Crypto
Cryptocurrency becomes trendy holiday gift option
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Cryptocurrency is appearing on more holiday wish lists as gift-givers look for alternatives to traditional presents.
A new survey from the National Cryptocurrency Association and PayPal shows 24% of Americans have given or are considering giving cryptocurrency this holiday season.
The survey also found that 17% of consumers would rather receive cryptocurrency than a gift card, and 31% of Americans believe crypto gifts are less likely to go unused than gift cards.
“It’s actually a trending holiday gift, especially compared to gift cards,” said Ali Tager, a spokesperson for the NCA. “We know crypto is becoming increasingly mainstream.”
Tager said people like receiving cryptocurrency because it has the potential to increase in value.
“There’s so much you can do with this technology and it’s still in its early days,” she said.
Financial advisor Angelica Prescod said there are other investment options to consider for gift-giving.
“One of them is just gifting people something simple. Maybe some shares of some stocks that you may already have, that you are gifting over, or you can give them the cash to do so and open up their own account and feel involved in the process,” Prescod said. “For most folks [cryptocurrency] is not really the go to.”
Gift-givers can also contribute to 529 plans for college and other education expenses.
“It’s that gift that potentially can keep on giving,” Prescod said.
For those still interested in giving cryptocurrency, experts recommend doing research first.
“Like with everything, anywhere, you always want to do your research. You want to make sure to verify your sources. You never want to take financial advice from strangers or click on random links that you receive,” Tager said.
The National Cryptocurrency Association offers a crypto simulator that helps users learn how to choose an exchange, set up a wallet, and send and receive cryptocurrency without spending real money.
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Rumors are swirling about Venezuela holding $60 billion in Bitcoin—but crypto experts are skeptical | Fortune
Following the United States’ capture of Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, a report came out claiming that Venezuela had $60 billion stored in Bitcoin—leading to speculation that the U.S. could lay claim to cryptocurrency as well as oil. Despite numerous reports of the huge Venezuelan Bitcoin stash, however, a crypto forensic firm is skeptical of the claims.
The news of Venezuela’s Bitcoin holding began to bubble up last Saturday, the same day that Maduro was ousted. The digital publication Project Brazen reported that his regime could control $60 billion in the original cryptocurrency—but offered little in the way of proof.
“The article does not mention any addresses as a starting point, making it difficult to verify any of these speculated claims,” said Aurelie Barthere, principal research analyst at Nansen, about Project Brazen’s report.
Barthere is not the first person to express skepticism about the country’s purported crypto treasure trove. Mauricio di Bartolomeo, the Venezuelan co-founder of the financial services company Ledn, told Fortune on Wednesday that the level of the country’s corruption makes the figure hard to believe. He expanded his argument in an opinion piece he wrote for Coindesk.
Estimates of Venezuela’s crypto holdings vary wildly. Bitcointreasuries.net estimates that the country has $22 million worth of Bitcoin. That figure would make Venezuela the government entity with the ninth-most money tied up in the original cryptocurrency, just behind North Korea.
While the exact size of Venezuela’s Bitcoin wealth is unclear, the country has long been a player in crypto. Maduro introduced a token called the Petro in 2018, which was shuttered six years later. Its citizens have also turned to stablecoins as a way to fight their currency’s hyperinflation.
Trump has said that he will “run” Venezuela, and some have speculated that includes seizing the country’s Bitcoin holdings. Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence at Chainalysis, said he could not speak to the likelihood of such a seizure. He did, however, explain what gaining control of assets might look like.
A freezing of assets could occur through centralized services, he says. These services would get a court order for an exchange or an issuer like Tether or Circle who could blacklist an address. The second method is through physical seizure. The U.S. could get control of wallets, devices, and keys through compelled cooperation.
For now, there is unlikely to be a full and accurate account of Venezuela’s Bitcoin holdings until the political situation in the country becomes more stable.
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