The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is ramping up pressure on the crypto sector. On Feb. 9, the SEC reached a $30 million settlement with Kraken over the centralized staking program it offered to its users. The news of the crackdown sent the price of Bitcoin (BTC) to a three-week low as investors became
Bitcoin (BTC) price and the wider crypto market corrected at the start of this week, giving back a small portion of the gains accrued in January, but it’s safe to say that the more experienced traders expected some sort of technical correction. What was unexpected was the SEC’s Feb. 9 enforcement against Kraken exchange and
On Feb. 9, 2023, the cryptocurrency community learned of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) crackdown on staking services. The SEC fined Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, $30 million for offering an “unregistered offering” related to its U.S. staking service. Digital currency advocates are now debating what constitutes a yield product versus a noncustodial solution
The coinbase transaction’s value is based on factors such as each individual transaction’s value, block height, and halving. Miners can add any customizable text to the blocks they have created. The value of a coinbase transaction is determined by several factors. These include the value of every transaction validated by the block, the height of
In the latest episode of NFT Steez, Thomas Webb, the founder of the interoperable avatar game Worldwide Webb, discusses the integration of interoperability in Web3 and the Metaverse. By definition, interoperability is a feature of Web3 whereby a product or system can work seamlessly across platforms with other products or services. Webb defines interoperability simply
United States Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler issued a warning to crypto companies to “come in and follow the law” after the agency announced a settlement with crypto exchange Kraken. Appearing on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ on Feb. 10, Gensler said crypto exchanges should register with the SEC in order to be compliant with
Yesterday’s news revolving around the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement action against Kraken has once again flushed great uncertainty into the crypto market, but Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has pointed to the positive developments around the world. Garlinghouse cited a total of five encouraging crypto regulatory news stories worldwide – all in markets where
Bitcoin moved below $22,000 on Friday’s session, as sentiment in cryptocurrency markets remained bearish. Volatility in markets has risen in recent days, following comments from U.S. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who hinted at ongoing rate hikes. Ethereum also dropped, falling under $1,600. Bitcoin Bitcoin (BTC) extended recent declines on Friday, with prices falling below the
Bitcoin (BTC) fell to bearish target zones on Feb. 10 as bulls failed to hold important support above $22,000. Crypto wipeout mounts as BTC price loses $22,000 Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD dropping to $21,633 on Bitstamp. The pair reacted badly to regulatory fears from the United States but had already
The collapse of FTX and related developments did more to pull up or push down the price of Bitcoin (BTC) throughout Q4, compared to macroeconomic events such as rate hikes, according to research. In a “State of Bitcoin Q4 2022” report published on Feb. 10, Messari research analysts Sami Kassab and Chris Collar found that
Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), saw its worst daily performance of the year as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stopped Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, from offering crypto staking services. On Feb. 9, Kraken agreed to pay $30 million to settle the SEC’s allegation that it broke securities rules by offering crypto staking
South Korea announced its first independent sanctions related to cryptocurrency thefts and cyber attacks against certain North Korean groups and individuals. According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four North Korean individuals and seven businesses have been placed on a blacklist for their alleged involvement in cyberattacks and cryptocurrency theft. The blacklisted individuals include the
Paxos Trust Company — the New York-based stablecoin issuer behind Binance USD (BUSD) and Paxos Dollar (USDP) — is reportedly being investigated by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). A “person familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg in a Feb. 10 report that the exact motive behind the probe is currently unclear. An NYDFS
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently revealed that some 25,188 of its value-preserving gold coins were sold between July 2022 and Jan. 13. According to the central bank governor, John Mangudya, the gold coins “have proved to be an effective open market instrument for mopping up excess liquidity in the economy.” Gold Coins as Alternative
Finland-based peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency platform LocalBitcoins is shutting down operations after serving its customers for more than 10 years. LocalBitcoins officially announced the termination of services on Feb. 9, citing the tough market conditions of the ongoing cryptocurrency winter. “Regardless of our efforts to overcome challenges and turn our trade volumes and declining market share back
According to data from DefiLlama, Ethereum staking service Rocket Pool reached $1 billion in total value locked (TVL) on Feb. 9. The move comes less than two years after the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol launched its mainnet on Nov. 9, 2021. Dubbed a liquid staking solution for Ethereum, Rocket Pool allows users to join an
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner Hester Pierce has publicly rebuked her own agency over the shut down of Kraken’s crypto staking program in the United States. The commissioner blasted her regulator in a Feb. 9 statement called “Kraken Down,” noting that regulation by enforcement “is not an efficient or fair way of
FOX Business journalist Eleanor Terrett revealed an explosive leak in a tweet yesterday at 10 pm EST, which could affect the entire crypto industry or allegedly Ripple and its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Terrett wrote that she learned from an anonymous source close to the SEC that the U.S.
Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. China airdrops 180 million digital yuan to celebrate Lunar New Year According to state-owned media Global Times, Chinese cities airdropped a total of 180 million digital yuan (e-CNY) worth $26.6 million to boost consumption during the Lunar New Year celebrations between
Kraken, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, has agreed to wind down its cryptocurrency staking program as part of an arrangement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle for the unregistered offer of its staking services. The exchange will also pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties, as indicated by the