Bitcoin Halving | Samourai Wallet | April Roundup

Bitcoin Halving

Some background on what Bitcoin Halving is for those unfamiliar. This is an event where the reward for mining Bitcoin is cut in half. On average this occurs every four years.

With the latest halving transaction fees have skyrocketed meaning it could cost 150$ a transaction. Typically the biggest gains and price appreciation for Bitcoin occur post halving. A news story below confirms this and has the previous gains listed and the predicted gain this year.

Where do you expect to see the price of Bitcoin this time next year? Be sure to comment below and revisit in a year to see if you were right!

Relating stories and information:

Further reading about the halving:

What Is Bitcoin Halving? Definition, How It Works, Why It Matters

Bitcoin halving explained. Find out about Bitcoin’s halving process works and what it means for Bitcoin’s price and its users.

InvestopediaFull Bio

Crypto experts predict historic bitcoin price change after upcoming ‘halving’

Crypto experts predict bitcoin ‘halving’ this week could dramatically change price

The last halving four years ago preceded a five-fold price increase

The IndependentAnthony Cuthbertson

Samourai Wallet

The Samourai wallet is a wallet for Bitcoin that has a strong focus on user privacy as well as security. It is a wallet that attempts to follow the core principles of Bitcoin. Transactions should be decentralized, anonymous, and private.

On April 24, the cryptocurrency market experienced a brief tumble following the news of the arrest of Samourai Wallet Bitcoin founders by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill are Charged with Operating the Samourai Wallet. The unlicensed money-transmitting business executed Over $2 Billion in unlawful Transactions and laundered over $100 million.

Recent arrests have been criticised by people in the crypto space. They fear it could be another attempt by the U.S. government to crack down on crypto and the privacy of transactions.

Call it an assault on privacy or an attack on free speech, but the reality on the ground is that any money that flows into an application designed to mix funds to shield user addresses is being treated as laundered funds, no matter the purpose or destination.

What do you think about this situation? Has Bitcoin become part of the financial system it once loathed? Do Bitcoin enthusiasts even realize what is happening or are they just happy because the price is rising? Comment below with your opinions.

Relating stories:

DOJ Announcement:

Founders And CEO Of Cryptocurrency Mixing Service Arrested And Charged With Money Laundering And Unlicensed Money Transmitting Offenses

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Thomas Fattorusso, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”); and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging KEONNE RODRIGUEZ, the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of Samourai Wallet (“Samourai”), and WILLIAM LONERGAN HILL, the Chief Technology Officer and also a co-founder of Samourai, with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

DOJ USAO Southern District of New York logo

Samourai Indictment & FBI Notice Are An Assault On Bitcoin And Privacy

Samourai Indictment & FBI Notice Are An Assault On Bitcoin And Privacy

Bitcoin is more than just a ticker on a stock brokerage. It is a technology and a tool meant to give control back to the people - now under attack by the FBI and the DoJ.

ForbesRoger Huang

Wasabi Wallet-Developer Blocks U.S. Citizens and Residents After Samourai Wallet Arrests

Wasabi Wallet-Developer Blocks U.S. Citizens and Residents After Samourai Wallet Arrests

U.S citizens residing abroad are also banned from using the service

CoinDeskSam Reynolds

Week 1:

• Silk Road Bitcoin worth $2B moved by U.S. government
• OneCoin executive gets four years over $4 billion crypto scam
• Bitcoin closed Q1 up 64%, its third-best quarter over the past three years
• US PayPal customers will be able to use stablecoin for international payments

Week 2:

• Coinbase is becoming increasingly dominant in the US crypto trading market. In just a year, its market share rose from 38% to 55%
• Germany’s biggest federal bank, plans to start offering cryptocurrency custody services
• UK to issue new crypto, stablecoin legislation by July, minister says

Week 3:

• Binance gets full Dubai permit after Zhao cedes control of unit
• Tether reorganizes into 4 divisions as it expands beyond stablecoins
• Bitcoin’s most explosive gains are typically post-halving
• Bitcoin just experienced the fourth Halving in its history, which has cut the miner block reward from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC
• Bitcoin’s fourth halving block sees additional $2.4 million reward paid as fee

Week 4:

• Philippines orders removal of Binance from Google and Apple app stores
• Among offshore markets Binance’s BTC market share currently stands at approximately 55%, down from over 80% a year ago.
• Bybit saw the strongest increase in market share this year, growing from 2% to 9.3%.
• Binance founder Changpeng Zhao should spend 3 years in prison, DOJ says
• Bitcoin payments app Strike rolls out services to European users
• Founders and CEO of "Samourai wallet" and Bitcoin mixing service "Whirlpool" arrested and charged with money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting offenses
• EU's anti-money laundering bill passes final vote, here's what's next for crypto-asset service providers
• Stripe to start taking crypto payments, starting with USDC stablecoin
• FBI warns Americans against using unregistered crypto money transmitting services