The Founder of Wonderland Announces His Return to DeFi amid Controversy

Daniele Sestagalli abandoned DeFi after the Michael Patryn scandal, which led the TIME token to crash along with the other pegged tokens linked to him. His Twitter followers tease him by telling him to partner with Do Kwon and warning potential victims not to invest in Wonderland.

Daniele Sestagalli, the founder of Wonderland, announced his return to DeFi in a controversial way.

Following the Michael Patryn (0xSifu) scandal, Sestagalli stopped working in the DeFi sector in January. At the time, he said that the Wonderland experiment would end.

However, Sestagalli recently stated on Twitter that he would return while promoting the native token of Wonderland (TIME). In addition, he mentioned the Abracadabra-based stablecoin Magic Internet Money (MIM), which he also created.

Sestagalli stated that Wonderland would bring more technology but did not provide any details. He teased his Twitter followers with a short video, saying it has to become a frog seeking to rebuild the true kingdom.

Decentralized Reserve Cryptocurrency Protocol Wonderland Falls from Grace

Sestagalli built the decentralized reserve currency protocol Wonderland on the Avalanche blockchain network. Along with Michael Patryn, he released it as a fork of the Olympus DAO in late 2021.

The protocol managed up to around USD 1 billion worth of assets but plummeted to just USD 6.3 million, according to DefiLlama.

Sestagalli learned that Patryn had a criminal past but kept silent for a month. In that way, the ex-convict continued working as the treasury manager of Wonderland.

Only after crypto sleuth Zachxbt brought it to light did the DeFi confess that situation.

The news led the TIME token to crash along with all the other pegged tokens linked to the developer. After liquidating many people, Sestagalli promised to repay but has not yet done so.

Now Twitter Followers Tease the Founder of Wonderland

Daniele Sestagalli helped found a community of DeFi projects that he leads. It includes Wonderland, Abracadabra, and Popsicle Finance, whose participants call themselves frogs.

However, not everyone likes the idea of his return. Marc Pelosi, one of the first Bitcoin investors, jokingly told him he should partner with Do Kwon.

Do Kwon, founder of Terra, ran a USD 60-billion blockchain, which collapsed in May. In that regard, the Korean authorities are closely investigating the developer and his partner Daniel Shin.

Another Twitter user, identified as beartronix9, said that the return of Sestagalli would make the crypto community crazy. He commented that many would lose all their money if they invested in Wonderland.

Other users wonder when they will refund all the money they lost to that protocol. Something similar happened with those investing in the Terra (UST) token that have not yet recovered their funds.

TIME, the Wonderland token, is trading at around USD 15.79 and accumulated a 16.3% loss over the last week. Its daily trading volume is slightly above USD 134,278, while its market capitalization is about USD 14.22 million, according to CoinGecko. The crypto asset has dropped by 99.8% from its all-time high of USD 10,063 in November.

By Alexander Salazar

Polygon MATIC Continues to Show Good Technical Scenario, Thanks to Recent Gains

Polygon MATIC has been one of the best performing cryptocurrencies, showing upside power that could take it higher.

The MATIC cryptocurrency, native to the Polygon network, has been rising strongly recently, gaining more than 130% since the low of $0.26 marked in mid-June.

At the time of writing, MATIC is trading at $0.74. It accumulates a loss of 10.18% in the last 24 hours, as a general correction occurs in the crypto market.

Now it seems that everyone is waiting for the FED, waiting for interest rates to rise again tomorrow, Wednesday. This would cause an increase in the price of the dollar and a fall in risk assets.

In a survey conducted on the KEY ALERTS channel, we see that the majority think that the price of Bitcoin will go down after the FED announcement, which would undoubtedly affect other coins, including MATIC.

What’s Behind the Polygon Rise?

While this coin’s bullish rally started alongside the crypto market’s rally, excitement quickly mounted when Disney chose Polygon for its accelerator program.

The program that Disney is carrying out aims to accelerate the development of augmented reality, characters generated from virtual reality, and the issuance of non-fungible tokens (better known as NFTs).

It is not yet clear what role the Polygon network will play in this project, however, positivity immediately increased for MATIC.

On Twitter, Ryan Wyatt, CEO of @PolygonStudios, posted that, “We were the only Blockchain selected. It speaks volumes to the work being done here, and where we’re going as a company.”

MATIC has been one of the few coins that has managed to significantly offset the losses of the first half of the year.

This may be due to the high activity on this Blockchain, which, in fact, is currently higher than when the MATIC price is at all-time highs, signifying a major divergence.

Polygon MATIC Technical Analysis

The price is wrapped in a clear short-term uptrend, thanks to the continuous higher lows and higher highs that the price has been forming.

Currently, a reversal of this trend is in process. It seems that the support level to visit is $0.70.

Due to the uncertainty that permeates the entire risk asset market, it is possible that the current fall will last much longer, before regaining the dominant force.

To think that the bulls are back in control, the resistance at $0.95 must be overcome, leaving the ground clear for gains to as low as $1.34.

Has MATIC Hit Rock Bottom?

After falling to as low as $0.31, the Polygon MATIC rally has shown a lot of determination, heralding a possible resumption of the long-term trend.

Near $0.30 there is a large area of ​​demand that stopped the fall. In the event that the price seeks to visit it again, it is likely that purchases there will be encouraged again.

Recently, we saw the price break through immediate resistance on the weekly chart at $0.55, heralding a transition from the medium-term trend.

Now the ground is clear to $1.34. While we may see crypto market participants in trouble in the short term, once the turmoil passes we could see a rally in coins like this one, which has already been showing quite a bit of bullish determination.

By Audy Castaneda

Cryptocurrency Purchases under USD 50 to Be Tax-Free in the US with New Bill

Toomey explained that he is working with Sinema to exempt tax on small personal transactions to facilitate cryptocurrency payments. Lawmakers like John Bel Edwards recognize the great potential in the technology and would like to exploit it.

US senators Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona introduced a bill to exempt small transactions with cryptocurrencies from taxes. The Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act aims to eliminate capital gains tax on purchases under USD 50.

Toomey said the new legislation focuses on making the use of digital payments for everyday purchases easier. He stated that citizens using cryptocurrencies are not subject to surprise taxes for smaller value payments.

The lawmaker explained that the current tax code stands in the way, although cryptocurrencies can become part of the daily economy. He pointed out that he is working with Sinema to facilitate payments with cryptocurrencies by exempting tax on small personal transactions.

The draft law will eliminate capital gains tax on transactions under USD 50, including goods and services. Although Congress has not yet passed the legislation, it is a welcome step toward cryptocurrency adoption in the United States.

The new bill adds to others recently introduced, one by senators Kyrsten Sinema and Cynthia Lummis. That represents an effort by those seeing potential in crypto assets to encourage their adoption in the US.

Crypto Banknotes on the Rise in the United States

Many lawmakers want to focus on the positive aspects of the crypto industry as the US accelerates the process of its regulation. They recognize the great potential in the technology and say they would like to exploit it. For example, John Bel Edwards, the governor of Louisiana, signed a bill on crypto custody into law in late June.

Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand also worked on a cryptocurrency bill focused on DeFi and DAOs. It aims to protect consumers, encourage financial innovation, and remove some cryptocurrencies from the jurisdiction of the SEC and the CFTC.

General Regulation on Cryptocurrencies Is under the Spotlight

Lawmakers control cryptocurrencies, but full regulation may not occur until 2023. Congress postponed the bill on stablecoins by the House Financial Services Committee until September 2022, and other draft laws may not arrive until next year.

The regulation on cryptocurrencies seems to be occurring in the US, which will influence the market. However, the government seems to want to encourage the development of responsible innovation.

The relevance of cryptocurrencies is increasingly evident in the economy, which lawmakers do not overlook. The bill introduced by senators Pat Toomey and Kyrsten Sinema is only one example of the efforts to adopt that technology.

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at around USD 21,325 and has accumulated a 1.1% gain over the last 24 hours. Its daily trading volume is above USD 45.88 billion, while its market capitalization is about 407.42 billion, according to CoinGecko.

By Alexander Salazar

Bitcoin (BTC) Reclaimed $21,000 Support Area after Falling from $24,000

Bitcoin has broken out above a sinking resistance score. It has jumped to the $21,000 support area. BTC has now achieved a more complex corrective structure.

Bitcoin has jumped to a short-term support level after deviating below it. Reclaiming this support spot is crucial for the upward movement.

Bitcoin had been trading below a declining resistance score since April 5. The line caused several rejections, with one that recently happened on June 7. Following this situation, Bitcoin declined to a long-term low of $17,622 on June 18.

BTC has been overall moving up since then. It broke out above the score registered on July 18. However, it has yet to start a radical upward move. On the contrary, it seems to be declining to validate the score it currently has as support.

The movement of the daily RSI is interesting since the indicator got balanced and returned to its optimistic divergence trendline. The numbers in this index are about to jump for the third time, but for this upward move to maintain its way, the index mustn’t deviate and go below this trend.

If the upward move continues, the closest resistance area will explore the $29,370 area. This target appears to be the 0.382 Fib backtrack resistance level. Conversely, new local low rates could arrive soon if the RSI deviates from this score.

Potential Support Levels

Various charts reflect that BTC had been recovering and going above an ascending support line since June 19. Currently, the support area is $20,200, aligning with the 0.618 Fib backtrack support level.

Currently, Bitcoin moves through a solid support area registered at $21,000, created by the 0.5 Fib retracement level and a horizontal support area. It deviated below it on July 26 before returning to its spot the next day. Its validation as support would be a sign that the short-term correction has already reached its completion.

A Deeper BTC Analysis and How the Crypto Winter Impacted the Global Economy

Bitcoin is trying to get away from the midline and desires to ascend a bit more. Doing so would be a solid sign that the correction is complete.

Cryptocurrency prices, especially bitcoin, face a lot of struggles this year, with the digital currency market showing vulnerability to other significant issues. This situation has led some entities in the crypto space to announce the arrival of crypto winter.

A crypto winter means that digital assets prices suffered a decline and then stayed low for weeks or even months. The signs are everywhere; The most significant one was the failure of the TerraUSD crypto project this May, then the lending platform Celsius Network halted withdrawals, prompting a sell-off that pushed Bitcoin to a 17-month low.

According to market experts, other vital aspects of this crypto winter are high inflation, rising interest rates, and the financial confusion that has followed Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Crypto markets ascended in late 2020 and 2021 because the US Federal Reserve injected a prominent amount of funds into markets in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Kraken Crypto Exchange Gets Investigated for Violating International Sanctions

The New York Times highlighted that Kraken is under investigation for allowing users in punished nations to acquire and sell cryptocurrencies. Five individuals linked to the entity and with knowledge of the inspection got cited. Authorities have become increasingly impatient with preventing crypto from being a tool to circumvent financial sanctions.

The New York Times highlighted that Kraken is under the radar of the United States Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control for violating financial punishments. The department is figuring out whether users in sanctions-hit nations are allowed to purchase and sell crypto assets.

The Kraken exchange has come under the magnifying glass of the United States Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control for disobeying the international sanctions imposed in various countries worldwide. The Treasury is currently determining whether Kraken allowed customers in sanctions-hit nations to acquire and sell digital currencies, according to various sources in the New York Times on July 26. Neither Kraken nor the Treasury has spoken out about the investigation.

The inspection started in 2019, and the New York Times spoke about five people linked to the entity or with knowledge of the procedure. These individuals explained that the U.S. government might apply a fine on the entity, which got already confronted by other regulatory entities in the region. The U.S. ​​Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued accusations against the entity in 2021, imposing a $1.25 million fine.

The Treasury is studying if the exchange made possible the trading of assets in profiles located in Iran, Syria, and Cuba. A former employee allegedly highlighted that Kraken made profits from customers in the said countries.

The report also highlights that more than 1,500 users got detected in Iran, 149 users in Syria, and at least 83 in Cuba. The investigation accentuates the efforts made by the authorities to impose control over the crypto market.

Crypto is Under the Magnifying Glass for its Use in Sanctioned Nations

Lawmakers expressed their worries about the role of digital assets in the circumvention of international sanctions imposed in various countries amid the war. Authorities have noted that crypto hinders the effects of these financial punishments, leading to increased scrutiny.

These departments have warned crypto exchanges not to allow their services to work with sanctioned nations, including Russia. Some have complied, like Binance, which closed multiple accounts connected to senior Russian officials. Other entities had shown more resistance to joining the cause, with Kraken announcing in March 2022 that it would not impose prohibitions on unsanctioned users.

North Korea and its accusations of hacking crypto entities have also captured the interest of government entities, including the U.S. Treasury. The department punished 3 ETH addresses allegedly connected to North Korea in April 2022.

EU Accelerated the regulation

The United States of America is not the only area to put a stop to crypto space. The European Union (EU) has also made various efforts to prevent illegal behavior and ensure investors’ safety.

EU member states that the nation finalized the extensive regulation procedures for the crypto space in July 2022. As a result, many crypto entities started declaring their status and current behavior in the region.

By: Jenson Nuñez

The US Council of Economic Advisers Redefines Recession to Prevent the Economy from Collapsing

The CEA said that determinations of recessions and the assessment of economic activity rely on data holistically. The National Bureau of Economic Research defines a recession as a significant decline in economic activity that lasts more than a few months.

The US Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) redefined the meaning of recession, supposedly to prevent the economy from collapsing too soon.

According to the GDP data released at the end of the week, there was a second quarter of negative growth. However, the Biden administration will probably not think it is a recession.

The agency said they could not continue defining an economic recession by two consecutive quarters of declining real growth.

They said that official determinations of recessions and assessment of economic activity rely on data holistically. Among them are the labor market, consumer and business spending, industrial production, and income.

The Council of Economic Advisers considers that the drop in GDP in the first and second quarters of 2022 indicates a recession.

Before a Busy Week, Crypto Markets Cool Off

The US economic output contracted at an annual rate of 1.6% in the first quarter of 2022. According to economists, that figure may reflect a gain of just 0.4% in the new report on the second quarter.

Crypto markets recently dropped sharply on Monday, with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) falling by 3.7% and 7.5%, cooling off after a significant rally.

The drop seems to precede a busy week in global financial markets, starting with the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. There will also be a release of relevant corporate earnings and a report on the second quarter GDP.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) might raise interest rates by 75 basis points to combat US inflation, which reached 9.1% in June. All these factors might cause volatility in global and crypto markets.

Janet Yellen Says There Is No Economic Recession in the US

Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary, said the economic growth is slowing, although a strong job market and consumer spending showed no recession. However, the official did not rule out the risk of a collapse of the economy in the future.

Yellen stated that this is not a recession economy but a transition period in which growth is slowing down.

She agrees with the Council of Economic Advisers that recession is a broad weakness of the economy.

In the second quarter of 2022, the US economy created 1.1 million new jobs, equivalent to around 375,000 jobs per month. That is three times more new jobs than any quarter preceding a recession.

The US Council of Economic Advisers Recession as a Lie

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, a recession is a significant decline in economic activity. They explained that it spreads throughout the economy and lasts more than a few months.

The agency usually tracks several variables, including personal income, jobs, consumer spending, and industrial production.

American journalist Jacqui Heinrich brought to light the CEA definition in response to a Twitter user. She stated that recession has one meaning: two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Heinrich highlighted that the Biden administration is redefining the word as a lie.

By Alexander Salazar