IRS Sends New Tax Warning to Crypto Users

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is renewing its crackdown on the crypto industry. According to a recent report from CoinDesk, the American tax agency is sending yet another round of letters to individuals it believes is involved in the trading of Bitcoin and other digital assets. This time, those targeted as those that the IRS claims may be misreporting the income gained from trading on exchanges.

This comes shortly after reports arose that the agency targeted users of Coinbase for potentially incorrectly filing their crypto-related taxes.

This latest letter is, according to crypto tax software startup CoinTracker co-founder Chandan Lodha, different than the previous case. He told CoinDesk:

“Basically what it says is ‘hey we have a report from one of the financial institutions you use and the amount they reported to us the IRS is different than the amount you, the taxpayer, reported and this is the amount you owe’ and it’s a 30-day letter meaning you have to respond in 30 days.”

He went on to advise those that have received this letter to respond, even if the recipient or their account doesn’t believe what was accessed.

These recent warnings seem to be a part of the agency’s plan to crack down on the crypto industry. You see, unlike the United States Dollar or the Euro, Bitcoin is a non-sovereign form of money, as are a number of other digital assets. At least currently, that means there are no “banks of Bitcoin”, no taxes that you have to pay in it, or governmental agencies directly overseeing it.

Due to simple politics, this is obviously something that governments across the globe, especially their finance regulation arms, aren’t entirely amicable with. Because you know what they say, “follow the money”.

Thus, the IRS has been renewing its efforts to catch evaders dealing with this asset class. According to an IRS slide deck leaked online earlier this year, the tax authority intends to allow its agents to use a number of techniques and tactics to target evaders. These techniques include interviews, “open-source searches”, electronic surveillance, social media scrutiny, and Grand Jury subpoenas.

 

By Nick Chong August 18, 2019

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Florida Court Summons Wife and Associates of Craig Wright in Billion Dollar Lawsuit

As part of a pending lawsuit, a Florida judge has requested international judicial assistance from the Queen’s Bench Division in London to summon and question Craig Wright’s wife and associates in court. The Kleiman estate had filed a $10 billion federal lawsuit against self-proclaimed Bitcoin founder Wright in February 2018.

The court filed the petition on behalf of Ira Kleiman, wife of the now-deceased computer scientist, Dave Kleiman. According to Ira, Wright allegedly embezzled over $5 billion worth of Bitcoin at the time of the lawsuit, from her husband, who worked with Wright from 2009 to 2013. The Kleiman estate is looking to recover at least 30,000 BTC from Wright, along with any forked assets.

Wright’s Business Associate and Author Summoned

The Kleiman estate has filed for the motion to question Ramona Watts, the wife of Craig Wright, since she “was identified in his initial disclosures as an individual with knowledge of the facts underlying the plaintiffs’ claims.”

According to the estate, Wright had revealed his mining partnership with Kleiman to his wife, who became the co-director of Bitcoin-related companies with her husband after their marriage.

I addition to questioning Ramona Watts, the Kleiman estate is also looking to obtain the testimony of Andrew O’Hagan, author of the book “The Satoshi Affair.” To prove that he was indeed the founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, Wright provided O’Hagan “extensive access” to his life. The estate claimed:

“During this 6-month process, O’Hagan recorded many hours of tape” of his many dozens of hours of conversation with Wright” where they discussed information relevant to the lawsuit.”

Wright’s business associate, Robert MacGregor, was also named since he is acquainted with the details of the partnership between Wright and Kleiman, in addition to being the buyer of “Satoshi Nakamoto’s” life rights.

Bitcoin Inception Partnership: A Betraying Affair?

According to the initial lawsuit filed by the Kleiman estate in 2018, Wright forged Kleiman’s signature to steal his share of the partnership. The value of the overall Bitcoin mined by the duo was worth approximately $10 billion in 2018 when Kleiman’s estate sued Wright.

Addressing claims that the two individuals were involved in the creation of Bitcoin, the estate said that “it was unclear whether Craig, Dave, and/or both created Bitcoin.” Reiterating their demand to receive a fair share of Kleiman’s digital assets, they said,

“It is undeniable, however, that Craig and Dave were involved in Bitcoin from its inception and that they accumulated a vast wealth of bitcoins from 2009 to 2013”.

 

Author Rahul N.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

 

The Crypto Daily – The Movers and Shakers 24/07/19

The bears eye a 4th day in the red, with sub-$8,000 levels for Bitcoin investors likely to cause some angst for the broader market.

Bitcoin slid by 4.57% on Tuesday. Following on from a 2.29% fall from Monday, Bitcoin ended the day at $9,859.

A particularly bearish morning saw Bitcoin slide from an early intraday high $10,330.9 to an early afternoon intraday low $9,820.

Steering clear of the major resistance levels, Bitcoin fell through the first major support level at $10,188 and second major support level at $10,048.

Holding above the 38.2% FIB of $9,734 and third major support level at $9,657 was the only positive from the session.

Finding support through the afternoon, Bitcoin recovered to $10,200 levels before sliding back to sub-$10,000 levels.

It was Bitcoin’s first sub-$ 10,000-day end since 17th July.

Bitcoin’s market cap slid back from $183bn levels to $173.02bn at the time of writing.

 

The Rest of the Pack

Across the rest of the top 10 cryptos, it was a mixed bag for the majors on the day.

Bucking the trend on the day were Bitcoin Cash SV and EOS. Bitcoin Cash SV rallied by 2%, while EOS rose by 0.91%.

It was red for the rest of the pack, however. Tron’s TRX led the way down on the day, sliding by 8.95%.

Litecoin (-5.36%) and Binance Coin (-4.51%) also saw heavy losses on the day. It was a somewhat better story for Ethereum, which fell by 2.39%.

Bitcoin’s dominance eased back to 64% levels before recovering to 65% levels. Bearish sentiment across the broader market outweighed the effects of Bitcoin’s losses over the course of the last day.

On the day, the total crypto market cap slide from $281.9bn levels to $265.97bn at the time of writing

 

This Morning,

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 1.94% to $9,667.3. A particularly bearish start to the day saw Bitcoin fall from a morning high $9,861.7 to a low $9,612.7

The early sell-off saw Bitcoin fall through the 38.2% FIB of $9,734 and first major support level at $9,675.70.

Bitcoin left the major resistance levels untested.

Elsewhere, Bitcoin Cash ABC (-4.02), Binance Coin (-4%), and Bitcoin Cash SV (-4.69%) also saw heavy losses.

 

The rest of the pack weren’t far behind, in the early part of this morning. Ethereum also struggled, down 3.77% at the time of writing.

For the Day Ahead

A move back through the 38.2% FIB of $9,734 would bring $10,000 levels back into play. Bitcoin would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from the 38.2% FIB.

In the event of a broad-based crypto rebound, a move back through to $10,000 would bring the first major resistance level at $10,186.6 into play.

We would expect Bitcoin to fall well short Tuesday’s high $10,330.9, however.

Failure to move back through the 38.2% FIB of $9,734 could see Bitcoin fall deeper into the red. A fall through to $9,500 levels would bring the second major support level at $9,492.4 in play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off through the day, the second major support level should limit any downside on the day.

 

 

Bob Mason

Jul 24, 2019 04:04 AM GMT

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Cryptocurrency market update – Wounded bulls are in a tactical retreat

• The cryptocurrency market is losing ground, controlled by bears.

• Bitcoin, Ethereum are still deep in red on a day-on-day basis.

The cryptocurrency market lived through another bloody red day as Bitcoin and all major altcoins are nursing significant losses ranging from 1% to 7%. The total capitalization of all digital assets in circulation dropped to $303 billion from $320 billion on Monday, while an average daily trading volume reduced to $86 billion from $90 billion this time on Monday. Bitcoin continued losing its market value, which is now 60.3% from over 63% registered in the previous week.
 

Top-4 coins price overview

Bitcoin (BTC/USD) settled above $10,000 handle after a short-lived collapse to $9,977 on Monday. The first digital asset is one of the worst performing coins out of top-20, with nearly 7% of day-on-day losses. A failure to recover above critical $11,000 may spell disaster for Bitcoin bulls and create an environment for a deeper downside correction.

Ethereum, the second largest digital asset with the current market capitalization of $30.60 billion, has lost over 3% of its value on a day-on-day basis. After a failed attempt to recover above $300, the price has settled at $288, within a whisker of the intraday low. ETH/USD is driven by the bearish sentiments that gripped the market, which means that the selling pressure will not subside in the nearest future.

Ripple's XRP clinches to $0.40 handle. The third largest digital asset with the current market capitalization of $17.0 billion has lost over 2% since the beginning of the day, and 3% on a day-on-day basis. At the time of writing, XRP/USD is changing hands at $0.4008, having recovered from the intraday lows of $0.3981

Litecoin (LTC/USD) is exploring territory below $120.0. The fourth largest coin with the current market capitalization of $7.3 billion managed to recover from the Asian low of $117.64, though its price is still 5% lower from this time on Monday. LTC/USD is moving in sync with the broader market.
 

 

Tanya Abrosimova

FXStreet 24 minutes ago

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Piixpay Lets You Pay Bills and Invoices With Cryptocurrency

If you need to regularly cover fiat payments but prefer to use your digital assets, a platform like Piixpay can be very helpful. The payment provider allows you to use cryptocurrencies to pay invoices, bills and make other recurring payments to recipients that still accept only traditional money.

Spend Bitcoin Cash, Make Fiat Payments

To initiate a new payment with Piixpay you have to provide the beneficiary’s name and Iban number. You are required to enter the exact amount in euros, as the platform processes bank transfers in Europe’s single currency. You also need to add a short description of the transaction and an optional reference number.

Then you have to choose the crypto you are going to spend. Piixpay currently supports four major digital coins – bitcoin cash (BCH), bitcoin core (BTC), litecoin (LTC), and dash (DASH) – as well as a stablecoin backed by euros. Est-coins (ESCT) are issued by Piixpay’s operator, Ungaro LLC, and have a redemption value of €1 per coin.

Piixpay has another useful feature called Instafill. It lets you link a crypto wallet address to a bank account. Each time coins are sent to that dedicated address, the payment processor will exchange the cryptocurrency and send the fiat to your bank account. You can also check the status of any payment at all times.

To use the services of the crypto payment platform you have to create an account. You can sign up with a valid email address or use your Facebook, Google, Linkedin, Windows or Yahoo account. Piixpay is registered and licensed in Estonia but it operates in over 100 countries around the world.

There’s a service fee of €1 + 1.75% of the amount for transactions funded with cryptocurrencies. Bank transfers cost €1 for transactions within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and €40 for outside the zone. The smallest amount you can transfer is 1 euro and each transaction is limited to a maximum of €20,000. You can find more information about all applicable fees on Piixpay’s website.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Key BTC Levels for the Week

BTC has been trading in a relatively quiet range over the weekend as volatility contracts after a big few weeks.

For now, price has fallen away from the major $8,000 level and is trying its best to hold up at the next support below at $7,500. This range is looking like it is going to be a big one given that volatility is contracting and there are clearly buyers and sellers at both levels.

Price has not been able to break back above the $8,000 level, since the fall from the recent highs at $9,000. Similarly, we are seeing buyers stepping up below. Each time price pulls back to $7,500, the buyers are there to hold it up. As I noted last week, the long wicks that you can see on the chart are a sign of strong buying interest.

Given the strength of the range that is in place here, my plan is to wait for a break of either side of the range and play a momentum move. There is a strong chance of a break, either way, will lead to a big push in the vicinity of 10%.

To me, that is a good risk/reward play and one that should have good follow-through. Particularly to the downside as there might well be some trapped buyers.

This should, therefore, be a pretty interesting week if we start seeing a break in either direction.

Posted Monday, June 10, 2019 by Rowan Crosby

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Markets Hit Six Week High as Altcoin Rally Adds Another $10 Billion

Yesterday’s crypto market rally has continued for a second day adding a further $10 billion to total market capitalization.

The push has driven markets over $134 billion which is the highest they have been since the big dump on January 10, almost six weeks ago. Around ten days ago crypto markets were depressed at $111 billion, since then they have recovered around 20% to current levels. The big question is can this rally turn into a longer term uptrend or is another mega dump imminent.

Ethereum initiated the run yesterday when it pumped 12%, outperforming most of the top altcoins, and Bitcoin itself. Today’s big performer is EOS which has jumped 24% to $3.60 at the time of writing. EOS hit a high of $3.79 a few hours ago which is its best price since late-November’s big market purge. Daily volume has surged to over $2.3 billion pushing EOS market cap to $3.25 billion taking fourth place back from Litecoin. There does not appear to be anything specific driving EOS at the moment aside from fear of missing out (fomo) so a pullback is expected.

Bitcoin Cash has had another solid day’s performance as it gains 13% taking it to $147, chasing down LTC just above it with a climb of 7% to $47.50. Ethereum has also made a further 7% on the day taking its price up to $147 and pushing it over $2 billion clear of XRP in terms of market cap.

Bitcoin is approaching heavy resistance at $4,000 but it is still climbing at the moment with a 5% gain on the day to a high of $3,970 a few hours ago. BTC has since pulled back to $3,920 where it is holding for now.

Other top performers are altcoins which have been hit the hardest in recent weeks namely Cardano, IOTA, Dash, and Ethereum Classic, all climbing 6 to 8 percent on the day. At the moment it is the altcoins which are enjoying the biggest gains over the past 48 hours. Some analysts have predicted the beginning of the “altseason” by looking at total market cap for them without Bitcoin. It has just broken the yearlong trend line and Bitcoin dominance is falling back towards 50%.

At the moment things are looking positive for the majority of altcoins and for once Bitcoin is playing catch-up. It is a pattern repeated countless times though and big brother BTC will have its day sooner or later.

 

Luke Thompson February 19, 2019

 

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Report: Philippines-Based Banking Giant Launching Two-Way Crypto ATMs

When you think of nations with a notable Bitcoin ecosystem, many crypto investors would immediately think of the U.S., Malta, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. Yet, many draw little attention to the Philippines, a nation that is seemingly filled to the brim with cryptocurrency users.

A large financial institution based in the Philippines made a notable pro-crypto move last week — one that could potentially spark widespread adoption within the Asian nation.

Meet Union Bank’s Crypto ATMs

According to reports from Filipino media, Union Bank of the Philippines, a banking giant that is the seventh largest in the country, is launching crypto asset automated teller machines (ATM). The Philippine Star, who broke the news on the matter, cited a Union Bank press statement.

Per the statement, the company launched its first two-way cryptocurrency ATM earlier this week, allowing customers to purchase and sell assets like Bitcoin for pesos. Union Bank has purportedly collaborated with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the nation’s central bank, to ensure that this newfangled offering is compliant. The Manila-headquartered institution, which has over 300 branches smattered across metropolises and the countryside, remarked:

“In the bank’s continued quest to cater to the evolving needs and tastes of customers, including clients who use virtual currency, the ATM will provide these clients an alternative channel to convert their pesos to virtual currency and vice versa.”

In a comment on Twitter, NewsBTC’s Joseph Young remarked that Union Bank’s proactivity in the crypto space is not only good for regulation, but for awareness and adoption too.

No reports indicate that Union Bank has plans to inaugurate more than a few Bitcoin-friendly ATMs at the moment. Regardless, this move only underscores the growing industry theme of ATMs that cast aside the shackles of the traditional financial system, which include fiat and payments processors like Visa and Mastercard.

Per previous reports from NewsBTC, Bitcoin Depot, a subsidiary of Lux Vending, is looking to prop up 30 ATMs in Chicago that support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets in the coming months. While these efforts are centered around Chicago, a little-known crypto hotspot that hosts ErisX, hype regarding brick and mortar crypto purchases is a global trend, as there are now over 4,323 of these machines worldwide. And according to data from CoinATMRadar, this number is swelling by 5.6 each and every day.

Fiat To Crypto On-Ramps To Boost Bitcoin Over 2019

This venture in the Philippines comes as Fundstrat’s research team, which includes Rob Sluymer and Tom Lee, claimed that the rise in the fiat-to-crypto on-ramp sector will be a positive catalyst for Bitcoin in the coming year. According to a sneak peek of a Fundstrat report, the New York investment advisory outfit noted that influx of consumer interest in Bitcoin may be catalyzed by Binance’s recent addition of credit card crypto purchasing capabilities, along with other fiat-supported infrastructure from other upstarts.

 

NICK CHONG | FEBRUARY 10, 2019 | 6:03 AM

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden