News updates January 3, 2022
1. Sberbank Launches First Blockchain ETF in Russia
Russian banking giant Sberbank has presented the country’s first exchange-traded fund (ETF) giving investors access to the blockchain space. The new instrument holds securities of companies dealing with cryptocurrencies and the technologies that underpin them.
2. 13 Crypto Exchanges Custody 7% of the Crypto Economy, Coinbase Dominates With $56.2B AUM
As 2022 begins, 13 different cryptocurrency exchange platforms have more than a billion dollars each in digital currencies held in reserves. Between all 13 trading platforms, the group of exchange platforms hold a whopping $165.25 billion worth of bitcoin, ethereum, and tether
13 Crypto Exchanges Hold a Billion or More in Crypto Equalling Over $165 Billion in Assets Under Management
At the time of writing, the crypto economy is worth $2.3 trillion and 7.10% of the aggregate or $168 billion is made up of stablecoins. Furthermore, statistics on January 2, 2022, indicate that 13 crypto-asset trading platforms hold a billion dollars or more in cryptocurrencies.
3. India's Central Bank RBI Says Crypto Is Prone to Fraud and Poses Immediate Risks to Consumer Protection
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has warned about multiple risks cryptocurrency poses to the country’s financial stability. “They are also prone to frauds and to extreme price volatility,” the apex bank claims, stressing that “cryptocurrencies pose immediate risks to customer protection and anti-money laundering (AML) / combating the financing of terrorism (CFT).”
4. Turkey Reveals Scheme That Encourages the Conversion of Gold Deposits Into Lira Time Deposits
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey recently revealed it made the decision to provide incentives to gold deposit and participation fund holders that request to convert these into lira time deposits, a statement from the central bank has said.
Incentives Intended to Boost Financial Stability
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) has announced the launch of an incentive scheme that encourages Turkish residents to convert their gold deposits and participation funds into lira time deposit accounts.
5. Power Outages in Russia’s Irkutsk Region Blamed on Home Miners
Russians mining cryptocurrency in their homes have been blamed for the problems with the electricity supply in Irkutsk. Power outages have become a frequent occurrence in the region which maintains the lowest electricity rates in Russia. Subsidized household energy has turned mining into a source of income for many locals..
6. Wharton's Professor Warns About Inflation, Predicts Many Rate Hikes, Says Bitcoin Has Replaced Gold for Millennials
A finance professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has warned about inflation and the Fed hiking rates many more times than the market expects. He also said that bitcoin has become the new gold for the millennials.
7. Billionaire Ray Dalio Insists Governments Could Outlaw Bitcoin
Billionaire Ray Dalio, the founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, has reiterated his warning that governments could outlaw bitcoin. “In history, they’ve outlawed gold and they’ve outlawed silver and so on, and they could outlaw bitcoin,” he stressed.