Cyptocurrency
Republicans’ Leadership Squabbles Delayed U.S. Crypto Bills Until 2024, Key Lawmakers Say
Republicans had hoped to get U.S. crypto legislation through the House this year, but key lawmakers are now targeting 2024. A Democrat who has negotiated on the legislation said success in the House may move the Democrat-controlled Senate. After months of…
Bitcoin Going From Boiling the Oceans to Draining Them, According to Critic
Longtime Bitcoin (BTC) critic, Alex De Vries said each transaction on the Bitcoin network uses over 16,000 liters of water, which is enough to fill a small swimming pool. De Vries yesterday published a research paper with his findings, arguing that…
Paying for Use Slows Down Crypto’s Search for a Use Case
Polygon Labs gave DraftKings millions worth of MATIC tokens to become one of the Ethereum-scalable protocol’s 100 validators. The payments were never disclosed, but evidence is visible on-chain, CoinDesk’s Danny Nelson found. This is an excerpt from The Node newsletter, a…
U.S. Treasury Seeks Greater Authority to Regulate Crypto
Following several legal and regulatory victories in the cryptospace, the Treasury is looking to expand its powers. Additionally, this time, its reach will be global. Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, iterated this position and more at the Blockchain Association’s…
Brazil to Impose 15% Tax on Crypto Earnings Held on Offshore Exchanges: Report
The Brazilian Senate approved new income-tax regulations that could mean citizens will face paying up to 15% on earnings from cryptocurrencies held on international exchanges, Yahoo Finance reported Thursday. The regulation, if sanctioned by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, could…
UK Won’t Excuse Ignorance in the Hunt for Unpaid Crypto Taxes, Experts Say
The U.K. on Wednesday published notices encouraging crypto users to voluntarily report unpaid taxes to avoid penalties. A 2022 government survey showed 72% of crypto owners in the U.K. had not read its crypto tax guidance, but ignorance won't count as…
Crypto for Advisors: Investing in Web3
Beyond just crypto, technology continues to evolve, and a basket of new solutions such as blockchain, machine learning and AI are contributing to the next iteration of the internet, referred to as Web3. This week, Alex Tapscott, author of the new…
A Suspicious ‘Munger’ Coin Soars Then Crashes After Billionaire Charlie Munger’s Death
A memecoin that was minted 15 minutes after Charlie Munger's death soared by more than 31,000% on Wednesday as speculators flocked to decentralized exchanges with millions of dollars worth of ether (ETH) and stablecoins. The MUNGER token subsequently lost more than…
There Are Tentative Signs of Revival in DeFi and NFT Markets, JPMorgan Says
Decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) activity has revived in recent months as expectation of the approval of a U.S.-listed spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) improved sentiment in crypto markets, JPMorgan (JPM) said in a research report Thursday. The…
Bitcoin Set For The Best November Since 2020
Bitcoin (BTC) remains on track to record its highest monthly close since May 2022. However, BTC’s price appears to be range-bound. The flagship cryptocurrency survived new United States macro data on November 30, 2023, as traders focused on the monthly close…
Protocol Village: Arbitrum Lands RARI’s New NFT-Focused Layer-3 Chain
Nov. 30: RARI Foundation, focused on NFT infrastructure, announced that it has used Arbitrum Orbit technology to create a new layer-3 chain, RARI Chain, and has just unveiled the test network. The project helps to guarantee creator royalties, taking a step…
MicroStrategy Bought $600M of BTC in November, Increased Holdings by 10%
Microstrategy (MSTR), the largest corporate holder of bitcoin (BTC), boosted its holdings in November, buying some 16,130 BTC, worth around $608 million at current prices. The Michael Saylor-founded software developer bought the bitcoin for around $593.3 million in cash at an…
Decentralized Infrastructure Provider Grove Raises $7.9M
Decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) provider Grove, previously named Pocket Network Inc., has raised $7.9 million from Fidelity-affiliated Avon Ventures, Placeholder Capital and Druid Ventures. Grove will use the funding to form new partnerships that advance DePIN toward mainstream adoption, according to…
Institutional Crypto Trading Platform Talos Taps Into Uniswap’s Liquidity
Crypto trading platform Talos usually serves up liquidity from centralized exchanges. But its institutional clientele will soon also have access to trading through Uniswap, the market leader in decentralized finance (DeFi). It's the first time Talos is sourcing liquidity from a…
Bitcoin Miner AntPool to Refund Record $3M BTC Transaction Fee
Bitcoin miner AntPool will refund a $3 million transactional fee that it processed last week after a likely user error led to the highest-ever fee paid for a transfer on the Bitcoin network. “On November 23rd, some users submitted 83 BTC…
First Mover Americas: Demand for Bitcoin Futures ETF BITO Ramps Up
This article originally appeared in First Mover, CoinDesk’s daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context. Subscribe to get it in your inbox every day. Latest Prices Top Stories ProShares’ Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) – a bitcoin futures…
The Benefits of Building Apps On-Chain
It sometimes feels like there’s an aversion to embedding elements of crypto into otherwise more traditional types of consumer applications. After all, why should something like a movie ticket live on-chain when millions of people already buy movie tickets as is?…
Central Banks Aren’t Sufficiently Ready for CBDC Risks: BIS Report
Central banks lack the expertise and skills needed to mitigate central bank digital currency (CBDC) risk and must prepare to implement stronger measures, a consultative group set up by the Bank for International Settlements said in a Wednesday report. Countries around…
Miami Crew Leader Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Crypto Fraud
The leader of a Miami group accused of running a crypto scam that defrauded U.S. banks of $4 million was handed a 63-month prison sentence by a New York district judge on Wednesday. Esteban Cabrera Da Corte in April pleaded guilty…
Polygon’s Secret Deal: Sending DraftKings Millions to Run Failed Validator
Sports-betting company DraftKings publicly agreed in early 2022 to be a network validator that helped run the Polygon blockchain. On-chain data shows Polygon gave DraftKings millions of MATIC to help its validator turn a massive profit with little precedent. Even though…
World’s Largest Bitcoin Futures ETF Breaks 2021 Record Highs for Assets Under Management
ProShares’ Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) – a bitcoin futures fund offered in the U.S. – hit a high of $1.47 billion in assets under management (AUM) this week, surging past a record set in December 2021. The surge indicates renewed institutional…
‘Mysterious’ Address That Added 10K Bitcoin Is Just a New BitMEX Wallet
A new wallet address that went from zero to holding over 10,000 bitcoin (BTC) since the start of November has been identified as belonging to crypto exchange BitMEX. The rapid accumulation led to speculation it could be a new entity buying…
Hong Kong Securities Trade Group Proposes Initial Coin Offering Portal
The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association, an industry trade group, has suggested the city's authorities should consider creating an initial coin offering (ICO) portal. ICOs are a method of fundraising, similar to initial public offerings (IPOs) that became popular…
NFT Prices Are Still Lagging Behind Ether’s Gains
Ether, and crypto broadly, have posted gains of more than 10% since the start of the year, while NFT prices are trailing. Stakeholders and analysts say utility and technological development are needed to bring growth Crypto is inching toward bull-market territory,…
ARK Invest Sells Another $5M of Coinbase Shares; Buys Robinhood, SoFi
Cathie Wood's investment management firm ARK Invest sold a further $5 million worth of Coinbase (COIN) stock on Wednesday while buying $2 million of shares in trading platform Robinhood (HOOD) and $1.5 million of online bank SoFi Technologies (SOFI). The sale…
Digital Asset Investment Platform Fasset Wins Operational Licence in Dubai
Fasset, a digital asset investment platform, has won a license to operate in Dubai as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP), allowing it to serve institutional, qualified, and retail investors, Dubai's public register shows. Receiving a full license involves three stages:…
The Algorand Foundation Expands Its Footprint in India
Blockchain protocol Algorand (ALGO) has expanded its footprint in India by securing new partnerships with NASSCOM, India's trade body and chamber of commerce for the tech industry, TiE Bangalore, a global venture supporting entrepreneurs, and the Mann Deshi Foundation which supports…
Celo Developer Proposes Mid-January Timeline for Evaluating Closely Watched Layer-2 Move
The Celo blockchain's primary developer laid out a "framework" for choosing a technology provider for its new layer-2 network atop Ethereum, proposing to wrap up the evaluation by mid-January in what has become a surprisingly intense competition between some of the…
FTX Gets Court Approval to Sell $873M Worth of Grayscale, Bitwise Trust Assets
The FTX estate was granted approval to sell its trust assets, including shares of Grayscale and Bitwise investment funds worth roughly $873 million, according to a New York bankruptcy court document filed on Friday and CoinDesk analysis. "The debtors are authorized,…
Grayscale Gears Up for Spot Bitcoin ETF, Updating Trust Agreement for Sake of ‘Operational Efficiencies’
Grayscale, the manager of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), is updating the trust’s agreement for the first time since 2018, according to a filing on Wednesday. The aim is to optimize GBTC’s structure for an anticipated uplisting to a spot bitcoin…
U.S. Treasury Campaigning for Amplified Powers to Chase Crypto Overseas
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has been pushing for lawmakers to grant it extended powers to battle illicit finance using crypto. One of the government's requests is for special jurisdiction over non-U.S. stablecoin issuers, such as Tether. The U.S. Department…
‘A Politician Masquerading as a Regulator’ – 3 Takeaways From Fortune’s Gary Gensler Profile
It’s strange to think now how crypto received Gary Gensler as he became Securities and Exchange Commission chair in 2021. At the time, he was a breath of fresh air for an industry that badly needed change. His SEC predecessor, Jay…
The Protocol: It’s Crypto Spring, as Smart Contract Platform Index Jumps Most in 10 Months
Digital-asset markets are heating up, especially for blockchain tokens. In this week's issue, we highlight November's 19% jump in the CoinDesk Smart Contract Platforms Index (SMT), the biggest gain in 10 months. Hype is creeping back in too. Our Sam Kessler…
Binance Will Cease Support for Its BUSD Stablecoin on Dec. 15
Binance said it will end support for its BUSD stablecoin on Dec. 15, following the exchange's August announcement that it would “gradually” do so after Paxos, the company that actually issued it, was ordered to stop minting the coin in February.…
IOTA Jumps 43% After Registering Ecosystem Foundation in Abu Dhabi
The IOTA token jumped 43% after registering an ecosystem development foundation in Abu Dhabi. The IOTA Ecosystem DLT Foundation will be funded by $100 million worth of tokens vested for four years. Native token of the IOTA ecosystem (IOTA) jumped 43%…
Jack Dorsey Aims to Create Anti-Censorship Bitcoin Mining Pool With New Startup
Bitcoin (BTC) startup Mummolin, has raised $6.2 million in seed funding led by Jack Dorsey, among others, as it aims to give miners control over their block rewards from the network. The capital will support the start of a decentralized mining…
Digital Finance Firm SoFi Hands Its Crypto Business to Blockchain.com
SoFi is handing its crypto customers to Blockchain.com, a move possibly tied to SoFi's decision to become a bank. In an interview, Blockchain.com President Lane Kassleman said the partnership equates to hundreds of thousands of users and hundreds of millions of…
Bitcoin Buyer Quietly Accumulates $424M of BTC in Three Weeks
The owner of one mystery wallet has purchased 11,268 bitcoin (BTC) worth $424 million since November 10 and is now the 74th largest holder of BTC, according to Bitinfocharts. The buys – which include 875 tokens acquired today – were made…
Liquid Staking Tokens Are a Hot Ticket for 2024
Twenty-six billion dollars. That’s how much money is currently deposited into liquid staking token (LST) protocols, by far the biggest category in decentralized finance (DeFi). And, of course, it is expected to grow even further. Liquid staking token (LST) is a…
2024 Will Be the Year Tokenization Truly (Finally) Begins
Everyone from TradFi leaders to the crypto cognoscenti predicts that the tokenization opportunity runs to the tens of trillions. While we’ve already seen some compelling use cases, these are a drop in the ocean compared to the flood of digitized assets…
Stablecoins Such as Tether May Be in U.S. Sights, Top U.S. Treasury Official Warns
Without explicitly naming Tether (USDT) as the sector's leader, a top official from the U.S. Department of the Treasury took a shot Wednesday at the dangers of non-U.S. stablecoin issuers that use dollar backing, arguing they need to address their use…
Terra’s USTC Gains 300% as Bitcoin-Focused Comeback Plan, Binance Perpetuals Listing Fuel Speculative Frenzy
TerraClassicUSD (USTC) gained 300% in a week as plans of a bitcoin-backed revamp plan and a Binance perpetual contract listing unleashed a speculative frenzy. USTC and LUNC underpin the Terra ecosystem, which collapsed last May. TerraClassicUSD (USTC) and its sister token…
A Closer Look at the BIS Innovation Hub’s Private CBDC
Against all odds, the Bank for International Settlement’s Innovation Hub unveiled plans for a private CBDC. The BIS has theoretically faulted skeptics’ claims that integrating privacy features with a CBDC is impossible. According to the final paper for “Project Tourbillon,” published…
Hull City Sponsor Tomya Crypto Exchange Embroiled in Turkey Fraud Scandal
The Turkish crypto exchange that sponsors the once Premier League soccer team Hull City is reportedly at the heart of a high-profile fraud scandal in the country. Yavuz Usta, the owner of exchange platform Tomya, was among 25 people detained as…
Crypto Mixer Sanctioned by U.S. Treasury for North Korea Allegations, as FBI, Dutch and Finnish Police Seize Website
The U.S. Treasury Department has blocked a crypto mixing service from the global dollar financial system on allegations it supported transactions tied to North Korea's infamous hacking group. Sinbad's website was also seized by the FBI, Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation…