The blockchain community is playing a significant role in helping to develop pharmaceutical drugs to combat COVID-19, as blockchain can bring immense computational power to confirm transactions, and generate new coins, according to Brandon Mintz, CEO of crypto ATM network, Bitcoin Depot. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Mintz highlighted that the biggest benefit blockchain brings to the table is “the security aspect of things,” adding that such an adoption is also helpful for contactless payments and online purchases with crypto as online sales continue to skyrocket. Crypto community efforts to support COVID-19 researches Bitcoin Depot’s CEO commented about the use …

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced economies to a halt and stretched the central banking system. Central banks have been printing money on a scale like never before, which makes the 2008 financial crisis pale in comparison. Over $2 trillion dollars were printed to stabilize the markets and increase liquidity. Back in 2008, Bitcoin (BTC) was created in reaction to these quantitative easing programs as an alternative to fiat currencies and the traditional financial systems. Where governments can print money at will, a numerus clausus asset class is attractive as an inflationary hedge. In 2008, the financial crisis began with disruption …

For years, tribalism has plagued the blockchain industry. Developers align to specific consensus protocols and defend technologies that use them, regardless of their limitations. These deeply rooted divisions are slowing the innovation needed to scale blockchain for future adoption. The enterprise market is only beginning to understand the promise of blockchain, and that promise will be difficult to achieve until blockchains can communicate and cooperate with each other. To achieve this, developers, companies and hobbyists alike must be able to leverage every platform without being locked into one simply because the platform developers are not working together. Blockchain can bring …

Gibraltar Finance has been announced as an official partner of the upcoming Post-COVID Hackathon — a global, online initiative intended to create open-source solutions addressing the health, social and economic challenges posed by the post-COVID-19 era. The event is expected to see participation from hundreds of teams internationally building in the distributed ledger technology (DLT) sector, with over 200 industry experts slated to assist participants. Albert Isola, Gibraltar’s Minister for Digital and Financial Services, expressed pride in the government’s involvement with the hackathon, stating that “the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a range of new global challenges.” “I am …

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for everyone, but it has created many opportunities for us in the blockchain industry. In most industries, sales vectors are declining, as bankruptcies and layoffs rule the day. But companies in the crypto and blockchain space have been expanding, hiring and applying for new licenses. The pandemic has caused suffering in this industry, as in others, but the fundamentals of crypto are better than those of traditional financial markets. We will experience some reshuffling, but the crypto and blockchain industry will become stronger through this crisis. Newmarket participants are looking for derivative and …

A recent newsletter to Delphi Digital clients delved into the economic aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and how the current fiscal stimulus package from the U.S. Federal Reserve could be propping up equities markets and the entire economy. According to the firm, COVID-19-related government spending has breached the $1.1 trillion mark, bringing June’s monthly budget deficit to $864 billion, the worst in U.S. history. This has pushed the country’s deficit to $2.7 trillion for the first half of 2020. As the Federal Reserve continues to print money to bolster the economy, important key programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) …

Real innovations and breakthroughs don’t happen in the blink of an eye. Bitcoin (BTC) took many years to get to mainstream users since its inception in 2009. The bull market run in 2017 drastically improved crypto market volumes, but institutions still regarded it as another “dot com” bubble. Later, when distributed ledger technology, or DLT, was more widely accepted, a new type of digital asset aimed at bringing stability to the crypto market gained full recognition. Stablecoins had been (and still are) issued by private firms, but many failed to operate successfully for various reasons in 2020. Now, governments are …

Speaking with Circle’s Jeremy Allaire on July 16, several key figures in lobbying on behalf of crypto and blockchain in Washington, D.C. spoke to a major rise in education and interest in the sphere on the part of regulators. Coronavirus to digitization Perianne Boring, the founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, pointed out that the pandemic had forced Congress to look at new technology for money in a sweeping way. “We have seen a huge change in the tone towards blockchain technology in congress just since the pandemic,” said Boring. “We have seen almost a 180 in …

The South Korean government plans to invest over $48.2 billion in Blockchain and other Industry 4.0 technologies by 2025. The nation’s goal is to promote the digitization of all industries in the coming post-pandemic era. According to ZDNet Korea, President Moon Jae-in praised “several benefits” that the new industrial revolution could bring to the country. Moon elaborated: “The fourth industrial revolution and digital civilization are the future of humanity that has already begun. The national development strategy to advance in the trend is the Korean version of the new deal. It is possible to jump from the older economy to …

A Texas resident was charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas on July 14. Allegations suggest that he fraudulently filed loan applications for $1.1 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. He claimed he was seeking COVID-19 relief, but allegedly actually used the funds to purchase cryptocurrency. According to the allegations published by the U.S. Department of Justice, 29-year old Joshua Thomas Argires made false statements to financial institutions. Officials claim that Argires committed wire fraud by establishing a scheme to file the applications to the Small Business Administration, or SBA. Argires managed to submit …

Investors in Japan increased their crypto holdings during the early stages of the pandemic before the government issued economic relief payments. According to a July 13 report from Japanese news outlet Nikkei, the Bank of Japan revealed that the supply of M3 in the country — a measure of various money stock in circulation — increased 5.9% in June to $13.5 trillion. The amount of liquid assets available to residents of Japan has increased following the government issuing 100,000 yen — roughly $936 — stimulus payments to individuals, 300,000 yen to some households, and other payments to companies in response …

COVID-19 has become a defining moment in the course of our society, but the impact of the pandemic can be seen through its effects on the economy and society in general. From the perspective of a Bitcoin (BTC) investor, there are many things to consider. Coronavirus emergent patterns determine how the infection spreads and sets the society on a particular course into the future. The impact of the novel coronavirus on consumer society has been tremendous. The effect has mostly been seen as the closure of workplaces, resulting in people either working from home, getting laid off or in some …