Decentral Block Post

Guido Cannetti, an Argentinian Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, is now the first martial arts athlete in the country to receive 100% of his salary in stablecoins, amid rising inflation and Argentina's economic deteriorating, announced the crypto payroll company Bitwage on Monday.

Dubbed El Ninja, he returns to the Octagon on October 1st in the United States to face the local fighter Randy Costa. According to Bitwage, Guido will receive his payment in USDC stablecoin via the Stellar Network on Vibrant, a wallet application developed by the Stellar team specifically for Argentines experiencing inflation.

As per official government figures', inflation in the 12 months through August was 78.5% in the country, whereas prices in the first eight months of the year were up 56.4%. Argentina's central bank predicted a 95% inflation rate for the year, while some private analysts forecasted a 100% inflation rate in 2022.

“I am getting paid in USDC because it is safer for my future,” said Cannetti in a statement released by Bitwage, noting that stablecoins will spare him from the volatility and devaluation of local currency.

Among Argentine consumers surveyed by Americas Market Intelligence in April, 51% purchased crypto and 27% regularly bought cryptocurrencies, up from 12% adoption at the end of 2021. Inflation protection is the primary reason for 67% of respondents' purchases of cryptocurrencies.

Markets briefly flashed green on Sept. 27 as equities markets bounced back from Sept. 26’s pullback, bringing the Bitcoin (BTC) price back to the long-term descending trendline resistance, which currently resides at $20,100. 

Unfortunately for bulls, the positive momentum for stocks and cryptocurrencies rapidly eroded and Bitcoin price gave up a majority of the intraday gains as it slipped back below $19,000.

As has been the case since March 25, BTC price has been unable to kick above the resistance for more than a few hours and the Sept. 27 breakdown at the trendline continues the trend of successive bear flags that see a continuation to the downside.

According to Arcane Research, Bitcoin’s tight rally above $20,000 is relatively insignificant, given that futures premiums are still low and it “contributes little to improving the market risk appetite.”

Additional data from Arcane Research shows funding rates flipping neutral for the first time since Sept. 13, but generally, traders are reluctant to add longs, given the concerns over macro challenges and the continuous threat of unfriendly crypto regulation.

Bitcoin (BTC) crossed under $20,000 after the Sept. 27 Wall Street open as United States equities inched higher.

U.S. dollar has room to run — trader

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView confirmed the $20,000 mark barely remaining as tentative support on the day.

BTC/USD had managed local highs of $20,344 on Bitstamp overnight, while retracing U.S. dollar strength gave modest relief to risk assets across the board.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index had been up 0.4% and 0.65%, respectively, after two hours’ trading, but subsequently reversed.

At the same time, the U.S. dollar index (DXY) was down 0.15% on the day, back below the 114 mark but still near its highest since mid-2002.