TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK
FTX’s 116-Page Creditor List Includes Netflix and Apple
PYMNTS.com
A newly released list of FTX’s creditors reveals the scope of the bankrupt cryptocurrency company’s collapse. The 116-page document, filed by the company late Wednesday, shows that FTX owes money to investment firms, tech companies, banks, media outlets, state governments, the finance ministries of Vietnam, India and Japan, and numerous other crypto firms. The list also includes countless entries that read “Name on File,” references to the individual creditors who fought to be redacted from the list. The document does not reveal how much each creditor is owed, although FTX has said that it owes about $3 billion to the top 50 of its creditors following its implosion and bankruptcy last year.
Amazon planning new NFT initiative: Blockworks
The Block
Amazon is planning a new initiative using non-fungible tokens that could be launched in the spring according to a Blockworks report, citing four sources familiar with the plans. The tech giant reportedly has over a dozen partners already lined up for the gaming focused project. The effort is still being developed, and it could launch in April, according to the report.
New tool lets Tornado Cash users privately show their funds were not illicit
The BlockA tool built by Chainway lets Tornado Cash users prove their initial deposits were not from a list of wallets containing stolen funds — without revealing their own address. Called Proof of Innocence, the tool is designed for those who want to use Tornado Cash but also want to show they’re not a bad actor. This tool could be of particular importance in the social debate on the merits of tools like Tornado Cash, providing a way to seperate the benefits of privacy from nefarious activities. Those who want to use the new tool need to provide a list of malicious wallets they don’t want to be associated with. It then uses cryptography to prove that the wallet they used to deposit the funds isn’t contained within that list. See GSR’s previous coverage of OFAC’s sanctioning of Tornado Cash for more context.
Crypto Exchange Mango Markets Sues Exploiter for $47M in Damages
CoinDeskDecentralized crypto exchange Mango Markets has sued Avraham Eisenberg, a trader who drained funds from Mango in October, for $47 million in damages, according to a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday. Eisenberg had “through fraud and deception” taken about $114 million from Mango Markets. He later returned $67 million after a DAO vote but “retained” the rest. Mango Markets now wants the remaining $47 million back in damages. Eisenberg is similarly facing charges from the DoJ, SEC, and CFTC for market manipulation. See GSR’s previous coverage of the Mango Markets exploit for more context.
Moonbirds creator Kevin Rose loses $1.1M+ in NFTs after 1 wrong move
Cointelegraph
Kevin Rose, the co-founder of the NFT collection Moonbirds, has fallen victim to a phishing scam leading to more than $1.1 million worth of his personal NFTs stolen. The NFT creator and PROOF co-founder shared the news with his 1.6 million Twitter followers on Jan. 25, asking them to avoid buying any Squiggles NFTs until his team managed to get them flagged as stolen. It is understood that Rose’s NFTs were drained after he approved a malicious signature enabled by the Seaport marketplace contract that transferred a significant proportion of his NFT assets to the exploiter. Crypto analyst “foobar” further elaborated on the “technical aspect of the hack” in a separate post on Jan. 25, explaining that Rose approved a OpenSea marketplace contract to move all of his NFTs whenever Rose signed transactions. He further stated that “moving assets from your vault to a separate ‘selling’ wallet before listing on NFT marketplaces will prevent this.”
Injective launches $150M fund backed by Pantera, Jump Crypto
CryptoSlateBITCOIN
Latest Earnings Report: Tesla Held All of its Bitcoin Despite Market Turbulence
CME Bitcoin Futures Open Interest Surges to Near-Record 21% as Institutional Participation Increases
You Can Now Earn Bitcoin for Listening to Podcasts
Lightning Network Capacity approaching ATH – almost 5,000 BTC in known capacity
Coinbase CEO urges Bitcoin legal tender for Brazil, Argentina — Reaction
BTC dominance hits highest level since July 2022
ETHEREUM
Lido presents design for staked ether withdrawals after Shanghai upgrade
Index Coop Introduces Index for Diversified Liquid Ethereum Staking
Ether Turns Deflationary Again, Led by Spike in NFT Sales
Ethereum devs create ‘shadow fork’ to test conditions for Ether withdrawals
Vitalik Buterin proposes ‘stealth addresses’ to enhance Ethereum privacy
$4.6 Billion in Ethereum Up in Flames Since EIP-1559
ALTCOINS
Polygon Derivatives DEX Gains Network Crosses $1.5B in Trading Volume on Arbitrum
Polygon Soars 8% Ahead of zkEVM Network Update
Solana-based DeFi project Friktion shuts down its front end
Solana Unveils App Store For Saga Phone
Aave purchases 2.7M CRV to clear bad debt following failed Eisenberg attack
Conflux Token Spikes 60% as Blockchain Integrates China’s Version of Instagram
On-chain activity on Optimism drops after end of NFT incentive program
DYDX Rallies 18% After Derivatives Exchange Delays Token Release
Sushiswap to launch decentralized exchange for perpetual trading on Sei Network
Aptos surges 343% to new all-time high amid renewed interest in L1 blockchains
Ethereum Name Service mulls initiating endowment fund with $17 million
Marinade Finance announces rewards to boost liquid staking on Solana
Maple Finance Plots Comeback With New $100M Liquidity Pool for Tax Receivables With 10% Yield
Celsius Hints at New Token Launch as Part of Restructuring Plan: Report
MakerDAO Approves Deployment of $100M USDC on DeFi Protocol Yearn Finance
Terra lending protocol Mars to launch mainnet
TON validators set to vote on suspending wallets holding $2.5 billion in toncoin
Sushi DAO implements proposal to direct xSUSHI revenue to treasury
Early vote shows strong support for deploying Uniswap on BNB Chain
50% of Cardano nodes hit with disconnection bug, Input Output investigates
Canto Rallies After Variant Discloses Stake
Maple Finance records a loss of $7M at end of 2022
STABLECOINS
Algorithmic stablecoin market share dropped by 10x from ATH: Report
Binance USD Stablecoin Sees $2B Reduction in a Month Amid Token Mismanagement
RAI Founder Rues ‘Mistake’ on Ethereum
COTI’s ‘overcollateralized stablecoin’ Djed set for final release next week
GHO to Arrive ‘In Weeks’ After Aave V3 Launch on Ethereum
Japan’s FSA expects to allow certain stablecoins by June 2023
Stablecoins Lead the Charge as Crypto Buying Accelerates in Argentina
CRYPTO ECOSYSTEM
Leaked bids: Binance, Galaxy Digital among secret bidders for Celsius assets
Former UK chancellor Philip Hammond joins Copper exchange as Chairman
DCG-Owned Crypto Exchange Luno Just Laid-Off 35% of Its Workforce – Here’s Why
ZenGo Becomes First Non-Custodial Wallet on Polygon with no Seed Phrase Vulnerability
Data analytics firm Arkham Intelligence adding support for Polygon in Q1
DCG companies have laid off over 500 employees as contagion spreads
Web3 Developer Platform Alchemy Releases Transaction Simulation Product
BlockFi Has $1.2 Billon FTX, Alameda Exposure
SEBA Bank Launches New Offering to Simplify Crypto Banking
Genesis bankruptcy case scheduled for first hearing
Cumberland and Mirana Ventures criticize ‘sloppy’ Genesis bankruptcy filing
Genesis Claims $5.1B in Liabilities in First-Day Bankruptcy Filing
Genesis aims to move ‘quickly and efficiently’ to exit bankruptcy, interim CEO says
Crypto Lender Genesis Is FTX’s Largest Unsecured Creditor With $226M in Claims
Crypto Users in Brazil, India Set for Boost from Latest Samsung Wallet Rollout
NFTS / GAMING / METAVERSE
Pudgy Penguins launches cross-chain transactions for Polygon, BNB Chain, Arbitrum
NFT collector sues OpenSea for locking account after being scammed
Nike’s Web3 Platform .SWOOSH Will Reward Creators for Virtual Sneaker Designs
Doodles Releases Eagerly Awaited New NFT Project Doodles 2 on Flow
Nifty Gateway co-founders stepping down, departing Gemini amid troubles
Porsche to halt NFT minting after backlash
Twitch co-founder’s crypto-gaming platform Fractal embraces Polygon
NFT court orders could become a norm in crypto-related litigation: Lawyers
NFT Collection Doodles Acquires Emmy-Nominated Animation Studio
NFT price tracker Floor acquires web3 analytics firm WGMI
MINING
Riding an electric wave Litecoin’s hashrate hits all-time high
Bitcoin miner Hut 8 takes dispute with power supplier to court
Blockstream Secures $125 Million in Funding for Bitcoin Mining Operations
Celsius to store 20,000 mining machines, remains optimistic about new hosting sites
BlockFi looks to sell bitcoin mining loans totaling $160 million: Bloomberg
Bitcoin Miner Argo Blockchain’s Shares Climb After Regaining Nasdaq Listing
Solo Bitcoin Miner Solves Block With Hash Rate of Just 10 TH/s, Beating Extremely Unlikely Odds
ASIC financing debt worsened Bitcoin miner’s liabilities in 2022: Report
Bitcoin Miner 1Thash Sent Almost All Its BTC to Binance
EXCHANGES
SBF allegedly used FTX money to invest $400M in obscure VC firm
Bybit Launches Unified Trading Account, Transforming the Trading Experience for Investors
Crypto Exchange BIT Expands Product Suite With Toncoin Options
Crypto Options Exchange Deribit Plans Move to Dubai: Report
Robinhood’s Twitter hacked, users tricked into buying fraudulent crypto project
Binance Processed $346M of Bitcoin Trades for Crypto Exchange Bitzlato: Reuters
Kraken hires Blockchain.com’s former chief compliance officer
CZ alleges FTX paid $43M to news organization to publish Binance FUD
Bitfinex Offers Crypto Cards-as-a-Service Product from Tap Global
Gemini sheds 10% of staff in 3rd layoffs in 8 months
Token dump following Binance listing raises insider trading suspicions
Binance Garnered Largest Market Share of Crypto Investors From Emerging Markets in 2022
Moody’s Further Downgrades Coinbase Junk Bonds, Joining S&P
CAPITAL RAISES
Sui-based wallet raises $4.2 million led by Gumi Cryptos and Boldstart
Mythical Games eyes $50 million raise, launches enhanced NFT-gaming marketplace
Metaverse training software used by Nike and Carlsberg raises $18 million
QuickNode Raises $60M in Series B at $800M Valuation
Private sharding startup Calimero Network raises $8.5 million
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
VCs Not Interested in Blockchain Anymore as Funding Almost Stopped
Wilshire to partner with FalconX as preferred digital asset index provider
Fairfax County, Virginia, Pension Funds Exposed to Genesis Bankruptcy
TRADFI / TECH
Microsoft switches Metaverse focus from social to business
LATAM Payments Giant Mercado Pago Launches Fresh Crypto Adoption Drive
Visa working on a number of CBDC and stablecoin initiatives – CEO
Swiss Bank Cité Gestion Becomes First Private Bank to Tokenize Its Own Shares
Signature Bank Halts SWIFT Transactions Under $100,000 for Crypto Users, Says Binance
While Apple and Meta forge ahead, Microsoft sunsets some VR products
CBDC
Digital Euro will be free to use, but privacy is up to legislators
Davos-launched blockchain project aims to be the ‘SWIFT’ of stablecoins and CBDCs
CBDCs Could ‘Revolutionize Global Financial Systems’: Bank of America
REGULATORY / COUNTRIES
UK’s FCA hints at why it’s only given 15% of crypto firms the regulatory nod
Australia ranks 3rd in crypto ATM installations after US and Canada
SEC re-declines Bitcoin ETF from ARK, 21Shares
CFTC’s Johnson urges Congress to expand commission’s crypto oversight powers
ISDA releases standard definitions for digital asset derivatives
Polkadot restates its case that DOT has ‘morphed’ away from security status
Russian Finance Ministry Makes Fresh Bid to Tax Crypto Miners
Circle denies blaming SEC for shuttered $9B plan to go public
Ireland’s central bank leader calls for ban on crypto ads targeted at youth
Judge denies motions from Celsius users seeking to reclaim assets
Genesis creditors launch class action lawsuit against DCG, Barry Silbert
Court to hear oral arguments in Grayscale’s lawsuit against the SEC in March
El Salvador Pays Back $800M Maturing Bond, President Nayib Bukele Says
British authorities split on banning sale of crypto investment products
French National Assembly to vote on mandatory crypto firm licensing
SEC’s ‘one-dimensional’ approach is slowing Bitcoin progress: Grayscale CEO
Regulators in New York Taking Aim at Crypto Firms That Mishandle Customer Funds: Report
European Banks Must Fully Cover Crypto Holdings With Capital, Draft Text Says
Indian Government Launches Blockchain Initiative With 5ire, Network Capital
South African regulator mandates crypto ad risk warnings
Central African Republic Forms Committee to Draft Crypto Bill
Japan Edges Toward Corporate Crypto Tax Reform
UAE Minister Says Crypto Will Play a “Major Role for UAE Trade Going Forward”
SEC Charges Mango Markets Attacker With Manipulating Price of ‘Security’
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE
Bitcoin mining brings more than money to this East African country
Binance Charity to provide over 30K Web3 scholarships in 2023
SURVEYS, HACKS, MISC
A&T Capital launches ‘Web3 Trends 2023’ report
‘Blockchain Bandit’ reawakens: $90M in stolen crypto seen shifting
‘Victims of Ankr exploit’ group unhappy with 50% reimbursement
‘Bitcoin Jesus’ Says He Has the Money to Pay Ailing Crypto Lender Genesis
Prosecutors seize SBF’s $50M deposit to small bank
Genesis subsidiary sues ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ for $20.86M
FBI: Lazarus Group carried out Harmony’s Horizon Protocol attack
Wormhole exploiter converts $150 million in ETH to staked assets and levers up
Europol arrests 5 Bitzlato senior executives
Sam Bankman-Fried Faced Security Threat at Parents’ Home, Lawyers Claim
10 ways blockchain developers can use ChatGPT
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