchain tech - The Block
• Little-known Asian crypto exchange VinDAX got hacked; lost ‘half a million USD’ worth of tokens - The Block
• Chinese police arrest former Bitmain employee, who is now CEO of its rival MicroBT - The Block
• MoneyGram processes 10% of US-Mexico transactions via Ripple solution that uses XRP - The Block
• Silk Road Seller Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering $19 Million With Bitcoin - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is down .5% at $10,697
XRP is up slightly at 31 cents
and Ethereum is down 1% at $219

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Everex up 20%
Zclassic up 17%
Dent up 15%

On the MoneyGram earnings call CEO Alex Holmes spoke about the benefits of the commercial agreement with Ripple.

South Korean Shinhan Financial investment is looking to offer peer-to-peer stock lending on blockchain.

Brazilian tax authorities have levied new requirements for crypto traders.

Links:

• South Korea's Shinhan Brokerage to Offer Blockchain-Based Securities Lending - CoinDesk
• MoneyGram talks up Ripple partnership, goes live with XRP and xRapid, in Q2 earnings - The Block
• Cryptocurrency Transactions in Brazil Must Now be Reported to its Tax Authorities | The Rio Times