Stablecoins
BTC Reacts to Possible Half-Point Rate Rise in May
CoinDesk Managing Editor for Markets Brad Keoun discusses bitcoin’s reaction to recent statements by Fed Chair Jerome Powell about a possible interest rate hike by 50 basis points. Plus, crypto’s environmental impact as Earth Day raises ESG concerns, Justin Sun’s USDD stablecoin project and the best times of day to trade crypto.

LUNA Surges 17% as UST Becomes the Third Largest Stablecoin
TerraForm Lab’s UST has become the third-largest stablecoin, meanwhile there’s a 17% spike in the LUNA governance token’s price. “The Hash” group discusses the race to capture the stablecoin market, comments made by Tether’s Paolo Ardoino and the differences between asset-backed and algorithmic stablecoins.

What Are the Risks of Algorithmic Stablecoins?
Finance professionals are becoming increasingly skeptical of algorithmic stablecoins as they surge in popularity. “The Hash” group discusses the systemic risk of these unbacked assets, referencing failed projects like Iron Finance.

Amazon Isn’t Interested in Crypto Payments, Exploring NFTs Instead
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently stated that the e-commerce giant does not have plans for cryptocurrency payment integration but is considering adding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to its retail business. “The Hash” panel discusses the vitality of crypto for everyday payments, considering transactions fees and price fluctuations while noting the possible use cases for stablecoins.

Inflation Concerns Hit Investors, BTC Holds Below $40K
Crypto Finance AG Head of Trading Mike Schwitalla shares his insights on the current state of the crypto markets as bitcoin’s price once again trades below $40K. Schwitalla discusses reasons for cryptocurrency sell-offs, inflation weighing on investor sentiment, and options trading. Plus, a conversation about stablecoin projects like Tether and Luna.

How ‘Taro’ Could Bring Stablecoins and NFTs to Bitcoin
CoinDesk Research Analyst George Kaloudis discusses the announcement of the Taproot-powered protocol Taro (Taproot Asset Representation Overlay). Kaloudis explains Taro’s potential to bring new assets like stablecoins and NFTs to the Bitcoin network and its proposed use of “embedded consensus” technology.

Why LFG's BTC Buying Spree Barely Moved the Markets This Time
The Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) added over $173 million in bitcoin (BTC) to its TerraUSD stablecoin reserves, totaling its holdings to almost 40,000 BTC, or roughly $1.67 billion. “The Hash” group discusses the lack of a bitcoin price reaction to LFG’s purchases, the correlation of bitcoin to traditional markets and the “tribal nature of crypto.”


