Hodler’s Digest

BlackRock meets with SEC over Bitcoin ETF, Binance’s new era begins after settlement in the United States and Sam Bankman-Fried loses release bid.

Top Stories This Week

US officials announce $4.3B settlement with Binance, plea deal with CZ

Binance and its co-founder, Changpeng CZ Zhao, have reached a settlement over criminal and civil cases with the United States Department of Justice. CZ will plead guilty to one felony charge as part of the negotiated agreement. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the settlement, claiming Binances policies allowed criminals involved in illicit activities to move stolen funds through the exchange. As part of the settlement, CZ announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had stepped down as CEO and that Binances global head of regional markets, Richard Teng, will assume the position. He added he was proud to point out that U.S. officials didnt allege that Binance misappropriated funds or manipulated markets. CZ was released on bail and is battling government efforts to bar his return to the United Arab Emirates to be with his family. His sentencing is scheduled for February.

BlackRock met with SEC officials to discuss spot Bitcoin ETF

Representatives from BlackRock and Nasdaq met with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to discuss the proposed rule allowing the listing of a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). BlackRock provided a presentation detailing how the firm could use an in-kind or in-cash redemption model for its iShares Bitcoin Trust. Many reports have suggested the SEC could be nearing a decision on a spot BTC ETF for listing on U.S. markets. SEC officials also met with Grayscale representatives this week to discuss the listing of a Bitcoin ETF. BlackRock is one of many firms with spot crypto ETF applications in the SEC pipeline awaiting a response, including Fidelity, WisdomTree, Invesco Galaxy, Valkyrie, VanEck and Bitwise.

Bitcoin user pays $3.1M transaction fee for 139 BTC transfer

A Bitcoin user paid $3.1 million in fees for transferring 139.42 BTC. The transaction fee is the eighth-highest in Bitcoins 14-year history. A wallet address tried transferring 139.42 BTC only to pay more than half the actual value of the transaction fee. The destination address received only 55.77 BTC. The mining pool Antpool captured the absurdly high mining fee on block 818087. This is the largest Bitcoin transaction fee ever paid in dollar terms, knocking off Paxos’s September transfer of $500,000.

SEC sues Kraken alleging its an unregistered exchange, mixes user funds

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Kraken, alleging it commingled customer funds and failed to register with the regulator as a securities exchange, broker, dealer and clearing agency. Additionally, the SEC alleged Krakens business practices and deficient internal controls saw the exchange commingle up to $33 billion worth of customer assets with its own. The SEC said this resulted in a significant risk of loss for its clients. In a follow-up blog post, Kraken said the SECs commingling accusations were no more than Kraken spending fees it has already earned, and the regulator doesnt allege any user funds are missing.

Appeals court rejects Sam Bankman-Frieds bid for release

Sam Bankman-Fried will stay jailed after failing to convince a United States appellate court that he should be freed while his legal team appeals his conviction. Government prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried of leaking Caroline Ellisons journals to The New York Times in July, which caused his bail to be revoked by a New York District Court. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven fraud and money laundering-related charges on Nov. 2. The former FTX CEO will remain behind bars while he awaits his sentencing on March 28 next year.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $37,710, Ether (ETH) is at $2,079, and XRP is at $0.62. The total market cap is at $1.43 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Blur (BLUR) at 99.25%, FTX Token (FTT) at 39.05% and KuCoin Token (KCS) at 24.82%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Celestia (TIA) at -19.89%, ORDI (ORDI) at -17.63% and THORChain (RUNE) at -15.53%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

The U.S. has a financial regime that basically has been weaponized.

Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano

I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility.

Changpeng CZ Zhao, former CEO of Binance

We, the employees of OpenAI, have developed the best models and pushed the field to new frontiers, [but] the process through which you terminated Sam Altman […] has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company.

OpenAI employees

Get your crypto company out of the U.S. warzone.

Jesse Powell, co-founder of Kraken

The regulatory uncertainty that permeates the U.S. market is having an impact on the rest of the world.

Oliver Linch, CEO of Bittrex Global

Im looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Prediction of the week

Enjoy sub-$40K Bitcoin PlanB stresses $100K average BTC price from 2024

Bitcoin buyers should enjoy the chance to add to their stack below $40,000, according to PlanB, pseudonymous creator of the stock-to-flow family of BTC price models. He believes Bitcoin will rise much higher than its recent 18-month highs.

Bitcoin bear market bottoms are characterized by the spot price dipping below the realized price, while bull markets begin once the spot crosses the two-year and five-month realized price levels. BTC/USD is now once again above all three realized price iterations.

Enjoy sub-$40k bitcoin … while it lasts, PlanB commented on an accompanying chart.

Asked whether the market should expect lower levels from here, PlanB would not be drawn, saying that he simply expected an average BTC price of at least $100,000 between 2024 and 2028 Bitcoins next halving cycle.

FUD of the Week

HTX to restore services within 24 hours after $30M hack

Crypto exchange HTX, formerly known as Huobi Global, resumed deposits and withdrawals within 24 hours after suffering a $30 million exploit on Nov. 22. The exploit was reported to be $13.6 million around the time of the incident, but has since increased in value. HTX’s hot wallets were compromised alongside a coordinated $86.6 million attack against the HTX Eco (HECO) Chain bridge, consisting of HTX, Tron and BitTorrent. The company has promised to fully compensate users for any losses incurred as a consequence of the hack.

CZ an unacceptable risk of flight, should stay in US: DOJ

United States prosecutors are trying to stop former Binance boss Changpeng CZ Zhao from leaving the country, expressing concern about his potential flight risk. The government requested a review and overturn of a judges decision that would allow Zhao to return to his home in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a $175 million bond under the condition that he returns to the U.S. two weeks before his February 2024 sentencing. In a proposed order, prosecutors wrote that Zhao presents an unacceptable risk of flight, arguing that his ties and favored status in the UAE, along with the countrys lack of an extradition treaty with the U.S., are reasons to block him from leaving the country.

KyberSwap hacker offers $4.6M bounty for return of $46M loot

The decentralized exchange KyberSwap has offered a 10% bounty reward to the hacker who stole $46 million on Nov. 22 and left a note of negotiation. The exchange wants 90% of the loot returned. The hacker made away with roughly $20 million in Wrapped Ether, $7 million in wrapped Lido-staked Ether and $4 million in Arbitrum tokens. The hacker then siphoned the loot across multiple chains, including Arbitrum, Optimism, Ethereum, Polygon and Base.

Top Magazine Pieces of the Week

This is your brain on crypto: Substance abuse grows among crypto traders

According to some addiction experts, the high-stress atmosphere of cryptocurrency trading can provide a perfect environment for substance abuse.

Michael Saylors a fan, but Frisby says bull run needs a new guru: X Hall of Flame

Bitcoin enthusiast Dominic Frisby has a wild journey, from penning one of the first-ever Bitcoin books to plastering Bitcoin fixes this on the Bank of England.

6 Questions for Alex O’Donnell about financial journalism and the future of DeFi

Alex ODonnell spoke to Cointelegraph Magazine about his career as a financial journalist and how it led to his involvement in crypto and Umami DAO.

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Sam Altman is ousted from OpenAI, BlackRock and Fidelity seek Ether ETF approval and Australia to tax gains from wrapped tokens.

Top Stories This Week

Sam Altman ousted from OpenAI, CTO Mira Murati named interim CEO

ChatGPT developer OpenAI removed founder Sam Altman from his CEO position on Nov. 17. Chief technology officer Mira Murati is now serving as interim CEO. According to a blog post, the board of directors engaged in a deliberative review process, which resulted in the conclusion that Altman was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. Shortly after, OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman revealed his exit from the organization.

BlackRock files S-1 form for spot Ether ETF with SEC

The worlds largest asset manager, BlackRock, officially filed for a spot Ether exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Nov. 15. The ETF, dubbed the iShares Ethereum Trust, aims to reflect generally the performance of the price of Ether, according to the S-1 filed with the SEC. The iShares brand is associated with BlackRock’s ETF products. The move by BlackRock comes nearly a week after it registered the iShares Ethereum Trust with Delawares Division of Corporations and almost six months after it filed its spot Bitcoin ETF application. Following BlackRocks filing, asset manager Fidelity also sought a green light for its own Ether ETF.

Australia to impose capital gains tax on wrapped cryptocurrency tokens

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has issued guidance on capital gains tax (CGT) treatment with regard to decentralized finance and wrapping crypto tokens for individuals, confirming that Australians are liable for capital gains taxes when wrapping and unwrapping tokens. The transfer of crypto assets to an address that the sender does not control or that already holds a balance will be regarded as a taxable CGT event, the ATO said in its statement. The CGT event will trigger depending on whether the individual recorded a capital gain or loss. A similar approach has been considered for taxing liquidity pool users, providers and DeFi interest and rewards. In addition, wrapping and unwrapping tokens will also be subject to triggering a CGT event.

FTX Foundation staffer fights for $275K bonus promised by SBF

An employee of FTXs charity wing recruited by Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get paid $275,000, the remainder of his claimed 2022 salary bonus. Ross Rheingans-Yoos lawyers argued in a court filing that only $375,000 of his $650,000 bonus was paid by FTX. They claim the remaining funds were owed when the crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy in November 2022. The fate of Rheingans-Yoos bonus will be determined by a Delaware bankruptcy judge who is overseeing FTXs Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

WisdomTree amends S-1 form spot Bitcoin ETF filing as crypto awaits SEC decisions

WisdomTree filed an amended Form S-1 spot Bitcoin ETF prospectus with the U.S. SEC on Nov. 16. The update comes a few months after WisdomTree refiled its spot Bitcoin ETF application in June 2023, proposing a rule change to list and trade shares of the WisdomTree Bitcoin Trust. The amended prospectus mentions that the WisdomTree Bitcoin Trust ETF will trade under ticker symbol BTCW, with Coinbase Custody Trust serving as the custodian holding all of the trusts Bitcoin on its behalf.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $36,419, Ether (ETH) at $1,946 and XRP at $0.61. The total market cap is at $1.38 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Celestia (TIA) at 103.39%, yearn.finance (YFI) at 88.04% and THORChain (RUNE) at 54.38% . 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Gas (GAS) at -64.85%, FTX Token (FTT) at -35.17% and Neo (NEO) at -20.27%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

Education and utility-based projects where there is real utility for usage is how we can get regulators onboard.

Navin Gupta, managing director of South Asia, Middle East and North Africa at Ripple

We believe derivatives will foster additional liquidity and hedging opportunities in crypto and represent the next critical step in this markets continued growth.

John Palmer, president of Cboe Digital

I am very bullish about a whole bunch of different things going on in crypto. […] It will be a multichain world.

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple

Phone and the internet arent to be blamed for terror financing and crypto shouldnt either.

French Hill, United States Representative

I believe that code is a form of speech and is protected by the First Amendment.

Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and U.S. presidential candidate

The digital euro would also mean that each and every one of us could be totally monitored. […] Anyone who is against surveillance and for freedom does not need a digital euro!

Joana Cotar, member of the German Bundestag

Prediction of the week

Bitcoin traders BTC price dip targets now include $30.9K bottom

Bitcoin circled $36,000 on Nov. 16 as analysis hoped for a deeper price comedown. Having failed to establish a breakout beyond 18-month highs during the week, Bitcoin was uninspiring for market participants, some of whom hoped to see a fresh correction to retest lower levels.

Would be happy to see this latest rally complete the round trip back to $35k. Would be even happier to see a retest of $33k, monitoring resource Material Indicators wrote in part of the days commentary on X (formerly Twitter).

A snapshot of BTC/USDT order book liquidity showed support building at $35,000. Material Indicators co-founder Keith Alan added that Bitcoins rising 21-day simple moving average had been functioning as support in recent days.

BTC continues to fight for the range above $36.5k, he commented.

Popular pseudonymous trader Daan Crypto Trades likewise flagged $35,700 and $38,000 as the main downside and upside levels to watch, respectively. Fellow pseudonymous trader Gaah, a contributor to on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant, meanwhile warned that a steeper correction could take the market closer to $30,000.

FUD of the Week

Cybersecurity team claims up to $2.1B in crypto stored in old wallets is at risk

Cybersecurity company Unciphered disclosed a vulnerability dubbed Randstorm, which it said affects millions of crypto wallets that were generated using web browsers from 2011 to 2015. According to the firm, while working to retrieve a Bitcoin wallet, it discovered a potential issue for wallets generated by BitcoinJS and derivative projects. The issue could affect millions of wallets and around $2.1 billion in crypto assets, according to the cybersecurity company.

Swan Bitcoin to terminate customer accounts that use crypto-mixing services

Bitcoin services platform Swan Bitcoin warned its customers that it would be forced to terminate accounts found interacting with crypto-mixing due to the regulatory obligations of its partner banks. Customers learned about the new policy in a letter suggesting the changes are due to the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Networks proposed rule establishing new responsibilities on firms processing transactions from mixing services.

ENS developers urge Unstoppable Domains to drop patents or face lawsuit

The founder and lead developer of Ethereum Name Service (ENS), Nick Johnson, is urging blockchain domains company Unstoppable Domains to drop a recently awarded patent or face a lawsuit, according to an open letter shared on X (formerly Twitter). According to Johnson, Unstoppable’s recently awarded patent is based entirely on innovations that ENS developed and contains no novel innovations of its own. Unstoppable Domains’ founder Matthew Gould responded in the thread, claiming that there are multiple naming systems.

Top Magazine Pieces of the Week

I spent a week working in VR. It was mostly terrible, however

Cointelegraph Magazine journalist Felix Ng spent a week working in virtual reality. It was mostly terrible… but does have some potential.

Breaking into Liberland: Dodging guards with inner-tubes, decoys and diplomats

Bitcoin is really one of the most foundational parts of Liberland 99% of our reserves are in BTC.

No civil protection for crypto in China, $300K to list coins in Hong Kong? Asia Express

Hong Kong exchanges expand amidst continued investor interest, Philippines to issue $180M in tokenized bonds, China rules out civil protection for crypto, and more!

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The Chicago Mercantile Exchange surpasses Binance by one metric, OneCoin legal officer pleads guilty, Bitcoin’s cycle high could be $110K.

Top Stories This Week

CME overtakes Binance to grab largest share of Bitcoin futures open interest

Bitcoins futures market is showing an interesting shift as global derivatives marketplace the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has surpassed Binance in terms of Bitcoin futures open interest. This change occurred after Bitcoin exceeded the $37,000 mark for the first time in over 18 months.

However, James Seyffart, a research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence specializing in exchange-traded funds, questioned whether the increasing open interest in Bitcoin futures on CME would address historical concerns of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the depth of Bitcoin markets and the potential for market manipulation.

Okay this is interesting… Does this constitute a ‘market of significant size’ now? Seyffart stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Cryptoqueens OneCoin legal chief pleads guilty to fraud

The former head of legal and compliance at OneCoin is looking at a potential 10-year prison term for her involvement in the $4 billion cryptocurrency trading scheme. In Manhattan federal court, the ex-compliance chief of OneCoin, Irinia Dilkinska, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos accepted Dilkinska’s guilty plea. She admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. 

Dilkinska is scheduled for sentencing on February 14, 2024, facing a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for her role in the OneCoin scheme.

Genesis seeks courts approval to reduce Three Arrows Capital claim from $1B to $33M

Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Genesis has asked the court to approve its proposed settlement agreement with the collapsed crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC).

In a recent court document, Genesis stated that 3AC should be given a claim of $33 million against Genesis. This represents 3.3% of the total claims initially made against Genesis, which amounted to $1 billion.

According to Genesis, 3ACs claims against Genesis were the largest asserted claims in Chapter 11 cases associated with the collapse of the FTX exchange. Genesis stressed that the 3AC debtor was one of Genesiss largest borrowers from 2020 to 2022, up until the time of its collapse.

SafeMoon CEO bail release goes on hold after Feds cite flight risk

SafeMoon CEO Braden John Karony’s bail release has been delayed by U.S. federal prosecutors, who argue that he may try to leave the country due to his alleged access to funds and connections abroad. The prosecutors expressed concerns that his release could pose a flight risk and be a potential danger to the community.

The delay comes after a New York District Judge, LaShann DeArcy Hall, decided to put a hold on the bail release order issued on Nov. 8 by a Utah Magistrate judge, who had allowed Karony to be released on a $500,000 bail. However, prosecutors contested this decision, claiming that the release order was made without consideration of the defendants substantial financial means and ability to flee, and they emphasized that his release could be a continued danger to the community.

Binance to terminate Russian ruble deposits next week

Binance users in Russia need to take note: They have a little over two months, until Jan. 31, 2024, to withdraw their rubles from the platform. Binance is wrapping up its operations in Russia and plans to stop accepting deposits in Russian rubles from November 15, 2023.

This comes after Binance declared its complete exit from Russia by selling its business to a newly established crypto exchange called CommEX in September 2023. However, there’s been limited information about the details of the deal, including the size of the transaction and the founders of CommEX, causing some controversy.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $37,249, Ether (ETH) at $2,078 and XRP (XRP) at $0.67. The total market cap is at $1.42 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week were FTX Token (FTT) at 250.48%, Kaspa (KAS) at 67.23% and Cronos (CRO) at 52.20%.

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Maker (MKR) at -3.39%, Tether Gold (XAUt) at -2.60% and PAX Gold (PAXG) at -2.51%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis. 

Most Memorable Quotations

SEC Chair Gensler cannot continue to abuse the powers of his agency to fulfill a political agenda of driving the new and promising digital asset industry offshore.

Tom Emmer, United States Republican congressman

Ordinals help to express the core values of Bitcoin in a much more friendly way than Bitcoin, which is too technical or harsh for some people.

Lugui Tillier, commercial director for Lumx Studios

Binances Chief Compliance Officer crudely but succinctly summed up this case when he admitted that Binance was operating as a fking unlicensed securities exchange in the USA bro. He was right.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission

As we have witnessed with cryptocurrency, heavy-handed constraints have hindered the exploration of potentially revolutionary applications.

Matthew Putman, CEO and co-founder of Nanotronics

In Web3, its not the code thats king, but the community. Instead of perfecting backend logic, focus on front-end transparency.

Tiago Serdio, head of community at Partisia Blockchain

I say, Sorry, we are boring. But we are one of the oldest projects. We are very big We are the one who has the most changes on GitHub, and we have not been down for over 2000 days Boring sometimes is good.

Frederik Gregaard, Cardano Foundation CEO

Prediction of the week

Bitcoin Terminal Price hints next BTC all-time high is at least $110K

As the price of BTC hovers around its highest levels in the past 18 months, analysts are already speculating about the potential upward trajectory it may take in the upcoming months and years. Bitcoin may next be a sell at $110,000 as its new bull cycle plays out, a classic on-chain indicator suggests.

Analyzing its Terminal Price, Look Into Bitcoin creator Philip Swift described its value as a simple method of estimating long-term BTC price peaks. Terminal Price is calculated from Bitcoins so-called Transferred Price a value derived by dividing Coin Days Destroyed by the existing supply. Not every all-time high reaches Terminal Price, but BTC/USD did hit the trendline during its 2017 all-time and initial peak in April 2021. The current all-time high of $69,000, seen in November of that year, fell short.

As Terminal Price increases with time, $110,000 may ultimately end up a conservative target should the next all-time high occur only later in the next cycle.

FUD of the Week

JPEX scandal: Taiwan determines new suspects in alleged fraud Report

Taiwanese prosecutors are seeking to detain Chang Tung-ying, the chief partner at JPEXs Taiwan office, on charges of fraud related to the JPEX cryptocurrency exchange. The situation surrounding the collapsed exchange is unfolding, with the Taipei District Prosecutors Office (TDPO) reportedly identifying new suspects. According to a report from local TV channel TVBS News on November 9, the TDPO has requested the custody of Chang Tung-ying over allegations of fraud. 

As part of the ongoing JPEX investigation, prosecutors in Taipei searched nine locations and summoned Chang along with three other individuals believed to be involved. Chang and JPEX lecturer Shih Yu-sheng (also known as Shi Yu) are considered suspects in the case for violating the Banking Act and the Money Laundering Control Act.

Crypto exchange CoinSpot reportedly suffers $2M hot wallet hack

Blockchain security firm CertiK indicates that the recent $2.4 million theft from Australian cryptocurrency exchange CoinSpot hot wallet likely occurred due to a private key compromise. CoinSpot appears to have experienced a hack, involving the probable compromise of a private key in one of its hot wallets.

Pseudonymous blockchain investigator ZachXBT highlighted two transactions on Nov. 8 that entered the wallet belonging to the alleged hacker. Subsequently, the wallet’s owner transferred the funds to the Bitcoin network via THORChain and Wan Bridge. CertiK stated that the apparent exploit was likely the result of a probable private key compromise on at least one of CoinSpot’s hot wallets. 

According to Etherscan data, a transaction of 1,262 Ether, valued at $2.4 million at current prices, originated from a recognized CoinSpot wallet and entered the wallet linked to the alleged hacker.

Poloniex exchange suffers $100M exploit, offers 5% bounty

A crypto wallet linked to the digital exchange Poloniex has experienced suspicious outflows, evident on the blockchain explorer Etherscan. Blockchain security experts suspect a breach, resulting in attackers draining up to $100 million in crypto. 

On Nov. 10, millions in crypto assets were moved from an account labeled Poloniex 4 on Etherscan. Initially estimated at $60 million, later assessments revealed the loss exceeded $100 million. CertiK, a blockchain security firm, suggests a private key compromise as the likely cause and notes that the funds have already been transferred to four externally owned accounts, with some converted into Ether.

Top Magazine Pieces of the Week

Exclusive: 2 years after John McAfees death, widow Janice is broke and needs answers

Two years after John McAfees death, his wife, Janice, is still unable to get closure. All I want is to see his body for myself and know that really happened.

$10K JPGs scare away gamers, Animocas crypto game streaming plans: Web3 Gamer

Animoca buys Twitch-like platform and Web3 gaming was a major talking point at Binance Blockchain Week.

6 Questions for Lugui Tillier about Bitcoin, Ordinals, and the future of crypto

Lugui Tillier is the commercial director for Lumx Studios, one of the top cryptocurrency firms in Rio de Janeiro a city with a burgeoning crypto industry.

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Sam Bankman-Fried is found guilty of fraud, other crimes; PayPal receives subpoena from the U.S. SEC, and Invesco Galaxy’s spot Bitcoin ETF joins DTCC website.

Top Stories This Week

Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty, what’s next for the crypto king?

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of all seven charges by a jury in his criminal trial in New York after about four hours of deliberation. He was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of securities fraud, one count of commodities fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy. He will return to court for sentencing by New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan on March 28, 2024. Government prosecutors will recommend a sentence, but Judge Kaplan will have the final say. Bankman-Frieds crimes each carry a maximum sentence of between five and 20 years in prison with the wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy carrying a maximum 20-year sentence. His lawyers, however, say the fight isnt over yet.

PayPal faces SEC action related to PYUSD stablecoin: Official

Payment giant PayPal has received a subpoena from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin. The subpoena requested that PayPal produce certain documents, the firm said. We are cooperating with the SEC regarding this request, PayPal noted in a financial report. The SEC has sued several of the largest local companies in the crypto industry, including its ongoing lawsuit against Coinbase. In October 2023, the regulator moved to dismiss its lawsuit against Ripple, the company behind the XRP token, one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap.

Invesco Galaxy spot Bitcoin ETF joins BlackRock on DTCC site

The ticker for Invesco and Galaxys spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) BTCO has appeared on the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporations (DTCC) website, marking a step forward in the application process for the two asset managers. A ticker added to the list of ETF Products on the DTCCs site is not a guarantee of future approval for that product. However, according to a DTCC spokesperson, it is standard practice to add securities to the NSCC security eligibility file in preparation for the launch of a new ETF to the market. Recently, BlackRock and 21Shares’ application for a similar product were added to the DTCC website as well.

Top Swiss bank launches Bitcoin and Ether trading with SEBA

Switzerlands St.Galler Kantonalbank (SGKB), one of the largest banks in the country, is moving into cryptocurrency by introducing Bitcoin and Ether trading to its customers. The bank has partnered with the SEBA Bank to offer its clients digital asset custody and brokerage services. SGKB plans to expand its offerings to additional cryptocurrencies based on client demand. Founded back in 1868, St.Galler Kantonalbank is reportedly the fifth largest bank in Switzerland, having had a total of 53.6 billion Swiss francs ($58.9 billion) in assets under management at the end of 2022.

Jack Dorseys Block had $5.62B in revenue, $44M in Bitcoin profits in Q3

Jack Dorsey-led Block published its third-quarter earnings report on Nov. 2, revealing a profitable quarter and surpassing analyst expectations. The firm had $5.62 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2023, boosted by solid revenue growth in Cash App and Square, with $44 million in profit on its Bitcoin holdings thanks to a price surge in recent months. Block generated a gross profit of $1.90 billion, up 21% year-over-year.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $34,634, Ether (ETH) at $1,829 and XRP at $0.61. The total market cap is at $1.29 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are THORChain (RUNE) at 39.73%, Arweave (AR) at 32.15%, and Oasis Network (ROSE) at 24.88%.  

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Quant (QNT) at -7.34%, Pepe (PEPE) at -6.49%, and Mina (MINA) at -4.13%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

He [Sam Bankman-Fried] lied to get customers trust.

Danielle Sassoon, U.S. assistant attorney 

We respect the jurys decision. But we are very disappointed with the result. Mr. Bankman Fried maintains his innocence and will continue to vigorously fight the charges against him.

Mark Cohen, attorney of Sam Bankman-Fried

[Bitcoin] demand is going to increase, and supply is going to contract and this is fairly unprecedented in the history of Wall Street.

Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy

The Bitcoin Ordinal protocol is better designed for decentralization and security than the Ethereum NFT protocol. High-value NFTs will win on Bitcoin.

Danny Yang, CEO of Metagood

I dont own any Bitcoin, to be frank, but I should.

Stanley Druckenmiller, billionaire investor

Fuck regulators.

Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX

Prediction of the Week 

Bitcoin to the moon! Top 5 BTC price predictions for 2024 and beyond

A lot can happen in Bitcoin within a short space of time, and with 2024 less than two months away, there is plenty of time for fresh BTC price volatility to take hold. Before the yearly candle close, some say BTC/USD will be higher than at present to the tune of another 30%.

In a blog post in late October, Matrixport doubled down on a $45,000 year-end price target, which it initially revealed in January. It was based on a handful of in-house models, with Matrixport also successfully predicting Bitcoins October gains. Bitcoin is breaking above the July $31,500 resistance level, showing that $45,000 is achievable by year-end, it summarized.

For many, the halving is a watershed moment in every Bitcoin price cycle. In September, BitQuant stated that BTC/USD would surpass its current $69,000 peak before April 2024.

FUD of the Week 

SafeMoon executive team charged with multiple fraud counts, arrests made

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Nov. 1 that it was charging SafeMoon and three of its executives with fraud and unregistered securities sales in connection with its SafeMoon Token. According to the SEC, SafeMoon executives Kyle Nagy, John Karony and Thomas Smith withdrew assets worth $200 million from the project and misappropriated investor funds. The Justice Department is charging the three with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Bitget, Floki teams accuse each other of manipulation after token listing

The teams behind the Floki protocol and Bitget crypto exchange have accused each other of market manipulation after the protocols token, TokenFi, was listed and delisted by Bitget. According to a social media post from the Floki team, Bitget listed the token before it was launched, referring to the Bitget listing as a fake token. In a blog post, Bitget claimed that the Floki team was suspected of market manipulation by maliciously controlling the initial liquidity.

Oyster Protocol founder gets 4 years jail for $5.5M tax evasion

Amir Elmaani, founder of the now-defunct Oyster Protocol, has been handed the maximum sentence of four years in prison for tax evasion. The United States Attorneys Office said on Oct. 31 that Elmaani also known by the alias Bruno Block was sentenced to prison following his guilty plea where he admitted to secretly minting and selling Pearl tokens while not paying income tax on a swath of profits from the project. In addition to his four-year prison sentence, Elmaani was sentenced to one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay $5.5 million in restitution.

Cryptos pro-rioter glitch artist stirs controversy Patrick Amadon, NFT Creator

Digital disobedience is in all of us, says provocative glitch artist Patrick Amadon.

Slumdog billionaire: Incredible rags-to-riches tale of Polygons Sandeep Nailwal

Sandeep Nailwals life story is an incredible rags-to-riches tale that goes one better than Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Slumdog billionaire 2: Top 10 brings no satisfaction says Polygons Sandeep Nailwal

Part 2 of our Sandeep Nailwal special tells how Polygon nearly died in 2020 but went on to be one of the biggest projects in the space.

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Sam Bankman-Fried testifies in court, searches for ‘buy Bitcoin’ surge, and Gemini sues Genesis over collateral.

Top Stories This Week

Sam Bankman-Fried takes the stand on FTXs collapse

Sam SBF Bankman-Fried testified this week in his ongoing criminal trial in the Southern District of New York, denying any wrongdoing between FTX and Alameda Research while acknowledging making big mistakes during the companies’ explosive growth. Highlights of his testimony include denying directing his inner circle to make significant political donations in 2021, as well as claims that FTX’s terms of use covered transactions between Alameda and the crypto exchange. Additionally, Bankman-Fried testified that he requested additional hedging strategies for Alameda in 2021 and 2022, but they were never implemented. The trial is expected to conclude within the next few days.

Buy Bitcoin search queries on Google surge 826% in the UK

Google searches for buy Bitcoin have surged worldwide amid a major crypto rally, with searches in the United Kingdom growing by more than 800% in the last week. According to research from Cryptogambling.tv, the search term buy Bitcoin spiked a staggering 826% in the U.K. over the course of seven days. In the United States, data from Google Trends shows that searches for should I buy Bitcoin now? increased by more than 250%, while more niche searches, including can I buy Bitcoin on Fidelity? increased by over 3,100% in the last week. Zooming out further, the search term is it a good time to buy Bitcoin? saw a 110% gain worldwide over the last week.

US court issues mandate for Grayscale ruling, paving way for SEC to review spot Bitcoin ETF

The United States Court of Appeals has issued a mandate following a decision requiring Grayscale Investments application for a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to be reviewed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In an Oct. 23 filing, the formal mandate of the court took effect, paving the way for the SEC to review its decision on Grayscales spot Bitcoin ETF. The mandate followed the courts initial ruling on Aug. 29 and the SECs failure to present an appeal by Oct. 13. To date, the SEC has yet to approve a single spot crypto ETF for listing on U.S. exchanges but has given the green light to investment vehicles linked to Bitcoin and Ether futures.

Coinbase disputes SECs crypto authority in final bid to toss regulators suit

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission overstepped its authority when it classified Coinbase-listed cryptocurrencies as securities, the exchange has argued in its final bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the securities regulator. In an Oct. 24 filing in a New York District Court, Coinbase chastised the SEC, claiming its definition for what qualifies as a security was too wide, and contested that the cryptocurrencies the exchange lists are not under the regulators purview. The SEC sued Coinbase on June 6, claiming the exchange violated U.S. securities laws by listing several tokens it considers securities and not registering with the regulator.

Gemini sues Genesis over GBTC shares used as Earn collateral, now worth $1.6B

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini filed a lawsuit against bankrupt crypto lender Genesis on Oct. 27. At issue is the fate of 62,086,586 shares of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. They were used as collateral to secure loans made by 232,000 Gemini users to Genesis through the Gemini Earn Program. That collateral is currently worth close to $1.6 billion. According to the suit, Gemini has received $284.3 million from foreclosing on the collateral for the benefit of Earn users, but Genesis has disputed the action, preventing Gemini from distributing the proceeds. Genesis filed for bankruptcy in January. It had suspended withdrawals in November 2022, which impacted the Gemini Earn program.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $34,143, Ether (ETH) at $1,789 and XRP at $0.54. The total market cap is at $1.26 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Pepe (PEPE) at 72.08%, Mina (MINA) at 55.47% and FLOKI (FLOKI) at 53.33%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Bitcoin SV (BSV) at -10.27%, Toncoin (TON) -3.14% and Trust Wallet Token (TWT) at -0.82%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

The witness [Sam Bankman-Fried] has an interesting way of responding to questions.

Lewis Kaplan, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

When it comes to illicit finance, crypto is not the enemy – bad actors are.

Cynthia Lummis, U.S. senator

I should say, I am not a lawyer, I am just trying to answer based on my recollection. […] At the time [at] FTX, certain customers thought accounts would be sent to Alameda.

Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX

Without prejudging any one asset, the vast majority of crypto assets likely meet the investment contract test, making them subject to the securities laws.

Gary Gensler, chair of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

I do not believe there has been a single serious conversation regarding a settlement between Ripple […] and the SEC. The SEC is pissed and embarrassed and wants $770M worth of flesh.

John Deaton, attorney

He [Sam Bankman-Fried] thought he was going to take that money, and […] he would out-trade the market and put the money back and end up as a half-a-trillionaire, but it never works like that.

Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital

Prediction of the Week 

Bitcoin beats S&P 500 in October as $40K BTC price predictions flow in

Bitcoin surfed $34,000 at the end of the week as attention turned to BTC price performance against macro assets. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD holding steady, preserving its early-week gains.

The largest cryptocurrency avoided significant volatility as the weekly and monthly closes a key moment for the October uptrend drew ever nearer.

I think Bitcoin will hang around this range for some time, popular pseudonymous trader Daan Crypto Trades told X subscribers in one of several posts on Oct. 27. Roughly $33-35K is what Im looking at as a range. Eyes on potential sweeps of any of these levels for a quick trade, he wrote.

FUD of the Week 

UK passes bill to enable authorities to seize Bitcoin used for crime

Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have passed legislation allowing authorities to seize and freeze cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin if used for illicit purposes. Introduced in September 2022, the passed legislation aims to expand authorities ability to crack down on the use of cryptocurrency in crimes like cybercrime, scams and drug trafficking. One of the provisions of the bill permits the recovery of crypto assets used in crimes without conviction, as some individuals may avoid conviction by remaining remote.

Scammers create Blockworks clone site to drain crypto wallets

Phishing scammers have cloned the websites of crypto media outlet Blockworks and Ethereum blockchain scanner Etherscan to trick unsuspecting readers into connecting their wallets to a crypto drainer. A fake Blockworks site displayed a fake BREAKING news report of a supposed multimillion-dollar approvals exploit on the decentralized exchange Uniswap and encouraged users to visit a fake Etherscan website to rescind approvals. The fake Uniswap news article was posted on Reddit across several popular subreddits.

Kraken to suspend trading for USDT, DAI, WBTC, WETH and WAXL in Canada

Kraken will suspend all transactions related to Tether, Dai, Wrapped Bitcoin, Wrapped Ether and Wrapped Axelar in Canada in November and December. The suspensions may not surprise many Canadian cryptocurrency users, as they come on the heels of several other notable exchanges taking similar actions throughout 2023. OKX ceased operations in Canada in June after Binance announced its intention to do so in May.

5,050 Bitcoin for $5 in 2009: Helsinkis claim to crypto fame

Helsinki has a long and fascinating history with cryptocurrency, including the first exchange of Bitcoin for United States dollars.

Australias $145M exchange scandal, Bitget claims 4th, China lifts NFT ban: Asia Express

Australian police bust $145 million money laundering scam, Bitget gains market share in Q3, China unblocks NFTs, and more.

How blockchain games fared in Q3, Upland token on ETH: Web 3 Gamer

$2.3B tipped into Web3 games so far this year, ex-GTA devs’ studio teams up with Immutable, Brawlers to launch on Epic Games Store, and more.

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Nishad Singh testifies in Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial; New York sues Gemini, Genesis and Digital Currency Group; and Grayscale files for new spot Bitcoin ETF.

Top Stories This Week

Grayscale files for new spot Bitcoin ETF on NYSE Arca

Major cryptocurrency investment firm Grayscale Investments has filed a new application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a new spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The new filing aligns with Grayscales ongoing effort to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into a spot Bitcoin ETF, according to a statement from the firm. The news comes weeks after Grayscale won an SEC lawsuit for its spot Bitcoin ETF review, with a court of appeals ordering the SEC to explain why it rejected Grayscales application in June 2023. The company also filed with the SEC to list an Ether futures ETF in September.

New York Attorney General sues Gemini, Genesis, DGC for allegedly defrauding investors

New Yorks attorney general has filed a lawsuit against cryptocurrency firms Gemini, Genesis and Digital Currency Group (DCG) for allegedly defrauding more than 23,000 investors through the Gemini Earn investment program. The suit claims that Gemini assured investors that the program was a low-risk investment, while investigations carried out by the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that Genesis financials were risky. The lawsuit also charges Genesis’ former CEO, Soichiro Moro, and its parent companys CEO, Barry Silbert, with defrauding investors by attempting to conceal more than $1.1 billion in losses. In addition, the court case looks to ban Gemini, Genesis and DCG from operating in the financial investment industry in New York.

Former FTX engineering director faces up to 75 years in prison following guilty plea

Nishad Singh, the former engineering director at now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, faces up to 75 years in prison for charges related to defrauding users of the crypto exchange. He pleaded guilty to fraud charges as part of his cooperation agreement with the U.S. prosecutors. During his testimony this week, Singh said that when liquidity issues at FTX began in November 2022, he felt suicidal for some days while dealing with alleged inconsistencies between the exchanges public statements and its activities behind the scenes. Singh also claimed that Bankman-Fried had the habit of deciding on purchases through Alameda Research by himself.

Binance shutting down European Visa debit card in December

Binance Visa debit card services will close down in the European Economic Area in December, marking the latest setback for Binance. The termination of the card services was announced a day after the exchange restored euro deposits and withdrawals, which had been unavailable for a month after payments processor Paysafe dropped the exchange. Binance is still not onboarding new users in the United Kingdom due to the loss of a third-party service provider.

Elon Musk, Mark Cuban team up to contest SEC trial strategies

Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and others have collaboratively submitted a shared amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States to raise concerns about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) approach to conducting internal proceedings without the inclusion of juries. The context of this legal challenge centers around the SEC vs. Jarkesy case. George Jarkesy argues that the SECs internal adjudication process, which lacks a jury and is overseen by an administrative law judge appointed by the commission, contradicts his Seventh Amendment rights. Effectively resulting in a single entity fulfilling the roles of judge, jury and enforcer.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $29,590, Ether (ETH) at $1,607 and XRP at $0.52. The total market cap is at $1.12 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Bitcoin SV (BSV) at 59.00%, Stacks (STX) at 25.91% and MX TOKEN (MX) at 25.26%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Conflux (CFX) at -8.03%, Frax Share (FXS) and Sui (SUI) at -6.35%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

We are all part of a bigger game, and Bitcoin is one of the strongest levers in that.

Edward Snowden, technologist and whistleblower

Using publicly available information to learn is not stealing. Nor is it an invasion of privacy, conversion, negligence, unfair competition, or copyright infringement.

Google

I felt betrayed, something Id put in blood, sweat and tears for five years turning out so horrible.

Nishad Singh, former engineering director of FTX

The games funded 2 years ago are going live over the next 12 months. We will see hits.

Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable

After extensive DAO forum discussion followed by community vote, the sunsetting of the Lido on Solana protocol was approved by Lido token holders and the process will begin shortly.

Lido Finance

Any innovation especially this one with financial impact, cultural value and status will attract questioning during its downs.

Anjali Young, co-founder of Collab.Land

Prediction of the Week 

BTC price hits 2-month high amid bet Bitcoin will break $32K soon

On Oct. 20, data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView captured new two-month Bitcoin highs of $30,233 on Bitstamp. BTC price showed continued strength during the Asia trading session on the same day, with a slight comedown taking the spot price back below $29,500.

With volatility still evident, market participants argued that a weekly candle close was needed in order to establish the rallys true staying power. For Keith Alan, co-founder of monitoring resource Material Indicators, the 100-week moving average (MA) at $28,627 was of particular importance.

This move is one to watch, but what Im watching for right now is to see if this Weekly candle closes above the 100-Week MA and if next weeks candle can stay above it with no wicks below, Alan wrote in part of an X post on the day. Some might consider that a confirmation of a bull breakout, but this market is known for squeezes and fake outs so Im looking for more confirmations. For me BTC will also need to take out prior resistance at $30.5k, $31.5k and ultimately $33k to call a bull breakout confirmed and validated.

FUD of the Week 

Fantom Foundation hot wallet hacked for $550K

The Fantom Foundation, the developer of the Fantom network, has been hacked for over $550,000 worth of cryptocurrency. The foundation confirmed the attack on X, claiming that most of the funds stolen belonged to other users and that 99% of the foundations funds remain safe. Blockchain security researchers initially reported that the attacker stole approximately $7 million in crypto. The Fantom Foundation later released an official statement saying that some of the wallets labeled Fantom: Foundation wallet were mislabeled by block explorers and that not all the stolen funds were from the foundation.

TrueCoins third-party vendor breach potentially leaks TUSD user data

TrueUSD (TUSD) announced a potential leak of certain Know Your Customer (KYC) and transaction history data after one of TrueCoins third-party vendors was compromised. The company was the operator of the TUSD stablecoin until July 13, 2023. The impact of the attack and the resultant data leak is yet to be identified, as the total number of users data was not revealed during the announcement. Data collected from such breaches names, email addresses and phone numbers, among others are typically used for phishing attacks. Attackers reach out to unwary investors by mimicking various crypto services, often promising high profits in short amounts of time.

Web3 game project allegedly hired actors to pose as executives in $1.6M exit scam

The development team for gaming project FinSoul carried out an alleged exit scam, siphoning away $1.6 million from investors through market manipulation, according to a recent report from blockchain security platform CertiK shared with Cointelegraph. The FinSoul team allegedly hired paid actors to pretend to be its executives, then raised funds for the sole purpose of developing a gaming platform. However, instead of actually creating the platform, the FinSoul team allegedly transferred $1.6 million in bridged Tether from investors to itself. Blockchain data indicates developers then laundered the funds through cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash.

Big Questions: What did Satoshi Nakamoto think about ZK-proofs?

What was once a passing interest of Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, zero-knowledge-proof technology is now a major part of the crypto world.

Ethereum restaking: Blockchain innovation or dangerous house of cards?

Restaking involves reusing staked Ether to earn fees and rewards. The restaked tokens can then help secure and validate other protocols. But many fear restaking could disrupt Ethereums chain itself.

Bitmains revenge, Hong Kongs crypto rollercoaster: Asia Express

Bitmain allegedly fires staff for speaking out against salary cuts, Hong Kong investors lose faith in crypto after JPEX scandal, Bitget gets a new crypto credit card and more.

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Caroline Ellison testifies in Sam Bankman-Fried trial, reveals more on FTX-Binance war; SEC reportedly has no plans to appeal on Grayscale Bitcoin ETF case.

Top Stories This Week

Caroline Ellison wanted to step down but feared a bank run on FTX

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research, testified for over 10 hours this week at Sam Bankman-Frieds trial, offering deeper details on the events that anticipated the FTX debacle in November 2022. From Ellison’s testimony, jurors learned that she planned to leave Alameda months before its collapse, but feared a bank run on FTX amidst the crypto market downturn. The week also featured a recording presented as evidence in the case showing the exact moment Ellison told employees about Alameda’s use of FTX customer deposits. Among the key moments of Bankman-Fried’s trial were revelations of fabricated balance sheets in order to deceive crypto lenders, as well as BlockFi CEO Zac Princes testimony. Check out this week’s highlights from Cointelegraph’s team on the ground.

Sam Bankman-Fried blamed Binance for balance sheet leak to media: Court evidence

Months before the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was freaking out about buying shares in Snapchat, raising capital from Saudi royalty and getting regulators to crack down on rival crypto exchange Binance, according to evidence presented in court this week as a part of the ongoing criminal trial. Bankman-Fried believed Binance leaked an Alameda balance sheet to the media in 2022. According to a document from Nov. 6, 2022, Bankman-Fried wrote that Binance had been engaging in a PR campaign against us. It continued, saying that Binance leaked a balance sheet; blogged about it; fed it to Coindesk; then announced very publicly that they were selling $500m of FTT in response to it while telling customers to be wary of FTX.

SEC reportedly wont appeal court decision on Grayscale Bitcoin ETF

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly has no plans to appeal the recent court decision that favored Grayscale Investments. The ruling requires the SEC to review the firms spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application. The SECs supposed decision not to appeal doesnt necessarily mean Grayscales application is set to be approved. If the reports are true, the SEC will need to follow the courts August order and review Grayscales application to change its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into a spot Bitcoin ETF.

Terraform Labs contends Citadel Securities had a hand in its stablecoin collapse

Terraform Labs has again pointed the finger at market maker Citadel Securities for its role in an alleged concerted, intentional effort to cause the depeg of its TerraUSD stablecoin in 2022. On Oct. 10, Terraform Labs filed a motion in the United States to compel Citadel Securities to produce documents relating to its trading activity in May 2022, when TerraUSD Classic depegged. In its motion, Terraform argued that the documents are crucial for its defense in the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in February, which alleged Terraform Labs and its founder, Do Kwon, had a hand in orchestrating a multi-billion dollar crypto asset securities fraud. Citadel Securities has, however, previously denied trading the TerraUSD stablecoin in May 2022.

Mastercard announces successful wrapped CBDC trial results

Mastercard has completed a trial involving wrapping central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) on different blockchains, similar to wrapped Bitcoin and wrapped Ether. The trial was conducted with the Reserve Bank of Australia and the countrys Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre CBDC. Mastercard said the solution allowed a CBDC owner to purchase a nonfungible token (NFT) listed on Ethereum. The process locked the required amount of a pilot CBDC on the RBAs pilot CBDC platform and minted an equivalent amount of wrapped pilot CBDC tokens on Ethereum, the payment processor wrote.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $26,892, Ether (ETH) at $1,551 and XRP at $0.48. The total market cap is at $1.05 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Loom Network (LOOM) at 86.71%, Trust Wallet Token (TWT) at 16.72% and Tether Gold (XAUt) at 5.16%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Mantle (MNT) at -17.27%, Rocket Pool (RPL) at -14.39% and Avalanche (AVAX) at -13.39%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

Thats our homework, actually. To really educate people about the benefit of using blockchain.

Grace Sabandar, co-founder of the Indonesia Blockchain and Metaverse Center

Crypto-assets markets, including DeFi, do not represent meaningful risks to financial stability at this point.

European Securities and Markets Authority

I was worrying about customer withdrawals from FTX, this getting out, people to be hurt. […] I didnt feel good. If people found out [about Alameda using FTX funds], they would all try to withdraw from FTX.

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research

Its alarming and should be a wakeup call for lawmakers and regulators that digital wallets connected to Hamas received millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies.

Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator

Bitcoin and Ethereum may seem like opposites, but they can co-exist and complement each other.

Willem Schro, CEO of Botanix Labs

People who believe SBFraud is a good guy who made mistakes, and FTX grew too fast and it all got away from him, should NEVER be in charge of other peoples money.”

John Deaton, attorney and crypto advocate

Prediction of the Week 

Ethereum losing streak vs. Bitcoin hits 15 months Can ETH price reverse course?

The price of Ethereum’s native token, Ether, is trading around a 15-month low versus Bitcoin, and the lowest since Ethereum switched to proof-of-stake. The ETH/BTC pair dropped to as low as 0.056 BTC earlier this week. In doing so, the pair broke below its 200-week exponential moving average (200-week EMA; the blue wave) near 0.058 BTC, raising downside risks further into 2023.

The 200-week EMA has historically served as a reliable support level for ETH/BTC bulls.

ETH/BTC stares at similar selloff risks in 2023 after losing its 200-week EMA as support. In this case, the next downside target looks to be around its 0.5 Fibonacci line near 0.051 BTC in 2023, down about 9.5% from current price levels.

Conversely, ETH price may rebound toward its 50-week EMA (the red wave) near 0.065 BTC if it reclaims the 200-week EMA as support.

FUD of the Week 

Mistake or money laundering? User pays $1.6 million for CrypToadz NFT

One of the CrypToadz NFTs, whose average price doesnt exceed $1,000, was bought for an astonishing 1,055 wrapped Ether, an equivalent of $1.6 million. The CrypToadz collection was launched during the NFT boom of 2021 and surpassed a trading volume of $38 million worth of Ether during its first 10 days on the market. The price paid by the anonymous user for the NFT raised questions among the community. Two weeks ago, this item was acquired for 0.95 ETH (around $1,600), only to be sold for a price a thousand times higher.

USDR stablecoin depegs to $0.53, but team vows to provide solutions

Real estate-backed stablecoin USDR lost its peg to the United States dollar after a rush of redemptions caused a draining of liquid assets such as Dai from its treasury. USDR, backed by a mixture of cryptocurrencies and real estate holdings, is issued by the Tangible protocol, a decentralized finance project that seeks to tokenize housing and other real-world assets. During the crisis, a trader reportedly exchanged 131,350 USDR for 0 USD Coin, resulting in a complete loss on investment.

HTX claws back $8M in stolen funds, issues 250 ETH bounty to hacker

Huobi Globals crypto exchange HTX has confirmed the return of the funds stolen by a hacker in late September and issued a 250 Ether bounty after resolving the issue. One of HTXs hot wallets was drained of 5,000 ETH on Sept. 25, worth roughly $8 million at the time. Shortly after the hack occurred, the firm contacted the hacker and claimed to know their identity. HTX ultimately offered to pay a 5% bounty worth around $400,000 and not to take any legal action if they returned 95% of the funds before a deadline of Oct. 2.

Beyond crypto: Zero-knowledge proofs show potential from voting to finance

An emerging cryptographic technology may provide help with two gaping 21st-century needs: Privacy and truth.

Eleanor Terrett on impersonators and a better crypto industry

Fox Business producer Eleanor Terrett’s following exploded after she began providing commentary on the SEC v. Ripple lawsuit.

SBFs alleged Chinese bribe, Binance clarifies account freeze: Asia Express

SBF allegedly bribes Chinese officials with $150 million to unfreeze accounts, Binance justifies blocking Hamas users, meanwhile, Huobi hacker returns all $8M in stolen assets.

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Sam Bankman-Fried trial is underway, Alex Mashinsky trial data is set, and Binance’s market share shrinks.

Top Stories This Week

Opening arguments begin in Sam Bankman-Fried trial

The trial of former FTX CEO Sam SBF Bankman-Fried kicked off on Oct. 4 in New York after jury selection began the previous day. Assistant United States Attorney Thane Rehn told jurors that SBF used FTX customer funds to enrich himself and gain credibility among politicians through donations. The defendant blamed a downturn in the crypto market. But he had committed fraud. That is what the evidence in this trial will show. You will hear from his inner circle. His girlfriend will tell you how they stole money together, Rehn said. SBFs attorney Mark Cohen said the girlfriend, former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, and Changpeng Zhao, CEO of rival cryptocurrency exchange Binance, share some of the blame for the downfall of FTX. Check out our detailed recap on Sam Bankman-Fried’s first week at trial.

Alex Mashinskys jury trial scheduled for September 2024

Alex Mashinsky, former CEO of crypto lender Celsius, will be tried on charges of fraud and market manipulation in September 2024, a judge decided on Oct. 3. Mashinsky will remain free on $40 million bail, subject to travel and financial restriction, in the meantime. Celsius filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 and Mashinsky was arrested in July of this year. He is accused of defrauding investors out of billions of dollars. The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission all have active suits against Mashinsky as well. Former Celsius chief revenue officer Roni Cohen-Pavon pleaded guilty to four criminal charges in September.

Binance spot market share drops for 7th consecutive month

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is continuing to lose market share for the seventh month in a row. Analysts say HTX (formerly Huobi), Bybit and DigiFinex were the beneficiaries of Binances slide. According to an analysis by CCData reported by Bloomberg, Binances share of the spot market fell from 38.5% in August to 34.3% in September. On the derivatives market, Binances share fell from 53.5% to 51.5% in the same period. Ongoing struggles with regulators in the United States were identified as one cause of Binances market share decline, but they also pointed out the end of the exchanges zero-fee trading promotion for major trading pairs and Binances withdrawal from the Russian market, which made up 7% of its traffic.

Alameda sent $4.1B of FTT tokens to FTX before crash: Nansen report

A report shared with Cointelegraph by blockchain data analyst Nansen shows that FTX moved $4.1 billion worth of its native FTT tokens to Alameda Research between Sept. 28 and Nov. 1, 2022. FTX and Alameda Research controlled around 90% of the FTT supply. Nansen suggested that the companies were using them to prop up each others balance sheets. FTX also transferred $388 million in stablecoin to Alameda Research during the same period. Data implied that Alameda Research would not have been able to go through with its offer to Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao to buy out that exchanges FTT holdings at $22 on Nov. 6. Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison made the offer on X (formerly Twitter) as the two entities scrambled to control the turmoil sparked by revelations of irregularities in their balance sheets. FTX filed for bankruptcy days later.

Valkyrie backtracks on Ether futures contract purchases until ETF launch

Asset management firm Valkyrie said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 29 that it will not purchase Ether in advance of receiving approval for its exchange-traded fund (ETF). Valkyrie had previously told Cointelegraph that it planned on allowing investors exposure to ETF futures before launching its combined Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF in early October. Not only that, Valkyrie said it would sell the ETH futures it had already bought. Valkyrie is among several financial firms that are expected to begin offering ETH futures ETFs soon. The SEC has delayed decisions on several of them. Observers say it may be due to concerns about a U.S. government shutdown.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $27,880, Ether (ETH) at $1,640 and XRP at $0.52. The total market cap is at $1.07 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Trust Wallet Token (TWT) at 18.11%, Avalanche (AVAX) at 17.5% and Render (RNDR) at 17%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are ApeCoin (APE) at -9.5%, THORChain (RUNE) at -9.3% and Curve DAO Token (CRV) at -8.8%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

We allowed Alameda to withdraw unlimited funds.

Gary Wang, co-founder and former chief technology officer of FTX

He told me to use Signal. He told the entire company. It also had auto-delete. […] He said it [auto-delete] was all down-side to keep messages around. If regulators found things they didnt like, it could be bad for the company.

Adam Yedidia, former FTX employee and roommate of SBF

Macroeconomic headwinds are limiting our ability to generate revenue, and in response to the current market conditions and business realities, we must reduce roles across the global business.

Pascal Gauthier, CEO and chairman of Ledger

The gravitational pull in crypto for the time being stays in BTC, with a promising event horizon down the line, still favoring aggressive accumulation.

Vetle Lundem, senior analyst at K33

Its relatively difficult to innovate in traditional finance. In crypto, its a lot better and more efficient. And in terms of cost, it is a lot more cheap. So, you can see the pace is a lot faster, and we can serve an even bigger audience than traditional finance right now.

Lennix Lai, global chief commercial officer at OKX

Banks have trillions of dollars of transactions with each other at the end of the day, but there is a cut-off time where you simply cannot transact internationally. Its a big pain point, and its also expensive and inefficient.

Akshay Chopra, vice president, head of innovation and design for CEMEA at Visa

Prediction of the Week 

Bitcoin bull market awaits as US faces bear steepener Arthur Hayes

With bond yields surging to 30-year highs, the financial markets are due for mass liquidity injections in the near future, according to BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes. This should provide the next catalyst for the crypto bull market, he said.

Why do I love these markets right now when yields are screaming higher? Bank models have no concept of a bear steepener occurring, Hayes argued. A bear steepener describes the phenomenon of long-term interest rates rising more quickly than short-term interest rates.

The faster this bear steepener rises, the faster someone goes belly up, the faster everyone recognises there is no way out other than money printing to save govt bond markets, the faster we get back to the crypto bull market, Hayes said.

FUD of the Week 

Crypto suffered 153% YoY increase in hacks and scams in Q3

Blockchain security platform Immunefi released a new report on crypto hacks and scams for the third quarter. According to the report, the number of hacks and scams increased by over 153% from July to September 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year. In Q3 2022, there were only 30 incidents, whereas there were 76 incidents in Q3 2023. A total of over $680 million of crypto was lost from scams and hacks during the quarter. The largest hack of the quarter was of the Mixin protocol, which resulted in it being drained of over $200 million, while the Multichain hack for over $126 million was the second largest. The two most targeted networks were BNB Chain and Ethereum.

Bitcoin analysts still predict a BTC price crash to $20K

Bitcoin holders were elated when the coin began October at a six-week high, but technical analysts are warning that it may be headed for a fall to $20,000 soon. According to pseudonymous Bitcoin trader CryptoBullet, the current chart shows a classic head and shoulders pattern that generally means the price is about to fall. The bottom of the left shoulder of this pattern is at around $20,000, implying that the price will fall to that point before recovering. Joao Wedson, founder and CEO of crypto trading resource Dominando Cripto, went even further, claiming that Bitcoin may fall below $20,000. According to Wedson, the current price action is forming a fractal that looks similar to the 2020-2022 period. The last time this happened, the price increased greatly in the beginning, but then collapsed back to lower levels by the end of the fractal. In Wedsons view, this implies that we may be in the early stages of a move below $20,000.

US Treasury sanctions crypto wallets as authorities crack down on fentanyl

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury announced that it has sanctioned multiple wallets connected with manufacturers and dealers of the illicit drug, fentanyl. According to Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, the wallets have received millions of USD funds over hundreds of deposits as payment for various Fentanyl-related criminal activities. The wallet sanctions were initiated as part of an indictment that targeted some Chinese-based chemical manufacturers. Valerian Labs, Hanhong Pharmaceutical, and Hebei Crovell Biotech were three of the parties named in the indictment.

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Ether futures ETFs to debut in the United States, Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial to begin and 3AC co-founder Su Zhu arrested.

Top Stories This Week

Ethereum futures ETFs to start trading next week

Investment firm Valkyrie will start offering exposure to Ether futures in the coming days. On Sept. 28, the firm told Cointelegraph that its Bitcoin Strategy ETF will allow investors access to Ether and Bitcoin futures under one wrapper, making it one of the first firms to do so amid several pending applications with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Starting Oct. 3, the funds name will be updated to the Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF. Asset manager VanEck also disclosed its upcoming Ethereum Strategy ETF, which will be listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange in the coming days. Analysts suggested that a potential U.S. government shutdown might have accelerated the launch of Ether futures ETFs.

SBF trial dates revealed: FTX founder to stand trial over 6 weeks

Former FTX CEO Sam SBF Bankman-Fried will spend at least 21 days in court as part of his criminal trial, which will begin in earnest on Oct. 4 and last until Nov. 9, according to a newly released trial calendar posted to the public court docket. The first official date of the Bankman-Fried trial is Oct. 4, where the participants will begin discussing seven fraud charges laid against SBF. There are two substantive charges where the prosecution must convince a jury that Bankman-Fried committed the crime. Five other conspiracy charges involve the prosecution convincing a jury that Bankman-Fried planned to commit the crimes. The former FTX CEO has been serving pre-trial detention at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since Aug. 11. If considered guilty of fraud, Bankman-Fried is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison, legal specialists explained to Cointelegraph.

3ACs Su Zhu arrested in Singapore

Co-founder of Three Arrows Capital (3AC) Su Zhu was detained at Changi Airport in Singapore while trying to leave. Teneo, the joint liquidator of the now-bankrupt hedge fund, told Cointelegraph that Zhus arrest followed a committal order from the Singapore Courts, which is a directive used to imprison someone for contempt of court. On Sept. 25, Teneo secured this committal order, alleging that Zhu didnt comply with a court order. His arrest is part of an ongoing investigation to retrieve funds for 3ACs creditors. The $10 billion hedge fund crashed in 2022 due to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. A similar committal order was granted against Kyle Davies, also co-founder of 3AC. His whereabouts remain unknown.

Binance urges users to convert euros to USDT after Paysafe debank

Binance has warned its European users to convert their euro (EUR) balances to Tether by Oct. 31 due to the loss of support from its banking partner, Paysafe. Paysafe ceased processing EUR deposits for Binance users on Sept. 25. While EUR withdrawals to bank accounts remain available, Paysafe users wont be able to engage in EUR spot trading. Binances token swap feature, Binance Convert, will also restrict EUR transactions. Paysafe previously facilitated fiat deposits and withdrawals for Binance users in Europe, including via bank transfer in the European Unions Single Euro Payments Area. The move is the latest to add to Binances regulatory and debanking woes in the West.

SEC delays spot Bitcoin ETF decision for BlackRock, Invesco and Bitwise

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has again postponed its decision on several spot Bitcoin ETF applications, including those from BlackRock, Invesco, Bitwise and Valkyrie, ahead of a potential government shutdown. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart anticipates similar delays for Fidelity, VanEck, and WisdomTree. These delays came two weeks before the applicants expected second deadline. Seyffart links the premature delays to an anticipated U.S. government shutdown on Oct. 1, which would impact financial regulators and federal agencies.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $26,895, Ether (ETH) at $1,667 and XRP at $0.53. The total market cap is at $1.07 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Compound (COMP) at 23.71%, Chainlink (LINK) at 15.12% and THORchain (RUNE) at 14.51%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Immutable (IMX) at -9.80%, UNUS SED LEO (LEO) at -5.38% and XDC Network (XDC) at -4.61%.

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

You [Gary Gensler] are kneecapping the U.S. capital markets with the avalanche of red tape coming out of your commission.

Andy Barr, U.S. representative

A central bank that introduces a CBDC should increase the choices for society, not diminish them.”

Agustn Carstens, general manager at the Bank of International Settlements

Looking like the SEC is gonna let a bunch of #Ethereum futures ETFs go next week potentially.

James Seyffart, analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence

Do you think its possible for you [Gary Gensler] to serve as an impartial regulator and not favor large financial intermediaries?

Tom Emmer, U.S. representative

[Stablecoins] will be a big driver of economic freedom in the decade ahead.

Jesse Pollak, head of protocols at Coinbase

The symbiosis between street art and Bitcoin is a powerful one. By working together, these two movements help to create a more just and equitable world.

Street, pseudonymous co-founder of the Street Cyer artist collective

Prediction of the Week 

Bitcoin shorts keep burning as BTC price seeks to hold $27K

Bitcoin (BTC) bounced around $27,000 on Sept. 29 as a challenge to month-to-date highs dragged BTC price action upward. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed the largest cryptocurrency attempting to hold gains after a classic short squeeze.

The day prior offered a trip past the $27,000 mark, with Bitcoin bulls unable to seal a fresh peak for September. Topping out at $27,300 on Bitstamp, BTC price strength returned to consolidate, still up 4% versus the weeks low at the time of writing.

Analyzing the situation on low timeframes (LTFs), popular pseudonymous trader Skew said that the upside had come courtesy of derivatives markets, with spot traders selling at the highs. LTF stuff but pretty clear spot absorption around the high so $27.2K is an important price area to clear for spot buyers, he explained on X (formerly Twitter).

Skew subsequently noted that $27,200 remained a rejection point on the day, ahead of the Wall Street open. Going into next week, he added, the market was likely to hunt both sides of the book.

FUD of the Week 

Ben BitBoy Armstrong arrested on livestream over Lambo dispute

Crypto influencer Ben Armstrong, formerly known as BitBoy, was arrested on Sept. 25 while livestreaming outside a former business associates house, claiming the associate had his Lamborghini. He was charged with loitering/prowling and simple assault by placing another in fear and was held for over eight hours before being released on a $2,600 bond and $40 in fees. In Georgia, the misdemeanor charges of loitering and prowling could result in a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in jail, or both.

Crypto exchange claiming $1.4B trading volume uses reportedly fake license data

An investigation by Cointelegraph revealed that several cryptocurrency platforms, reporting significant daily trades on CoinMarketCap, may have provided misleading information about their crypto licenses. Bitspay, for instance, which has a daily trading volume of $1.4 billion on CoinMarketCap and ranks as the fourth-largest crypto exchange, claimed to be licensed in Estonia. However, after inquiries by Cointelegraph, Bitspay quickly removed the potentially false license data and no longer provides details about its registration or licensing.

Huobi Global hacked for $7.9M: Report

Huobi Globals HTX crypto exchange was hacked on Sept. 24, according to a report from blockchain analytics platform CyVers. A total of $7.9 million of crypto has been drained in the attack. A known Huobi hot wallet posted a message to the attacker in Chinese. According to the message, the exchange knows the identity of the attacker and has offered to let them keep 5% of the drained funds as a white-hat bonus, but only if the attacker returns the remaining 95%. Binance CEO Changpeng CZ Zhao offered the help of the exchanges security team in investigating the attack.

Blockchain detectives: Mt. Gox collapse saw birth of Chainalysis

From solving Mt. Gox to tracing crypto used by child abuse syndicates in Korea, Chainalysis has a long but sometimes controversial history.

US govt messed up my $250K Bitcoin price prediction: Tim Draper, Hall of Flame

Tim Drapers first big Bitcoin prediction came off without a hitch, but he says the current administration is making his second one look bad.

China dev fined 3 yrs salary for VPN use, 10M e-CNY airdrop: Asia Express

Chinese national fined three years’ salary for using VPN for remote work, Hangzhou airdrops 10M digital yuan, JPEX alleged Ponzi nears $200M, and more.

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Binance.US scores temporary win against the SEC, Mt. Gox repayments delayed to 2024, and Tether’s $1B liquidity to Tron network.

Top Stories This Week

SEC sees temporary setback in request to access Binance.US software

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has failed to win immediate access to Binance.USs software, with the judge saying he isnt inclined to allow the inspection at this time. The hearing was held on Sept. 18 to discuss the SECs motion to compel Binance to hand over detailed information and make its executives more available for depositions. In a hearing, Judge Faruqui said that he wasnt inclined to allow the inspection at this time. Alternatively, he proposed that the SEC should come up with more specific requests for discovery and speak with a broader range of witnesses. In another headline, Binance global and its CEO Changpeng CZ Zhao requested dismissal of the SEC’s lawsuit filed against them in June, claiming the regulator overstepped its authority in the case. 

Mt. Gox trustee changes repayment deadline to October 2024

Mt. Gox trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi has officially changed the deadline for paying back the exchanges creditors from Oct. 31, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2024. Presently, the Mt. Gox estate holds some 142,000 Bitcoin (BTC), 143,000 Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and 69 billion Japanese yen. Mt. Gox was one of the earliest cryptocurrency exchanges, once facilitating more than 70% of all trades made within the blockchain ecosystem. Following a major hack in 2011, the site subsequently collapsed in 2014 due to alleged insolvency; the fallout affected about 24,000 creditors and resulted in the loss of 850,000 BTC.

Tether authorizes $1B USDT to replenish Tron network

Tether’s Treasury is set to provide a $1 billion near-term liquidity for the Tron network. The billionaire authorization was flagged by blockchain tracker WhaleAlert, which drew a quick-fire response from Tether chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino, who said that the USDT tokens would be used as inventory to replenish the Tron network. Authorizing USDT in the Tether Treasury allows the company to issue USDT instantaneously once customer funds are received to ensure that the issuer maintains 100% of its reserves. Ardoino added that the event was an authorization and not an actual issuance, with the allocated amount set to serve as inventory for upcoming issuance requests and chain swaps from the Tron network.

FTX founders parents sued, accused of stealing millions from crypto exchange

Debtors of FTX have launched legal action against the parents Sam SBF Bankman-Fried, alleging that they misappropriated millions of dollars through their involvement in the crypto exchange. The plaintiffs argued that Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried exploited their access and influence within the FTX empire to enrich themselves at the expense of the debtors in the FTX bankruptcy estate. The debtors alleged that SBFs parents were very much involved in the FTX business from inception to collapse, contrary to what SBF has claimed. According to the complaint, Bankman and Fried extracted significant unearned rewards from their involvement in FTX Group, including a $10-million cash gift and a $16.4-million luxury property in the Bahamas.

Grayscale files for new Ether futures ETF Official

Digital currency investment company Grayscale is the latest firm to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a new Ether (ETH) futures exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Grayscale Ethereum Futures Trust will hold Ether futures contracts with a “roughly constant expiration profile,” according to the filing. The trust will “never carry futures positions to cash settlement.” The nature of the Ether futures contracts in the ETF will not require the trust to use an Ether custodian. Grayscale’s application comes a few weeks after Valkyrie also filed for an Ether futures ETF with the SEC in mid-August, following several other firms filing for ETH futures ETFs.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $26,525, Ether (ETH) at $1,590 and XRP at $0.51. The total market cap is at $1.05 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Immutable (IMX) at 27.07%, Curve DAO Token (CRV) at 16.16%, and Aave (AAVE) at 15.92%. 

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Gala (GALA) at -8.57%, Axie Infinity (AXS) at -7.42%, and Optimism (OP) at -7.52%. 

For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.

Most Memorable Quotations

There remains a real risk that the use of AI develops in a way that undermines consumer trust or is dominated by a few players […].

Sarah Cardell, CEO of the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority

Dont give up on the United States. This too shall pass, the confusion shall pass. The United States is a good place to build things, and I want it to stay that way.

Hester Peirce, Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 

If the average end-user, who isnt a computer scientist, who doesnt understand blockchain, has to know about their private keys weve got it wrong. They have to be abstracted away,

James Tromans, head of Web3 at Google Cloud

Bitcoin as a global monetary network is scaling while its carbon impact declines. Few industries can claim this achievement.

Jamie Coutts, crypto market analyst at Bloomberg

It is an inevitable future where there will no longer be any intermediaries between fans and creators this is an obvious but unrealized potential of blockchain technology.

Leon Lee, founder and CEO of Only1

[The U.S. government] can do a central bank digital currency if its open, permissionless and private. It has to emulate cash.

Tom Emmer, U.S. Representative

Prediction of the Week 

Bitcoin fails to recoup post-Fed losses as $20K BTC price returns to radar

Bitcoin circled lower after the United States Federal Reserve decision on interest rates, with $20,000 BTC price predictions resurfacing. 

The aftermath of the Fed interest rates pause on Sept. 20 offered little for Bitcoin bulls, BTC/USD having dipped almost $700 the day prior. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView covered a lackluster 24 hours for BTC price action, with $27,000 fading from view.

Now, market participants returned to a more conservative outlook in the absence of tangible volatility. Something like this over the course of October would be perfect i would say, popular trader Crypto Tony told X (formerly Twitter) subscribers.

Slow grind up to $28,500, followed by hype and FOMO, to then dump it once more.

FUD of the Week 

Balancer blames social engineering attack on DNS provider for website hijack

Ethereum-based automated market maker Balancer believes a social engineering attack on its DNS service provider was what led to its websites front end being compromised on Sept. 19, leading to an estimated $238,000 in crypto stolen. Blockchain security firms SlowMist and CertiK reported that the attacker employed Angel Drainer phishing contracts. SlowMist said the exploiters attacked Balancers website via Border Gateway Protocol hijacking a process where hackers take control of IP addresses by corrupting internet routing tables. The hacker has already bridged some of the stolen Ether (ETH) to Bitcoin (BTC) addresses.

Crypto influencer arrested in Hong Kong for JPEX association

A Hong Kong-based social media influencer has reportedly been arrested after investigations around the liquidity crisis of the crypto exchange JPEX traced back their involvement. According to a local report, the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong recently issued a statement blaming JPEX for actively promoting the platforms services and products to the public through online celebrities and over-the-counter money changers. Another unconfirmed report suggests that Lin Zuo presented schemes to a chat group created for cryptocurrency investment. Also related to this story, Hong Kong regulators are looking to tighten regulations around the crypto market following the failure of JPEX, which led to the arrest of over six individuals.

CoinEx hack: Compromised private keys led to $70M theft

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinEx has revealed that compromised private keys allowed hackers to steal over $70 million worth of tokens. According to CoinEx representatives, the amount represents a small percentage of its total assets under management. CoinEx stated that affected users will be compensated entirely for any lost funds. The exchange explained that a preliminary investigation pinned the root cause to a compromised private key for its hot wallets. These were used to store exchange assets for carrying out deposits and withdrawals.

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JPEX staff flee event as scandal hits, Mt. Gox woes, Diners Club crypto: Asia Express

Hong Kong crypto exchange JPEX busted in $166M scam, Mt. Gox delays repayments yet again, oldest credit card company in Singapore moves into blockchain.

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