The supply of wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC) has hit its lowest point since May 2021 following a significant burn of 11,500 wBTC linked to Celsius. The current total supply of wBTC stands at 164,396, with a monthly growth rate of -7.39%. wBTC is an ERC-20 token that mirrors the value of Bitcoin and is pegged 1:1 […]
Crypto Industry Increases Lobbying Efforts During Crypto Winter
A new study by the Money Mongers reveals that the crypto industry spent $25.57 million on lobbying in the United States in 2022, a 922% increase from 2017. Coinbase, the U.S.-based crypto exchange, led the spending with $3.3 million, followed by the Blockchain Association with $1.9 million and Robinhood with $1.84 million. Despite the increase […]
FTX Japan Users Withdraw Funds Amidst Legal Battle
FTX Japan users have begun withdrawing all their funds after the slowdown in fund withdrawals due to Binance liquidating its FTX Token (FTT) holdings. While FTX Japan resumed withdrawals on Feb. 21, the legal battle with Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) continues. (Read More)
Colombia Holds Landmark Virtual Court Trial in Metaverse
Colombia’s Magdalena Administrative Court conducted a trial in the metaverse on February 15, with participants appearing as avatars in a virtual courtroom. The trial involved a traffic dispute brought by a regional transport union against the police and lasted two hours. The verdict could also be given in the metaverse. Colombia is one of the […]
Grayscale CEO Calls on SEC to Protect Investors
Grayscale Investments’ CEO Michael Sonnenshein has called on the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to protect Grayscale investors by returning the true asset value to them. Sonnenshein stated in a recent interview that the SEC acted arbitrarily by denying approval for the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) to be a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund […]
UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah to Launch Free Zone for Virtual Asset Companies
Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE is launching RAK Digital Assets Oasis, a free zone for digital and virtual asset companies. The purpose-built zone will support emerging technologies in the virtual assets sector, including blockchain, NFTs, and DApps. The free zone is set to open for applications in Q2 2023. (Read More)
Illuvium Community Blocks NFT Event Over Controversial Figure
Illuvium’s community utilized its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to block an NFT event between Illuvium CEO Kieran Warwick and Three Arrows Capital founder Su Zhu. Due to controversies surrounding Zhu, Illuvium’s community expressed concerns over the potential risks of being associated with him. The DAO then voted unanimously to cancel the event to avoid any […]
Binance CEO Responds to Forbes Article on Fund Shuffling
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao responded to a Forbes article that focused on the movement of funds by the cryptocurrency exchange. The article drew parallels between Binance and the now-defunct FTX and discussed the failed Voyager bid by Binance.US, as well as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s planned legal action against Paxos Trust Company, […]
Digital Assets Under Management 5.25% Higher in February — Grayscale Still ‘Most Dominant Player’
The value of digital assets under management (AUM) for digital asset investment products in February rose to $28.3 billion, the highest number recorded since May 2022, according to Cryptocompare stats. The increase came against the background of rising U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions against crypto industry players. Bitcoin and ethereum continue to […]
India explores offline functionality of CBDCs: RBI executive director
In addition to offline functionality, RBI is gauging CBDC’s potential for cross-border transactions and linkage with legacy systems of other countries. India’s recently launched in-house central bank digital currency (CBDC), the e-rupi, is now being tested for offline functionality, revealed Ajay Kumar Choudhary, Executive Director at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The RBI — India’s […]