Blockchain

Telegram Sees 25 Million New Users in 72 Hours

Messaging app Telegram has seen a massive surge in new users, largely by those concerned about their privacy.

Published

2 months ago

January 12, 2021

Messaging app Telegram has seen an additional 25 million new users sign up to use the platform in the last 72 hours, according to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. The app, which is widely used by many in the cryptocurrency space, doesn’t share personal data and offers encrypted chats.

The influx of new users appears to be a result of rival messaging app WhatsApp changing its privacy policy. This update required its users to share their data with Facebook, or stop using the service. This prompted concerns from users that they will be sharing more data with Facebook than they are comfortable with. And many decided to leave.

“In the first week of January, Telegram surpassed 500 million monthly active users,” said Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, in his personal Telegram channel, adding, “After that it kept growing: 25 million new users joined Telegram in the last 72 hours alone.”

Many in the crypto community use Telegram. Image: Shutterstock.

As Decrypt reported, the move away from WhatsApp helped push Signal to the top of the app stores. Although this was helped by a big endorsement from Elon Musk, who simply tweeted “Use Signal.”

These new users are spread out across all parts of the world, with the majority—38%—coming from Asia. A further 27% and 21% have come from Europe and Latin America respectively. A final 8% have come from the MENA region.

“We’ve had surges of downloads before, throughout our 7-year history of protecting user privacy. But this time is different,” Durov added. The Telegram CEO also went on to say that individuals no longer want to trade their privacy for free services.

Telegram made an attempt to get further into the cryptocurrency world when it tried to launch its own cryptocurrency, called TON. However, the SEC prevented it from occuring, forcing Telegram to return $1.2 billion to investors and pay a penalty of $18.5 million to the SEC.

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Blockchain

Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks to Accept Dogecoin Payments

Published

10 mins ago

March 5, 2021

Republished by Plato

American basketball team Dallas Mavericks will now accept payments for tickets and merchandise in Dogecoin via the leading cryptocurrency payment processor, BitPay.

Prior to the announcement, it already supported payments in cryptocurrencies, including BTC, BCH, ETH, USDC, GUSD, PAX, and BUSD. Its billionaire owner and Shark Tank star, Mark Cuban, cited the ‘very important’ reason behind the newest addition.

All Bark And Some Bite

Meme-inspired Dogecoin is finally getting some utility to go with the massive hype of recent. The digital asset, which features the face of the Shiba Inu dog from the “Doge” meme on its logo, has been added to the list of payment options on Dallas Mavericks’ online shop.

As a result, the team’s fan base, Mavs Fans for Life (MFFLs), can now purchase game tickets and merch using dogecoin.

According to the Dallas Mavericks, the decision is purely consumer-centric and is targeted at leveraging cryptocurrencies to “expand business sales opportunity, reduce high fees and increase payment transparency and efficiency.” Mavs’ billionaire owner and bitcoin skeptic-turned proponent Mark Cuban revealed the ‘earth shattering’ reason for accepting dogecoin payments.

“The Mavericks have decided to accept Dogecoin as payment for Mavs tickets and merchandise for one very important, earth shattering reason, because we can! Because we can, we have chosen to do so. We have chosen to do so because sometimes in business you have to do things that are fun, engaging and hopefully generate a lot of PR. So we will take Dogecoin, today, tomorrow and possibly forever more. For those of you who would like to learn more about Dogecoin we strongly encourage you to talk to your teenagers who are on TikTok and ask them about it. They will be able to explain it all to you,”

While institutions are just getting caught up in the bitcoin frenzy, Dallas Mavericks is one of the early institutional adopters. The Dallas-based NBA hotshot started accepting bitcoin payments nearly two years ago and has continued to align itself with newer developments in the digital space.

Fun Over Intrinsic Value?

Mark Cuban’s reason for accepting dogecoin payments is based on the digital assets’ central theme – fun. He told Forbes last month:

“Dogecoin is less than a dime. You can buy $1 worth or $10 worth and have fun watching it all day”

He further stated that the digital currency has no intrinsic value, adding that he bought some for his son for educational purposes.

His earlier comments have led to strong suggestions that he is solely interested in reaping off the PR surrounding dogecoin of late.

Bitcoin Over Gold, Cuban Tells Schiff

Mark Cuban was quick to rebuff anti-bitcoin remarks made by the gold proponent and Chairman of SchiffGold, Peter Schiff, this week. The agelong precious metal advocate took a jab at wall street bitcoiners, tweeting that he never knew smart investors could be “dumb enough to buy bitcoin.”

In response, Cuban correctly pointed out that while a technology-backed store of values like crypto are dynamic and can transition into advanced applications, gold is simply static.

Let me help Peter. Gold is hyped as much as Crypto. Do we really need gold jewelry? Gold can make you a ring. BTC/Eth are technologies that can make you a banker, allow friction free exchange of value and are extensible into an unlimited range of biz and personal applications https://t.co/pJPdEAl5gq

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 2, 2021

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Source: https://cryptopotato.com/mark-cubans-dallas-mavericks-to-accept-dogecoin-payments/

Blockchain

LSE Group Posts Solid 2020 Revenue Growth Across Clearing Units

The group increased its full-year dividend by 7 percent.

Published

25 mins ago

March 5, 2021

Republished by Plato

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) published its full-year financials for the year 2020, reporting growth in revenue as well as profits despite the slowdown in the economic conditions.

The overall revenue of the stock exchange operator gained 3 percent last year to £2.1 billion in 2020, while the income was up by 6 percent.

The gain in performance was seen across most of the business areas of the group, but post-trade remained the strongest. The revenue of the segment came in at £751 million, 7 percent higher than the previous year, mostly driven by the growth in LCH. Clearing businesses of CDS, forex, and equities also jumped as the total income from the segment surged by 12 percent to £1.07 billion.

Revenue from the capital markets, however, remained flat at £427 million, while the technology sales went down by 7 percent to £61 million.

Solid Growth in Dividend Distribution

But the most highlighted part remained the dividend distribution with a full-year increase in dividend by 7 percent.

2020 was an eventful year for the London-headquartered group. Along with the uncertainties caused by the pandemic on businesses, the group sold its stake in the top Italian bourse to clear its ambitions $27 billion Refinitiv acquisition deal, which was closed in January 2021.

“LSEG is now truly global with a significant presence in North America, Europe, Asia, and emerging markets,” LSEG CEO David Schwimmer said in the statement. He further stressed that the group is well-positioned for “long-term sustainable growth.”

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Source: https://www.financemagnates.com/institutional-forex/lse-group-posts-solid-2020-revenue-growth-across-clearing-units/

Blockchain

Coinsbit Has Launched A Unique Bitcoin Staking Pool With A Super High Rate As It Marks Its 3rd Anniversary

Published

41 mins ago

March 5, 2021

Republished by Plato

To celebrate the exchange’s 3rd anniversary, the Coinsbit team has announced a range of exclusive promotions to thank users for their loyalty and trust. As one of the key activities scheduled for the celebration, the team plans to award 30 bitcoins to lucky participants. Nothing like this has ever been done in the history of cryptocurrency, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The promotion kicked off on March 1 and will continue for the next three months. The team has particularly opened a Bitcoin Staking pool at 3% per month. It is a safe and proven means that will allow bitcoin holders to increase their balance without the volatility of the market.

Additionally, users will have the opportunity to earn more during the 15 mini-IEOs that are scheduled. Given that participants in previous IEOs held on the exchange saw considerable gains on their investment, it is a real opportunity for everyone to grow their capital. Prospective participants should follow the official social media accounts of the exchange to get all the latest information regarding this exclusive offer.

But that’s not all. As you are well informed, the exchange has its marketplace named Coinsbit Store. In this marketplace, you can purchase different devices, like smartphones, headphones, tablets, laptops and more using cryptocurrencies. You can also transact with just a click from any part of the world on suitable terms. So, as part of the commemoration of the 3rd anniversary, the exchange team promises explicit bonuses to whosoever participates and buys the most on the Store. For example, you can win holiday vacation to the Maldives, an iPhone 12 Max Pro and MacBook Pro.

Also, the representatives of the exchange were happy to announce the opening of BTCU trading. Trading will start at the beginning of May. Other popular cryptocurrency exchanges like Liquid, Probit, Yobit, Biki, P2Pb2b, LocalTrade, Folgory, Bitforex, BiOne and LBank have also listed the coin.

That’s not the end, the decentralized cryptocurrency trading platform (DEX) Coinsbit will be initiated soon. On this new platform, you can make transactions without you becoming a member. Users simply need to synchronize their crypto wallet and start trading.

#bitcoin #exchange

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Source: https://bitcoinist.com/coinsbit-has-launched-a-unique-bitcoin-staking-pool/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=coinsbit-has-launched-a-unique-bitcoin-staking-pool