Day: January 26, 2023

SEC once again rejects ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF listing

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The SEC has once again rejected a proposal to list the ARK 21 Shares Bitcoin ETF on equities exchange Cboe BZX, according to Jan. 26 statement from the SEC. The SEC rejected a similar proposal in April, 2022. The SEC has just now once again rejected ARK’s and 21Shares spot bitcoin, $BTC ETF listing. — unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 26, 2023 The proposed ETF would have been managed jointly by Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management and 21Shares if it had been approved. The purpose of the proposed fund was to allow…

Artists Pussy Riot and Shepard Fairey Team Up to Raise Money for Ukraine Through NFT Collection

Tolokonnikova began creating Putin’s Ashes in August, when Pussy Riot members burned an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a protest. Collecting the ashes from the event, Tolokonnikova bottled them to create the artwork for the NFT collection. The collection also features work by Fairey in his signature style, depicting Tolokonnikova wearing a corset with Putin on the front that appears to be in flames. Source

Moody’s to build scoring system for stablecoins: Report

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Credit rating firm Moody’s is allegedly developing a scoring system for stablecoins, with analysis for up to 20 digital assets, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 26, citing unnamed sources.  The system, which appears to be in the early stages of development, will evaluate and rate the quality of the attestations of stablecoin reserves, although it will not be considered an official credit rating. Generally speaking, third parties attest that a company’s claims are accurate and validate that stablecoins are backed 1:1 by their reserves. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency whose…

NBA Extends Partnership With Meta to Bring Basketball Games to the Metaverse – Metaverse Bitcoin News

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The NBA has extended its current partnership with Meta to broadcast its games to the metaverse. The company announced that 52 games of the league will be available to be enjoyed using VR (virtual reality) tech, using Xtadium, a co-viewing platform. Five of these games will be presented in a more immersive way for Horizon Worlds, Meta’s flagship metaverse app. NBA to Broadcast 52 Games in the Metaverse The NBA has sealed a deal to bring some of its games freely to the metaverse. On Jan. 23, the company announced…

ISDA releases standard definitions for digital asset derivatives

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The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) is working on two papers to address fundamental legal risks in the crypto markets, such as the insolvency of crypto exchange firms, according to a statement released on Jan. 26.  The initiative was motivated by the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and previous bankruptcy cases that “prompted a cascade of liquidity and solvency concerns across the crypto ecosystem.” Along with other things, the papers will offer guidance for market participants regarding crypto ownership and the role of intermediates in the event of bankruptcy.…

Here’s why Bitcoin price could correct after the US government resolves the debt limit impasse

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For much of 2022, the crypto market focused on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s actions. The central bank created a bearish environment for risk-on assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies by increasing the interest rates on borrowing.  Toward the end of 2022, positive economic data, healthy employment numbers and a decreasing inflation rate provided hope that a much-awaited slowdown in the rate of interest rate hikes would occur. Currently, the market expects the rate hikes to reduce from 50 basis points (bps) to 25 bps before the complete end of the hike regime…

Sens. Warren, Wyden question quality of auditors’ oversight in light of FTX debacle

Two United States senators have taken their questions about the performance of the accounting firms active in the crypto space to a higher power – the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Failure to uncover alleged criminality and poor recordkeeping at FTX has sullied the image of the PCAOB and the accounting profession, the senators said. In a letter addressed to PCAOB chair Erica Williams and dated Jan. 25, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden pointed out claims former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried made about passing audits by large…

Mango Markets to Resume Crypto Trading, SEC Be Damned

MNGO, a crypto governance token that grants its holders voting rights over Mango Markets’ operations, “was offered and sold as a security,” the SEC said, noting it is investigating “other securities law violations” alongside the Eisenberg case. That ominous pledge could have major implications for Mango Markets’ U.S. team if the SEC decides to sue. Source

Polkadot restates its case that DOT has ‘morphed’ away from security status

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The Web3 Foundation, which supports the Polkadot protocol, has again presented its argument that its native DOT (DOT) token is not a security. In a Twitter thread, the foundation emphasized its efforts to comply with U.S. securities laws, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission guidance on digital assets, and declared that DOT had successfully “morphed” and is software, not a security.  The Web3 Foundation reposted an excerpt from a December Twitter Space where Angela Dalton, identified as an adviser to the foundation, described how representatives accepted the SEC’s invitation…

Japan’s Crypto Revival: As Other Nations Hesitate, Japan Embraces Web3

“We have to hold 100% of client assets (same kind and same amount) in cold wallets every day,” said Takaaki Kato, head of sales and trading at Bitflyer, one of Japan’s largest crypto exchanges. “If this is not met, we have to move crypto assets to cold wallets within five days by regulations, but we basically do this within 24 hours. Client fiat assets are in a trust bank, etc., with periodic reporting to regulators as well as publicly disclosed quarterly – so could be easily checked.” Source