Blockchain
PancakeSwap Gunning For Uniswap as CAKE Hits $20 ATH

PancakeSwap, the DEX that bills itself as a faster and cheaper alternative to UniSwap, hit an all-time high today of $20.69. The total value locked in the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) also hit an all-time high recently, at $24.4bn.
The platform has been operational for half a year, compared to two and a half years for UniSwap. Considering its success, in a comparatively short time, should UniSwap be concerned?
PancakeSwap vs. UniSwap: Battle of DEXes
Although DeFi is associated with Ethereum, where DeFi activity occurs, excessive gas fees have opened up demand for cheaper alternatives. Enter PancakeSwap.
PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) running on the BSC. It uses an automated market maker (AMM) model to fulfill orders instead of the order book model that matches buyers and sellers as seen on traditional exchange platforms.
Code analysis shows PancakeSwap is a copy of UniSwap, with several lines still referring to UniSwap. Ethereum maxis have labeled the platform a rip-off. However, proponents of open source code say it’s fair game.
Nonetheless, PancakeSwap includes additional features not found on UniSwap. Not only is it possible to stake liquidity provider tokens to earn CAKE, but it’s also possible to stake CAKE to earn more CAKE or other BEP20 tokens. Currently, most of the APYs on offer are over 100%, with FOR Pool now yielding the highest at 123.71%.
Both have similar volumes and market share, with UniSwap edging ahead on both counts and pulling forward substantially regarding the number of markets available. But the fundamental difference comes down to cost.
Source: coinmarketcap.com
PancakeSwap fees are paid in BNB with trades costing cents, a marked difference compared to UniSwap, where peak congestion times equate to eyewatering charges. This becomes particularly apparent for users making lower-value transactions.
Binance Smart Chain is Not Decentralized
BSC uses a version of PoS called Proof-of-Authority (PoA). This essentially means three-second block times for quicker transaction settlement and lower fees as there is little network congestion.
“Proof of Authority (PoA) is a modified form of Proof-of_Stake (PoS) where instead of stake with the monetary value, a validator’s identity performs the role of stake.”
Add to that compatibility with the Ethereum network, and there are compelling reasons for users and devs to shift to BSC. Over 63mn unique addresses are currently using the network. With mid-February seeing a vertical uptake of users coming on board.
Source: bscscan.com
However, critics say BSC is not true DeFi as Binance manages the network nodes. This also means the network has a single point of failure. Then again, the real crux of the matter is that users tend to care more about yields and low fees than decentralization.
Can PancakeSwap and BSC take over? Well, crypto is not necessarily a zero-sum game. All platforms can likely flourish together.
Source: CAKEUSD on coingecko.com
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Source: https://www.newsbtc.com/news/pancakeswap-gunning-for-uniswap-as-cake-hits-20-ath/
Blockchain
SWFT Blockchain (SWFTC) is now available on Binance Smart Chain and Huobi ECO Chain


SWFT Blockchain, a cross-chain cryptocurrency transfer protocol, announced today that the ecosystem’s native token SWFTC is now not only available as an ERC-20 token, but also as a BEP-20 token on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and as an HRC-20 token on Huobi ECO Chain (HECO).
This makes SWFTC available on three popular blockchains; and also opens SWFTC up to new DeFi products, allowing more people to use SWFTC for more financial activities. While SWFTC is already available on Uniswap, it will soon be available on decentralized exchanges on BSC and HECO.
SWFTC (ERC-20) still gets users 50% off of swap fees when swapping on SWFT Blockchain. And this feature will soon be expanded to SWFTC (BEP-20) and SWFTC (HRC-20).
Details about SWFTC on the respective chains:
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Source: https://www.cryptoninjas.net/2021/04/16/swft-blockchain-swftc-is-now-available-on-binance-smart-chain-and-huobi-eco-chain/
Blockchain
Our Man in Shanghai: Coinbase listing scorned, graphics cards seized, nostalgia coins rule


It was a relatively quiet week in China’s blockchain space as events were overshadowed by the surge in the BTC price and the Coinbase direct listing in the U.S. Many locals reacted with surprise to the news, showing that exposure to cryptocurrencies is still relatively isolated in the world’s most populous country.
Many netizens responded skeptically to the Coinbase story, with news aggregation account “Jiemian” on Weibo calling Bitcoin a scam, highlighting its connection to terrorists, and encouraging investors to stick to China’s A-shares. (For a quick comparison, the Shanghai composite index is down 2.13% this year, while Bitcoin has a YTD return of over 116%.) Jiemian has over 10 million followers on Weibo, but caters to a more traditional audience. The takeaway here is that despite China’s aggressive adoption of DCEP (Digital Currency Electronic Payment, also known as the digital yuan), other digital payments, and internet technology, cryptocurrency acceptance remains relatively isolated.
Some experts on China’s blockchain industry spoke to Cointelegraph regarding DCEP on April 10th, discussing how the digital yuan has affected the space. Kevin Shao, co-founder of Bitrise Capital, summed up the situation by stating that “overall, China’s digital currency still serves the central bank’s monetary policy and monetary functions.” It’s safe to say that the rapid DCEP advancement has little cross-over with the country’s active blockchain space, and probably will remain independent for the foreseeable future.
While all that was going on, volumes were spiking on cryptocurrency exchanges around the world. Huobi, China’s largest exchange by liquidity, experienced a wave of trading on more established tokens. The top seven most traded on Thursday were BTC, DOGE, ETH, XRP, FIL, TRX and BCH. All of these projects have roots in previous bull runs, showing that nostalgia is not lost on Chinese investors.
Graphics cards seized by Hong Kong Customs
Customs in Hong Kong have busted a smuggling operation involving nearly 300 graphics cards, which are suspected to be Nvidia CMP 30HX models and worth about 2 million RMB, or $300,000. There were no labels on the front of the graphics cards, and this particular model comes without a video output port, and is built exclusively for cryptocurrency mining. According to a source, this is the first time that Hong Kong Customs has seized graphics cards smuggled for the purpose of mining.
The state of media blockchain content
Finally, in policy news, The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued standards for blockchain-related media content. The standard system is intended to promote healthy and sustainable content pertaining to the use of blockchain in industries such as auditing systems, business processes, food safety and management. The State Administration is very proactive with its standards, detailing how technologies, trends, and other themes should be portrayed in the media.
This weekly roundup of news from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong attempts to curate the industry’s most important news, including influential projects, changes in the regulatory landscape, and enterprise blockchain integrations.
Coinsmart. Beste Bitcoin-Börse in Europa
Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/our-man-in-shanghai-coinbase-listing-scorned-graphics-cards-seized-nostalgia-coins-rule
Blockchain
Rothschild Investment Corp snaps up quarter of a million shares in Grayscale ETH Trust


Chicago-based financial institution Rothschild Investment Corp, has acquired 265,302 shares in Grayscale’s ETH trust, according to a filing on April 15 with the United States Securities Commission or SEC.
The firm also added more Grayscale Bitcoin trust shares to its holdings, with the latest SEC filing revealing that it increased its tally from 30,454 in January up to 38,346 this month.
Rothschild Investment has been accumulating GBTC since 2017, and the latest filing shows the firm’s appetite for crypto exposure is not slowing down. Ether proponent Ryan Adams, the founder of crypto investment firm Mythos Capital and Bankless, commented on the latest move noting that “BTC is the gateway drug to ETH.”
BTC is the gateway drug to ETH https://t.co/1w7p66OkOF
— RYAN SΞAN ADAMS – rsa.eth (@RyanSAdams) April 15, 2021
The brokerage firm’s history spans back to 1908, and it has been investing in crypto for a relatively long time when compared to the mass inflow of institutions who have swooped in during the past 12 months. An SEC filing showed that the firm owned $210,000 worth of GBTC in July 2017, when BTC was priced around $2000.
Founding members Monroe Rothschild and brother in-law Samuel Karger reportedly have no relation to the famed Rothschild family dynasty, much to the confusion of the crypto community despite the New York Times publishing an article that clarified the situation in 1995.
Not the Rotschild you think https://t.co/KVUy9u1ETy
— Yann Ranchere (@tek_fin) July 23, 2017
Grayscale is the leading U.S. digital asset manager that offers institutional exposure to crypto, the firm holds roughly 660,000 BTC, which accounts for 3.5% of BTC in circulation.
The firm revealed yesterday that its total assets under management has now reached $50.6 billion, its ETH trust, or ETHE, is now up to more than $7 billion worth of AUM, with its shares currently trading at around $24. GTBC has surpassed $41 billion in AUM, and shares are trading at around $59.
04/15/21 UPDATE: Net Assets Under Management, Holdings per Share, and Market Price per Share for our Investment Products.
Total AUM: $50.6 billion$BTC $BCH $ETH $ETC $ZEN $LTC $XLM $ZEC $BAT $LINK $MANA $FIL $LPT pic.twitter.com/mldap6VMoK
— Grayscale (@Grayscale) April 15, 2021
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Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/rothschild-investment-corp-snaps-up-quarter-of-a-million-shares-in-grayscale-eth-trust
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