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DEA Special Agent O’Kain: Regulated Bitcoin Exchanges Are Good For Law Enforcement
DEA Special Agent Patrick O’Kain spoke at the LA Blockchain Summit on Bitcoin on the role of government agencies in policing the digital asset and blockchain space.
Breaking: Robinhood Buys Back $605.7 Million Stake from Sam Bankman-Fried in U.S. Government Deal
Robinhood Markets has finalized a $605.7 million share repurchase agreement with the US Marshal Service, acquiring 55.3 million shares of Emergent Fidelity Technologies, which has received approval from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Tech Mahindra Developing India’s Blockchain Education with Idealabs Partnership
Tech Mahindra, an Indian multinational IT company, has inked a partnership with Idealabs, an education technology firm, to boost Indian students and aspiring tech professionals with notable blockchain skillsets. Through the strategic collaboration, curated blockchain professional certification courses will be offered made up of live online classes and expert sessions by gurus in the industry.
Web3 Startup Funding Drops 82 percents YoY
VC funding for Web3 start-ups decreased by 82% YoY in Q1 2023, dropping to $1.7 billion. The number of big funding rounds hitting nine figures almost completely dried up over the past year. The decline in Web3 funding is attributed to investors opting for a risk-off approach and seeking opportunities in industries they know best.
Infosys Stock Reacts to $1.5 Billion AI Contract Termination with 2.5% Drop
Infosys' $1.5B AI deal termination leads to a 2.5% stock price drop, signaling changes in IT sector demands and budgets.
Texas Objects to Binance.US and Voyager Digital Deal
Texas’ State Securities Board and Department of Banking object to Binance.US's proposed $1.022 billion deal to buy Voyager Digital's assets, citing "inadequate" disclosures.
Crypto Firm BitGo Files $100m Lawsuit against Galaxy Digital for Breaching Acquisition Deal
Last month, Galaxy scrapped a plan to acquire BitGo for $1.2 billion. In its lawsuit, BitGo demands $100 million for damages following Galaxy’s termination of the merger deal.
FCA Extends Temporary Registration Deadline for Selected Crypto Firms
Some crypto businesses have been offered additional time in order to make it onto the full register to meet requirements from the UK regulator.
Ripple on the Brink of Decisive Win as SEC Legal Battle Nears End
Ripple is expected to win a legal battle with the SEC, potentially settling $20 million or less. This victory is expected due to legal perspectives and the recent Second Circuit Court ruling, impacting digital currency regulation.
John Deaton Files Amicus Brief in Support of Coinbase's Appeal Against SEC
John Deaton, a Republican lawyer and Senate candidate, has submitted an amicus brief supporting Coinbase's appeal against the SEC, arguing that labeling token transactions as securities is impractical.
SEC's Chair Gary Gensler Issues Statement on Amendments to Broker-Dealer Registration Rule
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is amending Rule 15b9-1, allowing broker-dealers to bypass national securities associations like FINRA. The changes aim to ensure consistent oversight, particularly in cross-market and off-exchange activities, and promote transparency and efficiency in the capital markets, benefiting investors.
Paxos’ Blockchain Settlement Platform Goes Live with Settling Credit Suisse and Instinet Trades
New York-regulated stablecoin issuer, Paxos, launched its blockchain-based settlement platform, after announcing the service in late 2019. The new service enables settlement of US-listed equity trades between broker-dealers Swiss financial services firm Credit Suisse and Nomura Group-backed Instinet.
Ireland's CAB Seizes Bitcoin Worth €52 Million from Drug Dealer
Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has been given the go-ahead by the high court to seize Bitcoin valued at €52 million, approximately $56 million USD, from a forty-nine-year-old drug dealer.
AI and 5G Integration with Blockchain Infrastructure form Foundation of China's New Deal To Combat 2nd Great Depression
AI and 5G integration with Blockchain Infrastructure will form the foundation of China's New Deal To Combat the Second Great Depression
Moelis Investment Bank Launches Blockchain Firm for Crypto Venture Deals
Moelis bank has created a new group to target venture deals into firms across blockchain and crypto industry.
Nordea Bank Ban on Staff Bitcoin Trading Upheld By Danish Court
A Danish court has ruled that Nordea Bank is within its rights to prohibit its employees from investing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
SEC Enacts New Registration Mandate for Key Market Players to Bolster Oversight
The SEC introduced new rules requiring liquidity providers to register as dealers or government securities dealers in February 2024, aiming to improve market stability and transparency.
ShapeShift Settles with SEC for Operating as Unregistered Crypto Asset Dealer
ShapeShift AG has settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for operating as an unregistered dealer of crypto asset securities, agreeing to a cease-and-desist order and a $275,000 penalty.
South Korean Car Dealer Launches NFTs to Reduce Paperwork Costs
Han Sung Motor, a South Korean imported car dealer, has rolled out non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to offer customers a secure and convenient experience because they can check car details using their smartphones.
Laser Digital Secures In-Principal Approval from Abu Dhabi Global Market
Laser Digital, Nomura's digital asset subsidiary, has received In-Principal Approval from Abu Dhabi Global Market's Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The approval allows the company to offer broker-dealer and asset management services in the UAE, subject to fulfilling specific conditions.
Puerto Rico Police Say No Evidence of Foul Play in MakerDao Co-Founder’s Death
On Friday, local district police in Puerto Rico announced the results of the investigation into the death of MakerDAO Co-Founder Nikolai Mushegian. The report said there is no evidence of criminal elements involved in the death.
PayPal Officially Confirms that It is Acquiring Crypto Custody Firm Curv
PayPal Inc. has officially confirmed its plans to acquire the crypto startup company Curv.
Crypto Exchange Bullish Plans to Go Public Via SPAC Valued At $9B
Bullish exchange is the latest crypto firm intending to go public through SPAC in a $9 billion deal.
SBI Invests $15 Million into Alpaca, Forges Partnership
Alpaca and SBI Holdings have entered into a strategic partnership, bolstered by a USD15 million investment, to accelerate Alpaca’s business expansion in Asia. This collaboration will extend Alpaca's services to more enterprise financial institutions in Asia for US securities transactions. The investment, a convertible note, takes Alpaca’s total funding to USD120 million, enabling further growth in the Asian market and new product introductions in the U.S.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Denounces Cryptos as Escape from Inflation
The current Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said that investing in cryptocurrencies to avoid inflation is an act of irresponsible leadership.
Bitcoin Miner Iris Energy Signs Share Purchase Agreement with B. Riley
The issuance of new shares is meant to help Iris Energy strengthen its capital base to support its Bitcoin mining operations amid the market downturn.
BendDAO Considering Expanding into ApeCoin NFT Staking Programme
BendDAO plans to introduce a BendEarn NFT platform that enables staking of major tokens like ApeCoin, Bored Ape, Mutant Ape, and Bored Ape Kennel Club NFTs. The NFT platform will allow BendDAO users to earn passive income with NFTs through the available innovative features like a dashboard, four staking pools, and market tools.
Deal Box offers $125M blockchain and Web3 venture fund
Deal Box created a $125 million Web3 venture capital fund. Deal Box Ventures will support emerging growth, real estate, fintech, funtech, and social impact firms. It owns Total Network Services, Rypplzz, and Forward-Edge AI. Lesetja Kganyago spoke at WEF 2023 in Davos, Switzerland. Before launching CBDCs, the SARB governor suggested a national dialogue. Crypto barely fits two of three currency standards, he said.
Binance Acquired CoinMarketCap: A Huge Boost to the Binance "Super Exchange" Ecosystem
Binance, one of the largest digital asset exchanges in terms of trading volume and users, has officially announced the acquisition of CoinMarketCap for an undisclosed fee. According to the press release shared with Blockchain.News, the acquisition creates synergies for both companies in boosting cryptoassets adoption to global users.
Coinbase's Intention to Sell Blockchain Analytics Software to US Government Watchdogs Created Backlash from Crypto Community
Leading American cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase plans to sell its blockchain analytics software called "Coinbase Analytics" to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This decision is not sinking in well with the crypto community because the software will offer identity attribution for domestic and international cryptocurrency addresses to the US government agencies.
Coinbase Considers Support for 18 New Cryptos Including VeChain, Prompting Higher Prices
Coinbase is considering adding a new range of digital assets, including VeChain, Aragon, Bancor, Siacoin, Origin Protocol, and Ren to its potential listings.
US Justice Department Charges Six People for Laundering Drug Cartel Money Using Crypto
The US Eastern District Court of Virginia has charged six people for allegedly involved in laundering millions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels using cryptocurrency.
Venezuelan President Maduro Leveraged Cryptocurrency to Conceal Drug Ring Transactions According to US DOJ
Venezuelan President Maduro and 14 other high-ranking Venezuelan officials have been charged for their alleged involvement in a multibillion-dollar cocaine trafficking ring that the the DOJ claimed wreaked havoc on American communities by flooding the markets with cocaine for over 20 years. According to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Venezuelan officials had leveraged cryptocurrency in an attempt to mask their money trail on their alleged crimes
Coinbase Sold its Blockchain Based Data Analytics Software to the US Secret Service
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has sold its blockchain-based data analytics software to the United States Secret Service. The analytics software was made available to the secret service in a contract worth $183,750 and billed to span through May 9, 2024.
Venezuela Wants Citizens to Pay Taxes in State-Issued Petro Cryptocurrency
Venezuela is moving on a mandate that could see taxes being collected using its state-issued cryptocurrency—the oil-backed Petro. The effort is part of a nation-wide campaign to create mainstream use cases for Venezuela’s cryptocurrency.