Episode 492
📍 The European Central Bank (ECB) is developing a blockchain-based payments system, a move that could lead to the issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) or digital euro, enabling fast and secure digital payments across Europe.
📍 Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expressed disappointment with the Ethereum community's welcoming of "casinos" and blockchain-based gambling, warning that if this trend continues, he may no longer participate in the ecosystem.
📍 Bitcoin's hashrate growth has slowed amid tough market conditions for smaller miners, with publicly traded mining companies accounting for 30% of the network's hashrate, while the top five mining firms intensify competition, making it difficult for smaller players to compete.
📍 Software firm Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, plans to raise $2 billion to buy more Bitcoin through the sale of zero-coupon convertible bonds, as part of its "21/21 Plan" to raise $42 billion to invest in the cryptocurrency.
