Smart contract auditor CertiK claims to have blocked $160,000 from Merlin, a zk-Sync-based decentralized exchange (DEX) which has been the center of a rogue insider “rugpull” that lost users $1.8 million last week. CertiK shared the news of its successful $160,000 freeze of the stolen funds in an update to its 257,700 Twitter followers on
Funds stuck on the platform of bankrupt crypto broker Voyager Digital may begin returning to creditors in “the next few weeks,” according to a committee of Voyager creditors. A May 4 tweet from the Voyager Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (UCC) said the now-defunct crypto firm is in the final stages of bankruptcy liquidation procedures.
Kenya’s lawmakers are considering the introduction of a 3% tax on cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) transfers and a 15% tax on monetized online content, according to a newly introduced bill. Introduced to the Kenyan parliament on May 4, The Finance Bill, 2023 would enact a digital asset tax on “income derived from the transfer
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has condemned the current unipolar world order, emphasizing that Iran plans to join the BRICS group to help create a multipolar world. “Iran wants to have constructive relations with all states on the basis of common interests,” he stressed. Iran Condemns Unipolar World Order Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has enacted a law that eliminates all taxes on technology innovations, software and app programming, AI, computer, and communications hardware manufacturing. The law is expected to boost the country’s technology sector, generate more jobs for its population, and attract foreign investment. Bukele Signs Law to Boost Technology Industry in El
Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. SUI rises to glory as Sun sets sights on it On Apr. 30, cryptocurrency exchange Binance unveiled two LaunchPools for the then-up-and-coming listing of Sui tokens. As a Layer-1 blockchain created by Mysten Labs, which in turn was founded by former
The administration of United States President Joe Biden released a national standards strategy for critical and emerging technologies on May 4. The strategy stated that the U.S. would prioritize standards development in eight areas. Among the prioritized areas are “digital identity infrastructure and distributed ledger technologies, which increasingly affect a range of key economic sectors.”
Greg Gianforte, the Governor of Montana, has signed into law a bill largely preventing local governments in the state from passing laws prohibiting cryptocurrency mining. According to records with the Montana legislature, Gianforte signed SB178 into law on May 2 after the bill had passed both the state House and Senate. The legislation effectively enshrines
A growing number of malware creators are now taking advantage of the significant interest in Chatgpt to lure victims, Facebook owner Meta has noticed. According to its head of information security, the AI-based chatbot is “the new crypto” for bad actors and the social media giant is preparing for various abuses. Malware Inspired by Chatgpt
As the United States stares down the barrel of a potential debt default come June, a curious and intriguing solution has emerged: crafting a single $1 trillion platinum coin. This unusual tactic exploits a legal loophole that allows the Treasury Department to mint platinum coins of any value. By delivering such a coin to the
The judge presiding over crypto exchange FTX’s bankruptcy case has given the green light to a motion allowing the sale of LedgerX. In a May 4 hearing in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Judge John Dorsey approved a motion the FTX debtors filed in April to sell LedgerX to M7
Bitcoin’s network has been putting miners through the wringer lately, with five straight difficulty increases that had them on edge. However, on May 4, 2023, at block height 788,256, the network difficulty level took a dip, dropping by 1.45% and bringing the overall difficulty down to 48.01 trillion for the next two weeks. Bitcoin Difficulty
The House of Representatives for North Carolina has unanimously passed legislation aimed at prohibiting payments to the U.S. state using a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. In a May 3 vote, 118 members of the state’s legislative body agreed to pass House Bill 690, with only two representatives absent and none voting against the
The use and popularity of cryptocurrencies have significantly increased in recent years, but their decentralized nature makes them difficult to regulate, and the lack of a clear framework has led to concerns about money laundering, terrorist financing and consumer protection. Over 90 countries have introduced cryptocurrency regulations since 2014, with 28 adopting crypto-related laws in
In the wake of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ remarks in Jacksonville on Tuesday, both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have approved the state’s anti-central bank digital currency (CBDC) legislation, dubbed SB 7054. The bill explicitly states that should the U.S. central bank, a federal agency, or a foreign government issue a CBDC, its
Bitcoin (BTC) slid below $29,000 around the May 4 Wall Street open as United States equities showed jitters over the resurgent banking crisis. “Too much all at once” for U.S. banks Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD losing ground as the S&P 500 shed 0.7%. The risk asset comedown accompanied more mayhem
There’s a narrative that’s grown up around Ethereum’s two most important co-founders, Joe Lubin and Vitalik Buterin, to explain how they went in different directions almost a decade ago. It suggests the pair fell out over the blockchain’s future direction, with the idealistic 20-year-old Buterin determined to turn Ethereum into a nonprofit foundation, while Lubin
For the past 14 days, cryptocurrency markets have been trading within an unusually tight 7.1% range. In other words, investors are unwilling to place new bets until there’s additional regulatory clarity, especially in the United States. The total crypto market capitalization fell by 1% to $1.2 trillion over the seven days ending May 4, primarily
2023 has been a rollercoaster ride for the U.S. banking industry. The collapse of three major banks has sent shockwaves through the financial world, with their combined assets surpassing the top 25 banks that crumbled in 2008. The following is a closer look at what has triggered a ‘great consolidation’ in the banking sector, a
There’s a beacon of light in the bear market tunnel. The El Salvador nonprofit program, “My First Bitcoin” (Mi Primer Bitcoin), raised over 1 Bitcoin (BTC) in donations-not from venture capitalists and investors–but from generous Bitcoin education advocates worldwide. Donations flooded in from Venezuelans, Poles and Canadians as 100s of people around the world sent