Vladimir Okhotnikov

  The future of the CBDC and the US president election One of the most controversial topics in crypto business is CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency).  In fact, the CBDC cannot be considered a "classical" decentralized cryptocurrency. States and central banks have no interest in losing control of the national currency, and it would be naive to expect an appearance of an independent "state" blockchain.  The goal of CBDC is total control of every coin, every transaction. And this does not attract sympathy from the crypto community and many politicians. In fact, the US CBDC’s fate will be decided next week. Donald Trump opposes the development of the CBDC, justifiably considering it as an interference with privacy. His rivals, on the other hand, are unlikely to object to the new instrument.  So we’re approaching the point of bifurcation - whether or not US CBDC will be developing. This is one of the outcomes of the US presidential election. #CBDC #blockchain #Trump

  Tether Under Fire Again! The Wall Street Journal’s Latest Allegations The Wall Street Journal has once again leveled serious accusations at the stablecoin Tether, alleging involvement in a range of financial misconduct. This time, the publication reported that the U.S. Treasury Department is actively investigating Tether. It sparked market panic and caused a temporary dip in Bitcoin’s price. Paolo Ardoino, Tether's CTO, quickly provided evidence refuting these claims, helping to calm the market. But what about the reputation of the WSJ? Was it worth risking its reputation to repeatedly antagonize a single cryptocurrency? The same journalists frequently cover these stories—one wonders if there’s a department dedicated to critiquing Tether.  The Wall Street Journal, to put it mildly, appears to have a long-standing aversion to Tether. If you review their articles over the years, you will see a rather one-sided picture: Tether undermines U.S. law and order by nullifying sanctio...

  HBO's Evidence Errors: Peter Todd Cannot Be Satoshi Nakamoto Every argument in support of the Peter Todd-Satoshi theory is ridiculous. It's all based on coincidences and hypotheses that are easily explained. Take this: in 2010, Peter Todd mistakenly replied to BitcoinTalk about Bitcoin code and features, claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. But BitcoinTalk is not proof that Todd and Satoshi are the same person. BitcoinTalk is a forum where many developers communicated with each other and with Satoshi, discussing code and new features. And such a coincidence is common on such forums. Or that both BitcoinTalk accounts went silent at the same time. That's a pretty weak argument. After all, Satoshi could have stopped posting for any reason. Also, many developers left the forum when the blockchain became independent. Well, the fact that Peter Todd created Replace-by-Fee does not prove that he is Satoshi. Satoshi created the base, and the rest of the developers, including Todd, jus...

  Artificial Intelligence: The New God of the Digital Age or Just a Complex Algorithm? Meghan O'Gieblyn's book “God, Human, Animal, Machine" takes us on a fascinating exploration of the nature of AI and its growing influence on society. From the first chess-playing computers to today's algorithms making fateful decisions in the courts, AI increasingly resembles an inscrutable higher power. Back in 1964, the father of cybernetics Norbert Wiener foresaw a "religious" aspect to machine learning. Today, his predictions take on new meaning: AI is outperforming humans in medical diagnostics, games like Go, and even in creating music indistinguishable from Bach. But behind these impressive achievements lies a disturbing reality. Many algorithms operate as "black boxes" - their logic is incomprehensible even to their creators. This is especially troubling when AI is used in law enforcement and the courts, determining the fate of people based on opaque crite...

  Recently I have read an article in Cointelegraph, and there the UN is again talking about cybercrime in Southeast Asia and the role of Telegram. It seems that many are still convinced that cryptocurrencies are only a source of problems for honest people and a convenient tool for scammers, while fiat money seems to them a safe option. But, as always, the truth is buried under a layer of stereotypes. All the "dirty deals" are done perfectly well without crypto. And, as practice shows, it is much more convenient for criminals to use the good old paper dollar or bank money laundering schemes. That's where the real deal is! But if you dig deeper, it turns out that last year, 3 trillion dollars of "dirty" money passed through banks. Moreover, a tenth of it was for human trafficking, and a third - for drug trafficking. And this is without taking into account the money that was sent to terrorism. As for fraud, the projected damage from banking schemes in the world is ...

  Peter Todd Forced into Hiding: The Dangerous Hunt for Satoshi Nakamoto Little do people think about the consequences of their actions. Let us take the latest controversy surrounding the creator of Bitcoin. I have previously commented on the absurdity of a recent documentary that named Canadian developer Peter Todd as the mastermind behind Bitcoin, known as Satoshi Nakamoto.  Todd pointed out that this false identification put a target on his back and exposed him to numerous risks. He is now in hiding.  The dangers of these speculations were clear from the start but nobody seemed to care. In fact, media attention often translates into real-world risks. But taking into account that Satoshi owns quite a hefty amount of bitcoins, it becomes a real threat to personal safety.  However, Cullen Hoback, the documentary's director, views the matter differently, thinking that the society has a right to know the real person behind the first cryptocurrency, since this is the pe...

  Gold in Exchange for Beads: How Hamster Kombat Traded Your Time for Nothing Tap games have become a hit this year. After the success of Notcoin, which gave away a hundred of dollars to anyone who lazily poked a finger at a circle on a smartphone screen at least once a day, the ranks of crypto enthusiasts have noticeably thickened. While the number of Notcoin subscribers reached 35 million, the audience of Hamster Kombat, the new leader in the tap game industry, has exceeded this figure several times, reaching almost 150 million. I suspect that this summer many "hamsters" have already been spinning in front of mirrors, trying on imaginary suits from Brioni. But reality has prepared a cold shower for them. At the end of September, millions of Hamster Kombat players discovered the harsh truth: instead of the expected thousands of USDT, they received just a few couple of dozen bucks, and with the many-day fall of the HMSTR coin, their profit is rapidly depreciating. These peopl...

  Why the Blockchain-Based Cattle Certification System is a Milestone for Blockchain Adoption in Agriculture Blockchain technology has been making waves in finance. However, its significance goes beyond digital currencies. So any system using this advanced technology brings us close to the wide adoption of blockchain. Today I've read that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved its first blockchain-based certification system. The developer is CattleProof, a Wyoming-based company. Although this news may have gone unnoticed, I think, its significance shouldn’t be underestimated. The technology will record data on cows in a distributed ledger and create an immutable digital record. It will help to monitor cattle via blockchain and verify cattle certificates. In this way blockchain will be used to trace supply chains in organic products. Why should we pay attention? Is the focus on organic products really so important?  Why it matters: Blockchain is integrated into ...

  Technological Miracle From Elon Musk: Why Create a Supercluster in 19 Days? Elon Musk has surprised the scientific community again: the xAI team installed a supercluster of 100,000 H200 Blackwell GPUs in 19 days. This seems strange, as such work usually takes several years. Moreover, the first AI training run will take place in a couple of weeks. I can’t say yet why the pursuit of speed is necessary. After all, work on creating such an infrastructure is painstaking work that requires pinpoint accuracy and calculation. Musk has once again demonstrated his extraordinary organizational skills by coordinating the work of Tesla and Nvidia engineering teams to deliver, install, and configure equipment. Even if this is another marketing ploy to attract attention to his projects, it turned out spectacular and a little crazy, as is often the case with Elon Musk. #ElonMusk #xAI #Tesla #Nvidia

  Italian Crypto Users Shocked: Government Proposes 42% Tax on Cryptocurrency Income Italy's government has come up with a new proposal - to introduce stricter regulations on crypto income. If approved, crypto holders will pay a 42% tax on gains generated from their digital assets. It's worth mentioning that the current tax rate is 26%, so the increase is too sharp. It happens as a result of the state's unsuccessful fiscal policy, which has created significant gaps in the budget. Trying to fill these gaps, the government appears to have targeted cryptocurrency users, whom the Italian Ministry of Finance seems to view as "rolling in wealth." The sector itself is expanding, with colossal income levels. So, why not tap into it for more revenue? What is interesting, financial products backed by cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin ETFs and ETPs, will still be taxed at the current rate. In this way, the primary target of the tax increase is direct cryptocurrency investments...

  Memcoins: Growth Continues, But Interest in Them Does Not Decrease - Why? Despite the month of memecoins pump for several months, which in many ways brightened up the dismal picture of the cryptocurrency market flat, this sector is still showing strength. If we take only large-cap tokens included in the first 60 cryptocurrencies, then since the beginning of the year, all of them, according to TradingView, have shown at least double-digit growth against USDT. The potential of the sector is evidenced by: growing interest from the mass audience (according to Google Trends, the volume of search queries related to memecoins continues to increase); expanding the audience of services like Pump.Fun (a platform where users can create their own meme token with a couple of mouse clicks and three dollars); the emergence of L2 solutions on large-cap meme tokens (for example, Pepe Unchained). The mass passion for coins with animals is unlikely to fade away anytime soon. However, the very fact ...

  Bitcoin Bank Worth of $1 Trillion Michael Saylor spoke about MicroStrategy's aspiration to become the leading $1 trillion Bitcoin bank. It sounds like a plot from a sci-fi movie. I think it's a decades-long journey that requires a lot of work, investment, and faith in the future of cryptocurrencies. However, Michael Saylor has repeatedly shown that he is capable of surprising the world with bold ideas. If we imagine that this plan is implemented, MicroStrategy will become one of the most influential companies in the world. Such a financial organization will be able to bring to the market completely new products and services based on cryptocurrencies. However, the problem here is this: the current capitalization of Bitcoin is only about $1.2 trillion. The question arises, how does Saylor plan to buy up all the available Bitcoins? It is impossible to do. Therefore, there is only one thing left: the price of Bitcoin should jump to $500-700 thousand per coin. But in conditions wh...

 Energy Revolution: Google Starts Using Small Nuclear Reactors Google is taking another step into the future of clean energy. The company has signed the world’s first nuclear power purchase agreement to power its AI centers from Kairos Power’s small modular reactors. The first reactor is scheduled to be operational by 2030, with additional reactors to be deployed by 2035. The technology uses a molten salt cooling system and granular fuel to safely and efficiently produce electricity, allowing for more affordable and simplified reactor designs. The deal will provide up to 500 MW of new carbon-free energy to help support AI capacity and technological development in the U.S. Google says the new energy is needed to support scientific advances, improve business services, and enhance national competitiveness. #CleanEnergy #NuclearEnergy #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #Google

  BlackRock's $11.5 Trillion Empire: The Modern Dutch East India Company in the Financial World Every time I study the history of the Dutch East India Company, I am impressed by the scale of their operations and vast influence across the world at that time. It wasn’t just a commercial entity. It operated as a sovereign power, trying to put trade routes under control. It owned territories, armies, and the largest fleet in the 17th century. It introduced corporate governance, the first shares, and reshaped global trade.  Currently, BlackRock mirrors that legacy, not as a trading empire but as a financial powerhouse. BlackRock is the largest asset manager of the world. Company with 70 + offices across the globe serves clients in over 100 countries.The company has set a staggering record, managing $11.5 trillion in assets—an amount that surpasses GDP of any country with the exception of China and USA. Just imagine that this company holds more wealth than entire nations. Can Blackr...

  China Opens Its Wallets, Bitcoin Surges We usually connect Bitcoin’s price movements to news from the U.S. But this time, a surprise boost for Bitcoin lovers came from China. Measures to support the Chinese economy have helped fuel Bitcoin’s rise, as economists tackle deflation in the country. Bitcoin has climbed to $68,000, which could signal the start of the long-awaited "Uptober". This is a phenomenon often seen after October 19th. China's economic stimulus didn’t just energize traditional markets—it also gave cryptocurrencies a lift, with altcoins following Bitcoin’s upward momentum. Coinshare reports that Bitcoin’s growth has further strengthened its market position. And as Trump surpasses Harris in the U.S. polls, the market is responding positively to this shift. With U.S. elections coming in November, both Chinese economic policies and the American election race are set to play a big role in shaping the cryptocurrency landscape and investor sentiment. #BitcoinSu...

  How Vitalik Buterin Protests US Sanctions You have to give credit to Vitalik Buterin. When it comes to standing up for principles, he is always ready to back his stance with real actions. His reaction to the sanctions imposed on the Tornado Cash mixer speaks volumes. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accused the platform of money laundering. Roman Storm, one of its co-founders, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, sanctions violations, and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Storm, who has pleaded not guilty, claims the platform is open-source and outside his control. Roman Storm will stand trial in December, and he faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. The crypto community was shaken by the potential sentence length. They established JusticeDAO to crowdsource a defense fund for Roman and another developer, Alexey Pertsev, who created the code for the platform, and was recently sentenced to over five years for laundering $1...

  HBO's Satoshi Nakamoto Documentary: Unprofessionalism or Manipulation? Many of those who watched the HBO documentary are still perplexed. It's understandable: believing that Peter Todd is the creator of Bitcoin is about the same as believing that Santa Claus is the creator of the nuclear bomb. There is no point in listing the endless absurdities made by the authors of the documentary. Peter Todd is clearly not the creator of Bitcoin. A more important question is: why would such an influential company as HBO release a frankly weak film? The first version is unprofessionalism. There is always the possibility that the authors quickly put together a "masterpiece" for the sake of hype and threw it on the big screen. The second version is market manipulation. The authors of the film simply heated up the interest of the general public in Bitcoin on the eve of the expected active phase of the bull market. Despite the fact that a real person was named as the alleged Satoshi ...

  It Looks Like Something Is Brewing in the World of AI Cryptocurrencies Bittensor is a blockchain project for training AI models. It uses the potential of decentralized networks. Bittensor combines the computing power of participants and creates a decentralized supernetwork for artificial intelligence. The task of the participants is to train models and develop the network. The decentralized structure provides high resilience to failures and is easy to scale. This means that the network can grow and adapt to any conditions. This project, of course, interested Grayscale. And recently this fund increased its stake in Bittensor, adding the project to its portfolio. Grayscale specializes in tokens of decentralized AI protocols. Therefore, their interest is understandable. The next decade will be about machine learning. And now there is a hidden accumulation of resources in this area, including in decentralized systems. Hence the high interest of the crypto community in the development...

  The UAE Opens Its Doors to the Crypto World: What Does It Mean for Your Wallet? In the UAE, all cryptocurrency transactions are exempt from VAT from November 15. Moreover, the government is considering the possibility of refunding already paid taxes. Such decisions are made by people who understand the modern economy. They realize that a favorable tax climate will attract more investors and strengthen the UAE's position as a global financial center. In addition, Tether, together with Green Acorn and Phoenix Group, are planning to issue a new stablecoin pegged to the dirham. This is an important step for the development of the crypto market. I believe that these events can have a positive impact on the entire crypto world. Such measures increase confidence in digital currencies and can attract new investors. The emergence of a stablecoin pegged to the dirham can become a link between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies. Perhaps this will inspire other countries to take simila...