Bitcoin

‘It gave us branding, investment, and tourism’

Published

4 months ago

August 30, 2024

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, defended his country’s groundbreaking decision to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, emphasizing its impact on the nation’s global image and economic opportunities.

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Bukele highlighted Bitcoin’s (BTC) benefits to El Salvador despite widespread skepticism and limited domestic adoption.

Bukele said Bitcoin not only “gave us branding,” the embrace of a digital economy helped boost tourism and spur investments. The interview comes three years after making El Salvador the first country in the world to embrace Bitcoin officially.

Bukele, who graced the cover of Time Magazine as the “world’s coolest dictator,” has become a polarizing figure in global policy. While fewer than 12% of Salvadorans have made a single Bitcoin transaction, according to Time, the President insisted that the primary goal was to reposition El Salvador on the global stage.

According to recent reports, the country holds 5,851 BTC worth approximately $352,300,000 at the time of writing.

El Salvador and Bitcoin

El Salvador made global headlines in September 2021 when it became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. This move, driven by Bukele, aimed to boost financial inclusion in a nation where 70% of the population lacks access to traditional banking services.

The government introduced the Chivo Wallet, an official crypto app, offering citizens $30 in free Bitcoin as an incentive to download and use the app. Despite these efforts, widespread adoption was limited, with many early users not engaging in subsequent transactions after spending the initial bonus.

The rationale behind El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption was multifaceted. One primary motivation was to provide financial services to the unbanked population and reduce the cost of remittances, which are vital to the Salvadoran economy.

Bitcoin, particularly through the Lightning Network, also aims to facilitate faster and cheaper transactions, which is crucial in a country where traditional banking infrastructure is often inaccessible. However, the policy has faced significant challenges, including technical issues with the Chivo Wallet and skepticism from the general population.

Critics of Bukele

Critics of El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin, including major financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, expressed concerns about the risks associated with Bitcoin’s volatility and its potential impact on financial stability.

Despite these warnings, President Bukele remained committed to the Bitcoin experiment, viewing it as a bold step towards economic innovation and financial independence.

Bukele remained unapologetic, viewing Bitcoin as a key element of his broader strategy to attract foreign capital and boost tourism.

In a sense, this logic worked. Damian Merlo, a lobbyist, told Time that the Bitcoin tourism gamble paid off.

“We call it the Great Rebranding. It was genius…we could have paid millions to a PR firm to rebrand El Salvador. Instead, we just adopted Bitcoin.”
Damian Merlo.

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Bitcoin

Metaplanet makes largest Bitcoin bet, acquires nearly 620 BTC

Published

32 minutes ago

December 23, 2024

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Tokyo-listed Metaplanet has purchased another 9.5 billion yen ($60.6 million) worth of Bitcoin, pushing its holdings to 1,761.98 BTC.

Metaplanet, a publicly traded Japanese company, has acquired 619.7 Bitcoin as part of its crypto treasury strategy, paying an average of 15,330,073 yen per (BTC), with a total investment of 9.5 billion yen.

According to the company’s latest financial disclosure, Metaplanet’s total Bitcoin holdings now stand at 1,761.98 BTC, with an average purchase price of 11,846,002 yen (~$75,628) per Bitcoin. The company has spent 20.872 billion yen in total on Bitcoin acquisitions, the document reads.

The latest purchase is the largest so far for the Tokyo-headquartered company and comes just days after Metaplanet issued its 5th Series of Ordinary Bonds via private placement with EVO FUND, raising 5 billion yen (approximately $32 million).

The proceeds from this issuance, as disclosed earlier, were allocated specifically for purchasing Bitcoin. These bonds, set to mature in June 2025, carry no interest and allow for early redemption under specific conditions.

Metaplanet buys dip

The company also shared updates on its BTC Yield, a metric used to measure the growth of Bitcoin holdings relative to fully diluted shares. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 23, Metaplanet’s BTC Yield surged to 309.82%, up from 41.7% in the previous quarter.

Bitcoin itself has seen strong performance this year, climbing 120% and outperforming assets like the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 indices. However, it has recently pulled back from its all-time high of $108,427, trading at $97,000 after the Federal Reserve indicated only two interest rate cuts in 2025.

Despite the retreat, on-chain metrics indicate that Bitcoin is still undervalued based on its Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV-Z) score, which stands at 2.84 — below the threshold of 3.7 that historically signals an asset is overvalued.

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Altcoin Season

End of Altcoin Season? Glassnode Co-Founders Warn Alts in Danger of Lagging Behind After Last Week’s Correction

Published

4 hours ago

December 23, 2024

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The creators of the crypto analytics firm Glassnode are warning that altcoins could lose all bullish momentum following last week’s market correction.

Jan Happel and Yann Allemann, who go by the handle Negentropic on the social media platform X, tell their 63,400 followers that “altcoin season,” which they say began in late November, could come to an abrupt end after alts witnessed deep pullbacks over the last seven days.

According to the Glassnode co-founders, traders and investors will likely have a risk-off approach on altcoins unless Bitcoin recovers a key psychological price point.

“Is This the End of Altcoin Season?

Bitcoin dominance is surging after dipping below $100,000, while altcoins are losing critical supports. Dominance has risen and resumed its upward trend, signaling a stronger BTC environment.

If BTC stabilizes above $100,00, we might see a pump in altcoins now in accumulation zones. Until then, Bitcoin appears poised to lead, leaving altcoins lagging behind.”

The Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) chart tracks how much of the total crypto market cap belongs to BTC. In the current state of the market, a surging BTC.D suggests that altcoins are losing value faster than Bitcoin.

At time of writing, BTC.D is hovering at 59%.

Looking at Bitcoin itself, the Glassnode executives say long-term Bitcoin holders are massively unloading their holdings as other investor cohorts pick up the slack.

“The Board Keeps Shifting.

As BTC continues flowing out of exchanges during this dip, long-term holders are exiting forcefully, while short-term holders step in without hesitation.

Whales quietly accumulate, miners remain neutral, and selling pressure has merely reshuffled the board.

New hands are absorbing the sales.”

At time of writing, Bitcoin is worth $97,246.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Altcoins

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan Predicts Institutional Interest in Altcoins, Says 2025 the Year of Crypto Diversification

Published

20 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says a wave of institutional interest in altcoins is coming next year, largely due to potential regulatory clarity and more exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

In a new interview with Bloomberg, Hougan says that institutional money is in the early stages of broadening out to other crypto assets besides just Bitcoin (BTC).

Hougan forecasts that 2025 will be the year that institutional investors will begin to incorporate more diversification in their crypto-investing strategies the same way they do in other asset classes like equities or bonds.

“You’re already seeing it broaden out actually. A lot of people were worried about the Ethereum ETFs for instance, which launched this summer and had tepid inflows.

But over the last month or so, you’ve seen billions of dollars flow into those products.

Again, the things that have happened in crypto in the past keep happening. Historically, most people enter crypto through Bitcoin, and then they discover Ethereum, and then they think about Solana. There’s no reason to assume that the institutions that came into Bitcoin won’t move on to other assets in the future.

In fact, I think in 2025, you’re going to see an explosion of interest in index space strategies that give diversified exposure to crypto. Of course, [that is] something we’ve been doing at Bitwise since 2017 when we pioneered that concept. I think 2025 is when that becomes a mainstream way to allocate to this space, the same way it is to stocks and bonds and real estate and everything else.”

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