Argentina, a country with one of the highest crypto adoption rates in the world, saw the price of United States dollar-pegged stablecoins surge across exchanges on Saturday after the abrupt resignation of its Economy Minister, Martin Guzman. The minister’s shock exit, confirmed on his Twitter account on Sunday via a seven-page letter, threatens to further destabilize a struggling economy battling high inflation and a depreciating national currency. According to data from Criptoya, the cost of buying Tether (USDT) using Argentinian pesos (ARS) is currently 271.4 ARS through the Binance exchange, which is around a 12% premium from before the resignation …

Argentina’s tax authority has seized more than 1,000 cryptocurrency wallets linked to delinquent taxpayers in the country. According to a report from local media outlet iProUP, courts across Argentina authorized the seizure of 1,269 cryptocurrency wallets belonging to citizens with outstanding debt to Argentina’s Federal Administration of Public Income (AFIP). AFIP signaled its intent to go after cryptocurrency wallets belonging to tax delinquents in May, ordering cryptocurrency exchanges and payment service providers to deliver monthly reports on users of their platforms. Crypto services were requested to verify the identity of clients and keep records of user accounts as well as …

A survey from digital payment company Block Inc. has found that the higher respondents rated their own level of cryptocurrency knowledge, the more optimistic they are about the future of Bitcoin (BTC). Block surveyed more than 9,500 people from the Americas (2,375), EMEA (4,360) and APAC (2,860) regions in January, ensuring to include 100 Bitcoin owners in each region for its 2022 Bitcoin Knowledge and Perceptions Report. The report, released on Tuesday, shows a correlation between optimism and the likelihood of purchasing, and compared the result with the respondent’s self-identified level of knowledge. Of those who identified as having fair …

Since 2016, Argentina has been engaged in a war against inflation. Caused by multiple factors, like a lack of trust in the central bank or government overspending, the depreciation of the Argentinean peso has negatively impacted citizens' purchasing power. This has brought 37.3% of the population under the poverty line, and many others have had their savings vanish into thin air. Against this backdrop, many Argentines have turned to Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto as a way to hedge against 60% inflation, despite the market being in the red for several months and the central bank forbidding financial institutions from operating …

The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) has put the kibosh on financial institutions offering crypto trading only days after two of the country’s largest banks signaled they were opening up to digital assets. On Thursday, the BCRA said the move was to mitigate the risks crypto poses to users and “to the financial system as a whole,” citing crypto’s high volatility, use in money laundering and absence of regulatory safeguards. The news came hot on the heels of an announcement on Monday from two of the country’s largest banks, Banco Galicia and Brubank, that they would allow their customers to …

Argentina’s largest and second-largest private banks, Banco Galicia and Brubank, have announced that they will allow customers to make crypto purchases. Bloomberg reported on Monday that a resounding 60% of respondents to an Argentinian poll asked for more access to crypto, which catalyzed the banks’ decisions to begin allowing crypto trading. Affiliate at market research firm Americas Market Intelligence, Ignacio Carballo, tweeted confirmation on Tuesday with screenshots of Banco Galicia’s online interface that it had begun supporting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), USD Coin (USDC) and Ripple (XRP) purchases. .#IMPORTANTE: El Banco Galicia incorpora función de comprar #criptomonedas! Se transforma así …

The capital of Argentina and an agglomeration with more than 12 million citizens, Buenos Aires will make blockchain a vital part of its digitalization drive. Specifically, the city will accept public financial transactions in crypto. As city Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta revealed in his Steve Jobs-styled presentation on April 25, the 12-step development plan titled “Buenos Aires +” envisions a significant increase in crypto and blockchain adoption. Con Buenos Aires + vamos a dar un paso más en el camino hacia un Estado facilitador que desburocratice y agilice los procesos. Un camino en el que el Estado sea el que …

The town of Serodino in Argentina’s Santa Fe Province could begin to mine crypto in a bid to raise the money needed for its rail infrastructure upgrade. Its mayor doesn’t see any risk in mining the digital currencies that can be sold immediately. As the local media reported on April 10, the town of 6000 people has already purchased six graphics cards and will be buying a mining rig in the nearest future. According to Sorradino’s mayor Juan Pio Drovetta, the initiative to mine cryptocurrencies was supported by the local community. Like many other rural towns in Argentina, Sorradino was …

The world’s most popular sport suffered an own goal as European clubs canceled their partnerships with Bitci, a Turkish crypto exchange. However, plenty of substitute crypto companies are on the bench, ready to bring crypto to the mainstream through soccer. Growing yet unclear cryptocurrency regulations in Turkey have reportedly hampered the company’s ability to make payments, leading to a lack of confidence among major soccer clubs. Portugal’s Sporting CP, the green-and-white-striped footballers famed for being the club where Cristiano Ronaldo cut his teeth, whereas Italian club Spezia, play in Italy’s Serie A, have also canceled their partnership with Bitci. The …

China’s crackdown on mining has led miners to search for other countries to continue their operations. Promises of reduced costs led some to Argentina. However, the country’s government has now applied new rates for crypto miners in the province of Tierra del Fuego. Argentina’s Energy Secretary of the Ministry of Economy published and announced resolution 40/2022, eliminating the energy government subsidies for crypto mining energy usage. The new rates make mining in the country up to four times more expensive than it used to be. According to the resolution, the hourly and seasonal energy used by miners is intense and …

Strike’s digital wallet has become the fifth most popular finance app in Argentina within a week of its launch. The firm, led by hoodie-wearing CEO Jack Mallers, rolled out its crypto payment services for the Argentinian market on Jan 12. Strike is famed for enabling Bitcoin (BTC) payments via the Lightning network, particularly in El Salvador. However, according to local media and user reports, the firm’s app in Argentina reportedly currently only supports the use of Tether’s stable coin USDT for transfers via Lightning. Users are able to purchase Bitcoin via the app though, and send it to a third …

Major cryptocurrency wallet and data service Blockchain.com is expanding in Latin America by acquiring SeSocio, a major crypto company based in Argentina. One of the biggest investment platforms in Latin America, SeSocio will now merge with Blockchain.com to help them scale operations across the region, the firm officially announced Nov. 30. As part of the acquisition, 100 SeSocio employees will join Blockchain.com, immediately bringing its global headcount to 400 people. Together, the firms will focus on providing crypto-enabled financial services to the unbanked and underbanked not only in Argentina but also other countries where Blockchain.com operates, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia …