Wirex, a digital payment platform that enables users to spend 62 fiat and cryptocurrencies at more than 61 million locations worldwide via the Wirex platform, announced the integration of Avalanche (AVAX) into its ecosystem on Monday. With the move, users can receive, send, store, and exchange AVAX tokens, and add custom tokens via the Avalanche blockchain. The company plans to onboard multiple AVAX based tokens over the next few months. In addition, Wirex users will be able to earn 20% in annual interest on AVAX through the firm's decentralized finance savings product, X-Accounts. The company has over 4.5 million users …

Apart from high-profile athletes and politicians who are taking salaries in crypto, a study shows that the number of ordinary people who take some of their salaries in crypto has increased globally. Tracking trends that occurred in 2021, global hiring firm Deel published a report that noted a 10% month-over-month increase in people who want to be paid in crypto since November 2020. The data, pulled from over 100,000 contracts in over 150 countries, shows that Latin America (LATAM) and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are on top of the regions that have employees taking a portion of their …

U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether (USDT) witnessed a spike of over 30% in five days against the Russian ruble — highlighting the negative and immediate impact of the ongoing war on the traditional financial system. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and crypto exchange Binance show that the ruble (RUB) is undergoing inflation as the USDT/RUB trading pair — for the first time in history — crossed 105 RUB. Prior to the spike, the USDT/RUB pair maintained a comparatively steady market price below 80 rubles. However, with the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war, the ruble’s market price against USDT surged on Feb. …

The geopolitical news flow is likely to result in volatile moves in Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins in the next few days. News of Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering the nuclear deterrence forces on high alert may be viewed as a negative, but reports of talks between the warring nations could be positive as it raises hopes of an end to the conflict. The crypto community came into focus as the Ukrainian government called for help and sought crypto donations. Some individuals on social media said their Ukrainian credit cards had stopped working and they were not able to withdraw money …

Bitcoin (BTC) faced down $40,000 on Feb. 27 as hopes for the weekly close hinged on avoiding a fourth red monthly candle in a row. Tensions mount for TradFi markets open Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD making several attempts to break out of the $30,000-$40,000 corridor Sunday, all of which ended in rejection. The pair had stayed broadly higher throughout the weekend, cutting traders some slack after a week of volatility at the hands of geopolitics and media headlines. Now, $38,500 was the level to watch for Bitcoin to close out the week and the month …

Mirror Protocol, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on the Terra blockchain, was hit by one of the biggest collapses in financial history this week after Vladimir Putin ordered military strikes against Ukraine. Terra tokens rally Mirror Protocol's native token, MIR, dropped to $0.993 on Feb. 24, its worst level to date amid a selloff across the broader crypto market. But a sharp rebound ensued, taking the price to as high as $1.41 two days later, up more than 40% when measured from MIR's record low. Just like the drop, MIR's upside retracement came in the wake of similar recoveries …

The European Commission announced to remove a number of Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) messaging system, aimed at hindering Russia’s capacity to carry out cross-border payments. In a joint statement released by the European Commission, leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States highlighted their shared interest in defending Ukraine from the war against Russia: “We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.” While condemning the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s move to lay siege across Ukraine, the EU Commission …

Within the first week of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ukrainian government has reached out to the crypto community on Twitter for raising funds to support its civilians and troops. Ukraine has now started accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) as donations. As Russia threatens to take over Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, the government of Ukraine sought help from numerous international organizations to overpower the imminent threat. However, considering time is of the essence, the official Twitter account of Ukraine extended its call for help to Crypto Twitter. Stand with the people of Ukraine. Now accepting cryptocurrency donations. …

Ethereum (ETH) and decentralized finance (DeFi) are undergoing a seismic shift as the transition to Eth2 and a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism is helping to increase the value proposition for the network which has historically has been plagued with scaling issues and high transaction costs. Alongside this transition has been the introduction of liquid staking, which is helping to add utility to DeFi and giving investors the option to do more with their assets than just lock them up indefinitely. Liquid staking could also help investors build more capital efficient portfolios. One protocol that has benefited from the shift toward liquid …

Bitcoin (BTC) began a nervous weekend at around $39,000 on Feb. 26 after an overnight spike briefly saw $40,000 return. Stocks gains but crypto "fear" pervades Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView revealed calmer conditions for BTC/USD Saturday after overnight volatility saw highs of $40,330 on Bitstamp. With traditional markets closed, the probability of "fakeout" moves up or down was elevated thanks to thinner weekend volumes on crypto markets. The geopolitical turmoil focused on Ukraine and occupier Russia formed the backdrop for continued cautious sentiment, amid concerns that Monday, in particular, could bring fresh instability. The Crypto Fear & …

The founder of the infamous crypto exchange BitConnect, Satish Kumbhani, has been charged for allegedly misleading investors globally and defrauding them of $2.4 billion in the process. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), a San Diego-based federal grand jury specifically charged Kumbhani for orchestrating the alleged Ponzi scheme via BitConnect’s “Lending Program”: “BitConnect operated as a Ponzi scheme by paying earlier BitConnect investors with money from later investors. In total, Kumbhani and his co-conspirators obtained approximately $2.4 billion from investors.” Back in 2017 amid the hype, BitConnect (BCC) recorded an all-time high of $463.31 in trading price, which according …

Ether (ETH) reached a $3,280 local high on Feb. 10, marking a 51.5% recovery from the $2,160 cycle low on Jan. 24. That price was the lowest in six months, and it partially explains why derivatives traders’ main sentiment gauge plummeted to bearish levels. Ether’s futures contract annualized premium, or basis, reached 2.5% on Feb. 25, reflecting bearishness despite the 11% rally to $2,700. The worsening conditions depict investors’ doubts regarding the Ethereum network’s shift to a proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism. As reported by Cointelegraph, the much-anticipated sharding upgrade that will significantly boost processing capacity should come into effect in late …