Blockchain & Digital Assets

March 24, 2023 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Exit scams, popularly referred to as rug pulls, are “an ongoing criminal scheme in Web3,” according to an update shared by CertiK. CertiK writes in a blog post that a rug pull “involves fraudsters robbing a crypto project by liquidating their holdings without warning and… Read More

March 24, 2023 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

  After trying to evade law enforcement for around six months, Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon has now been taken into police custody in Montenegro. Kwon and Terraform Labs were responsible for TerraUSD, an aspiring algorithmic stablecoin, and sister crypto Luna, which collapsed last year… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 11:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

It’s already “trusted,” fully regulated and bringing simplified and secured investing to 20+ million customers, the team at Bitpanda wrote in a blog post. Now, they’re announcing that Visa (NYSE: V) has partnered with Bitpanda, bringing Bitpanda Technology Solutions to its vast network of institutional… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 5:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Nomura‘s digital assets subsidiary, Laser Digital, announces a strategic investment in ClearToken, a startup that will introduce a clearing house to the digital asset marketplace, enabling “the scale and structure required for mass institutional engagement with digital assets.” As part of Laser’s strategic investment, its… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 11:57 am By JD Alois  |  

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) has published a set of “Crypto Industry Principles” that are described as “foundational statements of best practices” for the digital asset sector. WSBA is a non-profit advocacy group that supports the utilization of blockchain technology in financial markets. The… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 8:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cryptocurrency ATM operator General Bytes says a certain vulnerability allowed a hacker to drain around $1.5 million. The General Bytes team also confirmed that their Cloud servers were breached. In a blog post, the firm noted that on the night of 17-18 March, it was… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 8:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As of March 16, 2023, NYCCoin (NYC) and MiamiCoin (MIA) were no longer available to trade, buy, or sell via Okcoin. However, you can still “hold these coins in your account or withdraw them and trade them on the ALEX decentralized exchange.” The trading suspension… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Telegram users are now able to send Tether’s USDT stablecoin to each other. As part of a recent notification, the messaging app provider told its users that the app’s wallet feature can support USDT-TRON, commonly referred to as the TRC-20 standard. The ability to accept… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 11:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Swiss payment startup Centi announces the launch of its Swiss Franc pegged stablecoin, backed 1:1 by a Swiss bank, which will “serve as the basis for Centi’s groundbreaking Global Payment Network.” Combining the efficiency of blockchain technology with the rigor of Swiss banking, Centi has… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 11:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Roofstock says it has sold another tokenized home. The property is located in Georgia and leveraged RealT – a real estate tokenization service = to assist in the transaction. The settlement was via an NFT sold on OpenSea “enabled by”Roofstock onChain – part of Roofstock…. Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 10:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Arf, the Swiss-regulated global settlement banking platform, with support from the Stellar Development Foundation, is now offering what it claims is “the world’s first unsecured, short-term, USDC-based working capital financing solutions for licensed financial institutions.” Making cross-border payments faster, cheaper, and more transparent and inclusive… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 5:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has posted a statement indicating it has received a Wells Notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A Wells Notice is effectively a heads-up that the SEC is conducting an investigation for any potential infractions. While not a definitive indicator of a looming… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Eight Influencers Charged for Promotion of Digital Assets: Lindsey Lohan, Jake Paul, DeAndrew Cortez Way (Soulja Boy), Austin Mahone, Michele Mason (Kendra Lust), Miles Parks McCollum (Lil Yachty) Shaffer Smith (Ne-Yo), Aliaune Thiam (Akon).   The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted another digital asset… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 12:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Estonia-based crypto startup CryptoWallet.com has reportedly become one of the first crypto companies to receive a stamp of approval from Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). CryptoWallet.com claims it “renewed its crypto license despite strict regulatory measures introduced last year to maintain compliance and transparency within… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 10:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Luno has announced that their co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Swanepoel is moving into a new role as Executive Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. Luno is a crypto exchange that is part of the Digital Currency Group (DCG). James Lanigan, who has been with… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 9:26 am By JD Alois  |  

As the US stumbles in crafting bespoke regulation for digital assets, Circle, the issuer of dollar-based stablecoin USDC, has applied to be regulated in France. France crafted digital asset regulation some years ago in an attempt to provide clarity for firms looking to offer crypto…. Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 9:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital securities firm Securitize and digital asset wealth platform Onramp Invest announced the beginning of broadened and distributed access to tokenized private equity funds from leading investment firms, including Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ: HLNE). Beginning now and expanding over the coming weeks, “at least four private… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 10:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely expected to enter the presidential race in the coming months, is aiming to put a stop to central bank digital currency (CBDC) being utilized in his state, and all of the United States for that matter. “Central Bank Digital Currency… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 3:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

While US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen claims the situation is stabilizing – not everyone in the banking sector is as certain.  Typically considered a mundane sector of finance and investing, US banks have tanked as everyone became aware of problematic balance sheets. While… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Xapo Bank says it is the first regulated bank to accept USDC deposits and withdrawals. Issued by Circle, USDC is the second largest stablecoin by market cap, pegged to the US dollar. Xapo Bank is regulated and based in Gibraltar. Xapo Bank states that USDC… Read More