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Gemini reaches settlement with IRA Financial Trust over $36M exploit

The lawsuit, initially filed by IRA in June 2022, alleged that Gemini misrepresented its security protections, resulting in an exploit that removed $36 million in crypto.

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has reached an agreement with retirement and pension platform IRA Financial Trust, concluding a lawsuit initially filed in 2022.

In a July 18 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Analisa Torres dismissed the case filed by IRA Financial Trust with prejudice after the firm and Gemini Trust said they had agreed on a settlement. The lawsuit, initially brought by IRA in June 2022, alleged that Gemini misrepresented security protections.

Specifically, IRA claimed Gemini’s lack of transparency on its security protocols made the company responsible for a February 2022 exploit in which a bad actor removed roughly $36 million in crypto. According to the platform, hackers “gain[ed] control of IRA’s master key,” allowing them to transfer “tens of millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin and Ether into a single customer retirement account, and then withdrawing all such assets.” A Gemini spokesperson told Cointelegraph at the time that the company rejected the allegations in the lawsuit. 

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Grayscale announces plans for Bitcoin ETF spinoff

Current GBTC shareholders will receive shares in Grayscale’s new Bitcoin ETF in proportion to what they currently hold in GBTC.

On July 19, crypto asset manager Grayscale announced plans to spin off a portion of its flagship Bitcoin fund, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), into a new exchange-traded fund (ETF).

On July 31, Grayscale will contribute 10% of the spot Bitcoin (BTC) held by GTBC to its new ETF, Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC). The company said the ETF is set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) Arca exchange pending final regulatory signoff.

Current GBTC shareholders will receive shares in the Mini Trust in direct proportion to the shares they hold in GBTC. As a result of the spinoff, GBTC holders will hold the same amount of spot BTC as before, but across two different funds.

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Bitcoin oversold after German gov’t sell-off — ARK Invest

Bitcoin miners seem to be capitulating, a harbinger of a bullish reversal, according to ARK.

According to a report by asset manager ARK Invest released on July 18, Bitcoin became oversold in June after Germany’s government initiated a multibillion-dollar sell-off of 50,000 BTC seized in a 2020 police sting against Movie2k, a streaming platform for pirated content.

The sell-off sent Bitcoin (BTC) prices tumbling from highs exceeding $70,000 in early June to a low of less than $55,000 during a brief dip in July.

“Based on short-term-holder realized profits/losses and miner outflows, Bitcoin appears oversold,” according to the report, which focuses on the period through June 30 but includes more recent data. “Current levels [of miner outflows] suggest that miners are capitulating, a harbinger of a bullish reversal.”

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Russia Approves Crypto Tax Law, Redefining Digital Currency Rules

Fee war breaks out among spot Ether ETF issuers ahead of listings

Franklin Ethereum ETF (EZET) has emerged as the fee race’s frontrunner.

Virtually all of the soon-to-be-listed Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are temporarily waiving or discounting fees as rivalries among issuers heat up ahead of next week’s anticipated listings, according to documents filed with United States regulators.

The promotional discounts range from full waivers to roughly 50% fee reductions and vary in length from six months to a year. Some discounts also expire once ETFs pull a certain amount of assets under management (AUM).

In total, seven out of 10 proposed spot Ether (ETH) ETFs are touting fee cuts. Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) and Invesco Galaxy Ethereum ETF are opting out of the fee war. The other outlier — ProShares Ethereum ETF — has lagged behind peers in the registration process and is not expected to list next week.

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SEC approves Grayscale, Proshares spot Ethereum ETFs for trading on NYSE Arca

The issuers must still await final regulatory signoff on S-1 filings before listing the funds.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved two spot Ethereum  exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust and ProShares Ethereum ETF — for listing on the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE’s) Arca electronic trading platform, according to a July 17 filing

The approval of the so-called Form 19b-4 filing authorizes NYSE to facilitate trading of the funds. However, the issuers must still stand by for final comments on the ETFs’ respective S-1 filings before the spot products can actually commence with listing.

“Grayscale is excited to share that the [SEC] has approved Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust’s (proposed ticker: ETH) Form 19b-4,” a Grayscale spokesperson said in a statement. “The Grayscale team continues to engage constructively with SEC staff, as we seek full regulatory approval for US spot Ethereum ETPs.”

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Valour launches first ETP for Near Protocol’s native token

The exchange-traded product will be available on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market.

Crypto fund issuer Valour has launched an exchange-traded product (ETP) for Near Protocol’s native token, NEAR, according to a July 17 announcement from Valour’s parent company, DeFi Technologies (CBOE CA: DEFI).

The ETP will trade on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market, enabling retail and institutional investors to gain exposure to the decentralized application development platform, the announcement said.

Valour’s head of product, Elaine Buehler, said the new fund offering will allow investors to access an asset known for its “transformative impact on DeFi and NFTs,” referring to decentralized finance and non-fungible tokens. 

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Bitcoin and Ether lead $17.8B crypto inflows

Bitcoin saw its fifth-largest week of inflows on record, helping it recapture the $60,000 mark, while Ether inflows took second place in anticipation of the US Ether ETFs.

Inflows into digital asset investment products have hit a new record of over $17.8 billion year-to-date (YTD), pointing to the start of a potential crypto market recovery.

The new record comes after cryptocurrency investment products saw a total of $1.44 billion worth of inflows last week.

According to CoinShares data, the year-to-date inflows for 2024 have reached $17.8 billion, significantly surpassing the previous record of $10.6 billion set in 2021.

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Russia Approves Crypto Tax Law, Redefining Digital Currency Rules

Square-Enix backs blockchain-based football MMO ‘Soccerverse’

The game uses the Polygon blockchain and currently runs in most browsers.

Soccerverse, the company behind the massively multiplayer online game of the same name, announced a $3.1 fundraise led by Japanese gaming giant Square-Enix on July 11. 

The game, which is currently available in beta, is a blockchain-based sports simulation similar to the Football Manager series that allows users to take on various roles such as coaching a team or representing a player. It runs on the Polygon blockchain and, while free-to-play, features web3 functionality.

According to a blog post, Square-Enix led the company’s most recent funding round alongside previous backer Hiro Capital.

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Ethereum ETF inflows could hit $10B, sending ETH to new highs — analyst

Expect ETH’s spot price to be more responsive to ETF inflows than BTC’s, says crypto investment manager Tom Dunleavy.

Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will attract up to $10 billion in new inflows in the months after launch and send Ether (ETH) prices soaring to all-time highs by the end of the year, Tom Dunleavy, a managing partner at crypto investment firm MV Global, told Cointelegraph.

“We saw $15 billion in flows for Bitcoin. I think we’re probably going to see $5 to $10 billion for Ethereum,” Dunleavy said. “I expect a very positive price impact sending us to new all-time highs by early Q4.”

Eight spot ETH ETFs are awaiting a final signoff from United States regulators and are widely expected to begin trading imminently, possibly as soon as this month. The funds will join an existing roster of around a dozen Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs, which started trading in January. Collectively, BTC ETFs currently manage approximately $15.9 billion.

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Mt. Gox repayment shakes crypto market, causing volatility

Bitcoin faces immense volatility as Mt. Gox repayments flood the market.

In a long-awaited move, Mt. Gox, the infamous Bitcoin exchange that collapsed in 2014, has finally started repaying its creditors. 

This resolution to one of crypto’s most notorious scandals is not just closing a chapter to one of Bitcoin’s darkest hours but is also actively shaping the asset’s market dynamics in real time.

On July 5, Nobuaki Kobayashi — the rehabilitation trustee for Mt. Gox — announced the commencement of debt repayments to creditors in Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). The repayments are facilitated through a complex network of exchanges, with each entity playing a crucial role in distributing the funds.

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Russia Approves Crypto Tax Law, Redefining Digital Currency Rules