Month: December 2024

Pig butchering scams led to $3.6 billion in crypto losses in 2024, emerging as the most significant fraud scheme of the year, according to a report by web3 security firm Cyvers. The long-term fraud method, where victims are groomed over time to make substantial investments, outpaced other forms of crypto scams in 2024. The report…

Montenegro’s Minister of Justice, Bojan Božović, has signed an order to extradite Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon to the US. Montenegro’s Supreme Court recently determined that all legal conditions for Kwon’s extradition had been met. Following this ruling, the Ministry of Justice evaluated the competing requests and concluded that the US request favored the most…

The following article is an op-ed by Laurent Benayoun, CEO of Acheron Trading. Algorithmic trading, or “algo trading”, has swiftly established itself within the financial landscape, particularly within the volatile, high-paced crypto market. While often perceived as a domain for high-frequency traders with deep pockets, algo trading is, at its core, about automating trading strategies…

Stephen Akridge, co-founder of Solana, is embroiled in a legal dispute with his ex-wife, Elisa Rossi, over alleged misappropriation of substantial gains from Solana (SOL) tokens, Bloomberg News reported on Dec. 27. Rossi claims that Akridge used his advanced expertise in crypto and blockchain to siphon off staking rewards from her digital wallet. According to the…

CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn shared data indicating that the XRP Ledger’s (XRPL) velocity has risen in the past few weeks amid heightened activity, suggesting growing utility within the network. Velocity is calculated by dividing a crypto market cap by its transaction volume. The analyst pointed out that an increasing velocity represents frequent network usage. He…

Japan’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) plans to strengthen internal audit processes at financial institutions, including crypto exchanges. According to a recent statement, the agency aims to address industry gaps and align with global standards in regulatory compliance. The FSA stated that a roundtable discussion would be used to explore improving internal audits in Japan’s financial…

The rise of crypto has become a breeding ground for financial scams in France, contributing to a surge in fraudulent activity that has authorities scrambling to protect consumers. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, along with regulatory bodies like the AMF and ACPR, are particularly concerned about the growing number of schemes involving bogus crypto investments….

The total value locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols saw significant volatility in the past week, dropping from $140.95 billion on Dec. 17 to $117.76 billion on Dec. 20 before partially recovering to $122.06 billion by Dec.26. Graph showing the total value locked (TVL) across all DeFi protocols from Sep. 1 to Dec. 26, 2024 (Source:…

Montenegro’s Constitutional Court unanimously rejected Terraform Labs’ co-founder Do Kwon’s appeal regarding a verdict on his extradition over legal issues, Korea JoongAng Daily reported on Dec. 25. The decision clears the path for Montenegro’s Justice Minister to determine Kwon’s extradition destination, which is now expected to be the US due to the ministry’s established stance,…

The holiday spirit failed to bring any stability to the crypto market, with Bitcoin seeing its price drop from $97,300 on Dec. 22 to $94,800 on Dec. 24. Christmas Day saw a slight recovery, but Bitcoin consolidated back to $98,000 as it met significant resistance above $99,000. This price volatility was accompanied by equal volatility…

Decentralized Science (DeSci) is poised for remarkable growth in 2025, fueled by utility memecoins, according to a recent report by MV Global.  DeSci involves integrating blockchain technology into scientific research. Its goal is to revolutionize the traditional scientific ecosystem by enhancing transparency, decentralization, and collaboration. The report highlighted that while such a concept is not…

Russian lawmaker proposes strategic Bitcoin reserve to counter geopolitical challenges Adoption 2 weeks ago As Bitcoin gains traction globally, Tkachev’s plan positions Russia to use digital currency as a hedge against geopolitical financial barriers.

The US crypto industry anticipates pro-crypto executive orders from President-elect Donald Trump as soon as his first day in office as a roadmap, Reuters reported on Dec. 23. Rebecca Rettig, chief legal and policy officer at Polygon Labs, said: “Given the tenor of the campaign, it would be imperative for executive orders to really set out…

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Readers should conduct further research prior to taking any actions. Learn more › Wiami, Wilder World – December 23, 2024 – The wait is over! Wilder World, currently ranked as the 9th most wishlisted game on the Epic Games Store, has unveiled its much-anticipated gameplay trailer, which shows us…

SpaceX uses stablecoins to dodge foreign exchange risks, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya said in the All-In podcast on Friday. Foreign exchange risk refers to the risk of losses that could arise from drastic fluctuations in a currency. For example, if a U.S. company has customers in Brazil that pay in Real (BRL), the…

The EU’s imminent crypto regulations are raising alarms about potential disruptions to market liquidity as exchanges prepare to comply with new requirements under the Markets in Cryptoassets (MiCA) framework, Bloomberg News reported on Dec. 20. The rules, set to take full effect on Dec. 30, mandate the delisting of Tether’s USDT, the world’s most widely…

Marathon Digital Holdings is redefining the narrative around Bitcoin mining by repurposing its excess heat to benefit communities in Finland. In a Dec. 20 statement on X, the company said it provides heating for approximately 80,000 residents through a forward-thinking approach that merges innovation and environmental responsibility. This success builds on a pilot project launched…

The following is a guest post by Jakub Ondrasek, CEO at Clore AI. Tech innovations such as AI, cryptocurrency, quantum computing and VR are redefining modern life. Most consumers don’t know how much high-performance computing power is needed to fuel such changes. This computing power is driving major breakthroughs, but it also contributes to one…

Coinbase’s latest market outlook for 2025 identifies tokenization, DeFi resurgence, and a shift toward pro-crypto regulation in the US as key trends for the following year. Coinbase anticipates 2025 as a pivotal year for US crypto legislation after years of regulatory ambiguity. The exchange said these developments could redefine how crypto integrates with traditional finance…

The crypto market continues to face a sharp downturn, shedding around 10% in the past 24 hours after the Federal Reserve’s latest policy update. Bitcoin’s price plunged nearly 10%, hitting a low of $93,000. This marks a stark reversal from its recent high of $108,268 earlier this week. The drop brings Bitcoin to its lowest…

Hedera HBAR (24h) $0.27198 +0.52% The Hedera hashgraph platform provides a new form of distributed consensus; a way for people who don’t know or trust each other to securely collaborate and transact online without the need for a trusted intermediary.

Bitcoin’s price experienced a sharp pullback following the US Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut, but market experts like Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan remain optimistic about the asset’s long-term trajectory. On Dec. 18, the Federal Reserve announced a 25-basis-point rate cut, scaling back its outlook for 2024 to two cuts instead of the previously expected four….