GB Market Commentary 17/08/2021
by Freddie Williams
Bitcoin’s fundamentals remain strong, but analysts pinpoint $46,500 as the key level to reclaim as support in order to preserve the current uptrend. The double-digit rallies seen from many altcoins shows traders are becoming increasingly bullish with the passing of each day but maintaining this momentum will to some extent depend on Bitcoin's (BTC) short-term price action. Altcoins have been positive with SOL breaking $70. Terra is up 20% and DOT is up 5%
U.S. software behemoth Microsoft is looking to develop anti-piracy measures on Ethereum using research from Chinese internet giant Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University, according to a paper released by Microsoft’s research department. Partnering with Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon, Microsoft says the new system — dubbed “Argus” — will run on a public blockchain while allowing for piracy informers to remain anonymous. According to Microsoft, striking a balance between privacy and transparency was one of the chief challenges of developing such a network. Using a “proof of leakage” mechanism, Argus will allow pirated content to be traced back to the original source with a watermark algorithm, which means there is no possibility of reporting the same material more than once without actually owning it.
Digital bank backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reportedly plans to IPO on Nasdaq. Nu Pagamentos SA, also known as Nubank, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of more than $2 billion on the Nasdaq stock exchange for the end of this year, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Nubank is backed by billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. In June, Berkshire invested $500 million in the Sao Paulo- based digital bank which has more than 40 million clients throughout Latin America. Nubank may seek a valuation of more than $40 billion. The bank was valued at $10.4 billion after a private fundraising in early 2019 but its valuation soared to $30 billion by June after the $500 million investment by Berkshire.
Crypto exchange Bitpanda raises $23M at a $4.1B valuation. Bitpanda, one of Europe’s fastest growing fintechs, closed a $263 million Series C funding round. The round, led by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, values the company at $4.1 billion. It comes just months after a $170 million Series B in March that valued the firm at $1.2 billion and made Bitpanda Austria’s first-ever tech unicorn.
Music-sharing protocol Audius became one of the first streaming platforms to partner with TikTok, allowing users to directly share tracks to the popular app. In a Monday announcement, Audius said it had partnered with TikTok in the creation of a new feature called TikTok Sounds. According to a Rolling Stone interview with Audius co-founder and chief product officer Forrest Browning, the integration will allow users to export songs created with the protocol to TikTok with one click, in an effort to streamline the process.