The users who lock Ether for staking will receive an ROI of 8.9% when the network starts operating. Cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Binance are still among the top staking service providers on the market.

Of the total supply of Ether (ETH) in circulation, 2.7% is locked in Ethereum 2.0. That amount constitutes the staking funds of the network validators.

According to data from the Launchpad.etherum website, the total deposited has already reached 3,100,000 ETH. If Ether is trading above USD 1,800 per unit, then there is a total of USD 6 billion locked in Ethereum 2.0.

The total supply of Ether is currently above 114 million units. Therefore, the new Ethereum blockchain is about to accumulate 3% of all the Ether issued until now. There has been an exponential growth in the funds locked since the launch of the blockchain.

In the creation of Ethereum 2.0 staking pools, the most prominent in number are the unidentified validators who remain anonymous. In other words, they are those people or entities that deposited 32 ETH to put their validator nodes into operation. This group represents 41% of the total funds in staking that are in said blockchain.

Nowadays, the main staking service providers on the market are exchanges like Kraken and Binance. Kraken has 14.82% of all the Ether locked in the new network, while Binance’s pool has 9.69%. Other providers with a significant number of validators include Bitcoin Suisse (with 5.62% of funds in staking), Stacked.us (with 4.77%), and Lido (with 2.87%). These are the best known, but there are already more than 40 staking pools waiting for Ethereum 2.0 to start operations in 2022.

Ethereum 2.0 Seeks to Become the New Mainnet

There has also been an increase in the number of validators that are active to operate. At the end of December, there were just over 40,000 active validators in the blockchain. However, websites like Beaconcha.in now estimate a total of 89,357 active validators and over 6,000 pending confirmation.

All the people who have decided to deposit ethers in the Ethereum Beacon Chain will receive a return on investment (ROI) when the network starts operating. Interest will vary depending on when users deposit their ethers. That is the case for first participants who calculate profits on their funds with an ROI of 16.5. However, at the moment, the network’s interest rate is at 8.9% and continues to decline.

Regardless of the progress, there is still a long way to go before the Ethereum community migrates to its new blockchain is complete. According to the developers’ schedule, the operational stage of Ethereum 2.0 will begin in 2022. However, both networks will continue to exist in parallel and independently until that date arrives.

The Ethereum Beacon Chain still does not recognize the ethers locked in the smart contract for the activation of Ethereum 2.0, since they belong to the 1.0 network. When the Ethereum 1.0 ledger enters the Beacon Chain, the Ethereum 2.0 blockchain will recognize those ethers. Users will then be able to withdraw the locked money along with the rewards that they have obtained.

By Alexander Salazar

A website explains why people do not make a profit on the highest-performing asset of the decade. Those who broke with the trend in the past took their investment to another level.

Concerning whether this is the best time to buy Bitcoin, the least expected website has the answer. It can even portray reality with irony or be so simple that it makes people laugh. Several elements show how long someone can postpone investing in Bitcoin, even preferring items that end up in the trash.

The website in question (BitcoinOrSh…) contains a list of items that people must have bought at any given time. Although they initially had a purpose, they became useless objects over time. If those people had invested their money in Bitcoin, they would have guaranteed the profits.

The message that the website gives to its users is: “Buy Bitcoin as the rest is garbage.” They mention five items that people may have bought instead of investing in Bitcoin. What they decided at the time does not allow them today to reap the profits that the highest-performing asset provides. Furthermore, by making those purchases, they practically threw their money away.

Choosing between Spending Money and Investing in Bitcoin

In 2014, some people wanted to follow in the footsteps of others who were reading the business book “From Zero to One”. They then decided to buy it (never to read it), for which they had to pay about USD 25 (0.05 in BTC). If they had invested that money in Bitcoin, they would now have around USD 2,619, according to the website.

Those who bought a subscription to PornHub’s premium content in 2015 must be sorry that they did not buy Bitcoin instead. If they had done the latter, they would have invested about USD 10 (0.03 BTC), and now they would have USD 1,523 in their possession. However, given that they already spent that money on the subscription, there is nothing that they can do to get it back.

In 2012, people were very excited about Mini iPads, and so many bought one at about USD 330 (109.30 BTC). After acquiring the great little tablet, they may not have it in their possession, it is damaged or they stored it in a drawer. However, if they had invested that amount in Bitcoin, they would have USD 5,237,986 today, according to the website.

In 2013, some people bought an IPhone 5 for about USD 750 (5.85 BTC) instead of investing in the pioneering cryptocurrency. If they had done the latter, they would have USD 280,287 in their Bitcoin wallet today.

In 2010, many people bought the Toy Story movie on DVD for about USD 11 (219.80 BTC). It is not possible to do much with a movie in this format as there are many options to enjoy movies and series online. If they had not bought the movie, they would have invested that amount in Bitcoin and they would now have USD 10,533,256.

The website shows that many people bought items, products, and services that lost their value. They do not seem to realize that they have taken too long to decide to invest in Bitcoin, which appreciates over time.

American youtuber and artist Ali Spagnola received a donation of 1 BTC in 2013. She learned that the Bitcoin network encourages saving and rewards hodlers (those who keep the cryptocurrency for a long time). Eight years later, seeing that Bitcoin is trading above USD 48,000, she said that she found that she was “rich in Bitcoin.”

By Alexander Salazar

The price of BTC might be exceeding and settling an amount that could surpass $ 50,000 per unit. MicroStrategy keeps investing in bitcoin regardless of its price.

MicroStrategy announced the sale of USD 600 million in bonds to make a large investment of this cash to buy bitcoins (BTC).

The investment firm will issue some senior convertible bonds or notes and put them on offer, as reported in a recent statement. Senior bonds allow users to quantify a company’s debts and make these amounts exchangeable for cash at a time in the future. This action can prevent losses in the event of bankruptcy or forced liquidation of the company, indicates Investopedia.

The senior bonds that MicroStrategy is about to sell will “mature” on February 15, 2027. Investors then could claim them or turn them into cash, as the terms command during the bond sale period, which will last until the end of such period.

The conversion rates and the interest rate would become negotiable once there is an agreement about a price per bond between the involved parties. The bonds will appear in the market to qualified institutional investors under Regulation 144A of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“All offers in these notes will happen by employing a private memorandum,” MicroStrategy stated, noting that this announcement does not constitute a formal offer yet.

MicroStrategy clarifies in the official statement that its main plan is to issue another $ 90 million in senior bonds so the company can invest in bitcoin at the end of this initial round of sales. It also solely depends on how favorable the market conditions would be. If the company achieves its goals, it will be able to buy around $ 700 million in cryptocurrency, adding more funds to MicroStrategy’s reserve of more than 70,000 BTC.

Bitcoin is Approaching $ 50,000

Although the bitcoin’s price (BTC) is currently reaching $ 50,000, according to CoinMarketCap, this surge has led many users in the ecosystem to enthusiasm and hopes.

However, the investment firm’s decisions have been awaking the interest of both users and Bitcoin enthusiasts as well as other essential institutions. On February 3-4, 2021, MicroStrategy organized the “Bitcoin for Corporations” event, where various aspects of Bitcoin and its powers as a store of value went under debate. Some traders or investors claim that buying assets is a better option, especially when those assets appear at a low price in the market. These traders also claim that they recommend this with the expectation of those assets to grow.

MicroStrategy follows a disciplined strategy without bowing to the market; its directors think it is still early to invest in BTC.

The company first stated that it bought BTC at an estimated price of $ 10,000 in August of last year, which would undoubtedly multiply its fiat-denominated earnings five times at this time. This enthusiasm by MicroStrategy and its CEO Michael Saylor for Bitcoin coincides with other giants like Elon Musk’s Tesla, which recently bought more than $ 1.5 billion worth of BTC last week.

By: Jenson Nuñez

In a letter to the judge currently handling the case, the parties confirmed that there is zero possibility of prior settlement in the SEC’s case against Ripple.

Ripple Labs, Inc, owner of the cryptocurrency XRP and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ruled out the possibility of reaching a prior agreement right before starting the trial. The trial will take place on February 22, 2021.

Both parties’ decision appeared in a letter sent this February 15, 2021, to the United States District Judge, Analisa Torres, who is handling the case.

The preliminary trial will take place by videoconference, and Judge Torres had demanded that both parties present their arguments, which can include every possible motion and the probability of an agreement. On December 22, 2020, the SEC filed legal action against the company Ripple and its co-founders, Cristian Larsen and Bradley Garlinghouse.

They received the accusation of selling XRP to finance company activities. The SEC considers that asset to be unregistered security, while Ripple, for its part, still maintains its argument about XRP by stating that it is a “virtual currency.”

According to the complaint, Ripple’s income would be $ 1.3 billion since 2013 through the sale of XRP. Also, Ripple would have used this asset to set payments in consideration, such as labor services. Larsen and Garlinghouse also receive charges of making unrecorded personal sales of the alleged security for a total of $ 600 million.

Agreements with previous SEC administration

The authors of the letter established that the parties would let the court know about it if an agreement would happen. However, Ripple notes that “discussions of previous agreements happened under a previous administration of the SEC.”

This establishment means that the SEC’s change of authorities is what has not allowed both parties to reach an agreement.

On December 24, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton put on the table his resignation after more than three years leading in office. The resignation came hours after signing the decision to file the lawsuit against Ripple Labs, Inc.

 Clayton’s current replacement is Elad Roisman, appointed by the former Donald Trump administration as a leader of the SEC on an interim basis. In January, Gary Gensler was appointed as the new president in the framework of the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.

The lawsuit the SEC filed against Ripple harmed XRP in its very beginning. This asset dropped from $ 0.466 to $ 0.195 in those days. However, its price is circling USD 0.541, which shows a possible increase of more than 100% since last December.

Firms against Ripple

The SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple made cryptocurrency exchange platforms eToro and Binance take action against XRP. They were advising their clients that: Both platforms will stop every transaction in cryptocurrency XRP.

The exchange Binance US, which has roots and operates in the United States, stated that XRP wouldn’t appear on its list anymore. Simultaneously, the platform led by Catherine Foley informed its clients through a statement on its portal that they will not be able to deposit XRP and clarified that withdrawals in the cryptocurrency would not suffer any effect.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Cardano (ADA) went near to triple its market capitalization reaching $ 30 billion in the last month. And now, Polkadot shows intentions to take away its spot in the ranking.

The digital currency market suffered an amazing capitalization increase. With Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) recording new price highs every week, the crypto market paints a bullish scenario.

Crypto enthusiasts put their hopes in BTC or ETH when it comes to higher market capitalization. However, less popular cryptocurrencies are seeking spots to reach the top of the list.

ADA, Cardano’s Blockchain network token, which is currently the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has shown valuable growth with a very promising 31% growth in the last week. The price of an ADA token is now circling $ 0.88.

A few days ago, right now, ADA posted its best price since 2018, above USD 0.90, its market capitalization suffered an explosive increase compared to the last month. On January 16, Cardano’s market capitalization hovered around $ 10.6 billion, a figure that had almost tripled by February 11, once ADA’s capitalization climbed to $ 30 billion.

Cardano and its Nearly Triple Market Capitalization

Cardano’s market capitalization was up 255% in the last month; most of these activities came from the beginning of the month when ADA’s price was $ 0.40.

Charles Hoskinson, the co-founder of Ethereum, leads Cardano, a third-generation Blockchain with Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus protocol that emphasizes smart contracts. The rise in the price of cryptocurrency kept increasing in recent weeks thanks to some developments and advancements that the project is currently carrying out.

In February, the rise of the coin collided with the announcement that Cardano was about to initiate the allowance and issuing of “native tokens” by users, a decision that will ultimately turn said Blockchain into a multi-asset platform that shares similarities to Ethereum.

The maximum capitalization that ADA registered during this second month of this year, February, got closer and closer to its historical maximum. In January 2018, when the price of ADA exceeded the dollar per unit, the currency’s capitalization stood at USD 32.3 billion.

Cardano’s market cap recently hit $ 27.3 billion, according to CoinMarketCap, slightly below Polkadot and one notch above Ripple.

Cardano and Polkadot are Battling for a Third Spot in the Ranks

Polkadot’s DOT token rivals ADA appear in fourth place from the ranking on market capitalization. DOT is, at the moment of this writing, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by total market capitalization, according to data from CoinMarketCap. The altcoin managed to outperform ADA registering a capitalization of USD 28 billion.

Both coins appear to be in a contest with continuous rotations between the fourth and fifth place in the ranking that shows the most critical crypto data providers. Both seem to find it impossible to reach third place in the order, a spot that still belongs to Tether with a total market capitalization of $ 32 billion.

By: Jenson Nuñez

In December 2020, cards with less than 4GB memory became out of order for Ether mining. lolMiner software update allows people to continue using them for a few more Epochs.

In recent days, the lolMiner mining software received an update that optimizes the “Zombie mode” option. This allows old AMD cards to continue to mine Ether and reap a good profit.

It is possible to use this update with video cards such as the RX470, RX 480, RX 570, and RX 580. They had become “out of service” for Ether mining following the arrival of the DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) Epoch 393. This graph allows the miner to find an appropriate solution to each block of the chain in which it works. This should receive an update after a certain number of mined blocks (every 30,000 blocks), known as Epoch.

In December 2020, when DAG reached a new Epoch in Ether mining, its size received an upgrade to exceed 4GB. This change allows all miners with graphics cards with less than 4 GB of memory that are no longer profitable.

However, it is necessary to activate the Zombie Mode to keep taking advantage of graphics cards with lolMiner. This feature allows video cards to extend their life when they have reached their memory capacity. It comes into play when the video card no longer fully supports the DAG file.

Although cards with 4GB memory can operate at their current hash rate, profitability will continue to decline as the DAG Epoch increases. For that reason, users must activate the Zombie Mode, for which there is a limit. It is important to note that this performance increase will not last forever, since it will only be available for a few more DAG Epochs.

Way to Enable the Zombie Mode

lolMiner updates 1.21 for Windows and 1.22 for Linux allow the activation of the optimized Zombie Mode. When the owners of video cards with 4GB memory mine Ether, they will get a 15-20% more hash rate compared to other miners.

When installing a RX580 video card with 4GB memory directly into the PCI-16x slot, the hash rate will be around 27.27MH/s. Other miners with less than 4 GB memory will have a hash rate of 11-13MH/s.

Even with an increase in the DAG file in future Epochs, the hash rate of the video cards will keep decreasing. However, this is the only solution to continue taking advantage of the useful life of these video cards for the moment.

The Challenge of Epochs on Ethereum

Some miners on the Ethereum network find that updating a mining algorithm is challenging. Miners with graphics processing cards (GPUs) with less than 4GB of memory must increase their capacity to remain profitable.

The size of the DAG increases by 8MB every 30 thousand blocks of the chain, in Epochs that last 5 days or 100 hours. The DAG stored in the memory of the video cards allows users to mine Ether through the algorithm of Proof of Work (PoW).

By Alexander Salazar