'Groundhog Day' in Crypto as Bitcoin Again Plunges Following New Record

The world's largest crypto briefly rose above $70,000 Friday, but immediately tumbled about 5% to below $67,000

It's deja vu all over again for bitcoin (BTC) bulls, who for the second time this week barely had a few seconds to celebrate a surge to a new-all time high before prices quickly reversed sharply lower.

In the morning hours of U.S. trading, bitcoin took out the Tuesday record of about $69,200 and rose to $70,136, CoinDesk Bitcoin Index (XBX) data shows. But within seconds, selling took hold and less than one hour later, the price had tumbled about 5% to as low as $66,500.

Hong Kong launches Project Ensemble to support tokenization with wCBDC

 The HKMA’s latest CBDC project will look at tokenized deposits in tokenized asset transactions.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) will launch a project to create a new wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) to support tokenization. Dubbed Project Ensemble, it could result in the issuance of a “live” CBDC if there is sufficient interest, the HKMA said in an announcement.

The project will center around innovative infrastructure for interbank settlement using wCBDC. Its initial focus will be on tokenized deposits, that is, tokenized commercial bank money, for use in transactions with tokenized assets. The first step in the project will be the creation of a sandbox that will research and test:

Pig-butchering crypto scams made over $75b, University of Texas professor reveals

 A recent study conducted by University of Texas professors indicates that pig-butchering crypto scams may have siphoned off tens of billions of dollars.

A new study led by University of Texas finance professor John Griffin and graduate student Kevin Mei suggests that pig-butchering crypto scams may have drained over $75 billion from victims around the globe. The research, conducted over four years from January 2020 to February 2024, involved tracking the flow of funds from over 4,000 victims to the predominantly Southeast Asia-based scammers.

Pig-butchering scams typically begin with unsolicited text messages, enticing individuals into fraudulent crypto investments, and resulting in substantial financial losses.

U.S. Regulators Can Influence Tether’s Offshore Usage: JPMorgan

Tether’s (USDT) dominant position as the largest stablecoin faces regulatory challenges and risks from various authorities and jurisdictions as they seek to impose more transparency and compliance on stablecoins.

The stablecoin is vulnerable due to its dependence on the American market and pending regulations. Despite Tether’s headquarters not being based in the U.S., regulators can exert influence over its offshore usage through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), JPMorgan (JPM) said in a research report Thursday. 

Blowfish exposes new ‘aqua, vanish’ bit-flip drainers on Solana

 Web3 security company Blowfish recently detected a pair of sophisticated Solana (SOL) transaction drainers capable of executing elusive bit-flip attacks.

The firm’s Feb. 9 analysis details how these drainers — dubbed aqua and vanish — can alter a condition in on-chain data post-transaction signature by the user’s private key. 

These dangerous scripts lurking under the transactional radar are being peddled on the dark web, offering scammers a scam-as-a-service toolkit.

The Blowfish examination highlights the drainers’ adept use of the on-chain authority provided to decentralized apps (dapps), enabling them to switch from transaction facilitators to malicious account-draining entities.

Unlicensed crypto exchanges face shutdown in Hong Kong

 Hong Kong’s financial regulator has issued a warning to cryptocurrency exchanges: obtain a license or shut down.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said that all crypto trading platforms operating in the city must apply for a license by the end of the month. All exchanges that fail to do so will be shut down by May 31.

The SFC’s ultimatum is part of a broader effort to bring cryptocurrency trading into the regulatory fold.

Last June, Hong Kong opened up a licensing regime for crypto exchanges as part of the city’s plans to develop its market into a regional digital assets hub.

Latest Solana Meme Coin ‘LAMBO’ Pumps Up 1000x in 24 Hours and This Low Cap Gem Might Be Next

 LAMBO has become the latest Solana meme coin to enjoy a massive listing on the Raydium DEX this week, with its price experiencing a 1000x surge yesterday.

However, as is usually the case with most Solana meme tokens, LAMBO has since corrected heavily, with its price currently down by 52% in the past 24 hours.

Such a reduction doesn’t bode well for the token’s future, and with other new coins offering stronger fundamentals and more utility, most traders will probably prefer to look elsewhere.

Indeed, one new altcoin gaining lots of momentum right now is Sponge (SPONGE), which is in the process of launching the second version of its token, with millions already staked in it.

From Crypto to Likes: The New Wave of Digital Asset Flipping Among Crypto Investors

In the ever-evolving world of investment, cryptocurrency enthusiasts are finding a new lucrative avenue – digital asset flipping. This emerging trend sees investors who once solely focused on the volatile crypto markets now venturing into the realm of social media, where flipping digital properties like accounts and pages is yielding substantial returns. Amidst a period of stagnation in the cryptocurrency sector, savvy investors are diversifying their portfolios by tapping into the dynamic world of social media assets. SWAPD, a platform renowned for facilitating large-scale digital transactions, has become a focal point for these investors, where deals ranging from $200,000 to $300,000 are not out of the ordinary.

Crypto Whales Hunt for Bargains As Bitcoin Prices Slide, Data Shows

Bitcoin traded at a fat premium on Bitfinex compared to the global average price over the weekend, hinting at bargain hunting by whales.

Crypto whales, entities with ample token holdings, appear to be snapping up bitcoin (BTC) at cheaper prices as the leading cryptocurrency continues to slide in the aftermath of the recent U.S. spot ETFs debut.

bitcoin has dropped nearly 19% to $39,770 since the spot ETFs began trading in the U.S. on Jan. 11, CoinDesk data show.

Bitcoin Price Prediction as Greed Index Hits Neutral Post-ETF Launch – Are Investors Losing Confidence?

 In the dynamic realm of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin‘s price trajectory has recently taken a downward turn, falling to $42,000 amidst diminishing enthusiasm for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This decline occurs against the backdrop of a slightly contracting global crypto market, which currently stands at a valuation of $1.68 trillion, marking a modest 0.09% decrease in the past 24 hours.

Final Bitcoin ETF Application Filings Get Posted by Major U.S. Exchanges

Releasing them suggests they’re confident the SEC will approve the first U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs soon.

U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) appear to be on the verge of launching after the exchanges that will list them filed amended documents, suggesting they expect U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval in the coming days.

The amended 19b-4 filings, filed on behalf of BlackRock, Grayscale, Fidelity and other issuers, join last month's amended S-1 filings, addressing feedback from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). More than a dozen applicants hope to launch the first spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.; it's likely multiple issuers will be approved simultaneously.

Judge denies Changpeng Zhao’s 2nd attempt to travel to UAE

 Lawyers representing the former Binance CEO filed a new motion on Dec. 27 with sealed medical information about Changpeng Zhao’s child in Dubai.

Judge denies Changpeng Zhao’s 2nd attempt to travel to UAENEWS

Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao will still not be allowed to leave the United States ahead of his sentencing hearing following an order from a federal judge.

In a Dec. 29 ruling as part of a hearing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, Judge Richard Jones denied a motion from CZ requesting permission to travel outside the country. The reasons for the second motion were unavailable to the public, having been sealed by the court, but CZ’s legal team suggested it involved “medical information regarding Mr. Zhao’s child.”

Crypto Expert Chosen by Erdogan for Turkey’s Central Bank Board

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed professor Fatma Ozkul, an expert in crypto assets and blockchain technology, to the central bank’s rate-setting committee.

According to a recent report from Bloomberg, the nomination of Ozkul was announced in a decree on December 22.

Since 2012, Ozkul has been a lecturer at Istanbul’s Marmara University, with a focus on accounting, finance, and auditing. 

Ripple Policy Head Sees Tokenization Fueling Regulatory Boost in APAC

 Rahul Advani, Ripple Labs Inc Policy Director is the latest to give his prediction for crypto in the coming year. Advani expects that tokenization will trigger a boost in regulation within the Asia Pacific region popularly referred to as APAC.

APAC Region to Focus on Crypto Regulation

The Policy Head was clear about his thoughts on tokenization for 2024. He stated that an increased interest in tokenization will make regulation in Decentralized Applications (DApps) all the more a priority in the region. The growing interest in tokenization is already evident in the crypto industry with several crypto projects adopting the technology.

Access to Binance's Law Enforcement Request Panel Is for Sale for $10K

 Binance uses a third-party service called Kodex to validate law enforcement requests.

A bad actor is selling access to Binance’s law enforcement request panel, which provides lawful access to account data, for $10,000 in bitcoin (BTC) or monero (XMR).

Binance provides access via a third-party service called Kodex, commonly used by online financial institutions or social media platforms to validate law enforcement requests and facilitate access.

InfoStealers, a publication covering the Darknet and data breaches, reported that three computers belonging to law enforcement officers from Taiwan, Uganda, and the Philippines were compromised in a global malware campaign in 2023, leading to stolen browser-stored credentials and unauthorized access to Binance’s login panel.

U.S. SEC Denies Coinbase's Push for Crypto Regulations as 'Unwarranted'

The U.S. exchange had formally petitioned the agency to start writing comprehensive crypto rules, but after "careful" consideration, the SEC said no.

The biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.

Coinbase has waited since 2022 for a response from the Securities and Exchange Commission on its formal petition to request tailored regulations for crypto, even seeking to force an answer through the courts, and the rejection has now arrived.

Binance to Pay $4.3B to Settle U.S. Criminal Case; Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao Resigns as CEO and Pleads Guilty in Seattle

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, was criminally charged with breaking sanctions and money-transmitting laws and agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle the allegations in "one of the largest penalties" the U.S. has ever obtained from a corporate defendant.

Founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao pleaded guilty in Seattle to charges he personally faced and agreed to pay a $50 million fine, as well as step down from the CEO job. Richard Teng, a former Abu Dhabi regulator and later Binance's regional markets head, will take over as CEO.

Texas City FBI Warns Locals of Government Impersonation Crypto Scam

 Some residents of the city of El Paso in the US state of Texas have received a legitimate-looking letter from scammers impersonating as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asking to pay cryptocurrencies.

The FBI has warned locals of a crypto scam that convinces victims to send cryptos and other funds. The scammers claim to be the head of the local field office in a fake government document.

SEC generated record confiscated income in 2022: why it is crucial for crypto

 While the SEC states its mission is to protect investors, there are questions about its methods and motives. This piece unravels the SEC’s structure, balance sheet, and notable interactions with cryptocurrency entities, providing an insightful and comprehensive look at a complex issue.

Hailed as a beacon of free market principles, the cryptocurrency market is going through an intriguing phase. It’s an era where the invisible hand of the market meets the tangible fist of regulation. 

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sits at the eye of this storm. The regulator finds itself walking a tightrope – protecting the interests of investors while navigating the rapidly evolving crypto landscape. 

Bitcoin ordinals’ creator steps down as inscriptions surpass 10m

Casey Rodarmor, the person behind bitcoin ordinals, reveals he will step aside from his role, with the platform reaching a milestone of over 10 million user registrations.

Casey Rodarmor, the brain behind bitcoin ordinals, took to Twitter today, sharing two significant developments: now there are more than 10 million user registrations on the platform, and his decision to step down from his current role.