Showing posts with label cryptocurrency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cryptocurrency. Show all posts

The WORLD's LARGEST Bitcoin Mine Begins Construction in Texas, USA...

Worlds Largest Bitcoin Mine

It wasn't long ago when Riot Platforms launched North America's largest mining farm in Rockdale, Texas - but now they want to go even bigger.

Just announced, they've begun construction at a colossal new site in Corsicana, Texas - once complete, it will become the biggest Bitcoin mining facility in the world!

The new location will be even larger than their existing facility in Rockdale, seen here.

Known as the US State Most Welcoming to Miners, the Infamous Texas Heat Poses a Challenge...

Mining rigs generate intense heat, making cooling a paramount concern, most of the daily work of running a mine revolves around keeping the rigs from overheating. This is why many mining companies seek locations year-round frigid temps - but even in the winter you won't find temperatures this low anywhere in Texas.

To combat this, Riot partnered with HashHouse Tech to use immersion-cooling, which surrounds the miners with a flow of liquid coolant, capable of cooling at 20X the efficiency of air. This strategic move ensures they can stay operational even in the Lone Star State's scorching sun. 

Massive Mining Power...

Riot expects their total mining power (hashrate) to hit 20.1 EH/s once the new facility launches by the end of 2024. Crunching the numbers, first taking the next halving event into account, and using $50k for bitcoin's price, at that hashrate the company should earn around $800,000 per day.

Of course, that's before they pay the bills, and mining always has a big one huge bill - electricity. It's common for the majority of earnings to be lost to the power bill.  Riot is part of a special program in Texas that involves mining companies pre-paying for electricity, but when the grid is reaching capacity they have the ability to lower their usage and sell some of this power back to the grid. 

Texas officials have praised the program as a solution that prevents the grid shutting down when overwhelmed on hot summer days. Last year Riot earned over $30 million selling power back to Texas, but remember they first had to buy it up front so only a small portion of that is profit. It's hard to imagine any deal where less than 50% of revenue goes to paying electricity costs.

Profit Potential...

Last month Riot mined 520 BTC, worth around $250 Million - and this is before the largest mining farm in the world joins in. Along with the additional ability to sell stock (Nasdaq Symbol RIOT)  when they need to raise funds, Riot is quickly becoming a vital member of the industry.

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Author: Oliver Redding
Seattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News
 

Someone Just Sent Over $1 Million Worth of BTC... to Satoshi Nakamoto - An Expensive 'Tribute' Donation? Or the First Step in EXPOSING Bitcoin's Creator?

Satoshi bitcoin

On January 5th, just two days after Bitcoin's 15th anniversary, a mysterious transaction has the cryptocurrency community scratching their heads. Someone sent 27 Bitcoin (approximately $1.2 million) to the network's genesis address, the very first wallet ever created that mined the first block of Bitcoin's blockchain. This legendary wallet, once controlled by the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto, has become a digital monument to the birth of Bitcoin.

The sender's history reveals only a single transaction: the withdrawal of 27 Bitcoin from the Binance exchange followed by their immediate transfer to Satoshi's dormant wallet. This gesture has sparked speculation and intrigue.

Some interpret it as a symbolic "tribute" to Bitcoin's origins, a fitting commemoration on the anniversary. The genesis wallet already holds 50 original mining rewards, hundreds of small transactions, and now, these 27 new Bitcoins, bringing its total value to nearly 100 BTC worth over $4.6 million.

Overall, there are dozens of wallet addresses created by Satoshi, and they hold over 1,100,000 Bitcoins worth almost $50 billion...

While 27 Bitcoin might be mere pocket change for the mythical Satoshi, for most others, it's a significant investment. 

"Either Satoshi woke up, bought 27 bitcoin from Binance, and deposited into their wallet, or someone just burned a million dollars," Coinbase director Conor Grogan said in an X post.

...or is there more behind it?

Flushing Out Satoshi?

One intriguing theory suggests this could be designed to force Satoshi out of hiding, by testing a new US law requiring all crypto transactions exceeding $10,000 to be reported to the IRS.

If Satoshi is a US citizen, even he would need to report the transfer.

Personally, I'm among a fairly large segment of the crypto world that believes Satoshi is long gone, and most likely passed away shortly after Bitcoin's launch.  

As with most Satoshi related stories, I'm not expecting to learn more than what we know now.

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Author: Mark Pippen
London Newsroom
GlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

Biden Administration Proposes New Crypto Tax Rules...


The US has given a lot of money to Ukraine, and while President Biden has been able to secure those funds by reducing spending on American cities and citizens, as seen recently following the massive Maui fire - it isn't nearly enough. 

Perhaps anticipating an influx people moving funds in to Bitcoin over concerns surrounding the US dollar, the administration is taking steps to insure citizens who do will still pay proper portions to tax.

Video courtesy of CNBC

FTX 2.0: Fallen Crypto Giant has Quietly Been Preparing to RE-LAUNCH...

FTX 2.0

FTX may be making headlines again soon, and finally not for more details on their spectacular fall from grace, actually, the total opposite - their potential resurrection!

In April we broke the story of an FTX relaunch even being a possibility, when our source inside the new FTX team told us they were considering two options - to pay back what they can and then close for good, or, the more intriguing option, re-open FTX for trading.

At that time they had just begun researching sentiment among former users, asking if all their funds had been returned to them, and knowing Sam Bankman-Fried was gone for good, would they consider trading at FTX again?

Then, if they determined enough users would return, they would still need to convince their larger backers, some of whom are owed millions, to go awhile longer or accept a smaller payment at first. However, if they support FTX's re-opening they could get 100% of their money back in the long run, because FTX would once again be generating profits.

That's Where We Left Off, And We Now Have An Update...

According to our source, re-launching the exchange is now their 'official' goal, as they've been instructed to begin preparing as if it is happening for sure — an order that comes directly from new CEO John Ray.

"I'll word it like this: it's not 100%, but it just went from a 50/50 chance to probably a 90% chance of FTX re-launching" our insider explained, but they still have some challenges ahead  "Right now we're legally a bankrupt company, so we don't have the freedom to just do something  we want to, there's additional oversight, and a process where we propose something and get approval to do it first."

When asked if they believed they would receive that approval, they told us "I think John (CEO) wants to make sure the proposal leaves no reason to say no. They'll want to see a company that fixed everything that went wrong under Sam, and see we've taken steps that would make a repeat impossible." I asked how close they were to being able to make those claims, and was told, "We can say all that now and it would be completely true" Reminding him I still needed an answer to the question, they added, "oh, yeah - yes" (they think the re-launch would be approved).

New Revelations...

This next part is a big deal - while I personally didn't have funds on FTX when it shut down, a lot of people did.  Since then, the media's coverage of the situation would probably give people the impression that most of what they stored on FTX is gone.

But when I asked what kind of responses they received from former FTX users when mentioning a possible re-launch, I got a surprising answer
"First, they say F-off and they would never use a platform that basically stole from them. Fair enough.  But then you ask, what if they didn't take anything from them? What if it opened and all the funds they left there were still there?"

'Are you saying this is what would actually happen?' I asked "I'm not in accounting, so I can't say this is the case with 100% of accounts, but one thing you'll probably be hearing if FTX re-launches or when Sam's case goes to trial - he didn't really mess with the FTX US funds".

This Wasn't a Total Surprise To Hear - It May Be Sam Bankman-Fried's Secret Weapon...

Back at the beginning of the year when FBI agents brought Sam back to the US where he was arraigned and pled 'not guilty' to the charges against him it seemed like the response from the crypto community was 'he's a liar and that won't work once he has a trial'. 

But that made no sense to me. Sam's parents are both literally famous lawyers and Stanford Law School professors - Sam takes their advice.  So why would they advise him to fight the charges against him when shortly before his arrest he appeared on various podcasts admitting to misusing user funds - his point at the time was 'I wasn't stealing user funds, I just got confused, used funds that belonged to my users, and lost some of it.'.

I could only come up with one theory that made sense, and published 'The Twisted Way Sam May Be Found INNOENT' which goes in to more detail, but basically the only way someone who already admitted so much on video could go to trial and stay out of prison is if he only misused funds belonging to non-US citizens, and only did that while at his company headquarters, which is also outside of the US, in the Bahamas.

What does the US justice department do when laws are broken in another country and none of the victims are American?  Absolutely nothing.

Users finding out all the crypto they left on FTX is still there would be great news, which I said in our conversation, but as we suspected, they warned that non-US may have some bad news coming soon. "It's the funds from FTX's international platforms that Sam really screwed with." our source said  "We're (his team) not involved with any of the international stuff, but several times I've had to talk with some of the guys that are. For the first few months they always sounded stressed out and exhausted, they were cleaning up one hell of a mess."

But recently, even the team cleaning up the worst of it started to sound less miserable. "Last couple of times I talked to them, they seemed way more chill. Remember Bitcoin was at like $20k when FTX shut down, FTX is holding a lot of BTC and other coins that have gained almost $2 BILLION since trading stopped." I didn't really think of that until now, but it makes sense. "Yep, so that instantly becomes funds we can use towards making users whole, if the market continues this way, there's a chance FTX won't owe anyone anything".

That really would be a great ending to an otherwise miserable story, if HODLing pays the rest of FTX's debts.

In Closing...

It's hard to say just how difficult a relaunch will be, the team must navigate a complex legal landscape of bankruptcy, and manage to meet all necessary requirements to gain approvals from an array of people both private and government sources. 

All this is happening at a time when exchanges that haven't had any major scandals are finding it challenging to operate in the US as seemingly incompetent leadership has taken over the agency that oversees them. 
 
One thing is for sure - they seem truly confident in their ability to pull it off.

Part of me says 'companies that go through what FTX has been through don't just come back one day'...  then I realized to company that went through what FTX did has ever even tried.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP Breaking Crypto News

Rising CONFLICT Over the 'Digital Dollar', As Some States BAN IT Before It Even Exists...

digital dollar cbdc

The battle for the future of money is heating up in the United States, with some states proposing to ban the "digital dollar" before it even exists, while others quietly pass laws to make it a reality. It's a conflict that has raised concerns about privacy, surveillance, and control.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge against the digital dollar, announcing a proposed bill to ban it in his state. According to a statement from the governor's office, the legislation is intended to "protect Floridians from the Biden administration's use of financial sector weapons through a central bank digital currency (CBDC)."

DeSantis's bill seeks to prohibit the use of the digital dollar or CBDC as money in Florida and to create "protections" against digital currencies issued by central banks belonging to nations sanctioned by the United States. He hopes that other states will follow suit and establish similar prohibitions to "fight this concept throughout the country."

In the view of the Republican governor, a digital currency "has to do with surveillance and control" of citizens, and it "will stifle innovation." adding that "Florida will not side with the economic central planners. "We will not adopt policies that threaten economic freedom and personal security."

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is also pushing for a ban on the digital dollar, citing concerns about privacy implications. He argues that a digital dollar "could be used as a financial surveillance tool by the federal government."

As Other States Quietly Take Steps to Move the Digital Dollar Forward...

President Biden issued an executive order last year that instructs several government offices to research creating a central bank digital currency, since then things have appeared to be moving forward with no official updates from the federal government.

The silence seems to be deliberate when it comes to the most recent steps targeting the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which are laws that every state has, and every state controls. 

Intended to make sure states can easily conduct business with each other, the digital dollar may be the first time there's been major disagreements between some states and could result in the 'Uniform' codes ending up far from uniform nation-wide. 

Just this week South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vetoed House Bill 1193 which would have opened the doors for the digital dollar in her state by amending their UCC to allow for fully electronic payments backed only by electronic records "this is extremely troubling. If Congress were to someday create an official electronic currency that is programmable, it would pose significant threats to Americans’ liberty and privacy rights. Why, then, would so many lawmakers want to make it easier for such a currency to be used in their states?"

Both republicans and democrats have made more public statements implying they are against the digital dollar, yet both parties have been found slipping the verbiage needed to make it happen into bills in their states, now there are similar bills headed to vote soon in 20 more states including in Arkansas, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and California.

One Major Roadblock Could Still Stop the Digital Dollar from Happening...

Not because they share any of the same concerns citizens have voiced - but nonetheless, they hate the idea and they may have enough power over politicians to get their way - the banks.

Banks see the Digital Dollar as a way for the government to become their biggest competitor.  Imagine - your job pays you in digital dollars, they're stored in an app on your phone, and virtually every place you would spend money accepts it, what do you need a bank for? 

While banks would still have a role when it comes to investing, lending, and securing larger business and personal accounts, the average person could go months, or even years without needing to interact with a bank, and have no need for a personal account. 

A battle with significant consequences...

Both for the future of our economy and the role of the government in our financial lives. Will we become a cashless society dominated by a digital dollar, or will we maintain the status quo? 

Until recently, this all felt like something so far in the future it was hard to really concern yourself with - but as we begin seeing real laws designed to move plans for the digital dollar forward proposed in multiple states, the potential implications are beginning to feel very real.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP Breaking Crypto News

Sam Bankman-Fried REALLY Could Get LIFE IN PRISON... Unless he 'Leaves Early' to Join McAfee and Epstein...

FTX Sam Bankman-Fried

There's only two ways this can turn out, both bad, but one massively worse than the other.

Prosecutors from New York have unsealed the indictment against him, charging Bankman-Fried with wire fraud, conspiracy, committing fraud against investors, lenders, and the United States, securities fraud, money laundering, and violation of campaign finance laws.

But things aren't as straightforward as it sounds - there's a real possibility some, maybe even most of these charges, get dropped.

It All Comes Down to This: Did Sam Misuse of Funds Include Those from FTX US - a Separate Company and Website from FTX International?

This could be the difference between life in prison, or 10 years with a chance to get out early with good behavior.

The US will only charge him with crimes he committed while in the US, or against US citizens.

For example, US law enforcement cannot pursue a case where investors from France were victims of fraud committed by a company in the Bahamas.  Actually, no country on earth prosecutes cases under those circumstances.

As covered in previous articles, if someone from the United States visited FTX International (ftx.com) they would find themselves unable to get past the home page, they were blocked from joining, only able to view a message re-directing them to FTX's platform for US citizens (ftx.us).

The platforms did not share storage of funds with FTX International either, separate wallets for crypto, separate banks for fiat currency.

In other words, it would be extremely easy for Sam to exclude US funds from his alleged scheme, which would be the smartest thing someone in his position could do (besides leave everyone's funds alone).

So, are there any signs indicating FTX US funds were left untouched?

While Sam's word means very little and I'm not suggesting you put any trust into him, for some reason in every interview he's done following the FTX collapse, he made sure to tell the audience that the US site was not effected, everyone's funds are still there, and he believes 'it could open to let people withdraw today'.

If that is true, Sam committed no crime while in the US, and committed no crimes against US citizens, and suddenly this becomes a very different thing.

Sam Bankman Fried Arrest
Sam Bankman-Fried Being Taken Into Custody by Police in the Bahamas.

As predicted in previous articles, we see Sam being charged with additional crimes like wire fraud, this so they can still lock him up for something even if the charges directly related to him losing billions don't hold up in court.

Similar to how the FBI lacked evidence against Mafia leaders for murders they knew they had committed, so they started digging through their tax history and locked them up for tax violations.

Are There any Signs Sam Mismanaged Funds Belonging to Both FTX International and FTX US Users?

The acting CEO, John J. Ray, appointed to oversee the company's bankruptcy testified with Congress yesterday, Sam was scheduled to appear but that was canceled with his arrest. 

Ray stated they had "NOT found evidence (that Sam made unauthorized withdraws from US customer funds) of that yet"

This is a HUGE - It means if what Ray said is True, Prosecutors do Not Have Evidence for Several of the Charges Against Him! 

If Sam really did leave US funds alone, several charges get dropped before he ever sets foot in a courtroom.

However, a source on the 'inside' at FTX told me that the new CEO "thinks Sam was so reckless with funds from FTX International he's assuming Sam did the same at FTX US and just hid it better" adding that this was "just a personal opinion, but it's a fact that they're looking into where every dollar or token went, so if Sam did anything he shouldn't have they will find it'.

The new CEO and his team have been digging through the records for nearly a month, and their failure to find anything showing Sam's abuse of funds included the FTX US has me prepared for the possibility Sam told the here.

Remember, FTX US staff included former government regulators - would you hire former IRS tax auditors to work for your company if you were secretly committing tax fraud? Probably not.

It's starting to look like Sam followed the rules when it came to FTX US, all high-profile employees specifically worked for FTX US, and saw no red flags that would stop them from vouching for Sam as a legitimate business person.

Where they went wrong is assuming FTX International was operating similarly to FTX US - when in reality Sam saw FTX International as the place where the rules no longer applied.

Life in Prison?

Yes, really.  Many think life-sentences aren't given for financial crimes, and that's true for the average case of someone stealing thousands or even low-millions from a company they work for.

But when someone defrauds investors at a total cost in the billions, everyone involved is willing to punish  them as severely as legally allowed. Prosecutors seek the maximum sentence, and if guilty, the jury will agree. 

Looking at the other high-profile multi-billion dollar scandals, one thing that immediately stands out is how we refer to them by the company name, 'Enron scandal' or 'Worldcom scandal' for example. With the focus on the companies involved, the names of the actual people behind those scandals are generally forgotten. 

A multi-billion dollar loss with all the blame focused on 1 individual, the only other name that comes to mind is Bernie Madoff, the former head of the NASDAQ stock exchange, who lost billions of investors funds when his investment firm was exposed for not investing in anyone, it was actually the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

If Sam truly belongs in the same category as Madoff, he should expect a similar fate. Madoff received a sentence of 150 years in prison in 2009 - he died there last year.

If found guilty on all charges, Sam could be sentenced for a maximum of 115 years under current law.



An Unplanned, Early Exit?

Sam was politically connected, and many FTX members with empty accounts are wondering how their money is gone, but Sam had millions in 'profits' to donate to politicians.

Sam Bankman Fried and Bill Clinton
Sam and Bill Clinton shared the stage at a conference in the Bahamas.

Sam leveraged his political donations for meetings with lawmakers and other VIPS, he was becoming well-connected in Washington DC - many believe Sam may "know too much" and that worries powerful people.

Take this with a huge grain of salt since it is both a conspiracy theory and prediction - but the idea that Sam's former friends may now want him eliminated was on enough people's minds that both 'Sam Bankman-Fried' and 'Epstein' began trending on twitter with hundreds of tweets like:

"Does anyone else wonder if Bankman Fried will meet the same fate as Epstein? After all, how many will he expose if he testifies?"

'Let’s hope they don’t Epstein his a** before he really breaks into full choral singing. Just think what he knows."

"He either gets Epstein treatment or sentenced 2 weeks in a luxurious resort jail, no in between."

While this is one of the more extreme possibilities, one thing is clear - there's no 'good outcome' for him from here.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP Breaking Crypto News

What Took so Long for Sam Bankman-Fried to Face CRIMINAL CHARGES?

While watching Sam Bankman-Fried's recent media appearances, a theory entered my head - a gut feeling, but a strong one saying "He's been told he has nothing to worry about" and the more I listened with this theory in mind, the more convinced I became. 

Take a look for yourself and tell me if you see a man in fear of spending years in a federal prison - I don't think anyone could hide how stressful that possibility would be, but at no point did Sam show he was feeling any significant amount of stress. Not in some delusional way either - I don't believe his lack of stress comes from him being detached from reality, pretending everything is fine.

What I do see, is someone who believes the worst case scenario isn't going to happen...


These interviews seem like nothing more than an attempt to salvage his public image.   His strategy is more obvious than he seems to be aware of, as uses a classic pity-educing method of 'beating himself up', expressing regret, and taking some blame... but not too much. 

When it comes to blame, he seems to think he found the magic ratio of blame to excuses, as anytime he takes responsibility for doing something wrong, it comes with a reminder that he would never had made these mistakes if he knew the details of Alameda Research's trading positions at the time.

Even if we were to believe he wasn't pro-actively staying up-to-date on the business of Alameda Research, staying completely in the dark would actually be hard to do as the people operating Alameda literally live with him.

While it was met with disbelief every time he said it, he remained firm on not knowing vital details about Alameda Research, even though it is a company he created, that he has majority ownership of, and is holding a massive amount of the funds from investors he brought in.  I doubt his pitch to investors was 'put a few million in to this company, which I have nothing to do with'. 

My point is, he isn't making these public appearances to claim innocence, or even explain what happened. He's making them with the goal of getting people to say "Sam's a good guy who just made some mistakes".

I can't help but think that the only way being liked becomes more important than being free, is if he's already convinced his freedom isn't at risk.

But in order to objective, i'm open to the possibility that I'm just misreading him.  So I set aside any of my own opinions and 'gut feelings' and re-examined the situation strictly looking at the facts to see if I come to the same conclusion in the end.

Starting with some things worth a deeper look.

Sam's parents are not typical lawyers, and after learning more about them I think it's time to question how involved in FTX Sam's parents may be... 

Those who graduate from Stanford law school are considered among the top of the legal field - so you can imagine what it takes to be hired to teach those students - both of Sam's parents worked as Stanford Law professors. 

What kind of law do they specialize in? The kind that someone in Sam's position would be hiring right now.

The mother worked at Paul Weiss, one of the top firms in the US with clients like Exxon, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Universal Pictures, Sony and more. She is one of the founders of a "secretive Silicon Valley PAC that supports Democratic candidates" called Mind The Gap. 

Sam's father is considered one of the leading experts in tax law, tax shelters, and tax compliance, according to his Stanford bio page. I found this video uploaded by Stanford Law School featuring him speaking on the topic.

In other words, Sam Bankman-Fried was born with the perfect legal team already in the room.

If anyone could make sure Sam's actions stayed within legal grey areas or completely unenforceable by US regulators, it's them.

On this note, Sam has repeated in every interview that none of these questionable actions were done with funds from the US version of FTX. There indeed was a completely separate site for US investors, and if someone from the US tried to access the FTX for the rest of the world, they would find themselves blocked from signing up.

Sam remaining in the Bahamas doesn't help him avoid anything, the Bahamas does have an extradition treaty with the US, so if US regulators charged him with a crime, the government in the Bahamas would arrest Sam and put him on an airplane.  Most seem to believe he's 'obviously guilty' - so why hasn't he been extradited?

But his parents weren't his only source for guidance...


Gary Gensler is the head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. A man named Ryne Miller was Gensler's lead counsel at his previous role as CFTC Chairman.

Ryne Miller has been working at FTX for a little over one year - now he's their general legal council.

"His industry expertise and leadership will be critical as we forge cooperative working relationships with U.S. regulators" FTX said in an official press release at the time. In that same statement, Ryne Miller confirms he will be "working alongside U.S. regulators" for FTX's benefit.


These are the people who helped make sure the US branch of FTX stayed completely separate from FTX International...


FTX international is registered in Antigua and Barbuda, a small island with no capital gains tax, no wealth or inheritance taxes, and no personal income tax.

In every interview Sam has stated that the US version of FTX could open up to users immediately, and they will find all of their funds there untouched. If true, it's likely Sam violated no US laws.

If only his non-US company broke any laws, and none of it's victims were US citizens - the US justice system isn't interested.

Innocent in the only jurisdiction that matters - and that is how Sam stays out of prison...

Unfortunately, internationally, anything goes.  There is no organization that would take the lead on a case like this. There is no International police force that investigates financial crimes, and no International court for white-collar criminals.

All Sam has to do is not set foot in any of the countries with laws he violated, with citizens who had funds in FTX international, and Sam remains a free man... probably.

One Remaining Risk...


One thing Sam and those advising him may have not planned for was how big of a story this has become, and the pressure this could put on people, including those he thought were on his side. 

It's important to keep in mind how past high-profile villains who managed to anger the public were eventually taken down.

Mafia leaders were often arrested for tax violations.  More recently, disgraced Therenos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who raised billions for a 'revolutionary' blood testing device that never worked wasn't arrested for spending years promoting her fake invention - she's in prison for wire fraud.


When powerful people in government really want to lock someone up, they find a way...


Someone like Sam, whos legitimate business involves international transactions, seeking investors, receiving investments, operating websites, etc, has probably violated the law. 

It could have been done unknowingly, or by mistake - but that doesn't matter when investigators with warrants giving them access to everything are digging for anything they can use. 


Are there any signs that the US government is attempting to build a case against Sam?


There may be, but note that the following is pure speculation.   Sam's former girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, who he appointed Alameda Research CEO has reportedly left Hong Kong for the US, and was  spotted yesterday in New York City.

A twitter user recognized her and snapped a picture of her inside a coffee shop.

This coffee shop is a short walk from the FBI's New York office - causing some to speculate if those around Sam are being offered immunity from any potential future charges, in exchange for sharing what they know as they attempt to find something to charge him with.

While it does appear to be Caroline, she may be in NYC for some other reason. Or she could be there to speak to the FBI and still have nothing to offer them.

Just saying - don't get your hopes up.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP Breaking Crypto News

[Update] - As Bitcoin Mining Companies Enter 'Unprofitable' Territory, a Potentially MASSIVE Profitable Play Opens Up...

Update: Looks like our theory was correct (and while it could reverse course any time) currently CORZ is up 64.20% over the last 30 days.!



Original Article 6/15/2022:

S9 miners, extremely popular mining rigs with almost 8 years in the market, are operating at a loss to anyone located somewhere paying more than 2cents USD per kilowatt-hour in electricity costs. This is most US states.

This was brought to our attention on via tweet from an employee at Core Scientific, a Texas based mining company with stock trading on the NASDAQ stock market under the symbol 'CORZ'  

Crypto companies daily income and net worth can change drastically, fast.  In the case of CORZ, which also holds 8000 BTC, Bitcoin returning to just $30,000 could happen over a single week - and would suddenly turn a company that was losing money into one that gained $80 million more in assets. 

These factors are prime examples why stocks for companies focused entirely on crypto are different than anything Wall Street has seen before. 

Figuring out the value of a mining company isn't as simple as a formula for their hashrate (mining power) = X BTC earned daily + BTC already owned = company value.  The price of Bitcoin isn't the only factor - even the weather can dramatically change profitability, as we covered last week how Texas based mining companies are having to power down during heatwaves. 

Wall Street Debates How To Trade Crypto-Company Stocks...

Because of the factors explained above, we saw Core Scientific with a stock price around $13 just 6 months ago, down to $2 today.

Browsing stock-focused online communities makes one thing clear - stock traders still aren't sure if this represents a company moving towards failure, or chance to buy something with a rare huge potential upsides. 

The Power Play, Where You Don't Buy Bitcoin... and Profits Are Potentially 200% Higher...

So here's what it all comes down to - if you believe Bitcoin will return to or pass $60k again, and believe a stock like Core Scientific will return to $13 when it does (the price it was last time Bitcoin was at $60k) - the stock represents a 5X return on investment when Bitcoin's price only does a 3X.

Which is huge, and seems realistic - but will it?

The same financial press publishing crypto doom and gloom stories currently, will of course, again, hype up 'Bitcoin's comeback' when things go the other way.

So it's safe to say the buzz outlets like Bloomberg, CNBC, and Wall Street Journal will create will bring a boost to crypto related stocks as well. The audience of these publications includes a segment of investors not comfortable enough with tech to ever own crypto, but is willing to buy stocks that allow them to capitalize on a trend.

Here's Why it Isn't as Simple as 'Bitcoin up = Crypto stock up'...

The benefits of Bitcoin's decentralization is highlighted here, these risks apply to stocks but are not a factor for Bitcoin. 

Actually, these risks apply to any company managed by humans. A company can be derailed a number of ways - an inexperienced CEO or Board of Directors, negligence or fraud in the accounting department, a company deciding to issue a large number of additional shares, or bringing in a new key investor and issuing them a large number of shares below market value - all of these can quickly bring a stock price down - but none of then can happen to Bitcoin. 

It's not even as simple as finding a company managed by trustworthy and experienced executives - note that not all of the factors mentioned above would be considered poor company management, some are just part of doing business.

I do not currently own shares of any crypto mining company stocks...

This caught my interest and I immediately wrote this article, haven't moved on anything and still unsure if I will.  The main reason for hesitating is this would mean canceling some of my current open positions to 'buy the dip' on Bitcoin and a couple other coins I'm confident will rise again. 

Share your thoughts on this with us on twitter @TheCryptoPress!

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News




It's Time To Acknowledge Facebook May Soon be a MAJOR Player in the NFT World - Have They Learned From Past Mistakes?

 Facebook Instagram NFTs

Meta has been working since the beginning of the year to immerse itself in NFTs, the beta testing began in the United States with a group of content creators last May, and then opened to the public in some countries in June.

Since opening, Brazil leads the list of countries with the largest number of users with NFTs, followed by Mexico, and Argentina in third place, according to Statista.

With this new step, a total of 100 countries now have access to the NFT features...

The plan will eventually end with all 251 million users able to participate.

As part of the launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared an NFT version of this childhood photo on Instagram..

lil zukk

"In honor of expanding digital collectible NFTs to 100 more countries on Instagram, I'm sharing my old and soon to be NFT Little League baseball card."

The next step is to make the platform fully compatible with the rest of the crypto/nft world...

This means supporting popular wallets people are already using - MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, and Dapper Wallet support is coming soon. Meta has stated that there are no fees associated with posting or sharing a digital collectible on Instagram.

All NFT's minted on the platform will end up on the Ethereum or Polygon blockchain, and they will be adding Flow and Solana soon.

Did We Underestimate Mark Zuckerberg?

To be fair, the crypto world has valid reasons to be skeptical anytime Facebook starts hyping up their plans for the future.

"Disaster" sums up Facebook's first venture into crypto with a coin called 'Libra'. Behind that coin was an aggressive plan that would bring together powerful organizations and companies from around the world of traditional and corporate finance, with the goal of basically taking over the crypto world in one giant leap.

This alliance of companies and organizations that would govern the coin was called the Libra Association, but their plans were so aggressive that governments began fearing that their influence could end up going beyond crypto, reaching their currencies too.

At the time, Governments Around the World Were Focusing on Facebook...

It wasn't long until politicians in virtually every country where people used Facebook were sharing concern, or complete disapproval.

The most common argument Facebook owning a popular online marketplace, holding the power to choose who can buy or sell there, and issuing their own money would give Facebook more power than any private company should have - governments don't like it when people try to do THEIR job.

US Senators summoned Facebook executives to Washington, DC where they questioned their intent and long term goals with Libra Coin - it ended with politicians from both major parties swearing they'd never allow Facebook's vision to become reality.

The Trump administration said they were "uncomfortable" with the whole thing, and in a rare moment, Democrats agreed, with one Democratic senator labeling Facebook "delusional" for ever thinking it could happen.

But Does Zuckerberg take 'no' for an answer? No.

Of course, Zuckerberg couldn't help but to take one last shot at making it happen.  This time they would avoid making headlines, hoping to quietly glide through required regulatory processes in the countries they wanted to operate in.

So first, they changed the project's name to 'Diem Coin', which would be managed by the 'Diem Foundation'.  But instead of the fresh start they hoped this would bring them, they quickly learned that the name change didn't fool anyone, people were actually paying attention, and politicians were still telling them "no."

While they never got to use it, they did create a blockchain protocol of their own, a custom wallet and various other tools and assets, they were ready to go big - in the end, they managed to sell everything they built to a company called Silverware for $200 million according to the Wall Street Journal.

The news about the sell, from 8 months ago, is still the most recent update on the website for Diem Coin. 

Fast Forward To Today - Facebook Hasn't Made the Same Mistakes Twice...

None of the chaos we saw with Libra/Diem has been present in Facebook's expansion into NFTs. From their first announcement to recent launch it remained generally free of controversy. 

Now it's starting to look like Zuckerberg may have built a legitimate platform, focusing on becoming part of the NFT world, not plotting to overtake it.

There's potential for Facebook to become a major player in the NFT market - do you agree? Tweet us your thoughts @TheCryptoPress and we may add them to this article!

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News



MetaBlaze Building A Multi-Layered Metaverse: Prepares to Launch Its Highly Anticipated MetaGoblin NFT collection on OpenSea NFT Marketplace

In a move that is set to bring sustainable digitized art and creativity into the blockchain-based virtual world, MetaBlaze is preparing to launch its high-quality, character based MetaGoblin NFT Collection on OpenSea. The collection features traditional fantasy-themed Goblins-propelled into the Metaverse.


MetaBlaze®, a new Blockchain Gaming Company, is gearing up for the official launch of its intricately detailed, utility-packed MetaGoblin NFT collection set to list on the OpenSea NFT Marketplace in the coming weeks. The NFT project is inspired by in-game mystical creatures from a Player-versus-Player, Play-to-Earn game currently in development by the blockchain gaming firm, MetaBlaze.


Following the OpenSea listing, MetaGoblin NFTs will also be listed on uber-popular rarity ranking websites such as Rarity Tools, a trusted platform that provides users convenient means to check the rarity rankings of NFTs. MetaBlaze is excited to offer such a unique and innovative project to the NFT space and looks forward to seeing MetaGoblins take flight in the coming weeks.

MetaGoblins are one-of-a-kind digital beings that exist on the Ethereum blockchain. Each MetaGoblin NFT has distinct characteristics, making it a truly unique collectible. The collection brings a total supply of 10,000 NFTs, with 398 hand-created, 3D traits.


MetaGoblin NFTs are the first playable characters in the MetaBlaze Metaverse – an immersive, utility-driven, rewards-generating, strategy-based gaming platform. These MetaGoblins (and other MetaBlaze Series NFTs) can be used to participate in unique Play-to-Earn games, contests, competitions, and more. Each MetaGoblin is unique – not just in appearance and story, but in its underlying meta-data attributes. If you're looking for a captivating tale that unveils the origin of the MetaGoblins, check out the intro video shared on the official MetaBlaze YouTube channel.


NFTs Need More Sustainability & MetaBlaze Is Bringing It.

MetaBlaze is on a mission to create more value in the NFT world by building a robust ecosystem around the MetaGoblin NFTs. With a focus on sustainability and scalability, MetaGoblin NFTs integrate within MetaBlaze's Web 3 ecosystem, including gaming, staking, and rewards. MetaBlaze brings a unique gaming model with sound in-game economics built around solid fundamentals.

MetaBlaze is paving the way for sustainable growth in the NFT space by creating a diverse ecosystem built around sound fundamentals. In addition to MetaGoblin NFTs, MetaBlaze (MBLZ) tokens will be minted and used as the native currency within the multi-layered ecosystem. MBLZ will also power the staking and rewards mechanisms, providing users an additional layer of utility.

MetaGoblin NFT Mint on OpenSea NFT Marketplace

The MetaGoblins are coming to the world's largest NFT Marketplace, OpenSea. An official date is expected to be announced within the next two weeks. In preparation for their big debut, MetaBlaze is giving early access to the NFTs before the official OpenSea listing, allowing users to acquire a MetaGoblin NFT before anyone else. All fees related to NFT minting will be paid for by MetaBlaze, and the NFTs will be airdropped to rightful owners on the official release day. To learn more or buy a MetaGoblin NFT during the ongoing presale, visit https://MetaGoblin.io.

MetaBlaze is a Web 3 company using $MBLZ to power its multi-layered Metaverse. Built on the Binance Smart Chain, MetaBlaze merges popular elements of GameFi and DeFi to create a synergistic, and sustainable ecosystem.

CONTACT:
Michelle German
info@metablazetoken.com

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Swiss Consortium Chooses Sunny Central American Nation of El Salvador to Launch Fully SOLAR POWERED 'Green' Bitcoin Mining...

 

Solar bitcoin mining

One year after the adoption of Bitcoin as an official currency, the town of Chalatenango in the north of El Salvador will host the first private, solar powered bitcoin mining farm in the Central American nation.

The funding comes via a Swiss consortium working with Salvadorian Josué López, who is originally from the town, and has chosen to invest in his home nation.

Highlighted in red, Chalatenango is the nation's most north region.

A 6 megawatt photovoltaic solar power farm will mine Bitcoin entirely on renewable natural resources...


The first piece of the foundation of the photovoltaic plant that will provide energy to the bitcoin mining farm was placed yesterday at the "Anchor I" project, which is located in the Chalatenango province's El Gavilán canton.

Ambassador Mayorga tours the future site of solar Bitcoin mining farm.
Milena Mayorga, the El Salvadorian ambassador to the United States, attended the occasion and revealed on Twitter that the renewable energy park's initial investment is $4 million, despite the fact that it is anticipated that the first stage will cost USD 15 million.

"Perhaps this is the largest private investment ever reported in Nueva Concepción, Chalatenango" remarked Ambassador Mayorga, adding that 200 million USD will be invested in the region.

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Author: Fernando Perez
Latin America Newsdesk | Mexico City
Breaking Crypto News


DeFi Tokens That STILL Have BIG Profit Potential: Avalanche (AVAX), Theta (THETA), and CashFi (CFI)...

The world is slowly but steadily switching to decentralization. With the advent of cryptocurrency, the decentralized finance industry was birthed and constituted a large part of the financial market. This has given way to the creation of DeFi tokens, a set of cryptocurrencies that focuses on the financial sector and aims at eliminating the need for intermediaries or third parties while making transactions. Many of these tokens are seen to have climbed high on the crypto ladder, guaranteeing investors significant returns on their investments. One of such is the Avalanche (AVAX) token, a cryptocurrency that solves the issue of scalability and ensures quick transactions. Also amongst such tokens is the CashFi (CFI), a cryptocurrency that promises to change the world of DeFi and NFT. In this article, we shall be reviewing these tokens and the part they have to play in setting their future investors up for wealth.

Theta (THETA): Decentralization of the entertainment industry

The Theta (THETA) blockchain is a decentralized video delivery platform. This ground-breaking network addresses both technological and financial issues in the streaming industry. As a result, the Theta (THETA) blockchain was created to encourage bandwidth sharing across the network. Users can donate their extra bandwidth and computer resources for token awards. Theta's (THETA) creators use an innovative new blockchain to address several difficulties that the video streaming business faces today. The platform's design, in particular, removes congestions in traditional content delivery pipelines. Thus, its users benefit from a worldwide infrastructure for video and data distribution. Music, TV/movies, education, enterprise conferencing, peer-to-peer streaming, and more are all available through this open-source initiative. Furthermore, the platform's decentralized architecture ensures that users fuel Theta (THETA). With the demand for more online video content and entertainment, one can only expect Theta (THETA) to go up from here.


Avalanche (AVAX)

Another blockchain technology gaining traction as a competitor to Ethereum is Avalanche (AVAX). AVAX is Avalanche's native token. AVAX serves as the fundamental account unit for Avalanche's many subnets. 

Unlike Ethereum, where the gas cost is split between miners and burned, Avalanche's fee is entirely burned. To validate AVAX transactions, holders must stake their currency. Users with the most AVAX coins staked and active validators are more likely to be picked as validators for future Avalanche blocks. 

With its Consensus protocol, Avalanche (AVAX) promises to combine rapid transactions with a highly scalable trading experience. It averages 4,500 transactions per second, making it one of the fastest smart contracts platforms in the blockchain and DeFi industry. This has attracted a lot of investors and is said to increase in just a matter of time.


CashFi (CFI)

This token is on its way to becoming one of the most sought-after cryptocurrencies in the DeFi and NFT sector. This coin uses a unique free sharing point of view to make several asset classes available to its investors.

 After analyzing the blockchain and crypto markets, the developers of CashFi (CFI) discovered the characteristics exhibited by successful platforms. Capitalizing on the discovery, they aim to match and trump this by providing various features to various sections of the cryptocurrency industry. One of these is the creation of accessible and secure NFT marketplaces for its users. CashFi (CFI) aims to create a safe and user-friendly system with its creation of the CFI NFTs. This was built with the intention of expanding the NFT industry by creating an interoperable marketplace. This marketplace would help digital artists auction their NFT pieces at affordable prices and ensure a seamless operation during sales. 

Conclusion

With these and many more, these tokens are set to take over the crypto world. Early investors are sure to gain from Avalanche’s (AVAX) speed of transactions, Theta’s (THETA) decentralization of the entertainment sector and CashFi’s (CFI) creation of a suitable marketplace for NFT enthusiasts. These are tokens to watch out for in the near future.

For more information on CashFi (CFI), visit:

Presale: http://presale.cashfi.space/register

Website: http://cashfi.space

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CashFi_Token

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cashfi_token

Telegram: https://t.me/CashFi_Token


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