Strike has implemented Bitcoin payments in major US chains such as McDonald's, Walmart and Shopify. This and more news is in this handy daily summary so that you are always informed with the latest events that occur within the crypto world.
Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins
📍Major chains like McDonald's, Walmart, and Shopify can now accept Bitcoin payments in the United States with Strike. Jack Mallers, CEO of Strike, reported during his presentation at the Bitcoin Conference 2022 Miami that Bitcoin payments have been enabled in different chains, stores and businesses in the United States, such as McDonald's, Walmart, Macy's, Starbucks, Circle K Stores, Bed Bath & Beyond, The Kroger and many others. This is thanks to their recent alliances with the companies Blackhawk and NCR.
Strike has also partnered with e-commerce platform Shopify to integrate Bitcoin into its payment options.
Bitcoin and Blockchain Adoption
📍Cash App users can now receive their paychecks in Bitcoin. The mobile payment app developed by Jack Dorsey's company Block announced the launch of a new product called Paid in Bitcoin, to allow users who receive their paychecks through the app to automatically convert their checks to BTC. The new service was announced by the American company at the Bitcoin 2022 conference, which is taking place in the city of Miami until this Saturday, April 9.
Through Paid in Bitcoin, Cash App users can choose what percentage of their paychecks to receive in cryptocurrency. In addition to this new product, Block also reported that it continues to advance its integration of the scalability network Lighting Network, to encourage the use of Bitcoin as an efficient and accessible means of payment. In the near future, it will be possible for Cash App users to receive bitcoins via the Lightning Network, in addition to sending them. The mobile payment app integrated this Bitcoin scaling solution last February.
📍CityCoins reveals plans to expand to more cities outside the United States in the near future. The cities of Miami and New York, two of the largest in the United States, have their own cryptocurrencies based on the Bitcoin Stacks protocol. This is thanks to the city coins project, CityCoins.
However, CityCoins contributor Patrick Stanley said: said The project will expand beyond the United States in the near future, bringing the potential of the Bitcoin blockchain to every city. According to Stanley, in the next five years, at least 200 cities around the world will have their own cryptocurrency based on the most powerful blockchain network.
NFT and DeFi Markets
📍Solana NFTs are coming to Opensea, the largest non-fungible token marketplace. Opensea has enabled support for the Solana network, allowing projects to NFT developed on this blockchain to be listed and offered within its platform.
NFT collections like Monkey Kingdom, Dope Cats, Solana Monkey Business, among others, are listed on Opensea in SOL, the network's native cryptocurrency. The developers of this blockchain reported that, currently, 1,6 million wallets Solana owns at least one NFT.
Miners and Node Validators
📍MicroBT has introduced its new WhatsMiner M50S series of miners. Bitcoin miner manufacturer MicroBT has unveiled three new Bitcoin mining rigs that promise high performance and energy efficiency. The new WhatsMiner M50S series of miners consists of the M50, the M50s, and the M53, offering up to 126 terahash per second (TH/s) of computing power and 26 joules per terahash (J/TH) of energy efficiency.
Jordan Chan, COO of MicroBT, said that the new WhatsMiner M50S series Bitcoin miners are now available. The announcement of these new machines was made during the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami.
Innovation, Development and Technology
📍Varun Paul, Head of Fintech at the Bank of England, joins Fireblocks. Institutional digital asset platform Fireblocks has hired Varun Paul, who spent 14 years at the Bank of England, the UK’s central bank. Paul served as the Bank’s Fintech Centre Director, as well as Senior Manager and Head of Projects and Fintech during his career at the bank.
In a publication On the professional social network LinkedIn, Paul announced that he would be starting a new chapter at Fireblocks, which offers crypto custody and digital asset management services, access to DeFi and token minting for companies and institutions.
Rules and Regulations
📍US senator pushes for stablecoin regulation. Called the Stablecoin Trust Act, the new regulatory proposal, pushed by Senator Pat Toomey, is currently being reviewed by members of Congress for public comment before its formal introduction.
According to bill of law, the issuers of stablecoins could be regulated within the legal framework of the United States, through the allocation of state licenses as money transmitters. The proposal also defines stablecoins as digital currencies that can be exchanged for fiat currency; it also requires that companies back their issuance of coins with cash or liquid assets denominated in US dollars. This is to mitigate liquidity risk and as a measure to safeguard the security of users and investors.
📍Shark Tank's 'Mr. Wonderful' supports crypto regulation to attract more potential investors. Kevin O'Leary, an entrepreneur and investor known as “Mr. Wonderful,” advocated for cryptocurrency regulation to open “the floodgates of capital” to the industry. Speaking at the Bitcoin Conference 2022 in Miami, O'Leary said that smart crypto regulation will attract more potential investors interested in cryptocurrencies and the blockchain industry. He acknowledged the changing climate that is developing in the United States, highlighting that many lawmakers are thinking about regulating cryptocurrencies more proactively.
Regarding cryptocurrency mining, he said that smart regulation could boost the use of renewable energy sources in mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, although in its current state, crypto regulation may prove negative due to the standards set to reduce the carbon footprint.
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