Does a Fed digital dollar leave any room for crypto stablecoins?

Could stablecoins be undone by a Federal Reserve that takes consumer deposits? Would retail banks be hobbled?

Lawmakers explore Bitcoin mining efficiency, broader crypto policy issues during Congress hearing

While we are unlikely to see immediate policy effects of the exchange, legislators got educated on a wide array of blockchain-related concepts and issues.

FTX Readies Visa Debit Card for Users to Spend Crypto Balances

The card is currently unavailable in certain countries – including the U.S.

Crypto News Roundup for Jan. 21, 2022

With bitcoin breaking under $38,000, dragging down the crypto market with it, and a look at what really will matter for the metaverse, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Media in the Metaverse: NYT’s Kevin Roose on the Future of Crypto

Entering the metaverse as our new “online selves.”

Boston nurse fired for nudes on OnlyFans launches crypto porn app

Crypto Twitter responds to Bitcoin dump: ‘ok cool’

Twitter users reacted to the most recent Bitcoin price dump below $40,000 with various levels of emotion.

CasperLabs to become blockchain of choice for the City of Fuzhou, China

CasperLabs is building an open-permissioned blockchain protocol and will be a service provider to China’s Blockchain-based Service Network.

Nations to adopt Bitcoin, crypto users to reach 1B by 2023: Report

Global crypto users could top a billion by the end of 2022, according to a new report by Crypto.com.

3 wildest theories explaining $500B crypto market crash

Crypto proponents point their finger to the Fed interest rate hike, Wall Street and Russia as the prominent reason behind $500 billion crypto market wipe off.

Here are levels to watch as Bitcoin fights to avoid $30K July repeat

Bitcoin price action visits levels below $38,000 for the first time since August as losses continue to mount.

New research expects a gloomy year for Bitcoin as DeFi and DAOs rise

On the brighter side, DeFi will continue to expand and adapt, with DAO governance eventually becoming a major driver of activity.

Iris Energy Secures 600MW Connection for Texas Bitcoin Mine

The Texas facility will boost the miners' total hashrate to 15.2 EH/s in 2023.

Turkish and Salvadoran presidents meet, Bitcoiners left disappointed

The Turkish President welcomed Nayib Bukele to Ankara for an official state visit. Anyone expecting a Bitcoin talk left disappointed.

Is Tornado Cash Complicit in Laundering Crypto? It’s Complicated, Says Former Agent

Obfuscation of the money trail isn’t necessarily money laundering, according to the expert, but it still makes the protocol worthy of being treated with suspicion.

‘Facebook of Russia’ Exec Rogozov Joins Telegram’s Spin-Off Blockchain Project

Andrew Rogozov, a vice president at Russian internet giant VK, is joining the Toncoin project.

Crypto taxation could deter investors, says Thai ruling party MP

Thai ruling party MP calls for due diligence from Excise Department to study the crypto market carefully before imposing any tax

Bitcoin fundamentals diverge from BTC price dip as difficulty hits new all-time high

Difficulty follows the hash rate to hit levels never seen before, underscoring miners’ faith in long-term profitability.

‘Google for Blockchains’ The Graph Raises $50M Led by Tiger Global

The Graph is a protocol for indexing and querying structured data from 26 blockchains.

India's Crypto Industry Has Great Expectations From the New Budget

The complicated challenge of regulating cryptocurrencies may mean the industry will not be mentioned in the important budget speech.

The Father of PlayStation Doesn’t Like Metaverse or VR Headsets

PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi equates the Metaverse to nothing more than an anonymous message board.

Ether, Altcoins Tank With Bitcoin as Decoupling Narrative Goes Up in Smoke

Bitcoin and ether's correlation with the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 strengthens further amid Fed rate-hike concerns.

Blockchain meets activity tracking: Project rewards healthy habits with tokens

Medical professionals have developed ways to track and store personal health data securely within the blockchain.

Crypto liquidations pass $700M as altcoins take a hit from Bitcoin sinking below $40K

Pain for Bitcoin and altcoin investors alike as a fresh cascade sees $40,000 support disappear.

Scan your dog and go walkies in the Metaverse: Virtual NFT pets get popular

If you ever owned a Tamagotchi or loved playing Nintendogs, the odds are that you are going to love this story.

El Salvador Plans to Offer Crypto-Based Loans for SMEs

The government plans to launch a first line of $10 million provided by the Solana-based lending platform Acumen in the first quarter of 2022.

E-Commerce Giant Mercado Libre Invests in Crypto Firms Paxos, 2TM

The company acquired shares of 2TM, the holding company for Mercado Bitcoin crypto exchange, and made a “strategic investment” in Paxos.

Bitcoin dumps to hit six month lows near $38K

Bitcoin is leading the way down for all crypto as macro indicators may spell disaster for the market in the short term according to some analysts.

NFT firm Dropp GG set to launch ‘geo-minting’ and ‘mixed reality events’

“NFTs will soon replace transactions that will require proof of authenticity. We believe NFT adoption is inevitable,” stated Dropp GG founder Edmond Truong.

Bitcoin Dips Below $40,000 During Broader Asia Market Sell-Off

Ether, Solana, and other L1s also slip during Asia trading day.

SundaeSwap launches on Cardano but users report failing transactions

The first DEX on Cardano launched on the mainnet today to allow traders to perform swaps and add liquidity, but network congestion has slowed transactions processing.