The public launch marks a key milestone in Bitget’s evolution into a Universal Exchange (UEX). After opening beta access in December, more than 80,000 users joined the waitlist to explore trading beyond crypto, validating strong demand for a single platform that connects digital assets with traditional markets.

Activity during the test phase exceeded expectations, highlighted by XAU/USD recording over $100 million in single-day trading volume, one of the strongest performances seen during the beta period.

With the beta insights now baked into the product, Bitget TradFi is entering full public availability with a broader lineup and refined execution. Users can trade 79 instruments spanning metals, forex, indices, and commodities, all settled in USDT and accessed directly from their existing Bitget accounts. The experience is designed to feel familiar to crypto-native traders while opening the door to macro-driven strategies without the need to switch platforms.

This launch also reinforces Bitget’s UEX (Universal Exchange) vision, where trading is no longer segmented by asset class.

By bringing gold, forex, and commodities into the same ecosystem as crypto, Bitget is positioning itself as a platform built for how modern traders actually think about risk, diversification, and opportunity. Deep liquidity, tight spreads, and flexible leverage options were refined during the beta based on real user feedback, ensuring the product is ready to scale.

“Traders want the flexibility to choose between assets in a unified ecosystem,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “They want the freedom to move between crypto and traditional markets as conditions change. TradFi going public is about giving them that accessibility in one place, without friction.”

With TradFi now fully live, Bitget continues to expand what a crypto exchange can be. The move signals a broader shift in how exchanges are evolving, not just as venues for speculation, but as comprehensive gateways to global markets under a single, unified trading experience.

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to Bitget’s Terms of Use.

It is vital note that the drive to towards renewable energy places mineral at the frontal role. Each type of renewable energy uses critical minerals in varying quantities, depending on the properties needed.

Aluminium and copper are most common in solar energy; iron and zinc in wind energy; nickel and chromium in geothermal energy; and graphite, nickel, and cobalt in producing electric batteries.

But what are those critical material ??? According to the World’s Economic Forum,  they are;

1. Lithium

Lithium is a vital ingredient for energy storage in both batteries and electric vehicles. It is deemed a “pillar for a fossil fuel-free economy” by the United Nations, lithium is expected to  replace fossil fuels as the world’s dominant commodity in coming years as demand for the alkali metal grows.

Already a major component of the electric mobility movement, lithium and the batteries it powers is integral to both the transport and energy sectors.

However, while the use of lithium-ion batteries is well known within the electric vehicle sector, why is lithium important for renewable energy?

As many people know, the global demand for lithium is on the rise, driven by the increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy storage solutions.

Without lithium, the efficiency and ability to implement renewable energy will be limited. As such, the element is critical to the development of low-carbon power opportunities across the world, and will dictate how fast the global transition can happen.

Especially for nations with high intermittency, increasing energy needs, or demand for self-reliance, lithium-ion batteries for energy storage provide the perfect solution to maximize the use of solar, wind, and tidal energy and dependency on fossil fuels.

The shift to renewable power can only be successful with the use of lithium.

The negotiations that took place at the 2021 UN climate conference (COP26) showcased the steps needed to reach net-zero goals: improving renewable energy infrastructure, divesting from fossil fuels, increasing renewable energy capacity, and developing energy storage systems for grid-scale use.

2. Cobalt

Cobalt is crucial in helping batteries charge and discharge effectively. Cobalt is used in many alloys & super alloys to make parts in aircraft engines, gas turbines, high-speed steels, corrosion-resistant alloys, and cemented carbides; it is used in magnets and magnetic recording media. It is also used as a catalyst for the petroleum and chemical industries.

Cobalt plays an important role in renewable biogas technology. Biogas is a methane-based energy carrier and is widely used for delocalised electricity and heat production or as a renewable replacement for natural gas.

Biogas is an environmental technology which produces energy-rich gases by degrading complex organic materials including those found in landfill waste, sewage sludge, bio-waste treatment and certain species of crops.

The fermentation involved in biogas production can be improved by adding small amounts of cobalt sulphate, cobalt chloride, cobalt carbonate,

3. Copper

Copper is a highly efficient conduit, it is used in renewable energy systems to generate power from solar, hydro, thermal and wind energy across the world. Copper helps reduce CO2 emissions and lowers the amount energy needed to produce electricity.

In many renewable energy systems, there is 6 times more copper than in traditional systems. Copper is one of the best renewable resources.

It is one of the few materials that can be recycled over and over again without a loss in performance.

Renewable energy sources provide nearly one-quarter of the world’s power, and copper plays an important role in making it as efficient as possible with minimal impact on the environment.

Copper is well-known for its strong sustainability credentials. Not only is the red metal supporting the shift to a circular economy, but it’s also helping to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

A key component of electrical wiring, copper plays an important role in the capture, storage and transmission of renewable energy.  Meanwhile, the demand for copper is already on the rise and will continue to grow as the green energy transition gathers pace.

4. Nickel

Nickel is a core component in both batteries and wind turbines. The role of nickel within the renewable energy revolution explores how the industry is working to mitigate its environmental impact.

As the global society makes strides towards a more sustainable future, certain industries and their components have been thrust to the forefront of these efforts.

The metals industry, with a particular emphasis on nickel, plays an essential role in supporting this progression. This is primarily due to its extensive utilization of renewable energy technologies and battery production.

These technologies are key elements in implementing clean energy solutions such as geothermal power, electric vehicles (EVs), and nuclear energy, among others.

Notwithstanding its inherently energy-intensive production process, nickel’s recyclability makes it instrumental in fostering a circular economy where resources are used optimally, and waste generation is minimised.

5. Rare earth metals

Rare earth minerals are major components of renewable energy technologies, however, the types and quantity of minerals required vary by technology.

Neodymium and praseodymium, for example, are used in the production of magnets which are key to the operation of wind turbines and EV motors.

Those elements strengthen the magnets, while other minerals (dysprosium and terbium) make them resistant to demagnetization.

Likewise, while silicon is still the dominant semiconductor metal used in solar PV cells, rare earth minerals cadmium and gallium are increasingly being used due to their conductive deficiencies.

Without an abundance of rare earth minerals, renewable energy technologies would not exist in their current form or would be highly inefficient when compared with traditional generation methods such as oil, coal and gas.

Similarly, technological advancements such as those between silicon solar PV and cadmium or gallium solar PV cells, could not occur.

It is due to the availability of large amounts of rare earth minerals for use in renewable energy technologies (and other technology advancements) that the market and quality of renewable energy sources have been able to flourish.

For records, the United States has the world’s largest proven coal reserves. It is also rich in copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber, and arable land.

Again, Russia’s natural resources reserves are worth $75 trillion by Statista’s estimate. This amount incorporates, among other things, coal, oil, natural gas, gold, timber, and rare earth metals.

Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment estimated the total value of the country’s mineral reserves at the end of 2018 to equal $1.44 trillion.

It also holds the world’s largest proved natural gas reserves at 1.32 quadrillion cubic feet, accounting for nearly 20% of the global total as of 2020.

Russia also has the second largest gold reserves at 6,800 tons, or more than 13% of global total as of 2023. Russia was the world’s third-largest crude oil producer at 12% of global supply in 2020.

Russia proved oil reserves were the world’s sixth largest at an estimated 107.8 billion barrels. In industrial diamonds, the country accounted for 37% of 2022 global production and 46% of the commodity’s reserves.

[Featured Image Credit]

YOUR VIEW: Which of these materials do you think will affect global economy the most?

This success is a testament to the resilience and creativity of Nigerian musicians.

We boast of musicians like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Rema, Ayra Star, Asake, and hundreds of top artists.

However, these artists’ success is not solely based on their talent but on their ability to research, develop ideas, release songs, and then capitalize on feedback from us, the listeners.

This process is similar to the method employed by designers: DESIGN THINKING.

We will look at case studies of several musicians to see how they came into the limelight, evolved, created a niche for themselves, etc, and how that has worked out so far.

Artists Who Came Into The Limelight and Capitalized on Repetition

We have many talented artists here in Nigeria, some of whom capitalized on the fact that a particular beat gained more traction than expected. Some others rode on the fact that genres, styles, and perhaps lines in lyrics brought them a lot of listeners.

We can argue that musicians should just do what they love and not be confined to a particular style or beat because some people like it.

Others can argue that you should not go into music because of money but because of passion. However, whatever the reason, the most important thing is to remain relevant. Taking advantage of listeners’ feedback is a crucial step in doing just that.

Let’s take a closer look at Kizz Daniel, for example. He entered the Nigerian music industry with his first hit song, “Woju,” in 2014. At that time, it was harder to make hit songs than it is now.

So, we can’t blame him and his team for trying to hold onto the cause of the instant popularity and recognition: his beat. But what’s truly impressive is how he and his team adapted. In less than a year of when “Woju” was released, he released another single, “Laye.”

Social media was becoming a thing then, so many people could air out what they had to say. As people were praising him, there were also people calling him out that he was simply messing with the same beat over and over again.

People said this owing to three hits, “Woju,” “Woju remix,” and “Laye” having the same beat.

Let’s take into cognisance that before Kizz Daniel recorded WOJU, his dad wanted him to do his masters, and he told his dad that he should give him one year to try music. If it did not work out, he would go and do his masters.

And if it did, he would take care of the family with the money he made. With this condition added to his peculiar voice, I think he would have checked out what would probably appeal to listeners.

He would’ve gone through all the stages of design thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test.

After such a positive response to Woju, his team would have indirectly listened to the diverse reactions to his music, both positive and negative, to understand the audience’s perspectives. In this case, he released “Laye” to feed off the positive responses. This can be called the empathize stage.

Next, the define stage. After receiving some criticism about “Laye,” they would have had to identify how they needed to keep expanding his audience, retain his unique music style (which draws listeners), and use other beats.

During the ideate stage, Kizz Daniel, his music team, and his marketing team had to brainstorm how to experiment with beats, melodies, and lyrics while still maintaining that Chef’s Kizz.

After the idea stage, the ideas must be brought to life – they need to be prototyped. This is where his team’s musicians and producers combined different instrumentation, melodies, and timing to create the perfect track.

Last is the testing stage. This is where they must have called trusted people, stakeholders, and close fans and played different tracks that were made.

The aim is to look for loopholes and positive criticism. The whole process is an iterative one, and this is what led to his next hit, “Mama.” However, this is how he has been able to release hit songs back to back. Ten years later, the “Buga crooner” is still very relevant to the music industry.

A similar example is Asake. I don’t think anyone who listens to Nigerian music needs to think twice about who’s on a track when a particular beat comes up, and they hear “Ololade mi Asake”. Some people say Asake got his first breakout success with his track, “Lady” in 2020.

Asake says he first came into the limelight after he dropped a freestyle with his friend and producer, Magicsticks, titled “Mr money.”

I would say Asake actually came into the limelight in 2022. A few hours after he launched his debut album in September 2022, it became the top album in Nigeria.

We are in 2024, and there is hardly a social gathering where an Asake song won’t be played. Asake has not changed his style or his beats from Afrobeat. In fact, he now blends “Amapiano” beats with afrobeat. Asake and his team know what appeals to listeners.

They know whoever listens to his music loves how he highlights his life experiences, speaks on present realities, and evokes the hustle spirit in Nigerians. Therefore, he repeats that style.

Comparing this to the stages of design thinking, we can see that his team researched, saw how Amapiano started trending in Nigeria, and calculated the right time to start blending it in his songs in 2023.

They also looked at issues they may face while trying to add Amapiano to his style. After gathering and stating the problems, they must have come up with solutions or alternatives to those problems.

Also, they would have gotten experts (if they did not already have) to make several Amapiano beats to be tested. Different beats would have been sampled, and producers would have infused and mixed Afrobeats and Amapiano.

Then, his marketing team would have gathered a close circle of people to have a sort of listening party to get positive and not-so-positive feedback so this feedback could be noted and improved before the final release.

This repetitive process has helped Asake and other artists remain relevant despite the changes in the Nigerian Industry. It works like magic!

Artists Who Adapted and Evolved With The Times

Some artists “changed” their style, beats, manner of lyrics, etc, and some others refused to.

Adekunle Gold has always been an interesting topic when discussing how artists have evolved. As usual, people have their opinions about other people, but I do not blame Adekunle Gold for changing his brand to AG Baby.

You need to be smart as an artist. Read what is happening, look at what is taking over, and how you can blend into it; if you can.

That is exactly what he did. He took a calculated risk based on metrics and feedback of Afropop and Afrobeat songs and fully delved into it.

AG started music long ago but first got recognised by his hit song in 2014, “Sade.” Sade was an alternative or cover to the famous One Direction’s “Story of My Life.”

Growing up listening to Nigerian Juju music, AG started his art with Yoruba Indigenous sounds like “Orente,” “Ariwo ko,” “Nurse Alabere,” “Ire” and many others.

His audience ranged from young people to older people and then elderly people, with the majority being 30+.

Adekunle Gold released two studio albums: GOLD and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, between 2016 and 2018. His audience kept growing and then he decided to do something different.

He became AG Baby. Not only his name but also his looks, music style, features, beats, and everything that could be identified with Adekunle Gold became AG Baby.

The idea behind this was to move from a lovelorn lover to a hitmaker whose desires and dreams could not but be met and achieved.

He and his team first researched the Afropop and Afrobeat genres. They must have researched the key pioneers, musical characteristics (instrumentation, rhythm, vocal style), global influence and popularity, and societal influence.

This is similar to the Empathize stage in design thinking. It focuses on user research and dropping all sorts of sentiments and assumptions.

Next, they must have gathered their findings and combined them to notice patterns or problems that could arise. Designers call this the define stage.

In his case, this could involve identifying problems like new instrumentation and adjusting lyrical content that could arise during this transition to Afropop and Afrobeat.

Also, the team would have had to brainstorm and experiment with infusing elements of Afropop and Afrobeat while maintaining his authenticity.

This may involve ideas on how to draw inspiration from diverse sources, including traditional African rhythms, contemporary pop trends, and personal experiences, to conceive new melodies, rhythms, and lyrical themes that fans would love. This is known as the ideate stage.

The next stage is the prototype stage. AG and his team used this stage to produce demo tracks and further flesh out their ideas with different instrumentation, arrangement, and production techniques.

The last stage is the testing stage. This is where he and his team gather a select audience, perform a live performance, or get a focus group that can give constructive criticism and feedback before releasing the track(s) to the general audience.

This stage serves as a critical checkpoint in the transition process, allowing AG Baby to validate his musical direction, refine his vision, and ensure his target audience loves his new type of music.

Rema’s Switch From Trap To Afrobeat

A lot of people are unaware that Rema did not start with Afrobeat. Rema started his career with songs like American Love, Trap out the Submarine, Boulevard, Why, and Spider-Man, which are all trap songs. He was pretty good at it.

However, something clicked. Maybe it was the fact that Nigerian rap wasn’t selling if it was not indigenous rap.

He then looked inward to see whether he could diversify to what Nigerians were in love with in late 2020: Afrobeat.

Now, Rema has several songs, nominations, and awards from Afrobeat. This includes his most popular song, “Calm Down”.

“Calm Down” has shattered numerous records, including becoming the most-streamed Afrobeats song on Spotify and the first African artist-led track to amass one billion streams on the platform.

The song also became the first to spend a year on the Billboard Afrobeats chart. With over 673 million views, its YouTube video is the most-watched music video by a Nigerian artist.

This would not have been possible if he had not stopped to think about what people are listening to now and how he can appeal to people’s tastes and even create his niche (Afro rave) in that space (Afrobeat).

How It Has Worked Out For The Nigerian Music Industry So Far

Although the Nigerian music industry may not explicitly call the process Design Thinking, the process of stopping to analyse feedback from listeners and adjusting based on the perception of what listeners want uses the principles and stages of Design Thinking.

However, this has helped put Nigeria up there regarding music. The likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Tems, and Tiwa Savage have consistently remained relevant globally.

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About the Writer:

Oluwaseyi Olowu is a product designer crafting tomorrow: designing solutions today.

It’s reputed to be the second largest religion in the world. Yet, this enormous population has been excluded from decentralized finance. What about DeFi and Cryptocurrency going against Sharia law?

What are the Islamic financial principles and why are some crypto(s) deemed haram? Are decentralized financial tools considered hala and if so, which ones and why? 

These and many others questions have more often than none divide Muslim Scholars, expert in Islamic Finance and many others, with each providing different solution from different vantage points.

The perspectives make the bugging open ended, debatable and not a kind of Yes/No stance.

Perhaps, cryptocurrency is one of the wonderful invention of the 21st Century, coming closely after the internet revolution and other invention of significance.

A wonderful invention or “financial Instrument” in the sense of its so many unanswered questions, inferred cum implied answers among other things surrounding it.

As of 2023, data reveal that global crypto ownership rates at an average of 4.2%, with over 420 million crypto users worldwide.

Just as the consumers from countries in Africa, Asia, and South America were projected to most likely to be an owners of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, in 2023.

This conclusion was reached after combining 55 different surveys from the Statista’s Consumer Insights over the course of that year.

Nearly one out of three respondents to Statista’s survey in Nigeria, mentioned they either owned or use a digital coin, as opposed to six out of 100 respondents in the United States.

This is a significant change from a list that looks at the Bitcoin (BTC) trading volume in 44 countries: There, the United States and Russia were said to have traded the highest amounts of this particular virtual coin.

Nevertheless, African and Latin American countries are noticeable entries in that list too.

But are there insightful guide to lay hold on from the holy books most especially Qua-ran, to lay hold on, on the subject matter of discuss?

As a complete book, reputed to having an accurate record of the past and setting the pace for the future, like on any other subject for which it has always been an encyclopaedia of truth,  it does offers some insightful  tips on  money, and management matters.

One of such, is Quran 2: 276:  “Allah will deprived usury of all blessings, but will give increase for good deeds of charity” a foot note explanation of the above pointed out that  Allah’s messenger, cursed the accepter  of interest and it payers, and one who record it, and the two witness; and he said they are equal.

Islam is clear on some social, economic and political issues. For instance, the free market principle is not an Islamic principle.

Islam considers commodities that can be used as currency: Gold, (Dinar), Silver ( Silver Dirham), Dates, Wheat, Barley, and salt.

The mentioned six items are derived from a hadith – Gold, Silver, Dates, Wheat, Barley, and Salt and were used for money in barter system; as the items mentioned in Hadith, also known as Sunnah money.

On the other side, paper money or electronic money can be used as long as, it is backed by one of these commodities at a ‘fixed exchange rates’ (in order words the paper is just a contract stipulating that the bearer can redeem the paper for a fixed measure (weight) of that particular commodity.

It is interesting to know that until 1971 most of the currencies of the world were backed by gold.

However, only, government could redeem paper, not an average citizen. The price of commodity is set by the market as long as fiat currency (paper) is not used.

The price / value of commodities can be manipulated, adjusted by the creators of fiat money (by virtue of the market law of supply and demand).

What remains indisputable is the fact that, as interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies rises, so have the questions of Muslim investors wondering if they can invest in them while adhering to the principles of their faith.

In particular, is cryptocurrency halal — that is, “permissible” according to the Quran – or should ethical Muslims put their money elsewhere?

In the following paragraph, I shall present scholarly thought on the subject of our examination leaving the critical definition to your discretion. .

In 2018, Mufti Muhammad Abu Bakar, a Sharia adviser and compliance officer at Blossom Finance in Jakarta, published a popular paper that affirmed that bitcoin is halal, a paper which many believe could be the reason for the surge in the price of bitcoin that followed.

Shortly after the paper titled ‘Shariah Analysis of Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and Blockchain Mufti Muhammad Abu-Bakar’, was published, a mosque in London started accepting Bitcoin for donations and Zakat contributions.

Today, many Islamic scholars and jurists that sit on the boards of national advisory teams, such as in Egypt and Turkey, do not consider cryptocurrency as halal for various reasons.

Mufti Taqi Usmani, a former judge of the supreme court of Pakistan, is representative of this side of the debate.

“Currencies are originally a medium of exchange, and making them a tradable commodity for profit earning is against the philosophy of Islamic economics”, Mufti Usmani said, ‘In Shariah, there is no valid reason to accept bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as a currency. It is just an imaginary number, which is generated through a complex mathematical process. It is purchased for gambling or speculations, and used in illegal or unlawful transactions”.

But to Mufti Shawki Allam, the current Grand Mufti of Egypt, agrees.

“In my opinion, trading in cryptocurrency is haram,” Mufti Allam said. “This is because it is not approved by legitimate bodies, such as Treasury Departments of States, as an acceptable medium of exchange. Such currencies lead to ease in contraband trade and money laundering, and they amount to gambling”. 

The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey also believes that “since cryptocurrencies are open to speculation, mostly used for illegal deeds, and far from state auditing and supervision, their trading is not appropriate at this point, in the light of Shariah.”

It is true that cryptocurrencies are not under the control of a central authority. Even though many countries are seeking to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies, they remain, by their very nature, decentralized.  As a result of the decentralisation and anonymity of cryptocurrencies, some bad actors have indeed used them to facilitate illegal transactions.

“The illicit use of cryptocurrencies are predominantly associated with money laundering purposes, the (online) trade of illicit goods and services, and fraud,” according to Europol, the Eu’s agency for law enforcement. An academic study published by Oxford Academic in 2019 also found that 25% of bitcoin users are involved in illegal activities, valued at $76 billion annually, constituting about 46% of all bitcoin transactions.

Furthermore, the Islamic Economic Forum, of Islamic Economists and Jurists, argues that “a cryptocurrency is permissible as long as it doesn’t breach Islamic prohibitions on interest, contractual uncertainty, and gambling,” says Dr. Humayon Dar, the director general of the Cambridge Institute of Islamic Finance and an Islamic finance product development specialist.

Dr. Humayon also agrees, even though he believes that the ambiguity and uncertainty around cryptocurrencies should lead to caution in assigning them any “halal” tag.

According to Sharia law, a contract is valid if there is a consideration, referred to as Mal. That is, there must be an exchange of something real that can be owned, possessed, stored, and traded. Since cryptos are real digital assets that can be owned, possessed, and stored on wallets and traded on exchanges, some Islamic scholars consider them halal.

Other Scholars also posited that the absence of interest (riba) is a core principle of Islamic finance.

Since cryptocurrencies do not charge interest, some Islamic scholars consider them halal. While cryptocurrencies are speculative, some experts, such as Mufti Abu-Bakar, a scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence, have argued that all financial assets are speculative. Even stocks, which are widely considered as being “halal”, can have significant volatility.

However, when it comes to Finance or investment concern, does religion matters?

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has banned cryptocurrency trading.

The Indonesian Ulema Council cited “elements of uncertainty and harm” within cryptocurrency, and the fact that it doesn’t have “a physical form, a clear value, [or] a known exact amount.”

The implication is that cryptocurrency that meets governmental rules will be allowed.

Another Islamic scholar, Dr Anas Amatayakul, advises that Muslims avoid buying or trading cryptocurrency “for now.” This leaves room for further innovation in cryptocurrency for Muslims — better regulation and less volatility may make the use of Crypto more permissible.

The most direct cost of widespread adoption of a crypto asset such as Bitcoin is to macroeconomic stability.

If goods and services were priced in both a real currency and a crypto asset, households and businesses would spend significant time and resources choosing which money to hold as opposed to engaging in productive activities.

Similarly, government revenues would be exposed to exchange rate risk if taxes were quoted in advance in a crypto asset, while expenditures remained mostly in the local currency, or vice versa.

But what is the position of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about the subject of Cryptocurrency?

IMF has laid out a nine-point action plan for how countries should treat crypto assets, with point number one a plea not to give cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin legal tender status.

The global lender of last resort said its executive board had discussed a paper, “Elements of Effective Policies for Crypto Assets,” that provided “guidance to IMF member countries on key elements of an appropriate policy response to crypto assets”.

Such efforts have become a priority for authorities, the fund said, after the collapse of a number of crypto exchanges and assets over the last couple of years, adding that doing nothing was now “untenable”. The top recommendation was to “safeguard monetary sovereignty and stability by strengthening monetary policy frameworks and do not grant crypto assets official currency or legal tender status.”

The IMF had hit out at El Salvador in late 2021 when the central American country became the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, a move since copied by the Central African Republic.

Other advice, which comes as G20 decision-makers meet in India, included guarding against excessive capital flows, adopting unambiguous tax rules and laws around crypto assets, and developing and enforcing oversight requirements for all crypto market actors.

Countries should also establish international arrangements to enhance supervision and enforce regulations, the IMF added, as well as set up ways to monitor crypto’s effect on the stability of the global monetary system.

Outlining its executive board’s assessment, the IMF said directors welcomed the proposals and agreed the widespread adoption of crypto assets “could undermine the effectiveness of monetary policy, circumvent capital flow management measures, and exacerbate fiscal risks”.

They “generally agreed,” too, that crypto assets should not be granted official currency or legal tender status, and though strict bans of assets are “not the first-best option,” a few directors thought they should not be ruled out.

One of the crucial questions many people have asked in the past is how much 30 pieces of Silver are worth in today’s market. That is the figure Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples collected from the Chief Priest to betray him.

According to the Silver Institute’s December 2022 supply and demand report, global physical silver demand in 2022 is expected to increase by 16% over the previous year’s level of 1.046 billion ounces to a record high of 1.21 billion ounces.

Determining the Value

Although it is crucial to comprehend the value – the real value of these coins rests in their symbolic importance as the price for Jesus Christ’s betrayal, not in their monetary value.

The price of 30 pieces of Silver will vary depending on some parameters, including the place and time of the transaction, the purity of the silver, labor, the cost of living in Jerusalem, and the piece weight.

Without more details, it is difficult to give a specific response because the price of silver has historically changed over time.

However, it is estimated that 30 pieces of Silver would be valued between $600 and $900 in today’s US Dollars if we assume the Silver coins were the common denarii used in ancient Rome and account for inflation and the metal’s fluctuating value.

On the other hand, at the time Priests demanded Tyrian Shekels as payment for the temple tax because they had the highest Silver content of any currency at 94%. This coin has 14 grams of Silver in it.

Today’s spot price for Silver is $.65 per gram. The Silver in these 30 coins would be worth $336 today. This would amount to N156,240, the official rate.

According to APMEX Investments, Silver spot price fluctuates constantly, making it important for investors to stay informed on current events, market conditions, and other performance indicators, as they affect both the  selling and purchasing of silver.