Alibaba Bans Sale of Mining Rigs, Senator Ted Cruz Opposes Joe Biden’s Pick: Crypto News Digest by U.Today

U.Today has prepared its news digest with the most important events in the world of crypto over the past day.

Chainlink whales purchase $1.45 billion in LINK

As reported by on-chain analytics data vendor Santiment, Chainlink whales purchased LINK coins from short-term investors, also known as “weak hands,” last week. Large crypto investors have added 3.4% of the total Chainlink supply to their crypto funds, which equals a staggering $1.45 billion in fiat.

Meanwhile, Chainlink continues establishing new partnerships: the most recent one was scored with Cardano during Cardano Summit 2021. The LINK price, however, has not spiked on the news; after rising to the $25.39 level on Sept. 27, the coin has been dropping.

Alibaba to stop selling crypto mining rigs

Alibaba, one of the largest suppliers of crypto mining gear in China, has announced that, in order to continue operating in the country, it will ban the sale of cryptocurrency mining rigs. This means that any kind of software or hardware used for cryptocurrency mining will no longer be on sale on the company’s website. The change will take effect on Oct. 8, 2021.

Alibaba assured its users that it will keep track of changes to the law in China and adjust its control policies accordingly.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz urges a stop to the nomination of Saule Omarova

According to a recent tweet by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Saule Omarova, who was reportedly picked by President Joe Biden to lead the OCC, should not be nominated to this position. Cruz believes that it may lead to regulating the cryptocurrency industry "into oblivion" since Omarova has been known for criticizing cryptocurrencies in the past.

The fate of Omarova’s nomination is now in the hands of moderate Democrats; they have to decide whether or not to support her regulatory agenda.

Bitpay joins forces with Verifone to support crypto payments

Crypto payments provider Bitpay partners with Verifone to provide its points of sale across the U.S. with a crypto payment option. Thanks to this partnership, merchants will be able to receive various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Ethereum, from various cryptocurrency wallets. The terms of the partnership have not been disclosed yet.

Verifone CEO Mike Pulli says that the company anticipates allowing its clients to use cryptocurrencies and other digital assets for everyday purchases.

NFL star Aaron Jones secures a deal with FTX

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones joins the club of other football players who have embraced digital assets. After scoring a long-term deal with the FTX exchange, the NFL player's compensation will be paid in crypto.

Jones says that, in the future, he is planning to allocate his sponsorship earnings to various cryptocurrencies through the FTX U.S. exchange.