TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK
Ready to trade? Fidelity finally opens retail crypto accounts
The Block
Fidelity has opened up retail crypto trading accounts after first announcing a waiting list earlier this month. “The wait is over,” the investment powerhouse said in an email Monday sent to some users, adding that a Fidelity brokerage account was needed to be able to fund a new Fidelity Crypto account. Once opened, the account promises commission-free trading of bitcoin and ether, but that doesn’t mean free trading as the service does incorporate a spread of 1% into each trade.
Stripe Debuts Fiat-to-Crypto Payment Offering for Web3 Businesses
CoinDeskCanada’s Manitoba Province Enacts 18-Month Moratorium on New Crypto Mining
CoinDeskCanada’s Manitoba province has set an 18-month moratorium on new crypto mining operations, citing the possibility of the local grid being overwhelmed by new projects. Manitoba Hydro is to stop processing new and existing applications from crypto mining operations looking to connecting to the grid until April 30, 2024. The directive also calls on Manitoba Hydro to review how the crypto mining industry affects the grid and engage with the Public Utilities Board as well as the government’s finance department and to come up with a regulatory proposal. The existing 37 mining facilities will not be affected. The announcement follows a similar moratorium in NY state last week, as well as a slowing of the issuance process in Texas months earlier.
This AI chatbot is either an exploiter’s dream or their nightmare
CointelegraphChatGPT, a chatbot tool built by AI research company OpenAI, was released on Nov. 30 and was designed to interact “in a conversational way” with the ability to answer follow-up questions and even admit mistakes, according to the company. The online crypto community quickly discovered it could be used to warn developers of smart contracts vulnerabilities or teach hackers how to exploit them. Stephen Tong, co-founder of smart contract auditing firm Zellic asked ChatGPT to help find an exploit, presenting a piece of smart contract code. The bot responded by noting the contract had a reentrancy vulnerability where an exploiter could repeatedly withdraw the funds from the contract and provided an example of how to fix the issue. We highly recommend exploring this technology further as the use cases are vast and it’s far more impactful to see it first hand.
Solana-focused crypto wallet Phantom adds Ethereum and Polygon support
TechCrunch
Phantom, the largest wallet on Solana, says it will expand to Ethereum and Polygon. The new Ethereum and Polygon integrations are live in beta mode on Phantom’s browser and iOS and Android applications with an aim for a public launch in the first quarter of 2023, Millman said. This means users can trade, receive and swap tokens in its wallet as well as collect NFTs across all three blockchains.
BITCOIN
Top 7 Bitcoin Conferences to Attend in 2023
Bitcoin Core 24, Bitcoin’s controversial upgrade is now live
WBTC Depeg Has DeFi Community On Edge
Harvard Research Paper Urges Governments and Central Banks to Add Bitcoin to Reserves to Hedge ‘Sanction Risk’
ETHEREUM
Demand for liquid Ethereum staking options continues to grow post-Merge
CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam snubs Ethereum, claims only Bitcoin is a commodity
Bitcoin Custody Firm Casa to Add Ethereum Support
Wrapped ether remains perfectly fine, despite jokes on Twitter
Germany has the second highest concentration of ETH nodes in the world
Paradigm Accused Of Copying Code For Rust-Based Ethereum Client
ALTCOINS
Fantom wants to cut token burn rate by 75% to fund DApp rewards program
Polygon APIs to Soon Deploy on Web 3 Indexing Service The Graph
LBRY Says Company Has Been ‘Killed by Legal and SEC Debts’
Uniswap Launches NFT Marketplace With $5M Airdrop For Genie Users
ZkSync is integrating with RNS.ID to enable on-chain IDs and better data security
Perpetuals-Focused Decentralized Exchange GMX Surpasses Uniswap in Daily Fees Earned
Aptos Labs partners with MoonPay for Petra wallet integration
Compound Finance to impose lending caps in light of failed Aave exploit
MakerDAO community votes against CoinShares’ $500M investment proposal
Polygon bridge holds $27 million of unclaimed funds, ZenGo finds
Aave pauses lending markets for 17 Ethereum-based tokens
Dogecoin jumps after Elon Musk shares glimpse into Twitter 2.0 plans
Solana’s flagship gaming and social media funds have been only partially deployed
Aragon Project adds $20 million in ether to treasury for safety amid FTX collapse
US ApeCoin Holders Blocked From Official Staking Website
MakerDAO passes vote to close Alameda-linked renBTC as stablecoin collateral
STABLECOINS
New Cardano algorithmic stablecoin evokes old fears for the community
MakerDAO Community Votes to Hike DAI Rewards to 1%
CRYPTO ECOSYSTEM
Bitcoin Depot says SPAC merger will continue as planned after solid revenue growth
Coinbase Wallet says Apple requested 30% of all NFT transfer gas fees
FCA-Regulated Crypto Custodian Digivault Is Up for Sale Following Eqonex Liquidation: Source
BlackRock CEO Says ‘Next Generation for Markets’ Is Tokenization
Auros Misses $3.1M Loan Payment on Maple Finance
Blockchain-based supply chain platform canned by IBM and Maersk
Genesis creditors organize in bid to forestall bankruptcy move: Bloomberg
Crypto news site CoinDesk draws buyout interest: Semafor
US Auditing Firms To Charge More for Crypto Company Services Following FTX Collapse: Report
Coinbase Wallet Delists XRP, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum Classic
Web3 startup Starlight debuts corporate cards for crypto firms: Exclusive
EIB settles €100 million digital bond on private blockchain
Kaiko launches market data product tracking Aave, Compound and MakerDAO: Exclusive
GK8 increases insurance cap on digital assets to $1B
Crypto Lender BlockFi Files for Bankrupty Protection in the US
Tokenized government bonds free up liquidity in traditional financial systems
Alameda Research withdrew $204M ahead of bankruptcy filing: Arkham Intelligence
NFTS / GAMING / METAVERSE
Crown Ribbon is Shaking Up the $300B Horse Racing Industry With NFTs
Timex to create limited edition BAYC watches for 500 holders
MoonPay to roll out ‘soulbound’ NFT loyalty program
Pudgy Penguin’s ‘Snowed In’ collection sells out at Sotheby’s
OpenSea says NFT creators earned $1 billion in royalties this year
OpenSea Launches On BNB Chain
Tezos draws Art Basel Miami collectors with ‘generative’ NFT minting
Fenix Games raises $150M to fuel next-generation blockchain gaming
MINING
Compass Mining Launches Bitcoin Miner Protection Plan
Bitcoin mining revenue lowest in two years, hash rate on the decline
EXCHANGES
Thai VC fund acquires troubled exchange Zipmex for $100M: Report
Binance Pauses Withdrawals Amid $5M Ankr ‘Infinite Mint’ Hack
Crypto Exchange Zipmex Secures Creditor Protection Extension as Takeover Deal Nears
CME Group Teaming With CF Benchmarks for 3 New DeFi Rates and Indices
KuCoin Draws Ire for Sky-High Yields on Bitcoin Dual Investment Earn Products
Decentralized crypto exchange volumes nearly double in November amid FTX debacle
Bitmex to allow depositors to self-verify liabilities
Huobi, Poloniex announced strategic partnership despite initial denials of a merger
Coinbase clarifies bug bounty policy in response to Uber extortion verdict
INX submits bid for Voyager Digital’s assets
Hong Kong Crypto Exchange AAX Unlikely to Reopen, Former Communications Chief Says
Kraken to layoff 1,100 people to ‘adapt to current market conditions’
Binance Acquires 12th License after Acquisition in Japan
CrossTower Taps into Prime Brokerage with New Acquisition, BEQUANT
Bitso cuts more staff in fresh round of layoffs
Qredo-incubated hybrid crypto exchange breaks cover: Exclusive
Kraken Agrees to Pay $362K Fine for Onboarding Users from Iran
Ukrainian Government Puts Binance Payment Service Integration on Hold
Kraken’s Powell says Binance Proof-of-Reserve is pointless without liabilities
Binance CEO explains 127K BTC transfer, points to proof-of-reserve audit
Social-Media Giant LINE Closes Its Crypto Exchange Bitfront
Coinbase Launches New Initiative To Promote Crypto Exchange Transparency and On-Chain Accounting
Argentina’s Ripio sets up shop in Florida in first U.S. move
CAPITAL RAISES
Crypto Market Maker Keyrock Closes $72m Funding
TON Steward Looks to Draw Projects to its Ecosystem With $126M Rescue Fund
A16z Leads $15M Round for Game Studio Roboto Games
Game7 allocates $100M in open-source technology grants for Web 3.0 gaming companies
Ethereum Staking-as-a-Service Startup Kiln Raises $17.6M
Multichain DAO builder XDao closes token round at $50 million valuation
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Animoca plots $2 billion metaverse investment fund: Nikkei
Controlling shareholders’ stakes in GBTC are ‘highly illiquid’: Report
Crypto fund investment still dominated by the United States: Database
TRADFI / TECH
Australian Stock Exchange Fires 200 Contractors Working on Canceled Blockchain Project
Russia’s Sber bank integrates Metamask into its blockchain platform
FTSE Russell to introduce 8 new digital asset indexes
Sony Launches Motion-Tracking Metaverse Wearables
Silvergate denies recent FUD, confirms minimal exposure to BlockFi
Starling Bank Bans All Crypto-Related Transactions, Cites ‘High Risk’
CBDC
CBDCs: India’s digital rupee falls flat as low volumes blight trial run
Clearing company tests out securities transaction settlements on blockchain networks
Ukraine Considering CBDC That Can Facilitate Crypto Trading
REGULATORY / COUNTRIES
NYDFS proposes regulation to assess costs of ‘supervision and examination’ for licensed crypto firms
Italy to impose 26% crypto gains tax from 2023
European Central Bank Says ‘Bitcoin is Rarely Used for Legal Transactions’, This On-Chain Data Suggests Otherwise
Italy Mulls 26% Crypto Gains Tax as Binance, Gemini Set Up Shop
South Africa Adds Crypto Businesses to List of Accountable Institutions
Digital assets could add $40B a year to Aussie GDP: Tech Council report
Brazil’s long-awaited crypto bill inches to the finish line after seven years
South Korean University to Roll out Blockchain-powered ID Cards
Dominica Works with Huobi to Issue National Crypto Token
Spanish Government to Add Crypto Clauses to Criminal Code
Israel’s chief economist lays out recommendations for crypto regulation
House lawmakers set first FTX hearing for Dec. 13
Singapore requires banks to hold $125 for every $100 Bitcoin exposure
FTX Direct Clearing Plan Was Nowhere Close to Being Approved, CFTC Chief Says
FTX under ‘active’ civil and criminal investigation: Bahamas AG
Putin calls for blockchain-based international payment system
New York’s mayor seeks balance with regulators after PoW mining moratorium
SURVEYS, HACKS, MISC
Ankr confirms exploit, asks for immediate trading halt
Attackers pocket $20 million in exploits on Ankr and Helio
Fed Likely to Raise Rates by 50 Basis Points in December; Bitcoin Jumps
Libertex crypto exchange head Vyacheslav Taran dies in helicopter crash in France
FTX hacker reportedly transfers a portion of stolen funds to OKX after using Bitcoin mixer
Beto O’Rourke Returned a $1M Campaign Donation From Sam Bankman-Fried: Report
BlockFi Sues Sam Bankman-Fried over Robinhood Stock Collaterals
FTX collapse impacts Miami’s nightclub scene: Report
A ‘false messiah’ captivated crypto, Jump’s Kariya says in FTX tweetstorm
Coinsquare confirms data breach, says customer assets ‘not at risk’: CoinDesk
Co-Founder of $3 Billion Crypto Firm Dies at 30 – Here’s What You Need to Know
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