cryptocurrencies
Winnipeg police get provincial funding to beef blockchain forensics unit
Police in Winnipeg, the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, will be better prepared to deal with the use of cryptocurrency in cybercrime, thanks to $100,000 Canadian Dollars (CAD) in funding provided by the provincial government. Provincial Justice Minister Kevin Goertzen on Aug. 3 said the money from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund will be used to put five additional members of the police service through a Cryptocurrency Tracing Certified Examiner training program, as well as to purchase specialized software to trace cybercrime activities such as CipherTrace and Blockchain Forensics. According to the Manitoba government, cybercrimes have increased by more than 370% between 2016 and 2020. Sgt. Trevor Thompson of the Winnipeg police financial crime unit said in a statement: ...
EU crypto community has two weeks to join conversation on crypto data
The European Union’s securities regulator continues to strengthen its focus on cryptocurrency regulation, initiating a move to implement increased scrutiny of crypto transactions. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on Tuesday issued a public tender document aiming to collect additional information about trading data on crypto transactions. The regulator is specifically looking for “crypto off-chain data” or crypto-related transactions that do not originate from a blockchain. According to ESMA, such transactions include spot and derivatives trade at centralized exchanges or over-the-counter trading platforms. “The coverage should encompass all major exchanges and crypto assets so that it provides a fair representation of the crypto market landscape,” the document reads.&nb...
Crypto users spent $2.7B minting NFTs in first half of 2022: Report
According to new market research published by blockchain data firm Nansen, crypto users spent 963,227 Ether (ETH), worth $2.7 billion, minting nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain in the first half of 2022. An overwhelming majority of minting took place on OpenSea.io. Minting occurred across 1.088 million unique wallet addresses on Ethereum during this period, Nansen said. In comparison, about $107 million worth of NFTs were minted on BNB Chain and $77 million for Avalanche. A total of 263,800 unique wallet addresses were involved in NFT minting on the two blockchains. 1/ Market participants spent 963,227 $ETH (approximately $2.7b) on minting NFTs in the first half of 2022. So what did the NFT projects do with the money they raised? Read our latest research here: http...
CoinShares reports $21.7M loss tied to Terra implosion
On Tuesday, European cryptocurrency investment firm CoinShares posted its interim Q2 2022 results. Compared to the prior year’s quarter, the firm’s revenue declined from 19.6 million pounds ($23.89 million) to 14.2 million pounds ($17.31 million). At the same time, its net income fell from 26.6 million pounds ($32.42 million) in Q1 2021 to 0.1 million pounds ($0.12 million). CoinShares explained that the losses were largely tied to its exposure to the Terra (LUNA) — now called Terra Classic (LUNC) — ecosystem, which collapsed in May of this year: “While our Asset Management business continued to generate solid profit, the Capital Markets business experienced a one-off loss of £17.7 million following the de-pegging of Terra Luna. The financial impact of this epi...
Crypto miner Digihost plans to move rigs from New York to Alabama
Digihost, a United States-based cryptocurrency mining company, has announced plans to move part of its fleet from New York to Alabama in an effort to lower energy costs. In a Tuesday announcement, Digihost said its 55-megawatt (MW) facility in Alabama — which the company acquired in June — will host some of its crypto miners from New York, leading to lower operating costs. According to the mining firm, it aims to have a hashing capacity of 28 MW at the Alabama facility by the fourth quarter of 2022, and 55 MW by the second quarter of 2023. Like other crypto miners dealing with rising energy costs amid a bear market and record heat in parts of the United States, Digihost reported that it sold Bitcoin (BTC) produced in July. As of July 31, the company reported it held roughly 220 BTC and 1,0...
Michael Saylor will step down as MicroStrategy CEO but remain executive chair
Bitcoin maximalist Michael Saylor has announced that he will step down as the chief executive officer of MicroStrategy, the business intelligence firm he helped co-found in 1989. In a Tuesday notice on its second quarter earnings for 2022, MicroStrategy said Saylor would be assuming the new role of executive chair at the company, while president Phong Le will become CEO. The changes are expected to take effect on Aug. 8. “I believe that splitting the roles of Chairman and CEO will enable us to better pursue our two corporate strategies of acquiring and holding Bitcoin and growing our enterprise analytics software business,” said Saylor. Please join the @MicroStrategy management team at 5pm ET as we discuss our Q2 2022 financial results, executive transition, and answer questions about our ...
Blockchain.com wins registration next to parent firm on the Cayman Islands
Blockchain.com, one of the oldest Bitcoin (BTC) infrastructure firms, is strengthening regulation and compliance efforts by securing registration in the Cayman Islands. The blockchain wallet and cryptocurrency exchange platform Blockchain.com is expanding operations in the Cayman Islands after receiving registration from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). Issued on July 6, the registration officially authorizes Blockchain.com to provide custodial services, operate an exchange, and offer over-the-counter crypto brokerage services for institutional clients under the CIMA’s regulatory framework. Blockchain.com’s chief business officer Lane Kasselman pointed out that the Cayman Islands is an important jurisdiction for the company’s business as the local community and regulators have...
CryptoPunks’ trading volume surges 1,847% after Tiffany & Co. launches exclusive NFT collection
On Monday, the trading volume of CryptoPunks, one of the sector’s most popular nonfungible token (NFT) collections, surged by 1,847% over 24 hours. Over $1,226.68 Ether (ETH) worth of Punk NFTs was traded during that time. The surge in interest appears to be tied to luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. launch of its own NFT collection, which has a special perk for Punk holders. Dubbed “NFTiffs,” the collection consists of 250 digital passes. Anyone can purchase NFTiffs, which are minted on the Ethereum blockchain. However, CryptoPunk holders can redeem the NFT for a customized-jewelry experience. After purchase, Punk holders can elect to receive a custom-designed pendant and an NFT digital artwork that resembles the final jewelry design. These are crafted by the...
Pro traders may use this ‘risk averse’ Ethereum options strategy to play the Merge
Ether (ETH) is reaching a make-it or break-it point as the network moves away from proof-of-work (PoW) mining. Unfortunately, many novice traders tend to miss the mark when creating strategies to maximize gains on potential positive developments. For example, buying ETH derivatives contracts is a cheap and easy mechanism to maximize gains. The perpetual futures are often used to leverage positions, and one can easily increase profits five-fold. So why not use inverse swaps? The main reason is the threat of forced liquidation. If the price of ETH drops 19% from the entry point, the leveraged buyer loses the entire investment. The main problem is Ether’s volatility and its strong price fluctuations. For example, since July 2021, ETH price crashed 19% from its starting point within 20 d...
The worst places to keep your crypto wallet seed phrase
Under the mattress, in the seams of a piece of luggage or even rolled into a cigar, what are the worst and best ways for keeping a seed phrase safe? The key to unlocking and recovering cryptocurrency, a seed phrase, should be secured and safe. Especially now that prices are low and the crypto tourists have checked out, it might be time for a crypto security spring clean. Security starts with a seed phrase, sometimes called a recovery phrase. There’s no denying it: Bitcoin and the crypto space writ large are in the clutches of a bear market. Since Do Kwon’s Terra experiment went up in smoke, a crypto contagion has choked the most reputable of exchanges, causing many self-sovereignty advocates to chant, “not your keys, not your coins.” Indeed, hardly a day goes by that another “trusted...
Charles Schwab’s asset management arm launches crypto-linked ETF
Schwab Asset Management, the asset management arm of financial giant Charles Schwab, has launched an exchange-traded fund (ETF) with exposure to firms linked to cryptocurrencies. In a Friday announcement, Schwab said its Crypto Thematic ETF was expected to be available for trading on the New York Stock Exchange’s Arca under the ticker STCE on Aug. 4. The fund tracks Schwab’s Crypto Thematic Index, providing an investment vehicle with exposure to companies “that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.” Likely because the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has not given the green light to ETFs providing direct exposure to Bitcoin (BTC), the Schwab fund will indirectly invest in crypto through companies. Schwab...
KuCoin crypto exchange debuts USDT-dominated NFT ETF
Seychelles-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has launched an exchange-traded fund (ETF) tied to major nonfungible token (NFT) assets like Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). KuCoin’s NFT ETF Trading Zone went live on Friday, the firm announced. The new investment product is launched in collaboration with NFT infrastructure provider Fracton Protocol. The KuCoin NFT ETF is a Tether (USDT)-dominated product that marks particular underlying NFT assets like Bored Ape Yacht Club. BAYC is one of five NFT ETFs that KuCoin is launching. Trading under the symbol hiBAYC, the asset is an ERC-20 token representing 1/1,000,000 ownership of the target BAYC in the BAYC meta-swap of Fracton Protocol. The ETF aims to increase liquidity as it enables exposure to NFTs via the USDT stablecoin instead of Et...
