Blockchain & Digital Assets

March 15, 2023 @ 6:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) prepares to ramp up their international expansion over the next 8 weeks, they are beginning this journey in Singapore. Their upgraded retail platform, in addition to their new strategic banking partnership with Standard Chartered, aims “to provide you with a seamless, safe,… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 12:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitfinex Derivatives has announced a range of perpetual contracts for some global commodity indices. Bitfinex noted that the contracts are only available for certain accounts in certain jurisdictions. The platform said the commodity contracts will allow Bitfinex Derivatives customers to trade products usually available on… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 10:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Worldline [Euronext: WLN], which claims to be a global leader in payment services, enables merchants, banks and service providers to easily enter the Metaverse. In the future, the Metaverse will be “another retail commerce channel alongside POS and e-commerce.” McKinsey estimates “the global market volume… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

NatWest is increasing customer protection against crypto-criminals “after £329m was lost by consumers last year.” A daily limit of £1000 and a 30-day payment limit of £5000 to cryptocurrency exchanges is being “implemented to help protect customers losing life changing sums of money.” Cryptocurrency investments… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 8:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance now again faces being pushed out of the larger financial services sector after the crypto exchange confirmed that it was being told to suspend deposits and withdrawals made in pound sterling (GBP). The digital currency exchange, which has been facing increasing regulatory pressure, stated… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 4:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bloxmith, the “player-first” Web3 gaming studio, announced that the open beta for Raiders Rumble, its 1v1 squad battler game for mobile powered by the Flow blockchain, is now available for download on Google Play and Apple App Store. Raiders Rumble challenges players “to apply fast-paced… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle’s dollar-based stablecoin USDC lost its dollar peg last week after the firm revealed that $3.3 billion in reserves were locked up at Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB). At one point, USDC dropped by around 12% as holders ran for the exits. After the US government… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Following the announcement last night by federal regulators that all deposits at Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB) would be guaranteed, Circle CEO issued a statement on the company’s dollar-based stablecoin, USDC, as any risk was eliminated from Circle’s relationship with SVB. As was reported last week,… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 8:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

This past January, Anchorage Digital marked the second anniversary of their federal bank charter. According to Anchorage Digital, it was “a moment of pioneering progress for any digital asset bank, and it coincided with their announcement of another milestone for their compliance and bank program:… Read More

March 12, 2023 @ 3:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Prove Identity, Inc., which claims to be the leader in digital identity, announced a partnership with Bitstamp, the “longest-running” cryptocurrency exchange, to further strengthen its security and compliance controls while also expediting its user onboarding process. ‍Prove will enable Bitstamp US users “to streamline account… Read More

March 11, 2023 @ 5:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, which claims to be the world’s leading blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, has announced the launch of Binance Card in Colombia. One of Binance‘s top markets boasting high levels of crypto adoption, Colombia becomes the third country in Latin America “to support the product,… Read More

March 11, 2023 @ 12:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle’s dollar-based stablecoin USDC has lost its dollar peg following the revelation that $3.3 billion in cash reserves are still held at failed Silicin Valley Bank. According to Coinmarketcap, USDC traded at less than $0.88 – losing about 12% of its value following the news…. Read More

March 11, 2023 @ 9:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

EtherMail, the Web3 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication, has successfully “raised $4 million USD in a pre-Series A funding round led by Tim Draper and Draper Associates, a global venture capital firm investing in industry transforming companies.” The investment… Read More

March 11, 2023 @ 9:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

New York Attorney General Letitia James continued her efforts to crack down on unregistered cryptocurrency platforms by filing a lawsuit against KuCoin for allegedly failing to register “as a securities and commodities broker-dealer and falsely representing itself as an exchange.” The Office of the Attorney… Read More

March 10, 2023 @ 4:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) denied once again a request to list and trade shares of the VanEck Bitcoin Trust on the Cboe BZX Exchange. The Commission said that BZX had not demonstrated sufficiently it would protect investors and guard against fraud and… Read More

March 10, 2023 @ 10:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Violet, the provider of privacy-protective compliance and identity infrastructure for Decentralized Finance (DeFi), announced the launch of Mauve, the compliant Decentralized Exchange (DEX) purpose-built “to offer the best of both DeFi and Traditional Finance (TradFi) to the crypto markets.” Backed by $15 million in funding… Read More

March 10, 2023 @ 9:09 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, CI received multiple texts from Fintech insiders that expressed their worries about Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB), a bank favored by startups. Shares in the bank tanked by over 60% yesterday as investors rushed for the exit. The cause of concern was the announcement by… Read More

March 10, 2023 @ 8:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Swift announced further progress on its experimental solution for interlinking Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), reporting that 18 central and commercial banks found “clear potential and value” in the API-based CBDC connector after a comprehensive review. The cooperative “published the findings of the 12-week period… Read More

March 9, 2023 @ 10:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygna, the modular crypto AML compliance service provider, has partnered with Shyft Veriscope, the “frictionless” crypto Travel Rule compliance solution, in order “to bring a seamless user experience to Sygna’s users and the crypto industry one step closer towards full interoperability and a solution to… Read More

March 9, 2023 @ 4:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Silvergate Capital Corporation (NYSE:SI) has seen its market valuation plummet as it now trades at bankruptcy levels. At market close today, Silvergate shares traded at $2.84, having lost over 42% of its value during the day. The cratering of value followed the news yesterday that… Read More