After FTX, Crypto Tokenization Can Rebuild the American Dream

Within Democratic ranks, there was always a sense of palpable frustration and gallows humor, that our political capital, as former President George W. Bush once called it, was spent putting out fires we did not create. By the time the work was done, Democrats – in our view – had saved the American economy from a conflagration but failed to enact the kind of structural change in the economy that would fundamentally alter the circumstances of everyday Americans. Source

House Republicans Demand Answers From SEC Over FTX Co-Founder’s Arrest – Bitcoin News

On Feb. 10, 2023, Republicans Patrick McHenry of North Carolina and Bill Huizenga of Michigan, both members of the U.S. House of Representatives, sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Gary Gensler seeking answers about the arrest of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried prior to his scheduled testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. McHenry and Huizenga assert that the timing of Bankman-Fried’s charges and arrest raises “serious questions about the SEC’s process and cooperation with the Department of Justice.” House Representatives McHenry and Huizenga Probe SEC Over…

Kraken’s staking down, FTX post-bankruptcy hell, Binance news…

Top Stories This Week Kraken reaches $30M settlement with SEC over staking as IRS seeks user information Kraken has agreed to stop offering staking services or programs to United States clients after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Along with ceasing operations, the crypto exchange will pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties. The SEC claims that Kraken failed to register the program as a securities offering. The move has sparked controversy within the SEC. Commissioner Hester Peirce has publicly rebuked her…

FTX liquidators report exchange held $2.4M ‘fleet of vehicles’ in the Bahamas

The joint provisional liquidators of FTX Digital Markets — the firm’s subsidiary in the Bahamas — has released a report on the company’s physical assets in the island nation. According to affidavit filed by a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner with the Bahamas’ supreme court on Feb. 8, FTX’s joint provisional liquidators, or JPLs, said the company had purchased 52 properties in the Bahamas, including units “in the name of individual employees or relatives of SBF, despite FTX Digital providing the funding”. These properties, which included housing for FTX employees and commercial office…

FTX clawbacks, Genesis silver lining?

Remember when Sam Bankman-Fried admitted to being a significant donor to the Democratic and Republican parties? Well, the recipients of the tainted money have been formally requested to return the funds to FTX’s creditors. So far, we know of three prominent Democratic groups — the DNC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — that have returned SBF-linked donations in December 2022. Will the rest follow?  As FTX seeks clawbacks, the Digital Currency Group and its bankrupt subsidiary, Genesis Global Trading, have agreed to a restructuring…

Bitcoin price more correlated to FTX developments than macro events: Research

The collapse of FTX and related developments did more to pull up or push down the price of Bitcoin (BTC) throughout Q4, compared to macroeconomic events such as rate hikes, according to research. In a “State of Bitcoin Q4 2022” report published on Feb. 10, Messari research analysts Sami Kassab and Chris Collar found that the collapse of the exchange resulted in a 25% decrease in the price of Bitcoin. How did #Bitcoin fare in Q4 22′ in the wake of unfavorable macro and crypto environments? +FTX collapse caused a…

How to Avoid the Death of DeFi in the Wake of FTX

As we’ve seen the number of DeFi users stagnate, and its total value locked decline, it is clear that widespread popular adoption isn’t happening on its own. Without a fundamental raison d’etre, DeFi looks less like a financial revolution and more like a pyramid scheme. To build lasting value, DeFi needs to focus on economic integration, not selling steak knives. We will not see sustained DeFi growth until markets see blockchain as a system compatible with the requirements of real world economics Source

Hut 8 merger would’ve happened even without FTX or crypto turmoil, says CEO

Crypto exchange FTX’s collapse and overall crypto market turmoil were not key factors in the decision to merge crypto mining firm Hut 8 with US Bitcoin Corp., according to Hut 8 CEO Jamie Leverton.  On Feb. 8, Leverton said that the merger was mainly about providing diversified revenue and helping scale the combined businesses, stating: “I think this deal would have happened regardless. The ability for us to bring these businesses together we think is so incredibly complementary.” The all-stock merger was announced on Feb. 7 with the combined company,…