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July 5th - George Gonsalves, head of U.S. macro strategy at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Americas, said that Warshs concise style makes the June meeting minutes more significant than usual, providing a valuable perspective on the differing positions among Federal Reserve officials. "The minutes will become even more important because, until now, we didnt know what the Fed was thinking," Gonsalves said. "It will be very enlightening to see how they debated and what they focused on." He added that some investors have questioned Warshs "hands-off" approach, and many want greater transparency. Many market participants are not used to reduced information and remain quite skeptical about how long the Fed can maintain this stance. Now we can only try to decipher the meaning between the lines.On July 5th, local time, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated in a broadcast that Ukrainian armed forces have intensified their attacks on Russian infrastructure due to the deteriorating situation on the front lines. The Russian military is establishing a secure buffer zone along the border, and concrete results are already visible. He also stated that Russian troops are steadily advancing according to plan in special military operations areas. Peskov stated that the EUs transformation into a military-political bloc has further exacerbated the Ukraine issue. Russia hopes the EU will not undermine the prospects for peace negotiations. Peskov also stated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations and looks forward to the US playing a mediating role. Russia has always welcomed visits from US Presidential Envoy Witkov and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner. Even with their extended absence, Russia continues to maintain contact with the US through existing channels.July 5 - According to sources from the Yemeni military and medical departments, Houthi rebels launched an attack on Hodeidah province on the Red Sea coast on July 4, killing at least 14 Yemeni government soldiers and injuring several others.According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the Iranian International Maritime Bureau stated that maritime trade between Qatars Ruves port and Iranian ports has resumed.Iraqi Oil Minister: Crude oil production at the Sinbad oil field will reach 80,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, with associated gas production increasing by approximately 260 million standard cubic feet per day.

Bitcoin Lightning Network-Based Strike Can Rival Visa – MS

Cory Russell

Apr 25, 2022 09:49

Morgan Stanley is optimistic about the bitcoin Lightning Network's potential as a consumer payment option.


They believe Strike, a Lightning Network-based payment technology, can compete with or even outperform Visa in the digital payments market.


Strike has partnered with Shopify and NCR, the world's leading supplier of point-of-sale payment solutions.


Morgan Stanley published a new analysis on the Lightning Network, bitcoin's Layer 2 fast payment system, and its potential to enable a "long-term move towards payments and settlements utilizing digital and cryptocurrencies rather than fiat currencies like the US dollar."


Morgan Stanley's positive analysis on the Lightning Network's potential for broader adoption comes after Strike, a US-based digital payments platform built on top of bitcoin's Lightning Network, announced earlier this month a new integration agreement with e-commerce giant Shopify.


Customers who paid in bitcoin will now be able to receive payments in US dollars from US Shopify businesses. Strike has announced collaborations with NCR, the world's leading supplier of point-of-sale (PoS) payment services.

Morgan Stanley Believes That Lightning Network Will Be Able to Compete With Visa

Morgan Stanley outlined why it believes Strike, a Lightning Network-based digital payment network, can compete with or perhaps exceed Visa in its recent study.


Morgan Stanley observes that "in essence, Strike is directly competing with Visa Direct, which provides real-time settlement," adding that "the primary distinction for merchants will be paid a significantly lower transaction cost."


"The customer advantage is that they may, if they choose, host their bitcoin on a private, secure network, enabling an element of secrecy connected with their transaction," the bank says.


Morgan Stanley emphasizes the importance of Strike's cooperation with NCR. "NCR software is used by one in every six PoS devices worldwide," the bank says, "so this news is important even if just a tiny percentage of retail businesses opt to add crypto capabilities."

Cons of Making Bitcoin Payments

The Morgan Stanley analysis points out some of the disadvantages of utilizing a bitcoin-based payment system, such as the cryptocurrency's underlying volatility on a day-to-day basis, which makes forecasting future buying power problematic.


Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley says that existing tax regulations, which require users to pay capital gains taxes on cryptocurrencies they sell, are a barrier to greater acceptance of bitcoin as a widely used means of exchange.


The bank, on the other hand, mentions the Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act, which has been introduced in the US Congress. If passed, the law would exclude personal bitcoin transactions from taxation as long as the profits are less than $200.


Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, cautions that this plan may meet criticism, particularly from anti-crypto members of Congress, since it serves to establish bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) as credible alternatives to the US currency.


The Morgan Stanley analysis "suggests we are at the beginning of an age when more and more people may opt to pay for items using Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies over time," according to Alex Gladstein, who summarized it on Twitter.

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