Cosmos-Based DeFi Protocol Nolus Raises 2․5M To Build The First Cross-Chain DeFi Lease

Following the acquisition of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase, several regional banks such as Pacwest and Western Alliance experienced a significant drop in their stock prices. On Tuesday afternoon, all four major U.S. benchmark stock indexes are in decline as regional bank stocks hit new lows.

Pacwest, a regional bank based in Beverly Hills, California, is facing challenges after the release of its 2023 first quarter earnings report. Following the publication of the earnings, the bank’s stock price plummeted by 35% on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The earnings report revealed a “net loss available to common stockholders of $1.21 billion, or a loss of $10.22 per diluted share.”

The upheaval at Pacwest comes on the heels of First Republic Bank’s recent collapse and three major bank failures that occurred in March. Despite three out of these four banks representing the largest bank failures in the United States, President Joe Biden reassured the public on Monday that the banking industry is on track toward “stabilization.”

Besides Pacwest shares dropping over 35%, trading was halted due to volatility concerns. Other banks experiencing losses on Tuesday include Western Alliance and Metropolitan Bank, whose stocks have also seen sharp declines during today’s trading sessions. Amidst this turmoil within bank equities, CFRA analyst Alexander Yokum told Marketwatch that while taxpayers will not be responsible for these failures, financial institutions are likely to increase fees.

“All the costs of bank failures will be borne by banks and not taxpayers, although we expect banks to indirectly pass along many of these costs to customers through higher fees and higher interest rates on loans,” Yokum stated.

The collapse of First Republic Bank has left Wall Street investors uneasy, even though JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon declared on Monday that “this part of the crisis is over” after taking over the struggling bank. While conventional equity markets are down, cryptocurrencies and precious metals have experienced growth amidst the banking industry’s tribulations.

Notably, the top two leading cryptocurrencies, bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) increased by 1.1% to 1.5% in the wake of Wall Street’s turmoil. Concurrently, the precious metals gold and silver have also surged in value against the U.S. dollar, with gains ranging between 1.4% and 1.54%.

After sinking more than 35% on Tuesday, Pacwest shares rebounded and are currently down between 22% to 27% against the greenback.

What do you think the future holds for the U.S. banking industry? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 7,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

NFT Sales Volume Saw a Small Uptick This Week — Moonbirds, Mutant Apes Take Top Sales

Non-fungible token (NFT) sales saw a small uptick over the last week as $658.4 million in NFT sales were recorded, up 3.35% in seven days. Out of 15 blockchains, Polygon-based NFT sales saw the largest increase in volume, jumping 106.68% ... read more.

Following the acquisition of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase, several regional banks such as Pacwest and Western Alliance experienced a significant drop in their stock prices. On Tuesday afternoon, all four major U.S. benchmark stock indexes are in decline as regional bank stocks hit new lows.

Pacwest, a regional bank based in Beverly Hills, California, is facing challenges after the release of its 2023 first quarter earnings report. Following the publication of the earnings, the bank’s stock price plummeted by 35% on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The earnings report revealed a “net loss available to common stockholders of $1.21 billion, or a loss of $10.22 per diluted share.”

The upheaval at Pacwest comes on the heels of First Republic Bank’s recent collapse and three major bank failures that occurred in March. Despite three out of these four banks representing the largest bank failures in the United States, President Joe Biden reassured the public on Monday that the banking industry is on track toward “stabilization.”

Besides Pacwest shares dropping over 35%, trading was halted due to volatility concerns. Other banks experiencing losses on Tuesday include Western Alliance and Metropolitan Bank, whose stocks have also seen sharp declines during today’s trading sessions. Amidst this turmoil within bank equities, CFRA analyst Alexander Yokum told Marketwatch that while taxpayers will not be responsible for these failures, financial institutions are likely to increase fees.

“All the costs of bank failures will be borne by banks and not taxpayers, although we expect banks to indirectly pass along many of these costs to customers through higher fees and higher interest rates on loans,” Yokum stated.

The collapse of First Republic Bank has left Wall Street investors uneasy, even though JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon declared on Monday that “this part of the crisis is over” after taking over the struggling bank. While conventional equity markets are down, cryptocurrencies and precious metals have experienced growth amidst the banking industry’s tribulations.

Notably, the top two leading cryptocurrencies, bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) increased by 1.1% to 1.5% in the wake of Wall Street’s turmoil. Concurrently, the precious metals gold and silver have also surged in value against the U.S. dollar, with gains ranging between 1.4% and 1.54%.

After sinking more than 35% on Tuesday, Pacwest shares rebounded and are currently down between 22% to 27% against the greenback.

What do you think the future holds for the U.S. banking industry? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 7,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

Draft Law Regulating Aspects of Crypto Taxation Submitted to Russian Parliament

A bill updating Russia’s tax law to incorporate provisions pertaining to cryptocurrencies has been filed with the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The legislation is tailored to regulate the taxation of sales and profits in the country’s market ... read more.

While the next difficulty change for Bitcoin is just two days away, the network’s hashrate soared to unprecedented heights, reaching 491.15 exahash per second (EH/s) on May 02, 2023, at block height 787,895. This staggering amount of computational power came tantalizingly close to a half zettahash or five hundred quintillion hashes per second.

On the second day of May 2023, Bitcoin’s hashrate achieved a remarkable feat, tapping into a new record at block height 787,895. In a stunning display of computational power, the network reached a 24-hour high of approximately 491.15 EH/s. This momentous spike in hashrate comes at a time when the network has been recording an average of roughly 344.4 EH/s over the past 2,016 blocks, with the hashrate dipping below the 300 EH/s range on five separate occasions since April 2, 2023.

However, the month of April has seen slower block intervals, with block times consistently exceeding the ten-minute average over the 30-day period. The consequences of Bitcoin’s slower block times have been significant, leading to a notable backup in the mempool. As of 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on May 2, data shows that a staggering 240,000+ transactions remain unconfirmed.

The latest surge in hashrate follows a previous milestone achieved on April 18, 2023, when the network tapped 440.80 EH/s at block height 786,013. However, Bitcoin’s current all-time high of 491.15 EH/s is even more impressive, and awfully close to a half zettahash. To put this into perspective, a zettahash represents an astronomical number of hashes, equivalent to one sextillion hashes per second.

In a recent report by Bitcoin.com News, research analyst Sam Wouters from River Financial made a bold prediction that Bitcoin could enter the zettahash era in two years’ time. Wouters’ estimates suggest that “at the current growth rate in 2023, we’d reach a Zettahash by the end of 2025.” Despite the network’s quick all-time high in hashrate, block times continue to lag behind the ten-minute average, and a downward difficulty adjustment between 1.22% to 2% is expected.

At the time of writing, Foundry USA reigns as the top mining pool, boasting 107.66 EH/s or 31.17% of Bitcoin’s total hashpower. Foundry is followed closely by Antpool with 80.75 EH/s, F2pool’s 42.62 EH/s, Binance Pool’s 29.91 EH/s, and Viabtc’s 23.18 EH/s.

What are your thoughts on Bitcoin’s soaring hashrate and the predicted entrance into the zettahash era? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 7,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

Central Bank of Brazil Confirms It Will Run a Pilot Test for Its CBDC This Year

The Central Bank of Brazil has confirmed that the institution will run a pilot test regarding the implementation of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital real. Roberto Campos Neto, president of the bank, also stated that this ... read more.

While the next difficulty change for Bitcoin is just two days away, the network’s hashrate soared to unprecedented heights, reaching 491.15 exahash per second (EH/s) on May 02, 2023, at block height 787,895. This staggering amount of computational power came tantalizingly close to a half zettahash or five hundred quintillion hashes per second.

On the second day of May 2023, Bitcoin’s hashrate achieved a remarkable feat, tapping into a new record at block height 787,895. In a stunning display of computational power, the network reached a 24-hour high of approximately 491.15 EH/s. This momentous spike in hashrate comes at a time when the network has been recording an average of roughly 344.4 EH/s over the past 2,016 blocks, with the hashrate dipping below the 300 EH/s range on five separate occasions since April 2, 2023.

However, the month of April has seen slower block intervals, with block times consistently exceeding the ten-minute average over the 30-day period. The consequences of Bitcoin’s slower block times have been significant, leading to a notable backup in the mempool. As of 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on May 2, data shows that a staggering 240,000+ transactions remain unconfirmed.

The latest surge in hashrate follows a previous milestone achieved on April 18, 2023, when the network tapped 440.80 EH/s at block height 786,013. However, Bitcoin’s current all-time high of 491.15 EH/s is even more impressive, and awfully close to a half zettahash. To put this into perspective, a zettahash represents an astronomical number of hashes, equivalent to one sextillion hashes per second.

In a recent report by Bitcoin.com News, research analyst Sam Wouters from River Financial made a bold prediction that Bitcoin could enter the zettahash era in two years’ time. Wouters’ estimates suggest that “at the current growth rate in 2023, we’d reach a Zettahash by the end of 2025.” Despite the network’s quick all-time high in hashrate, block times continue to lag behind the ten-minute average, and a downward difficulty adjustment between 1.22% to 2% is expected.

At the time of writing, Foundry USA reigns as the top mining pool, boasting 107.66 EH/s or 31.17% of Bitcoin’s total hashpower. Foundry is followed closely by Antpool with 80.75 EH/s, F2pool’s 42.62 EH/s, Binance Pool’s 29.91 EH/s, and Viabtc’s 23.18 EH/s.

What are your thoughts on Bitcoin’s soaring hashrate and the predicted entrance into the zettahash era? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 7,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

Central Bank of Brazil Confirms It Will Run a Pilot Test for Its CBDC This Year

The Central Bank of Brazil has confirmed that the institution will run a pilot test regarding the implementation of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital real. Roberto Campos Neto, president of the bank, also stated that this ... read more.

PRESS RELEASE. May 2nd 2023 – Individuals seeking to trade real world assets on the blockchain will have a new ally with the launch of the Forge.SX DeFi protocol.

With the convenience of a blockchain-based platform, Forge.SX empowers anyone to mint and trade synthetic versions of real-world assets with the convenience of blockchain technology. There are a number of assets available in the protocol, including commodities, stocks, and even foreign currencies. Popular stocks such as fTSLA are already available on the platform. Several plans are already in motion for the addition of additional stocks in the future.

According to the core team, the reason for offering mint trade of stocks and other synthetic assets is as follows: “As seasoned crypto investors, we understand the value and potential of synthetic assets on the blockchain and want everyone to have access to global financial markets and mint synthetic digital assets regardless of their financial status. Synthetic investments like stocks are among the most valuable. Although risks are involved in stock investment, because the market is regulated, they offer greater reassurance for cryptocurrency investors. We also wanted to diversify the assets available on the platform to attract new investors who are interested in yielding returns with Real World Assets.”

The assets on Forge are called fAssets and can be forged and burned in the Ovens by anyone. As standard ERC-Tokens, assets can only be minted against collateral deposits. Traders can begin by opening an oven using USDC as collateral for the creation of synthetic assets. The crypto trader may then burn the fAssets minted by closing the oven, and they will be able to recover the collateral that has been locked.

Forge.SX is supported by a reliable Oracle data feed that connects the world of Blockchain to the Forge.SX platform. A competent and experienced team is also available at the company, with a strong background in Dapp development and DeFi. In order to provide traders with the best service in the industry, Forge.SX consistently performs research and development. Core Forgers said: “We do our finest to bring safety and value to our investors and remain transparent to inspire confidence in our business model and the future of synthetic assets.”

To learn more about Forge or to start trading real-world assets such as stocks on Forge SX, please visit: https://forge.sx/

This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

Bitcoin.com is the premier source for everything crypto-related. Contact the Media team on ads@bitcoin.com to talk about press releases, sponsored posts, podcasts and other options.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Ripple CEO: SEC Lawsuit Over XRP 'Has Gone Exceedingly Well'

The CEO of Ripple Labs says that the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against him and his company over XRP "has gone exceedingly well." He stressed: "This case is important, not just for Ripple, it’s ... read more.

PRESS RELEASE. May 2nd 2023 – Individuals seeking to trade real world assets on the blockchain will have a new ally with the launch of the Forge.SX DeFi protocol.

With the convenience of a blockchain-based platform, Forge.SX empowers anyone to mint and trade synthetic versions of real-world assets with the convenience of blockchain technology. There are a number of assets available in the protocol, including commodities, stocks, and even foreign currencies. Popular stocks such as fTSLA are already available on the platform. Several plans are already in motion for the addition of additional stocks in the future.

According to the core team, the reason for offering mint trade of stocks and other synthetic assets is as follows: “As seasoned crypto investors, we understand the value and potential of synthetic assets on the blockchain and want everyone to have access to global financial markets and mint synthetic digital assets regardless of their financial status. Synthetic investments like stocks are among the most valuable. Although risks are involved in stock investment, because the market is regulated, they offer greater reassurance for cryptocurrency investors. We also wanted to diversify the assets available on the platform to attract new investors who are interested in yielding returns with Real World Assets.”

The assets on Forge are called fAssets and can be forged and burned in the Ovens by anyone. As standard ERC-Tokens, assets can only be minted against collateral deposits. Traders can begin by opening an oven using USDC as collateral for the creation of synthetic assets. The crypto trader may then burn the fAssets minted by closing the oven, and they will be able to recover the collateral that has been locked.

Forge.SX is supported by a reliable Oracle data feed that connects the world of Blockchain to the Forge.SX platform. A competent and experienced team is also available at the company, with a strong background in Dapp development and DeFi. In order to provide traders with the best service in the industry, Forge.SX consistently performs research and development. Core Forgers said: “We do our finest to bring safety and value to our investors and remain transparent to inspire confidence in our business model and the future of synthetic assets.”

To learn more about Forge or to start trading real-world assets such as stocks on Forge SX, please visit: https://forge.sx/

This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

Bitcoin.com is the premier source for everything crypto-related. Contact the Media team on ads@bitcoin.com to talk about press releases, sponsored posts, podcasts and other options.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Ripple CEO: SEC Lawsuit Over XRP 'Has Gone Exceedingly Well'

The CEO of Ripple Labs says that the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against him and his company over XRP "has gone exceedingly well." He stressed: "This case is important, not just for Ripple, it’s ... read more.

PRESS RELEASE. Nolus, an interoperable application on Cosmos, has secured $2.5 million in pre-seed and seed funding to tackle inefficiencies in DeFi money markets.

The recently concluded $20 million valuation seed funding is backed by Dorahacks, Everstake, Cogitent Ventures, Token Metrics Ventures, and Autonomy Capital, among others, and will allow Nolus to fully complete the technological backbone and further expand the platform both within and outside the Cosmos ecosystem. The Advisory Board members Zaki Manian, Strangelove, and Shane Molidor will ensure Nolus solidify its cross-chain presence.

The novel DeFi Lease solution by Nolus unlocks the full potential of crypto money markets by reducing the industry’s steep over-collateralization requirements, resulting in significantly improved capital efficiency and much more favorable lending options for users. The Nolus DeFi Lease provides up to 150% financing on the initial investment with a lowered margin call risk and access to the underlying leveraged assets through whitelisted yield-bearing strategies. With the added support of liquid staking derivatives, the Nolus protocol will create a cornerstone use case for LSDs for the Cosmos ecosystem in the form of self-repaying loans.

About Nolus

Nolus defines a money market between lenders looking to earn yield on deposited stablecoins and borrowers looking to amplify holdings with more assets than their current equity at lower risk and retained ownership.

The Protocol utilizes a semi-permissioned PoS blockchain built using the Cosmos SDK and a WASM smart contract engine that executes in an isolated sandbox model focused on interoperability, security and performance. Interoperability itself is at the core of Nolus’ offering as the Protocol utilizes IBC and Interchain Accounts to tap into a diverse set of liquidity hubs without creating fragmentation across chains.

After months of testing, Nolus will open its public mainnet in May.

Website | Twitter | Discord

This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

Bitcoin.com is the premier source for everything crypto-related. Contact the Media team on ads@bitcoin.com to talk about press releases, sponsored posts, podcasts and other options.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Tony Hawk's Latest NFTs to Come With Signed Physical Skateboards

Last December, the renowned professional skateboarder Tony Hawk released his “Last Trick” non-fungible token (NFT) collection via the NFT marketplace Autograph. Next week, Hawk will be auctioning the skateboards he used during his last tricks, and each of the NFTs ... read more.