03.08. [News of the day] • Australian crypto exchange CoinJar collaborates with Mastercard • and other articles

Welcome to today’s overview of crypto news:

MARKETS

After retreating to $ 38,300 on Friday, BTC headed north over the weekend, first reaching $ 42,400 and then starting to rise further to $ 42,600. This level has become the highest price tag for BTC since the crash in mid-May. At the time, the asset had added approximately $ 13,000 since July 20. However, the bears regained control. At first, BTC sank below $ 40,000, as announced yesterday, but that was not the end.

Since then, BTC has continued to fall, dropping to $ 38,000 earlier this day, its lowest level since July 27.

The Altcoins also enjoyed the weekend, but they are in the red for the second day in a row. ETH reached a new seven-week high of $ 2,700, but has since lost more than $ 200 in value. As a result, ETH is currently below $ 2,500.

Cryptocurrencies

Marathon Digital buys additional mining platforms from Bitmain

Marathon Digital Holdings, listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, one of the largest mining companies in North America, has announced an agreement to purchase an additional 30,000 mining machines from Bitmain to increase its mining capacity.

Marathon has entered into an agreement with Bitmain to purchase 30,000 Antminer S19j Pros for $ 120.7 million, the company said in a statement on Monday.

The new machines are expected to be delivered by Bitmain between January and June next year. Once all are deployed, Marathon will operate a total of more than 133,000 mining machines, which it said could increase the company’s hashrate to approximately 12% of the total BTC network if all machines are deployed.

Former senior Monero developer arrested for non-XMR fraud

Former Chief Executive Officer Monc Riccardo Spagni was arrested last month for alleged fraud committed between 2009 and 2011 while living in South Africa. His crimes have nothing to do with his work on the Monero network.

The court documents state that Spagni’s criminal activity is related to his work as an IT manager at Cape Cookies (a bakery in Cape Town, South Africa), where he worked from 1 October 2009 to 8 June 2011, when his employment was terminated by mutual agreement.

Spagni then captured invoices from Ensync. SPAGNI knowingly used false information to produce similar invoices allegedly from Ensync, relying on data including value added tax (VAT) number and bank account information. SPAGNI then inflated prices for goods and / or services.

Banks, crypto exchanges, companies

The Australian crypto exchange CoinJar cooperates with Mastercard on cryptocards

In its latest partnership with CoinJar, Mastercard will enable the Australian market to spend cryptocurrencies as part of its fiat infrastructure. A post on the CoinJar blog emphasized that the newly launched CoinJar Card will allow users to make purchases in cryptocurrencies, “wherever a Mastercard is accepted.”

The CoinJar Card will be made available to users via digital and physical cards and the integration of Apple Pay and Google Pay. According to the official announcement, the card supports 30 cryptocurrencies, including major ones such as BTC, ETH and XRP.

After users select their preferred cryptocurrency for payment, CoinJar converts the cryptocurrency to Australian dollars before completing the transaction. The company emphasizes in its announcement that it has “no ongoing fees and a low 1% conversion rate – returned to customers through an internal rewards program.”

Crypto.com allows USDC withdrawals for users worldwide

The Crypto.com digital asset exchange has now enabled USD Coin (USDC) withdrawals, which means that users can withdraw stablecoins and receive one-to-one US dollars directly to their bank account.

The announcement comes just over a month after the platform launched USDC deposit support following a new partnership with stablecoin issuer Circle. This partnership allowed Crypto.com users to transfer fiat currency to their trading accounts and receive the equivalent amount of USDC.

CBDC, Regulation

Gensler, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), says he is concerned about DeFi

Securities and Exchange Commission President (SEC) Gary Gensler recently told Bloomberg that he is concerned about decentralized financing. In addition to DeFi, the SEC is looking for several other crypto industries, including stablecoins and exchange-traded funds.

Gensler claims that he asked his staff to use all the agency’s powers. The SEC chief called on Congress to regulate crypto exchanges in March during a virtual hearing.

Although Gensler has led a blockchain course at MIT in the past, he has made it clear that he is not neutral to cryptocurrencies when it comes to investor protection.

The CEO of the blockchain illuminates the trial operation of CBDC Bank Of Korea

Last month, the Bank of Korea announced that it had selected Ground X, a blockchain subsidiary of Internet giant Kakao, to build a pilot project to test the CBDC, a digital won, according to The Korea Herald.

The pilot project, which will include two phases, will be launched this month, said The Korea Herald. Key stakeholders plan to complete the first phase, which will focus on the most basic features of the emerging digital fiat currency, by December.

The second phase, which will address more advanced concepts such as privacy, is due to be completed in June 2022.