A shakeup of MicroStrategy Inc.’s executive suite has crypto traders weighing the consequences for bitcoin as Michael Saylor drops his role as chief executive officer. MicroStrategy’s MSTR, +12.73% shares jumped almost 13% Wednesday, a day after the company said Michael Saylor would give up the CEO title and take on a new role as executive … Read more
Hello! Welcome back to Distributed Ledger, our weekly crypto newsletter that reaches your inbox every Thursday. I’m Frances Yue, crypto reporter at MarketWatch, and I’ll walk you through the latest in this bear market. Find me on Twitter at @FrancesYue_ to send feedback, or tell us what you think we should cover. You can also … Read more
Fidelity Investments made waves in the retirement-planning industry when it became the first of the major record-keepers to roll out bitcoin for 401(k) plans. But fintech start-ups are moving in as well. In April, Fidelity said that some of the 401(k) plans it administers would soon offer employees a way to invest in bitcoin through … Read more
Tesla’s sales from April through June fell to their lowest quarterly level since last fall as supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions in China hobbled production of its electric vehicles. The company on Saturday disclosed it sold more than 254,000 cars and SUVs from April through June, an 18% drop from the first three months … Read more
The chief executive of California-based asset manager Research Affiliates has called cryptocurrencies a “Ponzi scheme”, claiming bitcoin and the blockchain technology underpinning the world’s largest digital asset help fuel illegal activity. “They are a Ponzi scheme that facilitates money laundering,” Chris Brightman told Financial News when asked about his views on cryptocurrencies. Brightman, who became … Read more
The head of the New York State Department of Financial Services said she wants the regulator to continue to be a leader in cryptocurrencies, remaining upbeat on virtual assets despite the industry’s turmoil. The regulator has issued more cryptocurrency-related licenses so far in 2022 than it did in all of 2021, its superintendent, Adrienne Harris, said … Read more
The plummeting price of bitcoin could force crypto miners to sell the tokens to fund operations, further pressuring the digital currency. In good times, crypto mining firms and bitcoin’s price are locked in a virtuous cycle. The miners own giant warehouses filled with specialised equipment that keep bitcoin transactions humming and are rewarded more bitcoin … Read more
An internal storm is brewing at crypto lender Celsius over its potential plans to file for bankruptcy, with some involved in the talks instead pushing to tap its customer base for support. The strain at the beleaguered firm — which hired restructuring consultants from advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal to help with a possible bankruptcy filing, the … Read more
Crypto broker Voyager Digital said that hedge fund Three Arrows Capital had defaulted, failing to make loan payments tied to large bets in the digital-currency realm. Three Arrows had borrowed $675m from Voyager Digital in the form of 15,250 bitcoin and $350m in USD Coin, a stablecoin whose value is pegged to the dollar. Voyager had previously said … Read more
“‘I think the worst part is probably over. We’ve seen a pretty sharp drop.’” That’s Changpeng Zhao, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, discussing the recent skid in crypto prices, which some are labeling a full-scale crash. Zhao’s comments were documented by Coindesk crypto writer Sandali Handagama. The event had not released video of the panel … Read more