Month: February 2022

  • 7 Killer Cryptos to Buy for January | by Bit Media Buzz | Feb, 2022

    7 Killer Cryptos to Buy for January | by Bit Media Buzz | Feb, 2022

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    Bit Media Buzz

    InvestorPlace — Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

    It’s been a rough start to 2022 for crypto investors. Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD) has witnessed meaningful correction and altcoin have followed.

    Unrest in Kazakhstan has resulted in Bitcoin network power slumps and that’s one reason for the correction. Further, the Federal Reserve has signaled tapering and rate hikes are coming in 2022. Relative tightening of liquidity is another reason for some weakness in the crypto world.

    However, volatility is nothing new in the crypto space. In the past, Bitcoin has witnessed sharp correction. It has been followed by a strong reversal rally. I also believe that we are at a point where Bitcoin dominance is likely to decline on a relative basis.

    Altcoin dominance will increase and the out-performers will be coins that have a strong use case. In uncertain times, meme coins or low utility coins are likely to be the worst hit.

    Overall, real interest rates are likely to remain negative in most parts of the world. Even if contractionary monetary policies are pursued. This will continue to encourage investment and speculation in risky asset classes.

    I therefore believe that the recent correction is a good opportunity to accumulate some quality altcoins.

    Let’s discuss seven cryptos that are positioned for a strong rally in the near-term. These altcoins are also likely to remain in an uptrend in the coming quarters.

    • Binance Coin (CCC:BNB-USD)
    • Zignaly (CCC:ZIG-USD)
    • MarketMove (CCC:MOVE-USD)
    • MarhabaDeFi (CCC:MRHB-USD)
    • Torum (CCC:XTM-USD)
    • Fetch.ai (CCC:FET-USD)
    • Rari Governance Token (CCC:RGT-USD)

    Source: Robert Paternoster / Shutterstock.com

    In October 2017, BNB coin was trading at three cents. The coin touched all-time highs of $686 in May 2021. This serves as a good example of the value creation that’s likely to come by holding fundamentally strong projects.

    After being a star performer in 2021, BNB coin has been in a downtrend in the recent past. At current levels of $487, it’s worth buying for short-term and long-term gains.

    As an overview, Binance is the top centralized cryptocurrency exchange in the world. The exchange currently has 355 listed coins as compared to 139 coins listed on Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN). For investors who are bullish on continued adoption growth of cryptocurrencies, BNB coin is a core portfolio hold.

    Last month, Binance partnered with Dubai World Trade Centre. The partnership will set up an international virtual asset ecosystem. In December 2021, Binance also acquired 18% stake in Singapore based regulated private exchange, Hg Exchange.

    It seems that Binance has ample financial flexibility to pursue acquisition driven growth. Further, Binance Labs has been investing in attractive projects in the crypto world. Once bullish sentiments are back, it would not take long for BNB coin to surge.

    Source: Shutterstock

    I had talked about Zignaly in October 2021 as a project that has a strong use case. From November 2021 lows of two cents, ZIG coin is already higher by over 280%. As a matter of fact, the coin had touched highs of 18 cents in the recent rally. I believe that ZIG coin is worth accumulation with the market sentiment driving the coin lower.

    The recent market volatility and downside has further underscored the importance of Zignaly project in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The idea of Zignaly is to follow trading experts for profits. The platform has already gained significant traction with 350,000 users and $120 million in assets under management.

    It’s worth mentioning here that Zignaly profit-sharing and trading has an edge over copy trading. In the latter, the user is always one-step behind the trader. However, in profit-sharing, the user is a co-investor with the trader. Zignaly claims that the top 20 traders on the platform delivered 270% annual profits. Therefore, just by profit sharing with these traders, investors can make meaningful gains.

    I particularly like the project as there are thousands of new investors taking a plunge into cryptocurrencies on a daily basis. It makes sense to test the waters with an expert before pursuing individual trading.

    Source: Shutterstock

    In the last two-weeks, Bitcoin has trended lower. However, during the same period, MOVE token has been in an uptrend.

    MarketMove is another project that I have talked about in the past. However, the project is undergoing a complete revamp with Move X slated to be launched in the second week of January 2022. This is a key reason for MOVE token to trend higher.

    MarketMove project started with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven Safety Audit of projects. Further, the project aimed at bringing features like stop-loss and limit orders in decentralized finance.

    However, with the coming launch of Move X, the project vision seems to have widened. While the whitepaper is still to be unveiled, Move X swap will be cross-chain and allow investors the best swap rates, which will be powered by artificial intelligence. Therefore, the idea is not just to provide a platform to exchange assets (across chains), but to exchange at the best possible rates.

    Additionally, Move X intends to differentiate itself from other DeFi projects by being a complete suite of high-end tools. As an example, the project aims to provide investors with suggestions on how to earn using staking and farming across blockchains.

    Overall, MarketMove project is just two quarters old. It seems that the team has a vision of making the project a one-stop shop for all DeFi needs. In my view, some exposure to the project can be considered for potential multi-fold returns.

    Source: Shutterstock

    MRHB is another token in the crypto space that has survived the recent carnage. On Dec. 27, the token was trading at four cents. It’s already higher by over 200% at 13 cents.

    So, what’s the differentiating factor?

    MarhabaDeFi claims to be the first project in the decentralized world that builds a shariah-compliant suite of crypto financial solutions. According to CoinGecko, the project is focused on “Islamic Finance liquidity pool which is currently over $3 trillion in size, growing, and serves over 1,000,000 people globally”

    Liquidity Harvester is one feature of MarhabaDeFi. It’s for income generation across a vast range of sharia compliant pools that will deliver APY in the range of 5% to 25%. The project also has a cross-chain DEX Aggregator that splits large orders across various decentralized exchanges to reduce the slippage. The launch of interest-free crypto financing is also on the cards in 2022.

    With a lot happening in the NFT space, MarhabaDeFi has introduced Souq NFT. This is a NFT collection and creation platform. It also includes listing and auction marketplace.

    Overall, MRHB token looks attractive with a diversified offering in an unexplored area of Islamic finance merging with the crypto world. It’s not surprising that the coin has been trending higher even as broad markets decline.

    Source: Shutterstock

    XTM coin has been in a correction mode in the recent past. However, it’s worth noting that XTM is still higher by 700% from lows of October 2021. The coin has therefore witnessed a meaningful rally. I believe that the correction provides a good entry point for long-term investors.

    As an overview, Torum is the first social media platform that’s specifically designed for cryptocurrency users. According to the website, the social media platform already has 203,361 users. With a global reach, it’s likely that Torum users will continue to increase.

    Further, there are few factors that are likely to support user growth as the project visibility increases.

    First and foremost, the platform rewards users for activities that include posting, liking posts and for creating threads on specific topics. Users are rewarded XTM coins. This provides an incentive to remain active on the social media platform.

    Furthermore, Torum is expanding beyond just social media. The project already serves as a news aggregator in the crypto space. Additionally, NFT Marketplace and NFT Launchpad are catalysts for sustained user growth in the social media platform. Besides the launchpad, the Torum DeFi also provides investors with liquidity farming and cross-chain swapping.

    Another interesting upcoming feature of the project is Torumgram. This will connect Telegram with Torum, “essentially allowing the community to use Telegram directly on Torum.”

    Source: Shutterstock

    Fetch.ai project is another name that comes with a strong use case. The project aims to bring the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to the decentralized world.

    FET token has been an out-performer in the last 12-months. Even after the recent decline, the token is higher by 550% over this period.

    In terms of the use case, Fetch.ai has applications in areas that include smart city, decentralized delivery agents and autonomous AI travel agents, among others. Last year, the project developed a decentralized marketplace for global manufacturer, Festo.

    In particular, the smart city project promises significant reduction in carbon footprint. With rising environmental concerns, this can be a game-changer. Fetch.ai estimates that the “implementation of smart-city infrastructure will result in 34,000 tonnes Co2 emission reduction annually.”

    In March 2021, Fetch.ai also received institutional investment of $5 million. This will help in building and accelerating the company’s AI application. Among the project partners, there are big names like Bosch and Blockchain for Europe.

    Overall, FET token looks attractive below 50 cents and is worth considering for the medium to long-term.

    Source: Shutterstock

    As the world of decentralized finance swells, RGT token is worth holding for the long-term.

    The token had touched all-time highs of $64.6 in November 2021. After a meaningful correction, the token currently trades at $26.88. With a limited supply of 12.5 million tokens, I am bullish on RGT touching new highs once the sentiments reverse for cryptocurrencies.

    As an overview, Rari Capital is involved in lending, borrowing and yield generation in the DeFi space. For Rari, growth has been stellar in the last 12-months.

    Currently, the community has more than 10,000 members with a total value locked of $1.1 billion. Rari Capital provides more than 100 DeFi opportunities.

    It’s worth noting that even with a potential rate hike in 2022, real interest rates will remain negative. Rari allows investors to deposit crypto-assets and earn a robust yield. It’s therefore very likely that the total value locked in DeFi opportunities in the project will continue to swell.

    This will translate into upside for the governance token that looks undervalued. To put things into perspective, the project currently has fully diluted valuation to total value locked ratio of 0.33.

    On the date of publication, Faisal Humayun did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

    Faisal Humayun is a senior research analyst with 12 years of industry experience in the field of credit research, equity research and financial modelling. Faisal has authored over 1,500 stock specific articles with focus on the technology, energy and commodities sector.

    The post 7 Killer Cryptos to Buy for January appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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  • BaFin Warns Investors of Crypto Trading Advices on Social Media

    BaFin Warns Investors of Crypto Trading Advices on Social Media

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    The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany (BaFin) issued a warning on crypto trading advice on social media. Although there was no direct reference to social media channels, Telegram is one of these sources.

    BaFin did provide its principals for any investor that wishes to use social media for investment tips.

    BaFin’s Advice on Social Media Tips

    The number of followers, likes or positive feedback are not valid indicators. They do not reflect the performance of the investment tips. It is very easy to manipulate results in social media. Positive feedback or references related to investment success stories can be fictionized and produced at the author’s request.

    Investment tips are often marketed aggressively on social media. The goal is to make investors have ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) and push them into making poor decisions. Always check the investment advice to ensure the risks and opportunities are fully understood.

    Investment advice on social networks is mostly free. This means that the author is compensated through other sources. Most of the time they earn a commission from the broker that its products are advertised on social media. For regular users, it is difficult to detect. Bear in mind that with such commission models there can be an ulterior motive for the individual providing the advice.

    There is no ‘fast money’ that is ‘100% safe.’ If you are promised high profits rest assured that the risk is extremely high. The financial products that may offer such returns are highly speculative on most occasions. This can result in significant loss including losing the entirety of invested capital.

    Caution is advised if only success stories are highlighted without the risk involved.

    ‘Pump and Dump’

    There are dedicated Telegram groups that ‘pump and dump’
     
     cryptocurrencies 
    . These groups coordinate their trades, targeting low-volume cryptocurrencies. When the price jumps higher, investors that are unaware of the scheme buy the cryptocurrency. The groups’ members then sell their cryptos for a hefty profit.

    The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (
     
     ASIC 
    ) has been cracking down on these groups.

    The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany (BaFin) issued a warning on crypto trading advice on social media. Although there was no direct reference to social media channels, Telegram is one of these sources.

    BaFin did provide its principals for any investor that wishes to use social media for investment tips.

    BaFin’s Advice on Social Media Tips

    The number of followers, likes or positive feedback are not valid indicators. They do not reflect the performance of the investment tips. It is very easy to manipulate results in social media. Positive feedback or references related to investment success stories can be fictionized and produced at the author’s request.

    Investment tips are often marketed aggressively on social media. The goal is to make investors have ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) and push them into making poor decisions. Always check the investment advice to ensure the risks and opportunities are fully understood.

    Investment advice on social networks is mostly free. This means that the author is compensated through other sources. Most of the time they earn a commission from the broker that its products are advertised on social media. For regular users, it is difficult to detect. Bear in mind that with such commission models there can be an ulterior motive for the individual providing the advice.

    There is no ‘fast money’ that is ‘100% safe.’ If you are promised high profits rest assured that the risk is extremely high. The financial products that may offer such returns are highly speculative on most occasions. This can result in significant loss including losing the entirety of invested capital.

    Caution is advised if only success stories are highlighted without the risk involved.

    ‘Pump and Dump’

    There are dedicated Telegram groups that ‘pump and dump’
     
     cryptocurrencies 
    . These groups coordinate their trades, targeting low-volume cryptocurrencies. When the price jumps higher, investors that are unaware of the scheme buy the cryptocurrency. The groups’ members then sell their cryptos for a hefty profit.

    The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (
     
     ASIC 
    ) has been cracking down on these groups.

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  • Bitcoin Hits Two-week High Imitating The Stock Rally

    Bitcoin Hits Two-week High Imitating The Stock Rally

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    Cryptocurrencies are seeing a significant recovery as investors take advantage of the recent stock market rally and increased risk appetite. Bitcoin hits its highest in two weeks, extending gains from earlier this week that had seen it climb to $41,938 per coin on Saturday morning (Jan 24th).

    Related Reading | Bitcoin mimics stocks rally, hits two-week high

    Bitcoin, the largest digital currency globally, has hit $41,938. It is 16% high from Thursday’s low and 27% from the current year’s low of $32,950.

    Bitcoin Price
    Bitcoin price hits two weeks high of $41,938. Source: Tradingview.com

    Ether, the second-largest digital currency, has scaled new heights, reaching $3K for the first time since January 21.

    Bitcoin recorded its biggest single-day gain since mid-June as fears of faster than expected Fed rate hikes led to an increase in inflation, with the cryptocurrency also being roiled by technological innovation. However, Friday’s 11% rise was enough to consider haven against this trend and get some positive press at least until Monday when everything will likely go back down again.

    Bitcoin Price Recovery: Thanks to Amazon

    Despite a long week of volatility from earnings, US stocks ended the week strong. The tech-heavy NASDAQ secured gains thanks to Amazon’s robust growth and Facebook owner Meta Platforms’ disappointing results that evening gave them more confidence in their business models moving forward.

    Related Reading | Amazon Strong Growth Attributed to the Cloud Despite Retail Headwinds

    Bitcoin has moved seamlessly into the mainstream. That resulted in investors looking to get in on the action when risk appetite is low. Ed Hindi, Chief Investment Officer of Tyr Capital, said;

    “The current panic and volatility surrounding bitcoin are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of it as an asset class. When valuations on the Nasdaq fall, misguided institutional investors start liquidating bitcoin positions en masse as if it were a tech stock.”

    The recent rise in the stock market has given other listed crypto assets a boost. As a result, some currencies even reached new highs.

    BTC Price Prediction

    Though prices for Bitcoin have seen a significant drop in the last week of January and were sitting at 47% of their all-time high, the cryptocurrency recovered slightly after reaching a low of $33K on Jan 24, 2022, and is worth about $42k.

    Buy, sell and hold? Analysts are split on whether or when to buy cryptocurrency. But more than half believe this is a good time for buyers, with only 45% disagreeing.

    The experts from the top fintech companies predict that by the end of 2022, bitcoin will reach an all-time high of $93,717 – more than 24K dollars higher than its current all-time high price.

    This is a great time to invest in cryptocurrency. Experts predict that by the end of 2025, bitcoin will trade at $192k and mount up over 300% from its November 2021 peak and reach nearly half a million dollars by 2030. While these predictions may seem lofty goals at first glance, they’re significantly less than what experts predicted back in July 2021 when their last forecast said bitcoins prices could reach 265k or 706K, respectively.

                       Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView.com

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  • What is Harmony (ONE) blockchain and why it is getting so much traction?

    What is Harmony (ONE) blockchain and why it is getting so much traction?

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    Harmony is getting a lot of traction because it addresses core blockchain concerns, is energy-efficient, has cross-chain capabilities, offers lower gas fees and has a huge potential for nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

    Maintain decentralization and security

    Harmony thinks its network can scale while maintaining decentralization and security because it uses sharding, which divides validators into multiple groups and allows them to approve transactions and new blocks simultaneously. Harmony can now process 2,000 transactions per second (TPS), which is comparable to Visa, ONE of the world’s largest payment networks. Harmony believes it will process 10 million TPS in the long run.

    On the other hand, Harmony does not compromise security or decentralization even as it scales. For example, the network assigns nodes or computers that join the network and validate transactions, to distinct shards via a distributed randomness generation mechanism. Harmony also keeps the minimum number of ONE tokens required for nodes to join the network as validators and preserve decentralization at a low level.

    Energy-efficient

    Many blockchain networks are now adopting the proof-of-stake model, which Harmony has employed since its inception. As a result, nodes put up existing tokens as collateral in this procedure to have a chance to be chosen at random to validate transactions. For a block to be approved, several validators must check transactions. Harmony stands out from other networks because its architecture and proof-of-stake consensus method allow it to complete blocks in under two seconds.

    Cross-chain capabilities

    Additionally, Harmony introduced Horizon, a cross-chain interoperability bridge with Ethereum, allowing assets to be exchanged between the two networks. This innovation can revolutionize cross-border payments and make cryptocurrency exchanges more convenient. Harmony has also established connections with other blockchains, such as Binance.

    By allowing nodes on other blockchain networks to validate transactions, Harmony’s platform can transfer data across various blockchain networks, regardless of whether they use proof-of-stake or proof-of-work governance. 

    Lower gas fees

    Harmony’s network seldom becomes clogged, thanks to its high TPS and usage of proof-of-stake validation. As a result, it does not have high gas fees, which are now a fraction of a penny per transaction on Harmony. 

    On the other hand, a network like Ethereum sees far more overall demand and transactions than Harmony. Still, Harmony claims that it can alleviate congestion issues by simply adding additional shards, even if the network is fully utilized and witnessing exceptionally high demand.

    Huge potential for NFTs

    The network’s cross-chain capabilities open up some exciting possibilities for NFTs, which are secure digital art, video and audio assets that may be transmitted on a blockchain network. Moreover, cheaper gas expenses may make the network appealing to developers interested in minting NFTs.

    According to Harmony, bridging NFTs from ONE network to another may be costly at first, but subsequent transactions will be inexpensive. Harmony also announced on Twitter that it is working on NFT lending, NFT verification and fractionalization, among other features.



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  • Bitcoin (BTC) Mining: Is It Still Profitable?

    Bitcoin (BTC) Mining: Is It Still Profitable?

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    Despite price challenges and a surge in regulations around Bitcoin mining, the BTC hash rate is making new records every week. In January 2022, the mean hash rate breached the level of 183 Exahash, the highest level on record. BTC network witnessed a sooner-than-expected recovery in the mining sector after China announced a crackdown on the mining of digital assets in the region.

    Overall, the hash rate plummeted as much as 54% in May 2021. However, leading Bitcoin mining companies shifted to other global locations due to the mining-friendly approach by the relevant governments and cheap electricity. With mining rewards getting less amid Bitcoin halving events, rising competition, and energy issues, there is one key question that comes into the mind of every individual interested in this sector, is BTC mining still profitable?

    Well, analysts believe it is, and they have some strong numbers to back their claims. According to Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex, large institutions will take more interest in Bitcoin mining in the coming months. “I expect the bitcoin hash rate to continue to rise as competition in the bitcoin mining space increases. In fact, bitcoin mining is demonstrating a strong degree of anti-fragility. Notably, the China ban in the summer of 2021 demonstrated the resilience of the sector. Businesses will continue to be attracted to the space and this in itself is a testament to the profitability of the space as a whole,” Ardoino said.

    Cost of Electricity

    According to Maria Stankevich, Chief Business Development Officer at EXMO UK, the cost of energy plays an important role in the profitability of Bitcoin mining and the reason behind leading mining players moving to locations like the US and Europe is that the price of electricity for mining is very low in the mentioned regions.

    “Bitcoin mining is still profitable in 2022. If we are going into the details, then let’s look at the different aspects of mining that we should take into consideration when we talk about its profitability. Cost of electricity, the electricity prices are very different from country to country. Russia, for example, has very low prices for electricity compared to some areas (like Siberia), so it charges a lower price for industrial electricity in order to encourage economic growth. This means that a mining farm in Siberia will pay 50% as much for the electricity you would mine at home in Germany or the USA,” Maria said.

    “Secondly, the mining hardware. There are plenty of different mining machines today, but according to different studies, the majority of the most modern machines could remain profitable at a bitcoin price between $5000 and $6000. Thirdly, reliable mining pool and fees while selling BTC. Today, there are a few very big mining pools that provide certain security to the miners. Sometimes, they have referral partnerships with some exchanges that lower commissions. But even without this mechanism, fees on the exchanges dropped significantly over the past few years, so from this point of view mining also looks profitable,” she added.

    Current Bitcoin Mining Ecosystem

    Ilman Shazhaev, Executive Chairman of OneBoost, believes that the current dynamics of the crypto market facilitate Bitcoin mining, even at a low BTC price.

    “As for BTC mining profitability, I can confidently say that it is still profitable. Bitcoin mining is especially profitable because, despite the current situation with the all-time-high hash rate (around 200 exahashes) and the price fluctuations below $40,000 (which are the least favorable conditions), the top-end devices are so energy-efficient that just around 40% of the mined Bitcoin covers the company’s expenditure, the rest is pure profit. If you compare it with a similar situation in 2018 and 2019, the expenditure back then constituted 70–80 percent with 14 nm chips,” Shazhaev noted.

    “So, without a shadow of a doubt, Bitcoin mining is profitable at the moment, and despite all the price swings during 2021, analytical reports from our data centers alone show the average statistics of an 80% profitability rate. Respectively, even taking into account all the complications for mining due to the low price and the high Bitcoin mining difficulty, mining of the first cryptocurrency clearly remains profitable,” the Executive Chairman of OneBoost, highlighted.

    Recovery

    The BTC mining sector has recovered quickly from the recent setbacks like China’s ban, Russia’s crypto rumors, Kazakhstan’s shutdown, and energy consumption-related problems. Farah Mourad, the Senior Market Analyst at XTB MENA, outlined that the recovery indicates strong Bitcoin mining fundamentals.

    “Since its crash back in June, Bitcoin mining difficulty indicator recovered from China’s crackdowns effect reaching a new all-time high. Since then, the markets expected the mining hash rate to remain in an uptrend, until the potential Russian crackdown on bitcoin mining. Would this change the expectations? It is important to note that a potential Russian crackdown on bitcoin mining, would result in a lower hash rate, which doesn’t necessarily mean more profit for miners,” Farah said.

    “The direct effect would be seen over bitcoin value and revenue. As we’ve seen post-China crackdown, miners managed to recover fast. Any potential profit for individual mining might be short-lived with the challenge of having access to extremely low-cost electricity. We continue to see a significant accumulation trend since 2021. Putin backing crypto mining might be supporting the trend for the short term as well. A potential migration is still on the table which would lead to changes in trends. Mining spreading over different jurisdictions might potentially bring more stability to hash rates,” she added.

    Despite price challenges and a surge in regulations around Bitcoin mining, the BTC hash rate is making new records every week. In January 2022, the mean hash rate breached the level of 183 Exahash, the highest level on record. BTC network witnessed a sooner-than-expected recovery in the mining sector after China announced a crackdown on the mining of digital assets in the region.

    Overall, the hash rate plummeted as much as 54% in May 2021. However, leading Bitcoin mining companies shifted to other global locations due to the mining-friendly approach by the relevant governments and cheap electricity. With mining rewards getting less amid Bitcoin halving events, rising competition, and energy issues, there is one key question that comes into the mind of every individual interested in this sector, is BTC mining still profitable?

    Well, analysts believe it is, and they have some strong numbers to back their claims. According to Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex, large institutions will take more interest in Bitcoin mining in the coming months. “I expect the bitcoin hash rate to continue to rise as competition in the bitcoin mining space increases. In fact, bitcoin mining is demonstrating a strong degree of anti-fragility. Notably, the China ban in the summer of 2021 demonstrated the resilience of the sector. Businesses will continue to be attracted to the space and this in itself is a testament to the profitability of the space as a whole,” Ardoino said.

    Cost of Electricity

    According to Maria Stankevich, Chief Business Development Officer at EXMO UK, the cost of energy plays an important role in the profitability of Bitcoin mining and the reason behind leading mining players moving to locations like the US and Europe is that the price of electricity for mining is very low in the mentioned regions.

    “Bitcoin mining is still profitable in 2022. If we are going into the details, then let’s look at the different aspects of mining that we should take into consideration when we talk about its profitability. Cost of electricity, the electricity prices are very different from country to country. Russia, for example, has very low prices for electricity compared to some areas (like Siberia), so it charges a lower price for industrial electricity in order to encourage economic growth. This means that a mining farm in Siberia will pay 50% as much for the electricity you would mine at home in Germany or the USA,” Maria said.

    “Secondly, the mining hardware. There are plenty of different mining machines today, but according to different studies, the majority of the most modern machines could remain profitable at a bitcoin price between $5000 and $6000. Thirdly, reliable mining pool and fees while selling BTC. Today, there are a few very big mining pools that provide certain security to the miners. Sometimes, they have referral partnerships with some exchanges that lower commissions. But even without this mechanism, fees on the exchanges dropped significantly over the past few years, so from this point of view mining also looks profitable,” she added.

    Current Bitcoin Mining Ecosystem

    Ilman Shazhaev, Executive Chairman of OneBoost, believes that the current dynamics of the crypto market facilitate Bitcoin mining, even at a low BTC price.

    “As for BTC mining profitability, I can confidently say that it is still profitable. Bitcoin mining is especially profitable because, despite the current situation with the all-time-high hash rate (around 200 exahashes) and the price fluctuations below $40,000 (which are the least favorable conditions), the top-end devices are so energy-efficient that just around 40% of the mined Bitcoin covers the company’s expenditure, the rest is pure profit. If you compare it with a similar situation in 2018 and 2019, the expenditure back then constituted 70–80 percent with 14 nm chips,” Shazhaev noted.

    “So, without a shadow of a doubt, Bitcoin mining is profitable at the moment, and despite all the price swings during 2021, analytical reports from our data centers alone show the average statistics of an 80% profitability rate. Respectively, even taking into account all the complications for mining due to the low price and the high Bitcoin mining difficulty, mining of the first cryptocurrency clearly remains profitable,” the Executive Chairman of OneBoost, highlighted.

    Recovery

    The BTC mining sector has recovered quickly from the recent setbacks like China’s ban, Russia’s crypto rumors, Kazakhstan’s shutdown, and energy consumption-related problems. Farah Mourad, the Senior Market Analyst at XTB MENA, outlined that the recovery indicates strong Bitcoin mining fundamentals.

    “Since its crash back in June, Bitcoin mining difficulty indicator recovered from China’s crackdowns effect reaching a new all-time high. Since then, the markets expected the mining hash rate to remain in an uptrend, until the potential Russian crackdown on bitcoin mining. Would this change the expectations? It is important to note that a potential Russian crackdown on bitcoin mining, would result in a lower hash rate, which doesn’t necessarily mean more profit for miners,” Farah said.

    “The direct effect would be seen over bitcoin value and revenue. As we’ve seen post-China crackdown, miners managed to recover fast. Any potential profit for individual mining might be short-lived with the challenge of having access to extremely low-cost electricity. We continue to see a significant accumulation trend since 2021. Putin backing crypto mining might be supporting the trend for the short term as well. A potential migration is still on the table which would lead to changes in trends. Mining spreading over different jurisdictions might potentially bring more stability to hash rates,” she added.

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  • Bitcoin encourages transparency, long-term thinking

    Bitcoin encourages transparency, long-term thinking

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    Twitter co-founder and Block (previously Square) CEO Jack Dorsey discussed the implications of a Bitcoin (BTC)-powered universal basic income (UBI) strategy with US congressional candidate and a full-time elementary school teacher, Aarika Rhodes. 

    “Obscurity of information forces and incentivizes people to negative (financial) behaviors that don’t work for them, their community or family,” said Dorsey while pointing out the lack of transparency within the existing centralized financial system.

    “If there’s one thing to focus on in Bitcoin — the operations are transparent, the code is transparent, the policy is transparent.”

    This base foundation of BTC is what Dorsey believes has the potential to solve numerous use cases and problems as a direct result of using fiat currency. Through business initiatives including Start Small, the entrepreneur has invested over $55 million across the United States and overseas to experiment on UBI.

    “We’re about to do a test of the UBI-like concept with Bitcoin as well.”

    Dorsey’s BTC-powered UBI experiment will involve creating a small-scale closed-loop community of sellers and merchants that adhere to the Bitcoin standards. Based on the happiness quotient and willingness to participate, he intends to identify use cases for wide-scale implementation.

    Rhodes strongly believes that involving Bitcoin will reduce the costs related to banking fees:

    “When you have something like Lightning (network), where you can transact at very low fees is a benefit for everyone. It doesn’t matter where are economically.”

    In terms of financial literacy, Dorsey said that adopting the Bitcoin standard inculcates long-term thinking, however, his skepticism toward a BTC-powered universal basic income will reduce based on the results portrayed by the ongoing experiments:

    “Just that action of owning it (BTC) will change people’s mindsets in fundamental ways that are net positive and compounds throughout their communities, and encourages other actions like sellers and merchants around them doing similar things.”

    Along with the benefits that come with the Bitcoin standard, Dorsey is also vigilant about its negative impacts. On an end note, he highlighted the inefficiencies within the government policies and how UBI helps address some of the challenges:

    “If you intend to help people by giving them money directly is far better than the money that the governments (federal and local) spends on these existing support structures. It’s not helping people.”

    Related: Jack Dorsey: Diem was a waste of time, Meta should’ve focused on BTC

    In a recent interview with MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, Dorsey opined that Facebook (later rebranded as Meta) should’ve used an open-ended protocol like Bitcoin rather than attempting to create its own currency, Diem.

    As Cointelegraph reported, Dorsey added that making BTC more accessible would also benefit many of Meta’s instant messaging and voice-over-IP services such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.