South Korea taking steps to ban Bitcoin. The news shining a light on regulation of cryptocurrency, and ways government can and would step in. InfoTech's President and CEO Matti Kon explains the need for regulation for potential dangers in this space.
Kon explains that governments cracking down on the crypto space is not a new thing. What is different in this case is the amount of power and weight South Korea holds in the field. The obsession with cryptocurrency has hit strikingly high numbers. This meant the crypto industry took a hit after the South Korea news.
South Korea also has a high unemployment rate. For some in the country, the obsession spilled into an opportunity to bring in revenue.
On the negative side of crypto trading, Kon explains that cryptocurrencies do have ties to the dark web and dark activity. Cryptocurrency is helping to fund crime around the world.
Amid weeks of recent controversy, Facebook this week announced it would be changing its corporate name to Meta as it pivots to the metaverse and virtual reality products. Dan Ives, Managing Director of Equity Research at Wedbush Securities, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the rebrand, whether chief Mark Zuckerberg can separate his identity from the company, and what the rebrand means for shareholders.
Cryptocurrency platform Blockchain.com launched margin trading on its exchange earlier this month. The company's Chief Business Officer, Lane Kasselman, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how margin trading works in the crypto space and what users will be able to do on the platform.
Apple reported strong fourth quarter earnings, but sales fell below expectations. CEO Tim Cook said chip shortages and manufacturing delays cost the company $6 billion. The issues have led to the newly-launched iPhone 13 Pro being in short supply around the world, as well as to back orders for Apple's new Macbook Pro. Exponential Investment Partners Managing Partner Kevin Riley joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Electric bike company Dance recently raised $19.4 million, just weeks after rolling out its e-bike subscription service in Berlin. Dance allows users to subscribe to use an e-bike for around €79, or about $91, a month. Dance says its subscription model allows the company to reuse and refurbish its products, and further its mission to build more sustainable and livable cities. Dance founder and CEO Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Project management platform ClickUp raised $400 million in Series C funding this week, and founder and CEO Zeb Evans joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about taking the added funds to help make the workplace more efficient by being a one-stop-shop for office needs. He also discussed a growing demand for his company's services during the pandemic as companies seek solutions to keep their employees on the same page.
How much real money would you pay for a virtual plot of land? Developing technology is introducing everyone in the real world to new, virtual worlds, like Decentraland. In this metaverse economy, users are buying virtual real estate at high value – and it’s not just the average Joe that’s looking to invest. Company's like Facebook are betting big.
The dating app Hinge says it's taking online dating to the next level by introducing a voice prompt feature for profiles. Michelle Parsons, chief product officer, joined Cheddar to talk about providing the question prompts for users to make accounts more personable in their own voice. She also went into how much the pandemic has had an impact on engagement.
TikTok is testing out a new program that would allow creators to receive tips for their posted content. The video-sharing platform also said it will allow creators to retain 100 percent of their tipped revenue.