Ways to exchange cryptocurrency continue to grow. Bittrex, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced its launch of an over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk that will support the nearly 200 cryptocurrencies the exchange currently offers. According to Bittrex, the OTC desk will allow parties to transact directly, unlike exchange trading, which matches buy and sell orders through an order book. Binance, another prominent exchange, announced its new fiat-to-crypto exchange, which will be based in the island of Jersey. "Jersey Binance" will purportedly enable traders in Europe and the UK to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum against the British pound and the Euro. New reports also reflect a continued increase in the number of cryptocurrency ATMs, citing roughly 4.9 ATMs installed per day worldwide (with more installed in the United States than in any other country). Getting paid in cryptocurrency by an employer may soon become easier as well. Bitwage, a cryptocurrency payment and wage service, announced a new system that allows companies to pay salaried employees in cryptocurrency. The system includes a new crucial feature that converts a portion of funds into dollars so employers can pay withholding taxes. And one fiat-backed cryptocurrency began the new year with positive news. Cryptocurrency finance company Circle released the third audit of its fiat-backed stablecoin USD Coin. The audit, conducted by a major U.S. accounting firm, confirmed that USDC tokens do not exceed the company's fiat reserves.

According to recent reports, daily volatility of bitcoin is down a full 98 percent from last year. This volatility decrease comes hand in hand with a significant decrease in price ‒ the price for bitcoin is down nearly 68 percent from this time last year. Some predict that the decrease is here to stay: bitcoin's spot price is currently higher than its futures price. Regardless of pricing, one company is making sure cryptocurrency owners can store their wealth in style. A luxury Swiss watchmaker is now offering "Blockchain Watch," a handcrafted timepiece with a built-in crypto-wallet. The watch is priced over $100,000 and can only be purchased with bitcoin.

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