Crypto news
Crypto exchange Coincheck will soon list on Nasdaq via a merger
The Asian exchange will list via a special purpose acquisition with Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV Coincheck has in the past suffered breaches and serious cyber-attacks Coincheck, a ‘vintage’ crypto exchange and digital wallet firm, on Tuesday said it will soon list on the Nasdaq after completing a special purpose acquisition (SPAC) with Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation. The SPAC deal will see the Coincheck crypto exchange become a subsidiary of Coincheck Group (CCG). However, the statement insisted that CCG shall remain under the umbrella of Monex Group, which took over the crypto exchange in 2018. Monex Group currently owns 92% of Coincheck and will own 82% of the new ‘combined’ firm. Via the combined holding, Coincheck...
Yuga Labs raises $450M as it sets sights on a native metaverse
Yuga labs recently announced the planned launch of Otherside, a metaverse powered by ApeCoin Part of the funds raised in this seed round will be invested in the metaverse project Miami-based NFT creator and parent company of the famed Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Yuga Labs, has completed a $450 million raise at a $4 billion valuation in a just-concluded seed round. It was led by venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), but also saw the participation of other big names in and around crypto, including Animoca Brands, Thrive Capital, MoonPay, Sandbox, FTX and Google Ventures. Founded by Wylie Aronow and Greg Solano in 2021, the company has seen massive growth as a maker of high-value collectables. It now aims to expand to maintain this growth. The resources it has raised will be us...
Crypto.com’s sports sponsorship play to include the Qatar 2022 World Cup
Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek says the deal will help drive awareness of the exchange and its services The last World Cup had about 3.5 billion viewers Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has sent out a statement today confirming that payment and cryptocurrency exchange platform Crypto.com will be “the exclusive cryptocurrency trading platform sponsor” of the coming Qatar 2022 World Cup. The terms of the agreement, however, remained undisclosed. The publicity that could potentially be gained from this sponsorship should help introduce Crypto.com to a new demographic. The FIFA World Cup, which is expected to run from November 21 through to December 18, has historically enjoyed massive viewership numbers. For context, 3.5 billion people watched the previous e...
Crypto investor Katie Haun raises $1.5 billion for Web3 venture fund
Katie Haun, crypto investor and board member for Coinbase and OpenSea announced that she had raised $1.5 billion for her new fund, Haun Ventures. On Tuesday, March 22, Haun posted an article on Twitter, briefly introducing the firm and sharing that the funds would be used to invest in Web3 projects. Introducing @HaunVentures, a firm built for the next generation of the internet. We’ve raised $1.5 billion across two funds to invest in web3. An exciting first step, but the real work begins now. https://t.co/tBeE4OEJkD — Kathryn Haun (@katie_haun) March 22, 2022 The firm will invest through two funds, a $500 million early-stage fund, and a $1 billion acceleration fund. The two funds represent the largest debut on record for investment vehicles led by a female General Partner, according to dat...
How NFTs create a ‘beautiful cycle’ between artists and fans
The nonfungible token art industry has developed into a “beautiful cycle” thanks to the connection artists have with their fans according to artist Danielle Weber who spoke at the Australia Blockchain Week conference. Weber spoke on a March 23 panel discussion titled “Pushing the boundaries of NFT utility and art – Homegrown spotlight” about the benefits of the nonfungible token (NFT) ecosystem bringing artists closer together with their fans. She highlighted the fact that such closeness provides mutual advantages for both artists and fans: “It’s a beautiful cycle that we’re seeing in this space. We are closely connected to our fans… so we know what they want, and they motivate us to create work that is true to ourselves and true to our craft.” That connection with fans is appa...
Animoca Brands targets social media giants in latest Web3 expansion plans
Animoca Brands co-founder and chairman Yat Siu stated that his firm will continue to “shepherd companies into Web3” to speed up the evolution of the internet into an open Metaverse. Siu has long advocated for the broader concept of an open Metaverse as opposed to a closed one that is dominated by large centralized Web2 companies. Central to Siu’s argument is that decentralized Web3 platforms and tech such as NFTs offer users a chance to maintain ownership rights over their data and content online, instead of it being controlled and utilized by firms such as Meta (formerly Facebook). Siu made his latest comments while speaking on day three of the Australian Blockchain Week event earlier today. During his discussion hosted by Caroline Bowler — the CEO of local crypto exchange BTC Markets — t...
US Bitcoin mining firm turns to harmful coal waste for cleaner energy
Stronghold Digital Mining (SDIG), a crypto mining company in Pennsylvania, is turning waste from old power plants into energy to power hundreds of Bitcoin mining rigs. The company collects coal refuse, a leftover waste material from the process of coal mining, and burns it in what it says is an emissions-controlled environment at its energy generation facilities. Coal refuse can cause a raft of environmental problems, such as water and air pollution, and acid mine drainage, the acidic water which comes from coal mining operations. Collecting this waste and safely disposing of it while generating power for crypto mining is a productive way of tackling the problem. The state of Pennsylvania is the third-largest producer of coal in the United States, estimates put the amount of coal wastage a...
On-chain: Ethereum surges, outperforms Bitcoin and stocks
The never-ending battle of Ethereum against the psychologically-important $3K barrier continues. The DeFi king broke through the resistance earlier, meaning it is now up 16% on the week. Ethereum 7-day returns, data via CoinMarketCap Order Volume The $3K area has been a tug-of-war over the last while, and today reads no different. Data below via IntoTheBlock shows the boisterous volume on both sides of $3K, as order-books burst with bids and asks. It’s difficult to ascertain where ETH will go from here; like most financial assets, it may depend on external geopolitical developments, which have been plentiful in recent times. Order volume around the $3K barrier, data via IntoTheBlock Volume Volume provides no clue in either direction, with withdrawals from exchanges continuing to fol...
Volvo’s parent company establishes blockchain joint venture headquarters in Wuxi, China
On Tuesday, privacy blockchain Concordium and Geely Holding, a Chinese multinational automotive car company that owns brands such as Volvo, announced the creation of a joint blockchain venture with headquarters in Wuxi, China. The project aims to develop blockchain technologies and improve blockchain standards, mainly in the automotive industry. Since establishing the joint venture last February, Geely Holding has created a Digital Technology Sector, or DTS, subsidiary to invest in cutting-edge technologies, including blockchain. Moreover, the two entities plan to offer businesses and customers access to new blockchain platform-based business models and decentralized applications. DTS has already developed blockchain services, such as a digital asset management platform and a blockchain tr...
NFT creator Yuga Labs raises $450M, bringing company valuation to $4B
Yuga Labs, the creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and new owners of the CryptoPunks and Meebits brands, announced it is now valued at $4 billion after its latest $450 million seed funding round. VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, led the company’s first institutional investment, marking one of the largest seed rounds for any nonfungible token (NFT) collection to date. Other investors included Animoca Brands, FTX and MoonPay, as well as LionTree, Sound Ventures and Thrive Capital. The company plans to use the funds to scale its team, attract more creative, engineering and operations talent, as well as for future joint ventures and partnerships. To celebrate the occasion, Chris Lyons, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, loaned his Bored Ape to a16z, which upload...
Ireland’s central bank follows UK’s example in warning of crypto advertisements
The Central Bank of Ireland issued a warning to consumers about the risks around crypto investments in addition to “misleading” advertisements, including those pushed by influencers on social media. In a Tuesday notice, Ireland’s central bank said the warning was part of a campaign organized by the European Supervisory Authorities, made up of the European Securities and Markets Authority, the European Banking Authority, and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. The Central Bank of Ireland said that cryptocurrencies were “highly risky and speculative” for retail investors and warned people to be mindful of “the risks of misleading advertisements, particularly on social media, where influencers are being paid to advertise crypto assets.” “In Ireland and across the EU we...
Bitcoin bulls take aim at $45K while some analysts warn of possible correction
The bullish narrative is beginning to build across the cryptocurrency ecosystem on March 22 as the price of Bitcoin (BTC) briefly spiked above $43,000 while Ether (ETH) has reclaimed support at $3,000 following a deposit of $110 million worth of ETH into Lido’s liquidity pools. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the price of Bitcoin rallied 6.15% from a low of $40,884 in the early hours of Tuesday to an intraday high at $43,380 before consolidating around support at $42,300. BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView Here’s what several analysts are saying about Bitcoin’s recent price action and which support and resistance levels to keep an eye on moving forward. BTC price could correct lower A foreshadowing of Bitcoin’s move on March 22 was pro...
