The growth of the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector has been a recurrent headline throughout 2021 and to date, hundreds of billions of dollars in crypto assets are locked on protocols across numerous blockchain networks and earning a yield for their holders. What started off as a simple Ethereum-based swap interface that allowed ERC-20 tokens to be exchanged in a decentralized manner, called Uniswap, has exploded into a vast ecosystem full of decentralized exchanges, yield farms, lending protocols and staking platforms. As development continues and older protocols become more established, newer projects have emerged to incorporate more pieces from the traditional …

The crypto market’s recovery was rocked on Sept. 24 after news that China's government is adopting a new set of measures that includes stronger inter-departmental coordination to “cut off payment channels, dispose of relevant websites and mobile applications” to crack down on illegal cryptocurrency transactions efficiently. Although the news has caused a selloff, long-term investors are unlikely to be perturbed because, apart from announcing additional measures to enforce the existing ban effectively, there is nothing else that has changed. China first announced a ban on cryptocurrencies back in September 2017 and that news had also resulted in a sharp correction …

The bullish momentum that had been growing across the cryptocurrency ecosystem over the past few days came to a screeching halt on Sept. 24 as news that China had banned cryptocurrency transactions made the rounds on social media and initiated an abrupt fall in the price of Bitcoin (BTC) from $45,000 to $42,000. After the initial knee-jerk reaction and a brief period of time for the market to digest the news, traders jumped back in to buy the dips on several altcoins, which helped some of the losses seen earlier in the day. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView …

The first half of 2021 in the crypto markets brought many comparisons to 2017. Bitcoin (BTC) was on a tear to its all-time high, the new frontier of decentralized finance emerged, and nonfungible tokens were gaining myriad celebrity endorsements. But after the initial months of euphoria and a subsequent sell-off, BTC’s performance has been far more lackluster. The recent market sell-off resulting from the Evergrande crisis has compounded fears. However, it can’t be ignored that many altcoins, particularly platform tokens, have undergone impressive runs and, in some cases, even bucked broader market trends. With hopes still high that another bull …

Bitcoin (BTC) suddenly lost $2,000 in an hour on Sept. 24 as what appeared to be old news over a Chinese regulatory ban hit social media. Bitcoin vs. China: Don’t believe the “FUD” Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView tracked BTC/USD as it abruptly fell from $45,000 to near $42,000. The kneejerk reaction came as a memo from China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), began to circulate online, criminalizing practically all cryptocurrency activity except possession. As commentators noted, however, the PBoC originally released the updated guidance on Sept. 15 but posted it online on Friday, Sept. …

Ether (ETH) has been in a bearish trend since early September, and this week's Evergrande-led market crash drove the price below $2,700 on Sept.20, its lowest level in 47 days. Curiously, just three weeks ago, Ether was testing the $4,000 psychological barrier, but this changed after mounting crypto regulatory concerns and the fear of China's debt markets triggering a global sell-off intensified. This week United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler spoke to the Washington Post about renewed plans to regulate the crypto sector and the growing stablecoin market. Ether's negative price trend reversed on Sept. 22 …

The emergence of decentralized finance (DeFi) has reshaped the landscape of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, which was once dominated by centralized exchanges like Coinbase and Binance and helped to make it more accessible for users and projects seeking to gain access to the markets. As DeFi emerged as a cheaper, more accessible option for investors and projects, centralized exchanges saw their reserves of BTC and Ether dip and they began to compete for users as growing numbers of investors opted to give DeFi a try. Instead of taking a 'centralized only' approach, LCX exchange has adapted its model to offer centralized …

Bullish optimism is on the rise across the cryptocurrency market on Sept. 23 as prices continue to recover from this week's volatility which was the result of regulatory pressure on the crypto sector, the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on the Fed's interest rate hikes and monetary policy, along with fears that the Evergrande situation would ripple out to impact global financial markets. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after trading in a range between $43,000 and $44,300 during the early trading hours on Sept. 23, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) spiked above $44,800 in the early …

It’s not the first time that the native token of the Avalanche blockchain has encountered wild fluctuations. In February, AVAX shot as high as $60 only to reach a nadir in June and July. But after bottoming at $9.34, AVAX is now beyond $60 and is currently trading at $76. This has earned it a spot in the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization with $16 billion, according to Cointelegraph Markets Pro. Avalanche is among the layer-one blockchains tagged as “Ethereum killers” that appear to have reduced the recent dominance of the top altcoin in terms of total locked value …

Tune in to watch Cointelegraph host and analyst Benton Yaun alongside resident market experts Jordan Finneseth and Marcel Pechman. Here’s what to expect in this week’s markets news breakdown: After failing to reach $50,000, Bitcoin (BTC) slid back down to $40,000 on Monday before recovering to $44,000. What, or who, was behind this pullback? Dogecoin (DOGE) is gaining popularity even though transaction levels are at a low. Why is this happening? United States President Joe Biden nominated a new head for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Saule Omarova, who is an anti-crypto law professor. If this nomination …

Axie Infinity’s native cryptocurrency, Axie Infinity Shards (AXS), bounced higher on Sept. 23 as the market’s focus shifted to its listing on two major crypto trading platforms, Bitfinex and Bitstamp. The AXS/USD exchange rate surged 15.52% to $69.86, negating all the losses that it incurred at the beginning of the week. The intraday rally came as a part of an overall bullish retracement that began on Sept. 21 when AXS was changing hands for $48.05. Crypto assets recover On Sept. 20, markets were on edge due to looming economic trouble in the Chinese property market surrounding Evergrande, which is massively …

Bitcoin (BTC) faced stiff resistance above $44,000 on Thursday, Sept. 23, as China told governments to prepare for property giant Evergrande to collapse. Buyers line up to snag sub-$40,000 BTC Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed volatility continuing for BTC/USD Thursday. The pair had seen a solid recovery overnight, this fading at what was previous support just above $44,000. At the time of writing, the pair traded at around $43,700, dipping as news hit that China was briefing governmental structures on Evergrande’s financial fallout. Signals remain mixed over the troubled firm, shares of which jumped amid signs of …