Hello friends! Today I will give a brief overview of changes in cryptocurrency rates this week, and then I will tell you the main news.
Since last week, the market has recovered, and Bitcoin even updated its local maximum. At the moment, its price was approaching $25,000. Now BTC is trading around $23,800.
Ethereum adds a little less. It has grown by 7.5% and its price is now around $1,660.
The growth of Bitcoin and Ethereum to a certain extent became possible thanks to the conversion of 1.6 billion USDC into cryptocurrencies since February 10.
Growth leaders - tokens: FLOKI - 147%, WEMIX - 98% and BGB - 73%
IMX, MINA, RNDR, ICP, GMX, LRC, DASH, FIL, FTM, BNX add from 20 to 50% of the cost.
Aptos and SOL are growing by 8.5%, TWT – 2.6%, SHIBA – about 6% (Elon Musk is pumping it up again with his tweets)
BNB – remains at last week’s level. The situation with Paxos plays a big role here, preventing the token from growing along with the market.
Only a few coins fall in value: FXS loses 15%, CAKE, NEO and RPL lose 3%. FTT about 4%
The fear and greed index jumps from neutral to greed and currently stands at 61 points.
Market capitalization is also growing by $500 million to $1.08 trillion.
Bitcoin dominance is 42%, and its current hashrate is 339 Exahash/sec, which is higher than last week.
Now let's move on to the main cryptocurrency news.
FTX and SBF
Judge bans Sam Bankman-Fried from using VPN
This happened due to the fact that the former head of FTX admitted that he watched the Super Bowl through a private network while under house arrest.
“Defendant's use of a VPN carries the same risks as using encrypted messaging apps or calling apps. I hereby amend the conditions of release, effective immediately, to prohibit the defendant from using any VPN,” District Judge Lewis Kaplan said in the order.
A bankruptcy court in Delaware authorized FTX's sale of certain De Minimis assets.
The approval applies to unencumbered investments valued at up to $1 million with an initial investment of no more than $5 million.
FTX, through subsidiaries including Alameda, has invested about $5.3 billion across 475 deals, according to The Block. The amounts ranged from $100 million for Mysten Labs to $1 million checks for Limit Break or Messari. At the same time, the companies invested about $837 million in 32 investment funds, including Sequoia, Multicoin and Kraken Ventures.
Kryptonovosti RF
The State Duma adopted a project on the merger of blockchain platforms and financial marketplaces
The law on creating a marketplace or so-called “financial supermarket” was adopted in the summer of 2020. However, now operators of financial platforms do not have the right to combine their work with the activities of a credit institution, except in cases where they are organizers of trade, a depository, a specialized depository, a registrar or an operator of an investment (crowdfunding) platform.
Russians will be asked for a passport to trade on crypto exchanges
“If we legalize crypto exchanges, then, obviously, they must also use an identification mechanism and work through it. Just as all other infrastructure works, this is how it should work. It’s just that the identification system should be similar to that in banks,” said a State Duma representative.
He added that the bill on mining, which was submitted to the State Duma, may, after finalization, include a decision on liability for illegal transfers in cryptocurrencies.
Sberbank reported “record” volumes of Bitcoin transfers abroad
Sber recorded record volumes of illegal transfers of assets to foreign cryptocurrency wallets using Russian Bitcoin exchanges.
According to Stanislav Kuznetsov, deputy chairman of the bank’s board, transfers are made through legal trading platforms operating in the Moscow City office center.
“Droppers carry cash and send it to Ukraine without presenting passports, where they are withdrawn in any currency and used in military operations against our country. In September, we recorded a record figure on these crypto exchanges for the transfer of money to crypto accounts in the form of bitcoins in the amount of 500 million rubles,” he said.
Other news from the crypto world
Will the SEC make staking on centralized exchanges illegal?
Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission forced crypto exchange Kraken to shut down its staking program. The assets included in the program were automatically unlocked, and users stopped receiving rewards for them. The SEC's crackdown could have far-reaching consequences for centralized exchanges.
SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has openly stated that the time of crypto companies that continue to evade full disclosure is coming to an end.
“Intermediaries who offer investment contracts in exchange for tokens must provide the appropriate disclosures and warranties required by our securities laws. The Commission's actions have made it clear that staking providers are required to register to avoid further problems with the regulator,” he said.
Vitalik Buterin donates $150,000 to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
According to EtherScan, Buterin donated 99 ETH to AHBAP. The transfer was made from Buterin’s wallet vitalik.eth to a wallet labeled Ahbap Yardım / Earthquake Support.
Ripple allocated $1 million to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
The allocated funds will be transferred to several non-governmental public organizations involved in providing assistance to victims of the disaster.
According to the official Ripple announcement, the company also made a direct donation of $250,000 in XRP tokens through the global charity Crypto for Charity.
MetaMask users are being sent fraudulent emails
MetaMask developers have warned users about phishing attacks using a third-party email service.
“MetaMask does not collect KYC information and will never email you about your account! NEVER enter your recovery passphrase on a website. If you receive such an email from MetaMask, Namecheap or anyone else, ignore it and do not click on the link,” wrote the crypto wallet team.
Wirex expands cooperation with Visa
Cryptocurrency platform Wirex has signed a long-term strategic partnership with payment giant Visa.
The new partnership will see the UK startup issue debit and prepaid cards in more than 40 countries, including Asia Pacific and the UK.
Norway confiscates $5.9 million stolen from Axie Infinity a year ago
The National Office for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crimes said this is the largest cryptocurrency seizure ever carried out by Norwegian police.
“This case shows that we have great power to track money on the blockchain, even if criminals use advanced techniques,” said First State Attorney Marianne Bender.
Cryptomixer Blender relaunched under a new name
As experts have found out, Sinbad was launched in October 2022. Despite its recent launch, the mixer has already laundered “tens of millions of dollars” in cryptocurrency linked to the cross-chain hack of the Harmony Horizon Bridge. Moreover, attackers continue to use the mixer to this day, demonstrating confidence in the new protocol, Ellitic emphasizes.