Coming every Sunday, Hodler's Digest will assistance you lot track every single important news story that happened this calendar week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link.

Top Stories This Calendar week

Bitcoin set to push button above cardinal resistance to hit $10,000

The world's biggest cryptocurrency has started 2022 fighting. For a time on Fri, Bitcoin hit $9,000 — with analysts challenge there are multiple signs that a "bullish transformation" is underway. This weekend also saw the BTC network'southward hateful hash rate hit new all-time highs, pregnant it's never been harder to mine new coins. Although BTC roughshod from highs of almost $nine,200 on Sunday to hover at well-nigh $8,600, analysts believe it is ready to push to a higher place the resistance to hit $10,000. Even despite the latest turbulence, which saw prices drop $500 in v minutes, BTC is up twenty% year to date — and past more than 5% over the past calendar week. The strong performance will leave crypto skeptics such every bit Peter Schiff red-faced. Back in Nov, the gold bug had predicted BTC would imminently driblet to $i,000.

Enquiry: Binance and Huobi received over 52% of total $2.viii billion illicit BTC in 2022

Sticking with the Bitcoin theme, permit'south look at some worrying new research that suggests just 2 exchanges — Binance and Huobi — together received 52% of illicit Bitcoin transfers worth $2.eight billion in 2022. According to Chainalysis, the crypto was moved from 300,000 individual accounts associated with criminal action — and 75% of the illicit BTC was sent to merely 810 accounts. Researchers believe that some over-the-counter brokers may exist specializing in providing money laundering services to criminals and taking advantage of loose Know Your Customer requirements. Huobi did not respond to the claims, but Binance said it was committed to tackling financial crime in crypto and continually improving its Anti-Money Laundering measures.

United Nations: Stay away from North Korean crypto conference

The public is existence warned non to attend N Korea'due south upcoming cryptocurrency briefing, with experts warning it could violate sanctions. Reports suggest that the issue, due to accept place in February, will include discussions focused on how crypto can be used to evade sanctions and launder money. One British regime spokesman said attendance would effectively support the isolated state'southward employ of this technology and "unavoidably increase" their ability to generate revenue for prohibited weapons programs. Earlier this month, Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economical Powers Act, amid allegations he attended last yr's conference.

New assay finds Mondays are best days to buy Bitcoin

Mondays are enough to fill many of us with dread, simply there might be a bright spot. Research shows that Mondays actually offer the best average daily return for Bitcoin at 0.54%, while Wednesdays attract a loss of about 0.23%. This is based on analysis of the cryptocurrency's performance from April 2022 to January 2022. Over a shorter time frame — from the beginning of 2022 to Jan. 13, 2022 — Fridays delivered the highest average return at ane.ane%, with Mondays coming 2d with Tuesdays and Thursdays delivering negative returns on average.

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Singer Akon says world's first "crypto city" is set for Senegal in 2025

Akon says he had finalized an agreement to launch a "crypto city" in Due west Africa. Akon City is expected to open its doors in Senegal by 2025, and vows to be a "100% crypto-based city with Akoin at the centre of transactional life." The urban center is beingness built on two,000 acres of land gifted to the project by Senegal, and the first stage of construction is scheduled to finish in about v years' fourth dimension. It is hoped that Akoin will empower "rising entrepreneurs with digital and real-life tools and services, and enable brands to unlock the power of Africa'south rising economy." Balance assured, we'll give y'all plenty of updates on how the project progresses.

Winners and Losers

At the finish of the calendar week, Bitcoin is at $8,670.33, Ether at $165.92 and XRP at $0.23. The total market cap is at $236,788,834,292.

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For more than info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraph'due south market analysis.

Almost Memorable Quotations

"The state should become a digital platform that is created for people."

Mikhail Mishustin, new Russian prime minister

"We cannot discount the futurity role of cryptocurrencies in funding acts of domestic extremism, both within New Jersey and beyond the U.s.."

Jared Maples, director of the New Jersey Function of Homeland Security and Preparedness

"Supporting the DPRK'south use of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, risks violating the Security Quango'south resolutions because it would unavoidably increase the DPRK'due south ability to subvert sanctions and generate revenue for its weapons programs."

British government spokesman

"Be cautious if considering an investment in an IEO. Claims of new technologies and financial products, such as those associated with digital asset offerings, and claims that IEOs are vetted by trading platforms, can be used improperly to entice investors with the false promise of high returns in a new investment space."

U.Southward. Securities and Commutation Committee

"And so right now, Bitcoin and Ether are the two that we think fall under our jurisdiction."

Heath Tarbert, Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman

"We are looking frontward to our joint efforts with Z Corporation/TaoTao in bringing our services to Japan. Foremost, we desire to ensure that we work in full compliance with Japanese laws and regulations where local and global standards role as a central role in establishing sustainable development manufacture-broad and greater public adoption."

CZ, Binance CEO

"We're not looking to build a service here, make money and savour the revenue, nosotros're looking to create a standard"

Eyal Hertzog, Bancor co-founder and production architect

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Prediction of the Week

"Weak hands are out" — Trader who called $twenty,000 Bitcoin tiptop calls bottom

Waiting for prices to dip to $6,000 before yous invest in Bitcoin? You lot've missed your chance, according to Peter Brandt. The veteran trader — who successfully predicted in early 2022 that crypto markets would fall 80% from their all-time highs of $20,000 — struck a bullish tone during an interview with Cointelegraph. "The weak hands are out; the strong hands own it," he surmised. Brandt added that "everyone who is interested in what Bitcoin has to offer" should dedicate 10% to 20% of their portfolio to the cryptocurrency.

FUD of the Week

U.Due south. SEC warns investors that IEOs may exist breaking the constabulary

The Usa Securities and Exchange Commission has warned that initial exchange offerings may be breaking the law. Afterwards the initial coin offering boom turned into a bust, many projects have taken to launching their tokens direct on exchanges. Just the regulatory body says: "Exist cautious if because an investment in an IEO. Claims of new technologies and financial products, such as those associated with digital nugget offerings, and claims that IEOs are vetted by trading platforms, can exist used improperly to entice investors with the false hope of loftier returns in a new investment space." The SEC said that alarm bells should band if IEO organizers fail to address federal securities laws or mislead investors, adding: "There is no such affair as an SEC-approved IEO."

U.Due south. SEC charges convict and assembly for $30 one thousand thousand fraudulent ICO

And speaking of the SEC, this calendar week saw the regulator charge a group of criminals who raised over $30 million through a fraudulent ICO. Boaz Estate, ane of his business organization associates and two companies are defendant of violating the anti-fraud and securities registration provision of federal securities police force. They are accused of marketing and selling securities with a plan to develop technologies for hedge funds and other investors in digital assets. Co-ordinate to the SEC, Manor inverse his hair color, grew a beard and used aliases to muffle his identity because he had previously served a yr in prison house after pleading guilty to criminal charges arising from the plummet of a large Canadian hedge fund.

Singapore crypto consultant kidnapped for $i million ransom

A businessman was recently kidnapped in Thailand and tortured for a $740,000 ransom in BTC. Mark Cheng transferred all his available funds of $46,000 to his captors and reportedly made a daring escape as they prepared to murder him. He was on a business trip to Thailand when he was arranged into a truck by masked men. A Thai actor is believed to take endemic that pickup truck, and constabulary have now identified him as a person of interest in their investigation. Describing his escape, Cheng said: "One of them held the gun against the back of my head while the others stepped away. Fortunately, I know martial arts. I reached behind my head and grabbed the pistol, so I fled."

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All-time Cointelegraph Features

Predictions for 2022

Take a wait at the biggest and all-time predictions for 2022. Nosotros've asked prominent industry experts which altcoins they'll be keeping a close heart on in the coming 12 months, what Bitcoin'due south toll might look like this twelvemonth, what this year's biggest topics are likely to be, and for their thoughts on the major themes for crypto and blockchain in 2022.

Telegram's legal battle with the SEC heats upwards over TON records

Joseph Birch looks dorsum at Telegram's clash with the SEC, which became 1 of the crypto world's most closely followed legal dramas in 2022.

Interview with Daniel Marco on the country of blockchain in Catalonia

Cointelegraph features editor Alex Cohen speaks to Daniel Marco, the director general of innovation and the digital economy in the government of Catalonia, to find out how the region's ambitious blockchain strategy is taking shape.