Blockchain & Digital Assets

April 6, 2022 @ 11:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned dark web marketplace Hydra Market, labeling it a pernicious site for malicious cybercrime services, dangerous drugs, ransomware, and other illicit activity. Hydra Market is said to be based in Russia. Also sanctioned, Garantex is a crypto exchange… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 11:01 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, there was a vote at the European Parliament on crypto-assets that may have a dramatic impact on the digital asset industry. Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voted that, effectively, all crypto transfers must be tracked with buyer and seller information and made available… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Digital Assets Exchange (EDSX) says it will become the first digital securities, or security token exchange, to operate in Switzerland. EDSX will offer both primary issuance as well as a secondary market in digital securities. Founded in 2019, EDSX states that it has… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 9:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Binance.US, the USA-facing crypto marketplace owned by Binance Global, has raised a $200 million “seed round” at a valuation of $4.5 billion, according to a company statement. Binance.US said that investors included RRE Ventures, Foundation Capital, Original Capital, VanEck, Gaingels, Gold House, and Circle Ventures,… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 10:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK government commenced a consultation on crypto-assets in early 2021. This past week, the UK government indicated its intent to acknowledge stablecoins as valid forms of payment while aiming to emerge as the world’s top crypto hub. This stands in stark contrast to the… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 4:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Sandbox, a “decentralized” gaming metaverse and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, and Ledger, the hardware and software security company in crypto and Web3, have partnered “to bring Ledger’s best-in-class security technology to The Sandbox’s global user base.” The partnership will “empower The Sandbox’s 2.2… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Last Thursday, Members of European Parliament (MEP) voted to create new rules to track crypto transfers. The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) adopted the legislation, with 93 votes for and 14 against, and 14 abstentions. The… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 11:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Syntropy, a Web3 connectivity firm, and Entain, which claims to be one of the largest sports betting and gaming companies, announced the successful implementation of Syntropy’s relay network with its “decentralized autonomous routing protocol (DARP), connecting the data centers across the globe.” Syntropy’s DARP technology… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 10:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Although centralized crypto exchanges (CEXes) and decentralized crypto exchanges (DEXes) are often said to be in competition with each other, an executive from Huobi Ventures believes the opposite is true. During the annual Harvard Blockchain Conference held 27 March 2022, Huobi Ventures Investment Director HaiJing… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 9:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

HM Treasury announced today that the UK government will acknowledge stablecoins as a form of valid payment. The government is expected to create legislation to bring stablecoins within the payments regulatory perimeter, creating conditions for stablecoins issuers and service providers to operate and invest in… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 9:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset firm Kraken is pleased to confirm its support for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, which is “now live for all clients.” Traders now have “an instant and inexpensive way to move Bitcoin on and off the platform.” Going on to explain why you may use… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 6:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

In remarks for the Penn Law Capital Markets Association Annual Conference, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler sent a clear warning to crypto exchanges and other marketplaces that trade in crypto. Gensler explicitly stated that he has asked staff to review how the Securities and Exchange Commission… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 4:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Jamie Dimon’s annual letter to JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) shareholders is out today. Dimon, probably the most respected bank CEO on Wall Street, crafts a shareholder letter each year where he shares his opinion and perspective on the financial services industry, challenges as well as opportunities. For… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 2:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

S&P Global has published a report on digital assets entitled the State of Consumer Cryptocurrency Adoption. According to S&Ps research, 20% of surveyed individuals have either purchased traded or received crypto – a solid percentage of the population. While awareness is growing, S&P adds that… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this year, BitMEX announced its intent to acquire Bankhaus von der Heydt., a bank based in Munich, Germany. BXM Operations AG, founded by BitMEX CEO  Alexander Höptner and CFO Stephan Lutz, was expected to close on the acquisition of the bank at some point in 2022. Terms were not… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 11:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

This latest version of 1inch‘s mobile wallet will enable Android users “to take advantage of convenient token swaps at the most competitive rates, as well as other functionality.” The 1inch Wallet for iOS, launched last April, “turned out to be absolutely successful with users, and… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 8:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

YouGov’s report The Future of Financial Services Report looks at the ongoing transformation of the US and international financial service industry as it “faces the headwinds of changing consumer expectations and wider industry fragmentation.” Recent data collected “paints a revealing picture of disruptions within the… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 8:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance’s Chief Technology Officer, Rohit Wad recently shared why he decided to make the leap to crypto and blockchain, and the projects that “excite” him. Rohit noted that before the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother “didn’t even use credit cards.” He added that now, she knows… Read More

April 3, 2022 @ 5:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  vEmpire DDAO, which claims to be the largest decentralized Metaverse, GameFi and NFT investment organization, has announced the launch of a staking pool for ApeCoin. ApeCoin is an ERC-20 governance and utility token used “within the wider Ape ecosystem, which has itself experienced [steady]… Read More

April 3, 2022 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Published last month, Steven L. Schwarcz, Duke University School of Law, has authored a paper on NFTs, Tokenization, and the Monetization of “Things”. The emergence of digital assets has empowered digital securities as well as other digital assets that may, or may not, have value. First,… Read More