Bitcoin touches $2,400; Japan probes exchanges
Investors were skimming profits on Thursday after the benchmark digital currency bounced one day before. The bitcoin was looking to breach above the $2,400 mark and the 100-day moving average on main platforms as an important resistance level, while market watchers were digesting news that Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) has almost a dozen companies in crosshairs for inquiries as they aspire to make their exchanges mainstream.
The authorities are looking into user protection to avoid implosions such as the one that has taken out Mt. Gox. BitFlyer and Coincheck, which accounted for more than two thirds and 16%, respectively, of the volume in yen transactions in the past 24 hours, are included in inspections. Meanwhile, South Korea is preparing to allow international transfer operations by financial technology operators. The small-scale activities will cover wiring up to $3,000 per account, and up to $20,000 in total per year. In other news, Swiss bank Falcon Group introduced bitcoin asset management services.
One coin bought $2,365 or 0.48% down in the session. The exchange rate against the euro was virtually unchanged at 2,086.541, after climbing to as high as 2,113.541. The bitcoin slipped 1.18% to 16,799.99 yuan.