Bitcoin (BTC) is just a few thousand dollars away from its all-time high near $20,000 U.S. dollars. However, while much of the crypto industry watch Bitcoin’s price action in U.S. dollar terms, BTC has already achieved all-time high prices relative to numerous other world currencies. In an Oct. 22 tweet, Alistair Milne mentioned seven countries in which Bitcoin had already reached its all-time high relative to those countries' native fiat currencies. In the same tweet, he said Colombia and Russia would soon join the list. Bitcoin recently surpassed its all-time high against the Russian ruble earlier this month. The asset …

Venezuela’s National Securities Superintendency has given the go-ahead for a 90-day pilot of a crypto-powered “decentralized stock exchange” in the country that aims to have a global reach despite international sanctions. Cointelegraph Espanol reports that news of the Decentralized Stock Exchange of Venezuela’s authorization to operate was published in the country’s official gazette, issue 6,578, Sept. 29. The exchange is known as BDVE and its website claims that the platform comprises “the first decentralized stock exchange in the world.” It highlights that users will be able to access the exchange “from anywhere in the world” and “without restrictions.” Both fiat …

The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, says that the country's government is now looking at diverse cryptocurrencies as a potential way of avoiding sanctions. On Sept. 29, Maduro presented a new bill that intends to help the country overcome the impact of United States sanctions. As part of the bill, Venezuela will study the possibility of using various cryptocurrencies in both domestic and foreign trade. Maduro claimed that the new anti-sanctions bill involves both private and state-backed crypto initiatives like Venezuela’s oil-pegged cryptocurrency, the Petro: "The anti-sanctions bill is the first response [...] to give new strength to the use …

A Bitcoin services startup based in South America has just launched the first Bitcoin node connected to the Blockstream satellite network within Venezuela. According to a Sept. 25 blog post from startup Cryptobuyer, the launch of the node will keep the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain updated for Venezuela users without being dependent on a local internet connection. Crypto training course provider AnibalCripto deployed the node while CryptoBuyer provided financial and logistical support. “Having a 24/7 always-available digital money system independent of local internet infrastructure is now a reality,” said AnibalCripto CEO Anibal Garrido. “With this development, we are no longer subject …

In October 2018, the journal Nature Climate Change made headlines both within the crypto world and beyond after it published a study claiming that within three decades, the carbon emissions of the Bitcoin network alone could push the planet past 2 degrees Celsius of warming — the threshold established by the international Paris Agreement. While additional research has been released since, showing that much of the Bitcoin network actually relies on renewable energy sources, the initial reporting has been influential in shaping the way in which people understand the role of cryptocurrency within the context of the global climate crisis: …

Venezuela's National Superintendency of Crypto Assets and Related Activities, or SUNACRIP, has issued the first decree to officially regulate all crypto mining activities. In order to qualify, miners will need to meet specific requirements. An official announcement was first published in the Gaceta Oficial and signed by the head of the SUNACRIP, Joselit Ramirez. It stated that residents in Venezuela who are interested in mining Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies must request a license and join the so-called "national pool.” The legal framework asks people to disclose what kind of activities they would like to do in crypto mining, such …

A New York-based crypto exchange has listed a token with the same name as the Venezuelan state-issued asset, the Petro (PTR). In reality however, the two are entirely unconnected. Exchanges such as BitMart have recently begun listing this similarly named token for trade on their platforms. However, the Venezuelan government has not yet announced any partnerships with exchanges abroad. According to an article published by Cointelegraph Spanish, only seven local crypto exchanges offer PTR for trade in Venezuela. Two government platforms, named Plataforma Patria and PetroApp, additionally allow speculators to access the token. None of these exchanges are technically available …

Due to the regulations and sanctions related to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, Paxful announced that they will no longer provide services in Venezuela, according to an announcement on September 14. In a statement sent to Cointelegraph, Paxful’s CEO, Ray Youssef, commented that they’ve tried for several months to find a way to maintain their operations in Venezuela, but “with current risks, we had no choice but to make this incredibly difficult decision.” Ray also told Cointelegraph how the wind down of his company’s services will work: “The roll-out of our impending closure in Venezuela will …

Recent data published by Chainalysis revealed a surprising first place for Ukraine in the Global Crypto Adoption Index 2020, followed by Russia and Venezuela. The index looks at three on-chain metrics: the total value of on-chain crypto transactions weighted by purchasing power per capita, or PPP, the value of on-chain retail transfers weighted by PPP, and the number of on-chain crypto deposits weighted by the number of internet users. The index also factors in the volume of trades made on peer-to-peer crypto exchanges weighted by both the number of internet users and PPP. The report shows uneven levels of development …

Latin American crypto exchange Airtm has been appointed to redistribute $18 million seized by U.S. authorities to 62,000 healthcare workers. These funds were taken in relation to a corruption case involving Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela. According to Matt Ahlborg, data scientist at UsefulTulips, Coinbase-backed Airtm is well-known for being a censorship-resistant P2P exchange. He noted that Venezuelan users have long accounted for a significant part of Airtm’s customer database. Juan Guaidó, recognized by several countries as Venezuela’s rightful leader, also recognized Airtm for their efforts in the fight against government censorship. Guaidó then outlined his own plans for …

The Bolivarian Council of Mayors in Venezuela signed the so-called "National Tax Harmonization Agreement" for 305 municipalities in the country, including the Petro (PTR) as a means to collect payments of taxes and sanctions. The cryptocurrency is becoming increasingly widely used as the result of a new campaign. According to the government, the vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, will be in charge of implementing a single registry of taxpayers through a digital consultation tool. She will also be in charge of creating an information exchange and monitoring system for companies to record payments in the state cryptocurrency. In Venezuela, …

Venezuelan Minister of Habitat and Housing Ildemaro Villarroel announced today that crypto mining operations won’t be allowed in any state-owned housing or neighborhoods that are part of the “Gran Misión Vivienda” project (Great Home Mission). During an official speech on July 15, Villaroel stated that any kind of equipment related to crypto mining is banned in public housing due to “high power consumption” and for widely “violating” the government’s electrical supply policy. The minister added: “In this coordinated work, we have detected the harmful effects of these elements of high electrical demand in the public houses of the Gran Misión …