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Apples and oranges? How the Ethereum Merge could affect Bitcoin (With additional commnets)

Apples and oranges? How the Ethereum Merge could affect Bitcoin (With additional commnets)

Additional comments by Anndy Lian on top of what CoinTelegraph has mentioned.

The Merge is the right direction for cleaner crypto mining. The more direct impact I see after the transition is that bitcoin becomes the biggest target for green activists. There were more reports about bitcoin’s energy usage and mostly negative.

And because of the switch, many experts also said miners would forgo POW mining, but I say otherwise. I see the ETH POW Forks projects are working hard. The miner communities are now more united now than ever. For example, Bitmain also brought down the prices of their Antminers to help the miners get back into profits. These various factors helped the miners offset their operating costs in this bear market, keeping them alive.

Additionally, a good point to highlight is bitcoin’s hash rate. The hash rate continues to surge, recording new all-time high daily. The chip shortage has turned around, and the price of GPU is now at a more reasonable value. Taking GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, for example, the MSRP is $2,000, and it came down to $1,030 in September. These are positive signs for bitcoin.

As I have said before the transition, the impact of The Merge will not have too much boost for the crypto industry in the short run. What Vitalik has planned for Ethereum is a long-term vision. As for bitcoin, it is another kind of animal; it is the big brother. If bitcoin drops, the impact on every other cryptocurrency is inevitable.

 

Apples and oranges? How the Ethereum Merge could affect Bitcoin

While the Ethereum Merge failed to move Bitcoin from a price standpoint, the industry believes we have yet to see the effects of its shift from PoW to PoS.

It’s been a month since Ethereum said goodbye to an essential feature its blockchain shared with Bitcoin. Called the Ethereum Merge, the long-hyped upgrade was widely celebrated, with the blockchain ecosystem. However, for the mainstream audience or even for the average trader, it felt more like a Star Wars Day celebrated by sci-fi geeks than an early Christmas.

As the Ethereum Merge occurred on Sept. 15, the most extensive blockchain ecosystem parted ways with the proof-of-work (PoW), the energy-hungry consensus mechanism that makes Bitcoin tick. The Ethereum blockchain now works on a more eco-friendly proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism that doesn’t require any mining activities, leaving thousands of miners worldwide scratching their heads.

Price-wise, Bitcoin is yet to take a hit from the fundamental shift of its closest competitor. A whole month has passed since the Ethereum Merge, and the BTC price is still stuck between $18,000 and $20,000.

However, the overarching mainstream narrative of “Bitcoin should contribute to the world, not destroy it by depleting energy resources” is rekindled with Ethereum’s significant switch to a system that keeps blockchain alive with minimal resource consumption.

Ethereum avoided a dead end

Cointelegraph reached out to industry insiders to get a clearer picture of the Ethereum Merge’s impact on Bitcoin.

“PoW was a dead end for Ethereum,” says Tansel Kaya, a lecturer at Kadir Has University and the CEO of blockchain developer Mindstone, “Because an Ethereum network that doesn’t scale can not live up to its promise.”

However, the Bitcoin community is not happy with the way its biggest price competitor took, according to Kaya. The BTC community often criticizes PoS for being vulnerable to censorship, he remarked, adding:

“If what [Bitcoin maximalists] say is true, Ethereum will either turn into a docile fintech network that is censored by governments, or a centralized structure like EOS, controlled by wealthy investors.”

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Gregory Rogers, CEO and founder of crypto-based gifting platform Graceful.io, noted that the Merge solidified the two distinct blockchains’ positions in the market. “Ethereum remains the transaction chain of choice with its increased speed and reduced fees,” Rogers said, adding, “Bitcoin is now the store of value of choice. They were already headed in this direction, but the Merge simply clarifies it.”

From a price point, though, multichain marketplace UnicusOne founder and CEO Tashish Raisinghani believes that Bitcoin price will take a hit. “The crypto industry had a hard time because of macro-level challenges which resulted in the current bear market,” he said, adding that the Merge would make Ethereum more sustainable compared to Bitcoin, “Which hasn’t yet been able to recover from the Chinese mining crackdown in 2021.”

PoW is unrivaled in network security

Addressing the energy side of the argument, John Belizaire, CEO of eco-focused data center company Soluna Computing, told Cointelegraph that even though Ethereum’s switch to PoS could save energy, “It will also undermine the core decentralization aspect of cryptocurrency.”

Although Bitcoin’s PoW consensus mechanism is energy-intensive, it is also fundamental to the blockchain and “is the best choice for any cryptocurrency that prioritizes network security.”

Co-locating flexible crypto mining centers with renewable energy plants can help stabilize the electric grid, solve renewables’ wasted energy issue, and provide an abundant source of cheap energy to crypto miners, Belizaire added.

The Merge united crypto miners

Bitmain also brought down the prices of Antminers, its flagship crypto mining units, to help miners get back into profits, he added:

Despite the Merge, Ether miners won’t simply forgo PoW mining just because Ethereum Classic is not minted via mining anymore, according to Anndy Lian, author of the book NFT: From Zero to Hero. Lian told Cointelegraph that the EthereumPoW (ETHW) project — the result of a hard fork after the Merge — is working hard and the miner community is more united than ever.

“These various factors helped the miners offset their operating costs in this bear market, keeping them alive.”

Joseph Bradley, the head of business development for Web3 service provider Heirloom, likened Bitcoin to “a global risk asset that is correlated to TradFi markets.” Bradley told Cointelegraph that, although Ether may be traded similarly, it still has neither the market depth nor the size that Bitcoin has. “Do we expect the world to become more or less chaotic in the coming years?” he asks rhetorically, answering:

“Most people would lean towards more chaotic. Security will matter during this time. Bitcoin will become even more important. Expensive energy will create innovation with miners — They will most likely move toward positioning Bitcoin mining as an extension of the electrical grid itself.”

Bitcoin and Ethereum: “Apples and oranges”

Not everyone agrees that the Ethereum Merge will have an impact on Bitcoin, though. Martin Hiesboeck, head of research at crypto exchange Uphold, dismissed a direct comparison between Ethereum and Bitcoin as “apples and oranges.”

Hiesboeck told Cointelegraph that Ethereum is basically a “company controlled by venture capitalists,” that’s why the transition to proof-of-stake aims to improve its economic and environmental credentials:

“Bitcoin doesn’t need to do that. Bitcoin is not a brand. Bitcoin is a computer network. Its output represents money. Nobody owns it. There is no brand. No CEO.”

Khaleelulla Baig, the founder and CEO of crypto investment platform Koinbasket, supported Hiesboeck’s argument, telling Cointelegraph that the Merge won’t have any meaningful impact on Bitcoin as these assets serve different purposes.

Bitcoin’s purpose is “to prove itself as a superior store of value to fiat currencies,” according to Baig. The PoW mechanism goes well with the purpose of Bitcoin, “As it helps the network maintain the scarcity of 21 million BTC via its difficulty adjustment rate,” he added.

Bitcoin as a PoW and Ethereum as a PoS network are making significant contributions to the crypto-asset ecosystem by competing with their best features. Tansel Kaya summarizes: “Having two distinct approaches rather than one is more suitable for the spirit of decentralization.”

 

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/apples-and-oranges-how-the-ethereum-merge-could-affect-bitcoin

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
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Singapore scales digital currency regulations as MAS gets additional power

Singapore scales digital currency regulations as MAS gets additional power

Singapore is stepping up its efforts to regulate the domestic digital currency industry, this time targeting firms that are based in the country but offering their services outside the city-state.

Last week, lawmakers in Singapore approved the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, which further expanded the jurisdiction of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s de facto central bank and digital currency regulator. The law covers virtual asset service providers (VASPs) who in digital currencies, exchanges, and firms that offer financial advice on the sale of such currencies and tokens.

Under the previous regulatory regime, the MAS only had authority over VASPs, which were based in the country and offered their services locally. This led to some regulatory loopholes in which a firm could claim to be regulated by the MAS, which is a reputable watchdog globally, but not be directly supervised by the regulator.

Alvin Tan, a board member of the MAS who spoke on behalf of Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said that the regulator was worried about the reputational risk that the loophole presented.

“Digital token service providers could easily structure their businesses to evade regulation in any one jurisdiction, as they operate mainly online. We could be exposed to reputational risks brought by DT service providers created in Singapore, and which provide services relating to virtual assets such as Bitcoin outside Singapore,” Tan said.

The new law was well received by some who believe that it will make the industry more reputable and further increase protections for investors. Legitimate firms operating within the confines of the law have nothing to fear, the law’s supporters say.

One of them is Anndy Lian, the chairman of Dutch exchange BigONE, who deems the new regulations reasonable.

“If you walk the ground hard enough, you will see many bad actors and dubious crypto companies using Singapore as a base of their operations. We need to properly regulate things so that the bad actors won’t affect this industry’s image,” Lian said, speaking to Nikkei Asia.

There are others who don’t support the new law, which they claim is just another burden being piled on by regulators on a nascent industry that could prove fatal to its growth.

“Sad, disappointed—we went 10 steps backwards. So MAS is making the assumption that the license is like gold—that everyone will want to get it?” One member of a digital currency group in the city-state stated.

There are also concerns related to the MAS’ processing of licensing applications. As CoinGeek reported in December, the MAS received about 180 applications for licenses by VASPs. Of these, 103 were either rejected or the applicants had withdrawn them after realizing they had not met the standards. At the time, only three firms had been granted operating licenses, with 70 applications being in consideration.

This long queue of applications was just with local firms that target the Singaporean market. VASPS will take longer to get licensed in the city-state with the new law. This will require some firms to move out of Singapore or dig deeper into their pockets to get through the scrutiny.

“For companies that are unable to fulfill the AML/CFT requirement, they will need to move out to other countries. But with more governments regulating cryptocurrency in different jurisdictions, these companies will soon find it hard to operate,” Desmond Yong, the chief strategy officer at Digital Treasures Center, commented.

This new MAS crackdown piles onto others, such as a ban on digital currency ads in public places, which kicked off in January, and the shutdown of digital currency ATMs.

 

Original Source: https://coingeek.com/singapore-scales-digital-currency-regulations-as-mas-gets-additional-power/

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
j j j

RBI should hold debates, discussions before any crypto decision: Experts + Anndy Lian’s additional comments

RBI should hold debates, discussions before any crypto decision: Experts + Anndy Lian’s additional comments

Additional comments that I have given to the editors: 

In a big country like India there are many conflicts of interest. Banning cryptocurrencies is not the way forward. It could be an easy way out for now. I would encourage them to need to find a way to embrace it and build a different and hopefully better future with this form of currency.

If they understand cryptocurrencies well enough, they will know that regulating a basket of crypto that can be almost 100 percent traceable is not difficult. In fact, it allows you to reduce and avoid macroeconomic instability from their legacy systems.

Education and awareness is the key to moving forward. Investors, in general, must know what they are investing in and be cautioned at all stages when dealing with cryptocurrencies.

 

– Anndy Lian

 

RBI should hold debates, discussions before any crypto decision: Experts

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been a stringent critic of crypto assets, reiterating its tough stand on the new age asset class.

Deputy governor T Rabi Sankar called for an outright ban on private cryptocurrencies at the IBA Banking Technology Awards. He claimed the notorious early 20th century Ponzi schemes were better than investing cryptos.

Prior to this, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said that private cryptos are a serious threat to macroeconomic and financial stability, and investors should keep risks in mind as such assets have no underlying value whatsoever, ‘not even a tulip’.

The harsh remarks from the central bank has vexed the crypto industry. They suggested the RBI hold debates and discussions at various forums before making a final conclusion.

Rahat Beri, Founder and CEO, Acryptoverse, a crypto advisory firm said that cryptos are a budding technology and an asset class that should have the freedom to be explored with guardrails. “Otherwise we risk being left behind.”

“Stablecoins are backed by currency, assets or other projects. We have seen success right in our own backyards,” she added. Cryptos come with multiple challenges and these must be addressed, experts said. Authorities should move in the direction of debate, assessment and deliberation over such assets.

RBI has always been an active critic of crypto assets and vocal advocate to put a blanket ban on the private crypto assets. Proliferation of such currencies will undermine the rupee, they said.

Repulsing from RBI’s opinion, market experts said that banning cryptocurrencies is not the right way forward, rather the easiest way out for now.

In a country like India, there are many conflicts of interest, said Anndy Lian, Chairman, BigONE Exchange. “The central bank should find a way to embrace it and build a different and hopefully better future with this form of currency,” he added.

Change is never accepted easily, said Beri. “A decade ago, no one gave online payments much of a chance and today the common man uses it. A nascent technology comes with inherent challenges.”

In the union budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharama announced that the gains arising from the transactions in the private crypto assets will be taxed at a flat rate of 30 per cent, with no exemption or deduction.

The loss arising from the sale of any virtual assets cannot be set off against any other income. TDS at the rate of 1 per cent would be levied on payments made on transfer of digital assets.

The move was welcomed by the crypto players, particularly the exchanges. Reading between the lines, they expected a positive regulatory framework to the new age asset class. However, after RBI comments, the dreams appear to be shattered.

The crypto companies may also hold back on their expansion plans just because there are no clear instructions from the government, said the crypto experts.

Jay Hao, CEO of OKX said that it’s important for the regulators of a country to be on the same page to form the crypto policy framework. He believes that India needs clear guidelines for the continued growth of the crypto ecosystem.

“Multiple statements from officials may create confusion in the minds of investors which could be harmful for the users,” Hao added.

“The lack of clarity on regulations also discourages foreign institutional investors from investing in the sector.”

 

Original Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/cryptocurrency/rbi-should-hold-debates-discussions-before-any-crypto-decision-experts/articleshow/89616737.cms

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
j j j