Will Blockchain.com Be the Next Crypto Startup to Go Public?

April 19, 2022 The Crypto Briefing

Crypto startup Blockchain dot com planning 2022 IPO

April 19, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Binance.us

Blockchain.com would be just the second crypto exchange to go public in the U.S. if it can perform an IPO before Binance.US which is attempting to do the same.

Crypto exchange and block explorer Blockchain.com has begun talking with American banks to explore how it may hold an initial public offering (IPO) as soon as this year.

Bloomberg reported on April 19 that sources familiar with the situation said that the talks were merely preliminary conversations and that the tech startup’s plans could change at any time.

If it succeeds in going public with an IPO, it would be only the second crypto exchange in the U.S. to pull off the feat. Coinbase was the first to go public in 2021 at an opening price of $381 per share of COIN with a valuation of nearly $100 billion.

Blockchain.com is currently valued at about $14 billion following a funding round with global venture capital firms. Blockchain.com is a cryptocurrency financial services company that began as the first Bitcoin block explorer in 2011 and later created a popular crypto wallet application.

The race to be the second public crypto exchange in the U.S. is now on. Binance.US, the American branch of the largest crypto exchange in the world, also plans on going public as soon as it can demonstrate independence from the primary exchange according to founder, Changpeng Zhao.

Aiding in the exchange’s efforts is a recent $200 million seed round of funding that awarded it a pre-money valuation of $4.5 billion.

Regulatory complications have been the main hindrance keeping crypto exchange juggernauts from going public in the U.S.

Binance.US CEO Brian Shroder argues that the firm has a strong business and is working with local regulators to ensure it can list without complications.

Missed Paris Blockchain Week Summit? Here are 5 key takeaways from the event

April 15, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Binance

The event included commentary from CZ, Brad Garlinghouse and Paolo Ardoino on topics of crypto regulation, the SEC lawsuit and European nations adopting digital assets.

The city of Paris — the capital of France, renowned for its affinity for romanticism, historical architecture and acquired palate for culinary delicacies — played host to the two-day Paris Blockchain Week Summit this week. The event saw the participation of the industry’s leading figureheads and over 3,000 crypto enthusiasts.

Held at the Palais Brongniart, the former home of the Paris stock exchange and once synonymous with its exchange of wheat grain, the newly transformed conference center saw keynote speeches and fireside chats from experts such as Binance’s Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, Tether’s Paolo Ardoino and Digital Currency Group’s Rumi Morales, among many others.

If you missed the action, here’s a literary highlight reel of all the most important moments from the summit. And you might see some familiar faces from Cointelegraph along the way!

Binance to invest 100 million euros into the French crypto ecosystem

Delivering the opening keynote speech on stage, Binance CEO CZ spoke about a “great shift of attitude” by policymakers and legislators over the past 12 months before stating that France is “uniquely positioned” in terms of regulations, talent and expertise and has the potential to become a leading crypto hub in Europe.

CZ also announced Binance’s recent decision to invest 100 million euros in French startup firms within the Web3 space in partnership with incubator Station F.

“I think France has one of the most progressive and open-minded governments that could help in developing pro-crypto regulations.”

Following this, CZ sat down with Cointelegraph’s Joseph Hall to share his views on regulation and business operation, in addition to his expectations for the remainder of 2022.

Tether's chief technology officer reveals adoption plans for pro-crypto city of Lugano

Back in March, the southern Swiss city of Lugano announced it would adopt Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT) as de facto legal tender in a partnership with Tether. Since then, it has received broad interest from the crypto community as a result of its progressive policies.

Ardoino, Tether’s chief technology officer, shared some statistical insights in an interview with Cointelegraph, stating that “We have been able to start onboarding 25 to 30 different companies and startups, [...] which between the company’s assets and private wealth are valued between 300 to 400 million Swiss francs.”

Alongside this, Ardoino noted Tether’s intention to develop educational programs for university students in the region, as well as fund their tuition fees.

Bybit’s Lawrence Tan analyzes the mechanism of the Ronin bridge hack

Lawrence Tan, Bybit’s spot business development director, shared his assessment of decentralized finance’s security landscape on stage during the “DeFi Security: the Risks Behind the Yield and Mitigation” session. He stated that four major vulnerabilities are responsible for the majority of security breaches in the space: administrator key compromises, coding flaws, rug pulls and flash loan attacks.

Referencing the historic Ronin bridge hack as a prime example, Tan advocated for greater educational security resources within the space following a year of numerous exploits and hacks.

Ripple’s CEO is optimistic on the future of the SEC case

In a fireside chat on cryptocurrency regulations, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse shared his optimism surrounding the ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission case regarding it carried out an unregistered securities sale by selling XRP, stating that “The lawsuit has gone exceedingly well, and much better than I could have hoped when it began about 15 months ago.”

Blockchain.com’s Nicolas Cary reflects on a decade in crypto

Blockchain.com co-founder Nicolas Cary and Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr assessed the evolution of the crypto industry following 10 years in business, with Blockchain.com founded in 2011 and Cointelegraph set to reach the landmark figure next year.

During the conversation, the two also spoke on the nature of anonymity in the space and the vision for democratization that blockchain instills, with Cary stating that “We are building fabrics of the internet that would allow anyone regardless of their circumstances to trade, exchange, save, earn rewards of different types of digital wealth.”

And lastly, a final goodbye from us. See you next year!

Pictured from left to right: Alex Cohen, managing editor; Jackson DuMont, head of video; Kristina Cornèr, editor-in-chief; Anna Shakola, NFT project manager; Joseph Hall, European news reporter; and Max Kuivenhoven, community manager.

Blockchain.com Inks Sponsorship Deal With the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys

April 13, 2022 Bitcoin.com

Blockchain.com’s value rockets to $14B after new funding round: Reports

March 31, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain.com

Blockchain.com has secured a staggering $14 billion valuation after raising an undisclosed amount in funding from global VC firms.

Cryptocurrency exchange and financial services firm, Blockchain.com, has reportedly raised new funding at a valuation of $14 billion.

According to Bloomberg, the financing round was led by global venture capital firm Lightspeed Ventures and Baillie Gifford & Co., an investment management firm renowned for its early involvement in growth stocks such as Tesla.

The funding round — which is yet to be publicly confirmed by Blockchain.com or the investors — reportedly saw the firms’ valuation increase from $5.2 billions to $14 billion. The total amount of funding raised is yet to be announced.

Founded in 2011, Blockchain.com is now one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency companies, and offers a wide range of blockchain-based financial services from its exchange platform and crypto wallets all the way to specific institutional products. It has 37 million verified users with 82 million wallets and over $1 trillion in total transaction value across its platform.

In April last year, Blockchain.com made headlines after securing a $100 million investment from Baillie Gifford & Co., which at the time was the single largest investment ever made in the company.

Blockchain.com’s last major funding round occurred in March 2021, with the Series C round seeing the firm raise $300 million at a $5.2 billion valuation. The funding round was led by DST Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners and VY Capital. Prior to this, the company raised $120 million ongoing from a wide array of VC firms, with the financing largely aimed at institutional business development.

This week Blockchain.com added its name to the list of companies withdrawing from the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) temporary register for crypto asset licensing, which outlines that firms must be approved under an anti-money-laundering (AML) scheme or cease trading by Mar. 31.

Blockchain.com withdrew its application on Mar. 29, choosing to operate in Europe via a Lithuanian registration instead. On March 11, BC2C, an institutional cryptocurrency trading provider also withdrew from the UK planning instead to conduct its operations through a US entity.