Last week in review: Greenpeace launches campaign to change Bitcoin code

Last week saw a mixed spread of highs and lows in the world of crypto, from the continued spread of inflation and conflict in Ukraine to the nineteen millionth Bitcoin released into circulation on Friday. 

Headlines were equally split, with record-breaking investments in institutional crypto funds and a report anticipating mainstream adoption contrasting with a campaign launched by Greenpeace to change Bitcoin’s code and the EU’s potential new bill banning anonymous crypto transactions.

There’s never a dull moment in crypto. Here are our top headlines from last week.

Institutional crypto funds see record-breaking capital inflows from Europe, latest research shows

What

Digital asset investment products saw inflows of $193m last week, the largest since December of last year, with the majority coming from Europe

Why

Analysts have said European firms may have gained confidence after a bill banning the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus algorithm used in Bitcoin mining did not pass

What next

The figures represent a geographic shift from the data the week prior, which saw $49.4 million withdrawn from BTC and ETH from mostly North American firms with concerns regarding increasing crypto regulations

Read the full story here

Greenpeace launches campaign to change Bitcoin code

What

Greenpeace, along with other climate groups, has launched a new campaign to change Bitcoin to a more environmentally friendly consensus protocol

Why

Greenpeace says that the energy required to mine Bitcoin comes mostly from fossil fuels

What next

The campaign plans to launch a series of adverts putting pressure on well-known crypto boosters, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who it says have a “responsibility to help clean up Bitcoin”

Read the full story here

Study Shows Professional Investors Anticipate Mainstream Adoption

What 

A survey conducted by Nickel Digital Asset Management (Nickels) found that 84% of respondents anticipate wider use of cryptocurrencies in the investment space

Why 

The survey was conducted among 200 wealth managers and institutional allocators who are influential in their fields

What next 

The participants foresee mainstream adoption of digital assets and anticipate wider use cases

Read the full story here

EU parliament approves bill banning anonymous crypto transactions for final vote

What

European Union (EU) lawmakers have voted in favour of banning anonymous crypto transactions and extending AML requirements

Why 

National governments said in December they wanted to remove the previous €1,000 threshold for crypto, on the basis that digital payments can easily circumvent the limit

What next

The plans have yet to be agreed on by both the parliament and national ministers, who meet as the EU Council, in order to pass into law

Read the full story here

To catch up on other big stories from last week, be sure to check these headlines:

Terraform Labs’ $135M Bitcoin buy was just 0.6% of daily trading volume

Bitcoin’s network effect is not a Ponzi scheme