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Bitcoin evangelist Joe Hall tells The Agenda why he thinks BTC will conquer the world

Bitcoin has a marketing problem, but journalist and BTC evangelist Joe Hall is doing his best to fix it.

“Bitcoin has such a marketing problem.” 

At least, that’s what came to mind for Bitcoin (BTC) advocate and Cointelegraph reporter Joe Hall when he was asked about the weaknesses and strengths of the popular cryptocurrency.

While not labeling himself a “Bitcoin maximalist,” Hall believes that most people — including crypto OGs — are shockingly unaware of what Bitcoin can do; and for this reason, he questions the necessity and future of most altcoin projects.

“They’re doing it with imperfect solutions that in the long term will rug-pull them or close enough to that. Because, let’s be honest, all of these crypto projects eventually collapse into Bitcoin, or they eventually collapse full stop. I mean, we saw enough of that last year. And, you know, in 10, 15, 20, maybe 40 years’ time, will Bitcoin still be running? 1,000%. Will Ethereum still be running? Question marks. And will the other 20-ish thousand crypto projects still be going strong? I’m pretty confident they won’t be.”

Hall proved his point by asking co-hosts Jonathan DeYoung and Ray Salmond to open up their Bitcoin Lightning wallets to accept the equivalent of $5 in satoshis. And after DeYoung downloaded the wallet and received the payment, both co-hosts were astonished at the speed of the transaction.

On Episode 13 of The Agenda podcast, Salmond and DeYoung spoke with Hall about his views on Bitcoin adoption and its “marketing problem,” his ultimate vision of how Bitcoin could eventually conquer the financial world, and how his experience as a Bitcoin evangelist has connected him with people all around the world.

It’s more than just money

Hall believes that Bitcoin is more than just money: It’s a revolution, a lifestyle, a binder of people and a builder of community.

Hall said:

“Bitcoin, to me, in my own words: It’s an expression of how we approach the world, I guess. I mean, it’s had an impact on me, in terms of my approach to people, to different cultures and in the way in which I interact with people — despite the fact that it is just a bunch of code on a screen. And because it’s rewired the way in which I look at the world and consider things, it’s taught me to be more skeptical and to not take things at face value. But it’s also delivered a lot of hope and a lot of sort of meaning to my existence that perhaps wasn’t there previously.”

Hall has elected to only live off Bitcoin for day-to-day expenses, excluding when he has to pay European Union taxes. As to why he is such a strong believer in the digital currency, Hall shared, “We can’t live in a world that is governed by growth at all costs when we have one finite, very precious planet.”

“Bitcoin, for me, it appeals to me because of the way that it flips that all on its head. You know, we have a deflationary currency, there’s only going to be 21 million, and we can rebuild our economic system off that in a way that raises all boats, not just the elite few. And it tackles things like the wealth gap and wealth inequality. It tackles things like the environment and the way in which, you know, Bitcoin mining could be this transition to using more and more renewable energies.”

To hear more from Hall’s conversation with The Agenda — including Hall’s future vision for Bitcoin and his fascination with the Lightning Network — listen to the full episode on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows!

Magazine: Building community resilience to crises through mutual aid and Web3

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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Mutual aid, DAOs and activism — The Agenda podcast chats with PactDAO co-founder Marisa Rando

PactDAO co-founder Marisa Rando says the decentralization of mutual aid collectives is the key to catalyzing activism and building stronger communities.

The efforts of many charities organizations are often hampered by the red tape of bureaucracy, and the presence of hierarchical structures within these organizations can complicate matters even further. 

To bypass this inefficient rigamarole, PactDAO co-founder Marisa Rando suggests that those aiming to distribute aid focus on being “active” as this is the root word in the term “activism.” Rando hinted that the presence of hierarchical structures within charitable organizations leads to bias in the distribution of aid, whereas adopting a fully decentralized model encourages activism from givers and recipients.

This results in the foundation of stronger communities and more objectivity and fairness in the selection and distribution of aid. This is the true intent of mutual aid and grassroots activism.

On Episode 11 of The Agenda, hosts Jonathan DeYoung and Ray Salmond were joined by PactDAO co-founder Marisa Rando, who discussed the key differences between charity and mutual aid, along with several of the initiatives being spearheaded by PactDAO.

When skepticism turns to optimism

Initially, Rando and others at PactDAO were generally skeptical about cryptocurrency, but after a year of successfully fundraising and connecting NYC residents with various mutual aid organizations, a few members began to explore more efficient ways to democratically run the organization and distribute aid.

Recurring challenges with trying to establish a multisig bank account eventually led to PactDAO exploring the components of Web3.

Rando said:

“We had been kind of like talking to lawyers and talking to accountants and trying to design what we would later find out is like a multi-sig. We were like, how do we create this bank account in which like, you know, multiple groups can be involved in it? But, you know, there's guardrails. There's a democracy built into it, and I remember explaining this to a friend and they were like, this is what I've been talking to you about. This is like this crypto stuff. This is like what our DAO runs on. It's called a multi-signature wallet. And I was like, I don't know, I don't want to hear about any of this crypto stuff.”

Fortunately, the group’s views on crypto, Web3 and NFTs changed after Rando connected with “some like minded people in this space, people who I'm close friends with now and have become good mentors and partners and people that I work with.”

Related: DAOs can become a disaster more quickly than you think

DOAs democratize activism and the distribution of aid

When asked about the reasons for transforming Pact Collective into a DAO, Rando said:

“Back to when we just called ourselves Pact Collective. We were like, what does this collective mean? We were running our subscription service, for example, we used to do these monthly email newsletters and we would put surveys in there and had this like close friends group on Instagram. That was how we stayed in touch with people who were donating. And we would ask them like, hey, help us decide which organization to give to next month, or you know, what do you think we should take on next?”

According to Rando, the structure and function of a DAO allows for more organic input and participation from members, which in her view is a net positive since members “are the most equipped to make those decisions.”

To hear more from Rando’s conversation with The Agenda — including PactDAO’s current initiatives, goals for 2023 and the current status of mutual aid collectives — listen to the full episode on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows!

Magazine: Building community resilience to crises through mutual aid and Web3

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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CoinEx Charity’s Effort to Support Education Is Appreciated by Kacuv

CoinEx Charity’s Effort to Support Education Is Appreciated by KacuvPRESS RELEASE. Recently, CoinEx Charity has kicked off its second educational welfare program in Türkiye. In the first program, all the students receiving donations have continued their studies in the new semester. Since last year, CoinEx Charity has participated in the Umudum Scholarship Program initiated by the local charity organization Kacuv in Türkiye, offering support […]

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David Bowie unreleased record debuts as music NFT

Gala Music, a Web3 startup subsidiary, is launching 3,003 NFTs on April 14, with an unreleased version of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” included.

A previously unreleased version of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” has surfaced as part of a limited edition collection of nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

Gala Music, a subsidiary of the Web3 startup Gala Games, has joined forces with music producer Larry Dvoskin and publisher Warner Chappell Music to unveil an unreleased version of David Bowie’s 1983 track “Let’s Dance” as part of a limited edition collection of NFTs. The announcement was made on Thursday, March 6.

David Bowie created an impressive discography that included 27 studio albums, 11 live albums, four soundtracks and 128 singles during his lifetime. However, despite his passing in 2016, the singer-songwriter still has at least one unheard track.

Gala Music plans to launch 3,003 NFTs that showcase Bowie-inspired artwork on April 14, four decades after the original release of “Let’s Dance.“ Each NFT will grant its owner exclusive access to an unreleased version of the song, which Dvoskin co-produced with Bowie in 2002.

The NFTs will be available for purchase on a “pay-what-you-wish” basis, and the initial profits from the sales will go toward supporting MusiCares, a charity offering health and human services to individuals in the music industry.

Related: Huobi partners with Gala Games for L1 and Web3 development

The upcoming release next week will not be the first time the Bowie estate has ventured into blockchain technology. In September 2022, the Bowie estate collaborated with OpenSea NFT marketplace to introduce a collection of NFTs called “Bowie on the Blockchain” to raise charity funds. However, this collection faced significant criticism from Bowie’s supporters, who viewed the foray into blockchain as contradictory to the artist’s principles and beliefs.

Gala Games is primarily recognized for its Web3 gaming initiatives, allowing developers to create play-to-earn crypto and NFT games, but it has also expanded its interests to include music and film.

Magazine: 2023 is a make-or-break year for blockchain gaming: Play-to-own

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P2P Bitcoin Exchange Paxful Suspends Marketplace With Uncertainty of Return

P2P Bitcoin Exchange Paxful Suspends Marketplace With Uncertainty of ReturnAccording to a message from Paxful Founder and CEO, Ray Youssef, the peer-to-peer bitcoin trading platform is suspending its marketplace, and the company is uncertain if it will return. Youssef cited challenges such as regulations and some key staff departures, but he also noted that he could not share the full story at this time. […]

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Crypto donations amplify speed and global reach during crisis

Cryptocurrencies are proving useful in facilitating fast and unencumbered donations during crises, as recently seen during earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.

Donations made in cryptocurrencies are proving to be a fast and far-reaching means of providing financial aid during times of crisis, according to multiple industry players.

This has proven to be the case after devastating earthquakes hit parts of Turkey and Syria in February. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that around $5.9 million of donations have been made to support relief efforts in the region in the month since the natural disaster took place.

The likes of Turkey’s Ministry of Interior Earthquake Humanitarian Aid campaign, Turkish Red Crescent, Save the Children and Project Hope have received cryptocurrency-based donations. In addition, a number of cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, Tether, Bitfinex, OKX, and KuCoin, donated more than $9 million to support victims in the area.

Cointelegraph reached out to Chainalysis to unpack the methodology used to monitor crypto-based donations supporting disaster relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.

Chainalysis director of research Kim Grauer said the firm uses a combination of human intelligence gathered by its experts and proprietary heuristics to identify and monitor flows to cryptocurrency services. This includes organizations accepting donations as well as scams that have looked to divert donations from unwitting supporters.

Grauer believes that the speed of transactions and global nature of cryptocurrency transactions are proving to be an important means of providing quick monetary support during times of crisis:

“Cryptocurrency is cross-border, instantaneous, and liquid, making it an ideal technology for raising funds and getting them to where they are needed most quickly.”

Grauer also highlights the ability to accurately monitor blockchain data as another strong argument for the utility of cryptocurrencies in facilitating donations and support after disasters and major emergencies:

“The transparency of blockchains is a unique benefit to cryptocurrency, providing opportunities to aid organizations to track donations and for law enforcement agencies to identify and trace illegitimate schemes attempting to capitalize in times of crisis.”

Antonia Roupell, Web3 operations lead at Save the Children, tells Cointelegraph that the organization first accepted Bitcoin as a method of donation in response to Typhoon Haiyan that ravaged the Philippines in 2013. From 2020 onwards, the charity has raised $7.4 million in cryptocurrency donations.

Related: Ukraine netted $70M in crypto donations since start of Russia conflict

This has continued during the organization’s earthquake relief work in Turkey and Syria. Roupell highlights a number of benefits of crypto-based donations in comparison to fiat-based donations.

“The vast majority of our crypto donors are first-time donors to Save the Children so crypto has enabled us to access a new and growing supporter base.”

Blockchain functionality also powers recurring giving, according to Roupell. In 2021, Save the Children received a number of Ethereum donations from NFT sales, some of which coded future donations through the smart contract functionality of specific NFTs.

Roupell also highlights tax benefits in the United States for donating cryptocurrency to charity, which has led to an increase in donations at the end of the financial year. She also notes that crypto donations are, on average, significantly higher than fiat ones.

While highlighting positives, Roupell said a downside was the anonymity of the majority of cryptocurrency donors, which rules out the ability to thank benefactors for their contributions.

Roupell believes there is great value in blockchain-based solutions facilitation and support aid efforts around the world and that humanitarian organizations will have an increasingly key role to play in integrating and scaling access at grassroots levels:

“Cryptocurrency is a great donation vehicle, but the underlying technology, peer-to-peer electronic cash, is truly revolutionary for economic inclusion.”

The charity supports a variety of cryptocurrencies that are accepted by the crypto donation platform The Giving Block, while Roupell said the organization does ‘not endorse, promote or pass judgment’ on any specific tokens. It also accepts global fiat currencies and stocks, with a priority to raise urgent funds to support global humanitarian responses.

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Charity tied to former FTX exec made $150M from insider trading: Report

The former FTX chief of staff reportedly ‘donated’ FTT tokens he had obtained at a price of $0.05, later selling them after public trading opened for $1.

Polaris Ventures, a charity created by former FTX and Alameda chief of staff Ruairi Donnelly, reportedly wants to access roughly $150 million earned from insider trading on the bankrupt exchange’s tokens.

According to a Feb. 14 Wall Street Journal report, Donnelly received roughly $562,000 in salary during his time at FTX, which was converted into FTX Tokens (FTT) at a rate not yet available to the public — $0.05. The former executive reportedly ‘donated’ the tokens to Polaris Ventures, selling them in 2019 and 2020 after public trading opened at price of $1 and making millions.

FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2022, at which time many wallets and funds tied to the exchange were seized by authorities or otherwise frozen for legal proceedings. Donnelly reportedly seeks to cash out the $150 million amid public scrutiny on FTX and Alameda and their former CEOs.

Donnely’s legal team reportedly said the charity’s FTT tokens “were not FTX’s funds” and seemingly not subject to claims from other parties. Debtors for the exchange said on Dec. 19 they would “make arrangements for the return” of funds donated to charities or political campaigns and suggested legal action to obtain payments with interest should any group refuse.

Related: Who has returned donations or contributions from FTX amid the firm’s reputational risks?

Amid FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, some regulators have announced investigations into charitable organizations. The Charity Commission for England and Wales said in January that it had launched an inquiry into Effective Ventures due to FTX being a “significant funder” of the group.

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The Web3 community responds to Turkish–Syrian earthquake tragedy

In the aftermath of a deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southeastern Turkey, the Web3 community has come together to raise awareness and aid for victims of the disaster.

A massive earthquake hit southeastern Turkey along the border with Syria on Feb. 6, which has so far caused the death of more than 5,000 people. The quake had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, which is internationally categorized as a “major” earthquake, and occurred along 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the fault line.

Infrastructure in the area suffered major damages, resulting in a deadly cross-border humanitarian disaster.

However, the world was quick to respond. Across the internet and various social media platforms, people have been gathering funds for local and international aid organizations to provide relief to those in the affected areas.

Two of the largest aid efforts in Turkey, AFAD Turkiye, the government agency for such disasters, and the NGO Ahbap, led by philanthropist Haluk Levent, have been at the head of organizing an influx of aid.

Levent announced that his organization has opened up crypto addresses in order to accept aid in various forms of digital currencies.

Refik Anadol, a Turkish artist and art director, also started a crowdfund via an Ether (ETH) address, in which he will transfer the collected funds to both AFAD and Ahbap. 

Within the Web3 space, various companies in the industry have stepped up to provide help, be it in the form of crypto or fiat donations or even physical aid.

Crypto derivatives trader Bitget announced that it would commit 1 million Turkish liras (~$53,000), while Bitfinex, Keet, Synonym and Tether pledged 5 million liras (~$265,500), and Gateio pledged 1 million liras (~$53,000).

Local Turkish crypto exchange Bitci sent an aid truck to the earthquake zone while announcing that all commission income for the month of February will be donated to Ahbap on behalf of the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake. Icrypex announced coordination efforts with AFAD and Ahbap.

BtcTurk told Cointelegraph that, aside from donating 6 million liras ($318,000) to the Ahbap and Akut organizations, the Turkish crypto exchange sent 1.2 million liras ($62,000) worth of clothing aid to the zone in coordination with local governments.

The Turkish branch of ByBit and OKX have both committed to send $100,000 and 1 million liras (~$53,000) in aid, respectively.

Related: DeFi, DAOs and NFTs: Crypto is redefining how charities raise funds

Cointelegraph also spoke with Sebastien Borget, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Sandbox, about his efforts with The Sandbox Turkey to provide on-the-ground support for the local communities. 

“Our thoughts are with the Turkish people today. Together with The Sandbox creator community in Turkey, we are in touch with relevant non-governmental organizations to create a relief fund and support earthquake-affected areas.”

He said together with The Sandbox Turkey, they’ve helped fill a truck with urgent supplies for the victims and people affected and look for options for more long-term support.

Source: Sebastien Borget

Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have also been mentioned as a possible way of fundraising for the disaster. 

Turkish NFT artist Pak tweeted about an ETH donation to Ahbap, along with plans for an NFT initiative for long-term support. Gate.io, in its proposal, also mentioned developing an NFT aid initiative for additional support in the near future.

This is a developing situation that Cointelegraph is monitoring. This article will be updated with any relevant information.

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FTX Debtors Demand Return of Funds Given to US Politicians and Super PACs

FTX Debtors Demand Return of Funds Given to US Politicians and Super PACsFTX debtors are seeking to claw back millions of dollars given to U.S. political action committees (PACs) and political figures. Confidential letters have been sent to individuals and organizations, requesting the return of the funds by Feb. 28, 2023. Some bureaucrats, such as Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Tina Smith, have already pledged the funds […]

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UK regulator investigates charity linked to FTX

The Charity Commission opened the inquiry on Dec. 19, after FTX had filed for bankruptcy in the United States and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested.

The commission in charge of regulating registered charities in England and Wales has announced it had begun investigating Effective Ventures Foundation, an organization tied to bankrupt crypto exchange FTX.

In a Jan. 30 announcement, the Charity Commission said it had launched the inquiry due to FTX being a “significant funder” of Effective Ventures. According to the commission, Effective Ventures reported its ties to FTX as a “serious incident” potentially affecting other assets, opening the door for the regulator to investigate its trustees.

“There is no indication of wrongdoing by the trustees at this time,” said the commission. “However, there are indications of potential risks to the charity’s assets, and the inquiry has been opened to establish facts and help ensure the trustees protect the charity’s assets and are running the charity in line with their duties and responsibilities.”

The Charity Commission reported that the trustees were “cooperating fully” as part of the investigation, and it will release a report on its findings. The regulator opened the inquiry on Dec. 19 — after FTX had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas.

Related: Sam Bankman-Fried seeks to access FTX funds

In the United States, charitable organizations that previously benefited from FTX funds have reportedly been targeted amid the exchange’s bankruptcy proceedings — the firm made millions of dollars in donations to various groups and causes. Many political campaigns have pledged to return funds tied to FTX or Bankman-Fried, but it’s unclear whether businesses and investors will be forced to legally ‘refund’ the exchange’s debtors.

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