Cryptocurrency
Meta Reportedly Working on NFT Integration for Facebook and Instagram
- "Several people familiar with the matter" have said that teams from Facebook and Instagram were working on the new NFT system.
- The sources also revealed that Meta was considering the launch of a brand new NFT marketplace.
Crypto.com Refunds Users After 483 Accounts Were Hacked
- According to the company, the hacker stole "4,836.26 ETH, 443.93 BTC and approximately US$66,200 in other currencies" from 483 accounts.
- In order to prevent future attacks, Crypto.com has implemented a new layer of security called "Worldwide Account Protection Program (WAPP)".
Gemini Announces Prime Services With Omniex Acquisition
- The acquisition of Omniex was the second one this year, with Gemini acquiring digital asset management startup Bitria last week.
- The company also revealed the launch of Gemini Prime, which will attract institutional investors by providing access to multiple exchanges and OTC liquidity.
Opera Launches New Web3 Browser
- The new Opera browser was designed to improve the user experience when browsing decentralized apps, games, and metaverse platforms.
- A new non-custodial wallet will be at the core of the new Opera experience, allowing users to access their crypto and dApps without extensions.
Animoca Brands Doubles Valuation to $5B
- The $359 million funding round will help Animoca Brands fuel new acquisitions and investments, product development, and licenses for popular intellectual properties.
- The company has more than doubled its valuation with this funding round, considering it raised $65 million at a $2.2 billion valuation last October.
Binance Eyes Thailand Expansion, Auto-Burns 1.7M BNB
- The partnership with Gulf Energy will allow Binance to expand to Thailand, and help with the country's digital economy infrastructure development.
- The exchange also announced the completion of its first-ever BNB auto-burn, which removed 1.7 million BNB from existence.
Tesla Enables DOGE Payments
- A month after Elon Musk revealed Tesla's plans for DOGE, the electric car company added the cryptocurrency as a payment option for its merchandise.
- Sales made with the meme coin will be considered final, and the items "cannot be returned, exchanged, or canceled".
AdoptionBern, Switzerland - April 15, 2019: Decorative inscription on the Swiss National Bank. marekusz / Shutterstock
Swiss Central Bank Completes Wholesale CBDC Trial
- The second phase of Project Helvetia was conducted in partnership with the Bank of International Settlements, the Swiss National Bank, and the SIX Digital Exchange.
- Completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, the tests saw a wholesale CBDC being integrated into the systems of Citi, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg, and UBS banks.
Visa Survey Shows Quarter of SMBs to Accept Crypto Payments in 2022
- The "Visa Global Back to Business Study – 2022 SMB Outlook" revealed that 73% of small businesses thought new digital payments were important to their growth.
- 24% are already planning to accept crypto as payments, while 82% said they would implement "some" form of digital payments in 2022.
SEBA Bank Closes $119M Series C
- The funding round saw participation from notable investors such as Alameda Research, FTX exchange, DeFi Technologies, and others.
- SEBA now plans to fund its international expansion, invest in new products, and grow its team in "new priority markets".
TaxBit Network to Offer Free Crypto Tax Forms
- Users of participating platforms will be able to use the TaxBit ecosystem to generate their transaction history data for free when filing taxes.
- More than 500 platforms have decided to participate in the TaxBit Network, amongst which are PayPal, Binance.US, Coinbase, FTX.US, Gemini, and more.
Sports NFT Platform Lympo Hacked for $18M
- The hacker got away with 165.2 million of the project's LMT tokens, which fell in price by 92% after the accident.
- Lympo's team removed LMT from various liquidity pools shortly after the incident, and is currently working on a plan to remedy the situation.
Binance CEO Reportedly Worth $96B
- This is the first time Changpeng Zhao has had his wealth estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
- The figure does not include Zhao's personal crypto holdings, and would rank him 11th among the world's richest people.
Coinsuper Reportedly Stops Customer Withdrawals
- Dozens of customers have been unable to withdraw their money and tokens from the exchange since late November, messages from telegram suggest.
- At least seven users have filed reports with the police, which is currently investigating one case connected to the exchange.