SEC’s Enforcement Chief Steps Down After Leading Over 100 Crypto Enforcement Actions

Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s Division of Enforcement, will leave the agency next week. During his tenure, he led several high-profile enforcement actions, particularly in the crypto sector, targeting noncompliant platforms and insider trading, resulting in billions in penalties. Gurbir Grewal to Depart as SEC Enforcement Director The … Read more

FBI Warns of Sophisticated North Korean Cyber Attacks Targeting Crypto, Defi, ETFs

The FBI has issued a new warning about North Korea’s cyber campaigns targeting the cryptocurrency sector. The agency highlighted the use of sophisticated, hard-to-detect social engineering tactics to deploy malware and steal digital assets. North Korean hackers are reportedly focusing on decentralized finance (defi) platforms and cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). FBI Warns of North Korean … Read more

Crypto Hardware Wallet Maker Ledger Raises $100M Amid Growing Demand for Secure Storage Solutions 

The cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has raised €100 million ($109 million) in funding, according to the company’s disclosure on Thursday. Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier says there has been significant demand for hardware wallets. He added, “2023 is even better for us because now you can’t even leave money at a Swiss bank.” Ledger to … Read more

Meta Winding Down Support for NFTs on Facebook, Instagram

U.S. tech giant Meta is giving up on operations with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) amid ongoing turbulence in the crypto space. The company allowed creators to share digital collectibles on its leading social media platforms last year. Meta Platforms Cutting Off Support for Non-Fungible Tokens California-based technology conglomerate Meta is winding down support for digital collectibles … Read more

Coinbase Launches Wallet-as-a-Service to Bring Millions to Web3

On March 8, Coinbase announced the launch of its Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) product. The WaaS product aims to “bring the next hundred million consumers into Web3 through a seamless wallet-onboarding experience.” The Coinbase WaaS offers wallet infrastructure application programming interfaces (APIs) to companies, enabling them to build their own custom Web3 crypto wallets. Coinbase’s Wallet-as-a-Service Aims … Read more

Ethereum Liquid Staking Trend Continues to Swell; 5 Platforms Control 97% of Market

As of Feb. 7, 2023, the value locked in 11 Ethereum-based liquid staking protocols has risen above $11 billion, with Lido, Coinbase, and Rocket Pool recording 4-10% gains over the past month. Lido holds more than 73% of the total value locked (TVL) out of the 6.87 million ether held by the 11 liquid staking … Read more

Financial Companies Report First Deal With Digital Assets Under Russian Law

Two companies have carried out Russia’s first transactions with digital financial assets as defined by the country’s current legislation. The deal involved the tokenization of debt issued by a third party and its subsequent acquisition. Russian Companies Conduct Issue and Placement of Digital Financial Assets VTB Factoring, a subsidiary of Russian majority state-owned Vneshtorgbank (VTB), … Read more

Russia’s First Digital Financial Assets Expected This Year, Lawmaker Says

The first digital financial assets based on Russian blockchains may be issued as early as this year, a high-ranking parliamentarian announced. Three platforms are already registered as issuers, said Anatoly Aksakov, who chairs the Financial Market Committee at the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament. Russian Digital Financial Assets Likely to Appear by … Read more

Bill ‘On Digital Currency’ Caps Crypto Investments for Russians, Opens Door for Payments

Russia’s recently revised bill “On Digital Currency” limits crypto purchases for non-qualified investors while providing legal ground for some cryptocurrency payments, according to local media. The draft law, proposed by the Russian finance ministry, also introduces strict requirements for platforms operating with digital assets. Russian Citizens Who Don’t Pass Test to Buy Only $600 Worth … Read more

Demand for Mining Equipment Drops in Russia Amid Fears of Possible Ban, Report

Platforms listing ads for mining hardware have been registering declining demand since Bank of Russia’s call for a ban on the minting of digital currencies among other crypto activities. While mining may eventually be legalized, miners can expect to pay higher electricity bills. Supply Exceeds Demand on Russian Market for Mining Chips Mining hardware is … Read more