You can also stay Cryptodated by Listening to Our Crypto News Podcast
Plugin on any of the platforms below and enjoy, or get access directly by clicking here!
Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Anchor | CastBox | Google Podcasts
CoinCodeCap Weekly brings you an entire week’s news in one article. Got no time to stay updated during weekdays? No worries, we got your covered!
Table of Contents
12 February 2022
Netflix has announced that it has ordered a docuseries about the recently arrested Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan. They both are accused of running a large cryptocurrency laundering scheme. Both of them were arrested for charges relating to a 2016 hack of the Bitcoin virtual currency exchange.
BlockFi has agreed to pay $100 million to settle ongoing investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and several state securities regulators. According to our sources, Madelyn McHugh, a spokesperson for BlockFi, told that the company would “not comment on market rumours.”
Matolcsy seeks a complete ban on crypto, like China. The governor supports Russia’s proposal to ban crypto trading and its mining. He is concerned about the illegal activities that digital currencies can fund.
AFIP will now seize funds in digital wallets, besides banks, for tax collection. The AFIP is also helping the debtors by providing tools to balance their sheets. However, the seizing of funds has again started as the government is committed to expanding collections.
The state of Idaho introduced a bill to define digital assets as personal property in the second regular session of 22. The bill, if passed, will be named the “digital assets act.” The scope of this act will be to define the legal status of digital assets. Digital assets are subject to applicable laws or rules that apply to their business or activity.
13 February 2022
CryptoPunk #5822 sold for 8,000 ETH, which was approximately $23.7 million at the time of sale. Deepak Thapliyal bought the NFT from CryptoPunks developer Larva Labs’ own online marketplace.
14 February 2022
PeckShield detected that TitanoFinance get exploited and the exploiter gained about 4,828.7 BNB (~$1.9m). The exploiter’s funds have been split into 23 addresses. $Titan has dropped more than > 80%. The owner minted 32M $TickTitano.
US Senator Ted Cruz hails Central American nation El Salvador’s one-of-its-kind decision to use bitcoin as legal tender. By doing so, El Salvador became the first country to adopt the original cryptocurrency as its national currency on September 7, 2021.
The People’s Bank of China published the “Report on the Implementation of China’s Monetary Policy in the Fourth Quarter of 2021” on February 11. China’s central bank stated that it would keep liquidity reasonably ample while increasing financing support for key sectors.
The governor of the Hungarian Central Bank, György Matolcsy, has called for a ban on cryptocurrency activity in the EU. All crypto operations, including trading and mining, should be forbidden in European countries, according to Matolcsy.
According to the reports issued by SEC, the BlockFi has been operating as an unregistered company for two years. The company has issued a “cease-and-desist” order and will stop movements of BIA in the U.S.
According to the BBC, the UK’s tax department, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have confiscated three NFTs as part of a larger investigation into VAT (value-added tax) fraud. HMRC has seized an NFT for the first time.
15 February 2022
In the keynote address at the Indian Banks Association 17th Annual Banking Technology Conference and Awards, RBI Deputy Governer today said that Crypto-technology is even more dangerous than Ponzi Schemes.
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, has hit the jackpot. Its clever ad, which depicts a bouncing DVD meme, has gone viral. In addition, its unique approach to connecting with people was such a hit that it went to second place on the Apple Playstore in the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the ‘Emergencies Act’ amidst weeks of truckers’ protests that have strangulated the country. Under the act, both crowdfunding platforms as well as payment services providers that are linked to them including crypto, are expected to now register themselves with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
Jacked Ape Club a “project” of 8888 NFTs with 7000+ whitelist slots (80% of the supply: first red flag) hired “influencers” from the space like Helloimmorgan and outside too like BradleyMartyn (red flag). A project should be interested in its art/devs/roadmap, not fame.
IRA financial hacked for $36M in bitcoin and ethereum. Hackers stole $21 million in Bitcoin and $15 million in Ethereum from IRA Financial Trust retirement accounts on February 8. IRA Financial Trust Tweeted that it has discovered suspicious activity that has affected a limited subset of its customers with accounts on the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange.
Hackers gained access to Sansad TV’s YouTube account early Tuesday morning, which broadcasts live and recorded sessions from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. According to a tweet provided by Prasar Bharti, the channel’s name has also been changed to Ethereum.
Hauck & Aufhäuser Innovative Capital (HAIC) Germany has received approval from the country’s regulatory watchdog to become a regulated crypto management company (KVG). The approval allows HAIC to “set up and manage investment funds as special assets that invest in native crypto assets or add them to a classic portfolio allocation.”
Bnb42 a 100% decentralized investment platform that operates on the Binance Smart Chain is rugged. The deployer drains more than 6,400 BNB (~$2.7m) from an unverified contract.
An 8-year old Spanish artist Leonardo Pastrana and his family has made an announcement regarding the debut of their NFT series with Cyphrly Studio.
16 February 2022
Colorado Governor Jared Schutz Polis has announced that his state will begin accepting Bitcoin for tax payments starting this summer. Polis reveals plans for the US State to advance further in more untested payment models and his vision for a potential state token in an interview with CNBC.
Binance Smart Chain rebranded its base blockchain ecosystem to BNB Chain. Their token which was earlier called the Binance coin–has now become BNB, the acronym for “Build and Build”.
A fundraising platform purportedly experienced a hack. A website dedicated to publicising hacked data claims it provided reams of information about donations to a Canadian movement opposed to pandemic health precautions.
The Ministry of Economic Development of Russia wants to impose a tax on the conversion of cryptocurrencies into rubles. The Central Bank of the country is opposed to this proposal.
The Capitol Hill once again rattled with the concerns of crypto as Congressman Warren Davidson introduced a new bill. The new bill is headlined as the “Keep Your Coins Act”.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a proclamation publicising his support for the free flow of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. According to Lukashenko’s press office, the president has signed a decree titled “On the registry of virtual wallet addresses and the circulation of cryptocurrencies.”
On February 10, NYSE has filed an application with Uspto for entering the Metaverse. Kondouidus says that this application proves that Metaverse exists. The application wants to register NYSE as an “online marketplace” and “Virtual currency financial exchange” for NFTs.
The Marshall Islands accepts DAOs as legal entities. RMI passes the Non-Profit Entities (Amendment) Act 2021. MIDAO will help organisations get registered within the country.
JP Morgan opens a virtual lounge in Decentraland. The banks see the potential of heavy growth in the Metaverse world. The bank also said that decentralised finance (DeFi) collateral management could potentially replace traditional finance organisations with the help of DAO.
Jon Kaplan joins the executive team at FalconX. His primary focus will be to scale the growth of the company. Kaplan is one of the latest premiere talents in crypto.
17 February 2022
TopGoal compromised: reportedly exploiter gained over $1.8 million. Peckshield informed through their Tweet that the deployer had a huge amount of TMT pre-minted, dumped to 2660+ BNB, and washed through TornadoCash.
The United Arab Emirates amps up its crypto game by giving a green flag to the issuance of federal licenses for virtual asset service providers, also called VASP’s. The Securities and Commodities Authority is in the ‘final stage’ of amending the legislation to allow the VASPs to set up in the Gulf country.
US Senators Propose Bill out of Concerns for El Salvador’s Crypto Legal Tender. Senators Jim Risch, Bill Cassidy and Bob Menendez introduced new legislation called the Accountability for Cryptocurrency in El Salvador (ACES) Act which would require a detailed State Department report on El Salvador’s decision of adopting the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin as a legal tender and its potential impact on cybersecurity, economic stability, and democratic governance in El Salvador.
Ryan Reynolds, a Hollywood actor and MNTN chief creative officer, spoke with Bloomberg Markets’ Emily Chang about his thoughts on cryptocurrencies. The actor stated that he expects the sector to develop even more in the future as the digital assets business continues to grow, with many companies embracing trends such as NFTs, Metaverse, and others.
Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division said in a Bloomberg virtual panel discussion on cybersecurity said that “Crypto is the primary currency, the primary vehicle, to facilitate extortion payments. It’s the only game in town.” According to Vorndran, the bureau recently discovered evidence indicating that criminal gangs in Russia and Eurasia have established call centres to professionalise their ransomware businesses and are sharing data gathered from victims.
Mastercard said on Tuesday that its payments-focused consultancy service will be expanded. One of the new practices is devoted to “crypto & digital currency,” according to the business. Services include education, risk assessments, and bank-wide crypto and NFT strategy formulation.
Animoca Brands issued a scam alert regarding a new ERC-20 token called “Animoca Brands Metaverse” on Uniswap V2. Animoca Brands Metaverse falsely claims to be associated with Animoca Brands and uses the symbol “Animoca.”
The protestors of ‘Freedom Convoy’ will not be able to receive the donations collected in the form of cryptocurrencies. 34 accounts tied to the protest has been ceased. The protest has now been declared illegal.
ConocoPhillips has started fueling bitcoin mining operations with the excess gas produced by the company. Flaring in oil companies leads to revenue loss and pollution. ConocoPhillips wants to achieve zero routine flaring by 2025.
18 February 2022
On 17th Feb 2020, Ukraine gave Bitcoin legal status. A few native volunteers and hacking groups are receiving Bitcoin donations from worldwide. Bitcoin cannot be used for payment yet in Ukraine.
Spain’s top crypto exchange, Bit2Me, is all set to be the first crypto provider of the country as it received the license for approval from the Bank of Spain. The company announced Thursday that it would be Spain’s first “provider of services for virtual currency exchange for fiat currency and the custody of digital wallets”.
Although Binance has suspended operations in countries such as Israel due to licensing issues, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume continues to deepen ties with Russia. Binance announced its membership in the Russian Association of Banks on Thursday, intending to facilitate communication with local authorities, parliamentarians, and cryptocurrency professionals.
Former CFTC Chairman wants CFTC to supervise crypto in place of other agencies. The current CFTC Chief thinks alike. CFTC has the potential to regulate the market to maintain its financial stability.
One of the biggest music corporations, Universal Music Group (UMG) has struck a deal with NFT platform Curio to enter into a partnership in developing non-fungible token (NFT) collections for its record labels, as announced by the companies on Thursday.
There has been a new recent movement by AscendEX hack culprits. As per the data, a series of transactions was noticed on Friday evening from the same address involved in hacking.
