Month: September 2023

Polygon Labs denies dumping MATIC on Binance

In a Sept. 6 post on X, Lookonchain pointed out that Polygon Foundation had transferred millions of dollars worth of MATIC, their native token, to Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. Such transfers are often interpreted as bearish. However, Sandeep Nailwal, the founder of Polygon Labs, has since denied this claim saying it was a case of mislabeling. The blockchain analytics tool, Lookonchain, flagged two addresses, “Polygon Foundation: 0x8d36” and “Polygon Foundation: 0xf957,” which had collectively moved $5.5 million worth of MATIC to Binance in a month. Of this, more…

CTFC cracks down on DeFi protocols Opyn, ZeroEx and Deridex

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The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is taking regulatory action against three decentralized finance protocols for allegedly failing to register various derivatives trading offerings. The U.S. commodities regulator announced that it issued orders against protocol Opyn, ZeroEx and Deridex in a Sept. 8 statement. Today @CFTC issued orders against operators of three DeFi protocols for offering illegal digital asset derivatives trading. Learn more: https://t.co/7YDbgC1Xl2 — CFTC (@CFTC) September 7, 2023 Deridex and Opyn were charged for failing to register as a swap execution facility or designated contract market…

JPMorgan Adjusts Bitcoin’s Production Cost: What This Means For BTC And Its Miners?

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Recent adjustments by JPMorgan in its estimation of Bitcoin’s production costs have garnered attention. Previously standing at $21,000, JPMorgan’s revised Bitcoin production cost has now been pegged at $18,000. This move is closely tied to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index’s (CBECI) decision to update its methodology, highlighting the interconnectedness of financial analyses and industry metrics. Notably, the CBECI is known for its critical role in tracking and estimating the electricity consumption of the Bitcoin network.  Revised CBECI Methodology’s Impact On Mining Costs JPMorgan analysts, under the guidance of Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou,…

Binance CEO brushes off negativity, assures firm has ‘no liquidity issues’

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Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao has hosed down recent rumors against his firm, assuring its balance sheet and employee retention remain robust, despite the recent market uncertainty. The Binance boss blamed negative news, rumors, bank runs, lawsuits, the closing of fiat channels, product wind-downs and employee turnovers for creating an environment of FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) in a Sept. 7 post on X (Twitter).  Saw some debates in the community. When you do the right thing, and there is FUD, you don’t have to do anything. The community…

CFTC Goes After Opyn, ZeroEx, Deridex DeFi Operations in Enforcement Sweep

The three firms face a number of accusations based on their use of blockchain-based protocols and smart contracts to function as trading platforms, according to the CFTC. The U.S. derivatives regulator is ordering Opyn, ZeroEx, and Deridex to cease the activity and pay penalties of $250,000, $200,000, and $100,000, respectively. The companies agreed to these terms to settle the charges.  Source

Binance To Refund Users $1 Million In USDT Following CyberConnect Incident

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Binance, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has recently decided to refund users $1 million USDT (Tether) following an incident related to the CyberConnect (CYBER) token.  The refund aims to compensate users affected by a price discrepancy on listed CYBER tokens due to liquidity constraints on the Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit. Binance Addresses CyberConnect Woes As described by Binance, the incident unfolded when a liquidity crunch on CYBER cross-chain bridges hindered transactions on Upbit. This led to a price disparity between Upbit and other exchanges, attracting arbitrageurs who borrowed CYBER from…

CFTC commissioner calls for crypto regulatory pilot program

Caroline Pham, a commissioner with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has suggested a limited pilot program in an effort to address crypto regulation. In a pre-recorded message for a Cato Institute event on Sept. 7, Pham said that following public roundtable discussions she planned to propose a pilot program for digital asset markets, claiming the U.S. may soon need to “play catch-up” to crypto-friendly jurisdictions. She suggested that the program would be similar to regulatory sandboxes previously introduced at the state level. “A pilot program can create…

JPMorgan moves into deposit tokens for settlements: Report

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Financial giant JPMorgan is making another move into the crypto space with a new blockchain-based solution for cross-border transactions, reveals a report by Bloomberg. The system, however, won’t be available until the bank receives the green light from regulators in the United States.  JPMorgan has reportedly developed most of the infrastructure to run the new deposit token, which will be first launched for corporate clients to speed up payments and settlements. Deposit tokens are issued on a blockchain by a depository institution to represent a deposit position. The solution contrasts…

‘Pure’ DeFi has little chance for real-world use because of need for oracles: BIS

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The need for an oracle in decentralized finance (DeFi) is a major impediment to adoption in the real world, according to the authors of a Bank for International Settlements (BIS) bulletin. The problems with oracles are both practical and principled, and the study’s authors saw no way around them. An oracle is a third party that provides real-world data flowing to or from a DeFi protocol. An oracle is centralized by nature, and its presence means a protocol is not fully decentralized—if that is tolerated, then trustlessness is lost, the…