Circle Secures In-principle Approval to Operate As Money Services Provider in Abu Dhabi
Reported by The Block: The move comes after USDC issuer Circle incorporated a legal entity within the ADGM in December 2024.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) granted stablecoin issuer Circle in-principle approval to serve as a money services provider, according to a release shared with The Block.
The move comes after Circle incorporated a new legal entity within the ADGM in December 2024 to expand its global reach within the Middle East and Africa.
Bitget Will Legally Pursue 8 Accounts Suspected of Profiting $20 Million From VOXEL Trading Manip...
Reported by The Block: Crypto exchange Bitget said it will legally pursue the users behind eight accounts suspected of manipulating one of the platform’s markets, illicitly profiting $20 million as a result.
The platform promised to return any recovered funds to platform users in the form of an airdrop.
Crypto exchange Bitget said it will legally pursue eight accounts suspected of manipulating the platform's VOXEL market, profiting $20 million as a result, as the platform continues to investig
Ark Invest Raises 2030 Bull-case Bitcoin Price Projection to $2.4 Million on 'aggressive' Modeling
Reported by The Block: Using a new experimental methodology, Ark Invest projects a bitcoin price of $2.4 million in the bull case by 2030.
Ark also projects a price estimate of $1.2 million in the base case and $500,000 in the bear case in 2030.
Cathie Wood's Ark Invest has raised its bull-case bitcoin price projection to $2.4 million by 2030, up from a previous estimate of $1.5 million, based on a new specialized methodology.
In a Thursday report, David Puell, an analyst at Ark Invest, wrote
Citigroup Predicts Stablecoin Supply Could Hit $3.7 Trillion By 2030
Reported by The Block: Citigroup said in a new report that its base case is that stablecoin supply grows to $1.6 trillion by 2030 and its bullish case is $3.7 trillion.
The banking giant also said this year could be blockchain’s “ChatGPT moment.”
Banking giant Citigroup hinted in a new report released Thursday that blockchain might be on the cusp of having its "ChatGPT moment" this year in part due to stablecoin adoption. The bank predicts that the total stablecoin market cap could increase
Zora Airdrop Triggers Confusion As Token Launches Without Announcement, Requires Users Claim Manu...
Reported by The Block: Crypto social media platform Zora’s self-titled “memecoin” triggered a wave of criticism after it began trading without an official announcement or claim link.Some users were able to access ZORA directly from its smart contract address on Base.
The “for fun only” token doesn’t give holders governance claims, the company said in March.
Crypto social media platform Zora's self-titled "memecoin," which is based on the Ethereum Layer-2 Base network, caused confusion on Wedne
Pot Bitcoin ETFs See $936 Million Inflows As 'safe Haven' Narrative Strengthens
Reported by The Block: U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw $936 million in net inflows, which is the largest since Jan. 17.Analysts said institutional capital is flowing back into bitcoin as its role as a potential “safe haven” asset grows stronger.
On Tuesday, U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds saw their largest single-day net inflows since Jan. 17 — $936 million, to be exact. Analysts say this reflects "growing conviction" in bitcoin as a hedge against ongoing geopolitical and macroeconomic tensi
Binance South Africa to Require Information on Senders and Recipients for Local Compliance
Reported by The Block: South African users may be subject to more thorough Know-Your-Customer practices when sending and receiving crypto.
Binance plans to implement the changes from April 30.
Binance, crypto’s largest centralized exchange, announced new requirements tied to digital asset deposits and withdrawals for South African customers in compliance with local regulations.
A notice shared Wednesday said users may need to provide additional details before sending cryptocurrencies, includi
USDC Closes in on $61 Billion As Institutional Demand Outpaces USDT Growth
Reported by The Block: USDC’s accelerated growth appears increasingly tied to its regulatory clarity and institutional appeal, particularly as Circle advances plans for a potential IPO.
The following is an excerpt from The Block’s Data and Insights newsletter.
USDC supply has climbed to just under $61 billion as of April 19, representing a remarkable $17 billion increase from its $44 billion starting point at the beginning of the year, even as total stablecoin supply reaches $226 billion.
Bybit CEO Says Nearly 28% of $1.4 Billion Hacked Crypto 'gone Dark,' Moved to P2P and OTC
Reported by The BlockL Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said 27.59% of the $1.4 billion stolen from Bybit has “gone dark.”
Untraceable funds flowed into mixers then through bridges to peer-to-peer and over-the-counter platforms, Zhou said.
About 27.59% of the $1.4 billion worth of crypto stolen from Bybit exchange has "gone dark," CEO Ben Zhou said in his latest post on social media platform X.
The portion of funds that disappeared from Bybit's radar has increased since Zhou's March 4 update, when he said
Eliza Labs Unveils Auto.fun, a No-code AI Agent Launchpad With 'fairer Than Fair' Token Model
Reported by The Block: Eliza Labs has launched a pump.fun-style launchpad called auto.fun, enabling users to deploy complex AI agents without any technical skills.
To support these agents, auto.fun incorporates a “fairer than fair” token launch mechanism designed to promote sustainable economics.
Eliza Labs has launched auto.fun, a platform for creating, deploying and monetizing AI agents through a "sustainable" token economy.
Aimed at making complex web3 operations accessible to non-technica
Non-KYC Exchange EXch to Close Down Under Money Laundering Scrutiny Tied to Lazarus Group
Reported by The Block: Crypto exchange eXch said it will close down on May 1, after it learned that there is a “transatlantic operation” to prosecute the project for money laundering and terrorism.
Some alleged that the platform was used by North Korea’s Lazarus Group in laundering stolen crypto from Bybit.
eXch lamented that its privacy-focused approach was being misinterpreted.
Privacy-focused crypto trading platform eXch officially announced that it will cease operations on May 1, followin
Layer 1 MANTRA's Token Falls 90% in Sudden Crash; Team Blames 'reckless Liquidations'
Reported by The Block: The token of real-world asset focused Layer 1 blockchain MANTRA crashed 90% over a matter of hours on Sunday, raising concerns of a rug pull or major hack.
“Today’s activity was triggered by reckless liquidations, not anything to do with the project,” MANTRA’s X account wrote, hours after the crash began.
“There was a massive forced liquidation from a large OM investor on a [centralized exchange],” MANTRA’s co-founder wrote on X.
Canada to Launch Spot Solana ETFs This Week: Report
Reported by The Block: Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas shared that four asset managers are set to launch spot Solana ETFs in Canada on Wednesday.
The upcoming Solana ETFs will offer staking features.
Canada is poised to launch several spot Solana exchange-traded funds on Wednesday, according to a bank circular cited by Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas.
Balchunas shared a screenshot of a circular from Canada’s TD Bank on X, which stated that the Ontario Securities Commis
Quantum Cats NFT Floor Price Plunges 54% Post-Taproot Wizards Mint
Reported by The Block: Quantum Cats NFTs saw a steep floor price drop after the Taproot Wizards mint incentive ended, unlike other Bitcoin NFT collections that remained relatively stable.
The following is an excerpt from The Block’s Data and Insights newsletter.
The floor price of Bitcoin NFT Quantum Cats halved in value last week, falling from 0.087 BTC on March 30 to 0.04 BTC as of Saturday, April 5. Meanwhile, the floor prices of other notable Bitcoin NFT collections remained relatively f
Interchain Labs Launches IBC Eureka to Connect Ethereum to the Cosmos Ecosystem
Reported by The Block: Ethereum is now the first non-Cosmos network to join the IBC ecosystem, and IBC Eureka looks to add networks such as Solana, Base and Arbitrum in the future.
The launch of IBC Eureka comes after Interchain Labs developers tested the interoperability between Ethereum and Cosmos in late March of this year.
Interchain Labs unveiled a new bridge product called IBC Eureka to connect the Ethereum and Cosmos blockchain systems.
First-ever XRP ETF to Launch in US Tuesday; Spot ETF Still Pending
Reported by The Block: Teucrium Investment Advisors LLC is launching a leveraged XRP ETF on Tuesday, which is the first XRP-based ETF in the U.S. market.
Multiple U.S. issuers have filed for spot XRP ETFs, which are still being reviewed by the SEC.
One analyst said the likelihood of spot XRP ETFs being approved this year has grown, but demand for such funds remains uncertain.
Vermont-based asset manager Teucrium Investment Advisors LLC is launching the first XRP -based exchange-traded fund in
Binance Tax Evasion Trial in Nigeria Adjourned Until April 30 on 'substituted Service' Argument
Reported by The Block: A federal high court delayed the trial as a Binance attorney challenged a February order allowing authorities to serve documents through email.
Nigeria wants Binance to pay $81 billion in back taxes for allegedly operating without proper registrations.
An Abuja federal high court adjourned a tax evasion trial involving Binance until April 30 as a lawyer for the exchange scrutinized a substituted service order to serve legal documents via email, according to a Reuters rep
Reported by The Block: The broader NFT market has suffered severe declines over the past three months, with both OpenSea and Blur experiencing significant drops in trading volume, highlighting the sector’s overall struggles.
The following is an excerpt from The Block’s Data and Insights newsletter.
At the beginning of 2022, OpenSea’s share of Ethereum NFT marketplace volume stood at a dominating around 97%. Just two years later, the platform seemed to have dwindled amid fierce competition as
0xbow Unveils ‘Privacy Pools,’ a New Blockchain Privacy Tool Drawing From Vitalik Buterin’s Research
Reported by The Block: 0xbow has announced the mainnet launch of a new tool that helps users preserve their onchain privacy while staying above the law.
The “Privacy Pools” tool was inspired by a research paper co-written by Vitalik Buterin and other security experts in 2023.
A group of cryptographers, including Ethereum veterans Ameen Soleimani and Zak Cole, have introduced a new tool to enhance on-chain privacy. These so-called “Privacy Pools,” first proposed in 2023, launched on the mainne