Dan Berkovitz, general counsel for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, said he will be leaving the agency after more than a year. In a Dec. 22 announcement, the SEC said Berkovitz will depart on Jan. 31. A former commissioner with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Berkovitz joined the agency in November 2021. At
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As the new year approaches, more than a dozen bitcoin mining pools still dedicate a total of 238 exahash per second (EH/s) toward the Bitcoin blockchain in order to secure the network and reap mining rewards. Statistics indicate that the mining pool Foundry USA discovered the most block rewards this year, as the operation found
Cryptocurrencies have suffered immensely in 2022 from the onslaught of a hawkish Federal Reserve and the implosions of crypto platforms FTX, Terra, Celsius Network, and others. What were the most-searched cryptocurrencies in 2022? Notably, the market valuation of all the cryptocurrencies combined has dropped 70% year-to-date (YTD) to nearly $770 billion, signifying massive capitulations by traders
Embattled crypto exchange FTX asked for the assistance of a United States bankruptcy judge to prevent crypto lending firm BlockFi from claiming around $450 million worth of Robinhood shares purchased by its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. On Nov. 28, BlockFi filed a lawsuit demanding Emergent Fidelity Technologies, Bankman-Fried’s holding company, to turn over 56 million
Ethereum edged closer to a key resistance level of $1,230 on Dec. 23, as markets continued to react to better than expected U.S. GDP data. Gross domestic product in the United States was revised higher to 3.2%, better than the 2.9% expected. Bitcoin mostly consolidated in today’s session, with prices trading near the $16,800 mark.
Nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea has been banning artists and collectors from Cuba, citing United States sanctions as the key reason behind its action. According to a report published by Artnet, 30 artists and collectors have been banned from the popular NFT marketplace until now. The most noted artist to face the axe includes well-known Havana-based
Barely a month after announcing the restricting of cash withdrawals to under $50 per week, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on Dec. 21 that individuals will be able to withdraw an equivalent of $1,120 per week starting on Jan. 9, 2023. The central bank said individuals and corporate organizations withdrawing amounts exceeding the new
President Jair Bolsonaro has approved law 14.478, which regulates cryptocurrency-related operations and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in Brazil. The document, approved on the last day of the period allowed, will begin to be applied 180 days after its sanction. This will give all parties a period to adapt to compliance. Cryptocurrency Law Finally Sanctioned
Authorities in Italy and Albania have hit a fraud scheme enticing victims with promises of low-risk investments in cryptocurrencies. During an operation coordinated by Eurojust, investigators from the two countries searched a dozen locations and seized assets and computer equipment. Fraudsters Contacted Investors From a Call Center in Tirana, Albania Law enforcement officers in Italy
While U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Gary Gensler is calling for a crackdown on the crypto industry based on existing laws and jurisprudence, he may find his nemesis in Ripple and the battle over the Hinman documents. As Bitcoinist reported yesterday, redactions of all documents related to the summary judgment were due to
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) could potentially find some mutually beneficial interactions with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to one industry executive. While crypto is often associated with financial freedom, the concept of CBDC is frequently seen as the exact opposite. But this doesn’t mean that there cannot be a balance between the two, according
The province of Buenos Aires in Argentina will begin taxing cryptocurrency mining and possibly staking, in 2023. A new proposal modifies the tax law to introduce cryptocurrency mining as a taxable activity that will levy 4% on the income calculated via these operations. However, it is still unclear if staking will be taxed. Buenos Aires
A senior official from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has warned investors to be “very wary” about relying on a crypto company’s “proof-of-reserves.” “We’re warning investors to be very wary of some of the claims that are being made by crypto companies,” said SEC’s acting chief accountant Paul Munter in a Dec. 22
A start-up accelerator co-founded by Hong Kong legislative council member Jonny Ng Kit-Chong wants to attract 1,000 Web3 businesses to set up shop in the city-state over the next three years. Ng Kit-Chong is a member of the legislative council for the election committee constituency and has been in office since January this year. The
The governor of India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has warned that the next financial crisis will come from cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin and ether. The central bank chief added that cryptocurrencies pose “huge inherent risks” to India’s macroeconomic and financial stability. Indian Central Bank Warns About Crypto Causing the Next Financial Crisis
Crypto Twitter has seemingly taken issue with Sam Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bail bond, allowing him to spend Christmas in his parent’s Palo Alto home without paying a single dime upfront. The former FTX CEO arrived in New York from the Bahamas on Dec. 21 and appeared in court on Dec. 22 where he was released
The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has been dealing with a torrent of FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) since the downfall of FTX. The firm is now fighting back with its latest blog post. On Dec. 22, Binance published a blog post in Chinese to address seven key issues the company wanted to clear up. At
A U.S. bankruptcy court has granted Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific interim approval to access a $37.5 million loan from existing creditors to fund the firm amid its liquidity issues. Core Scientific is one of the largest cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 21 as a
A U.S. senator has introduced a bill to “establish the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.” The lawmaker explained: “This bill will also ensure the Federal Reserve, which has displayed significant skepticism about stablecoins, won’t be in a position to stop this activity.” Stablecoin TRUST Act of 2022 U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), ranking
The last year has been an eventful one for the crypto space. The collapse of the Terra ecosystem and its TerraUSD (UST) algorithmic stablecoin saw $50 billion wiped off the market in a flash. And more recently, FTX, an exchange many thought was “too big to fail,” came crashing down. There’s been no shortage of