Western Union appears to be getting ready to learn more about cryptocurrency.

The cryptocurrency market has been losing money for almost a whole year, and while coin values have decreased significantly from November 2021 levels, development and acceptance are still moving forward quickly.

Numerous financial services from the traditional banking industry have long claimed that cryptocurrencies are scams that are destined to fail and that they will not be touched, but that is slowly beginning to change.

According to the newly filed trademark applications, Western Union appears to be returning to cryptocurrency after previous failed attempts to get engaged. Banks are becoming more and more interested, businesses like PayPal now have their own cryptocurrency area.

The company’s upcoming intentions are revealed by new trademark filings.

The corporation appears to be making new attempts to penetrate the crypto sector, based on the applications. It hasn’t been very successful thus far, but this could start to change soon.

The trademark applications, which were submitted on October 18th, show that Western Union intends to introduce a number of crypto-related products and services.

The trademark applications were initially brought to light by trademark lawyer Mike Kondoudis, who shared his discovery on Twitter. There are a total of three trademark applications.

Examples include keeping track of wallets, setting up an exchange for digital assets and derivatives on commodities, and even issuing, brokering, and insuring tokens.

Investors are more likely to invest in cryptocurrency when regulators take strict enforcement action.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), two US financial market regulators, are actively clamping down on the cryptocurrency industry.

But it’s thought that this crackdown will draw more investors into the market.

Tough regulatory action benefits cryptocurrency.

It is said that the sector would benefit from the increased regulatory scrutiny of the cryptocurrency market because it shows that the business is maturing.

Because more money would flow into crypto assets as a result of regulatory certainty, this gives many investors a bullish perspective.

Cryptocurrency values have fallen sharply over the past year, but the volatility is decreasing as some assets, like Bitcoin, become increasingly associated with the stock market.

US officials are now focusing on the cryptocurrency industry. A number of state agencies have started looking into the collapse of Celsius and Three Arrows Capital.

On the other side, the SEC is looking into potential security offering violations at Yuga Labs and Ripple.

However, the sector thinks that because the market is considered to be mature, the legal action being taken could lead to widespread adoption.

The head of world markets at TIAA Bank told Bloomberg that regulation of cryptocurrencies was necessary to draw in institutional and conventional investors.

Nearly 50% of those who responded to the survey’s questions about the price of bitcoin predicted that by the end of 2022, it will trade between $17,600 and $25,000.

Compared to the summer of 2022, when many predicted that Bitcoin would fall to $10,000, this is a more optimistic picture.

Decreasing market volatility for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin’s volatility has greatly decreased. Since Bitcoin hit an all-time high of more than $69,000 in November of last year, the T3 Bitcoin Volatility Index has decreased by 3%.

The asset’s decreasing volatility is attributable to the S&P 500 Index since the beginning of the year.

Bitcoin has been trading in the $19,001 to $20,001 region for the past month without experiencing a spike. 42% of those surveyed believed that during the following year, the association between cryptocurrencies and tech stocks would remain unchanged.

However, only 43% of respondents stated they would increase their portfolio of cryptocurrencies during the following year.

Investors claim that as the SEC becomes more aggressive, cryptocurrency is becoming more appealing.

Investors claim that as the SEC becomes more aggressive, cryptocurrency is becoming more appealing.

Market participants report that they are more likely to invest in the field following increased enforcement action by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and other watchdogs who have been looking into crypto’s naughtiest companies.

Nearly 60% of the 564 participants in the most recent MLIV Pulse survey said they thought the recent wave of legal actions in the cryptocurrency space was a good sign for the asset class, whose renowned volatility has all but disappeared recently.

Significant interventions include the US regulatory probes of the defunct cryptocurrency companies Celsius Network and Three Arrows Capital, as well as the SEC inquiry into Yuga Labs, the company that developed the nonfungible tokens (NFTs) known as the Bored Ape collection.

“I support the ‘yes’ side. If cryptocurrency is more regulated, more professional investors will be able to invest in it because you need a regulated investment opportunity, according to Chris Gaffney, head of world markets at TIAA Bank.

The more they can integrate cryptocurrency into conventional investing, the better off it will be.

The same is true of bitcoin. When questioned in July, the majority of investors expressed significantly higher optimism over cryptocurrencies.

The majority of respondents believed it was more likely to first plummet to $10,000 than to rise to $30,000 this summer, but now over half predict the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value will trade between $17,600 and $25,000 until the end of this year.

To be fair, respondents had more alternatives to pick from this time around than they had in the prior study.

According to Mary-Catherine Lader, COO of Uniswap Labs, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, “Our investors understood and the market recognised that the decentralised protocols offer distinct advantages that not only can assist crypto markets, but also traditional markets more generally.

Although the price of Bitcoin has decreased by roughly 60% so far this year, it has been unable to meaningfully move out of the range of $18,171 and $25,203 since the last poll was done.

The T3 Bitcoin Volatility Index has dropped 33% since the token’s all-time high of around $69,000 on November 10, indicating that volatility has also largely decreased.

Since March, Bitcoin has maintained a high correlation to risk-on assets as well as the S&P 500. In the past three months, investors have mostly treated cryptocurrencies the same as other assets due to the increasing interest rate environment.

Only 43% of respondents stated they would expand their exposure to digital assets over the next 12 months, while 42% predicted that the association between cryptocurrencies and tech stocks will remain unchanged.

See why Cryptocurrency Prices Change – What Coins to Think About in a Dip.

The Fed (Federal Reserve) continues to pursue a financial tightening strategy despite the US inflation rate’s persistent rise.

This month, there was a further 75 basis point rise in interest rates. The US currency and the DXY index, which measures its strength, are supported by the Fed’s policies and the global macroeconomic situation.

The DXY index measures how much the US dollar is worth in respect to a basket of six important currencies.

Among them are the Canadian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Euro, the British pound, the Swiss franc, and the Swedish krona. The US dollar has increased 20% in value relative to a particular group of currencies over a period of time, for instance, if the number 120 is used.

In other words, a rising DXY indicates that the USD is becoming more valuable in relation to other currencies.

Concerning cryptocurrencies.

Since reaching its record high in November of last year, the value of Bitcoin has decreased by around 70%. The token’s price is now modest but varies a little.

The price of the most sought-after cryptocurrency coin has maintained around $19,000 for the past week.

It has almost fallen below that level as of this week, which is not unusual these days.

Bitcoin’s price has fluctuated above and below $19,000 during the past month, failing to hold above $20,000 for more than a brief period of time.

The cost is kept low by the weak economy. As an illustration, Bitcoin’s price dropped below $19,000 last week due to inflation statistics that revealed costs are still rising despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to make them decrease.

This is noteworthy because it remained stable at a time when other assets, like gold, fiat money, and stocks, were losing value.

The price of Bitcoin has remained largely steady despite the fact that some of these markets are currently recovering.

Some experts claim that consistency comes from the perseverance of long-term investors who are unfazed by warning indications in the US economy.

Why Cryptocurrency Prices are Rising This Week.

This week, with more negative economic news for the US and the rest of the world, analysts forecast another rise in cryptocurrency prices.

The most recent US Consumer Price Index (CPI) statistics, which was published last week, showed that inflation was 8.2% at the time.

Before an unexpected rally on Thursday and Friday, that statistic caused a significant sell-off in cryptocurrency.

Although the price of some currencies has subsequently fallen, the overall market worth is gradually heading back above $1 trillion, and after a sluggish weekend, volume is once more over $200 billion.

Now, analysts and traders are calling for a price increase this week.

Decline in the Empire State Manufacturing Index.

New York State’s manufacturing activity decreased for the third month in a row.

The Wall Street Journal’s survey of economists revealed that the Empire State Manufacturing Index would fall to minus-5.1 in October, but instead it dropped to minus-9.1 in October, down from minus-1.5 in September.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York performed a survey of manufacturing businesses in the state, and the indication suggests that factory activity decreased more quickly than it did the previous month and that consumer demand has decreased.

It serves as a gauge for the larger US manufacturing and production sectors, with the survey’s findings providing policymakers with a more current picture of the situation.

The downturn has been interpreted as an indication that the US economy is still struggling.

Michael van de Poppe, a Dutch cryptocurrency trader and financial commentator, tweeted that the results were “Way worse than projected and, again, illustrates the weakness in the economy.”

Bitcoin as an Inflation Hedge.

Although cryptocurrencies have long been promoted as a hedge against inflation, this has not yet been the case, as crypto tokens are just as susceptible to market forces and changes in the economy as any other asset.

In the upcoming months and years, those advancements will only further mass and institutional acceptance.

After two years, the Ripple court action against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is also coming to a close, with many in the industry anticipating a victory for Ripple.

Decentralized finance protocols, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and even GameFi initiatives are all making significant strides in their development, which will help them gain mainstream use and divert the market from conventional market trends.

Gary Gensler’s approach to cryptocurrencies at the SEC is criticised by US Democrat Senator John Hickenlooper

One of the first Democratic senators, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, has openly criticised Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, for his cautious attitude to cryptocurrency (SEC).

In a letter to Gensler that was originally reported by Punchbowl News, Hickenlooper said that the existing lack of a coordinated regulatory framework causes “uneven enforcement” and impedes a clear understanding of investor protection.

He said, “At the same time, existing securities regulation does not cleanly apply, as you have often observed.” “Applying the old regulations to the new market could unintentionally result in financial services being more expensive, less accessible, and the American people’s usage of the SEC’s disclosure system being diminished.”

Hickenlooper urged the SEC to act to define which digital assets are securities, how they should be issued and listed as securities, determine what disclosures are required to inform investors, establish a registration regime for trading platforms, and establish guidelines for how trading and custody should be conducted.

Politicians have previously criticised Gensler and the SEC’s attitude to cryptocurrency, but usually from the opposition party. Sen.

For instance, Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) criticised the regulator for failing to take any regulatory action that would have stopped the worst consequences of the failure of multiple crypto firms, including Celsius Network.

If US Inflation Drops Below This Level, Cryptocurrency Prices May Crash.

The release of the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) comes today, and the cryptocurrency community is humming with anticipation and apprehension in equal measure.

The crucial statistic is 8.3% from previous month. For traders and investors, any decline in that figure will serve as a buy signal because it shows the Federal Reserve is keeping inflation from rising.

If it comes in higher than 8.3%, a significant sell-off is anticipated.

At 8.30am EST (12.30pm UTC / 1.30pm UK), the information will be made available.

Investors Wait for CPI Data.

Michal van de Poppe, a well-known cryptocurrency trader and the CEO and founder of the trading firm Eight, succinctly summarised the market on Thursday morning in a Tweet.

“Markets selling off as anxieties spike over today’s CPI,” he added. possibly the year’s most touted data point.

In the past 12 hours, a number of traders and analysts have posted similar opinions on Twitter. Ash WSB, for example, forecasts an impending “boom” if the CPI is below 8% and a “dump” if it is above 8.2%.

Many traders predict that Bitcoin, which is now trading below $19k, will soar beyond $20k in the event of good news and fall below $18k in the event of bad news.

August CPI was 8.3%, according to IncomeSharks, a significant dealer. The CPI for September is predicted to be 8.1%.

Even if it wouldn’t amount to much, markets and headlines may all scream, “Inflation is decreasing, the FED is doing such a great job!”

Has crypto found a solution to the carbon problem?

Has the carbon problem genuinely been solved by crypto, or is this just wishful thinking?

© image: inside bitcoins

Since the beginning of time, cryptocurrencies have been portrayed as the villains of fairytale climate stories who abuse ever-increasing power for what seems to be the benefit of a small number of people. Now the story is going in a different direction. In order to reduce its overall energy use by almost 99%, Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency in the world, has unveiled improvements to its multi-billion dollar operations. Could this be an early sign that cryptocurrencies are developing into the decentralised system they have long been predicted to become, transforming banking, economics, and even even environmental policy? Or when twelve o’clock comes around, will everything go back to normal?

Coins are starting to turn green.

1.Fewer calculations and less emissions.

The fossil fuel business may have invented traditional cryptocurrencies, but new currencies are created by users who must solve ever-harder mathematical challenges, requiring ever-larger server farms. Ethereum uses some horrifyingly complex algorithms that use a lot less CPU resources to slow down that approaching train. As a result, Ethereum should consume less energy globally than 1,000 typical US homes rather than equaling the annual energy consumption of the Netherlands.

2. An environment with greater resilience?

Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of digital artwork NFTs as well as potential smart contracts that could offer security and transparency are supported by the Ethereum blockchain technology. It’s more than just a coin. Academics have long argued that if energy use could be decreased, blockchain technologies may make sophisticated carbon trading systems, recycling product tracking, and green financing more affordable and available.

There are a number of carbon-backed currencies that are specifically designed to fight climate change. They frequently link new coins to the issuance of carbon credits, but they are currently only a tiny portion the size of Ethereum or Bitcoin. For instance, each currency you buy is a representation of real carbon assets, like trees. The World Economic Forum recently established a Crypto Impact and Sustainability Accelerator to research their potential benefits.

Less bad is not necessarily better, and vice versa.

Although Ethereum uses less energy than it once did, according to Digiconomist, it still utilises about 20 times as much energy each transaction as a centralised system like Mastercard. According to Maximilian Holland in CleanTechnica, there is an opportunity cost because this work is essentially unnecessary and wasteful in compared to useful alternatives. This is the chance that was lost to employ this energy for household well-being and other essential economic functions.

Smart contracts are not the focus of cryptocurrency mining; it is about getting quick money. The BBC reports that some Ethereum miners have already started mining Bitcoin again. Bitcoin, the biggest and most energy-consuming cryptocurrency, utilises about 0.5 percent of the electricity generated globally. A recent study from the University of New Mexico that was published in Nature explains this. According to studies, every dollar earned in bitcoin results in $0.35 worth of global climate damage due to the production of beef or the consumption of fuel.

US Treasury Body Calls for Action to Address Regulatory Gaps and Crypto Stability Risks.

A report titled Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation was published by the Financial Stability Oversight Council. They decided to approve the report in order to give policymakers a strong platform on which to reduce the dangers that digital assets pose to the financial system.

© image: business 2 community

US Treasury addresses crypto’s regulatory holes and stability risks.

The research aims to address the regulatory loopholes in the industry as well as the risks to financial stability posed by cryptocurrencies. The study, according to Secretary of State Janet Yellen, is a crucial addition to the various studies that the Treasury and its collaborators have produced in accordance with President Joe Biden’s executive order.

The US Treasury stated in the study that because of their relationship to the established financial system and the fact that they are mostly unregulated, cryptocurrency operations represent a risk to the stability of the US financial system.The market for cryptocurrencies has expanded dramatically during the previous year, according to the research. Although there was not much of a connection between the regular banking system and the cryptocurrency market, it has the potential to grow significantly.

Additionally, cryptocurrency social trading platforms can expand the services they offer. These platforms can provide leveraged trading and asset custody services to ordinary investors and conventional financial institutions. Consumers can become more exposed to cryptocurrency-related behaviours.The crypto asset ecosystem is deemed to have flaws, according to the US Treasury. Instead of being driven by basic use cases, cryptocurrency appeared to be driven by speculation. Furthermore, prices have consistently seen sharp reductions.

Despite the sector’s efforts to portray itself as distributed, there was still the issue of the concentration of critical services. Distributed ledger technology vulnerabilities were also increasing. The decisions taken by market participants like crypto asset issuers and platforms may be to blame for such vulnerabilities.

implementing the current regulatory system.

The US Treasury also pointed out that the majority of the nonbanking businesses in the cryptocurrency ecosystem had touted their compliance with regulations. However, these businesses are primarily governed by anti-money laundering and consumer protection legislation, which do not provide a comprehensive framework for reducing financial sector vulnerabilities.Adhering to and enforcing the current regulatory framework was one of the key measures that needed to be taken in order to govern the crypto market. Additionally, the sellers and buyers of various crypto assets broke both federal and state securities laws.

Regulators have already taken enforcement measures to address non-compliance with the applicable regulations. Furthermore, it was illegal to make misleading claims regarding a product’s eligibility for federal deposit insurance, but doing so deceived buyers into believing they were protected by the government.The paper also points out that although the regulatory framework for digital assets had certain flaws, it nevertheless encompassed a significant portion of the crypto industry. First, just a few federal restrictions applied to crypto assets that were not classified as securities.

After two years of discussion, Europe completes historic crypto rules; US attempts stymied.

European Union officials have agreed on the final language of their landmark crypto law, which might open the door for an approach to regulation that covers all of Europe. The entire legislative wording of the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) was approved during a session of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, according to a letter from committee chair Edita Hrdá.In a letter to Irene Tingali, head of the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, Hrdá argued that cooperation between the Parliament and the Council should allow the law to be approved at the Parliament’s first reading.

© image: inside bitcoins

Legislators ultimately came to an agreement on the legislation package in June after two years of back and forth.The rule as it stands currently requires anyone intending to issue cryptocurrencies to create a “crypto-asset white paper” outlining their plan. But there will be certain financial constraints for stablecoin issuers.

As a result, projects are required to have reserves in an amount equal to the number of tokens issued to support the value of their tokens. Nevertheless, depending on how risky the initiative is thought to be, local authorities might gather the needed funds. The legislative draught will now go to the European Parliament for approval, after which it will probably be published in the early months of the following year’s Official Journal of the European Union, with the laws anticipated to go into effect in 2024.

Supporters of cryptocurrencies welcomed the announcement, but they pointed out that a number of crucial concerns, like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the future of decentralised finance, still needed to be addressed by the legislation (DeFi). “This represents the end of a heated but vital conversation amongst the EU co-legislators, which has been ongoing for more than two years,” the Brussels-based European Crypto Initiative (EUCI) stated in a statement.The group claimed that MPs had taken a “very defensive” position and that the legislation’s heavy focus on stablecoins came about as a result of the fact that it was developed in response to Facebook’s Diem (formerly known as Libra) initiative.

The group claimed that MPs had taken a “very defensive” position and that the legislation’s heavy focus on stablecoins came about as a result of the fact that it was developed in response to Facebook’s Diem (formerly known as Libra) initiative.According to EUCI, NFTs are not covered by the MiCA, which may cause uncertainty if authorities in different EU member states interpret the assets differently. The regulation would not also affect DeFi projects, however EUCI complained that the final wording did not sufficiently describe them.

At the moment, American efforts are stagnant.

Washington’s haphazard approach to cryptocurrencies has persisted in the interim, despite hopes by US senators to pass significant crypto legislation by year’s end being on life support. Congressman committees are delaying important votes on a number of high-profile, bipartisan projects that once seemed to have a decent chance of passing before the end of 2022. Due to MPs’ current focused focus on the elections that will take place in one month, their chances of becoming law in 2022 have all but completely evaporated.According to the calendar, Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of the Chamber of Digital Commerce trade association, it will be very challenging to carry any legislation through both chambers of Congress.

While the bulk of business sectors are okay with the Washington snarl or even actively campaign for it, the cryptocurrency industry has been vociferously promoting more regulations. They assert that Congress must act because the government organisations in charge of carrying out the current financial laws and regulations in the United States are unprepared to handle digital assets.Recent market volatility, such as the collapse of the well-known algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD, has caused investors to lose billions of dollars and increased calls for legislative intervention on Capitol Hill. In addition to regulatory uncertainties and market failures, the price of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency in the world, has decreased by more than 50% since the beginning of the year.