Cryptoverse: Ether snaps at bitcoin’s heels in race for cry

For years, ether could barely dream of challenging its big brother bitcoin. Now, its ambitions may be becoming more realistic. The second-biggest cryptocurrency is taking market share from bitcoin ahead of an all-important “Merge” software upgrade that could sharply reduce the energy usage of its Ethereum blockchain, should the developers pull it off in coming…

Saudi Arabia’s central bank hires crypto chief to boost dig

Saudi Arabia’s banking regulator recently appointed Mohsen AlZahrani to lead its virtual assets and central bank digital currency program in a sign of the Gulf state’s potential crypto ambitions. Saudi Arabia has until now taken a more cautious approach on virtual assets, with officials raising concerns about their speculative nature. Yet the emergence of the…

Bitcoin may have hit a floor after Fed chief’s speech at Ja

Bitcoin quivered but didn’t fold after Jerome Powell signaled higher-for-longer interest rates to fight inflation, a pattern that for brave prognosticators could be a hint of a floor for the digital token. The largest cryptocurrency is down about 6% since Powell’s hawkish Aug. 26 Jackson Hole speech underlined that the Federal Reserve wants to subdue…