TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Bitcoin slumped below $30,000 for the first time since July 2021 on Tuesday as cryptocurrencies track sinking markets with investors spooked by aggressive US monetary tightening and surging inflation. The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value fell as low as $29,764 in Tuesday trade, before recovering above $30,000, extending a recent collapse in price as investors desert assets viewed as risky. Bitcoin’s value has more than halved since a November surge […]
Tag: bitcoin
Ukraine launches website for cryptocurrency donations
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The Ukrainian government on Monday launched a website in partnership with crypto-firms FTX and Everstake that will funnel donations to Ukraine’s central bank as it combats a devastating invasion by Russia. On the “Aid for Ukraine” website, users can currently offer donations in 10 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, ether, tether and dogecoin. “Cryptocurrencies play a significant role in Ukraine’s defense,” Oleksandre Borniakov, Ukraine’s deputy minister of Digital Transformation, said […]
Bitcoin down 6% after China cryptocurrency crackdown
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Bitcoin extended losses Friday after China’s latest crackdown on cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, which had already been falling before the announcement, dropped as much as 6.0 percent in value before trimming losses to stand at $42,256, down 5.5 percent. © Agence France-Presse
El Salvador president says half a million using new bitcoin wallet
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — There are now more than half a million people using El Salvador’s bitcoin wallet, President Nayib Bukele announced. The country of 6.6 million people this month became the first to adopt bitcoin as legal tender alongside the US dollar, which has been the official currency for two decades. “We currently have more than half a million users (of the Chivo wallet),” Bukele tweeted late Monday. The “Chivo Wallet” is […]
In world first, bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador
by Carlos Mario Marquez and Moises Avila SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — El Salvador on Tuesday became the first country to embrace bitcoin as legal tender, with consumer demand crashing its brand-new cyber “wallet” system even as the currency’s value seesawed against the US dollar. Under the initiative of President Nayib Bukele, Salvadoran consumers can now legally use bitcoin — along with the US dollar which has been the official currency for two decades […]
Bitcoin jumps above $50,000 for first time since May
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Bitcoin broke back above $50,000 on Monday for the first time in three months as investors piled back into the cryptocurrency on bargain-buying. The unit climbed around two percent to $50,249.15, its highest since mid-May, when it began tumbling on a range of issues including China’s crackdown on cryptocurrencies and Tesla boss Elon Musk’s decision to stop accepting it on concerns about the environmental impact of mining. The electric car […]
Bitcoin dives as China widens crackdown on crypto mining
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Bitcoin tumbled more than 10 per cent Monday after China broadened a crackdown on its massive cryptocurrency mining industry with a ban on mines in a key southwestern province. Chinese mines power nearly 80 percent of the global trade in cryptocurrencies despite a domestic trading ban since 2017, but in recent months several provinces have ordered mines to close as Beijing turns a sharp eye to the industry. Authorities in the […]
Bitcoin sinks and approaches $30,000
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The price of bitcoin fell sharply on Tuesday, approaching a symbolic $30,000 threshold it has not crossed since January and dragging other cryptocurrencies in its wake. At around 15:45 GMT, bitcoin fell 8.6 percent to a value of $31,501, a level not seen since mid-May, when the volatile cryptocurrency temporarily lost 30 percent in one session. The second-largest cryptocurrency, ethereum, lost 11.2 percent of its value, falling to $2,361. “Numbers […]
Bitcoin tumble slows with help from Elon Musk
by Sebastien Ricci with Joseph Sotinel in London NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Bitcoin’s value plunged on Wednesday after China signaled a new crackdown on the cryptocurrency, but its losses were cushioned after Tesla head Elon Musk spoke up on Twitter. The virtual currency fell to almost $30,000 — less than half the record value it reached last month — before climbing back over $39,500 around 2000 GMT. It was still above its level […]
Bitcoin tumbles below $40,000 after China issues warning
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Bitcoin plunged below $40,000 for the first time in more than three months Wednesday after China said cryptocurrencies would not be allowed in transactions and warned investors against speculative trading in them. The comments sent the unit diving more than 10 percent and dealt it another blow soon after being battered by comments from tycoon Elon Musk and his Tesla car company. Trading in cryptocurrencies has been banned in China since […]
Virtual gold? Bitcoin’s rise sparks new debate amid pandemic
by Joseph SOTINEL Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Bitcoin’s rally above $15,000 has reignited debate over whether the cryptocurrency is so-called digital gold or a perilously risky bet as investors grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. The world’s most popular virtual unit has gained over 30 percent in value in almost three weeks up to Friday (November 6), taking it close to its December 2017 peak when it reached nearly $20,000. After […]
Thai Navy to remove bitcoin-rich couple’s sea home
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The Thai Navy will begin removing a “seastead” home built by an American bitcoin investor and his partner off the coast of Thailand, an official said Saturday, as the couple remain in hiding from charges accusing them of violating the country’s sovereignty. Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet, known as “Bitcoin Girl Thailand”, are facing charges of threatening the kingdom’s independence after authorities found their ocean-based home about 12 […]





