Crypto crash fuels acquisition spree, raising privacy concerns

Crypto crash fuels acquisition spree, raising privacy concerns

Nexo, a crypto-lending platform with over 4 million users, has offered to acquire Singapore-based crypto services firm Vauld. Vauld management said in a blog post that Terra-Luna’s coin crash and Three Arrows Capital’s loan default sparked its financial difficulties.

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SCOTUS might halt financial regulation

SCOTUS might halt financial regulation

The US Supreme Court ruled last week against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), limiting its powers to interpret or enforce laws without explicit Congressional authority. Two top Republican lawmakers told the Financial Times that the ruling will soon affect financial regulators as well.

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Despite tempered hiring plans, Meta still bets on metaverse

Despite tempered hiring plans, Meta still bets on metaverse

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced it would reduce its engineer hiring goals by 30% this year. It will recruit between 6,000 and 7,000 engineers, down from an envisioned 10,000.

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Crypto hedge fund defaults on $670M loan

Crypto hedge fund defaults on $670M loan

Cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) has failed to make payment on a loan issued by crypto broker Voyager Digital. This marks the largest institutional crash of the current “crypto winter.”

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Is a recession really coming?

Is a recession really coming?

A recession is defined as a “significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.” The uncertainty of the term, as well as improving supply-chain conditions in the auto industry, suggest a slump isn’t inevitable.

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A crypto gaming company crashed. Nobody will be held accountable.

A crypto gaming company crashed. Nobody will be held accountable.

Axie Infinity, a “play-to-earn” video game in which users receive tokens for playing on the platform and trading characters as NFTs, has seen the value of its tokens decline by more than 90%. Hackers also robbed Axie’s creators of more than $620M in cryptocurrencies.

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Crypto’s market cap fell below $1T. Now what?

Crypto’s market cap fell below $1T. Now what?

Bitcoin’s value dropped as much as 17% after crypto lending platform Celsius froze withdrawals on its platform. Bitcoin fell to its lowest value since December 2020, contributing to crypto’s aggregate value sliding from a high of $3T to below $1T.

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Binance hosted billions in illicit crypto, exposé reports

Binance hosted billions in illicit crypto, exposé reports

Investigative work by Reuters suggests Binance has processed more than $2.35B in crypto originating from hacks, fraud, and illegal drug sales. The volume of illicit crypto processed by Binance has plummeted since it established KYC/AML protocols, but the crypto exchange has still failed to cooperate with cybercrime investigators on several occasions since then.

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What’s in the bipartisan Senate bill on crypto?

What’s in the bipartisan Senate bill on crypto?

Senators Cynthia Lummis (R., WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D., NY) introduced a bill called the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which proposes a “complete regulatory framework for digital assets.”

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What’s behind the VC crypto push?

What’s behind the VC crypto push?

Binance Labs, the venture arm of Binance, the crypto exchange, announced a $500M fund to invest in Web3 and blockchain technologies. The raise comes a week after Andreessen Horowitz launched a $4.5B crypto fund.

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Is Robinhood’s crypto push bound to fail?

Is Robinhood’s crypto push bound to fail?

Reporting by Business Insider exposed a woefully delayed pivot to crypto trading by Robinhood. An overly cautious legal team and leadership churn further contributed to the slow pace.

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SWIFT, Capgemini eye interoperable CBDCs

SWIFT, Capgemini eye interoperable CBDCs

The international payments network, in partnership with Capgemini, a French IT services company, is testing how to interlink domestic Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) for international payments.

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Crypto may be crashing, but its carbon footprint isn’t

Crypto may be crashing, but its carbon footprint isn’t

Alex de Vries, a data scientist at the Dutch Central Bank, said the crypto sector’s $1T loss in the past few months may have slowed the growth of data mining, but it hasn’t decreased it. He estimated that, respectively, Bitcoin and Ether use as much electricity as Thailand and Kazakhstan.

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Miami Mayor’s endorsement may land MiamiCoin in hot water

Miami Mayor’s endorsement may land MiamiCoin in hot water

Reporting by Quartz suggests that Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami may have “tripped” regulatory wires during interviews in support of MiamiCoin. The cryptocurrency is a city-specific virtual currency created by CityCoins, and is designed to provide free money to cities.

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Crypto exchanges liable for sanctions evasion on their platforms, U.S. court says

Crypto exchanges liable for sanctions evasion on their platforms, U.S. court says

An unsealed memorandum opinion by Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., states that virtual currencies are subject to sanctions laws, just like fiat currencies.

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