Bitcoin higher, Ethereum, Dogecoin lower early Saturday

Bitcoin was trading over 1.5% higher on Saturday morning.

The price was around $ 48,670 per coin (+.67%), while rivals Ethereum and Dogecoin were trading around $ 3,520 (-0.19%) and 24.4 cents (-2, respectively), respectively. 95%) per piece, according to Coindesk.

FIDELITY LOBBIES SEC FOR BITCOIN ETF

The Biden administration is preparing a series of actions, including sanctions, to make it harder for hackers to use digital currency to profit from ransomware attacks, according to people familiar with the matter.

The government hopes to prevent access to a form of payment that has supported a burgeoning criminal industry and a growing threat to national security.

The Treasury Department plans to impose the penalties as early as next week, the people said, and will issue new guidance to businesses on the risks associated with facilitating ransomware payments, including fines and other penalties. Later this year, expected new rules against money laundering and terrorist financing will seek to limit the use of cryptocurrency as a payment mechanism in ransomware attacks and other illicit activities.

In other cryptocurrency news, shortly after Texas securities regulators ordered cryptocurrency lender Celsius to appear in New Jersey court, that state also filed a cease and desist order. and to abstain, Coindesk reported.

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“If you are selling securities in NJ, you must comply with NJ securities laws. And that includes those operating in the cryptocurrency market,” tweeted New Jersey Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck. . “Our Bureau of Securities has ordered a New Jersey-based company – Celsius – to stop offering interest-bearing accounts.”