P2P Financial Systems panel: Crypto core values and transparency are critical for DeFi

Canada-based cryptocurrency mining company Hut 8 Mining has announced plans to merge with US Bitcoin to form Hut 8 Corp, or “New Hut.”. In a Feb. 7 announcement, Hut 8 said the boards of directors of the two firms had unanimously approved a definitive business combination agreement aimed at merging the mining firms in what will become a United States-based business. Once the deal is finalized, Hut 8 Mining and US Bitcoin, or USBTC, will become subsidiaries of New Hut, with shareholders collectively owning 50% of the newly merged firm.

This year is off to a tepid start for crypto venture capital, as the industry continues to emerge from a prolonged bear market. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t deals. In January, Cointelegraph reported a $125 million raise from Blockstream, a $60 million allocation to QuickNode and pair of ecosystem funds from Injective and SSV worth $150 million and $50 million, respectively.

Deutsche Bank’s asset management arm is reportedly in discussions to invest in two German crypto companies. According to a Feb. 8 Bloomberg report citing “people familiar with the matter,” DWS Group CEO Stefan Hoops is currently in talks to buy a minority stake in Deutsche Digital Assets, a crypto exchange-traded products provider. It’s also in talks with Tradias, a market maker firm owned by Bankhaus Scheich — a traditional finance market maker.

Three financial watchdogs in the United States have issued a warning to investors considering certain individual retirement accounts with exposure to cryptocurrencies. In a Feb. 7 notice, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, the North American Securities Administrators Association, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said self-directed individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, may include assets with potential risks, including cryptocurrencies. According to the agencies, some of the aforementioned IRAs could offer exposure to crypto assets that qualify as securities “without SEC registration or a valid exemption from registration” and without providing the information necessary to make informed decisions on investments.

United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm were the recipients Feb. 6 of another letter on the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining. Eight Democratic lawmakers headed by Elizabeth Warren reached out to the officials this time. The eight lawmakers acknowledged previous replies to official...

The CEO of crypto miner Layer1 Technologies has filed a lawsuit against the firm’s two other board members — including co-founder Jakov Dolic — for allegedly commandeering Layer1’s operations for their own gain. Layer1 CEO John Harney and DGF Investments Inc — a British Virgin Islands-based...

Regulators in Hong Kong are stepping up their game when it comes to monitoring the activities of the crypto industry. According to a Securities and Futures Commission report filed on Feb. 6, it plans to hire four additional staff to “better supervise” the activities of local virtual asset (VA) providers. Moreover, the extra oversight will help “better assess the compliance and risk” by allowing retail investors to trade virtual assets on regulated platforms.

Data from Etherscan shows that some crypto scammers are targeting users with a new trick that allows them to confirm a transaction from the victim’s wallet, but without having the victim’s private key. The attack can only be performed for transactions of 0 value. However, it may cause some users to accidentally send tokens to the attacker as a result of cutting and pasting from a hijacked transaction history.

Max Levchin, the CEO of buy-now-pay-later company Affirm, has confirmed that they will be shutting down their “Affirm Crypto Program” amid dampening consumer spending and a changing macroeconomic environment. The CEO released a letter to shareholders on Feb. 8 alongside a 19% staff cut. He cited uncertain macroeconomic...

It’s no secret venture capitalists react to prevailing market conditions when making decisions, and amid global economic uncertainty, entrepreneurs from across industries are finding that VC funds are more difficult to come by these days. This is especially true for crypto and blockchain companies, which have to overcome not only a knowledge barrier but also the lingering fear aroused by recent bad behavior from certain high-profile crypto founders and firms.

Major cryptocurrency data aggregator CoinGecko and crypto investment firm 21Shares have joined forces to launch a global standard for classifying various crypto asset. On Feb. 8, CoinGecko and 21Shares released The Global Crypto Classification Standard report, proposing a uniform method to categorize crypto assets. The effort aims to help investors and regulators better understand the specifics of each asset class in crypto, including potential failures like those seen by the industry in 2022.

Crypto brokers and investment advisers offering or giving advice about cryptocurrencies will be put under the scope of the United States securities watchdog this year. A Feb. 7 statement from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Examinations outlined its priorities for 2023, suggesting brokers and advisers dealing in crypto will need to be extra careful when offering, selling or making recommendations regarding digital assets.

United Kingdom-based neo-banking platform Revolut, which boasts 25 million customers globally, has introduced crypto staking to its U.K. and European Economic Area (EEA) customers. According to a report from London-based news agency AltFi, the staking feature is expected to go live this week, allowing users to generate income on their...

Proposed laws in Israel that would see cryptocurrencies classified as securities would cause huge damage to the local crypto industry, according to the chief of an Israeli crypto service provider. Cointelegraph Magazine editor Andrew Fenton spoke with Ilan Sterk, the CEO of Altshuler Shaham Horizon. The Tel Aviv-based firm provides...

Cryptocurrency conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) has reportedly begun to sell its holdings in crypto funds managed by its subsidiary Grayscale Investments as it looks to raise capital and preserve liquidity. According to a Feb. 7 Financial Times report citing United States securities filings, DCG sold around a quarter of...

Troubled cryptocurrency lending firm Hodlnaut is reportedly working with several potential investors to sell its business and other assets. A number of potential buyers have inquired about purchasing Hodlnaut and its claims against the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 6. Hodlnaut’s interim judicial managers have received multiple...

United States lawmakers with the Senate Banking Committee have announced three witnesses scheduled to appear before a hearing on “crypto crashes” scheduled on Feb. 14. At the time of publication, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s hearing titled “Crypto Crash: Why Financial System Safeguards are Needed for Digital Assets” had witnesses including Vanderbilt University law professor Yesha Yadav; Duke Financial Economics Center policy director Lee Reiners; and Linda Jeng, a lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for International Economic Law.

Wallets linked to the bankrupt Alameda Research became active again on Feb. 7, transferring millions worth of FTX Tokens (FTT). The Alameda wallet activity post-FTX bankruptcy filing has been a big concern for the crypto community, with many questioning the merits of the law enforcement agencies and how these wallets are being accessed.

Changelly has released a significant update to DeFi Swap — a fully decentralized exchange (DEX) that embraces all of the benefits of decentralized finance (DeFi), including optimized transaction cost and instant transaction processing. From now on, users will be able to swap thousands of tokens on six various networks: Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Fantom and Optimism.

Data science plays a critical role in supporting decision-making processes by providing insights and recommendations based on data analysis. In order to create new products, services and procedures, businesses can use data science to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, market trends and corporate performance. By giving businesses a...