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Nigeria’s central bank says it is ready to launch CBDC

After failing to implement its CBDC on October 1, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released a document reiterating its commitment to launch e-naira. In fact, in this document titled The Design Paper for the E-naira, CBN says that it is now ready to launch Nigeria’s CBDC.

CBN prioritizes robust ecosystems

However, in the same document, the central bank appears to downplay the implications of the failed launch, as expected. Instead, the CBN tries to highlight the importance of getting it right the first time and how this ensures the long-term success of the digital currency. The document explains CBN’s position:

Although the launch of e-naira is an important event, it is a milestone on a long journey. E-naira is a process, not a single step. Over time, CBN believes that the robust ecosystems to be built on the e-naira platform will ensure that Nigeria and Nigerians reap the full benefits of e-naira.

Script by E-Naira

Rather than focus entirely on getting e-naira up and running on time, CBN says it spent a lot of time working on the design and architecture of e-naira. He also prioritized sharing with potential e-naira users the functionality of the digital currency, the risks of e-naira and how they will be mitigated, as well as the roadmap for their implementation.

According to the central bank, it is these critical details that should reassure Nigerians that the e-naira, which will be available to offline users, was well designed and the launch was rigorously planned.

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Walmart rolls out 200 Bitcoin ATMs in its stores

The retail giant has launched a pilot program to offer customers the ability to buy bitcoin at Coinstar kiosks in its stores.

Walmart has started a pilot program to bring bitcoin purchase funds to Coinstar kiosks in some of its US stores.

The pilot is part of a larger partnership between Coinstar and Coinme to offer BTC in more than 8,000 kiosks, including 200 in Walmart stores.

“Walmart is expanding access to Bitcoin to more people… and granting more legitimacy to skeptics,” said Sam Doctor, CSO of BitOoda brokerage.

Walmart has launched a pilot program to bring Bitcoin purchase funds to 200 Coinstar kiosks in some of the U.S. retail stores, Bloomberg reported. The initiative is part of a larger cooperation between Coinstar, a maker of machines that allows customers to exchange coins for paper bills or gift cards, and exchange cash for bitcoin Coinme for offer BTC at over 8,000 kiosks in the United States.

“Bitcoin ATMs have been around for quite some time, including in many supermarkets,” Sam Doctor, chief strategy officer and head of research at cryptocurrency broker BitOoda, told Bloomberg. “However, Walmart is expanding access to Bitcoin to more people and giving skeptics more legitimacy if they implement it beyond an initial pilot. “

The initiative was first reported by CoinDesk, which tested the service. Customers who buy BTC insert dollar bills into the Coinstar kiosk and receive a coupon, which can be exchanged for bitcoin minus a 4% machine fee. But customers need to create a Coinme account and go through a background check to use the coupon.

“Coinstar, in partnership with Coinme, has launched a pilot project that allows its customers to use cash to buy bitcoin,” Walmart communications director Molly Blakeman told CoinDesk by email. “There are 200 Coinstar kiosks located in Walmart stores across the United States that are part of this pilot.”

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Where to buy a Bitcoin ETF

The first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), offered by ProShares, launched on Tuesday this week. It is traded under the symbol BITO and will allow equity investors to gain exposure to the digital currency without having to purchase it on a crypto exchange.

How and where to buy Bitcoin ETFs
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What is the Bitcoin ETF?

Before buying Bitcoin ETF (BITO), one must first distinguish between Bitcoin and Bitcoin futures. In essence, a futures contract for any asset is simply an agreement to buy or sell the asset on a future date and at a predetermined price.

Now, buying Bitcoin ETF means you are buying a stock whose value fluctuates based on the price of Bitcoin futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Should I buy Bitcoin ETF today?

Many professional fund managers agree that it is a reasonable strategy not to invest more than 5% to 10% of your total portfolio in crypto assets. Buying the new BITO Bitcoin ETF is ideal for many investors who want to be exposed to Bitcoin but do not want to go through the process of opening a crypto account.

Bitcoin ETF Price Predictions

According to experts at Fundstrat Global Advisors, the price of Bitcoin could exceed $ 166,000 by the end of 2021. However, the price of Bitcoin does not necessarily correlate with the price of ETFs, which is confusing.

This is because futures contracts are not directly backed by physical Bitcoin, but rather by a derivative of Bitcoin. For example, Bitcoin can gain 40%, but Bitcoin ETF can only increase by 30%. This is because future ETFs have contracts that expire periodically and must be redeemed.

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Ethereum looks like it’s about to explode when 400,000 ETH leaves Coinbase

The string data shows that the Coinbase crypto switch took a 400,000 Ethereum pullback yesterday. This could be a sign of institutional investor activity and could result in a bullish currency.

Coinbase sees 400,000 ETH outputs

As reported in a CryptoQuant article, around 400,000 ETH (1.5 billion at the current exchange rate) were taken out of the Coinbase crypto swap yesterday.

The indicator used here is the Ethereum Outflow, which shows the total number of coins that come out of the stock exchange wallets.

When the metric shows a large increase, it means that a large amount of ETH has been removed from the exchange. Investors often withdraw many currencies to store or sell them through over-the-counter contracts.

Therefore, steady exits could mean that there is buying pressure in the market and investors are bullish on Ethereum.

Here is what the indicator chart looks like for the Coinbase encryption switch:

ETH exit showed big bullishness yesterday | Source: CryptoQuant

As the chart above shows, the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange peaked at 400,000 Ethereum in outflows yesterday.

These large outflows could be a sign of activity on the part of institutional investors, as normal holders certainly won’t have as many currencies to move.

Related reading | Crypto Only: Crescent Lists Potential High Drivers for Bitcoin and Ethereum in Q4 2021

Institutional investors optimistic about ETH could mean big things for cryptocurrencies. If ETH is to take the next step, it will need a lot of money, which often means that whales, as well as institutional investors, need to get involved.

As these exits already indicate that institutional investors are pulling their currencies off the stock exchanges to possibly bail them out, the outlook for ETH looks optimistic.

Ethereum Price

As of this writing, the price of ETH is around $59.9K, a 9% increase over the past seven days. Over the past thirty days, encryption has accumulated 25% profit.

The following chart shows the currency price trend over the last five days:

ETH price rises to approach $4,000 bar | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView

ETH has given a big boost in recent days as the currency now approaches a test of the $4,000 mark. At the moment, it is unclear whether ETH can maintain that momentum and soon reach a new all-time high (ATH), or if it will fail again.

Related reading | TA: Ethereum follows Bitcoin, why ETH could go up to $4K

If exits are something to cross, the general sentiment appears to be bullish and institutional investors who get involved can help with the huge price that drives cryptocurrencies to break major resistance lines.

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Crypto Finserve Bakkt will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange Soon

Effective October 18, Bakkt’s common shares and warrants will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols “BKKT” and “BKKT WS”, respectively.

Bakkt’s public listing is the result of a merger with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings, a Chicago-based special-purpose acquisition company. According to an official statement, a shareholders meeting on the merger had an approval of around 85.1% for the business combination:

"At closing, the Combined Company's Class A common shares and warrants shall commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbols "BKKT" and "BKKT WS", respectively."

In addition, the business combination generated gross revenues of approximately $448 million for Bakkt, which is expected to be reinvested in developing the company’s capabilities and partnerships.

Last week, the Bakkt cryptocurrency exchange announced a partnership with Google to enable the purchase of goods and services using Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies through the Google Pay platform. According to Bakkt CEO Gavin Michael, the partnership “demonstrates Bakkt’s strong position in the digital asset market, to enable consumers to enjoy their digital assets in real time, with security and reliability.”

In March, Bakkt launched a payments app that allows users to make purchases using cryptocurrencies, before which the exchange offered BTC futures exclusively to accredited investors.

Related: US Legislator Proposes Safe Haven for Digital Tokens in New Bill

The adoption of cryptocurrencies by the general public in the United States is gaining more support from lawmakers as a new bill requires a safe haven for certain symbolic projects.

A new bill proposed by North Carolina House Representative Patrick McHenry, “Clarity for the Digital Tokens Act of 2021”, suggests amending the 1933 Securities Act that allows projects to offer tokens without registration for up to three years old.

The bill builds on an earlier initiative by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, in which she highlighted that “Safe Harbor may be the most revolutionary development for the US cryptocurrency market to date.”

Bakkt Holdings, the digital asset management arm of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has announced that it will soon become a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange starting October 18th.