News from the blockchain world | episode 40 ???
Greetings #web3 fam! ?? It's time for our weekly dose of "News from the blockchain world"! ??
In this edition, we will be discussing the latest advancements and noteworthy events in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. ?? From partnerships between companies for digital asset exploration to grants for blockchain development, network upgrades and curiosities, we've got it all covered! ??
From this edition you will learn a.o.:
? Which countries are considered the most tax-friendly for digital nomads who work with cryptocurrencies?
? What is Ripple's plan to use the Supreme Court ruling in their ongoing legal dispute with the SEC?
? What is Nansen and what is the product they have released for on-chain analytics?
? What are Uniswap's plans for launching a crypto wallet app, and why has Apple delayed the release of the app?
? What is the reported plan of Amazon regarding launching an NFT marketplace, and when is it expected to launch?
Have a great read - see you next week!
??? Business?
?? Xeni partners BitPay to enable crypto payments in travel.
Blockchain-based B2B travel selling platform Xeni has partnered with Bitcoin payments company BitPay to enable crypto payments in the travel segment. Through this partnership, Xeni’s customers will be able to accept crypto payments for commercial flights, hotels, car rentals, and other activities around the world.
?? Web3 platform partners with UniPass wallet to broaden crypto adoption in Africa.
Cassava Network, an African Web3 platform focused on NFTs, gaming and loyalty rewards, has launched the third version of its platform. The new version features integration with noncustodial smart contract wallet UniPass, allowing users to use email addresses instead of seed phrases and gas.
?? Alpha Sigma, Transform Ventures Partner on New $100M Crypto-Focused Funds.
Alpha Sigma Capital, a digital asset investment firm, announced that it has received investments from Transform Ventures and its founder, Michael Terpin. The investments will be used to create a new holding company called Alpha Transform Holdings and two new funds with a total of $100 million in assets under management.
?? Ongroo and Everscale join forces to develop South Korean NFT Marketplace.
South Korean art content agency Ongroo Inc. and Everscale officially agreed to jointly develop and launch an NFT marketplace based in South Korea. Ongroo Inc. and Everscale plan to unveil the results of their partnership within the first half of the current year.
?? Mysten Labs, Sui Blockchain Developer, Signs Deal With Alibaba Cloud.
Mysten Labs, developer of the Sui blockchain, signed a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba Cloud, an arm of Chinese tech conglomerate Alibaba Group. Alibaba Cloud will provide archival node services and secure cloud infrastructure for validators for Sui’s testnet.
??? Products?
?? Maverick launches DEX with Lido's wstETH to compete with Uniswap.
Maverick Protocol, with liquidity pools supporting assets from Lido, Liquity and Galxe, deployed a decentralized exchange. Maverick will support Lido's liquid staking token, wstETH, as the predominant ETH-based quote asset. LPs that choose to use wsteth instead of ETH receive extra APR.
?? Coinbase Launches Wallet-as-a-Service.
Coinbase announced the launch of its Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) product. The WaaS product aims to “bring the next hundred million consumers into Web3 through a seamless wallet-onboarding experience.” The Coinbase WaaS offers wallet infrastructure API to companies, enabling them to build their own custom web3 wallets.
?? Liquid Collective launches on Coinbase Prime and Bitcoin Suisse.
Alluvial, a software development company, has launched Liquid Collective, an enterprise-grade liquid staking protocol on Coinbase Prime and Bitcoin Suisse. The solution allows institutional customers to stake Ether and receive the protocol's liquid staking token LsETH in return, which can be traded and utilised in other DeFi protocols while still accruing staking rewards.
?? Privacy Pools, ZK-Powered Crypto Mixer.
MolochDAO has launched a demo of Privacy Pools, its new coin mixing service. The service is designed to preserve privacy when transacting on-chain while also offering features allowing users to prove they are complying with local regulations. Like Tornado Cash, Privacy Pools allows users to make anonymous transactions, but the defining difference between the two privacy tools stems from how Privacy Pools uses zero-knowledge proofs to prove that funds in the anonymous transactions are not connected to criminal activity.
?? Bybit to Launch Debit Card as Mastercard Gets Deeper Into Crypto.
Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit plans to launch a new debit card on the Mastercard network to allow crypto payments in the U.S. and certain European states. Bybit will convert customers’ balances of Bitcoin, Ether, USDC, USDT, or XRP to U.S. dollars or euros before payment.
?? Uniswap Wants to Launch Crypto Wallet App, but Apple Says Not So Fast.
DENVER – Uniswap Labs is planning to launch a mobile crypto wallet for iPhone users, but Apple seems to have other ideas. “Apple won’t yet green-light our launch and we don’t know why – we’ve responded to their concerns, answered every question and reiterated that we are 100% compliant with their specifications,” a spokesperson for Uniswap Labs said.
?? Fraxtor, a Singapore-based real estate platform using blockchain technology.
The company uses blockchain tech to offer fractional investing in real estate projects. This way, instead of having to commit a large amount of capital, prospective investors can purchase blockchain tokens for as little as US$14,800.
??? Technology?
?? SWIFT moves to next phase of CBDC testing after positive results.
Bank messaging platform Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, or SWIFT, disclosed that the financial institution witnessed positive results related to its pilot test of linking different CBDCs. During a 12-week testing period, SWIFT simulated nearly 5,000 transactions between two different blockchain networks and existing fiat payment systems. Over 18 financial institutions worldwide participated in the study.
?? Nansen officially releases Query product for on-chain analytics.
Blockchain data platform Nansen officially launched Query, a product that provides programmable access to blockchain datasets for crypto teams to perform data analytics. Query is built on the Google Cloud platform and can be integrated into existing technology stacks and web applications.
?? NEAR launches the Blockchain Operating System.
NEAR has announced that it is becoming the Blockchain Operating System (BOS), introducing a common layer for browsing and discovering open web experiences, compatible with all blockchains.
??? Legal?
?? Here’s what German regulator, BaFin suggested for NFTs.
German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) is not yet ready to classify NFTs as securities and advises doing so on a case-by-case basis. BaFin does not expect NFTs to comply with the Payment Services Supervision Act’s license requirements.
?? Biden includes crypto tax changes in 2024 budget request.
President Joe Biden's proposed budget includes changing tax treatment for "wash sales" of digital assets. Change would eliminate tax deductions on losses incurred on selling and quickly rebuying the same or a similar crypto investment. The Biden administration estimates that change would raise approximately $31.6 billion in revenue over a standard ten-year budget window.
?? Crypto and Tax-Friendly Countries for Digital Nomads in 2023.
While most countries around the world impose capital gains or income tax, there are a growing number crypto tax havens and countries where you'll pay less tax. Using tax havens can be risky, as some countries have unclear laws or weak data protection systems. In addition, those using tax havens may be considered suspicious by tax authorities and subject to detailed tax audits.
?? Social Media Accounts.
Hermès International is demanding control of every social media account, website, ENS domain, and the smart contract for the MetaBirkin NFTs created by artist Mason Rothschild. After a jury found the furry Birkin Bag NFTs to be knock-offs, Hermès is seeking to stop Rothschild from selling them.
?? Ripple wants to use the Supreme Court ruling in its battle with the SEC.
Ripple filed a supplemental letter in the U.S. District Court supporting its motion in the ongoing lawsuit with the SEC. Ripple noted that the Tuesday Supreme Court verdict in the Bittner case, which restricts the government’s ability to impose penalties on American taxpayers who do not report foreign bank accounts, stressed that the SEC failed to provide “fair notice” prior to bringing its enforcement action.
?? Babel Finance seeks bailout with 'Recovery Coins'.
Babel Finance, a crypto lending platform that halted withdrawals in June 2022, seeks approval for the restructuring plan, centered around a new stablecoin project called Babel Recovery Coin. The firm is planning to file a moratorium of protection to the high court of Singapore, according to a March 6 Bloomberg report. It will be a request for creditors to hold off taking action for up to six months while it seeks approval for the restructuring plan.
?? Prosecutors say SBF should only access approved websites.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried faces trial this fall. Prosecutors are seeking to limit his connection to the internet and technological access to a "flip phone or other non-smartphone" While awaiting trial on a litany of charges connected to the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange. The two sides propose that Bankman-Fried be restricted to a select list of whitelisted websites, as well as online tools related to his defense.
?? The SEC warns that Binance US' acquisition of Voyager may violate the law.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned that Binance US's acquisition of crypto lending platform Voyager Digital's assets may violate federal securities laws. The SEC claims that the sale of Voyager's VGX tokens could be a securities transaction and that Binance US is operating an unregistered securities exchange in the US.
??? Security?
?? Hedera confirms exploit on mainnet led to theft of service tokens
Hedera, confirms reports of an exploit that led to the theft of liquidity pool tokens. The team said it has identified the "root cause" of the exploit and is "working on a solution" The price of the networks token Hedera has fallen 7% since the incident.
?? Tender.fi hacker returns stolen funds and gets reward.
A hacker responsible for a $1.59 million exploit on Tender.fi, an Arbitrum-based lending platform, has returned the funds. Tender.fi team agreed to pay 62 ETH ($96,500) as a reward to the hacker.
?? Withdrawals Opened to Small Number of Celsius Customers.
U.S. users of collapsed crypto lender Celsius Network are getting at least some of their money back. Eligible customers have begun withdrawing $50 million worth of funds that have not been locked into the bankruptcy pool.
?? FTX Debtors accuse Grayscale of violating trust agreements.
FTX Trading and its affiliated debtors have filed a lawsuit against Grayscale Investments. The FTX Debtors are seeking injunctive relief to unlock $9 billion. The complaint stated that in the past two years alone, Grayscale extracted more than $1.3 billion in exorbitant management fees in violation of the trust agreements.
?? SEC Files Emergency Action Against Bkcoin in $100 Million Crypto Fraud Scheme.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed an emergency action against Miami-based investment adviser Bkcoin and its principal, Kevin Kang, alleging that they orchestrated a $100 million crypto fraud scheme. The complaint alleges that Kang misappropriated at least $371,000 of investor money to pay for vacations, sporting event tickets, and a New York City apartment, among other things.
??? Investments?
?? Gyroscope unveils $4.5 million in funding as it prepares to launch 'unique' stablecoin.
Gyroscope, a crypto startup that claims to be building a unique stablecoin, announced it has raised $4.5 million in a seed funding round. The round was closed in January 2022, but Gyroscope is making it public now because the protocol's codebase is substantially completed and it's gearing up for a full launch.
?? Stablecoin issuer ECSA secures $3 million in funding.
Brazilian-based stablecoin issuer ECSA raised $3 million to bring the main carry currencies on chain. A currency carry trade is when an investor borrows a low-yielding currency, also known as a funding currency, to buy a higher yielding currency. ECSA will start by bringing the Brazilian Real on chain, collateralized with Brazilian Treasury Bills.
领英推荐
?? Gwyneth Paltrow backs web3 art platform Wild in seed round led by Matrix Partners.
Web3 art platform Wild has raised a $7 million seed funding round led by Matrix Partners. Participants in the round included actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Reid Hoffman and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. Wild aims to create a platform where artists can be supported while fans and collectors can easily access creator-made collections.
?? Proven raises $15M to build ‘proof of solvency’ solution.
Proven, a zero-knowledge proofs developer, has raised $15.8 million in seed funding led by Framework Ventures. Proven's "Proof of Solvency" solution uses cryptography to enable crypto industry businesses, such as exchanges, stablecoin issuers, asset managers, and custodians, to prove their crypto holdings transparently to auditors, regulators, and customers without disclosing sensitive information.
?? Aisot Technologies Raises CHF 1.8M in Seed Funding
Aisot Technologies, a spin-off from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) developing AI-powered portfolio insights for equity and crypto markets, raised CHF 1.8M in Seed funding. Aisot Technologies aims to innovate asset management with AI, leveraging the combined power of machine learning, data science, and quant research.
?? EtherMail Raises $4M in Pre-Series A Funding.
The company intends to use the funds to drive recruitment and ongoing market expansion while expediting the roll out of the EtherMail SSO (Single Sign-on Solution) and the AMS (Advertising Marketplace Solution) together with a personalized protective layer for email users to filter spam and earn rewards for receiving inbound advertising emails.
?? Matchday secures $21 million in seed funding.
Matchday has secured $21 million in a seed funding round led by Play Time. Matchday hopes to draw more soccer fans into gaming, working on FIFA licensed titles in the casual genre. The company is expected to launch its first mobile game, Matchday Squad, in the second quarter of 2022.
?? Toku raises $20 million.
Toku helps crypto companies comply with international tax obligations related to token-based salaries. Toku has created a system to track crypto-related tax laws and regulations in dozens of countries.
?? Generative AI startup Anthropic raises another $300M, bringing its value to $4.1B.
Anthropic, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup, has raised $300 million in a recent funding round led by Spark Capital, bringing its valuation to $4.1 billion. Anthropic was founded in January 2021 by a team of experts with experience in AI breakthroughs such as the large language model GPT-3.
?? Nealthy closes $1.3M pre-seed round.
Nealthy secured $1.3 million in a pre-seed funding round backed by several top investors across the investment space. The Web3 startup offers users access to diversified investment opportunities. The startup is looking to expand its reach with the release of multiple products ahead of its alpha launch.
?? Web3 app Kresus raises $25M.
Web3 app developer Kresus has closed a $25 million funding round to support the development of its so-called SuperApp, potentially opening the door to broader consumer adoption of digital assets. Kresus is currently developing SuperApp, a Web3 platform that enables crypto users to buy and sell digital goods such as nonfungible tokens, access financial services and create a universal identification for their internet activity.
?? Scroll Secures $50 Million Funding.
Ethereum Layer-2 network Scroll which uses zk-rollups technology raised more than $50 million in its latest funding round. Scroll hasn’t disclosed many details about the structure of the funding round or the platform’s valuations. However, according to some sources, the latest funding took place at $1.8 billion valuations.
?? OpenChat to transfer control to community after $5.5 million 'decentralization sale'.
OpenChat, an on-chain messaging app, raised more than $5.5 million in a community-driven crowdfunding sale. The newly raised funds from the token "decentralization sale" will be held in OpenChat's DAO treasury.
??? Others?
?? Gate.io to launch new Visa debit card in Europe.
Gate Group says the Gate Visa debit card will allow users in Europe to spend their crypto at over 80 million merchant points globally. Users will also be able to track and manage their crypto spending using a Gate Card app. The partnership with Gate.io is Visas latest collaboration with a crypto-focused company.
?? Silvergate Bank is winding down, Silicon Valley Bank has serious problems.
One of the most popular banks for cryptocurrency companies, Silvergate Bank, announced March 8 that it’s winding down, largely a consequence of a faltering crypto market and the failure of its most high-profile client, FTX. A day later, Silicon Valley Bank, which chiefly banks for northern California’s technology firms, signaled its own major problems. The bank said it’s in the process of raising $2.25 billion to offset a $1.8 billion loss on some bond sales.
?? BTC reaches lowest point in 7 weeks, crypto market slides after Silvergate announcement.
Cryptocurrency prices fell sharply throughout the afternoon, as investor sentiment was shaken following crypto-friendly bank Silvergate announcing it is liquidating. Bitcoin plummeted 6% to around $20,300, reaching its lowest point in around seven weeks.
?? TYRANT’s SoulFire Platform will enable purchase of NFT tokens related to The Dragon Tyrant movie.
TYRANT, a cryptocurrency on the Ethereum network, has partnered with Protostellar Media to finance the development of an animated movie based on the famous story "The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant" authored by philosopher Nick Bostrom. TYRANT has enabled its community to earn a share in potential producer revenue by using Soulbound NFTs.
?? Amazon To Reportedly Launch NFT Marketplace Next Month.
Rumors are swirling that Amazon plans to launch an NFT marketplace in April. Marketplace will be available as a tab on Amazon’s main website titled Amazon Digital Marketplace. While many analysts see this move as a significant onboarding opportunity for new web3 users, some critics are concerned that the platform will only accept credit and debit cards, with no support for cryptocurrency or wallets like Metamask.
?? Scroll emerges as hottest early stage crypto project on CryptoRank.
Data from CryptoRank shows that Scroll is the most searched early-stage project on the platform. Interest in the project stems from its recently concluded funding round, which raised $50 million and saw its valuation rise to $1.8 billion.
?? OpenSea vs Blur: Tracking The NFT Marketplace War.
OpenSea and Blur had been trading punches over the last few months already. The rivalry intensified with Blur's airdrop in mid-February. The key difference between OpenSea and Blur is their respective target audience. While OpenSea was going after everyone, Blur focuses on whales. For the first time ever, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace is not only challenging OpenSea, but has — at least temporarily — overtaken OpenSea as the market leader.
?? The North Face introduces NFTs.
The North Face has joined hands with creative agency McCann Shanghai to launch digital collectables on Tmall. The outdoor apparel brand said the three NFTs were designed based on the relevant functions, history, weather and terrain conditions related to each product. As Chinese customers cannot purchase NFT's directly under local laws, the matching NFT will be assigned to customers when they buy a specific The North Face item.
?? Crypto Startups Failure Hint at Mismatch Between Supply and Demand.
Why do Blockchain and crypto startups have high failure rates? One of the main reasons for failure is the lack of adequate knowledge and experience on the part of project developers. Many people simply enter the cryptocurrency market without proper analysis, and their projects have no specific purpose or real use. In addition, a lack of transparency and commitment on the part of project teams can lead to a lack of trust from the cryptocurrency community and investors. Other factors causing projects to fail are lack of liquidity, competition and legal and regulatory issues.
?? Binance Updates Proof of Reserves Report With 11 New Tokens.
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has added an additional 11 tokens to its proof-of-reserves (PoR) report. These include Mask Network (MASK), Enjin Coin (ENJ), WazirX (WRX), The Graph (GRT), Chromia (CHR), Curve DAO Token (CRV), 1inch Network (1INCH) and Dogecoin (DOGE) With the latest update, Binance said it now has over $63 billion across 24 assets in PoR.
?? Blur captures 84% of ETH-based NFT transactions in first week of March.
Of all Ethereum-based NFT transactions during the first week of March, 84% took place on Blur according to data from the Block, surpassing February’s high of 68%. The NFT marketplace has quickly surpassed competitors using a strategy of low fees, airdrops, and token incentives.
?? ANZ to trial offline CBDC payments via smart cards.
ANZ is partnering with two universities to trial offline CBDC payments via smart cards that can be loaded with funds and used like physical cash. The pilot will be conducted on campus at Southern Cross University and RMIT University. The project is one of fourteen pilot trials being conducted by the Reserve Bank of Australia to investigate potential use cases for a central bank digital currency.
?? 89% still trust centralized custodians despite 2022's collapses: Survey.
An annual online survey published on Mar. 7 by the stablecoin issuer conducted between Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 sought to understand how the crypto winter and “large industry fallouts” in 2022 — including FTX and Alameda Research — impacted consumer behavior and confidence in the crypto ecosystem. The survey found that 89% of respondents still trusted “intermediaries” such as "banks, crypto exchanges and/or mobile payment apps" to hold their crypto.
?? Revolut launches Polkadot 'Learn & Earn' course on staking.
Revolut launches fourth 'Learn & Earn' course. In this course with Polkadot, users will be introduced to the ins and outs of staking and have the ability to collect additional DOT, Polkadot’s native token, by staking directly in-app.
?? Kraken will "soon" launch its own bank.
Kraken says the crypto bank is on track for launch. The crypto exchange will initially offer the Kraken Bank services to customers in the US. Kraken says plans for its Wyoming-based crypto bank is an initiative that followed it being granted the Special Purpose Depository Institution, or SDPI approval. The exchange was thus the first crypto company to receive a US state banking charter.
?? Yuga Labs bitcoin NFT auction concludes amid complaints about its method.
Yuga Labs' experiment with Bitcoin Ordinals drew 288 winning bids, with one reaching nearly $160,000 for a single NFT. Bidders who did not win the funds were refunded within 24 hours. This has been met with criticism. Some people believe that such a process creates ideal opportunities for eventual fraud.
?? AI predicts Polygon (MATIC) price for the end of 2023
Polygon (MATIC) has experienced a downward trend along with most cryptocurrencies recently, and AI predictions suggest that MATIC's price may continue to decline until the end of 2023, with the possibility of dropping below $1. However, the AI's longer-term prediction indicates a potential increase in MATIC's price to $5.30 within a year.
?? Crypto funding seen shifting from CeFi to DeFi after major collapses.
According to a report from CoinGecko, digital asset investment firms invested $2.7 billion in decentralized finance (DeFi) projects in 2022, up 190% from 2021, while investments into centralized finance (CeFi) projects fell 73% to $4.3 billion over the same period.
?? Pakistan Banks to Use Blockchain Technology for KYC.
Pakistan Banks to Use Blockchain Technology for KYC Banks in Pakistan plan to launch an electronic platform for know-your-customer procedures that will be operating on a national level. The blockchain-based system will allow them to exchange the personal information of customers through a decentralized and self-regulated network.
?? Bybit follows Binance, suspends USD SWIFT and wire transfers.
Bybit has announced that it will no longer support USD deposits through Wire Transfer (for US banks) and SWIFT. Users can still make deposits through a credit card or Advcash Wallet for USD. The new changes will take effect as of Mar. 10, 2023.
?? Sony Network Communications and Astar Network’s Joint Web3 Incubation Program Receives Over 150 Registrations.
The Web3 Incubation Program has received more than 150 registrations since it began accepting applications on February 17, 2023. The participating startups will be mentored by senior executives at Sony, Astar Network, Microsoft, AWS, Dragonfly, and Blockdaemon. The program will run from mid-March to mid-June.
??? Loosely?
?? CryptoPunk NFT bid funded with 527,000 testnet ETH.
A CryptoPunks NFT has been sold to a buyer who swapped testnet ether tokens to fund the purchase. The buyer swapped goerli ether for actual ether. Tokens on a testnet are supposed to be free because they typically don't have market value. A shortage of goerli ether has, however, created a situation in which developers began to purchase the testnet token.
Oy! I’m So! I’m a Web3 Analyst at @MANTRA_chain! I used to help companies to raise funds with marketing in the fast moving crypto world, and work as DeFi Analyst & helped with Marketing at @Linity_com
2 年Are the US becoming the less crypto-friendly country? ??