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Showing posts from August 19, 2021

MLB Team Washington Nationals Partners With Terra Blockchain Community, Ballpark Plans to Accept UST

On February 9, the American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C., the Washington Nationals, announced the team has partnered with Terra, the open-source blockchain platform and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The Washington Nationals detail that the team is a “leading innovator” and is “consistently introducing new technologies to enhance the fan experience.” Washington Nationals Ink Long-Term Deal With Terra Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Washington Nationals has partnered with the blockchain platform and DAO Terra, according to an announcement published by the team on Wednesday. The deal with Terra follows a slew of sports-related deals with crypto firms, but the MLB team will be the first to partner with an open-source blockchain project. In addition to the partnership, the algorithmic stablecoin UST that’s issued on the Terra blockchain will be “accepted as a payment method at Nationals Park as early as next season.” “The Nationals continue t...
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Nifty News: Mike Tyson’s ear-biting tokens, the NFT that makes you a TV star, and more…

An Australian TV show is auctioning off an NFT that will see the winning bidder become part of the show next season, while sporting icons Mike Tyson and Lionel Messi have entered the NFT arena. Mike Tyson bites the ear off NFTs Boxing legend Mike Tyson has dropped a series of tokenized collectibles on the heavyweight champion platform of the NFT world, OpenSea . The 55-year-old collaborated with digital artist Cory Van Lew to launch the “Mike Tyson NFT Collection,” which consists of 11 one-of-one NFTs up for auction, and six open edition NFTs that range from 50 to 250 copies. The collection was released earlier today. The NFTs depict neon-colored illustrations of iconic moments from Tyson’s career such as knockouts, championship wins and the notorious “ear-biting” escapade. Tyson's NFT collection: OpenSea At the time of writing, there are three one-of-one editions with a top bid of 5 ETH each worth around $16,000, however, the prices are likely to climb fast as the auctio...
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23 and counting: VanEck and ProShares file for ETH futures ETFs

The latest two filings bring the total number of ETF applications this year to 23. Two more Ethereum-based exchange-traded funds have been filed this week bringing the total to 23 crypto ETF filings so far in 2021. VanEck and ProShares are the latest two firms to reveal plans for institutional products focused on Ethereum. According to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 18, VanEck is seeking to launch an “ Ethereum Strategy ETF ”, while ProShares is calling its proposed product the “ Ether Strategy ETF ”. Both ETFs aim to provide exposure to Ethereum by investing in ETH futures contracts in addition to pooled investment vehicles and other exchange-traded products that have ETH exposure. The funds will not be buying Ethereum directly according to the documents. Both firms have already filed for Bitcoin ETFs however the SEC is still dragging its feet and is yet to approve any. Earlier this month, Kryptoin filed for an ‘Ethereum ETF Trust’ marking the 2...
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BlackRock ETFs hold $384 million of shares in Bitcoin mining firms

SEC filings reveal that BlackRock has invested almost $400 million into Riot Blockchain and Marathon Digital Holdings stock. Filings submitted by the $9 trillion multinational investment manager BlackRock reveal the firm has made significant investments in two leading publicly traded Bitcoin mining firms. A June 30 filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, unearthed by Forbes, shows that BlackRock owns a 6.71% stake in Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) and 6.61% of Riot Blockchain (RIOT). In total the investments are valued at nearly $384 million, with BlackRock having purchased nearly $207 million worth of Marathon and $176 million worth of Riot. According to Etf.com, BlackRock’s iShares Russell 2000 ETF holds more shares in Marathon and Riot than any other ETF, while iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF ranks third on the same measure. The investments are not BlackRock’s first in the digital asset sector, with the firm filing an application with the SEC in J...
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Coinbase will buy $500M in crypto and invest 10% of all future profits in digital assets

CEO Brian Armstrong expects the percentage of profits spent on cryptos to grow over time. Leading U.S. exchange by trade volume, Coinbase, has revealed plans to add half a billion dollars worth of crypto to its balance sheet. Coinbase CEO, Brian Armstrong, announced that the company’s board had approved the crypto spending spree in an August 20 tweet , adding that Coinbase also plans to invest 10% of all profits generated into digital assets moving forward. Armstrong also indicated the company hopes to increase the percentage of profit it allocates to cryptocurrency purchases over time. We recently received board approval to purchase over $500M of crypto on our balance sheet to add to our existing holdings. And we'll be investing 10% of all profit going forward in crypto. I expect this percentage to keep growing over time as the cryptoeconomy matures. — Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) August 19, 2021 A blog post published by Coinbase on the same day announces that the ...
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$100M funding round for Binance.us falls through on regulatory concerns

Despite a failed $100 million funding round leading to the resignation of Binance.us CEO, Brian Brooks, the exchange still has its sights set on launching an IPO. Regulatory concerns surrounding Binance.us and its owner, Changpeng Zhou (CZ), have reportedly culminated in investors backing out of a $100 million funding round. The failed funding round also prompted Binance.us CEO Brian Brooks' surprise decision to step down after  serving as its executive  for just three months.  Brooks, the former Acting Comptroller of the Currency and former chief legal officer to rival exchange, Coinbase, cited “strategic differences” while stepping aside. The funding round had been intended as the first step in Binance.us's path toward an initial public offering (IPO). According to New York Times, Brooks had initially courted potential investors including Ray Lane from venture capital firm GreatPoint, and an executive at Japanese holding company, SoftBank, under assurances that Bi...
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SEC boss says DeFi platforms are ‘highly centralized’ and will need to register

SEC chairman Gary Gensler stated that many DeFi projects are “highly” centralized in certain aspects, as they are developed by a “core group of folks” who are incentivized to promote their platforms. Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stated that DeFi is highly centralized in certain aspects and urged projects working in the sector to register with the SEC. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 19, Gensler suggested that the decentralized notions implied by the term DeFi were “a bit of a misnomer,”: “These platforms facilitate something that might be decentralized in some aspects but highly centralized in other aspects.” While DeFi projects are designed to be autonomous platforms that operate without a centralized authority , Gensler asserted that many are developed and controlled by a centralized team who are incentivized to promote their platforms. “There’s still a core group of folks that are not only writing the software, like the ope...
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Bullish cup and handle pattern sets Cardano (ADA) price up for a new ATH

ADA’s daily close above the $2.30 resistance and a classic bullish technical analysis pattern signal that the altcoin is ready to hit a new all-time high. Smart contracts have been a revolutionary force in the blockchain industry because they have enabled the creation of decentralized finance protocols, nonfungible tokens and a new form of carrying out transactions without the need of a middleman.  Cardano ( ADA ) is one of the many projects that has been gaining momentum throughout 2021 and now that the project's long-awaited smart contract capabilities are on the verge of becoming reality, the token is on the precipice of setting a new all-time high. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after bottoming at a low of $1.02 on July 20, the price of ADA has surged 139% to a multi-week high at $2.45. ADA/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView Here’s a look at what some analysts and traders are saying about the recent price action for ADA and what tok...
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Coinbase creates support phone line for account takeovers

Users who suspect fraud will be able to connect to a live operator, potentially expediting the investigation process. Coinbase has announced a new support phone line for customers who believe their account has been compromised by outside actors. Users will be able to speak to a live support agent, who can kick off an investigation immediately. In an industry where support tickets and emails are the standard method of communication, Coinbase expects that this implementation could help users save valuable time when dealing with this type of crisis. Coinbase also offers its customers additional layers of protection that include two-factor authentication, unknown device recognition and advanced hardware security keys. Account takeovers, or ATOs, involve a malicious actor gaining access and control over a user’s account. They are treated as a form of identity theft, where hackers simulate the credentials of the account holder in order to restore a password and login. Most times, these c...
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Canadian regulator alleges OKEx operator violated securities law

The commission has made similar allegations against Bybit, crypto exchange KuCoin and Polo Digital Assets. The Ontario Securities Commission claimed Aux Cayes FinTech Company Limited, a legal entity in the Republic of Seychelles that operates crypto exchange OKEx, has failed to comply with the province’s law governing securities. In an Aug. 18 notice, the Ontario Securities Commission, or OSC, alleged that Aux Cayes may have engaged in illegal activity and could face regulatory action if it fails to cooperate with authorities. According to the OSC, crypto asset products offered through OKEx are considered securities and derivatives, and subject to the Ontario securities law. The regulator claims Aux Cayes has failed to comply with the region’s registration and prospectus requirements. The OSC issued a warning to all crypto asset trading platforms operating in the province in March that they must be in compliance with the securities law by April 19 or face regulatory action. Though...
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Altcoins soar after Bitcoin price bounces off a key moving average

Bitcoin price reliably bounced off the 20-day moving average, which catalyzed an explosive rally from VGX, CHSB and EWT. The cryptocurrency market got off to a slow start on Aug. 19 after stimulus tapering talks from the U.S. Federal Reserve put pressure on global financial markets, but momentum within the crypto market picked up in the afternoon session as Bitcoin ( BTC ) bulls finally managed to break above the $46,000 level.  While most altcoins were slow to warm up on Thursday, several altcoins led the way with gains in excess of 20% due to major protocol upgrades and exchange listings. Top 7 coins with the highest 24-hour price change. Source: Cointelegraph Markets Pro Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were Voyager Token (VGX), SwissBorg (CHSB) and Energy Web Token (EWT). Voyager 2.0 excites investors VGX is the native coin of the Voyager platform, a cryptocurrency broker that provides trading...
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Polygon will create a decentralized autonomous organization

"As the Polygon ecosystem grows, the committee members have a front-seat opportunity over others to increase cross-collaboration for their products,” said the platform. Ethereum scalability infrastructure developer Polygon said it will form a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, for all of its community members as well as projects in decentralized finance.  In a Thursday announcement, Polygon called on its members to express their views on the platform forming a DAO. According to Polygon, it plans to create committees to promote discussion between projects including QuickSwap, Sushi, and Aave and others to “bring DeFi to the next million users.” “As the Polygon ecosystem grows, the committee members have a front-seat opportunity over others to increase cross-collaboration for their products,” said the project. “Voting for elections of new members could be implemented in multiple ways like by using staked MATIC on PoS or via the DAO tokenholders.” Polygon said the D...
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