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Busting Crypto Myths: “Bitcoin is Destroying the Environment”

Bitcoin’s appetite for energy needs little discussion. For years it’s been a top-of-mind topic for regulators, a major concern among critics, and a frequently misreported feature of the protocol. The specific point of contention lies with bitcoin mining — a resource-intensive, cryptography-based competition that repeats approximately every ten minutes. Each winner is rewarded with transaction…

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Honeymoon Phase Is Over

Following several months of headwinds for the crypto space, the crypto market trended lower in September. ETH fell significantly more than BTC as Ethereum transitioned from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) via The Merge. ETH sold off sharply post-Merge in classic “buy the rumor, sell the news” price action. The downtrending crypto market and bleak…

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Silver Lining

Hot on the heels of August, September 2022 also trended negatively for cryptoassets overall. Based on market capitalization, all sectors saw negative returns for the month, ranging from -14% to -1%. Following the overall crypto market trend, NFT market activity also slowed in August. Average daily users and average daily transactions fell -5.7% and -3.1%…

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Ethereum 2.0: Does ETH become deflationary post-Merge?

We’re quickly approaching The Merge, the most notable upgrade in Ethereum’s history and a crucial turning point for the wider crypto industry. As the Ethereum blockchain transitions from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS), The Merge is expected to be the bedrock upon which Ethereum’s scalability improvements are built. As this highly anticipated event draws closer,…

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What you should know about The Ethereum Merge on Kraken

Over seven years ago, on August 8, 2015, Kraken was the first exchange to make Ethereum (ETH) available to millions of clients. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that Kraken will support the Ethereum Merge that is estimated to take place between September 10-20, 2022. The Merge marks the end of Ethereum’s proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism and…

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PoW vs. PoS: Securing the Chain

At the heart of every blockchain is a set of programmatic rules which define how a global network of participants validate transactions and maintain consensus regarding the state of the network. One of the most crucial components of these rules is the blockchain’s Sybil resistance mechanism, which protects the network against spam nodes, 51% attacks…

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All Eyes on ETH

The crypto industry faced headwinds in recent months as May’s collapse of the Terra ecosystem took its toll. In June and July, major crypto lending platforms (including Celsius, BlockFi, Voyager and Vauld) took drastic measures in the wake of “extreme market conditions.” June’s leverage-related fallout for crypto lenders continued into July but did not extend…

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Bouncing Back

For the last few months, many in the crypto market have wondered if we were entering a bear market. A price surge in late July now has people asking, is the bull market back? In our July monthly report, “Bouncing Back,” Kraken Intelligence examines BTC’s price swing from just below $30k to $42k to see…

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Kraken Commits Funding to Ethereum 2.0 Transition with New Gitcoin Giving

Kraken is excited to announce it will match up to $50,000 in donations to open-source Ethereum infrastructure projects as part of Gitcoin’s latest donation drive starting March 10. Over two weeks, Gitcoin, a platform for fundraising built on the Ethereum blockchain, will match user grants to projects focused on everything from educational outreach to decentralized…