Funding

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie tried to delay the voting on COVID-19 relief bill by objecting a roll call voting that would not require the presence of all members in Washington. Eventually, he failed to do this as the quorum of the House members blocked his request.

A good number of technology companies globally are steadily venturing into futuristic technologies including blockchain, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and this is one way of them developing a top notch internet of value as well as shaping the world they want to operate in.

It is important to see how the blockchain is used and what features are mainly exploited by startups that work in the field to understand what prospects open thanks to the work of technology companies.

Several investors are gradually withdrawing from the Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. This year has been a good period for cryptocurrencies as some popular digital assets, such as Bitcoin (BTC), recording over 100% in Return on Investment (ROI).  Albeit, funding has considerably condensed and investors appear to be backing off or considering to pull back. The big question however remains as to why this is happening at this time?

The main political opponent to Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, has received donations of around 591 Bitcoin (approx. $3 million) since 2016. The Russian opposition leader has managed to raise weighty funding in cryptocurrencies for his political campaigns.

Bakkt – owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has netted a $740 million valuation after raising more than $182 million in a Series A funding round in 2018, according to The Block, the crypto news outlet. The company sold over ¼ of its shares to investors to hit the current valuation.

Crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple and others, facilitate money laundering activities by 4% in Europe. In June 2018, the European Union (EU) created the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AML5) to tackle these illegal activities related to virtual currencies including funding terrorism.

Nasdaq Venture has expressed the biggest interest in cryptocurrencies yet by investing around $20 million. The firm Symbiont Inc. just received $20 million from a series B funding round. Nasdaq Ventures made the round and this seems to be it’s another massive move towards the virtual currency market yet.

Fresh from accomplishing its maiden funding round, Bakkt declared its first acquisition on January 14. The daughter firm of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is also considering the feasibility of expanding beyond the U.S. market.