Crypto Today: Big bulls come out and play

Here's what you need to know on Wednesday

Markets

BTC/USD is currently trading at $10,340 (+1.40%), as the bulls break down at the psychological $10,000 mark.

ETH/USD is currently trading at $263 (+12.80%), rockets higher, smashing through resistance at $250.

XRP/USD is currently trading at $0.3005 (+7.20%), XRP as the bulls make a reclaim on $0.3000.

Among the 100 most important cryptocurrencies, the best of the day are HBAR $0.055682 (+163.55%), STX $0.210124 (+33.49%) LUNA $0.0303201 (+27.75%) The day's losers are KICK $0.000352 (-34.42%), SNX $0.9136632 (-10.50%),  LSK $2.02 (-5.92%).

Chart of the day: XRP/USD daily chart 

Market

Chainalysis is rolling out a global compliance solution for Tether (USDT), a Feb. 12 press release announced. The stablecoin’s issuer is now able to identify “high risk” transactions occurring on its network. 

Another major financial institution has partnered with blockchain-based payments firm Ripple.

The National Bank of Egypt has signed a cooperation agreement with Ripple to establish new channels for inward remittances, according to a Feb. 11 report from local daily news site Youm7. 

The agreement reportedly makes the National Bank the country’s first to venture into the blockchain sector. 

Regulation

Belgium is pushing the agenda for the government to bring in regulations on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. A Senate hearing took place on the 10th of February with Jean-Paul Servais urging lawmakers to establish the legal framework for cryptocurrencies. 

The Financial Services and Markets Authority organisation in Belgium is pushing the agenda for the government to bring in regulations on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. 

This comes after a recent report in which it states a Senate hearing took place on the 10th of February with Jean-Paul Servais urging lawmakers to establish the legal framework for

The Financial Conducts Authority (FCA), the United Kingdom’s financial watchdog, has ordered Epyments Systems Limited, a licensed electronic money institution founded in 2011, to halt its operations until it fixes the loopholes in its anti-money laundering (AML) procedures, according to a statement by the firm on February 11, 2020.

An Ohio man has been charged by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding 150 investors in a cryptocurrency trading scheme. The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal court in New York on Feb. 11, accuses Michael W. Ackerman of raising at least $33 million in violation of anti-fraud provisions for federal securities laws.

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the financial regulator of France, has called on the top policymakers of the European Union to allow for digital assets to be legalized within the economic region. The regulator shared its belief that current market infrastructures remain inefficient, explicitly pointing out that there are still many intermediaries who aren’t as essential as they once were, and which need to be taken out of the entire picture. In the document, the regulator highlighted the need to provide legal clarification for blockchain and digital currencies. It pointed out that banks have had their margins threatened by the cost of post-2008 crisis compliances and low-interest rates.

Industry 

The American authorities would benefit more than $2 billion after the sales of the seized Bitcoin. Recently a cryptocurrency watch platform revealed the amount of Bitcoin that has been sold off by government agencies in recent years. According to their data, more than 185k Bitcoin has so far been sold by the US government since 2014. 

The Virginia-based arm of BAE Systems is searching for candidates who can "demonstrate proficiency in cryptocurrency" and can move to the U.S. capital to "support a client’s operational requirements according to a Linkedin job posting. 

Banking giant JPMorgan Chase may soon merge its Quorum blockchain project with ConsenSys, the ethereum-focused software developer and investor. 

According to a Reuters report Tuesday citing “people familiar with the plans,” while the terms of the deal currently under discussion are still not set, the merger might happen within the next six months. 

Quote of the day

Bitcoin doesn't exist anywhere, not in your wallet, not in your computer, not in a vault.

What exists is just a record of all transactions, from which you can calculate how many btc you have.

Very tricky to explain. And how do you "ban" something that don't exist?

Changpeng Zhao is a Chinese-Canadian business executive, who is the founder and CEO of Binance,