The recent lull in cryptocurrency market prices has been felt across all sectors in the industry, but decentralized finance might be in for an especially harrowing time, according to experts at DApp Radar. All major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum witnessed double-digit losses over the past week, and experts fear that a bear market has […]

Anchor's Yield Reserve is being depleted as deposits outpace loans.

Every year since 2017, blockchain analysis company Chainalysis publishes a report focusing on money laundering and illicit transactions going through the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

The post Money laundering 0.05% of all crypto transactions in 2021: Chainalysis report appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Silta Finance AG and Rari Capital announced a joint partnership to facilitate the over $250 billion DeFi market with access to real-world infrastructure investments. The Silta project enables the provision of on-chain collateral for infrastructure borrowers wishing to access DeFi liquidity. Adapted to the overcollateralized lending model common in DeFi, […]

Money laundering through decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols is gaining popularity with cybercriminals, according to new research from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Cybercriminals laundered at least $8.6 billion in cryptocurrency in 2021, the firm said in research published Wednesday – a 30% jump in money laundering activity from 2020. Decentralized protocols received 17% of crypto sent…

The post Money Laundering Picks Up Steam on DeFi Protocols: Chainalysis appeared first on Bitcoin News Miner.

January 25, 2022       /       Unchained Daily       /       Laura Shin Daily Bits ✍️✍️✍️ The Biden administration intends to release an executive order about[...]

The post This Chain Is January’s Hottest L1 appeared first on Unchained Podcast.

SINGAPORE, Jan 25, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - 2021 was a huge year for the cryptocurrency market, with huge strides in growth and adoption of digital assets, NFTs, and blockchain worldwide. It was also an incredible year for Moonstake as we rose to the top rankings of global staking providers, reaching a total staking assets of $1.8 billion thanks to the support of our users and partners worldwide. As we begin the new year 2022, Moonstake as well as our strategic coin partners have many exciting news and programs in store for you as our platforms scale and evolve. To welcome our user community into the exciting new year, we're creating a series of articles in collaboration with our strategic partner on what you need to know about our partner coins in the year 2022, this time with Orbs.
As of April 2021, Moonstake has been supporting Orbs staking as an official network Guardian via strategic partnership with the Orbs Network development team. Since then, Moonstake has hosted a number of campaigns that promoted awareness and adoption of Orbs staking such as quizzes and giveaways. Currently, Moonstake is part of the upper echelon of all Orbs validators, ranking 10th amongst all 25 ORBS Guardians.

For Orbs, 2021 was a revolutionary year, a year of innovation, massive ecosystem growth and transformation. After solid research and strategic planning, the Orbs core team has decided to shift much of its focus to the DeFi and NFT space, as Orbs team believes that DeFi and NFTs are already emerging as the best use cases of blockchain technology.

Orbs also welcomed a number of new Guardians, including Moonstake of course and Japanese guardian, D-Kuru to its network to enhance security and performance. It also made key integrations with leading DeFi-focused blockchains including Solana, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, Harmony, and Avalanche to accelerate its DeFi drive and strengthen its position as a multi-chain asset.

In this article, we will be interviewing our partner at Orbs about what is in store for the Orbs ecosystem and its user community in 2022.

Q1 Which 2021 achievements are you the most proud of?

Since making the shift to DeFi, Orbs has seen a rapid expansion of its ecosystem. Let's list here some of the prominent innovations and integrations Orbs team has recently announced:

- Orbs is now live on all 6 major layer-1 (L1) chains: Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Solana, Avalanche and Harmony. This in turn accelerated the integration of the Orbs ecosystem with over 17 major DeFi protocols (such as UniSwap, SushiSwap, PancakeSwap, Kyber Networks, 1inch, Alpaca Finance, Beefy Finance, QuickSwap, DinoSwap, Raydium, Trader Joe, Pangolin and more.

All of these multi-chain integrations set down the necessary foundation for Orbs' further expansion. Orbs' DeFi interoperability plays a critical role for the next stage of the project's roadmap, as a layer three (L3) independent execution layer.

At this stage, the project is focused on utilizing the Orbs Network as a separate execution layer that operates in conjunction with EVM-based L1s and L2s chains to enhance the capabilities of EVM smart contracts. We like to call this architecture - L3 execution layer.

- The Orbs public blockchain infrastructure, powered by its Guardians, a public network of permissionless validators, now enables a separate L3 execution layer that operates in conjunction with EVM-based L1s and L2s, all powered by the ORBS token PoS.

Orbs' L-3 capabilities are deployed in Open DeFi Notifications Protocol - an open initiative to provide DeFi users with decentralized and free mobile notifications for on-chain events. This is the first project by the team that will utilize and demonstrate Orbs' unique L3 positioning as a layer 3 execution protocol. Right from the launch we already have a top-notch roster of leading DeFi protocols having their platform integrated into the Notification App. These protocols are across multiple chains such as Ethereum, BSC, Polygon and Avalanche, and multiple functionalities: DEX-AMMs, yield aggregators and vaults.

The availability of functioning L2 chains together with Orbs' rapid expansion into multiple chains, paved the way for various exciting and innovative applications for the Orbs network that were not available before. These include Orbs as a Layer 3 infrastructure for DeFi applications.

- These integrations also allow for the Orbs Network to diversify and add another blockchain to its hybrid architecture by implementing multi-chain staking. Instead of having the Orbs Token staking just on Ethereum, Delegators will have the option of being part of a parallel staking system on Polygon.

Orbs has recently become one of the first players to introduce multi-chain staking on Ethereum and Polygon; this strategic solution is even expected to completely mitigate the current high Ethereum gas costs for Orbs delegators interacting with the Orbs staking contracts.

For more information - you are welcome to check out our social media channels, news and blog pages to see that the project's scope is rich and diverse.

Q2 What measures are you going to take in 2022 to further increase adoption of Orbs?

As was stated above, the team is currently working on further developments of the L3 architecture and multi-chain Orbs PoS staking, having started with the Polygon network.

The Orbs team is currently working on the technical details of the multi-chain Orbs PoS staking proposal. In parallel, the project will initiate ongoing discussions with the Orbs Guardians and the Orbs community to present and review the various aspects of this proposal for notes and feedback.

The Orbs team is extremely excited about this initiative which addresses one of the key feedbacks from the community following the V2 launch. Staking on Polygon will boost inclusion and participation of Orbs token holders in the PoS Universe staking, as well as solidify Orbs as a multi-chain protocol.

Q3 What can users expect from Orbs in 2022?

In 2022, Orbs will implement an architecture where a major part of its governance mechanism is deployed on multiple chains.

Staking on Polygon is expected to boost inclusion and participation of Orbs token holders in the PoS Universe staking, as well as solidify Orbs as a multi-chain protocol.

As can be seen, Orbs team is always researching new opportunities for the project to explore, new chains to expand, new strategic integrations to consider, and new technical features to test.

We suspect few people can truly foresee how crypto space will further evolve even in the next year; with this being said, Orbs is planning to keep strengthening its position in the DeFi and NFTs spaces, further exploring the diverse opportunities these sectors may unfold.

Moonstake is proud to be strategic partners of Orbs. We will continue to maintain strong support for the ever growing and developing Orbs ecosystem and hope to bring even more great value to ORBS and crypto users worldwide in 2022 to help accelerate adoption of the Orbs and Moonstake ecosystems together.

About Moonstake

As a world-leading staking service provider, Moonstake develops and operates decentralized wallet services for enterprises and end users.

Our full-scale staking business started in August 2020. With the support of users all over the world, our total staking assets has risen to 1.8 billion dollars. In June 2021, we ranked third among 15,000 stakin g providers globally.

So far, we have expanded our business and ecosystem through about 30 strategic partnerships, including major blockchains such as Emurgo which is a constituent organization of Cardano, TRON, and NEO. In May 2021, we became a wholly owned subsidiary of the listed company "OIO Holdings Limited" on the Singapore Stock Exchange and we are working to further expand Moonstake's business and improve our credibility. https://www.moonstake.io/

About Orbs

Orbs is a public blockchain infrastructure designed for mass usage applications. The Orbs protocol is decentralized and executed by a public network of permissionless validators using Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus.

Orbs unique features designed for interoperability with EVM-compatible blockchains, together with its decentralized network of nodes, allow it to be set up as a separate execution layer ("L3") operating to enhance the capabilities of EVM smart contracts. By working in conjunction with other L1 and L2 solutions as part of a tiered blockchain stack, Orbs opens up a whole new spectrum of possibilities for DeFi, NFT, Metaverse and GameFi.

Orbs was founded in 2017 and launched its mainnet and token in March of 2019. Orbs is being developed by a dedicated team of more than 30 people, with offices in Tel Aviv, London, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul. For more information, please visit www.orbs.com, or join our community at:
- Telegram: https://t.me/OrbsNetwork
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/orbs_network

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.comAs we begin the new year 2022, Moonstake as well as our strategic coin partners have many exciting news and programs in store for you as our platforms scale and evolve. To welcome our user community into the exciting new year, we're creating a series of articles in collaboration with our strategic partner on what you need to know about our partner coins in the year 2022, this time with Orbs.

The value locked in decentralized finance (defi) has dropped 21.22% since January 4, 2022. At the time, the total value locked (TVL) in defi was $255.84 billion and today, the TVL is around $201.55 billion. TVL in Defi Loses $54 Billion in 2 Weeks While digital currency markets shed significant value during the last two […]

Coinbase, the biggest crypto exchange in the US, will be going ahead with a new platform for earning yield on stablecoins despite threats from the U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) for its proposed Lend offering. Users in 70 different countries (Not including the US) will now be able to earn yield on their DAI, a […]

The post Coinbase Launches New DeFi Yield Platform appeared first on Coin Bureau.

Web 3.0 is a buzzword that has been floating around the depths of the internet in recent years and is a term that is often used synonymously with Blockchain technology. I remember when I had first started seeing and hearing, “Web 3.0,” tossed around in various publications and articles, I didn’t fully grasp or comprehend […]

The post What is Web 3.0 and Why it Has Insane Potential appeared first on Coin Bureau.

Cryptocurrencies have facilitated the growth of decentralized finance (DeFi). However, not all of these protocols provide choices that are in the best interests of their users.

Blizz Finance capitalized on these flaws and devised a DeFi protocol that outperforms other well-known protocols.

Some facts about Blizz Finance

Blizz Finance is a decentralized non-custodial liquidity protocol that lets people lend or borrow. On its website, contributors may earn passive income while those in need can apply for funding in various ways.

It can exploit the Avalanche network's scalability and cheap cost per operation.

Unlike AAVE, Blizz Finance does not maintain governance systems and operates via central processes. Fees are used for token exchange and profit margins for users and liquidity providers, and are completely transparent.

Token BLZZ: Properties

Blizz Finance's token, BLZZ, emerges as the core of the dynamics inside its ecosystem and gives the idea that makes the DeFi protocol unique compared to other competitors.

That means 1,000,000,000 BLZZ will be created, with 50% of the profits going to the protocol's users, both lenders and borrowers. Unlike AAVE, which capitalizes all profits.

On the distribution of BLZZ, of the 1,000,000,000 units:

• 50% is destined for lenders and borrowers loan applicants, distributed over a period of five years.

• 20% earmarked as an incentive for BLZZ /AVAX liquidity providers through TraderJoe. This will also be done over a five-year period.

• 10% for Airdrop campaigns and incentives to other associated DeFi communities., this for a minimum of one year.

• 15% will be used to finance the development team.

• The remaining 5% will be part of the treasury.

DeFi 2.0: Dex Liquidity Property Protocol (BLZZ-PODL)

Furthermore, Blizz has already entered DeFi 2.0 by offering a novel liquidity method that outperforms prior DeFi protocols. It's about the protocol's liquidity, which guards against whale investor migration, fixing the present major issue of impermanent loss.

AVAX's treasury incentives are now sent to this new smart contract using the PODL module. This allows users to sell their tokens to the protocol for 10% more. This preserves protocol liquidity and makes BLZZ deflationary.

DeFi protocol fee comparison:

Liquidity mining

Users may stake their assets, and the prizes will be disbursed throughout the three months that the funds remain vested. The money is not unavailable, since the user has complete control over them, even if a fine system is employed for 50% of the assets.

This makes no sense since the penalty imposed on customers who need to withdraw their cash will be shared among those who maintain their funds for the specified period. This encourages stakeholder commitment, rewarding those who follow the rules and penalizing those who do not.

It is important to note that everyone who participates in the Staking program with BLZZ can claim their rewards at any time, without any penalty.

The lending system

Finally, the loan system enables users to lend their bitcoin capital to people in need of cash in exchange for a guarantee and agreed-upon interest.

Anyone seeking a loan must pay it back with the same asset plus interest. If you accept the duty, you should be informed that additional interest may accumulate and your guarantee may be liquidated.

Non-compliance with the conditions increases a certain indicator, which at a certain point demands the liquidation of the guarantee to compensate the lender. This seeks to establish fair conditions for all parties without using a third party.

Cutting fees in half

Unlike other DeFi protocols, Blizz Finance and the BLZZ token are fully decentralized, using the Avalanche network's scalability, dependability, and low operating expenses, cutting Fees for market-leading DeFi protocols in half. 

For more information about Blizz Finance, the BLZZ token, and the platform's goods and services, please visit their website and social media accounts:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlizzFinance

• Telegram: https://t.me/blizz_finance_support

Benefits Of Crypto Payments And DeFi Projects For SMEs And Bitpace Customers

It's been over 10 years and it is safe to say that cryptocurrency is here to stay. Since the launch of the first cryptocurrency, the Bitcoin, the crypto market has witnessed a proliferation of digital currencies. It is estimated that there are currently over 9,000 cryptocurrencies today. The crypto space has been met with resistance from governments and corporations but one can say that it is gradually winning the hearts of some governments and corporations. With the global dominance of the crypto market, the benefits of DeFi projects and crypto payments are becoming more apparent and everyone seems to be gradually catching the buzz. This article talks about what Bitpace customers and SMEs stand to benefit from crypto payments and the various DeFi projects in the crypto space. 

Understanding Crypto Payments and DeFi Projects

Governments and corporations alike are becoming more receptive to the idea of digital currencies and accepting them as a form of payment for their products and services. For example, the Venezuelan government partnered with Litecoin to be used as a means of payment in Venezuela's mainstream international payments system. The Australian government does not tax cryptocurrency transactions. In the business world, corporations such as Microsoft, which started accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment as far back as 2014 for its games and apps have been receptive to crypto payments. PayPal, Starbucks, Etsy, and Overstock all accept Bitcoin as a form of payment for their products and services.

Crypto payments simply mean the act of using any cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services as against the conventional fiat currencies. Because of the digital nature of cryptocurrencies, crypto payments can only be done online via cryptocurrency payment gateways such as Bitpace. Payment gateways provide a platform for businesses to accept crypto payments from customers in exchange for their products and services. The payment gateway sector is gradually becoming a booming space and Bitpace has established itself as a reliable gateway for merchants and customers to exchange cryptocurrencies for products and services.

For investors, cryptocurrencies can also be used as a means of payment for other cryptocurrencies. For example, someone that has Litecoin and wants to exchange it for Bitcoin can use crypto payment platforms to do this. Depending on the terms and conditions of the exchange you're using, you can exchange Litecoin for Bitcoin for the value on the crypto exchange platform. You can also use crypto to pay for fiat currency. This is also a form of crypto payment. In this case, you will be using your crypto as a form of payment for fiat currency. Most crypto exchanges like Bitpace offer these crypto payment services. With Bitpace, you can make payments with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, TRON, IOTA, and so many others. 

DeFi projects, on the other hand, are decentralized finance projects that are based on blockchain technology. DeFi platforms use smart contracts on blockchains to offer financial instruments. A good example is Ethereum. This is different from the central financial intermediaries such as banks, brokerages, or exchanges that offer conventional financial instruments. In other words, users of DeFi platforms can trade cryptocurrencies, borrow or lend funds, speculate on the price movement of different assets using derivatives, earn interest in savings like accounts and insure against risk. All these transactions are done directly between the users of a DeFi platform. It eliminates the need for intermediaries. As of October 2020, it was estimated that a total of $11 billion in cryptocurrency had been deposited in various DeFi protocols. This figure rose to $20.5 in January 2021. 

What SMEs Stand To Gain With Crypto Payments And DeFi

With the big corporations already driving up their interests in crypto payments and DeFi projects, there is no better time for SMEs to join in. They have a lot to gain in adopting the same for their businesses. Here are some benefits of crypto payments for SMEs:

1. More Option For International Payment - If your business involves receiving payment from across the border, you will agree that it is usually fraught with issues like limited payment options and lag in transaction approval. Checks are sometimes inefficient, payment may take days sometimes, and online payment platforms are not accepted in every country. Crypto payments by nature are peer-to-peer payment systems that allow your customers to make payments without any intermediary determining the transaction. With a crypto payment platform like Bitpace, you can receive payments within minutes. 

2. No Issue Of Chargebacks - Business owners are at a risk of credit card chargebacks when payment is reversed by the intermediary. With crypto payments, you do not have to worry about third-party intermediaries reversing payment because of the peer-to-peer technology.  

3. Lower Transaction Fees - The different payment methods available to businesses have high transaction fees. Most payment merchants have set up fees, flat transaction fees, and a percentage of the payment made. Cumulatively, this will be on the high side and affect your business. With crypto payments, peer-to-peer transactions do not charge any transaction fee.

4. Penetration Of Younger Market - Cryptocurrency is most popular among the younger generation. They also have a better hang of it. They will be disposed to patronize a business that offers a crypto payment option as against the one that offers only fiat currency payment. Therefore, your business gains a wider market penetration in the youth demography. 

5. Secured Transactions - The decentralized nature of cryptocurrency guarantees a secured crypto transaction. Blockchain technology protects you from fraudsters. Blockchain technology also stops customers with insufficient funds to make payments. This prevents unnecessary time-wasting and chargebacks. 

Bitpace Crypto Payment Gateway

Bitpace is a crypto platform that offers crypto-based financial services for individuals and businesses. This crypto payment platform provides businesses with a platform that has multi-payment acceptance features and cryptocurrency trading. You also get fixed and dynamic deposit options that allow businesses to accept cryptocurrencies for their products and services from customers. You can also install Bitpace plug-in on your website and use the platform directly to receive crypto payments from your customers. In addition to serving as a payment gateway, businesses can also trade cryptocurrencies on Bitpace.  

Bitpace offers excellent crypto payment services that will ensure the smooth running of your business. Some of these services include:

1. Fixed Deposit - This service enables you to receive crypto payments from your customers in a wide range of cryptocurrencies. It also gives you the option to withdraw the value of these crypto payments in Fiat currency. Your transactions are guaranteed to be quick and secure.

2. Dynamic Deposit Process - This service ensures that your customer can make their crypto payment anywhere and anytime without any hassle. There are complex payment processes. There is a dedicated payment address between you and your customer.

3. Withdraw - Bitpace allows your customers to get their balance in coins without using another platform. All transactions are done on Bitpace. 

4. Trading - Bitpace is not only for business merchants to receive crypto payments. Individuals can also do their crypto trading on the platform. They offer the best crypto rates for traders and investors alike.

Bitpace is a reliable crypto payment gateway that guarantees easy, risk-free, secure, and convenient transactions for businesses and their customers. Once you install the Bitpace API and enter your secure login, you can begin to get paid in Bitcoin or other supported cryptocurrencies. You can choose to deposit your Fiat money in your bank account or have your crypto payment transferred into your crypto wallet.  

Benefits Of Using Bitpace For Crypto Payments

1. Multiple Cryptocurrencies - For business owners, Bitpace allows you to receive a variety of cryptocurrencies as payment for your products and services. There is a wide range of digital coins you can receive as payment. From Bitcoin to Algorand. All you need to do is register as a merchant on the Bitpace platform and you can start receiving crypto payments for your business. 

2. Easy and Fast Payment Processing - Bitpace offers instant payment processing services when you use the platform. You will not have to worry about delays in transaction glitches. Your customer pays you in crypto and you receive the payment instantly. You also do not need coding knowledge to be able to integrate Bitpace crypto payment on your website.

3. No Chargeback Fraud - Chargebacks are a major issue on payment platforms, be it fiat currency or cryptocurrency. Bitpace platform ensures you do not experience chargeback frauds on the crypto payment for your business. 

4. Affordable - The Bitpace crypto payment platform is very affordable for businesses to use. Bit Pace does not charge unnecessary fees such as commitment fees, monthly fees, or any other form of upfront charges. 

5. Global Presence - Bitpace has a worldwide reach that is an obvious advantage for businesses using the platform. Businesses that have customers all over the world can receive their crypto payments without any hassle.

6. Refund Process - When you have issues with your payment transactions, Bitpace offers a fast and reliable refund payment system. Whether you're underpaid or overpaid, you can initiate a refund process that will ensure you get what is due to you.

7. Partial Payment - This feature helps build your business, especially if you're just starting. It gives your customers enough time to fully pay for your products and services. 

Conclusion

It is hard to deny that the world is becoming more and more digital each day; the introduction of the Metaverse, cryptocurrency getting adopted by not only businesses but also by countries, and so on. Cryptocurrency is sitting right in the middle of all these developments and the next phase of life. It is still not late to integrate cryptocurrency into your businesses, take advantage of the countless benefits the crypto payments offer and take your businesses to the next level.