Tag: bitcoin
VC blockchain and crypto funding rises in Q4 2023: Report

VC blockchain and crypto funding rises in Q4 2023: Report

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The growing interest of financial institutions in crypto is attributed to the launch of the first spot Bitcoin ETFs in January, according to a report from PitchBook.

Venture funding for crypto-related companies totalled $1.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023 — a 2.5% increase from the third quarter — according to a report from PitchBook. It marks the first-time venture capital (VC) investments in crypto startups have risen since March 2022.

PitchBook highlighted that the major crypto ventures securing funding primarily center around financial and technological solutions. These include tokenizing real-world assets on the blockchain, such as real estate and stocks, and building decentralized computing infrastructure.

Some prominent fundraises in the quarter involved crypto exchanges Swan Bitcoin and Blockchain.com, which secured $165 million and $100 million, respectively.

Screenshot of crypto early-stage VC deals in Q4 2023.
Source: PitchBook

The most significant deal of the quarter involved a $225 million investment in Wormhole, an open-source blockchain development platform. Supported by Coinbase Ventures, Jump Trading and ParaFi Capital, the company acquired a valuation of $2.5 billion.

The increased interest in crypto from financial institutions can be attributed to the launch of the first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States in January, according to PitchBook’s report.

In the first quarter of 2023, crypto firms secured $2.6 billion in 353 investment rounds, according to PitchBook’s Q1 Crypto Report. The report showed an 11% decline in deal value from the previous quarter and a 12.2% decrease in total deals. Furthermore, the quarter marked the lowest capital investment in the space since 2020.

The crypto industry faced challenges in 2022, with market difficulties reflected in reduced venture capital funding for blockchain and crypto sectors. Following the peak at $11 billion and 692 deals in the initial four months of 2022, VC investment steadily declined in subsequent quarters.

Various factors led to decreased crypto and blockchain-related VC funding in 2022, including the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in May 2022, resulting in the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency lending firms Three Arrows Capital and Celsius.

The FTX collapse in November 2022 intensified market volatility, and broader global economic factors, such as increased interest rates and inflation, also contributed to the decline in venture capital investments.

In 2023, the crypto industry saw a turnaround, with stories of adoption worldwide and major TradFi institutions like BlackRock entering the crypto space.

Source: Cointelegraph

Disclaimer: The information set out herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendations. All investments and trading involve risk and it is the responsibility of each individual to do their due diligence before making any investment decision.
CryptoBoom with EurocoinPay, Token City and Stabolut

CryptoBoom with EurocoinPay, Token City and Stabolut

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In this article we leave you the link to the TV programme Nación Innovación, presented by Chema Nieto and dedicated to boosting the innovative ecosystem, which was broadcast live on 15 January 2024 at 14:00.

The programme featured Herminio Fernández (CEO of EurocoinPay), Eneko Knörr (Co-founder of Stabolut) and Rocío Álvarez (Partner & CMO at Token City) and the main topic was the current situation of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

Source: Nación Innovación

Disclaimer: The information set out herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendations. All investments and trading involve risk and it is the responsibility of each individual to do their due diligence before making any investment decision.
Bitcoin turns 15, will the price skyrocket with ETFs?

Bitcoin turns 15, will the price skyrocket with ETFs?

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The SEC will have “no choice” but to approve the Bitcoin ETF and the decision will be known in a few days. What will this mean for the price of the asset?

A highly volatile asset, it has seen sharp rises and dizzying falls. Now, investors are awaiting the approval of an ETF to invest in this type of asset. Bitcoin is 15 years old, what can we expect now from this asset and will the price skyrocket with ETFs? We take a closer look at the outlook with Herminio Fernández, CEO of EurocoinPay.

Interview | Bitcoin, perspectives after 15 years.
We talked about it with Herminio Fernández, CEO of EurocoinPay.

In a few days, we could have a decision from the SEC on the approval of an exchange-traded fund, an ETF, of Bitcoin.

A countdown that is bringing all kinds of speculation. Some even point out that the SEC is backed into a corner to give the green light.

The expert believes that, in effect, the SEC will have no choice but to approve this fund, because all the specifications requested by the regulator have been submitted.

A “yes” to these ETFs would mark a before and after for the cryptocurrency. But “I think it already has a very important upward momentum, for all that Bitcoin represents”.

Physical Bitcoin

Now, if this approval is given, all investment funds and platforms that want to offer these ETFs will have to go to the market to buy physical Bitcoin. They must be backed not by listed securities, but by real Bitcoin.

If there are 20-30% of Bitcoin in circulation now, because most of them are in wallets, it means that those that are available to buy are scarce.

There may be significant buying pressure, which will push prices up. “It would turn Bitcoin into a very bullish market”.

Source: Capital Radio

Disclaimer: The information set out herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendations. All investments and trading involve risk and it is the responsibility of each individual to do their due diligence before making any investment decision.
Cryptocurrencies that could surprise in 2024, according to EurocoinPay CEO Herminio Fernandez

Cryptocurrencies that could surprise in 2024, according to EurocoinPay CEO Herminio Fernandez

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Diversifying the crypto portfolio in search of the “new bitcoin” is tempting, but the past has shown the high risk involved. The experts consulted, without ignoring the greater “security” that both bitcoin and ethereum offer, reveal a series of alternative cryptocurrencies that, due to the boom in their use or their innovative nature, could surprise favourably in 2024.

It seems that the cryptowinter is behind us. 2023 is the year of the crypto market’s recovery, as evidenced by bitcoin’s 127% rally and ethereum’s 70% revaluation. This context is fuelling hopes of even more remarkable revaluations among lesser-known and smaller cryptocurrencies.

One factor to bear in mind is that, while the crypto market has much higher levels of volatility than “traditional” markets, the volatility of both upside and downside volatility is higher for smaller-cap tokens.

Experts advise investors to proceed with extreme caution if they decide to position themselves in alternative cryptocurrencies or altcoins, as looking for digital currencies with high upside potential involves taking a high degree of risk.

Without neglecting calls for prudence, all experts agree on diversifying the investment portfolio.

In the article “Eleven cryptocurrencies that could surprise in 2024“, published on 30 November 2023 in Expansion.com, expert cryptocurrency analysts, investment fund managers linked to cryptocurrencies and the CEO of EurocoinPay, Herminio Fernández de Blas, are consulted on which crypto trends could have more potential in the medium and long term to diversify the portfolio.

Read the full article on expansion.com

Options put forward by Herminio Fernández to diversify the portfolio

First and foremost, Herminio makes it clear that:

The price of any cryptocurrency can rise or fall significantly at any time, so it is always important to invest with caution and diversify your portfolio.

Herminio Fernández

These are the cryptocurrencies that EurocoinPay’s CEO sees as having growth potential due to new projects and upgrades:

Solana (SOL): Solana is a blockchain platform that has become one of the fastest and most scalable on the market, gaining remarkable popularity for decentralised finance (DeFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) applications.

Cardano (ADA): Cardano is a blockchain platform that is based on academic research and is developing a series of upgrades that will improve its scalability and efficiency.

Avalanche (AVAX): Avalanche is a blockchain platform that has become one of the most popular for DeFi applications and is characterised by its scalability, efficiency and low transaction fees.

IOTA (IOTA): It is a cryptocurrency with significant growth potential. The cryptocurrency has innovative technology, an experienced development team and a growing ecosystem.

Uniswap (UNI): It is a decentralised exchange protocol (DEX) that allows users to exchange ERC-20 tokens without intermediaries. It is one of the most popular DEXs on the market and has a high volume of transactions, and if it continues to grow in popularity, it could attract more users and liquidity, which could boost UNI’s price.

Polkadot (DOT): It is a blockchain platform that connects different blockchain networks. It has the potential to create an interoperable ecosystem of decentralised applications and if it is a success, it could connect different blockchain networks and create an interoperable ecosystem of decentralised applications.

Dogecoin (DOGE): It is a meme cryptocurrency that became popular in 2021. It has an active and engaged user community. It has been adopted by several companies and celebrities. If it is adopted by more companies and celebrities, it could increase in popularity and price.

Chainlink (LINK): ): It is an oracle platform that provides real-world data to decentralised applications. Chainlink is an integral part of the DeFi ecosystem, and is used by many popular applications. If it continues to grow in popularity, it could become an integral part of the DeFi industry.

IMPORTANT to always bear in mind the volatility of the crypto market and to invest with caution.

Disclaimer: The information set out herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendations. All investments and trading involve risk and it is the responsibility of each individual to do their due diligence before making any investment decision.
Which sectors accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment?

Which sectors accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment?

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A new study by crypto-tax software CoinLedger revealed that the retail and e-commerce sector has the highest number of companies offering the option to buy via cryptocurrencies.

The study compiled a list of more than 300 large companies known to accept cryptocurrency methods and categorised them into industries, to discover which contains the most companies offering cryptocurrencies as a payment method.

Retail and e-commerce ranked first, with a total of 60 companies accepting cryptocurrency payments. The sector includes clothing and accessories retailers such as Adidas, Yankee Candle and H&M, as well as online shopping platforms such as Etsy.

Second on the list is the Food & Dining sector with 54 companies. Examples include Chipotle, Chuck E Cheese’s, Domino’s and Hard Rock Café, and delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. Gradually, different services are becoming available in different countries: Burger King Venezuela has been accepting Bitcoin payments since 2020.

Luxury retail comes in third place, with 35 companies offering the service, including high fashion brands Gucci and Ralph Lauren, luxury watch retailer Hublot, as well as jewellers such as Jewelry Affairs and CRM Jewelers.

Further down the list, Travel & Hospitality ranks fourth, with 31 companies accepting crypto payments. They range from commercial airlines, such as Norwegian Air and Vueling, to private jet charters, such as Fast Private Jet, LunaJets and PrivateFly.

Cruise lines Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises are also on the list, as well as travel organisation help sites such as GetYourGuide.

The top five close with Internet and Online Services companies, as 28 accept cryptocurrency as a payment method. These companies offer a service available to use online on our phones and laptops, such as Google Play and Spotify, and various VPN services such as CyberGhostVPN, ExpressVPN and FrootVPN.

Top 10 industries offering cryptocurrencies as a payment method:

David Kemmerer, co-founder and CEO of CoinLedger, commented on the findings.

“The growing number of businesses accepting cryptocurrency payments reflects the growing acceptance and adoption of digital currencies in the mainstream economy. This trend not only aligns with the changing preferences of tech-savvy consumers, but also offers benefits such as reduced transaction fees and increased security. From large retailers to small businesses, the diversification of sectors adopting cryptocurrencies demonstrates the versatility and potential of blockchain technology. As this trend continues, it is likely to contribute to greater acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a legitimate form of payment, paving the way for a more decentralised and accessible financial landscape.”

At EurocoinPay we have always been committed to a better world and we have expressed our firm intention to contribute to a change in the economy, where the financial transactions we make in our daily lives are faster, safer and more transparent.

Our cryptocurrency payment gateway for Ecommerce provides the solution for all those businesses and companies that want to offer the option of paying their products or services to customers through cryptocurrencies quickly and easily.

It accepts payments with cryptocurrencies through EurocoinPay.

BECOME A CRYPTOCOMMERCE!!

Source: Cointelegraph

Disclaimer: The information set out herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendations. All investments and trading involve risk and it is the responsibility of each individual to do their due diligence before making any investment decision.