Market
Adoption
This $70 million art could be paid for in Bitcoin or Ethereum
Philips once accepted crypto payment for a Banksy artwork in 2020.
Metaverse
Chinese government increases focus on “metaverse,” eyes regulations
The Chinese authorities are becoming increasingly interested in the growth of the metaverse space within their country.
Analysis
Blockchain tech could add almost $2 trillion to global economy, says PwC report
Economists at PricewaterCoopers believe that the use cases of blockchain tech will help organizations build trust and transparency.
DeFi
DeFi pioneer Andre Cronje quits industry, associated projects slump
Prolific crypto developer Andre Cronje will be leaving the DeFi space along with co-developer Anton Nell. Both have been behind several projects, including popular apps on Fantom network and Yearn Finance.
Trading
New data is showing Russian crypto transaction volume is down dramatically
Crypto transaction volume on Russian exchanges have plunged by 50%. While some crypto analysts believe that Russia could evade the economic sanctions imposed on it through the use of crypto, new data from Chainalysis suggests otherwise.
Scams
UK’s FCA investigated 300 crypto firms in 2021
United Kingdom’s FCA received over 16,000 inquiries about possible scams between April to September last year. The watchdog received more than 16,400 inquiries about possible scams between April to September last year. Crypto scams were the majority of these. This led it to investigate potential crypto scam businesses, opening 300 cases.
Regulation
China still accounts for 10% of Bitcoin transactions
China’s government, since 2013, has adopted an hostile stance towards crypto-related activities.
NFTs
NFT buyers drop to lows last seen five months ago
Since the phishing attack on OpenSea, the NFT space has recorded dwindling numbers of buyers.
Legal
U.S. Department of Justice to set up task force to enforce Russia sanctions
Russian oligarchs are having their properties seized from them due to the sanctions imposed on the country.
NFTs
SEC to look at possible securities violations in NFT market
The SEC inquiry appears to be focused on the use of fractionalized NFTs.
Enterprise
Former ConsenSys employees raises dust over 2020 Deal
Minority shareholders allege that ConsenSys founder, Joseph Lupin, used his position in the firm to gain an undue personal advantage over them.
DeFi
This crypto firm wants to use DeFi loans to fund its trades
Alameda Research revealed that it performs a significant percentage of its trades on DeFi platforms.