Hong Kong’s first crypto-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have attracted over $73 million ahead of their debut on the region’s stock exchange. The launch of the two ETFs tracking cryptocurrency futures listed in the United States comes despite the industry’s current troubles. Hong Kong Debuts Bitcoin and Ether Futures ETFs Amid Crypto Winter Two ETFs tracking
Crypto exchange Binance has seen its proof-of-reserve audits removed from auditor Mazars’ website. Mazars’ official website shows they fully discontinued Mazars Veritas, a section dedicated to cryptocurrency exchange audits. The tool was developed by Mazars in order to bring “trust and transparency to the digital asset sector,” using the Silver Sixpence Merkle Tree Generating tool
Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $17,000 on Dec. 16 as traders warned of overreaction to “FUD” involving exchange Binance and others. Binance “FUD” fuels bearish BTC moves Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it put in multi-day lows of $16,928 on Bitstamp. The pair retraced its entire run to one-month highs courtesy
Bear markets are for building Bitcoin (BTC) companies. At least, that’s what the Legends of Lightning, a nine-week contest for competing Bitcoin businesses, would indicate. The tournament-come-hackathon ran more than 65 events worldwide as 73 projects battled it out to win 3 BTC ($50,000). The competition crowned Bitcoin startups Lightsats and AgriMint as winners of
Following the arrest of the former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), spectators continue to wonder where ex-Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison is, and whether or not she turned on SBF. A few reports suggest Ellison is “likely working with feds” and it’s possibly the reason why Ellison was reportedly spotted at the Ground Support cafe
Amber has completed a new $300 million Series C funding round, led by blockchain-focused venture capital company Fenbushi Capital US, the firm announced on Twitter on Dec. 15. The new funding round comes as Amber has decided to pause its previous Series B funding and proceed with Series C instead due to FTX collapse. Prior
A class-action lawsuit against Silvergate Bank, Silvergate Capital Corporation and Silvergate CEO Alan Lane was filed at the California Southern District Court concerning accounts held by embattled crypto companies FTX and Alameda Research. The suit aims to hold Silvergate accountable for its alleged roles in placing FTX user deposits into the bank accounts of Alameda,
The Japanese government is set to ease tax requirements for local crypto firms, as it pushes to stimulate growth in the domestic finance and tech sectors. At present, Japanese firms that issue crypto are required to pay a set 30% corporate tax rate on their holdings, even if they haven’t realized a profit through a
The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to hike three of its key interest rates by 50 basis points (0.5%) as part of its ongoing war against inflation. The organization stated that further increases are likely to happen “because inflation remains far too high and is projected to stay above the target for too long.” ECB
United States prosecutors have laid charges in two separate cases against nine people who founded or promoted a pair of cryptocurrency companies alleged to be Ponzi schemes that netted $8.4 million from investors. On Dec. 14 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment, alleging the purported crypto mining
Sam Bankman-Fried, the jailed founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has reportedly filed a new application for bail in the Bahamas Supreme Court following his previous unsuccessful bail bid. Local media on Dec. 15 reported the founder submitted the application and that it would be heard before the court in just over one month’s time
As blockchain developers compete for traffic and resources for their respective dapps (decentralized applications), the downside to this, according to some in the industry, can be a poor user experience which in turn undermines the mass adoption cause. Therefore, unless current blockchains — both Layers 1 and 2 — can overcome niggling issues like high
The incoming United States House Financial Services Committee chair Patrick McHenry wants the Treasury to delay the implementation of a section of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that deals with digital assets and tax collection. McHenry sent a letter on Dec. 14 to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen with questions and concerns about the
Financial product comparison website Finder.com is being sued by Australia’s financial services regulator for allegedly offering a cryptocurrency yield-bearing product without the required license. It’s the second local provider of a crypto yield product to be targeted by the regulator, following action against Block Earner in November The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) began
The Central Bank of Russia has introduced measures to protect entities working with digital assets from sanctions pressures. These businesses will be exempted from some reporting requirements as part of a regulatory relief intended to minimize the burden on financial organizations. Russia’s Central Bank Eases Supervision of Digital Asset Platforms Amid Sanctions The Central Bank
The central bank of the Netherlands, De Nederlandsche Bank, has issued a warning to investors using KuCoin, saying the exchange was operating without legal registration. In a Dec. 15 announcement, the central bank said that MEK Global Limited, or MGL, which does business in the Netherlands as KuCoin, was not in compliance with the country’s Anti-Money
Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific’s stock has soared nearly 200% in the past four days, following the positive reception for a Dec. 14 financing proposal from a current creditor who is hoping the firm can avoid bankruptcy. Shares for the embattled miner were sitting just over 13 cents on Dec. 12, before climbing to nearly
Researchers from German crypto blockchain-based payments fintech etonec and other organizations have proposed using zero-knowledge proofs to ensure regulatory compliance and privacy in stablecoins. They have created a design that allows fiat-based stablecoins to be used like cash, within limits. The researchers’ design allows a number of limits, including on transactions, balances and turnover, and
The former 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the launch of his new non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards on Dec. 15, 2022. Trump revealed the NFT collection via his Truth Social account and the former president told his fans that the NFTs would “make a great Christmas gift.” Former President Drops the
Crypto.com has received a Payment Institution License (EMI) from Banco Central do Brasil, the central bank of Brazil. The license will allow it to “continue offering regulated fiat wallet services for customers in Brazil,” according to an announcement on the company’s website. Crypto.com has offered a Visa card in Brazil for purchases in cryptocurrency or fiat