Counterpoint Global possesses an amount of around $ 150 billion in investments or more. The information remains unclear, and there is no official statement at the moment. The amount of money they would invest remains unknown too.

The international financial services and investment banking company Morgan Stanley would inject millions of dollars in bitcoin (BTC) through its subsidiary Counterpoint Global. The information remains unofficial, but the company is currently studying every possible option for its investors.

Bloomberg released a report on February 13; Counterpoint Global manages more than 150,000 million dollars in investments. Morgan Stanley’s thoughts and considerations appear amid a bull run on bitcoin thanks to institutional investors’ arrival.

Morgan Stanley declined to comment on what would be the largest investment in the world of cryptocurrencies. If the acquisition happens, the corporation must authorize and notify every regulatory entity.

Counterpoint Global’s investment portfolio shows that the company maintains essential bets in technology. This investment adheres to information technology, consumer goods, communication services, health care, and others.

Although this information is still unclear, its spread would cause fluctuations in bitcoin prices in the markets. According to CoinGecko records, bitcoin reached a new price of $ 49,531 per unit this Sunday.

Morgan Stanley Shows Sympathy for Bitcoin

For years Morgan Stanley has described bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general as a good alternative for the markets. Morgan Stanley seriously considers the definitive step to acquire them directly, participate in a trust or derivative related to BTC.

In November 2018 that Morgan Stanley viewed Bitcoin as a new kind of institutional investment. The bank assured that Bitcoin went from being digital money between 2009 and 2016 to become a new institutional investment asset in 2017.

At this point, there are some questions in the air about why Morgan Stanley did not invest in BTC two years ago. Why is he making this decision now? The arrival of corporate capital such as that of Tesla, MicroStrategy, Ruffer, or Grayscale could be changing the rules of the game.

More recently, in December 2020, executive Ruchir Sharma, Morgan Stanley’s global head of investment strategy, discussed in a debate that BTC could undermine the dollar’s reign. “Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin show themselves as decentralized and democratic alternatives,” Sharma argued at the time.

2020 is a year that marked in a positive way institutional investments like Bitcoin and other vital cryptocurrencies. According to the information from the service Bitcoin Treasuries, corporations have allocated more than 45 billion dollars in the first cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin’s unpredictable price is always swinging, and it seems to be still looking for a secure spot in the market after more than a decade since it saw the public light. But followers received this year as a reward for the famous cryptocurrency.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Any user with a Blockstream satellite receiver can successfully install the Bitcoin Core software. Blockstream firmly believes that everyone should be able to run their Bitcoin node.

The source code that commands Bitcoin Core is available for Download even if users do not have an internet connection. This Download can be possible through the company’s Blockstream satellite, which means that anyone with the company’s satellite receiver kit can download and install the software to run their node and connect to the Bitcoin network.

The Bitcoin sidechain creator, Liquid, said in a text that the satellite transmission ensures that the source code of Bitcoin is always available for users even in the experiment issues regarding Internet outages, removal of public code repositories, or other interruptions.

The Download will Safeguard Users

The company also adds in its press release that downloading the code will be completely anonymous; this anonymity can be possible due to its one-way data transmission.

Running a full Bitcoin node allows users to connect directly to the network to spread their transactions, direct verification of the blockchain, mined blocks, and transmitted transactions. This Bitcoin node guarantees greater privacy and security and contributes to higher transparency of the network, which is a feature that most users value.

On this matter, Blockstream believes that “everyone should be able to run a full Bitcoin node.” And they hope that the availability of the code from their satellite will make it easier for more people to strengthen bonds with the Bitcoin blockchain and further help decentralize the network.

A Decentralized Network on Bitcoin Nodes

The Bitcoin network, a creation of Satoshi Nakamoto that took place about 12 years ago, not only intends to generate an ideal system for the transfer of value between peers does not permit or depends on trusted third parties. Also, the Bitcoin network has created a safe environment to increase decentralization. Regarding decentralization, the nodes play a significant role in validating and maintaining the network.

At first, just two nodes ran the first Bitcoin client developed by Satoshi. But currently, calculations by node developer Luke Dashjr suggest that the network has more than 50,000 nodes distributed throughout the world.

In the early days of Bitcoin, the miner that generates bitcoins and the full node that validates the network made a sort of symbiosis on the same computer. However, today, dedicated ASIC mining rigs do not set their operations with their nodes but rather connect to their respective mining pools.

Recently, an announcement hit many media outlets about a new ASIC machine that gathers the miner and the node in the same device. The Apollo BTC from the American company FutureBit allows users to run a full Bitcoin node, either plug and play or allow functions with custom settings.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, thinks that the main problem with Dogecoin is its concentration in just a few hands.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again a highlight across crypto media thanks to a tweet about Dogecoin. A tweet that also sends direct advice and that somewhat reveals his thoughts about cryptocurrencies not being at the hands of just a few. Musk says that if the Dogecoin distribution doesn’t evolve positively, users can always block their currency support.  

Musk said in a tweet that If the primary holders (holders) of Dogecoin sell most of their coins, they will get Musk’s full support. Too much concentration is the only real problem of Musk.

But Dogecoin is Concentrated in a Few Holders

With Musk and his relationship with Dogecoin, it is unclear whether he is mocking or being severe. For some media, it is nothing more than a game. But, as Decrypt explains it well, Dogecoin’s wealth concentration problem is a real deal.

Reports from Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, say that a single individual or entity owns more than 27% of the altcoin’s total market capitalization, with a value of more than $ 7 billion. That puts the entity’s holdings at more than $ 1.8 billion.

Besides, the top twenty DOGE addresses possess more than 50% of the altcoin’s current circulating supply (more than $ 3.5 billion). These addresses could probably be exchanges with Dogecoin as a reserve in their wallets, although they have not received recognition from any business.

Musk explains the medium that concentrated Dogecoin holdings represent a risk for DOGE’s long-term fundamentals (as with any other altcoin), as the price could continue its ascension artificially or, when holders choose to sell, which might affect many holders of lower amounts.

Dogecoin was born as a joke cryptocurrency. The value of this meme has been rising, especially so far this year. Much of these increases are closely related to tweets from Elon Musk and many other influencers.

On February 10, Dogecoin increased 20% because Musk claimed that he had bought it for his son, who is still a baby. Before that, the coin had increased because Musk tweeted a meme that makes fun of The Lion King’s most famous scene.

This action talks about the most recent because there were more. According to reports, DOGE downed 10%, and its price would be 0.06 US dollars. After the tweet, the price started to suffer a smooth increase.

These messages from Musk are now distancing from the ones he shared months ago about the cryptocurrency. On December 20, The Tesla owner tweeted this cryptic message “one word: doge,” a tweet that caused a collective hysteria on the internet.

By: Jenson Nuñez

ShapeShift considers Cosmos to be the most solid of these protocols. Near, on the other hand, intends to be developer-friendly while Polkadot’s goals focus on scalability.

Cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift announced a new report with the name: “New Frontiers, which is an In-Depth Analysis of Cosmos, Polkadot, and Near.” The document that appeared on February 10, 2021, analyzes these three blockchains and their focuses on smart contracts. A vast catalog of decentralized applications (or dApps) can run on these protocols.

ShapeShift says in the introduction that they have done everything they can to make a complete and timeless analysis of said protocols. They clarified that something like that is challenging and justified this limitation due to technology’s fast advances. “Three months in cryptocurrencies equals three years in real-world time,” the text adds. The company also considers how relevant it is to keep learning about the nature of these protocols.

Cosmos is the most solid protocol out there, according to ShapeShift

The company started analyzing the Cosmos blockchain. ShapeShift classifies this protocol as the most solid of the three. Also, the report clarifies that ShapeShift “has extensive experience and institutional knowledge around Cosmos Blockchain.” They claim to have contributed to the decentralization of Cosmos through MicroTick, which is a software development package.

According to the report, Cosmos, which aired during the “ICO bubble” of 2017, “has partially fulfilled its vision.” Even so, they emphasize that the team responsible for its development keeps working on every possible improvement. The fundamental idea behind Cosmos is that unmanageable scalability issues appear when using one single blockchain.

These issues may benefit when it comes to security terms but is detrimental to scalability mainly because every node on the network must process every transaction.

What about Polkadot and its scalability?

The text adds in the second section, Polkadot. The report explains that the self-sovereign model that Cosmos applies seems to be compelling. However, this model has worked very well with Ehereum, despite the lack of scalability.  

The study highlights how interesting it could be to keep testing such a model while making fundamental changes to scale. ShapeShift clarifies that this is what the blockchains specialized in smart contracts should try to do. Ethereum has taken this approach with Ethereum 2.0; Near Protocol also uses shared security, and this is also part of the Polkadot emerging as a blockchain in the crypto-world.

NEAR Protocol: A minimized and scalable blockchain

ShapeShift also highlighted Near, which entered the market in October 2020. This protocol is an Illia Polosukhin’s and Alexander Skidanov’s creation, two engineers who began in the “crypto space” around 2017 and 2018.

ShapeShift briefly explains that Near’s efforts distinguish itself from another kind of smart contracts by being the most developer-friendly. It resembles Polkadot and Ethereum 2.0 in some features by being a platform that aims to provide a minimized and scalable blockchain through partitioning in a shared security context.

The founders of Near previously developed the partitioned databases for Google and Microsoft, with which they gained great credibility in the tech world. This reputation allowed them to achieve at least $ 21 million in the 2020 launch round.

By Jenson Nuñez

The combination of BTC and ETH exceeded $ 1 trillion. Some analysts forecast new highs for the price of bitcoin in the days to come.

Bitcoin managed to break several records this week and keeps surprising the crypto world with a series of new peaks during its bull cycle. On Monday, February 8, the first cryptocurrency registered a rebound of almost USD 8,500, the highest daily gain in its price in its entire history.

On February 9, another all-time high knocked at the door with a peak of USD 46,700. The first cryptocurrency exceeded USD 48,000 to establish another all-time high at the end of the day.

This sudden rise in bitcoin (BTC) price relates to the disclosure of the acquisition of USD 1.5 billion in bitcoin by Tesla. During the week, the price fluctuated below USD 47,000 until an announcement about the multinational financial services company’s interest in Bitcoin.

New institutional Investment Initiatives and a New Wave of Retail Investors

While new institutional investment initiatives in bitcoin begin to appear, there is also a new wave of retail investors arriving in numbers close to 20,000 daily, according to the latest newsletter on Bitcoin from Willy Woo.

In his analysis, Woo raised the critical support level of bitcoin from $ 29,000 to $ 34,400. Arguing about what he sees as a new bitcoin price consolidation cycle this week, Woo predicts a price rise to $ 63,000 in the coming days. Before that goal, an essential expectation for USD 54,000 turns into a price that takes the capitalization of Bitcoin beyond a trillion dollars.

For now, the combined market capitalization of the first two cryptocurrencies, BTC and ETH, surpassed the billion-dollar mark, Bitcoin’scapitalization circles USD 909,240 million, while Ether exceeded USD 208,000 million.

The accumulated capitalization of BTC and ETH reaches 74% of the total capitalization of cryptocurrencies. When combined, these cryptocurrencies rank to equal five powerful companies in the world: Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, and Apple.

The Definitive Consolidation of Bitcoin

Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) announced last week that it would safeguard various digital assets for its clients, including bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The financial institution has more than $ 41 billion in the custody of multiple purchases.

On the other hand, Mastercard will allow its affiliated merchants to deal with bitcoin payments at the end of this year. Cryptocurrency settlement at Mastercard-affiliated merchants would be quite useful to drive mass adoption of bitcoin as a means of payment.

Another company that would potentially join the wave of institutional investment in bitcoin is the social network Twitter. The ccompany’sCFO, Ned Segal, stated in an interview with CNBC that it is studying an investment alternative in that cryptocurrency. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has already taken a step toward institutional investment in bitcoin with Square, of which he is also CEO.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Riot Blockchain will consolidate a sum of 37,642 Antminers to duplicate its hashing power. Canada’s DMG will become more potent with an immersion cooling system.

China’scurrent position as a world leader in Bitcoin (BTC) mining did not face a single challenge for the past five years. Still, some businessmen in the United States and Canada seem to be unhappy with the Chinese Nation’s ways.

Now, new signs confirm the industry’s preparation to take off strong in North America. A great movement is on its way to challenge the dominion of cryptocurrency mining traditionally deployed in the Asian country.

China’s Dominion in Bitcoin Mining is now under Threat

The media is arguing that China is under threat due to these resolutions in America. Getting china down from its position as the absolute leader in the mining industry would be a process that might take a long time, maybe years. Still, some plans seem to be very promising due to suggestions of a new beginning in the industry.

 One of the most ambitious projects is the Riot Blockchain company, an industry that appears on the United States stock exchange (Nasdaq). It plans to reach a hash rate of 1.6 exahash (EH / s) near the fourth quarter of 2021, once the company launches its 2,002 new S19 Pro Antminers devices.

Riot will now have a total of 11,542 active Antminers to triple its current capacity. However, the company’s plan goes much further.

Riot purchased some 26,100 S19 Pro and S19j Antminers miners from Bitmain, which the manufacturer will ship in groups each month until October of this year. Once fully deployed, the company estimates that it will have a total of 37,642 Antminers in operation to reach a hash rate of 3.8 EH / s.

In the United States, Compute North reported that it closed a round of increased capital for $ 25 million in debt financing. With such a cash flow, the company intends to duplicate its mining capacity, which currently stands at around 920 petahash per second (PH / s).

The company’s focus is on the building and operation of facilities, with unique designs to scale quickly and operate with high profitability. In this way, it permits organizations to maximize their operations regarding cryptocurrency mining or blockchain projects.

Compute North talks about a considerable increase in customer demand due to institutional investors’ interest in bitcoin. Compute North will extend operations to find new spots on which mining equipment could develop activities.

Investment, miners, and Bitcoin domaining North America

Another announcement highlights at the hands of Bitfarms, one of the largest cryptocurrency companies in Quebec, Canada. It consolidated a financing round that will allow the company a new injection of capital in the order of 40 million Canadian dollars (USD 31 million).  

This event is the third round of financing in less than two months by the company, which ranks on the TSX Venture Exchange’s list in Toronto. Last month, Bitfarms announced two more rounds of funding, worth $ 20 million each.

By: Jenson Nuñez