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Showing posts with the label crypto

Is the UK ready to embrace the new dawn of crypto regulations?

The UK’s aggressive stance on crypto could redefine the UK’s crypto market, but will innovation pay the price? The FCA’s tight grip on crypto ads and the BoE’s stablecoin oversight mark a major shift in the UK’s digital currency landscape. What’s happening? The UK is tightening its regulatory grip on the cryptocurrency market with a dual focus: ensuring that the marketing of crypto assets is responsible and that stablecoins, when used as a form of payment, are robustly regulated.  The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has recently introduced stringent rules for firms marketing crypto assets. These rules include mandating a specific cooling-off period for new investors to contemplate their decisions, banning “refer a friend” bonuses, and requiring clear risk warnings in advertisements.  Concurrently, the Bank of England (BoE) is spearheading legislative proposals to regulate stablecoins, aiming to secure financial stability and consumer...

XRP Hits 3-Month High as Attorney Predicts 99.9% Win in SEC Lawsuit

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John Deaton, the attorney representing XRP holders, has put forward a compelling argument that could potentially result in a 99.9% legal victory for Ripple in its ongoing legal battle with the SEC. Deaton’s Analysis challenges the prevailing belief that the SEC’s stance in the Ripple case is evenly split 50-50. Instead, he contends that the advantage heavily favors Ripple , resembling a 90-10 split in their favor. If Ripple ends up facing penalties of $20 million or less, this interpretation could lead to a resounding legal win for the company. Deaton’s perspective has been prompted by a recent post by Stuart Alderoty, the Chief Legal Officer of Ripple. It highlighted another legal setback for the SEC in the ongoing lawsuit. This viewpoint resonates with the sentiment prevalent in the cryptocurrency community. Several have been viewing a potential settlement of $20 million as a positive outcome for Ripple. This assessment takes into consideration the broader imp...

Turkey nears completion of crypto rules to exit FATF’s grey list

Turkey is in the final stages of introducing crypto legislation, which could lead to its removal from the FATF grey list, says Finance Minister Mehmet ÅžimÅŸek. Speaking to the nation’s planning and budget commission on Oct. 31, ÅžimÅŸek said the country has met 39 of the 40 FATF standards and is in the “final stage” of compliance. The FATF grey list serves as a warning to countries to address strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes. Turkey has been on this list since 2021, a status that has eroded confidence in its already fragile economy. Amidst high inflation rates, crypto currencies have gained significant traction in Turkey, becoming an alternative financial refuge for many. You might also like: Hyperinflation fuels Bitcoin’s rise in Turkey and Lebanon, experts say ÅžimÅŸek revealed that the only remaining hurdle for Turkey to clear FATF’s technical requirements is related to crypto currency asse...

'EtherHiding’ hack uses Binance blockchain to extort WordPress users

Researchers at Guardio Labs have discovered a new attack known as ‘EtherHiding,’ which uses Binance Smart Chain and Bullet-Proof Hosting to serve malicious code within victims’ web browsers. Unlike an earlier suite of fake update hacks that exploited WordPress, this variant uses a new tool: Binance’s blockchain . Earlier, non-blockchain variants interrupted a webpage visit with a realistic-looking, browser-styled ‘Update’ prompt. A victim’s mouse click installed malware. Due to the cheap, fast, and poorly policed programmability of Binance Smart Chain, hackers can serve a devastating payload of code directly from this blockchain. To be clear, this is not a MetaMask attack. Hackers simply serve malicious code inside victims’ web browsers that looks like any webpage that the hacker wants to create — hosted and served in an unstoppable manner. Using Binance’s blockchain to serve code, hackers attack victims for various extortion scams. Indeed, EtherHiding ...

Bitcoin To Reclaim ATH Only by Q3 of 2024, Veteran Analyst Claims

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In an unexpected turn of events, Bitcoin, the world’s leading crypto currency, has mounted a significant comeback. It rekindled optimism within the crypto currency market. On Oct. 23, Bitcoin orchestrated its most substantial single-day rally in over a year, briefly breaching the $35,000 threshold. This sudden surge in value was triggered by enthusiastic responses from traders. This was following reports of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBTC) making its debut on the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) website. The news of IBTC’s listing on the DTCC website injected a fresh wave of enthusiasm into the cryptocurrency space, reinforcing Bitcoin’s resilience and its capacity to elicit excitement in the market. Bitcoin’s resurgence has also fueled discussions about its future trajectory. According to experienced trader and analyst Peter Brandt, Bitcoin may be on a course to achieve new all-time highs. However, this feat will come to be by t...

Spot Bitcoin ETF Google Searches Spike As Industry Confidence Prevails

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The entire industry as well as several prominent firms have been betting big on Bitcoin’s spot exchange-traded funds [ETF]. Interest in Bitcoin spot ETFs has surged to unprecedented levels. It is evidenced by a global Google search volume for “spot Bitcoin ETF” that is nearing a five-year high of 100. This surge in online searches is a clear indicator of the growing public fascination with these investment vehicles. It also reflects increased awareness and a surge in participation. Source Similarly, the term “ Bitcoin ETF ” has experienced a notable resurgence. It reached a value of 39, the highest level since the introduction of ProShares’ futures-based ETF two years ago. This heightened search activity underscores the rising interest not only among retail investors but also among institutional players who are actively seeking information about Bitcoin spot ETFs and their potential impact on the crypto currency market. Market participants are gro...

Inspect expands Chrome extension to simplify crypto insights

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Inspect is one of the top non-fungible token (NFT) players and aims to expand its presence in the decentralized finance (defi) sector. To achieve this, the company plans to expand its Google extension, which already has over 35,000 weekly active users.  The extension integrates real-time analytics and insights into X, allowing users to explore crypto assets, NFTs, and defi projects directly from their X feed. It detects all crypto data on the X timeline using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, providing users with insights in a single click.  You might also like: UK parliament calls for NFT copyright protection rights The Inspect extension is now the top-ranked extension in the Google Chrome Store when searching for “ crypto .” It offers real-time price data covering over 20,000 crypto projects, catering to a diverse range of traders and investors.  Users can explore tokens and blockchain companies extensively without leaving X...

Coinbase Ventures emerges as most active crypto VC firm with 372 deals

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Crypto data aggregator CoinGecko released a study on Oct. 10 about the most active crypto currency firms, with Coinbase Ventures emerging as the most active . Data in the study showed that the Coinbase Ventures made 144 investments in pre-seed or seed stage and an additional 199 investments at the early stages of Series A or B. Primary backers of the crypto industry The study goes on to show that, in total, the top 23 most active cryptocurrency venture capitalists have been involved in a range of 149 to 372 deals each.  What are the most active crypto VC firms? Our research reveals that @Coinbase Ventures leads the pack with 372 crypto deals to date. Let's dive into the numbers and examine the firms that have been most active. Read the full study: https://t.co/WdLkabU20g pic.twitter.com/6QXSxUyAoj — CoinGecko (@coingecko) October 10, 2023 Collectively, these prominent crypto venture capital firms have contributed to a substantial 4,346 investments from Jan. 1, 2...

Global crypto venture funding hits lowest level since 2020

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According to research firm PitchBook data, venture capitalists invested $2 billion in crypto during Q3, 2023. Venture capitalists seem to slow down their investments in the crypto market as global crypto funding during the third quarter of 2023 hit the lowest level over the past few years. In Q3, investors around the globe put only $2 billion in crypto projects, representing a 63% decline from the same period in 2022, Bloomberg reports, referring to data from PitchBook. Global crypto venture funding | Source: PitchBook As noted by PitchBook analyst Robert Le, the market is no longer seeing the big deals anymore, adding that their size is “one of the drivers of the decline.” “If they’re not able to raise a round, even a down round, they’re either going to go out of business or get acquired at a valuation that’s much, much lower.” Rober Le, PitchBook analyst Le noted the market is likely to stay in this negative trend for a while due t...

Since 2021, cryptocurrency cards have facilitated $3 billion in payments, according to a Visa executive.

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Visa’s executive, Akshay Chopra, has unveiled the significant impact of the company’s partnerships with cryptocurrency exchanges, resulting in billions of dollars in payment volume. During a panel discussion at the Blockchain Economy Dubai Summit, Akshay Chopra, Visa’s Vice President, Head of Innovation and Design, spoke with Cointelegraph reporter Ezra Reguerra. He underscored the pivotal role that Visa cards have played in bridging the gap between traditional fiat currencies and the world of cryptocurrencies in recent years. Chopra pointed out that despite the growing interest in crypto currencies, their use for everyday transactions, such as buying a cup of coffee, remains far from widespread. To address this challenge, Visa forged partnerships with 75 leading crypto currency exchanges in 2021, enabling them to issue Visa cards . This initiative opened up a network of approximately 80 million Visa-affiliated merchants, extending the reach of crypto currency paymen...

Chase Bank customers can now pay mortgages using crypto through FCF Pay

Chase Bank customers can make cryptocurrency payments for credit card bills, loans, and mortgages. Accepted cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Shiba Inu, XRP, Dogecoin, Binance Coin, Tether, and USD Coin. Despite this collaboration, Chase Bank maintains its stance of settling payments in fiat currency, not cryptocurrencies. In a significant development in the world of finance, Chase Bank, a subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase, has teamed up with FCF Pay, a Canadian blockchain payments processor, to offer customers the option of paying their credit card bills, loans, and mortgage payments using cryptocurrencies. This move adds Chase Bank to the growing list of financial institutions that are exploring the integration of digital currencies into their services. Cryptocurrency payments for bills Under this new partnership, Chase Bank customers can make payments using a variety of popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Shiba Inu (...

Accounting apocalypse: FTX auditor Prager Metis sued by the SEC

Prager Metis, one of the auditors that took care of the books for FTX — and had office space in the metaverse — has had a complaint filed against it for failing to follow rules for certified public accountants. These include getting indemnification clauses so that it wasn’t legally bound to the audits, attestations, and reviews it was providing. During this time, the accounting firm took in millions of dollars from dozens of different engagements that were improperly conducted, and while this spells bad news for Prager Metis, it could imply that a far bigger shoe has yet to drop for the accounting industry as a whole. The SEC is moving against auditors This action against Prager Metis isn’t the first time the government regulator has taken on an audit or this year. In June, the SEC settled with Marcum LLP over its “control deficiencies” in regard to SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies). Marcum took on roughly 600 different SPACs as their audit or, with 2...

How Ibiza’s most prominent nightclubs are jumping on the crypto trend

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Ibiza’s vibrant nightlife is preparing for a new era of clubbing driven by the transformative power of blockchain technology. While it may seem counterintuitive initially, the crypto market has much to offer to night clubs and festivals. The symbiosis between these two ecosystems is already unfolding in Ibiza — a Spanish island known for its night life and electronic music events in the summer. Ibiza’s journey to Web3 Ibiza aims to become a crypto island by embracing the Web3 trend. It aims to connect local artists, nightclubs and festival operators with a global audience and educate the community on the benefits of blockchain. Local nightclubs and venues are looking to leverage blockchain to create unique experiences. Ibiza has already recorded several NFT milestones in its history, starting with the Amnesia Ibiza NFT Medallions in 2021, which will give lifetime VIP access to the Amnesia club, followed shortly by DJenerates Klub, the first NFT collection immortalizing the iconic fi...

How to Change Bitcoin Address on Cash App?

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How to Change the Bitcoin Address on the Cash App: A Guide In recent years, Bitcoin has become increasingly popular as a digital currency, and Cash App has emerged as a convenient platform for buying, selling, and storing crypto currencies. If you’re new to Cash App or unsure how to change your Bitcoin wallet address, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the process step-by-step. Whether you want to complete Bitcoin wallet verification, obtain a new Cash App Bitcoin wallet address, or even change your existing address, we’ll cover all the essential information you need. Also read: What Bank Does the Cash App Use? Source: Best Market Understanding Bitcoin Wallet Addresses Before we dive into changing your Bitcoin wallet address on the Cash App, let’s first understand what a wallet address is. A Bitcoin wallet address is a unique identifier that allows you to send and receive Bitcoin securely. It consists of a combination of letters and numbers...