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Menampilkan postingan dari Desember, 2021

South Korean Lawmaker Says He Will Start Accepting Crypto Donations in the New Year

Lee Kwang-jae, a South Korean lawmaker, recently stated that he will be accepting cryptocurrency donations starting mid-January 2022. According to the politician, this plan represents his attempt to raise awareness about cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens among South Koreans. Donations to Be Converted Into Korean Won A Korean lawmaker, Lee Kwang-jae, has said he will start accepting cryptocurrency donations sometime in mid-January of 2022. According to the lawmaker, anyone that wishes to sponsor his campaign will be able to do so by directly transferring funds to his office wallet. As explained in The Korean Times report , once received, the donated crypto will be converted into Korean won and then deposited into his sponsorship account. The report meanwhile reveals that receipts for such donations will be issued in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and sent to the respective donor’s email address. Explaining his reasons for choosing to accept digital currency donations...

Malaysia Seizes 1,720 Bitcoin Mining Machines in Electricity Theft Crackdown

Police in Malaysia have shut down a bitcoin mining operation and seized 1,720 bitcoin mining machines in a major electricity theft crackdown following public complaints. “Police inspected 75 premises around the district and 30 of them were found to be carrying out illegal bitcoin mining activities and stealing electricity.” Malaysian Authorities Shut Down Bitcoin Mining Operation Malaysian police have cracked down on a major electricity theft case involving bitcoin mining, local media reported. Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said at a press conference Thursday at the Manjung district police headquarters that the crackdown was carried out following public complaints. Noting that the operation involved the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the Sitiawan Fire and Rescue Station, the police chief explained: This operation is the biggest success with TNB this year. He noted that according to the TNB, the theft of electricity was worth about RM2 million ($478,870). ...

Canadian Regulator Insists Binance Is Unauthorized, Calls the Crypto Exchange’s Letter to Users ‘Unacceptable’

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) claims that Binance has rescinded its commitment to comply with previously agreed requirements. The crypto exchange told the regulator that there would be no new transactions involving Ontario residents after Dec. 31. However, Binance recently informed its Ontario users that they no longer have to close their accounts by year-end. OSC Says Binance’s Action Is ‘Unacceptable’ Cryptocurrency exchange Binance got into trouble with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) Thursday. Binance notified its users in June that Ontario was becoming a restricted jurisdiction and users may need to close their accounts. However, the crypto exchange sent a letter to its users Wednesday stating: As a result of ongoing and positive cooperation with Canadian regulators, there is no need for Ontario users to close their accounts by December 31, 2021. The exchange also informed its users: “Binance in Canada has been successful in taking its first steps on the r...

Twitch Co-Founder Justin Kan Launches Gaming-Centric NFT Marketplace Fractal

The co-founder of Twitch, Justin Kan launched a gaming-centric non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace called Fractal on December 30. Fractal’s focus is on NFTs with video game utility and the project launched an NFT collection called “Fractals,” a 100,000 unique snowflakes that give users benefits while using the primary and secondary NFT marketplace. Twitch Co-Founder Launches Fractal NFT Market On December 30, the co-founder of Twitch, Justin Kan , told his 245,600 Twitter followers that he launched an NFT marketplace called Fractal . Kan also tweeted about the Fractals NFT collection that leverages the Solana (SOL) blockchain network. “Today, we are excited to launch our gaming NFT marketplace: Fractal,” Kan said . “We are also dropping our Fractal NFTs, the largest NFT airdrop in Solana history,” the entrepreneur added. In addition to Kan, Fractal was also founded by Robin Chan, David Wurtz and Mike Angell. Fractal hosts a number of digital goods from The Sandbox, Solchicks, Nyan...

Metaverse NYE Parties: Decentraland New Year’s Eve Bash to Recreate One Times Square, Paris Hilton to DJ in Roblox

There’s a New Year’s Eve fiesta in the metaverse called the Metafest 2022 Global Party hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and the crypto investment firm Digital Currency Group (DCG) in Decentraland. According to the announcement, the owner of One Times Square, Jamestown will recreate the iconic site in Decentraland for the 2022 ball drop. NYE Meets the Metaverse There’s New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration taking place in the Decentraland metaverse and it’s hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and Digital Currency Group (DCG). According to the announcement, DCG is one of the largest land owner in Decentraland, while Jamestown owns the well known One Times Square. DCG’s head of real estate, Simon Koster, explains how the digital world can meld with the real one. “The metaverse is quickly evolving to bring together the most interesting and alluring parts of our favorite physical places around the world,” Koster remarked during the announcement. “From destinations, to gamin...

SEC Chairman Gary Gensler Adds Crypto Adviser to Executive Staff

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has added a number of advisers to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. Among them is Corey Frayer, who advises Gensler on “SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets.” SEC Has New Adviser for the Oversight of Crypto Assets The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Thursday the appointments of Corey Frayer, Phil Havenstein, Jennifer Songer, and Jorge Tenreiro to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. The announcement details: Corey Frayer advises Chair Gensler on SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets. Before joining the SEC, Frayer served as senior professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for Chairman Sherrod Brown. He also spent a decade as a senior adviser for Rep. Maxine Waters on the House Financial Services Committee and Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina. Havenstein serves as...

Bitcoin Treasuries List Claims 59 Companies and a Handful of Countries Hold 1.49 Million BTC

304 days or roughly nine months ago, 42 companies held bitcoin on their balance sheet with an aggregate total of 1,350,073 bitcoin on March 1, 2021. Today, metrics indicate there are 59 companies, a few countries, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with 1,499,493 bitcoin held in treasuries. Private and Public Companies, ETFs, and Countries — Treasuries List Highlights 59 Firms With Bitcoin on Their Balance Sheets Over the last 12 months, a great number of companies have disclosed that they have added bitcoin ( BTC ) to the firm’s balance sheet and even countries like El Salvador are now storing BTC in their national treasury. On March 1, 2021, Bitcoin.com News reported that there were 42 firms that consisted of public and private companies, alongside bitcoin funds as well. At the time 1,350,073 BTC was held by the company’s and it represented 6.43% out of the 21 million maximum supply. Now similar to Microstrategy announcing a BTC purchase every so often, the Salvadoran preside...

Indian Regulator SEBI Wants Mutual Funds to Stay Away From Crypto Investments Until Legislation Is Finalized

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reportedly asked mutual fund companies not to get involved or invest in any type of crypto asset-based investments until the Indian government has come up with cryptocurrency legislation. SEBI Asks Mutual Fund Companies to Wait for Crypto Legislation The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Ajay Tyagi, reportedly said Tuesday that the market regulator does not want mutual fund companies to get involved or invest in any type of crypto asset-based new fund offers (NFOs) until the Indian government has come up with cryptocurrency legislation. There is currently no law governing cryptocurrencies directly in India. However, the Indian government is actively working on cryptocurrency legislation. A crypto bill was listed to be considered in the winter session of parliament but it was not taken up. The government is now reportedly reworking the bill. Last month, Indian asset management firm Invesco Mutual F...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Praises Dogecoin, Criticizes Bitcoin, Guesses Identity of Satoshi Nakamoto

Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk says dogecoin is “fundamentally better than anything else” he has seen while he criticizes bitcoin. He also discussed the identity of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, and the official currency of Mars. Elon Musk Discusses Crypto, Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Mars’ Currency, and Who Satoshi Nakamoto Is Elon Musk shared his thoughts on cryptocurrency, dogecoin, bitcoin, and the identity of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, in an interview with Lex Fridman, published Tuesday. Musk, who has long been a supporter of the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE), revealed: Part of the reason why I think there is some merit to dogecoin, even though it was obviously created as a joke, is that it actually does have a much higher transaction volume capability than bitcoin. “The cost of doing a transaction, the dogecoin fees are very low,” the Tesla executive added. In contrast, he said: “Right now, if you want to do a Bitcoin transaction...

Microstrategy Buys More Bitcoin, Now Holding 124,391 BTC

Nasdaq-listed Microstrategy has bought more bitcoin for its corporate treasury. The latest purchase for 1,914 coins has raised the company’s total cryptocurrency holdings to 124,391 bitcoins. CEO Michael Saylor recently said that he expects the price of the cryptocurrency to eventually reach $6 million. Microstrategy Has Purchased More Bitcoin The pro-bitcoin Nasdaq-listed company Microstrategy has purchased 1,914 more BTC . With the latest purchase, the company now holds 124,391 bitcoins. Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor announced Thursday via Twitter: Microstrategy has purchased an additional 1,914 bitcoins for ~$94.2 million in cash at an average price of ~$49,229 per bitcoin. “As of 12/29/21 we hodl ~124,391 bitcoins acquired for ~$3.75 billion at an average price of ~$30,159 per bitcoin,” he detailed. The price of BTC fell slightly Thursday. At the time of writing, it is hovering at about $47,398 after losing 1.4% over the last 24 hours. At the current price, Microstrateg...

Tether’s Market Cap Nears $80B, USDT Represents 46% of the Stablecoin Economy

This week the stablecoin giant tether reached a market capitalization of roughly $78.2 billion according to data. Over the last 30 days, tether’s market valuation grew by 5.6% and the stablecoin now represents 46% of the $168.3 billion stablecoin economy. Tether Market Cap is Less Than $2 Billion Away From Reaching $80 Billion On December 30, 2021, there’s roughly 78.2 billion tether ( USDT ) in circulation, according to coingecko.com’s top stablecoin by market capitalization statistics . According to Tether Limited’s transparency report published to the tether.to web portal, there’s $78.5 billion assets under management. Metrics indicate that tether represents 3.35% of the $2.33 trillion crypto economy today and 46% of the $168.3 billion stablecoin economy. Tether has seen massive growth during its lifetime. For instance, on September 13, 2015, tether’s market capitalization was $451,600 and the jump to $78.2 billion is a whopping 17,327,227% increase in just over six years. The...

Pakistan Freezes Over 1,000 Accounts and Cards Used For Crypto Trading

Authorities in Pakistan have reportedly moved to seize hundreds of bank accounts and cards belonging to cryptocurrency traders. According to local media, they have been allegedly used to make transactions worth close to $300,000 through digital asset exchanges, including major platforms. Pakistan Government Blocks Cards Used to Buy Cryptocurrency, Media Reveals Bank accounts in the names of 1,064 individuals have been frozen by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency ( FIA ). The law enforcement authority acted on request from the Cyber Crime Reporting Center (CCRC) in Islamabad, the Pakistan Observer informed readers on Wednesday. Officials claim the accounts have been utilized to process transactions worth a total of 51 million Pakistani rupees (around $288,000) made by persons to and from a number of crypto exchanges, among which are well-known platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Coinmama. The agency has also blocked their credit cards used to buy and sell digital coins, t...

Hong Kong Authorities Arrest Two Siblings Accused of Laundering $384 Million via Banks, Crypto Platform

Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested two individuals accused of laundering about $384 million using various avenues including a cryptocurrency exchange trading platform. If convicted, the two face a maximum jail sentence of 14 years plus a fine of $5 million. An Indictable Offense Two people accused of laundering about $384 million using a cryptocurrency exchange platform have been arrested, the Hong Kong regional government has said. The arrest of the two, a 28-year-old woman and her 21-year-old brother, followed a raid on their residential premises conducted by the Hong Kong Customs on December 28. In a statement explaining the charges, the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said action had been taken because the siblings had dealt “with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” under the region’s Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO). The government’s statement also explains the investigative steps that ha...

Investment Adviser Warns It’s a Mistake to Ignore Crypto Assets, Predicts Cryptocurrencies Will Outperform Equities

Blueprint Capital Advisors CEO Jacob Walthour says it’s a mistake to ignore crypto as an asset class. He also predicts that crypto will outperform equities in the foreseeable future. Investment Adviser Expects Crypto to Outperform Equities Jacob Walthour, CEO and co-founder of Blueprint Capital Advisors, discussed his outlook for the crypto and equity markets in an interview with CNBC Wednesday. Walthour has over 25 years of experience in capital markets, traditional, and alternative asset management. “At this stage, we have to think back to how it all started,” he began. “When we think back over the course of our lives, we started buying things with cash and then someone came up with the idea of using a check, and then someone came up with the idea of using plastics, and then someone came up with the idea of e-payments. And I think that the use of crypto, the whole concept of a wallet, is where we are going to go from here. And I think that bodes well for crypto overall in terms o...

US Senator on Crypto: We Need Real Solutions to Make the Financial System Work for Everyone, Not Just the Wealthy

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has argued that cryptocurrency is not a path to financial inclusion like crypto advocates claim. “Bitcoin ownership is even more concentrated within the top 1% than dollars,” she said, emphasizing the need for “real solutions to make the financial system work for everyone, not just the wealthy.” Senator Elizabeth Warren on Crypto and Bitcoin U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) commented about cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and financial inclusion Tuesday. She tweeted: The crypto industry claims that crypto is the path to financial inclusion, but bitcoin ownership is even more concentrated within the top 1% than dollars. We need real solutions to make the financial system work for everyone, not just the wealthy. Her comment was in response to an article in the Wall Street Journal claiming that the top 1% of bitcoin holders “control a greater share of the cryptocurrency than the most affluent American households control in dollars.” Citing a study by t...

Gas DAO Project Forms to Airdrop Tokens to Ethereum Users That Spent $1,559 in Fees

A new type of airdrop has been very popular during the last quarter of 2021 as quickly assembled decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have been distributing lots of value to existing crypto users. Just recently, Opendao gave Opensea users an airdrop and many people accrued thousands of dollars in SOS tokens. Now, another project called Gas DAO is airdropping tokens to any wallet that’s paid more than $1,559 in ether gas fees before December 26. Gas DAO Airdrops Tokens to Users That Spent $1,559 in Ether Fees Before the Snapshot A lot of projects this year have created airdrops as a way to create a governance system, and people who have used these protocols at least once are usually rewarded with these airdropped governance tokens. In recent times, Bitcoin.com News reported on Shapeshift dissolving into a DAO, and the project airdropped FOX tokens to Shapeshift users. During the first week of November, our newsdesk also covered the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) airdrop when ...

Video Game Retail Giant Gamestop Reveals More Clues About Upcoming NFT Marketplace

At the end of May, crypto advocates discovered a website created by the video game retailer Gamestop. The web portal disclosed that Gamestop was entering the world of blockchain tech and non-fungible token (NFT) assets. Gamestop’s NFT web portal has recently been updated and is requesting creators to sign up for the platform. Gamestop NFT Website Hints at Upcoming Marketplace Launch Gamestop (Nasdaq: GME ) has had an interesting year, to say the least. It all started at the start of the year in January, when the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets sparked a Gamestop shares trading war with Wall Street hedge funds. At the time, Goldman Sachs executive David Kostin said “if the short squeeze continues, the entire market could crash.” After the Wallstreetbets fiasco fizzled out of the limelight, Gamestop has managed to remain relevant after facing bankruptcy, and shares traded for $19.26 per unit on December 30, 2020. Today, those same GME shares are swapping for $146.46 per unit, up 655.73...

As Bitcoin and Ethereum See Sharp Drops, 18 Crypto Assets Captured Double-Digit Gains Last Week

While the crypto economy shed billions in value this week, 18 different digital assets have accrued double-digit gains during the last week. At the same time, the top two leading crypto assets by market capitalization, bitcoin and ethereum, have lost between 2.8% to 6.2% in value in seven days. 18 Crypto Assets See Values Increase by Double-Digits Bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) have lost a bit of value according to weekly statistics, and a number of alternative digital assets have done a whole lot better. Today, the crypto economy is worth $2.36 trillion and it is down 2.9% during the last day. BTC has shed 2.8% in value during the last seven days, and ETH has lost 6.2% since last week. However, 18 crypto tokens have accrued double-digit gains against the U.S. dollar this past week. For instance, Sushiswap’s decentralized exchange (dex) token sushi (SUSHI) has gained 67% during the last seven days. Near (NEAR) jumped 57.8%, fantom (FTM) climbed 49.6%, and oasis network (ROSE)...

AscendEX Lists Sidus Heroes Token, SIDUS

PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX is thrilled to announce the listing of the Sidus utility token, SIDUS, and the SENATE governance token under the trading pairs SIDUS/USDT and SENATE/USDT starting on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. UTC. Sidus Heroes is a space themed, play-to-earn massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Sidus Heroes gameplay takes place in the metaverse, featuring interstellar exploration and battles. Settlement on Sidus Heroes is governed by a robust political and economic structure, with a mission to build a hybrid network ecosystem consisting of work, education, and entertainment segments. Sidus Heroes is the result of one of the largest collaborations in the NFT space, as dozens of professionals and community members from different domains have come together to launch what is now the industry’s first WebGL, AAA-level, play-to-earn, NFT RPG game. Each Sidus Heroes player has the opportunity not only to become immersed in the game itself, but also to earn and collec...

Ozzy Osbourne Reveals Cryptobatz NFT Project Paying Tribute to His Iconic Bat Bite

The English singer, songwriter, and former Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, has revealed he’s launching a non-fungible token (NFT) collection. Osbourne announced the launch on Twitter alongside a Rolling Stone article that showcases the drop of 9,666 NFT bats next year. Heavy Metal’s Prince of Darkness Launches Cryptobatz NFT Collection Following the stampede of celebrities getting into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Ozzy Osbourne is joining the fray with his upcoming “Cryptobatz” collection, according to a Rolling Stone article published on December 27. Osbourne also told the masses via his Twitter account and told his followers to follow the official Cryptobatz Twitter account. In the Prince of Darkness’s usual style he tweeted : I’m launching a f***ing NFT project. 9,666 unique bats designed by yours truly… Go and follow @Cryptobatznft… According to Rolling Stone author Nick Reilly, the NFTs are a nod to the time when Osbourne bit the head off a bat on stage in 1982. The...

The Novatar — the Best Place to Create Your Digital Identity

PRESS RELEASE. The Novatar will be launching with a limited edition of 25K avatars, an NFT project to enable users to experience the fascinating new world of virtual reality and claim a brand new self. To resemble how humans came into this world in the form of a baby, all 25K Novatars are newborns. Similarly, all are distinctive with distinctive features, expressions, race, and skin color. As the babies grow, so will do the Novatars, this will happen after minting. Progressing with their genes and appearance, the user can choose the date to transform them into an adult. All of the 9 genes of Baby Novatar are basic. Out of the 14 genes of an adult Novatar, 10 genes are fundamental while the rest are optional. For infant avatars, each gene has 6 variations, while for adults, each gene has 11 variations (except for the genes responsible for skin, hair, eyes, and eyebrows colors). The Novatar users have multiple usability options available: With such diversity, a user can surely...

Italian Sports Car Maker Ferrari Inks Multi-Year Deal With Blockchain Firm Velas Network AG

The Italian luxury sports car manufacturer headquartered in Maranello, Italy, Ferrari has announced the firm is partnering with Velas Network AG, a firm that specializes in blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) technology. Ferrari Reveals Partnership With Blockchain Firm Velas On December 27, Ferrari the well known luxury sports car maker founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari revealed the firm is stepping into the world of creating “exclusive digital content.” The racing division Scuderia Ferrari announced that the Italian car manufacturer has partnered with Velas Network AG in a multi-year agreement. The company says Velas will help bolster digital content for Scuderia fans and the announcement explains Velas will also be a title sponsor for the Ferrari Esports Series. Velas network’s web portal notes that Velas is a Solana (SOL) fork with built-in EVM integration and the network launched in 2019. “We have the fastest EVN chain to compete with Ethereum 2.0,” the website claims. The ...

Ethereum Has Burned 1.2 Million ETH in 4 Months, Close to $5 Billion in Ether Destroyed

With three days left until the end of 2021, the Ethereum network and its native token ether have had a phenomenal year as ether has increased more than 450% in value in 12 months. 145 days ago, on August 5, the Ethereum network implemented the London hard fork and since that day, 1,283,226 ether worth close to $5 billion has been burned. Burning $5 Billion in Ether in 4 Months Around four months ago, Ethereum implemented the London upgrade which added a number of new rule-sets to the chain. The most transformative included EIP-1559 , an Ethereum rule-set improvement that created a new fee rate scheme allowing the network to burn a portion of ether. “The algorithm results in the base fee per gas increasing when blocks are above the gas target, and decreasing when blocks are below the gas target. The base fee per gas is burned,” EIP-1559’s description notes. As of today, December 28, 2021, 1.28 million ether has been destroyed by the burn process, which equates to close to $5 billio...