California regulator orders Celsius to stop selling securities in the state

The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation previously ordered BlockFi and Voyager to stop their offerings in the state.

Native Payment Infrastructure, Airswift, Raises $2M in Pre-Seed Funding Led by CE Innovation Capital

PRESS RELEASE. Vancouver, August 8, 2022 – Airswift, a fintech startup pioneering Web 3.0 native payment solutions, announced that it raised $2 million USD in a pre-seed funding round led by CE Innovation Capital (CEiC).

Crypto Becomes Valid Portfolio Options and Assets Diversifier , Says Wells Fargo's Subsidiary

Wells Fargo's subsidiary believes that cryptocurrencies are a transformative innovation.

Leading Sneaker MarketPlace Sets Foot in the Metaverse to Spur Innovations

The Edit LDN, a global sneaker marketplace based in London, has entered the metaverse by developing a premium store to drive its innovation a notch higher.

Central Bank of Brazil Director Praises Bitcoin as a Financial Innovation, Talks Programmable Digital Real

Fabio Araujo, Director of the Central Bank of Brazil, has praised the properties of Bitcoin, saying it is a financial innovation using new technologies.

BitMEX Seeks to Connect Forex Market and Crypto Innovation Through FX Perps

Crypto exchange BitMEX has launched the first-ever FX perpetual swap contracts (FX perps) that will enable users to trade the most sought-after foreign currency pairs 24/7, irrespective of whether the forex market (FX) is closed or not.

Alchemy and Astar Network Combine Forces to Boost Web3 Development on Polkadot

The collaboration is expected to help bring even more incentives and innovation to the Polkadot ecosystem. 

Dollars on the Lightning Network: a boon for emerging markets?

An innovation on the Bitcoin Lightning Network (LN) could shelter users from the price volatility of BTC by providing access to dollars.

Leveraging Blockchain to Facilitate Data Capture and Incentivize Positive Behaviors

New Study Investigates the Role of Blockchain-Based Data Capture & Crypto Incentives in Improving Patient Outcomes MMUST, the premier technology and innovation university in Kenya, and Immunify.Life, a transformative and self-sustaining healthcare ecosystem secured by blockchain, has entered into a partnership that will leverage MMUST’s academic and research prowess and the advanced tech infrastructure of Immunify.Life to address the issue of poor patient data collection, patient relapses, and misaligned incentives with a specific focus on HIV-positive patients in Kenya. In

Cleaning up crypto: How much enforcement is too much?

Many blockchain companies now believe that regulation is inevitable, but theres a growing debate over where to draw the line between protecting users and strangling the lifeblood out of the industry or forcing it outside the United States.Whether we like it or not, regulation is coming, Sheila Warren of the Crypto Council for Innovation tells me during an interview in the lead up to the recent Collision conference in Toronto, Canada.The CEO of the industry lobby group for blockchain technology explains that rather than trying to stop the inevitable, many companies are now focused on lobbying for rules that work for them instead.Why the change? With every week seeming to bring new stories of loopholes, hacks and algo stablecoin failures from the popular Netflix QuadrigaCX documentary to the dizzying world of crypto transaction mixers and the steps law enforcement used to track two Americans accused of selling fraudulent NFTs increased regulation is starting to look like a better idea.

Facebook's metaverse will ‘misfire,’ says Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin claims Meta is jumping the gun with metaverse innovation because “it is far too early to know what people want.” Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin doesn’t believe that any of the existing attempts by corporations to create a Metaverse are “going anywhere,” pointing to Meta as being one he believes will “misfire.” Responding to a tweet from Dialectic co-founder Dean Eigenmann, who believes venture capitalists may be wrong about what constitutes an ideal metaverse, Buterin said that while he believes “The metaverse is going to happen,” he doesn’t think any of the current attempts from corporates such as Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta are “going anywhere.”The "metaverse" is going to happen but I don't think any of the existing corporate attempts to intentionally create the metaverse are going anywhere.

6 Questions for Kim Hamilton Duffy of Centre

We ask the buidlers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes! This week, our 6 Questions go to Kim Hamilton Duffy, director of identity and standards at Centre Consortium an open-source technology project designed to create a more inclusive global economy.Kim is a leader in the emerging decentralized identity field and has architected successful open-source projects such as Verite, Blockcerts and the Digital Credential Consortium toolkit.1 Which countries are doing the most to support blockchain, and which ones will be left behind?Rather than assessing this through the narrow lens of whether certain crypto transactions are taxed, I think about whether countries are supporting innovation in blockchain and, more broadly, decentralized architectures in a collaborative, responsible, sustainable way that can benefit individuals and businesses.A repeated theme: Regulatory clarity is key for individuals and businesses to build and innovate confidently.

Harvard University and Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web Plan to Preserve Digital Information

On July 27, the Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) announced it will be supporting an initiative with Harvard University’s Library Innovation Lab (LIL) called the “Democratizing Open Knowledge” program.

Cathie Wood sells Coinbase shares amid insider trading allegations

Cathie Wood’s investment firm ARK Investment Management is the third-largest shareholder of Coinbase, reportedly holding nearly $9 million as of late June. One of the largest stockholders of the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange has dumped a massive amount of shares as regulators reportedly probe the firm for alleged insider trading.Cathie Wood’s investment firm Ark Investment Management has sold a total of more than 1.4 million Coinbase (COIN) shares, according to daily trade information from Ark on July 26.The sale involved three Ark exchange-traded funds (ETF), including Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), which offloaded a total of 1,133,495 shares, or 0.6% of the ETF’s total assets.

Crypto Council for Innovation hires government insiders to build leadership team

Linda Jeng and Brett Quick will be joining the council in support of its policy and regulatory affairs team. The Crypto Council for Innovation, or CCI, a crypto advocacy group that establishes dialogues with governments and regulatory agencies on the benefits of crypto, has hired two new experts with experience in financial regulatory policy in the United States.In a Tuesday announcement, the CCI said Linda Jeng, a former Federal Reserve Board and Treasury Department employee, and Brett Quick, former deputy chief of staff for House Financial Services Committee chair Emeritus Spencer Bachus, would be joining the council in support of its policy and regulatory affairs team.

CFTC Announces New Tech Innovation Office to Oversee Crypto

As the CFTC looks to play a bigger role in regulating crypto, the Commission’s chief announced plans to onboard industry experts and improve its team of technologists.

Dubai Crown Prince Launches Metaverse Strategy — Fivefold Increase in Blockchain and Metaverse Companies Envisioned

A master plan that aims to see the number of Dubai’s blockchain and metaverse companies grow from the current 1,000 to 5,000 in five years, was recently launched by the kingdom’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan.

UK financial watchdog exec hints at importance of international collaboration on crypto regulation

“In the past, innovative firms would have been pleading for less regulation — now they understand and appreciate that rules are there to help provide certainty," said Nikhil Rathi. The chief executive of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, said the UK government will be working with its counterparts in the United States to address a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. In a speech for the Peterson Institute for International Economics on Thursday, FCA chief executive Nikhil Rathi said the US and the UK will “deepen ties” on crypto regulation following discussions among regulators at the Financial Innovation Partnership on June 29.

Polkadot Continues To Make Eye-Catching Progress

July 14, 2022 – Zug, Switzerland Polkadot, the multichain network and open platform for secure Web 3.0 innovation, has hit a number of impressive adoption milestones.

Minima Launches Innovation Challenge Campaign Compeition

Minima, an ultra-lean blockchain network, launched an innovation challenge to spur more growth in its ecosystem.

Californian Authorities to Investigate Platforms Offering Interest on Crypto Assets

The Californian Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has gone after several cryptocurrency lenders following the recent fiasco.

California regulator investigating crypto interest accounts

The regulator also said in its view that certain crypto interest account providers were providing unregistered securities, such as BlockFi and Voyager. The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has warned consumers to “exercise extreme caution” when dealing with interest-bearing crypto-asset accounts.