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Higher interest rate concerns put a dampener on Bitcoin, says analyst

Market’s speculation of the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes continues to hinder Bitcoin, according to Marcus Sotiriou of GlobalBlock.

Bitcoin continues to hold above $43,000 after a recent uptick in prices. However, the bellwether cryptocurrency “remains hesitant,” to make a major move upwards, suggests an analyst with UK-based digital asset platform GlobalBlock.

And he points to market concerns over higher interest rates as one of the factors to put a dampener on the flagship cryptocurrency’s chances of further gains.

In a note shared with CoinJournal in which he comments on various Bitcoin-related news events this week, Marcus Sotiriou points to data showing Bitcoin’s latest upside to have been fueled by an uptick in the futures market. He notes that the recent rally had its legs propped by the derivatives markets while spot sold-off.

The aggregated Cumulative Volume Data (CVD) for spot and the futures market shows that the latter has posted a significant surge in recent weeks while spot volumes continued to stagnate.

“This suggests that this price rise was driven by speculation or hedging, rather than genuine demand,” he noted.

As the broader market watches out for the language in the US Federal Reserve’s minutes from the January 25th-26th policy meeting, Sotiriou says the contents could provide an “insight” into the Fed’s thinking on interest rates.

While he thinks the market is unlikely to be “shocked” by today’s FOMC minutes given investors have already priced in the March rate hike, concerns remain around just how aggressive the Fed will be going.

Despite these concerns, Sotiriou says increased investment into the crypto sector by major financial institutions is a positive indicator of a possible rebound. 

Such companies include Singapore’s DBS that plans to launch a crypto trading service for retailers by the end of 2022, and Fidelity, which just launched an exchange-traded product (ETP) in Europe.

Bitcoin currently trades around $43,630, nearly 1% lower in the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency looks to be mirroring the US stock market, which has the S&P 500 and Nasdaq down by 0.76% and 1.31% respectively.

The post Higher interest rate concerns put a dampener on Bitcoin, says analyst appeared first on Coin Journal.

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RCMP orders blacklist of 34 crypto wallets: report

2 RCMP on horse back

The police order, Counter Signal reports,  is part of the government’s “emergency” measures and puts over 25 Bitcoin, or roughly $1.4 million at risk of being blocked to the truckers’ access.

Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has reportedly ordered all FINTRAC regulated companies in the country to cease all business transactions with 34 cryptocurrency wallets, following an order from the government.

According to a report covered by the media platform The Counter Signal, the blacklisted crypto wallets are allegedly linked to the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa.

“The Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police are currently investigating cryptocurrency donations being collected in relation to illegal acts falling under the scope of the Emergency Measures Act,” Counter Signal quotes the RCMP order.

The order then mentions the Emergency Economic Measures Order and states that 29 Bitcoin addresses, 2 Ethereum addresses and one each involving Cardano, Monero, and Litecoin should cease all transactions as stipulated Emergency Act, subsection 19(1).

 “Any information about a transaction or proposed transaction in respect of these address (es), is to be disclosed immediately to the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at CryptocurrencyNHQ-CryptomonnaieDG@rcmp-grc.gc.ca,” the RCMP order continued.

As noted by Counter Signal, the listed wallets have accounted for transactions ranging from $0 to $1.1 million. Around 25 bitcoins worth $1.4 million are likely to be affected if the order is effective, said the report.

The Freedom Convoy’s protests have stretched the past 18 days, with truckers blocking highways in Ottawa amid a tough stance from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

According to local news, the Ottawa Police Service has spent more than $14.1 million on efforts to bring the protests to an end.

The post RCMP orders blacklist of 34 crypto wallets: report appeared first on Coin Journal.

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Bybit signs record-breaking $150M deal with Redbull’s F1 team

  • Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the F1 title in 2021

  • The record-breaking deal will also see Bybit work with Red Bull Racing on fan tokens and blockchain education programs.

Bybit has announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Oracle Red Bull Racing, becoming the Formula One team’s first-ever ‘Principal Team Partner’.  

ByBit also becomes the F1 team’s official ‘Cryptocurrency Exchange Partner’ and will help further several collaborations that promote fan engagement and crypto adoption.

The deal will see Bybit pour $50 million per year for three years into the sponsorship with Red Bull Racing, bringing the multi-year layout to $150 million. According to a statement from the partners, the record-breaking deal will be paid in both cash crypto (BitDAO’s governance token BIT).

Bybit’s deal with Redbull comes hot on the heels of a most dramatic title-deciding race for the racing team’s Max Verstappen. The 2021 F1 champion won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the last lap of the last race of the season, capping Redbull’s 11 wins and 10 pole positions season in style.

Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit said:

“Oracle Red Bull Racing’s unique energy and creativity inspires us. The team has changed the game in the same way that digital assets have changed the global financial system.”

The partnership will include collaborations of projects that involve NFT activations, issuance of social tokens, and the promotion of blockchain technology education and adoption for positive change and financial inclusion.

The two partners will also work to promote and support women in blockchain, according to a press release published on 16 February.

Biggest sports crypto-related deal?

The three-year deal is currently the largest per annum of all the sports deals sealed by crypto companies date.

For comparison, Crypto.com’s mega $700 million naming rights deal for the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) involves $35 million per annum over 20 years. 

Algorand’s $100 million deal with Drone Racing League will see $25 million invested per year over 5 years.

The post Bybit signs record-breaking $150M deal with Redbull’s F1 team appeared first on Coin Journal.