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Shiba Inu’s Shibarium Network resumes block production after brief pause

The Shiba Inu project has opted to secure insurance coverage amounting to $2 million to address potential fund retrieval challenges upon the restart of Shibarium.

Shiba Inu's Layer-2 Shibarium network has resumed block production following a nearly day-long transaction pause.

As per Shibariumscan.io block explorer, Shiba Inu's layer-2 blockchain Shibarium (SHIB) has reactivated and is generating blocks. The Shibarium network entered a fail-safe mode and paused operations to safeguard funds due to unexpectedly high traffic after the mainnet launch.

Lead developer Shytoshi Kusama verified that elevated blockchain traffic led to certain challenges, but said that fund security remains intact. He asserted that both the bridge and the chain are functioning smoothly and Shibarium is poised for a swift restart.

Screenshot of restarted block production.   Source: Shibariumscan.io

In an official blog post dated August 18, Shiba Inu developer Kaal Dhairya outlined plans for scaling operations to accommodate substantial traffic on Shibarium. The team will also provide regular updates on the status of the Shibarium network, a fork of Polygon, he said.

“In fact, as we slowly and carefully investigated where the problem exactly took place and found thousands upon thousands of contract creation and normal transactions IN ONE BLOCK.”

Furthermore, the Shiba Inu project has opted to secure insurance coverage amounting to $2 million to address potential fund retrieval challenges upon the restart of Shibarium. Following this announcement, block production resumed on the network as the team maintains vigilant oversight.

Nonetheless, the ShibArmy community expresses apprehension over spreading Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) that negatively impacts the project. The members of the community are positive and have shown support for the network’s efforts in working on the transaction pause.

Related: Shibarium executive issues strong warning about exploitation risks

Large holders and traders offloaded their SHIB, BONE, and LEASH tokens, with the spread of FUD prompting significant divestment of their major holdings. Despite this, prices are rebounding following the reactivation of Shibarium, even in the face of a broader crypto market sell-off.

Over the last day, SHIB's value dropped by 11%, presently standing at $0.0000082. Its range within the past 24 hours fluctuated between a low of $0.0000076 and a high of $0.0000093. Simultaneously, BONE's price has slid by 15%, settling at $1.18, while LEASH is currently at $430, marking a 5% decline in the same timeframe.

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BitExchange enables XRP options trading, no need for ownership

Profit and loss settlement will occur in U.S. dollars, with OrBit Markets responsible for order book liquidity.

BitExchange has introduced XRP (XRP)-linked options on its cryptocurrency derivatives platform. According to an Aug. 17 statement from the exchange, the initiative will allow users to engage in XRP options trading without the need for cryptocurrency ownership.

Profit and loss settlement will occur in United States dollars, with OrBit Markets responsible for order book liquidity, the exchange said, adding that the latest addition adds to its offerings, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Cardano (ADA), Toncoin (TON) and Milady (LADYS).

Options represent derivative agreements that bestow the buyer with the privilege to purchase or vend the underlying asset at a predetermined price on or before a specified date. Call options grant the buying right, while put options offer the selling right.

Typically, traders utilize options for hedging purposes, lessening bearish or bullish risks, or generating supplementary earnings by “writing” options alongside their spot market holdings.

Justin Buitendam, BitExchange’s global head of institutional sales, said:

“We’re excited to be among the early platforms offering XRP options trading to institutional and retail traders, providing both long and short options trading opportunities.”

With a current market capitalization of $30.88 billion, XRP ranks as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency globally. Like other alternative cryptocurrencies, XRP exhibits higher volatility than Bitcoin and Ether.

Related: Ripple Labs bites back against SEC's request to file appeal

BitExchange’s choice to introduce XRP options follows a recent ruling partially in favor of Ripple Labs — which issues the XRP token — in its ongoing battle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The judge ruled that XRP is not considered a security when traded on centralized exchanges but could be classified as one when directly sold to institutions.

After the ruling, numerous exchanges relisted XRP. In a more recent development, the SEC has sought permission to challenge the court’s decision.

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Voyager’s token transfer to Coinbase sparks sell-off suspicions

The motive behind the transactions has triggered speculation within the broader crypto community.

Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Voyager Digital transferred 1,500 Ether (ETH), worth around $2.77 million and an additional 250 billion Shiba Inu (SHIB), worth roughly $2.7 million, to crypto exchange Coinbase on Aug.11, according to Etherscan.

The motive behind the transactions has triggered speculation within the broader crypto community. One theory suggests a probable sell-off, given that the transfers have diminished the distressed crypto lender’s wallet holdings to $81.63 million of digital assets.

The transactions occurred at one-hour intervals, according to Etherscan. The abrupt movement of the tokens has triggered discussions regarding a possible liquidation. However, some sources say that Voyager is consolidating all tokens from various addresses into a primary address.

Screenshot of the transfers from Voyager to Coinbase. Source: Etherscan

The speculation of a sell-off is further supported by Voyager’s ongoing divestment of its SHIB holdings since the start of 2023. In February, the company executed transfers of nearly $10 million worth of digital assets to multiple cryptocurrency exchanges in a single day.

The tokens moved include 270 billion SHIB, worth $3.2 million; 4.9 million Voyager Token (VGX), worth $2.1 million; 3,050 ETH, worth $3 million; and 221,000 Chainlink (LINK), worth $1.5 million.

Related: Voyager customers targeted by scammers during 30-day withdrawal period: Report

Following Binance.US’s court-sanctioned acquisition of the lender’s assets, blockchain analysis platform Lookonchain disclosed that Voyager liquidated digital holdings exceeding $56 million across three cryptocurrency exchanges. Approximately three months later, the insolvent exchange engaged in various transactions involving the transfer of around 350 billion SHIB tokens.

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Legal scholars file amicus brief in support of Coinbase

The legal practitioners asked the court to adhere to the established definition of “investment contract” when interpreting its scope.

A group of six legal scholars specializing in securities law and related fields submitted an amicus brief in favor of crypto exchange Coinbase in its ongoing legal battle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

An amicus brief is a document filed in court by a party not directly involved with the related case. It is generally used to add supporting arguments to one side of the lawsuit and emphasizes how the case will have a broader impact beyond the involved parties.

The group of legal scholars filed the amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Aug. 11.

Screenshot of the amicus brief. Source: CourtListener

On the same day, Senator Cynthia Lummis also submitted an amicus brief in support of the crypto exchange.

The following individuals, namely Stephen M. Bainbridge of UCLA, Tamar Frankel of Boston University, Sean J. Griffith hailing from Fordham Law School, Lawrence Hamermesh representing Widener University, M. Todd Henderson associated with the University of Chicago Law School and Jonathan R. Macey from Yale Law School, are the scholars who have collectively assumed the role of amici. Their collective effort has outlined an illustrative chronicle detailing the evolution and delineation of investment contracts, as manifested in the submitted filing.

Related: SEC punts on ARK 21Shares spot Bitcoin ETF, opens proposal to comments

In their filing, the legal practitioners contended that federal precedents, as encapsulated by the Howey test, acknowledge that "investment contracts" necessitate anticipation of business income, profits, or assets. In general, the esteemed law scholars advocated for the Court to steadfastly adhere to the established definition of the term 'investment contract' when interpreting its scope.

“An investor must be promised, by virtue of his or her investment, an ongoing contractual interest in the income, profits, or assets of the enterprise. In this section, we discuss some of these cases.”

Meanwhile, the group of legal scholars clarified that their affiliations with universities or law schools in no way bear any relevance to their involvement with the amicus brief.

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CFTC charges residents of Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas for crypto fraud

The regulatory body asserts that the defendants managed to entice over 14,000 individuals by creating false weekly returns.

Legal proceedings have been initiated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) against individuals and their organization, Fundsz, citing their involvement in a deceptive scheme concerning cryptocurrencies and precious metals trading.

Rene Larralde from Melbourne, Florida, Juan Pablo Valcarce from West Melbourne, Florida, Brian Early from New Orleans, Louisiana and Alisha Ann Kingrey from Franklin, Arkansas, along with their unincorporated entity Fundsz, face allegations of misleading investment solicitations. They allegedly enticed investors with implausible returns based on a purported "proprietary algorithm."

The CFTC lodged a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that the defendants attracted customers by promising steady 3% weekly profits through cryptocurrency and precious metal trading.

They inaccurately portrayed Fundsz as a profitable venture, asserting that a $2,500 investment could burgeon into $1 million in just 48 months. Additionally, the accused falsely linked Fundsz to charitable initiatives, capitalizing on the allure of contributing to worthy causes.

The regulatory body also asserts that the defendants managed to entice over 14,000 individuals by creating false weekly returns. Nonetheless, as per the CFTC, the reality is that Fundsz did not actually trade customer funds. The entire venture seems to have been established upon fabricated profits and deceptive assertions.

Related: Binance, CZ challenge CFTC lawsuit, seek dismissal

Judge Wendy Berger of the U.S. District Court issued a unilateral statutory restraining order, effectively freezing the defendants' assets and designating a temporary receiver. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for August 23. The CFTC seeks to ensure fairness by pursuing restitution for deceived investors, reclaiming ill-gotten gains, imposing financial penalties, enacting bans on trading and registration and securing a lasting injunction against future infractions.

Previously, the CFTC revealed that a default judgment had been issued by Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This judgment established a lasting injunction against Michael Ackerman, an Alliance, Ohio resident.

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Curve Finance vows to reimburse users after $62 million hack

The platform further emphasizes its current priority, which revolves around assessing the proportional portions of each impacted user.

Curve Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform for lending stablecoins, has officially stated its intention to reimburse users who were impacted by the recent breach resulting in a $62 million loss from the system. 

According to a post by Curve Finance, ongoing investigations are yielding progress, with approximately 79% of the funds successfully recuperated. The platform further emphasizes its current priority, which revolves around assessing the proportional portions of each impacted user.

This evaluation aims to ensure an equitable distribution of resources. The incident, which occurred on July 30, involved malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities within the release history of Curve Finance's Vyper compiler.

The individual behind the hack directed their attention specifically toward versions 0.2.15 to 0.3.0 of the Vyper compiler. Evidently, the hacker displayed an understanding of the precise weaknesses within the historical iterations of Vyper. The identification of these vulnerabilities would have demanded a significant degree of skill and substantial resources, as highlighted by experts in the field.

Notably, there are speculations that the undertaking was meticulously planned prior to its enactment. A contributor to Vyper is resolute in their belief that the scheme likely required hackers several weeks, if not months, to formulate. Among the pools that experienced ramifications are CRV/ETH, alETH/ETH, msETH/ETH and pETH/ETH. Furthermore, there is a growing concern that the tri-crypto pool on Arbitrum might also have been subject to this impact.

Related: Aave DAO opens voting on proposals to reduce CRV exposure

Regrettably, the assault reverberated across the entirety of the DeFi landscape. A comprehensive examination of the breach underscored a notable issue within the budding cryptocurrency sector; the absence of proper incentives to identify vulnerabilities in previous software iterations.

An incentive of 10% as a bounty was extended to the individual responsible for the breach, and upon acceptance of the proposition, the perpetrator instigated the procedure to restore the funds a few days later. This course of action was corroborated by Etherscan data, which validated that the individual behind the attack conducted three distinct transactions to the Alchemix Finance developer wallet. The cumulative value of these transfers amounted to 4,821 Ethereum (ETH), equivalent to $8,891,578 at the given time. As of now, the restitution process remains incomplete.

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Visa explores crypto gas fees payments through cards

Visa’s innovative solution employs Ethereum's ERC-4337 standard and the "paymaster" smart contract, enabling off-chain gas fee settlement.

In a potential transformative move for users, Visa, the payment solution provider, is testing an innovative solution enabling on-chain gas fees to be paid using a Visa card.

Mustafa Bedawala, a VISA product manager, presented the report, highlighting an observed challenge with cryptocurrency wallets; the ongoing requirement to oversee Ethereum (ETH) balances for covering gas fees.

The standard Ethereum procedure involves users acquiring ETH from an exchange or on-ramp service and then transferring it to their wallets to cater to variable gas fees. This continuous adjustment of gas prices frequently leads to users either overspending or having insufficient ETH, introducing intricacies and challenges.

Visa’s innovative solution employs Ethereum's ERC-4337 standard and the "paymaster" smart contract, enabling off-chain gas fee settlement. The process involves the user triggering an Ethereum transaction via wallet, sent to the paymaster.

Image illustrating steps involved in paying gas fees with Visa Card via Paymaster.  Source: Visa

The web service computes the gas fee and charges Visa using Cybersource. Subsequently, a digital signature is provided and momentarily validated, then attached by the wallet before being sent to Ethereum. Paymaster verifies the signature and covers the gas fee.

This sequence of steps allows the user to directly pay gas fees with their Visa card off-chain, eliminating the need for users to hold ETH merely for paying fees.

According to the publication, Visa has trialed this concept on the Ethereum Goerli testnet, utilizing available open-source tools like Stackup's userop.js library. The trial transactions effectively covered fees through the paymaster, bypassing the requirement for ETH.

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Notably, this concept has the potential to reduce friction for blockchain users and allows the user to directly pay gas fees with their Visa card off-chain, eliminating the need for users to hold ETH merely for paying fees.

The report also suggested wider ramifications, highlighting the potential for merchants or dApps to utilize the paymaster framework to improve customer interactions, facilitating gas fee payments using Visa cards. This innovation may also create opportunities for current wallet and paymaster providers to introduce options for Visa card-based gas fee payments.

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Russia to being CBDC trials with 13 banks

According to Olga Skorobogatova, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Russia, initiating pilot operations using genuine digital rubles represents a pivotal phase within the project.

The Bank of Russia (BoR) has revealed that it will begin testing operations for Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project with real digital rubles. The test will begin on August 15. 

A statement released by the Bank of Russia indicates that the pilot tests will involve the participation of 13 banks and a restricted group of their clients.

According to Olga Skorobogatova, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Russia, initiating pilot operations using genuine digital rubles represents a pivotal phase within the project. This step facilitates the examination of the digital ruble platform's functionality within an industrial context, the refinement of essential procedures in collaboration with clients, potential process adjustments and the assurance of a user-friendly and comprehensible client experience.

Skorobogatova added that the bank’s strategy involves bringing the digital ruble into widespread use, hinging on the outcomes of gradual testing and contingent upon the successful execution of comprehensive trials encompassing all operational possibilities involving the digital ruble. According to the deputy governor, It is expected that starting from 2025, citizens and businesses will be able to actively use the national digital currency at their own request.

As per the announcement, the initial phase of the pilot program will focus on refining fundamental processes, including the establishment and funding of digital ruble accounts (digital wallets), digital ruble transactions among individuals, uncomplicated automated payments, and the utilization of a QR code for transactions involving purchases and services.

Those taking part in the pilot initiative will have the opportunity to employ digital rubles for payments at 30 retail establishments situated across 11 cities in Russia. The intention is to broaden the roster of pilot participants by the conclusion of 2023, encompassing the inclusion of both individuals and businesses.

Related: Bank of Russia reveals digital ruble’s logo and commission fees

In 2024, the array of transactions will be enhanced, featuring an additional payment scenario utilizing a dynamic QR code and facilitating transfers between legal entities. Furthermore, the scope of templates for uncomplicated automated payments will be extended.

The introduction of the digital ruble pilot had previously been postponed indefinitely due to the fact that its legislation had only advanced through the initial reading in the State Duma, which constitutes the lower chamber of the Federal Assembly. Nevertheless, Russia proceeded with the central bank digital currency initiative, as President Vladimir Putin enacted the digital ruble legislation on July 24th.

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CDC report underscores importance of Judge’s verdict in Ripple case

The CDC expressed satisfaction with the ruling, which aligned with their stance as articulated in their amicus brief supporting Ripple, marking an advocacy victory.

The Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC), an American advocacy organization, on August 1, unveiled a comprehensive "impact and analysis" report on the SEC's lawsuit against Ripple. The report scrutinizes the case's verdict, highlighting its profound implications for the crypto industry's future.

According to the CDC's evaluation, Judge Analisa Torres's ruling sets a vital precedent in digital currency. It distinguishes between an investment contract and the underlying asset, representing a groundbreaking development in crypto regulation.

The report examines Judge Torres's categorization of Ripple's XRP token distributions into three classes: institutional sales, programmatic sales and other distributions. She applied the 'Howey Test’ meticulously to determine if these distributions constituted an offer and sale of investment contracts.

Screenshot of the CDC Impact analysis report. Source: CDC Blog

The CDC expressed satisfaction with the ruling, which aligned with their stance as articulated in their amicus brief supporting Ripple, marking an advocacy victory. Perianne Boring, the CDC's founder and CEO, underscored the ruling's importance in establishing precedents for future legal encounters in the crypto industry.

Boring stressed the importance of a balanced playing field in the digital asset sector and the group's commitment to advocating policies supporting U.S. leadership in the digital economy. While Judge Torres' ruling was a step towards logical crypto regulations, the CDC firmly believes that definitive regulatory clarity can only come through effective legislation by Congress.

Related: Blockchain arms race risks being won by ‘adversarial nations’ — US crypto lobby group

The CDC acknowledges the introduction of multiple blockchain and digital asset regulatory bills in the House and Senate. However, they express uncertainty about the enactment of these bills, primarily due to constraints posed by the legislative calendar.

Despite the challenges, the CDC persists in advocating for a comprehensive legal framework for digital assets, creating a conducive environment for digital asset product launches. In February, the CDC accused the United States Securities and Exchange Commission of overstepping its authority and unfairly labeling crypto assets as securities, in its insider trading case against ex-Coinbase employees.

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No crypto plans for X: Elon Musk debunks scam token claims

Elon Musk addressed the issue of scam tokens falsely claiming connections to the social media platform.

Elon Musk has stated that his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has no plans to launch crypto tokens in response to a post regarding questionable X and Twitter-based digital currencies on Saturday, Aug. 5.

In response to a post by DogeDesigner, Musk addressed the issue of scam tokens like X (X) and TwitterDAO (TWITTER) falsely claiming connections to the social media platform. DogeDesigner had cautioned the crypto community about being cautious with articles related to scam tokens and clarified that neither Musk nor X had ever launched a crypto token. In his reply, Musk asserted, “And we never will.“

Previously, Musk had dropped hints about integrating cryptocurrency as a payment option on X. Traders were left wondering whether he would introduce a particular crypto token or stick with his favorite — Dogecoin (DOGE).

However, with the appointment of Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO, some doubts arose regarding the likelihood of a DOGE integration. Still, recent comments from Musk have revived optimistic sentiments among Dogecoin investors.

Musk recently announced his ambitious vision of transforming Twitter into an all-encompassing platform known as X, the so-called “everything app,“ officially rebranding Twitter to X in July.

Related: Agence France-Presse sues Elon Musk and X/Twitter over compensation for news

Following Musk’s confirmation that he has no intention of launching a crypto token, the price of Dogecoin experienced an increase of over 2% in a matter of hours, according to CoinMarketCap.

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