Hyperinflation news
Bitcoin could hit $10M in 9 years but more sidechains needed: Blockstream CEO
Blockstream CEO Adam Back believes the price of Bitcoin (BTC) could reach $10 million by the end of the sixth halvening in 2032, as long as Bitcoin layer-2 technology and wallet infrastructure improves. In a Feb. 12 Twitter thread, Back, one of the contributors to Bitcoin core, was explaining to his 509,000 followers in what situation Hal Finney’s $10 million price prediction for BTC could come true. He noted that BTC has doubled in price year-on-year on average since 2013 and explained that if that trend continues, BTC price would reach $10M along with a $200 trillion market cap in …
Adoption / Feb. 13, 2023
Sri Lanka against Bitcoin adoption, rejects Draper’s anti-corruption pitch
On a recent visit to Sri Lanka, American billionaire Tim Draper pitched the idea of adopting Bitcoin (BTC) as a legal tender to fight against the corruption that contributed to hyperinflation in the island country. However, a key Sri Lankan authority — central bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe — believed doing so would worsen the country’s economic situation. Taking time from a TV shoot in Sri Lanka, Draper met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Weerasinghe to recommend Bitcoin as a viable option for getting out of financial problems. During the meeting, Draper pointed out a key concern staring right at Sri Lanka: …
Adoption / Feb. 4, 2023
DeFi, DAOs and NFTs: Crypto is redefining how charities raise funds
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and decentralized finance (DeFi) are redefining how charities raise donations and distribute funds to those most in need. Through ever-evolving crypto and blockchain-related technology, crypto philanthropists told Cointelegraph that they've witnessed “new wealth distribution mechanisms" never seen before. “Philanthropy has traditionally been seen as a high-cost-of-entry, individualistic activity but with web3, collective decision-making bodies like DAOs can use tools that streamline financial coordination and encourage more participation,” explained Omar Antila, Product Lead at Crypto for Charity. “Crypto enables new innovative fundraising strategies, like charitable NFT-drop campaigns, or allowing people to pool their crypto …
Blockchain / Jan. 17, 2023
Inflation is killing us; cryptocurrency alone cannot beat it
Much like a pandemic, inflation has spread throughout the world, clouding the future with dark uncertainty. Disagreement over how to best manage soaring prices in the United Kingdom nearly caused its economy to collapse and subsequently led to the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss after just 44 days in office. Currently, at least 10 emerging economies are hyperinflationary, with more expected to follow. And the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the part of the U.S. Federal Reserve responsible for keeping prices stable, just announced higher interest rate hikes in the midst of a return to positive gross domestic product …
Blockchain / Nov. 4, 2022
Is Bitcoin an inflation hedge? Why BTC hasn’t faired well with peak inflation
Bitcoin has been projected as many things since its inception in 2009. However, the most talked about aspects have been a fungible form of future money and an inflation hedge. The last Bitcoin (BTC) halving cycle (a block reward halving event that happens approximately every four years) coincided with the raging COVID-19 pandemic, which solidified many people’s belief in the nascent tech as a true hedge against inflation and worldly disorders. One year down the line, however, BTC has lost 75% of its market capitalization and not many would agree with the inflation hedge theory. During the last year’s bull …
Adoption / Oct. 8, 2022
Jerome Powell is prolonging our economic agony
Can we all agree that the Federal Reserve has a plan to combat runaway inflation? They do. Chair Jerome Powell has all but admitted it. After tempering his comments before previous rate hikes, allowing wiggle room which gave way to market rebounds, Powell has left no bones about this one. It is necessary to wreak some havoc on the economy and put downward pressure on the labor markets and wage increases to stop the creep of inflation. Whether you buy into that logic or if you believe — like Elon Musk — that such movements could result in deflation — …
Markets / Sept. 21, 2022
Global inflation mounts: How stablecoins are helping protect savings
Economies around the world are facing a motley of challenges caused by rising inflation. High inflation devalues national currencies, which, in turn, pushes up the cost of living, especially in scenarios where earnings remain unchanged. In the United States, the government has responded aggressively to inflation. The nation hit a 9.1% inflation rate in June, prompting the Federal Reserve to implement a series of fiscal countermeasures designed to prevent the economy from overheating. Hiking interest rates was one of them. Soaring Fed interest rates have consequently slowed down consumer spending and business growth in the country. The counter-inflation approach has …
Adoption / Sept. 16, 2022
How to preserve capital during inflation using cryptocurrencies?
Just when the global economy largely recovered from the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions and the resultant supply chain pressures have once again roiled financial markets across the world. Furthermore, inflation has once again reared its ugly head, forcing central banks across major economies to raise interest rates in an attempt to curtail runaway prices of essential commodities like food and fuel. Despite these efforts, developed economies like the United States and the United Kingdom continue to report inflation at multi-year highs, adding even more stress on household savings and negatively impacting consumer spending. Apart from the …
Bitcoin / Aug. 31, 2022
Crypto will become an inflation hedge — just not yet
Cryptocurrencies present a unique solution, given their lack of a central governing bank. You can’t lose trust in something that doesn’t exist. Its supply is finite, so it naturally appreciates in value. People using a blockchain with proof-of-stake protocols can access their funds at any time, while continuously earning staking rewards on their current balance. This means that the actual value of annual percentage yield is tied to the economic activity on the chain via its treasury and staking reward distribution mechanics. Those properties seem to address the cause of inflation in the traditional monetary systems — but some roadblocks …
Adoption / Aug. 27, 2022
UK hits double-digit inflation for the first time in 40 years
The inflation rate in the United Kingdom reached 10.1%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 10.1% in the 12 months to July 2022. It's a significant leap from 9.4% in June. The ONS stated that housing and household services, including fuel and transport (fuel again), food and beverages are to blame for the surge in prices. The price at the pump in the United Kingdom currently stands at roughly £1.72 ($2.08) per liter, having almost breached the £2 mark recently. For Diesel, the price sits at £1.84 ($2.23) per liter, having …
Business / Aug. 17, 2022
Is Bitcoin really a hedge against inflation?
While Bitcoin (BTC) has failed in countering this year's rampant global inflation, it should still be considered as an inflation hedge, says Steven Lubka, the managing director of private consumers at Swan Bitcoin. According to Lubka, Bitcoin works well as a hedge against rising prices when inflation is caused by monetary expansion. It is less effective when inflation is caused by supply disruption of food and energy, which he sees as the leading cause of this year's rampant inflation. "In a world where the price of goods is going up because there's been a radical loss of abundance, Bitcoin isn't …
Bitcoin / Aug. 16, 2022
Bitcoin trader says expect more chop, downside, then sideways price action for BTC this summer
Discussion of the state of the crypto market has been a dominant headline over the past few weeks as non-crypto native media excoriate Bitcoin (BTC) and DeFi investors for investing in assets with no fundamental value. At the same time, crypto-savvy analysts and traders have been pouring over charts, looking for clues that signal when the market will bottom and reverse course. Novice investors are clearly nervous and a few have predicted the demise of the burgeoning asset class, but for those that have been around for multiple cycles, this new bear market is just another forest clearing fire that …
Adoption / July 1, 2022