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Tether’s game plan in El Salvador: Why invest in Volcano Energy?

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Stablecoin issuer Tether has dipped into its war chest to invest in El Salvador’s $1 billion renewable energy project to help drive Bitcoin adoption in the Central American nation.

The Tether issuer is one of a handful of companies investing in El Salvador’s renewable power generation project. Volcano Energy is set to generate electricity from solar and wind energy in El Salvador to power future Bitcoin mining operations in the country.

The planned 241-megawatt (MW) renewable energy park is the latest move in El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption drive after the country made BTC legal tender back in 2021.

Cointelegraph caught up with Tether’s chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino during Money 20/20 in Amsterdam. Ardoino — who is attending the renowned finance and payments convention promoting Bitfinex Pay and the Lightning Network — delved into several topics concerning Tether, Bitfinex and the wider cryptocurrency space.

Just two days before the interview, Tether announced it would be investing in Volcano Energy to gain exposure to energy production and leverage the facility to power Bitcoin mining farms in the future.

There is also an ideological element to the move, with Ardoino stressing his belief that El Salvador is blazing a trail for sovereign Bitcoin adoption despite the relatively slow uptake of BTC as a payment option in the country.

Ardoino drew parallels to the European Union adopting the euro as a continental currency in the early 2000s, which required significant resources to change existing financial infrastructure, as well as buy-in from citizens of its 27 member states.

“Given all the powers that they had, it still took five, six years, and yet people were super confused.”

The proliferation of Bitcoin as a payment method in El Salvador has had some teething problems, as explored by Cointelegraph journalist Joe Hall in a recent visit to the country using BTC as a primary means of payment.

Ardoino contends that the path to widespread BTC use and adoption in El Salvador will take time, considering that citizens are not being forced to use the alternative currency in their everyday lives:

“It’s extremely unfair to expect that the whole population will use Bitcoin because, first of all, it’s not forced. Adoption is through private companies and public investments, rather than being taxpayer money.”

Tether’s investment in the country’s energy production program is part of a two-fold strategy. Firstly, investing in energy-producing infrastructure holds its own value, which can then be utilized to power Bitcoin mining operations.

Ardoino also argued against the prevailing narratives around the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining and critiques of the industry for putting a strain on the global energy grid:

“Firstly, the majority of Bitcoin mining is already happening with renewable energy. Secondly, Bitcoin mining is mainly using excess energy anyway, but even more so if we first build the energy production.”

Ardoino said Tether’s investment alongside a group of 12 investors aims to build an energy production facility that companies, factories and households can also tap into. The excess energy from Volcano Energy will be used for BTC mining to help make El Salvador a “unicorn with its own unique story.”

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin Explodes Above $63K as the Bulls Eye This Level Next (BTC Price Analysis)

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Bitcoin’s price has been going through some major moves throughout the past couple of weeks. The bulls are fighting to reestablish their dominance, staging a convincing recovery above $60K. But will it last?

Technical Analysis

By TradingRage

The Daily Chart

The price has been oscillating inside a descending channel on the daily chart for the past couple of months. The channel was briefly broken to the downside a few days ago.

However, BTC quickly rebounded and climbed back inside the channel, making a fake bearish breakout. With the $60K level also turning into support, the price will likely target the $68K resistance level in the short term.

btc_price_chart_0405241
Source: TradingView

The 4-Hour Chart

Looking at the 4-hour chart, it is evident that the price has quickly recovered from below the channel and the $60K level. The midline of the descending channel is now the next target.

Meanwhile, with the RSI approaching the overbought zone, the price might experience a pullback soon. The continuation of the bullish trend is dependent on whether the price can finally break the channel to the upside.

btc_price_chart_0405242
Source: TradingView

On-Chain Analysis

By TradingRage

Bitcoin Miners Position Index

While Bitcoin’s price has been trading below the $75K level, many market participants have been offloading their coins as they assume that the bull market might be over or a much deeper pullback is probable. However, miners are not in this group.

This chart demonstrates the Miners Position Index (MPI) metric. It measures miners’ selling pressure. Values above 2 can be considered dangerous, as they show massive destruction by the miners.

btc_miners_position_index_chart_0504241
Source: CryptoQuant

As the chart depicts, the MPI has been dropping rapidly over the last few months. This is a good sign, as the Miners’ selling pressure is declining. Thus, with sufficient demand, Bitcoin’s price can once again begin a rally toward $80K and even higher prices.

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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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Cryptocurrency

Coinbase Q1 Revenue Hit $1.6 Billion Amid ETF Approvals, Surging 72%

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Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto exchange, has released its Q1 2024 earnings report, posting a total revenue of $1.6 billion, a 72% increase quarter on quarter.

The performance has been driven by the rising crypto asset prices and the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. which further improved inflows into the market.

Coinbase Earnings Surged in Q1

Coinbase’s net income reached $1.18 billion, $4.40 per share, translating to $1 billion in adjusted EBITDA in Q1. Comparatively, the adjusted EBITDA, which shows earnings before tax, depreciation, interest, and amortization, was $977.5 million in 2023.

The earnings report also showed that Coinbase attributed its net income partly to $737 million in pre-tax unrealized gains on crypto assets. The firm ended the quarter with $7.1 billion in capital, including $1.1 billion in net cash raised through the sale of 2030 convertible notes.

Consumer transaction revenue doubled to $935.2 million, and volume mirrored this, growing 93% to $56 billion. Institutional interest increased as well with transactions gaining revenue of $85 million, a 133% increase quarter on quarter. Meanwhile, the Coinbase Prime trading volume grew 105% to $256 billion, surpassing the U.S. spot market. Notably, Bitcoin accounted for a third of consumer and institutional transactions.

Coinbase’s custodial services revenue jumped 64% to $32 million. The surge was driven by the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs earlier in the year since Coinbase is the custodian of eight of the eleven newly launched products. Assets under custody hit $171 billion as the quarter came to an end.

Coinbase’s Base Revenue Soars, Expenses Surge

Since its August launch, Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer 2 chain, has amassed $56.1 million in revenue. It has exhibited double the transaction volume compared to Ethereum, alongside an 800% surge in developer activity.

During the quarter, Coinbase acquired a minority stake in Circle, the issuer of USDC stablecoin, whose market capitalization increased by 30%. This boosted subscriptions and services revenue by a third, including a 15% increase in stablecoin revenue.

Despite diversification with Base and USDC, the recent boom was due to favorable market conditions. Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed 57% to an all-time high of $73,000, fueled by over $50 billion entering 10 spot Bitcoin ETFs approved in January.

Meanwhile, the company’s transaction expenses increased by 73% to $217 million. Due to increased trading volume, the company expects even higher costs in Q2, as high as $890 million.

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Cryptocurrency

Is the Ethereum Bull Market Back or is Another Dip Below $3K Imminent? (ETH Price Analysis)

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Ethereum’s price is yet to continue its uptrend following a rejection from the $4,000 resistance level. But the bulls are now showing signs of strength, perhaps staging a more considerable recovery.

Technical Analysis

By TradingRage

The Daily Chart

As the daily chart depicts, Ethereum’s price has been making lower highs and lows inside a descending channel since failing to break above the $4,000 resistance level.

Yet, the cryptocurrency is climbing back above the $3,000 level and the midline of the channel. If the market successfully recovers back to these levels, a breakout above the channel and a continuation toward $4,000 and even higher prices can be expected.

eth_price_chart_0405241
Source: TradingView

The 4-Hour Chart

The 4-hour chart offers a much clearer picture of recent price action. The market has barely broken through the $3,000 resistance zone and is currently testing the midline of the descending channel.

With the RSI showing values above 50%, ETH is likely to break through the level and potentially continue outward to the $3,600 resistance area. In this case, market participants can be optimistic that a new bullish wave will begin soon.

eth_price_chart_0405242
Source: TradingView

Sentiment Analysis

By TradingRage

Ethereum Funding Rates

Following the recent decline in Ethereum’s price, many futures traders have been liquidated or reversed their long positions. This can be a good sign, as the futures market has seemingly cooled down.

This chart demonstrates the Ethereum funding rates metric, which measures whether buyers or sellers are executing their futures orders more aggressively (using market orders). Positive values point to bullish sentiment, while negative ones show bearish expectations.

It is evident that the funding rates have significantly dropped compared to a couple of months ago. Low but positive funding rates can be interpreted as a bullish signal, as they show that while the futures market is not overheated anymore, the demand is still there, and the price can soon rally higher.

eth_funding_rates_chart_0405241
Source: CryptoQuant
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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