Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 5, 2019

The Number of Cryptocurrency Wallet Users Keeps Rising

Data published recently shows that the number of cryptocurrency wallet users has been steadily increasing over the years, almost independently of the market ups and downs. This positive trend has continued throughout the extended bearish market and has in fact steepened in the last few weeks.

Over 36 Million Crypto Wallets Created so Far

study published by market and consumer data provider Statista compiles quarterly figures for a three-year period. The number of blockchain wallet users worldwide has jumped from less than 6.7 million in Q1 2016 to over 34.6 million in Q1 2019. This has involved a constant increase, with every quarter seeing more cryptocurrency wallets than the previous one.
The Number of Cryptocurrency Wallet Users Keeps Rising
A more detailed graph prepared by Blockchain.com confirms the trend, which dates back to early 2013. During the whole period, there have been two noticeable spikes. The first one occurred between late November 2017 and the end of January 2018, when the number of wallets jumped by 2.5 million. The second started this April – almost 2 million new users have been registered since the beginning of the last month.
The Number of Cryptocurrency Wallet Users Keeps Rising
The total number of wallet users on April 30 was 36,616,530, according to Blockchain.com’s calculations. The user count towards the end of April 2012 was less than 5,800. The difference, undoubtedly, represents an enormous increase in the number of people involved in the crypto space, despite all the setbacks along the way.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Wallet

Setting up a cryptocurrency wallet is a necessary step for anyone who wants to enter the space. It allows you to acquire, store and spend digital coins. There are many options in the market and your choice should depend on your priorities.
For instance, hardware wallets such as Ledger and Trezor arguably offer greater security for digital assets. There are also popular desktop wallets like Jaxx or Exodus, online wallets such as Coinpayments, and mobile wallets built for Android and iOS, like Edge. Blockchain.com offers a safe and popular wallet too. All of them support multiple cryptocurrencies.
If you need a light client developed for various platforms, including mobile operating systems as well as Windows, MacOS and Linux, the Bitcoin.com Walletis an open source, simple and secure tool to buy, store, send and receive bitcoin. The application supports two major cryptocurrencies – bitcoin cash (BCH) and bitcoin core (BTC).
The Number of Cryptocurrency Wallet Users Keeps Rising
New users can download and install the app for free and purchase BCH and BTC with a credit card directly in the wallet. As of recently, the option has been available not only to U.S. residents, but also to crypto enthusiasts in the U.K. and Europe. The wallet allows you to easily switch between the two coins using a service called Sideshift without the need for any registration or account creation.
Probably the most attractive feature of the Bitcoin.com Wallet is that it’s a noncustodial platform. That means you’ll be fully in charge of your funds at all times. These and other advantages are some of the reasons for the wallet’s growing popularity. Almost 4 million Bitcoin.com wallets have been created so far. That’s close to 2 million new wallets in just a year.
Do you think the growing number of cryptocurrency wallets in use is an indication of a strong positive trend in the crypto space? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.

Crypto Community Monitors Bitfinex Wallets and the Strange 6% BTC Premium

Whether cryptocurrency enthusiasts believe the stablecoin controversy is worrisome or mere FUD, the news surrounding the $850 million of Bitfinex funds locked up has shaken the markets. Now, digital asset traders are closely monitoring the large premium on Bitfinex, where the price of BTC is trading for $300 more than on most spot markets. The publicly known Bitfinex cold storage wallet is also being monitored as large sums of BTC have left the address since the announcement last week.

Bitfinex Cold Storage Drops Below 90K BTC Following Controversial News

On April 25, the New York Attorney General’s (NYAG) office issued a press releaseconcerning court documents that accuse the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex of losing $850 million and using the stablecoin operation Tether to cover it up. Bitfinex claims the NYAG court filings are “riddled with false assertions” and the chief financial officer, Giancarlo Devasini, recently told a Bitfinex shareholder the trading platform “needs a few weeks and the funds will be unfrozen.” Since then, however, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office charged two individuals for allegedly providing shadow banking services to cryptocurrency exchanges including Bitfinex. Additionally, it’s been revealed that the tether stablecoin (USDT) is only backed by 74% of collateralized USD reserves. All of this news initially shook cryptocurrency markets, but most digital assets have since recovered much of what they lost.
Crypto Community Monitors Bitfinex Wallets and the Strange 6% BTC Premium
The price of bitcoin core (BTC) slid to $5,152 on April 25, 2018, which can be seen in this 7-day chart.
While the community debated the subject heavily on crypto Twitter, millions of dollars worth of BTC left the exchange’s publicly known cold storage address.Armchair sleuths first noticed $89 million worth of BTC moved from the Bitfinex cold wallet to the platform’s hot wallet. Then another $67 million in BTC was moved from the cold storage address. On April 24, the cold wallet had around 120,000 BTC but the address dipped under 90K by the 29th, and today the address holds just 89,404 BTC. Anyone following the tweets from Whale Alertover the last few days will have noticed large amounts of BTC departing from Bitfinex to unknown wallets. Additionally, large amounts of ethereum and other coins have been exiting Bitfinex to unknown wallets.
Crypto Community Monitors Bitfinex Wallets and the Strange 6% BTC Premium
Bitfinex cold storage wallet has 89,404 BTC at the time of writing and had 120,000 BTC on April 24, the day before the news broke.

The ‘Risk Premium’ Returns Once Again

In addition to the large amounts of coins leaving Bitfinex, the exchange has had a significant premium on the trading platform. Today, the price of BTC is $300 higher on Bitfinex than most spot exchanges like Coinbase, Gemini, and Bitstamp. The premium is also higher than other exchanges like Binance, a popular trading platform that also uses a vast amount of USDT. Charlie Humberstone from the data and analytics website Crypto Compare explained on April 30 how the Bitfinex premium hit a high of $346 more than most exchanges or 6.7% higher than the global spot rate. During our last markets update, news.Bitcoin.com also reported on USDT dropping below its $1 peg after the announcement, but it popped above the $1 region on April 27. Humberstone’s recent analysis also notes that this isn’t the first time Bitfinex has seen high premiums, as the price was 8% higher than most global spot exchanges back in March 2017. At the time, Bitfinex had banking problems with the financial institution Wells Fargo.
“What’s unusual, however, is that these dramatic events last year — despite a growing list of rival stablecoins — seemed not to put much of a dent in Tether’s usage,” Humberstone remarked.
Crypto Community Monitors Bitfinex Wallets and the Strange 6% BTC Premium
Overall cryptocurrency markets endured a loss of around $10 billion last Thursday but digital asset prices have regained around half of those losses so far. There’s still uncertainty lingering in the air concerning the Bitfinex and Tether issue, while crypto enthusiasts wonder if there will be more negative news to come in the near future.
Crypto Community Monitors Bitfinex Wallets and the Strange 6% BTC Premium
The community continues to debate whether the Bitfinex and Tether situation is serious.
The company named in the recent indictment, Global Trading Solutions LLC, and the two individuals accused of shadow banking indicates that this story isn’t over yet. Additionally, according to Bitfinex shareholder Dong Zhao on the social media platform Weibo, the exchange may issue a native token.
Desipite all the negativity and market hesitancy in the air, Fundstrat Global Advisors founder Tom Lee believes things could have been worse. “If this tether USDT story broke in mid- to late-2018, the crypto market would probably have seen panic liquidations across the board,” Lee insisted.
What do you think about the recent market action after the Bitfinex and Tether story broke? What do you think about the premium on Bitfinex right now? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

New Video Series Debuts – How Bitcoin Cash Will Change the World

Bitcoin.com has launched a new video series for the crypto-curious, with a crisp new look and an easy to understand, lighthearted narrative style. The first episode which premiered Wednesday features the top eight ways Bitcoin Cash will change the world.

How Bitcoin Cash Will Change the World

A new video series debuted on Bitcoin.com’s Youtube channel Wednesday with the premiere episode focusing on the top ways Bitcoin Cash will make a difference in the world.
In addition to improving cross-border remittances and making small charitable donations practical, the “8 Ways Bitcoin Cash Will Change the World” video explains how the decentralized cryptocurrency combats inflation. Other benefits include helping the unbanked and removing middlemen and their fees from many types of transactions. The video also illustrates how Bitcoin Cash can be used as a tool to aid financial transparency and help create new energy infrastructure in impoverished communities as well as facilitate a range of new fundraising options.

Video Series for the Crypto-Curious

Bitcoin.com’s Video Lead, Marton Csuzi, explained that these videos are for anyone who wants to learn more about cryptocurrency. “There are almost 4 million people who downloaded our wallet at some point. We aim to create content for them, no matter what their expertise,” he elaborated. Noting that people want to know more about crypto “but most of the conversations and articles get too technical very quickly,” he added:
We want to educate and entertain the crypto-curious audience about bitcoin cash and cryptocurrencies in an easy to understand, lighthearted way.
Most of the videos will be between 5 and 12 minutes depending on the topic. “We want to create content that is engaging and provides value. We’d rather do something people want to watch twice, than something that they can’t sit through,” Csuzi remarked. New videos will be published every other Wednesday.
New Video Series Debuts – How Bitcoin Will Change the World
Furthermore, the audience can suggest topics by leaving comments below the videos. “If we think it would make a great video, we’ll make it happen,” Csuzi confirmed. Upcoming titles include “Top 10 Ways to Earn Bitcoin Cash,” “Top 10 Most Expensive Luxury Items Purchased With Crypto,” and “Top Five Biggest Bitcoin Heists.”
What do you think of this new video series? Do you have a suggestion for a new video topic? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Bitcoin.com.

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