Day: October 9, 2023

What to expect in the second week

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The second week of the Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried FTX fraud trial will commence its hearings again on Monday, Oct. 9, with one of the main focal points anticipated to be testimony from Caroline Ellison. Ellison, the former romantic partner of SBF’s and CEO of FTX-tied Alameda Research, is set to testify this upcoming week, possibly as soon as Tuesday. She was a part of Bankman-Fried’s inner circle and is expected to know details regarding the movement of customer funds between the two companies. In her testimony, she is expected to…

Bitcoin Halving Buzz and Predictions Increase with Six Months Left to Event

Predictions for the upcoming Bitcoin halving are still pouring it, with most of them bullish on Bitcoin’s chance of a parabolic rise. The upcoming Bitcoin halving expected next year is already creating quite a bit of buzz as the market anticipates a reduction in Bitcoin block rewards. With a little over six months left till the halving, analysts are now offering predictions about Bitcoin’s chances. While the specific count might not be the same across analysts, Rekt Capital posted on X that the halving is 189 days from Monday. Rekt Capital has…

OPEC Raises Forecast of Global Oil Demand, Peak Crude Demand Still Away

OPEC strongly criticized the IEA’s forecast of peak fossil fuel demand before the decade’s end, labeling the IEA’s narrative as “extremely risky,” “impractical,” and “ideologically driven”. OPEC has revised its medium- and long-term projections for global oil demand upward. The oil-producing consortium stated that meeting this increased demand would necessitate a substantial $14 trillion investment in the crude sector. This development comes even in the face of a rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies. However, this long-term oil demand projection from OPEC differs from that of the International Energy Agency…

EU Exploring Stricter Regulations for Large AI Models under Pending AI Act

Under the Act, companies building and deploying AI models would need to perform risk assessments and label AI-generated content. European Union (EU) negotiators are reportedly discussing placing additional restrictions on large artificial intelligence (AI) models as part of the upcoming AI Act. According to a Bloomberg report, representatives from the European Commission, European Parliament, and EU countries are in talks to implement a plan that would address the issues associated with large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Meta’s Llama 2 all while making sure that new startups…

Metro Bank Shares Jump 26% after Securing $400M Capital Raise

Colombian banker and real estate developer Jaime Gilinski Bacal pumped £102 million making him the dorman stakeholder with 53% stake. During the early trading hours on Monday, October 9, shares of Metro Bank Holdings (LON: MTRO) jumped by a staggering 26%. At press time, the MTRO stock is trading at 52.60 GBX.  Metro Bank Shares The sharp surge in stock price comes as Metro Bank announced a £325 million ($395.6 million) capital raise and £600 million in debt refinancing on Sunday, October 8. The capital raise encompasses £150 million in…

Time For Self-Custody? Crypto Exchange Reveals Hackers Tried To Gain Access 159,000 Times

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Reports from South Korea-based Yonhap News Agency have revealed that Upbit, one of the largest crypto exchanges in South Korea experienced over 159,000 hacking attempts in the first half of 2023 alone. Upbit’s Hacking Attempts According to the data from Upbit’s parent company Dunamu shared with the local news agency, the hacking attempts of the first half of 2023 indicate a 117% increase compared to the first half of 2022, and a 1,800% increase in hacking attempts compared to the second half of 2020. The crypto exchange recorded 8,356 hack…

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Cautions about Bitcoin Halving that Is Less than 200 Days Away

According to Zhao, the effects of a halving usually take time to materialize. The cryptocurrency industry is awash with anticipation as the all-important Bitcoin halving event date draws closer. However, there have also been many predictions for what may happen in the aftermath of the event, which is expected to take place in April 2024. One such Bitcoin halving prediction is that of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ). Zhao recently shared some insights from the previous three Bitcoin halvings in an attempt to drive home his point that there is…

Deribit Introduces Linear Options for SOL, XRP, and MATIC

Beyond its crypto options offerings, the exchange has set its sights on obtaining a brokerage license in the European Union (EU). Deribit, one of the world’s leading crypto options exchanges, has recently made a significant announcement that it is set to introduce options contracts linked to three prominent alternative cryptocurrencies: XRP, Solana (SOL), and Polygon (MATIC). This expansion initiative comes on the heels of Deribit’s continued efforts to cater to the evolving needs of crypto traders. Deribit Linear Options – A Game Changer In September, Deribit accounted for an impressive…

Crypto Funds See Largest Inflows Since July

Digital asset investment funds witnessed inflows for the second week totalling $78 million, the largest inflows since July, according to data from CoinShares. Bitcoin investment funds saw the largest proportion of inflows, totalling $43 million. Bitcoin trading volumes also rose by 16% last week, said the report. CoinShares noted that some investors poured some $1.2 million into short-bitcoin positions after recent price strength. Bitcoin ended September trading at lows of around $26,200 and rose to around $28,400 by the start of October. The Ethereum futures ETF launch in the U.S.,…

XRP Options To Debut On Deribit: A Game-Changer For Price

The rapidly evolving crypto market is set to witness yet another milestone as Deribit, the world’s preeminent crypto options exchange, prepares to launch options contracts for XRP, Solana (SOL), and Polygon (MATIC). Given the dominating position of Deribit in the options sphere, this inclusion could have noteworthy ramifications on the pricing dynamics of XRP. Deribit To Debut XRP Options Deribit, having established itself as the leading crypto options exchange both in terms of trading volume and open interest, is not letting the recent dip in digital-asset volatility deter its expansion…