The Swiss Crypto Outfit Sygnum has been one of the targets of Sun Hung Kai, one of the largest and the most significant property developers in Hong Kong. As it continues to bet on Sygnum, an official statement was made this Thursday about the $90 million Series B deal they closed along with another investment firm in Hong Kong.

According to the executive chairman of Sun Hung Kai, Lee Seng Huang, their company is planning to invest more in digital assets like bitcoin revolution and expand its strategic vision even further in terms of investment and fund management offerings.

According to him, Sygnum has a fully regulated digital asset bank with an asset manager who keeps track of and manages its digital assets. This can be a great collaboration to co-develop digital assets-focused products catered to meet different digital asset solutions in Asia, Europe, and other countries.

The overall funding skyrocketed the consolidated revenues of Sygnum to$800 million, which is 10x higher since 2021. This raised capital will be used to expand their company around the world and create new products with different strategic investors. It is also dedicated to boosting the development of institutional-grade Web3 offerings like decentralized pools, staking services, and so much more. Needless to say, the company is also focusing on additional partnerships with different blockchain leaders, such as the Dfinity Foundation.

In this round, there were other prime players of the industry like Animoca Brands, WeMade, Meta Investments, SBI holdings, SCB 10X, and more.

Sun Hung Kai is gradually paving their way towards the crypto and blockchain industry, especially after the launch of the metaverse and NFTs. On Wednesday, according to some sources, they also sealed a partnership with The Sandbox, the leading virtual gaming world and the subsidiary of Animoca Brands.

The market is now focused on dog-themed meme tokens after the massive rally of 400% by Shiba Inu. This has prompted many people to speculate that DOGE is also on the verge of a similar breakout. The cryptocurrency is already in the news for its wonderful performance in the last few months.

The surge of meme coins

The meme coins saw a good surge after big tech giants like Elon Musk promoted them through tweets. This led to a huge interest in Dogecoin among the common investors. The trading volumes improved many folds after a series of tweets by several other celebrities. This led to a new trend of dog-themed coins in the market.

Shiba Inu has a considerable run

Surprisingly, Shiba Inu saw a huge breakout to the level of triple-digit in recent weeks. Many analysts are of the opinion that even Dogecoin is set for a similar move in the next few months. Experts also feel that after Bitcoin survived comfortably above the $55000 level this year, the market has shown a lot of confidence in crypto coins.

Much to everyone’s astonishment, SHIB has surged more than 400% in the last few weeks. The ShibaSwap exchange has now started offering lower exchange fees than other platforms after this move. SHIB has a lot of advantages when compared to other coins as it is listed on popular trading platforms like Binance and Coinbase.

According to market experts, DOGE has a huge market cap of close to $50 billion. This shows the confidence investors have in this crypto asset. It would be interesting to see how this asset moves in the upcoming months after the steep hike in other similar currencies in the market. Even though there are few risks associated with trading such assets, the market seems to be ignoring all of them after seeing the profit margins in recent months.

For anybody else in Wall Street, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cross-asset strategists have bad news that Bitcoin is the warmest way of diversifying portfolios worldwide that are short on hacks but are large on valuation risk.

Bitcoin has proven to be lazy at compensating for short-term downsizes in large-scale sales, its popularity among retailers also increases the link between the token and cyclical assets, according to their research. Crypto investment could best be viewed as a safeguard against the loss of belief in the currency or payment system of a country — rather than a gold-like competitive.

While acknowledging Bitcoin’s appeal as a response for investors that are worried about political shocks, the team warned that it will not soon act as a defensive traditional asset. Cryptor ownership mainstreaming increases correlations with cyclic assets and potentially translates them from insurance to leveraging, they added.

Unlike anything Wall Street has seen, the Bitcoin trajectory has been so far, and the debate among professionals is heating up. Nikolaos Panigirttoglou proposed that Bitcoin might reach 146,000 dollars in the long term by drawing cash from investors who had previously bought gold at a Normand colleague at JP Morgan early in January.

Bitcoin’s relation to other assets was analysed by Normand and Manicardi to try to answer the issue: Can investors use the tool for portfolio diversification? Bitcoin has had a low correlation with hedges in the past five years, such as game, treasure and yen, which makes it useful for investors that have a wide portfolio.

However, opinions remain sharply divided as to whether cryptocurrencies are a new digital age asset or whether speculative frenzy is gone haywire. In 2017, when the wave of renewed Wall Street interest and speculation in Robinhood was again fueling prices, the market slept heavily until last year.

After exceeding $40,000, the Bitcoin price gradually retreated at the beginning of January and traded around $32,000. Bitcoin has already achieved the fastest ever price appreciation of any asset which is a must-have,” said Normand and Manicardi. Bitcoin’s relation to other assets was analysed by Normand and Manicardi to try to answer the issue: Can investors use the tool for portfolio diversification?

Bitcoin has had a low correlation with hedges in the past five years, such as game, treasure and yen, which makes it useful for investors that have a wide portfolio. But in the recent run-up, the dynamics have changed, and the traditional cyclical markets are more in keeping with Bitcoin.

If it were sustained, this could, over time, erode the value of diversification, they said.

As a part of a long-term partnership, which is focused on over 3 million customers in APAC and EEA countries, it was announced that Wirex has been admitted to the Visa European network as a Member. The business allows its customers world-wide exchanges between cryptocurrency and fiat currencies.

Wirex CEO and Co-founder Pavel Matveev said: “This has been our key aim of uniting the conventional and digital economies and working with trustworthy global payment companies like Visa enables it to be achieved transparently and cost-effectively. The key membership is not an easy feat and would offer many chances for a groundbreaking product to be created again.

 

As a client, Wirex is the second crypto firm to become a partner of this kind after Coinbase, but the London based company does not equate this with the first payment giant.

On 20 July 2020, the company has joined forces with Mastercard in obtaining directly a leading membership to issue cryptocurrencies and fiat cards.

The new Wirex figures reveal that the number of crypto exchanges on the site has risen by 271 percent relative to December 2019. The CEO and co-founder of Wirex, Pavel Matveev, claims that achieving the key membership from Visa would pave the way for the creation of a “revolutionary product.” The customer has already released its first crypto-enabled debit card in 2014.

Even Wirex sets the field for landing on the United States market as a similar currency visa card is about to be launched. Wirex is not the only supplier of encrypted Bitcoin based cards as exchanges like Binance and Coinbase sell such pro cards.

Furthermore, Wirex CEO, co-founder and CEO Pavel Matveev is of the opinion that this achievement of Visa’s principal membership gives more space for “a revolutionary product” to continue growing.

Even Wirex sets the field for landing on the United States market as a similar currency visa card is about to be launched. Wirex is not, though, the only organisation that issues cryptographic Bitcoin-based cards because of the exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase.

The Visa Director and Head of Cryptocurrencies Cuy Sheffield continued that “digital currencies have an ability to expand the value of digital payments to more citizens.”We are very pleased to work with innovative Fintechs like Wirex to make digital currencies useable by their customers at over 61 million Visa traders.”

Wirex also revealed its first crowd funding to raise £1m. In order to invest before expanding in the coming months, the company is expected to deliver its clients. Wirex said people might pre-register for the company’s investments.

Wirex states that more than three million individuals in the EEA and APAC countries are provided with its services, and research has revealed the continued growth in the use of crypto. When Cuy Sheffield, Senior Director and Head of the Visa Section, spoke on the status of Wirex’s leading member:

‘The appeal of digital transfers will be improved for a wider range of individuals and locations by the digital currencies. We look forward to partnering with creative Fintechs like Wirex and enabling its customers to use digital currencies in the Visa network with more than 61 million traders.”

One of the most examined themes inside the crypto network as of late has been PayPal’s declaration that its clients will have the option to purchase and sell cryptographic forms of money. The administration is required to be completely turned out right on time one year from now.

The organization’s objective “to build buyer comprehension and reception of cryptographic money,” as expressed in its public statement, is by all accounts a required advance in digital currency advocacy. Standard familiarity with crypto remaining parts low. As information from a Statista study demonstrates, Bitcoin (BTC) use in nations with created economies is beneath 10%, with the most reduced levels in Sweden, Denmark, and Japan. Then, some hopefully foresee that this number will develop to 90% of the U.S. populace by 2030.

PayPal’s leader and CEO, Dan Schulman, said that “The move to computerized types of monetary standards is inescapable, carrying with it away from regarding monetary consideration and access; effectiveness, speed and versatility of the payments framework; and the capacity for governments to dispense assets to residents rapidly.” Similarly, the previous executive of Malta, Joseph Muscat, told the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2018 that digital currencies were the “unavoidable eventual fate of cash.” 

PayPal will start by offering its administrations for clients with Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and the organization has obtained from the New York State Department of Financial Services what it professes to be a “first-of-its-sort” contingent BitLicense, a permit needed to work a computerized money business in New York, and collaborated with United States-based stablecoin administrator Paxos to empower this administration for its clients.

Taking into account that PayPal had a revealed 346 million dynamic clients in the second quarter of 2020, a figure that has since expanded in the second from last quarter to 361 million, as indicated by its most recent quarterly report, the choice to offer its clients administrations identified with digital currencies is by all accounts a critical advance toward standard appropriation. A year ago, specialists in the crypto and blockchain businesses were asked for their suppositions on crypto mass reception. This time, the inquiry was: Could PayPal’s ongoing declaration of starting to offer crypto payments potentially power the mass selection of crypto?

Cristina Dolan, organizer, and CEO of InsideChains, Dominik Schiener, prime supporter of the IOTA Foundation, Jay Hao, CEO of OKEx, also praised the decision. Let’s now hope for progress.

Digital currencies are always a pleasure to deal with. The cryptocurrencies have been the best source of an asset by far in this year. They are called decentralized finance. Decentralized finance or Defi is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the cryptocurrency market, where cryptocurrency helps in creating of a decentralized store value which is obviously different from any government-backed currency, whereas Defi helps in creating a decentralized financial instrument which is helpful for the investors because it is different from traditional institutions.

 

According to some reliable sources, it was noticed that the “Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index” of digital coins had risen about 66% in the year 2020, which is much higher than the worth of Gold. There is a steep rise of 20% value difference of crypto coins from that of Gold. The total global bonds, stocks, and blocks combined couldn’t take down the value of crypto. The main reason behind this surge is the rise in ethereum, which is one of the most weighed crypto gauges.

 

According to Mike, strategies at Bloomberg Intelligence, the increased use of decentralized finance is taking everything a level up, and that has technically driven the rise of ethereum. As ethereum has already risen above, it is trying to set new examples and most importantly maintain its status.

 

When the decentralized finance transfers it’s financial functions to some of the digital lenders, the process is called a blockchain. These blockchains have major functions to do in the finance market.

 

●     Lend or borrow funds

●     Earn to invest in a savings account without a middleman involved

 

The functioning of the blockchain system is beyond just the monetary usages. It can be used widely in various fields that need exploration. Many of the decentralized applications are basically running on ethereum. Defi insurance levels have reached $9 billion from under $700 million toward the beginning of the year, as indicated by Fasset, which works as a blockchain-based commercial center for framework speculation.

 

Beside Defi, defenders of advanced monetary standards, for example, Bitcoin contend they offer a store of significant worth in the midst of worry that colossal improvement infusions to counter the pandemic will feed expansion and debilitate the dollar.

 

Crypto markets have done well during the Covid-19 emergency, in fact, the Bitcoin turns into an “asylum,” like Gold when dangers duplicate, as per Marc Fleury, CEO of Two Prime. Two Prime is a crypto resource board and monetary innovation firm. He said that there would be an absolutely ethereal instrument that performs well when the genuine economy is on stop.

 

Cynics are unconvinced, contending crypto markets have a past filled with wild swings and are only riding a tide of liquidity. Splits are additionally showing-up in the promotion around Defi, recommending it isn’t as decentralized as promoted.

 

The “Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index” tumbled over 8% as the pandemic hurt supposition over various resources, featuring the danger of sharp-move. The check has withdrawn over 20% from an August high. Generally, financial specialist’s enthusiasm for digital-forms of money is widening as subordinate markets for Bitcoin, and as a result, the Ethereum is growing.

 

Defi prompted a flood of enthusiasm for Ethereum contracts, said Aziz Zainuddin, chief product officer of Fasset, including “retail digital money clients have progressively gone to subsidiaries to boost their profits.”

For the users of Bitcoin, the increased usage has been much beneficial. The company has also got some more benefits, which can also be useful to the users. For the development of infrastructure, the virtual currency also has got some sponsorships, which were much needed. Open source development got a big boost this year as various organizations have generously contributed grants and sponsorships for such programs. OKCoin supports such an open-source community, and it has enabled many organizations to sponsor the development of infrastructure in the crypto industry.

Marco Falke, which is a core maintainer for Bitcoin, got the award as the most active contributor to the Bitcoin code. Apart from that, others like BTCPay, Fabian Jahr, and Amiti Uttarwar also got grants and sponsorships.

Developing trends in crypto infrastructure

Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the global economy, the crypto industry is doing well this year. There are many flaws in the traditional economic system as the stock markets continue to rise even when the economy is headed lower. The federal reserve is increasing the money supply to counter such problems. Given these circumstances, it is the right time to push BTC as an alternate sound currency.

Growth in FOSS sponsorship

The interest about open source development is increasing in all corners, and this is a good trend for the crypto industry. In this regard, several organizations collaborated to provide grants for contributors in this industry. The grant to Amiti Uttarwar, who contributed a lot to the peer to peer layer of Bitcoin, was awarded a grant in partnership with BitMEX. This contribution has strengthened the core of Bitcoin and improved the codebase security for all transactions.

There is good growth for the industry, as supporting Bitcoin core with such sponsorships is suitable for the entire industry. It can support other industries in the form of education, validation, and adoption of cryptocurrencies. 

It has been a community effort to support and connect with Bitcoin developers, and this has helped the sponsors to gain a lot of knowledge. OKCoin has benefited a lot from Chaincode and Square Crypto, and this has helped the initiative.

Even though all the grants are not given through partnership, this is a collective effort in the long run. OKCoin believes that it is always a healthy trend to build a community sponsorship platform for FOSS development in the future.