The daily, bite-sized roundup of cryptoasset and blockchain news – focusing on items that aren’t getting enough attention in today’s cryptocurrency headlines.
Regulation-related news
According to Bloomberg, which cited German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, finance ministers from the G7 and the EU are collaborating to prevent Russia from exploiting cryptoassets to dodge sanctions, according to the article. According to Bloomberg, in an interview with Welt TV today, he stated that „it’s about maximally isolating Russia at all levels“ and having the „capability to sanction — and that includes crypto assets.“ There were no other details provided. (For further information, see: (Kraken CEO: Cryptocurrency exchanges may be forced to block Russian users in the near future.)
It was first reported by BTC Echo and then confirmed by Stefan Berger, a member of the European Parliament, that a draft of European regulation known as Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), first proposed by the European Commission in September 2020, had been revised to remove language that proposed a ban on mining-based cryptoassets. Berger, on the other hand, stated in his tweet that the final decision has not yet been reached and that the vote will reveal where the majority of voters stand.
They claimed that the Wyoming state government had granted their application for a trust charter, making SFOX „the first crypto corporation“ to be approved as a Wyoming trust, according to the company’s press release. As a result of the charter, SFOX will be able to provide a comprehensive variety of investment services to private clients and financial advisers, including its digital asset platform, which allows investors to invest in cryptocurrencies.
News in the legal field
In a request for a special audit to investigate „serious irregularities at CAG,“ a group of thirty-five former employees representing more than half of all known shareholders of Ethereum (ETH) project ConsenSys AG (CAG) filed a request for a special audit to investigate „serious irregularities at CAG.“ ConsenSys Software Incorporated (CSI) was formed in 2020 as a result of an illegal transfer of fundamental intellectual property and subsidiaries from CAG to a new entity, ConsenSys Software Incorporated (CSI), in exchange for 10 percent ownership of CSI and an offset of a USD 39 million loan by founder Joseph Lubin.
The EOS Network Foundation (ENF) has announced that it is seeking the cooperation of the EOS community in the collection of evidence for the litigation against the EOS founder Block.one, which is now underway. More information from community members on their personal or commercial experiences with Block.one, EOS, or EOS VC is being sought by the organization.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom denied a motion by attorneys representing Ira Kleiman, the brother of Craig Wright’s deceased collaborator, Dave Kleiman, seeking a new trial against Wright on the grounds that they had violated a court order prohibiting them from discussing Kleiman’s troubled relationship with his brother.
News in the field of economics
Compared to a year ago, consumer prices in the Eurozone increased by 5.8 percent in February, up from 5.1 percent in January and more than the 5.6 percent median economist estimate from an April Bloomberg survey, the European Commission said.
The latest in the world of investments
Grayscale Investments, the parent company of Digital Currency Group (DCG), announced that its Board of Directors has authorized DCG to repurchase up to USD 30 million in shares of Grayscale Litecoin Trust, up to USD 10 million in shares of Grayscale Horizen Trust, and up to USD 20 million in shares of any of the other six publicly traded Grayscale products, for a total of up to USD 200 million in shares of Grayscale Zcash Trust.
MX Global, a fintech business, has announced that Binance has purchased an undisclosed investment in it. They went on to say that the investment will help them to increase brand awareness, hire additional people, and create new features within Malaysia’s regulatory framework as a result of the investment.
Shift4 purchased the cryptocurrency contribution platform
The Giving Block for an upfront payment of USD 54 million and a future payment of up to USD 246 million, which is comprised of 75 percent stock and 25 percent cash. Shift4 is a payment technology company based in San Francisco. Finaro, an e-commerce services firm, was also bought by Shift4, according to the company.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, crypto tax software business CryptoTaxCalculator has received AUD 4 million (USD 2.91 million) to help cryptocurrency investors manage their tax dealings with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Hundreds of major cryptocurrency exchanges, blockchains, and decentralized finance (DeFi) services are integrated into the software. A report is generated that is compatible with a variety of various tax jurisdictions is generated.
Developer of the DeFi protocol AdaSwap has acquired USD 2.6 million in funding from investors led by iAngels. They stated that AdaSwap will use the funding to achieve its goal of establishing a decentralized exchange based on the cryptocurrency Cardano (ADA).
News about NFTs and gaming
This week, Axie Infinity, a non-traditional gaming platform, stated that their Marketplace price will be hiked to 5.25 percent, of which 4.25 percent will go to the Community Treasury and 1 percent will go to the developer. Transactions that do not have a creator, on the other hand, will see the entirety of the fee donated to the Community Treasury.
Virtual environment for gaming that is decentralized By maintaining a virtual area and generating digital assets, The Sandbox collaborated with talent incubator Cube Entertainment to promote K-Culture (Korean culture content) around the world through virtual reality. This partnership focuses on the detailed collaboration for business expansion in the metaverse and NFT, which began with the establishment of ‚AniCube,‘ a new joint venture between Animoca Brands, which is the parent company of The Sandbox, and Cube Entertainment. Animoca Brands is the parent company of The Sandbox, and Cube Entertainment is the parent company of Cube Entertainment.
Parler, a social networking site, has announced the opening of DeepRedSky, a new non-traditional trading (NFT) marketplace. The CryptoTRUMP club will be the name of their first NFT collection, which will include 250 NFT photographs of former US President Donald Trump. This will be the first in a larger collection of 10,000 pieces that will be distributed later this year.
News from the mining industry
Marathon Digital, a Bitcoin (BTC) self-mining company, revealed that its income for the fourth quarter of 2021 climbed by 2,180 percent year on year to USD 60.3 million. Additionally, its fiscal year revenue increased to USD 150.5 million from USD 4.4 million in the fiscal year 2020, representing a 3,353 percent rise, while they mined BTC 1,098 during the fourth quarter of 2021, representing a 599 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2020.
Adoption-related news
A new research initiative, the Cambridge Digital Assets Programme (CDAP), has been launched by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF). The CDAP is a collaboration between 16 banks, public sector agencies, and private organizations, with the goal of shedding light on the rapid digitization of assets and value transfer systems. The CCAF will collaborate with public and private groups over a two-year period to investigate the opportunities and hazards provided by the digital asset ecosystem, according to the organization.
The latest in the world of work
The public blockchain is an open-source project that anyone can participate in. Morgan McKenney, a former Citigroup executive, has been selected as the new CEO of the Provenance Blockchain Foundation. Citi had been McKenney’s employer for 18 years, most recently serving as the lender’s chief operating officer for the lender’s worldwide consumer banking sector.
