Sunday, February 28, 2021

Here’s how the Purpose Bitcoin ETF differs from Grayscale’s GBTC Trust

The newly launched Purpose Bitcoin ETF surpassed even the most bullish expectations but how does it differ from Grayscale’s GBTC Trust?

Since 2017, investors have been anxiously awaiting a Bitcoin ETF approval as the existence of such a fund was an important symbol of mass adoption and acceptance from the realm of traditional finance. 

On Feb. 18, the Toronto Stock Exchange hosted the official launch of the Purpose Bitcoin ETF and the fund quickly absorbed more than $333 million in market capitalization in just two days.

Now that the long-awaited Bitcoin ETF is here, investors are curious about how it will compete with Grayscale Investments GBTC fund. On Feb. 17, Ark Investment Management founder and CEO Cathie Wood said the likelihood that U.S. regulators will approve a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund has gone up.

Although exchange-traded funds (ETF) and exchange-traded notes (ETN) sound quite similar, there are fundamental differences in trading, risks, and taxation.

What is an exchange-traded fund?

An ETF is a security type that holds underlying investments such as commodities, stocks, or bonds. It often resembles a mutual fund, as it is pooled and managed by its issuer.

ETFs have become a $7.7 trillion industry, growing by 65% in the last two years alone.

The most recognizable example is the SPY, a fund that tracks the S&P 500 index, currently managed by State Street. Invesco's QQQ is another EFT that tracks U.S.-based large-capitalization technology companies.

More exotic structures are available, such as the ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ($SCO). Using derivatives products, this fund aims to offer two times the daily short leverage on oil prices.

What is an exchange-traded note?

Exchange-traded notes (ETN) are similar to an ETF in that trading occurs using traditional brokers. Still, the difference is an ETN is a debt instrument issued by a financial institution. Even if the fund has a redemption program, the credit risk relies entirely on its issuer.

For example, after Lehman Brothers imploded in 2008, it took ETN investors more than a decade to recoup the investment.

On the other hand, buying an ETF gives one direct ownership of its contents, creating different taxation events when holding futures contracts and leveraging positions. Meanwhile, ETNs are taxed exclusively upon sale.

GBTC does not offer conversion or redemption

Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust Fund (GBTC) is the absolute leader in the cryptocurrency market, with $35 billion in assets under management.

Investment trusts are structured as companies — at least in regulatory form — and are 'closed-end funds.' Thus, the number of shares available is limited and the supply and demand for them largely determines their price.

Investment trust funds are regulated by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), therefore outside the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) authority.

GBTC shares cannot easily be created, neither is there an active redemption program in place. This tends to generate significant price discrepancies from its Net Asset Value, which is the underlying BTC fraction represented.

An ETF, on the other hand, allows the market maker to create and redeem shares at will. Therefore, a premium or discount is usually unlikely if enough liquidity is in place.

An ETF instrument is far more acceptable to mutual fund managers and pension funds as it carries much less risk than a closed-ended trust like GBTC. Retail investors may not have been aware of the possibility that GBTC trades below net assets value. Thus the recent event might further pressure investors to move their position to the Canadian ETF.

To sum up, an ETF product carries a significantly less risk due to greater transparency and the possibility to redeem shares in the case of shares trading at a discount.

Nevertheless, the impressive GBTC market capitalization clearly states that institutional investors are already on board.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk. You should conduct your own research when making a decision.



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Top 5 cryptocurrencies to watch this week: BTC, BNB, DOT, XEM, MIOTA

Bitcoin’s correction is accelerating, but a bounce off the 50-day moving average could give altcoins reason to rebound off lower support levels then move higher.

Bitcoin (BTC) price has been correcting in the past few days and traders are curious to know whether this is a minor pullback or the start of a deeper decline. The problem is that no one has a crystal ball and analysts can only point to critical support levels that may hold based on historical data and evidence. 

However, in a bear phase, the price tends to slip below key support levels as traders panic and sell out of fear, similar to how the price exceeds the upside targets during a bull run as traders buy due to FOMO.

March has historically been a weak month for Bitcoin, which suggests seasonal traders may prefer to wait and watch rather than jump to buy on dips. This lack of demand may be one of the reasons for the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust premium dipping into the negative over the past week.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

However, not all the data is bearish. On Feb. 26, Moskovski Capital CEO Lex Moskovski pointed out that Bitcoin miners positions turned positive on Feb. 26 for the first time since Dec. 27. Adding to this, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said the large Coinbase outflows in the past few days suggest that institutions are still accumulating at lower levels.

This data seems to be inconclusive and does not provide an immediate picture of whether the advantage is with the bulls or the bears. Let’s study the charts of the top-5 cryptocurrencies that may outperform in the next few days.

BTC/USD

Bitcoin has broken below the 20-day exponential moving average ($47,441), which is the first indication of the start of a deeper correction. The next critical support is the 50-day simple moving average at $41,066. The price has not closed below this support since Oct. 9, hence the level assumes significance.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The bulls are likely to defend the 50-day SMA aggressively. If the price rebounds off this support and rises above the 20-day EMA, it will suggest the sentiment remains bullish and traders are buying on dips.

However, the flat moving averages and the relative strength index (RSI) just below the midpoint suggest the bulls are losing their grip.

If the bears sink the price below the 50-day SMA, it will indicate that supply exceeds demand and traders are booking profits in a hurry. Such a move could pull the price down to the Feb. 8 intraday low of $38,000.

A break below this support will be a huge negative as the next support is at $32,000 and then $28,850.

BTC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The downsloping 20-EMA and the RSI in the negative zone suggest that bears are in control. The price is now approaching the critical support at $41,959.63.

If the price rebounds off this support, the bulls will try to push the price above the 20-EMA. If they succeed, it will suggest that bulls are accumulating the dips aggressively. The BTC/USD pair may then rise to the 50-SMA and then $52,000.

Conversely, if the $41,959.63 support breaks and the bears flip it to resistance, then a deeper correction is likely.

BNB/USD

Binance Coin (BNB) has been in a corrective phase since Feb. 20, which shows that traders are booking profits after the sharp up-move on Feb. 19. However, the pace of the fall has been gradual since Feb. 25, indicating that traders are not panicking.

BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The price has currently dropped to the 20-day EMA ($194) where the buyers may step in. If the price rebounds off this support and breaks above the downtrend line, the BNB/USD pair may again attract buying from short-term traders. That could push the price to $280 and then to $300.

The 20-day EMA has flattened out and the RSI is just above the midpoint, indicating a balance between supply and demand. However, if the bears sink and sustain the price below the 20-day EMA, it will suggest that supply exceeds demand, The pair could then correct to $167.3691 and then $118.

BNB/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The 4-hour chart shows the formation of a descending triangle pattern that will complete on a breakdown and close below $189. If that happens, it will suggest that the top is in place and the pair could then drop to $118.

Conversely, if the bulls defend the support at $189, it will suggest that the sentiment remains positive as the bulls are buying on dips to strong support levels. A breakout and close above the downtrend line will invalidate the bearish setup and that may result in a rally to $280.

DOT/USD

Polkadot (DOT) is correcting in an uptrend. The long tail on the Feb. 23 and Feb. 26 candlestick suggests that the bulls are attempting to defend the 20-day EMA ($30.49). However, the long wick on the rebound on Feb. 27 shows that demand dries up at higher levels.

DOT/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The 20-day EMA is flattening out and the RSI is dropping towards the center, which suggests the bullish momentum is weakening. However, during the recent bull run, the DOT/USD pair has repeatedly taken support at the 20-day EMA.

If the price again rebounds off the 20-day EMA and the bulls push the price above $35.6618, the pair may retest the all-time high at $42.2848. A break above this resistance could result in a rally to $50.

This bullish view will invalidate if the bears sink the price below the 20-day EMA and the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level at $25.7817. If that happens, the pair may drop to the 50-day SMA ($22.33). 

DOT/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The 4-hour chart shows the price is currently trading inside a symmetrical triangle. If the bears can sink the price below the support line of the triangle, the pair could drop to $25.7817 and then to the pattern target at $18.70.

The downsloping 20-EMA and the RSI in the negative territory suggest a minor advantage to the bears in the short term. But if the price rebounds off the current level, the bulls will try to push the price above the triangle. If they succeed, the pair may rise to $42.2848.

XEM/USD

The bulls defended the 20-day EMA ($0.475) on Feb. 26, which shows that the sentiment remains positive and traders are buying on dips. The bulls are currently attempting to resume the uptrend in NEM (XEM).

XEM/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The upsloping moving averages and the RSI above 63 suggest the path of least resistance is to the upside. If the bulls can drive the price above $0.5051, the XEM/USD pair could rally to $0.7637. A breakout of this resistance could open the doors for an up-move to $0.9607.

Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down from $0.5051, the pair may consolidate for a few days before starting the next trending move. A break and close below the 20-day EMA will suggest the start of a deeper correction.

XEM/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The 4-hour chart shows the price is stuck between $0.439 and $0.63 for the past few days. Both moving averages are sloping up marginally and the RSI is just above the midpoint, which suggests a minor advantage to the bulls.

If the bulls can propel the price above $0.63, the pair may rally to $0.763 and then to $0.821. On the contrary, if the price breaks below the moving averages, the pair may drop to the $0.439 support. If this support also cracks, the correction may extend to $0.346 and then to $0.277.

MIOTA/USD

MIOTA has been in a corrective phase since topping out at $1.554775 on Feb. 19. While the pullback has been sharp, the positive sign is that the bulls have been successfully defending the 20-day EMA ($1.09) for the past few days.

MIOTA/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The 20-day EMA has flattened out and the RSI is also trading just above the midpoint, indicating a balance between supply and demand. Attempts by the bulls and the bears to assert their supremacy have failed in the past few days.

This equilibrium may tilt in favor of the bulls if they can push and sustain the price above the overhead resistance at $1.30. In such a case, the MIOTA/USD pair may rally to $1.554775.

On the other hand, if the bears sink the price below $0.90, a fall to the 50-day SMA ($0.74) is possible.

MIOTA/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The 4-hour chart shows the formation of a symmetrical triangle, which generally acts as a continuation pattern. Both moving averages are gradually turning down and the RSI is in the negative territory, indicating advantage to the bears.

The pair has broken below the support line of the triangle but the bulls are attempting to arrest the decline and push the price back into the triangle. If they succeed, it will suggest buying at lower levels. The bulls will gain the upper hand after the pair sustains above the triangle.

However, if the price turns down from the current levels, it may signal the start of a deeper correction.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.



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Google Finance adds dedicated ‘crypto’ tab featuring Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin

Crypto continues to enter mainstream usage. Google Finance users can now get a quick rundown of the top cryptocurrency prices with just one click.

Google Finance has added crypto prices to the finance.google.com domain. The section, titled “Crypto,” now appears in the “Compare Markets” category alongside conventional stock and currency markets. The section provides key pricing information for various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).

Google Finance users can now track the performance of various cryptocurrencies in just one click.

Google's parent, Alphabet, also owns video platform YouTube — which has consistently irked crypto users by banning educational and news content, often seemingly at random. Cointelegraph and CoinDesk, the two largest publications in the crypto news space, have both been subject to suspensions that have subsequently been overturned after the video streaming platform confirmed they were not in violation of YouTube's terms of service.

The cryptocurrency market has attracted mainstream attention over the past year, as institutional investors and corporations have started to invest in the asset class. Their involvement helped launch the cryptocurrency market cap past $1 trillion in January. The crypto market cap would eventually peak north of $1.7 trillion in February before experiencing a pullback. At current values, the digital asset class is worth over $1.4 trillion.

Both retail adoption and institutional interest has been growing rapidly over the last three months. And with major firms like Tesla and Mastercard actively embracing cryptocurrencies, the need for clearer regulation is growing, according to United States Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce.

Calls for clearer guidelines on digital assets will likely grow louder as the bull market heats up. In the meantime, Peirce says, the new Biden administration can provide a fresh look at the regulatory aspect.



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NBA Top Shot leads NFT explosion with $230M in sales

The NFT craze has reached the NBA, with digital collectibles grossing $230 million in sales, according to Dapper Labs.

Dapper Labs, the creator of the CryptoKitties game, is helping the National Basketball Association, or NBA, become a magnet for digital collectibles. 

NBA Top Shot, a marketplace for non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, has generated over $230 million in sales, according to Dapper Labs. NBA Top Shot is built on Dapper’s Flow blockchain, allowing users to purchase “packs” that feature in-game moments. With packs almost always sold out, a secondary marketplace is the only way for users to access specific moments.

Recently, a LeBron James highlight sold for $200,000. A Zion Williamson spotlight sold for around the same amount.

NFTs, which exist entirely on the blockchain, are revolutionizing the traditional model of trading cards. In the case of NFTs, the value of a particular moment is governed by the same laws of supply and demand, though ownership is entirely digital. The blockchain also eliminates the risk of damage, theft and fraud.

Dapper Labs has emerged as one of the leaders in the NFT market. Its Flow blockchain is still in beta, though the company has issued updates hinting at a full mainnet launch sometime in the foreseeable future.

The NFT market quadrupled in size last year, as art and sports memorabilia on the blockchain captured mainstream attention. NBA Top Shot is one of the biggest markets, with tens of thousands of dollars in sales reported just in the last hour, according to Crypto Slam data.

Beyond sports, NFTs are beginning to permeate the creative arts. As Cointelegraph recently reported, a company by the name of Async Art is leading the programmable art movement after securing over $2 million in seed investments. The Silicon Valley NFT platform generated over $1 million in sales during its first year of operations.



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OLB Group enables crypto payments for thousands of US merchants

Small businesses can now accept cryptocurrency payments using OLB’s point-of-sale technology.

OLB Group (OLB), a New York-based e-commerce merchant service provider, is making it easier for businesses to accept cryptocurrency payments.

OLB’s more than 8,500 merchants are now able to accept Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), USDC and DAI at the point-of-sale through the company’s OmniSoft business management platform. Customers wishing to pay with cryptocurrency in-store or through their mobile phones can simply elect to do so with their cryptocurrency wallets. All payments are processed through SecurePay, a payment gateway that authenticates the transaction, converts the cryptocurrency to U.S. dollars and approves the final sale.

The decision to integrate cryptocurrency payments was partly driven by the growth of contactless and online orders during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the OmniSoft platform already providing merchants with several options to facilitate payments, cryptocurrencies were the next logical step. 

Ronny Yakov, OLB Group’s CEO, says the payment gateway and point-of-sale architecture are “familiar territory for merchants,” which makes integrating cryptocurrencies through such channels easy.

On the topic of cryptocurrency payments – a promising but underutilized use case for the industry – Yakov believes we are still in the very early stages of adoption.

“It’s very early in crypto-as-a-payment adoption, but we see increasing interest from merchants exploring this payment option as a means to meet their customers however and wherever they prefer,” Yakov tells Cointelegraph.

He also believes certain industries are more likely to adopt crypto payments before others:

“We anticipate that adoption will happen more quickly in higher-ticket transactions such as jewelry, B2B billing and real estate because the transaction fees for cryptocurrency processing are lower – often half of typical credit card fees.”

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have struggled to become a viable medium of exchange, inviting criticism about their utility. Charlie Munger, the billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman, recently criticizedBitcoin for being “too volatile to serve well as a medium of exchange.”

With development work on scaling and sidechains still in progress, it remains to be seen whether cryptoassets will ever function efficiently as payment systems. In the meantime, assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum are valued for their store-of-value and development capabilities, respectively.



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Transparent stablecoins? Conclusion of Tether vs. NYAG raises new questions

Though the Tether settlement may help bring in more transparency, experts believe that state-centric bans may not be the way out.

A long-standing legal drama finally found resolution on Feb. 23, with the New York Attorney General’s office announcing that it had come to a settlement with cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex after a 22-month inquiry into whether the company had been trying to cover up its losses — touted to be worth $850 million — by misrepresenting the degree to which its Tether (USDT) reserves were backed by fiat collateral.

According to the terms of the announced settlement, which now marks an end to the inquiry that was initiated by the NYAG back in Q1 2019, Bitfinex and Tether will pay the government body a fixed sum of $18.5 million but will not be required to admit to any wrongdoing. That being said, the settlement clearly states that henceforth, Bitfinex and Tether can no longer service customers in the state of New York.

Furthermore, over the course of the next 24 months, Bitfinex and Tether will be required to provide the NYAG with quarterly reports of their current reserve status and duly account for any transactions taking place between the two companies. Not only that, but the firms will also be required to provide public reports for the specific composition of their cash and non-cash reserves.

On the subject, NY Attorney General Letitia James said that both Bitfinex and Tether had covered up their losses and deceived their customers by overstating their reserves. When asked about this most recent development, Stuart Hoegner, general counsel at Tether, replied to Cointelegraph with a non-committal answer, stating:

“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of legal proceedings with the New York Attorney General’s Office and to have put this matter behind us. We look forward to continuing to lead our industry and serve our customers.”

Does a New York exclusive ban even make sense?

To gain a better legal perspective of the situation, Cointelegraph spoke with Josh Lawler, partner at Zuber Lawler — a law firm with expertise in crypto and blockchain technology. In his view, the lawsuit, and particularly the nature of the settlement in which Tether and Bitfinex agreed to cease actions, underscore the confusion inherent in the regulation of digital assets in the United States.

Additionally, the agreement by Bitfinex and Tether to prohibit the use of its products and services by New York persons and entities seems on paper to be nearly impossible to accomplish, with Lawler opining:

“Are they saying that no one with a New York nexus can own or trade Tether? Tether is traded on virtually every cryptocurrency exchange in existence. Even if Tether could restrict the use of Tether tokens by New Yorkers, is that really a good idea? Do we now have a world in which every state can pick off particular distributed ledger projects from functioning within their jurisdiction?”

Lastly, even though the deal between Bitfinex/Tether and the NYAG has come in the form of a settlement — i.e., it is not subject to an appeal or federal scrutiny under the commerce clause — state-centric bans may further add to the existing regulatory uncertainty.

Added transparency is always a good thing

With regulators now asking Tether and Bitfinex to be more forthcoming about their monetary dealings and issuing an arguably small fine on them, it seems as though an increasing number of firms dealing with USDT will now have to pull up their socks and get their account books in order. Joel Edgerton, chief operating officer for cryptocurrency exchange bitFlyer USA, told Cointelegraph:

“The key point in this settlement is not the elimination of the lawsuit, but the increased commitment to transparency. The risk from USDT still exists, but increased transparency should cement its lead in transaction volumes.”

In a somewhat similar vein, Tim Byun, global government relations officer at OK Group — the parent company behind cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin — believes that the settlement can be looked at as a win-win scenario not only for NY OAG and Tether/Bitfinex but also for the cryptocurrency industry as a whole, alluding to the fact that that the 17-page settlement revealed no mention of Bitcoin (BTC) being manipulated via the use of USDT.

Lastly, Sam Bankman-Fried, chief executive officer for cryptocurrency exchange FTX, also believes that the settlement, by and large, has been a good development for the industry, especially from a transparency perspective, adding:

“Like many settlements, this one had a messy outcome, but the high-level takeaway here is that they found no evidence to support the heaviest accusations against Tether — no evidence of market manipulation or unbounded unbacked printing.”

Will scrutiny of stablecoins increase?

Even though stablecoins have been under the regulatory scanner for some time now — since they claimed to be pegged to various fiat assets in a 1-1 ratio — it stands to reason that added pressure from government agencies may be present when it comes to the transparency side of things from here on out.

Another line of thinking may be that governments all over the world will now look to curtail the use of stablecoins, such as USDT, especially as a number of central banks are coming around to the idea of creating their very own fiat-backed digital currencies. As a result, governments may want to push their citizens to use their centralized offerings instead of stablecoins.

Related: Many pieces of the Diem puzzle still missing as launch gets delayed

On the subject, Byun noted: “Stablecoin is just one type of cryptocurrency or ‘convertible virtual currency,’ and therefore, stablecoins and the stablecoin market will continue to attract scrutiny and mandated examinations from regulators.” That said, Byun believes that whether it’s Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) or Tether, crypto investors generally understand that investing in crypto remains a high-risk activity and that they “must practice caveat emptor” at all times.

Does Tether impact institutional adoption?

Another pertinent question worth exploring is whether or not the settlement may have an adverse impact on the institutional investment currently coming into this space. In Lawler’s opinion, the decision is not going to slow down adoption even in the slightest. “Institutions are not principally focused on Tether. There are other stable coins, and Bitfinex is all but irrelevant to them,” he added.

Similarly, it could even happen that the ongoing reporting requirements set by the NYAG for Bitfinex and Tether may end up bolstering institutional confidence in Tether — a sentiment that some of Tether’s most vocal and consistent critics also seem to agree with.

That being said, a lot of speculation around Tether’s fiat reserves continues to linger on; for example, Tether Ltd.’s finances are handled by Bahamas-based Deltec bank. In this regard, one anonymous report claimed that “from January 2020 to September 2020, the amount of all foreign currencies held by all domestic banks in the Bahamas increased by only $600 million,” up to $5.3 billion. Meanwhile, the total volume of issued USDT soared by a whopping $5.4 billion, up to around $10 billion.

As Tether states on its website USDT is covered by fiat and other assets, so such investigations cannot be conclusive. However, what both NYAG and the anonymous authors of the report agree upon is that Tether needs to be more forthcoming about its financial status. With that in mind, Tether’s commitment toward transparency and revealing its reserves to a regulator seems like a step in the right direction.



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Dogecoin hasn't always been a 'fun meme coin'

Did you know that Dogecoin used to sponsor a NASCAR driver? Learn some unbelievable stories behind Elon Musk's "favorite" cryptocurrency.

Dogecoin (DOGE) might look like a fun meme coin, particularly as its price has absolutely skyrocketed in 2021.

But behind the innocent Shiba Inu dog cartoon are some horrific stories. Those buying the cryptocurrency due to shilling and jokes from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, most likely have no idea of DOGE's early days.

DOGE/USD 1-day candle chart (HitBTC). Source: Tradingview

The early days

Introduced by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer in December 2013, Dogecoin's protocol followed Luckycoin and Litecoin (LTC) proof-of-work algorithm using Scrypt technology.

It all started back on Christmas day, 2013, when Dogewallet announced that its webpage had been compromised, causing users to send funds to the hacker's address. The $12,000 worth of users' coins lost was fully reimbursed by Dogecoin Foundation Board Member Ben Doernberg, which included community-funded donations.

How many times have you heard about altcoins or startups focusing on social network micropayments using cryptocurrency? Inspired by the Bitcointip project, which had been going on for over a year, the Dogetipbot service was launched, enabling automatic DOGE tipping on Reddit, Twitch and Twitter.

Unfortunately, Dogetipbot's creator cashed out the entire stash in 2015, which later led to the service's bankruptcy in May 2017.

The spectacular rise and fall of Dogecoin’s early days. Source: CoinMarketCap

Much sponsorships, such exit scams

Adding to Dogecoin's unorthodox origins, there's the "Wolong" tale, an active pseudonym on IRC and Reddit trading groups back then. By taking advantage of the Jamaican's bobsled team sponsorship announcement, this trader supposedly coordinated whales to pump DOGE by 600% in Jan. 2014.

A well-documented piece attributed to this person circulates on the web, describing every move behind those coordinated pump efforts. More interestingly, the mentioned public and private discussion groups are eerily similar to the recent r/SatoshiBets actions behind the more recent 2021's Dogecoin 980% pump.

DOGE/USD price July 2014- April 2015 (HitBTC). Source: Tradingview

Lastly, in October 2014, the Moolah altcoin exchange announced it was shutting down and filing for bankruptcy protection, marking another strong price correction as seen in the chart above.

Among the investors who were victimized are Dan Wasyluk and his colleagues, losing a total of 750 BTC. Back then, not so many exchanges listed DOGE. Thus, Moolah did provide some vital infrastructure to the online community at the time.

To sum up, Moolah's founder "Alex Green," managed the campaign for a NASCAR driver sponsorship, in addition to financing numerous Dogecoin meetups and Twitter promotions.

Yes, it really happened, a Dogecoin-sponsored racing car. Source: Reddit

Eventually, people found out that "Alex Green" was an alias used by Ryan Kennedy, who was sentenced to 11 years jail time for multiple crimes, including rape.

Despite its early dark days that were filled with pump and dump exit scams, however, Dogecoin appears to have found its niche in the cryptocurrency space and with a strong online community. Its Reddit subforum, for instance, has over one million subscribers today.

Therefore, Dogecoin's volatile beginnings will likely be forgotten. Nevertheless, DOGE certainly has a long history of people using it to pump and dump their bags way before Elon Musk likely even knew about his favorite meme-inspired cryptocurrency.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk. You should conduct your own research when making a decision.



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