BitcoinInsider

With mainstream exchanges becoming progressively cumbersome due to privacy invasive policy and regulation, some crypto traders are switching to more private, face-to-face trading. While this route isn't for everyone, and comes with unique risks, it does offer a very real solution to many of the problems plaguing mainstream exchanges currently. The goal of this breakdown is to provide a few best practices for safety and success when trading crypto in person. Why Face to Face? For anyone that's ever had their money frozen on an exchange, this question is a no-brainer. Since most exchange wallets are custodial, meaning the service itself holds and manages user funds centrally, one bug in the code, hack, or audit from a governmental regulatory agency could mean that you and your money are parted indefinitely. Stomach sinkers of this nature have occurred often enough that many, understandably, don't want to run these risks anymore. Others are concerned about privacy and the secu...

Bitcoin has spent the past two weeks consolidating just below the 200 day moving average. So far it has managed to cling to support above $8,000 but a big move could be coming soon so which way will it go next? Bitcoin Trading Range Tightens Another day has seen Bitcoin bounce between $8,300 and $8,400 as the range bound channel begins to tighten up. According to Tradingview.com BTC is currently within this range at $8,340 since the big dump on Friday. RSI is right on 50 on the four hour chart but below it on the daily. That death cross of the 50 day MA and 200 day MA is looming ever closer and could occur in about a week, especially if the breakout is to the low side. Trader 'CryptoHamster' has observed the sideways channel on the 50% Fibonacci retracement level which is also a signal of a bigger move approaching. Stating that Bitcoin will 'either go up or down' is pretty obvious but where will it stop is more interesting. On the high side the 23.6% Fibo shows resistan...

The controversial essence of what is Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency has just been hit significantly according to recently surfaced news. A spokesperson for the payment giant Paypal spoke to the Wall Street Journal on Friday afternoon and said that the firm has decided to "forgo further particpiation" on the project. However, despite this, they added that the payment network will continue to support the goal of Libra which is to 'democratize finance'. This would mean that is will keep it options open with Facebook for the future. The PayPal representative said: "We remain supportive of Libra's aspirations and look forward to continued dialogue on ways to work together in the future. Facebook has been a longstanding and valued strategic partner to PayPal, and we will continue to partner with and support Facebook in various capacities." This is an announcement that came shortly after sources to the Financial Times said that PayPal spokespersons didn...

A Nigerian cryptocurrency wallet is alleged to have pulled off an exit scam, disappearing with over $1 million in users' funds. The users of Satowallet first started reporting withdrawal hitches in April, which led many to question the company's legitimacy. However, the management reassured the users, blaming its technical issues on its web hosting services provider. Satowallet was founded in 2017 and claims to be based in Dubai, according to a report by Finance Magnates. Its parent firm Blockchain Tech Hub is based in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. The wallet supports over 60 cryptocurrencies. The report reveals that users begun experiencing issues with their withdrawals in April. The company blamed the issues on technical hitches. However, during the time that the users were unable to access their funds, Satowallet claimed that several Telegram scammers exploited the upgrade period and stole some of the funds that the company held for its users. In a statement afterwards, Sato...

Atlas Quantum, a Brazilian cryptocurrency exchange that has been the subject of much controversy, has defied a court deadline to resolve withdrawal issues. In a blog post, the company stated that it was working to solve withdrawal hitches, but that it didn't have a deadline to do so. This comes after a Brazilian court froze the exchange's accounts and gave it 48 hours to resolve the outstanding accounts. A federal court in Brazil ruled that Atlas Quantum's activities constituted practices associated with financial pyramid schemes on September 16. This was after one of the users took to court accusing the exchange of denying him access to his crypto stash. The user claimed the exchange barred him from withdrawing his 6 BTC, with Atlas blaming the mishap on Know-Your-Customer issues with its accounts on other exchanges. In a separate ruling, a Sao Paulo court ruled that Atlas had 48 hours to settle all the outstanding withdrawal requests from its clients or risk severe penalt...

Browser extensions can help scammers steal your crypto Casa CEO Jeremy Welch warned the audience at the Baltic Honeybadger conference in Riga this weekend. "Browser extensions impose major risks, and these risks haven't been discussed until this point," Welch said. Extensions can gather a wealth of data, which can be leaked, stolen, and used by scammers. One example is browser history, which can expose users' online habits, including crypto-related site visits. "Make sure you don't expose your bitcoin addresses anywhere," Welch warned. Another thing to keep in mind is that some extensions capture users' KYC information and can leak it to scammers. The only major multisig system that requires KYC at the moment is the one supplied by Unchained Capital, Welch said. He warns against commonly-used consumer software that gathers identity data. As an example, Welch demonstrated how an extension providing wallpapers with inspiring quotes or other content was...

Banking, in the traditional sense of the term, has become a financial burden for account holders in regions where the era of subzero interest rates has already set in. European nations like Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Eurozone countries have been in negative territory for some time, and banks there have started passing the burden to corporate and private clients. However, businesses and savers don't have to put up with losing money as the expanding banking services in the crypto space come with much better conditions, including positive interest rates. Bank Accounts With Bitcoin Wallets in 31 EEA Countries With the number of cryptocurrency users growing constantly, the need for dedicated digital asset banking naturally increases too. Currently, companies specializing in this niche are actually offering better terms to their customers than traditional financial institutions are able to provide within the fiat system. Of course, it remains to be seen if they will maintain the c...