US Investors Show Trust in AI-Generated Financial Advice
A recent survey reveals that about 31% of U.S. investors are open to AI-generated financial advice without double-checking it.
Upcoming Bitcoin halving predicted to boost prices
Investment fund Pantera Capital has forecasted a boost in Bitcoin’s price following the forthcoming halving in April 2024, a pattern observed in the past. With historical trends as a basis, they anticipate Bitcoin will hit $35,000 before the halving and surge to $148,000 by 2025. Decisive events, like a positive court verdict for XRP and the greenlight for BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, are expected to shape these potential outcomes.
Billion-dollar scandal: Tornado Cash creators arrested
Developers of Tornado Cash, including Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, have been arrested on charges of money laundering and sanctions violations. They’re accused of facilitating the concealment of over $1 billion through their platform.
Quantstamp Unveils Tool to Counter DeFi Flash Loan Attacks
Quantstamp, a blockchain security firm, has introduced the Economic Exploit Analysis tool designed to detect potential flash loan attack vulnerabilities in smart contracts. While it can analyze multiple contracts from various DeFi protocols, some manual adjustments are needed for specific protocols. Flash loan attacks, which have drained about $200 million in the Euler Finance exploit alone, are a growing concern in DeFi.
European Crypto ETPs See Inflow Surge
European crypto-related exchange-traded products (ETPs) experienced a boost in net inflows during June and July, breaking a nearly three-month trend of global ETP outflows. Europe-based ETPs saw inflows of €150 million in June and €60 million in July. The trend change might be attributed to BlackRock’s spot bitcoin ETF application. However, recent data indicates a downturn in August, possibly due to the SEC’s delay in deciding.
Solana Pay Integrates with Shopify
Solana Pay, a decentralized payment protocol by Solana Labs, has teamed up with global commerce leader, Shopify. This integration offers real-time access to funds for merchants, eliminating bank fees, chargebacks, and holding times. Also it enables millions of Shopify merchants to accept payments in stablecoins, enhancing the shopping experience for consumers.
$40 million in BTC may be sold by hackers
The FBI has sounded the alarm bells: Lazarus Group and APT38, North Korean hacker collectives, could potentially sell off stolen cryptocurrency amassing $40 million, potentially affecting Bitcoin’s valuation. Through their investigative work, the agency has identified nearly 1580 BTC across six distinct Bitcoin addresses. The stolen assets are reportedly from Alphapo, CoinsPaid, and Atomic Wallet. In aiding market monitoring, the FBI has disclosed the associated wallet addresses, urging vigilance on any transactions involving them.
Atomic Wallet faces class-action lawsuit over a $100 million hack
Atomic Wallet has landed in legal hot waters. This development comes after a hacking event that wiped out more than $100 million. The claimants assert that the developers neither informed the users about the security vulnerability nor contacted law enforcement after the breach. Many prosperous investors, some having affiliations with Russia, are included in the court case.
Croatia shapes crypto regulations before MiCA takes effect
With MiCA’s launch on the horizon, Croatia’s government is hard at work developing rules to address the shortcomings. This includes a June directive that mandates all cryptocurrency companies to register within a two-month period. Officials are now on the path to implement “passporting,” a MiCA feature that permits financial entities from a single country to serve the entire European Union under their home country’s rules. Croatia’s intention with these moves is to make the nation more appealing to cryptocurrency companies than other EU countries.
Is airdrop in Thailand going to happen after all?
Srettha Thavisin became the Prime Minister of Thailand and continued to discuss the idea of an airdrop for all citizens of the country over the age of sixteen. Under the preliminary terms, each individual will receive 10,000 Thai baht (approximately $300) in a national token and will be able to spend it within a four-kilometer radius of their residence. The initiative has not yet received approval among politicians, as its cost is estimated at $14.3 billion, and financiers have questioned the feasibility of using blockchain for such campaigns. Apparently, the promises about airdrop was not unnecessary for victory!
USDT permissions phishing attack
Security company PeckShield has issued a warning to users about a phishing attack conducted by a scammer who has stolen over $675,000 in the past five days. He exploits USDT token permissions. Users are therefore advised to promptly verify and revoke any suspicious accesses to safeguard their assets.
What has been will be again, what’s been done will be done again
Elon Musk has once again pumped DOGE. The token surged by 4.1%. Meanwhile, the legal battle over Musk’s alleged manipulation of Dogecoin rages on, with his attorney denying any involvement.
XRP Rally Offset by Correction
The XRP correction has offset the entire growth seen after Ripple’s victory over the SEC. The token had skyrocketed by 73% within just 8 hours of the court decision, setting a new annual high.
OpenSea Head of Product Receives Prison Sentence
OpenSea Head of Product Receives Prison SentenceNate Chastain has been sentenced to three months in prison for engaging in insider trades that amounted to $50,000. Chastain, aged 33, was found guilty of fraud and money laundering in a federal court in New York in May. This case marked the conclusion of what prosecutors deemed the first significant NFT insider trading case. Chastain profited by purchasing and selling at least 45 NFTs he was aware would be featured on OpenSea’s homepage. U.S. Attorney stated, “Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to other corporate insiders that insider trading – in any marketplace – will not be tolerated.”
Shiba Inu-styled cold wallets return with Tangem’s latest release
Tangem’s previous success in July saw them selling 5,000 cold wallets, each compatible with a staggering 6,000+ cryptocurrencies. A new batch is now available, yet again sporting a Shiba Inu design. According to the company, the first shipment reached a Hong Kong warehouse without issue and has been sent to customers.
BIS warns of crypto-induced instability in developing nations
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has published new findings. These suggest that, far from offering economic relief, cryptocurrencies might be escalating financial vulnerabilities in emerging economies. Many are tempted to view the digital assets as an alternative to the typical monetary systems or a stand-in for local currencies. However, the study’s authors caution that this perspective might elevate the financial risks these nations face. While the report does highlight the transformative potential of cryptocurrencies, the BIS insists that effective regulation is vital to steer their advantages in a beneficial direction.
Sam Bankman-Fried counters fraud charges with strong denial
The FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, has publicly declared his innocence. He responded to charges of fraud, money laundering, and recent allegations concerning breaches of election campaign finance laws. He articulated his defense on August 22nd in the Southern District Court of New York.
Terra handles security concerns
After detecting phishing attempts, Terra (LUNA) has temporarily frozen its primary domain, Terra․money. The company’s directive? Avoid sites with this domain until they say otherwise. While the team has ramped up protection for the Station Wallet, a word of caution: avoid the desktop and mobile apps for a bit. But if you’re a fan of the Station Chrome extension, the latest version is good to go.
Xterio announces plans for an NFT marketplace
Xterio, the gaming Web3 platform, has revealed its decision to create an independent ecosystem following OpenSea’s refusal to charge author royalties on NFT resales. This new initiative will support content creators through the launch of an NFT marketplace, exclusive tokens, a rewarding mechanism, and diverse affiliate programs. Xterio’s officials have said that the launch of this marketplace is imminent, expected within the following weeks.
Thailand Threatens Legal Action Against Facebook
The country intention to seek a court-ordered shutdown of Facebook unless the social media giant takes decisive action to address alleged investment and cryptocurrency scam advertisements on its platform. According to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, over 200,000 individuals fell victim to deceptive Facebook ads. The ministry highlighted that common tactics employed by scammers included crypto investment and trading schemes, often featuring images of celebrities and prominent financial figures, and promising daily returns of up to 30%. The ministry is in the process of gathering evidence regarding these scam advertisements, with their number estimated to be over 5,300.
South Korean City Plans Cryptocurrency Confiscation
Cheongju’s administration has reached out to seven South Korean crypto exchanges, including Upbit and Bithumb, to investigate the holdings of around 8,520 individuals who owe a minimum of 1 million won ($750) in local taxes. After the investigation, authorities in Cheongju aim to seize cryptocurrency assets from such tax evaders. Crypto have increasingly been used for hiding assets in South Korea. Over the span of 2021 and 2022, a total of around $180 million worth of crypto were seized by the South Korean government from individuals who evaded their taxes.
The New Old ‘Bronze’ Entrant Among BTC Holders
As per BitInfoCharts, the wallet address bc1q…859v2 received its initial deposit of BTC on March 8. Over the following three and a half months, it amassed 118,000 BTC (nearly $3.1 billion). Speculations quickly spread across X (Twitter), suggesting it might be BlackRock strategically increasing its BTC holdings. However, the wallet belongs to the US-based exchange Gemini. It transferred its funds from an older wallet, which was also among the top BTC holders nearly a year ago. The current top three wallets are as follows: Binance cold wallet — 248,597 BTC. Bitfinex cold wallet — 178,010 BTC. Gemini new wallet — 118,300 BTC.
High-Severity Flaw Found in WinRAR Utility
A significant security vulnerability has been identified in the WinRAR utility, potentially allowing threat actors to execute remote code on Windows systems. Dubbed CVE-2023-40477, this flaw arises from improper validation during recovery volume processing. To take advantage of this, users would need to be tricked into visiting a malicious webpage or opening a compromised archive file. The flaw, discovered by a researcher named goodbyeselene, was reported on June 8, 2023, and addressed in WinRAR 6.23 on August 2, 2023. Users are urged to update to the latest version for protection.
Central African Republic Dives Deeper into Tokenization
The Central African Republic (CAR) is expanding its Sango blockchain initiative to include the tokenization of land and natural resources. Recently, the CAR National Assembly passed a law, receiving unanimous approval, that facilitates online business visa applications and simplifies the process for both locals and foreigners to establish businesses in sectors like real estate, agriculture, and forestry. This move follows CAR’s earlier efforts in the crypto space, including the launch of Project Sango in May 2022 and its brief adoption of Bitcoin as a national currency.
Coin Center Advocates for Easier Crypto Tax Rules
Coin Center, a crypto-focused policy nonprofit, has reached out to Congress members, urging for more transparent crypto tax regulations. In a letter to Senate Finance Committee’s Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo, Coin Center emphasized the need for guidance on cryptocurrency taxation, especially concerning capital gains. They suggested a threshold for gains below which no tax would be due. Coin Center also stressed the importance of a “de minimis” exemption, without which, every small crypto transaction could become a taxable event. This exemption would simplify the use of cryptocurrencies for daily payments, especially for micropayments.
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Who Is Crypto Kaleo: A Market Analyst with 700,000 Followers
Crypto Kaleo is a renowned crypto trader and one of the most followed influencers in the industry. Active since 2017, he has built a strong presence on X, TradingView, and other platforms, sharing technical analysis, market predictions, and insightful commentary on the crypto space.
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Zora Network Reviewed: A Testnet Guide
Are sky-high Ethereum fees getting you down? The folks at Zora have come up with an alternative, introducing their Layer 2 solution with lower transaction fees. This article will walk you through how to get involved with the project and earn some rewards.