Blockchain & Digital Assets

June 8, 2023 @ 5:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

BitGo has signed a term sheet to acquire the equity of Prime Core Technologies, the parent company of Prime Trust. Both companies provide services such as custody to digital asset firms. Earlier today, rumors filtered out about a deal with BitGo being in the works… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 4:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

According to multiple rumors and reports, Prime Trust, a top infrastructure provider in the crypto sector, could be on the brink of failure or acquisition. A recent Tweet claims to have knowledge that Prime Trust is close to insolvency. So this is in regards to… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 11:46 am By JD Alois  |  

As was previously covered, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new marketing rules for crypto offerings. The rules aim to largely align with current financial product requirements while also incorporating a “cooling off period.” In brief, digital asset investors must acknowledge they can… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 11:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bitso, the crypto-powered financial services company in Latin America, today made public the progress of its “Proof that Matters” with which it “shows its solvency with cryptographic technology in all Bitcoin and Ether assets held on its platform, through the Zero-Knowledge Proof developed by Proven… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 9:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Senator Cynthia Lummis, one of the most crypto-supportive members of the US Senate, has issued a statement regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to file an enforcement action against Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) – a company the SEC approved to go public. Lummis said the… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 6:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Gemini is pleased to announce that Gemini will soon “begin the process of acquiring a crypto license to serve customers based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).” As a “forward-thinking,” global financial hub, the UAE is “continuing its tradition of leadership by… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 1:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments are one of crypto’s “biggest” and “earliest” use cases, and Binance‘s new partnership with Lyzi is “helping to achieve this goal in more locations.” While many use crypto as an investment, it’s also “a great way to transfer value globally with minimal fees and… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 11:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle is continuing its push to mitigate regulatory risk by receiving licenses to operate beyond the boundaries of the US. This week, Circle announced it had been approved as a Major Payment Institution (MPI) by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Circle is a top… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 10:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Archax, the FCA regulated digital asset exchange, broker, and custodian, today announced the appointment of Ben Zennou as its new Head of Crypto Sales. Reporting into the CRO, Zennou will be “responsible for leading the company’s continued growth in crypto markets, including the establishment of… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 8:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued new rules for crypto promotions. The rules are said to align with other financial services offerings. CryptoUK, an association representing the UK’s digital asset industry, has issued a statement on the marketing rules. Su Carpenter, Director of… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 7:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

OKX, which claims to be the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume (behind Binance) and a “leading” Web3 technology company, and regulated digital asset custody service provider Komainu, announced that OKX has “joined collateral management platform Komainu Connect, enabling institutional customers to conduct… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has introduced new rules for the digital asset or crypto asset industry. The FCA describes the new rules as “tough,” incorporating a “cooling off period” for new investors – commencing on October 8, 2023. The marketing rules are part… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 5:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kraken, which claims to be one of the world’s “longest standing” and most “trusted” crypto platforms, announced the appointment of Vishnu Patankar as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Patankar reportedly “brings over twenty years of technology expertise to Kraken and helped Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft,… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

  SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda have issued a public dissent of the Commission’s decision to deny CryptoFed DAO’s request to withdraw its registration statement and the motion to dismiss the case by the Division of Enforcement. In brief, in November 2021, the… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 9:35 am By Barry James  |  

Reservations, Threats & Benefits In a recent conversation with Danny Kruger, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, we delved into the Bank of England’s Digital Pound Project and the broader implications of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). This discussion is particularly timely, given that… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 9:20 am By JD Alois  |  

The House Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, part of the Financial Services Committee, is holding a hearing today on the dominance of the dollar around the world as a reserve currency. The hearing is entitled Dollar Dominance: Preserving the U.S…. Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 9:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

  Meanwhile, the first and only life insurer entirely denominated in a cryptocurrency has announced ~$19 million in financing across two seed rounds, the first co-led by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Lachy Groom, previous head of Stripe issuing, and with Gradient Ventures (Google)… Read More

June 6, 2023 @ 9:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

AntChain announced a new collaboration with Intel to launch AntChain Massive Data Privacy-Preserving Computing Platform (MAPPIC), a new privacy-preserving computing (PPC) platform that brings a data privacy protection solution for large-scale AI machine learning. As a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, MAPPIC is based “on the Trusted… Read More

June 6, 2023 @ 9:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following the hearing today on digital assets held by the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Financial Services Committee has scheduled its own hearing on digital assets. The Ag Committee oversees commodities and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the main regulator of Bitcoin. Some… Read More

June 6, 2023 @ 9:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed an emergency action seeking a temporary restraining order to freeze the assets of Binance while requiring defendants to repatriate assets held for the benefit of customers of Binance.US. The SEC says the action is designed to protect… Read More