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Bitpanda has received a MiCA license from the German regulator BaFin, allowing the company to operate across the entire EU. This is the second cryptocurrency platform to receive the license after the regulation came into effect 🚀
Bitpanda has received a MiCA license from the German regulator BaFin, allowing it to operate across the entire EU. This is the second cryptocurrency company to receive such a license since the MiCA regulation came into effect. Bitpanda's CEO, Eric Demuth, emphasized that the success of MiCA depends on strict supervision and compliance with the rules. He also noted that the EU should take into account the experience of the US, which is actively developing cryptocurrency regulation, in order to maintain its competitiveness.
The United States has added Sophgo Technologies, a company engaged in producing chips for AI, to the blacklist due to concerns that its products could end up in Huawei devices, bypassing sanctions 🚫
The United States has added Sophgo Technologies, a chip maker for artificial intelligence, to the trade blacklist. The reason is concerns that its products could end up in Huawei devices, helping to circumvent sanctions. U.S. authorities believe that Sophgo is acting under the direction of China, aiding the development of its chip industry. This decision could also affect Bitmain, which owns Sophgo. However, the largest chip maker, TSMC, claims that it fully complies with international standards.
"Rosseti" will launch cryptocurrency mining in regions with low electricity demand, offering special tariffs and stable supply for miners, which will increase tax revenues and optimize the use of energy resources ⚡
"Rosseti" is launching cryptocurrency mining in regions with low electricity demand, offering mining companies special tariffs and guaranteed supply. This will allow the use of underloaded power grids, improving their efficiency and providing stable income for the company. The initiative is also aimed at increasing tax revenues and supporting economic development, despite the previously cautious attitude of the authorities towards cryptocurrency mining.
The judge rejected Kraken's defense under the "major questions doctrine" in the SEC case, stating that the SEC has the authority to regulate cryptocurrencies but acknowledged the validity of the defense regarding insufficient notice of the violation 📜
A California judge rejected the defense of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, based on the argument that the SEC does not have the authority to regulate cryptocurrencies. The judge stated that the SEC is not using powers beyond those that Congress could grant it, and that cryptocurrency does not have as significant an impact on the U.S. economy as, for example, the energy sector or student loans. However, Kraken's defense regarding the lack of notice of the violation was deemed valid. The SEC accuses Kraken of illegal activity without registration since 2018.
Dean Norris, the star of the TV series *Breaking Bad*, became the victim of hackers: his X account was used to promote the meme coin DEAN, which reached a market capitalization of 8 million dollars, but quickly collapsed 💥
ECB Board member Piero Cipollone warned of the risks to European banks due to the growth of dollar-pegged stablecoins and the need for the accelerated launch of the digital euro 💶
CBI has uncovered a cryptocurrency financial pyramid worth 350 crore rupees, operated by a criminal group working across seven cities in India, using platforms like CoinDCX, WazirX, and others 🕵️♂️
Circle issued $3.5 billion $USDC in a week, highlighting the rise in demand for stablecoins with a daily issuance of 250 million $USDC and expanding use in Solana and DeFi 💰
Ripple Labs requested a deadline of April 16 for filing a counter-appeal brief in its case with the SEC regarding the sale of the cryptocurrency XRP, which began in 2020 ⚖️
David Balland and his wife freed after kidnapping in central France: criminals demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency, one of Balland’s fingers was severed 💰
Propy launches an innovative loan for purchasing real estate with Bitcoin or Ethereum payment and using the property as collateral: 10 percent annual interest and property tokenization in Honolulu 🏠
Uniswap is launching the v4 update with modular hooks, enhanced security, and faster transactions, expecting to stabilize the UNI token price after volatility 🚀
The Central Bank of Russia is developing a platform to block illegal crypto OTC services and prevent suspicious financial transactions involving cryptocurrency and money laundering 🔒
The Central Bank of Russia is developing a platform to combat illegal crypto OTC services and suspicious financial transactions. It will allow tracking and blocking users involved in money laundering and other illegal activities, such as cryptocurrency operations and online casinos. The platform will exchange information about suspicious transactions with banks, which will help prevent illegal deals.
Fasttoken (FTN) celebrated its second decade: the price reached $3.86, the market capitalization amounted to $1.65 billion, and the team announced an airdrop for the community 🎉
Fasttoken (FTN) celebrated its second decade, surpassing a price of $3.86 and a market capitalization of $1.65 billion. In honor of the anniversary, the team announced an airdrop. Over the course of two years, the project has reached 6.5 million holders, been listed on 16 major exchanges, integrated into payment systems and DeFi applications. FTN uses a unique PoSA consensus, and its security is confirmed by audits from Hexens and CertiK. As a result, the coin attracted $23.2 million in investments and continues to grow in the market.
Ki Young Ju claims that Chinese authorities sold 194,000 bitcoins seized from PlusToken fraudsters in 2019 through local exchanges, despite official statements about transferring them to the treasury 💰
The CEO of CryptoQuant, Ki Young Ju, stated that Chinese authorities have already sold 194,000 bitcoins seized as part of the investigation into the PlusToken scheme. In 2019, these bitcoins were transferred to Chinese exchanges like Huobi, but the government did not clarify whether they were sold or simply transferred to the treasury. According to Ju, the use of mixers and multiple exchanges without selling the cryptocurrency makes no sense, which he believes confirms the sale of bitcoins through local platforms.
Circle launched Paymaster: a tool for paying gas fees in USDC, which simplifies transactions on Arbitrum and Base, removing the need for native tokens and providing easy integration for developers 👨💻
Circle launches Paymaster — a tool for paying gas fees in USDC. This solution simplifies transactions by eliminating the need for native tokens such as ETH for users and developers. Paymaster allows for easy integration into applications, providing convenience and removing the complexity of managing cryptocurrencies. In the future, support is expected to expand to other blockchains and cross-chain features for gas payments across different platforms with USDC.
Best news of the last 10 days
The UAE has approved new rules for security tokens and commodity contracts, integrating Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) into financial markets with strict requirements for investor protection 🔒
The SEC revoked the SAB 121 directive, requiring the accounting of client crypto assets on companies' balance sheets, and directed them to follow FASB standards and international accounting rules 📊
OKX receives preliminary MiCA approval to provide localized cryptocurrency services to over 400 million Europeans via its hub in Malta, with access to 240+ tokens and 60+ pairs with euros 🌍
Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos: The U.S. will become the global center of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and a superpower of manufacturing, strengthening national security and energy independence 🤖
Cynthia Lummis has become the chair of the Senate subcommittee on digital assets, planning to introduce bipartisan legislation for the regulation of cryptocurrencies and the creation of a Bitcoin reserve 💼
U.S. Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis has taken the lead of the new Senate subcommittee on digital assets. She emphasized that to maintain the U.S. leadership in financial innovation, legislation regulating digital assets and strengthening the dollar through a strategic Bitcoin reserve must be adopted. The subcommittee will focus on advancing legislation that protects consumers and fosters innovation, as well as overseeing the actions of financial regulators.
The High Court of Singapore has approved WazirX's restructuring plan to compensate 75-80 percent of user funds via tokens after the $235 million Lazarus cyberattack 🏛️
The High Court of Singapore has approved the restructuring plan for the cryptocurrency exchange WazirX, which suffered from a $235 million cyberattack by Lazarus. The plan, submitted by the parent company Zettai, proposes to return 75-80 percent of the funds to users through the distribution of recovery tokens. Voting among users will begin within three months, and if the plan is approved, payments will be made within 10 days. No evidence of wrongdoing by WazirX was found during the court hearing. The exchange has also frozen $3 million USDT for recovery, collaborating with authorities in the USA, Japan, and South Korea to retrieve additional assets.
Hackers attacked the Nasdaq account on X and used it to promote the fake coin STONKS, whose price soared to $80 million but crashed after the scam was exposed and the fake account was deactivated 🚀
Hackers compromised the Nasdaq account on platform X and used it to promote the fraudulent meme-coin STONKS. Within hours, the coin's value surged to 80 million dollars but then crashed just as quickly. The scammers created a fake account that looked like an official Nasdaq affiliate to attract investors and give the coin a false sense of legitimacy. Once the scam was exposed, the value of STONKS plummeted. The deceptive tweet was quickly removed, and the fake account was deactivated, but the damage had already been done. This incident underscores the importance of enhancing security measures, including multi-factor authentication and active account monitoring.
Upbit and Bithumb have agreed to pay 3.14 billion won for 596 cases and 377 million won for 124 cases respectively after outages due to the declaration of martial law in South Korea 💸
South Korean crypto exchanges Upbit and Bithumb have agreed to pay record compensation to users after outages caused by the declaration of martial law in December. Upbit will compensate more than 3.14 billion won for 596 cases, while Bithumb will pay 377 million won for 124 cases. The outages occurred due to a sudden surge in traffic, leading to 99 minutes of downtime for Upbit and 62 minutes for Bithumb. As a result, some users were unable to trade or withdraw funds, especially against the backdrop of falling Bitcoin prices.