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☆ Finding bright spots in the bitcoin bear market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Kevin Schmidt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Despite a tumultuous year for cryptocurrencies and their trading platforms, there remains a bright spot in the space: bitcoin futures ETFs. The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) hit a trading record on Nov. 8, surpassing its previous record by 64%. And volume for ProShares Short Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITI) also on Nov. 8 spiked 366% higher than any day since its launch, according to ProShares. Hyman said the lack of segregation among bitcoin exchanges underlines the need for maturation. "You hold enough cash, such that the return should be approximately spot bitcoin.

☆ FTX hacker has accumulated an ether haul of about $288 million and is now the 35th largest holder of the token
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The FTX hacker has accumulated roughly $288 million worth of Ether. The latest ether haul makes the hacker the 35th largest holder of the token in the world. The hacker's haul of ether now amounts to roughly 228,525 tokens worth $288 million. So far, roughly $663 million in crypto tokens have left FTX, with an estimated $477 million of the total liquidation possibly being stolen. The unnamed hacker has moved some of the funds using Kraken's crypto exchange, drawing police attention and an investigation into the matter.

☆ Grayscale Bitcoin Trust falls as cryptocurrencies slide again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC.PK), the world's largest bitcoin fund, fell almost 7% on Wednesday, as investors dumped more digital assets after last week's high-profile unraveling of crypto exchange FTX. The trust is a close-ended fund, whose short-term price is driven by supply, demand and market sentiment unlike an exchange traded fund that generally trades in line with its value. In June, Grayscale sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for nixing the digital asset manager's proposal to convert bitcoin trust into a spot bitcoin exchange traded fund. Grayscale bitcoin fund, which has $10.7 billion worth of bitcoin under management, has slumped about 75% in the past 12 months. Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE.PK), which has $3.8 billion assets under management, shed 81% in the past year.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried wanted to let retail investors borrow money to trade crypto derivatives: CFTC head
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

He also wanted to offer the contracts directly to users, without having to go through a futures commission merchant. Prior to its bankruptcy filing last week, FTX had a registered derivatives platform with the CFTC called FTX US Derivatives. FTX US Derivatives is one of the few FTX-related properties that's not a part of its bankruptcy proceedings and remains operational today. And Zach Dexter, who was CEO of FTX US Derivatives, says on his LinkedIn profile that he's CEO at LedgerX. Since then, LedgerX has reportedly withdrawn its application for leveraged derivatives trading.

☆ Kraken exec Ankur Ranshid just exited the high-profile crypto exchange. Here's why he left, and exclusive details on his new a16z-backed gig's $200 million funding round.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matter Labs announced a $200 million Series C round, led by Blockchain Capital and Dragonfly. Kraken, which has a reported valuation of $10.8 billion, is trying to fill C-suite-level roles such as chief product officer, chief commercial officer, chief technology officer, and a chief compliance officer, Forbes reported last month. (The firm, however, told Insider in an email that the only existing vacant C-suite positions were chief product officer and chief compliance offer. Matter Labs' $200 million raiseFounded in 2018, Matter Labs is best known for developing a scaling protocol, or zero-knowledge rollup called zkSync. Matter Labs says nothing about the company's funding round or executive appointment has changed following this news.

☆ Inside the new database disclosing judicial wealth and potential conflicts, from Justice Neil Gorsuch's $700 cowboy boots to Justice John Roberts' Irish cottage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One judge disclosed a six-figure investment in cryptocurrency. Those judges' financial lives, and more than 400 others, are laid bare in a new federal database that went live this month. Litigants looking for potential conflicts of interest, and pretty much anybody else, can see what federal judges own, who they owe, what side hustles they have, and what their spouses do. And while private-sector 401(k) plans need to be disclosed, federal employee retirement plans, known as thrift savings plans, don't. It only includes 2021 financial disclosures, and users who want information about previous years' disclosures will have to submit their requests manually.

Nov 15 (Reuters) - Solana, a poster coin of the crypto future, is in trouble. "In the current crypto shakeout, the most unfortunate innocent victim is the Solana ecosystem," said Stefan Rust, CEO of blockchain wallet company Laguna Labs. Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko tweeted that development company Solana Labs didn't hold any assets on FTX and had enough financial runway for around 30 months. Ether's market cap has fallen 21% to $150.7 billion, while bitcoin's has fallen 18% to $319 billion. The collapse of the company has seen more than $190 billion wiped from the value of the overall crypto market.

☆ Still not sure what crypto is? Join the club
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The original crypto, bitcoin, emerged in 2009, out of the ashes of the worst financial crisis in modern history. The term “crypto” harkens to the way the networks are secured, using cryptographic systems (think: really, really elaborate encryptions) that make the tokens virtually impossible to counterfeit. Once the transaction is verified by the network it is stored — forever — in an immutable “block.”Bottom line: Blockchain is the underlying technology of the crypto world. And like, sure, people are starting to adopt blockchain systems outside the world of crypto, and they do seem to hold promise. The bitcoin network went public in 2009, created by an anonymous developer (or group of developers) using the name Satoshi Nakamoto.

☆ How to keep your crypto safe by moving it offline into your own wallet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sofia Pitt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Cold storage can protect your digital assets by taking them offline and harboring your crypto in a digital wallet. If you're interested in moving your crypto into cold storage, here's how to get started. Types of cold storage walletsThere are a number of cold storage wallets you can buy to get started. How to move your cryptocurrency to cold storageIt's important to buy your cold storage wallet directly from the manufacturer. Once you have a pin, you'll be able to add your crypto to your cold storage wallet by clicking receive, which will show you your cold storage wallet's address.

☆ Wall Street has made serious strides to embrace crypto this year. But after FTX's implosion, a regulatory crackdown is imminent.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Morgan Chittum | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a stunning downfall, crypto platform FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 11. Crypto sentiment from Wall Street giants has come a long way over the past few years. After FTX's disaster, a crackdown on digital assets is imminent. Prominent government officials quickly spoke out against the crypto platform last week. Gensler says that the agency's aggressive stance on digital assets is an effort to protect investors and may encourage further crypto adoption.

☆ Crypto.com boss to answer questions on YouTube after transaction errors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Xinghui Kok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Singapore-based crypto exchange said its chief executive will go live on YouTube on Monday to answer questions around some transactions on the platform that had sparked speculation and fund withdrawals. Chief executive Kris Marszalek said on Twitter on Sunday that the exchange had mistakenly sent 320,000 ether to another exchange called Gate.io on Oct. 21. The 320,000 ether accounted for 80% of the Ethereum tokens that Crypto.com held and was worth about US$400 million. "In this particular case the whitelisted address belonged to one of our corporate accounts in a 3rd party exchange instead of our cold wallet. The movement of ether at Crypto.com was discovered by a user who dug through transactions after the company posted its cold wallet addresses online.

☆ FTX collapse: The latest updates on the cryptocurrency crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New Delhi CNN Business —Aftershocks from the massive earthquake in the trillion-dollar crypto industry last week continued to be felt on Monday. The episode has not just destroyed confidence in the crypto industry, but it will also embolden global regulators to tighten the screws. There is a “lot of risk,” said Changpeng Zhao, who runs the crypto exchange Binance. On Saturday, FTX said it was looking into whether crypto assets were stolen and has since moved all its digital assets offline. Crypto risk management firm Elliptic said although the theft was unconfirmed, $473 million in crypto assets were apparently stolen from FTX.

☆ Solana is facing its 'crucible moment' after the FTX blowup sent it down 50% last week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors say it feels like a make-or-break moment for the Solana network, but they're optimistic it'll pull through. "Every community has to have a crucible moment," said Avichal Garg, a managing partner at venture capital firm Electric Capital. "FTX really helped construct this ecosystem, they put a lot of money and resources behind it and helped the flywheel get going," Garg said. On the bright side, whatever amount of Solana tokens was locked on the FTX exchange can't be sold now. However, those close to the Solana community have been strongly encouraged by growth trends in its developer base.

Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Imageswatch nowSaylor was speaking on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" as FTX's demise roiled the crypto market. Bitcoin tumbled 19% in December, as investors rotated into assets deemed safer in a tumultuous economy. David Marcus, former head of crypto at Facebook parent Meta , used a phrase that would soon enter the lexicon. "It's during crypto winters that the best entrepreneurs build the better companies," Marcus wrote in a Jan. 24 tweet. Ryan Gilbert, founder of fintech venture firm Launchpad Capital, said the crypto world is facing a crisis of confidence after the FTX implosion.

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street picks hope over reality after inflation report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN Business —Stocks surged on Thursday in their best day since 2020 after a key inflation indicator came in softer than expected. Investors broke out their party hats as they interpreted the report to mean that peak inflation may finally be behind us. Crypto-advocates were hoping that rising interest and inflation rates would drive investors away from the dollar and into alternative assets like gold and Bitcoin. Then, central banks started raising rates to fight inflation, and the dollar strengthened significantly, seducing investors as the ultimate safe haven. Mortgage rates have risen throughout most of 2022, spurred by the Federal Reserve’s regime of interest rate hikes.

☆ Crypto crash and gold sell-off show there’s no place for investors to hide
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Bitcoin prices are currently hovering around $16,500, down from a level of $20,000 just a week ago. Gold, like bitcoin, then surged in the latter part of 2020 as a sort of safe haven trade. Why buy gold or digital assets when the greenback is proving to be the king of currencies? Bitcoin prices have been notoriously volatile over the past few years, but they have still done better than many major stock market indexes. One venture capitalist who focuses on bitcoin and crypto assets agreed that FTX’s problems won’t derail the entire digital assets universe.

☆ Cryptoverse-Elon Musk frees the bird and the dog coin flies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Vidya Ranganathan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has put fresh wind in the sails of dogecoin, the meme cryptocurrency he catapulted to fame. It was trading at about $0.07 on Oct. 27 before Musk tweeted "the bird is freed" to announce his ownership. Not bad for a coin that was created as a "joke" satirizing wild speculation in the crypto market and named after an internet meme of a Shiba Inu dog. Its share of the $1 trillion global crypto market cap through the year until the end of October was 1%, a fraction of bitcoin's 39%, according to CoinMarketCap. Bets that Musk may allow crypto payments with dog tokens were kindled by his tweet last week of a picture of the Shiba Inu dog wearing a Twitter T-shirt.

☆ U.S. changes sanction reasons on virtual currency service Tornado Cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury has broadened its justification for sanctioning virtual currency mixing service Tornado Cash on allegations it supports North Korea, despite criticism from users that the Treasury is targeting a service and not an organization. The move - which a Treasury representative said reflected the service's support for the North Korean government - still leaves Americans unable to send and receive money through the service. But the move had proven controversial in part because some argued that Tornado Cash was less an organization than a set of software. In a lawsuit filed this year, six Texan users of Tornado Cash said that Treasury officials had overstepped their jurisdiction by effectively blocking access to computer code. "Tornado Cash is not a person, entity, or organization.

☆ Cryptocurrencies slide as worries about FTX fester in latest crypto liquidity scare
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Crypto assets tied to Alameda, the trading company also owned by billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, were suffering steeper losses. FTX Token (FTT), the native token of the FTX trading platform, has fallen 23% in the past 24 hours. The token tied to Ethereum competitor Solana , of which Alameda is a big backer, has lost 12%. Binance is the largest crypto exchange in the world by trading volume and was an early backer of FTX. Those revelations refer to rumors about the solvency of FTX, the second-biggest crypto exchange in the world by trading volume.

☆ This 22-year-old survives Lebanon with a bitcoin mining business that's been earning $20,000 a month
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Against this backdrop, Abu Daher jumped into the crypto mining business a little over two years ago. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Ahmad Abu Daher repairing mining equipment in the basement of a home in Zaarouriyeh. Ahmad Abu DaherIt has been 26 months since Abu Daher first set up shop, and he says that business is thriving. watch nowBuilding a bitcoin mining businessAbu Daher had a few black swan events on his side soon after he broke into crypto mining. In January, police raided a small crypto mining farm in the hydro-powered town of Jezzine, seizing and dismantling mining rigs in the process.

☆ FTX's token plunges 80% on liquidity concerns, wiping out over $2 billion in value
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The selloff wiped out more than $2 billion in value in the space of 24 hours. FTT , the token native to crypto exchange FTX, lost most of its value after rival Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency firm, announced plans to acquire the company. Like many crypto companies, FTX created its own token called FTT, which could be purchased like bitcoin though it wasn't as widely available. Zhao said Binance had about $2.1 billion worth of FTT and BUSD, its own stablecoin. According to CoinMarketCap, the value of FTT's circulating supply is about $735 million, down from $2.9 billion on Monday.

☆ Euro, sterling bounce, dollar drops as investors cash in
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Euro, Hong Kong dollar, U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, pound and Chinese 100 yuan banknotes are seen in this picture illustration, January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Euro and sterling rose against the safe-haven dollar on Monday, supported by a risk-on sentiment across markets as investors digested positive euro zone data and looked to cash in on the strength of the U.S. currency. The euro was up 0.69% to $1.0029, its highest level since Oct. 27, while sterling was last trading at $1.1534, up 1.40% on the day. Investors were also cheered by a readout on Monday showing that German industrial production grew in September, beating analyst expectations. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar index fell 0.91% to 110.070.

☆ Internal forums, major deals, and employee exits: Inside BlackRock's long road to embracing crypto
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

A group of employees at the firm organized and started holding a forum to discuss crypto, five people familiar with the group told Insider. Eager, usually more junior, staff members huddled around to hear industry experts talk about crypto and blockchain. A junior employee touched off BlackRock's crypto effortsThe blockchain working group and the informal crypto-asset forum will end up being key footnotes in the firm's history. Leaving BlackRock for cryptoLader left BlackRock in June 2021 for Uniswap, the world's largest decentralized-exchange protocol, where she is now the chief operating officer. She was "very, very central" to the firm's crypto efforts," a former employee said.

☆ In bankrupt Lebanon, locals mine bitcoin and buy groceries with tether, as $1 is now worth 15 cents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +32 min

Others arrange clandestine meetings via Telegram to swap the stablecoin tether for U.S. dollars in order to buy groceries. In Jan., police raided a small crypto mining farm in the hydro-powered town of Jezzine, seizing and dismantling mining rigs in the process. But mining crypto tokens to earn a living is not for everybody. Younes tells CNBC that he initially moved 15% of his money into bitcoin, and he kept the remaining balance in cash. Lebanon has six bitcoin ATMs — one in Aamchit and five in Beirut, according to metrics offered by coinatmradar.com.

☆ Fidelity, ForUsAll now offering 401(k) investors access to cryptocurrency
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Retirement savers in some 401(k) plans are starting to get access to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Fidelity Investments, the largest provider of 401(k) plans by total assets, began offering a Digital Assets Account to clients this fall, a spokesperson confirmed. Employers sponsoring a 401(k) plan through Fidelity can choose to offer the account to workers, allowing them to allocate a share of their savings to bitcoin. For its part, ForUsAll, a plan administrator geared toward startups and small businesses, in September also rolled out crypto to 401(k) savers, said David Ramirez, the company's CEO. ForUsAll intends to add five more in the coming weeks, said Ramirez, who declined to disclose which ones.

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