Crypto events turn to regulation and politics as US election looms

October 19, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Some executives at crypto and blockchain firms have suggested prioritizing US congressional races over the presidential election.

With less than a month until the people of the United States decide who will represent them in the House of Representatives, Senate, and the Presidency, some crypto events seem to be focused on regulation and politics.

Attending the Permissionless III conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Ripple Swell in Miami, Florida, in October, Cointelegraph noted that many panels included takes from high-level executives on their predictions for what would happen in the November race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump for the US presidency, and what the outcome could mean for the industry in 2025.

Whether the topics of discussion initially focused on regulation or included stablecoins or Bitcoin (BTC) mining, many participants suggested that digital assets had become more of a mainstream issue in US politics in 2024 in a way never before seen.

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Crypto Super PACs spend $1.3M on candidates as early voting continues

October 18, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Crypto Super PACs spend .3M on candidates as early voting continues

Coin Telegraph

The Fairshake and Defend American Jobs PACs reported media buys for GOP and Democratic candidates in the House of Representatives ahead of the elections.

With many areas of the United States already allowing residents to cast their ballots in the 2024 election, cryptocurrency-backed political action committees (PACs) have reported roughly $1.3 million worth of expenditures to support the campaigns of Democratic and Republican candidates for the House of Representatives.

In an Oct. 17 filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Fairshake PAC reported spending more than $900,000 in a media buy supporting Democratic Representative Thomas Suozzi for New York’s 3rd Congressional District. The same PAC disclosed it had spent more than $60,000 on a media buy for Democratic Representative Yadira Caraveo for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.

Source: FEC

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Montenegro halts Do Kwon’s extradition again ahead of appeal ruling

October 18, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Bitcoin

Do Kwon’s extradition has been delayed again, to the surprise of the Justice Ministry.

The Constitutional Court of Montenegro suspended the extradition of former Terraform Labs founder and CEO Do Kwon on Oct. 18, according to local press reports. A day earlier, the Montenegrin Justice Ministry had said a decision on Kwon’s extradition had been made and it promised to make the decision public on Oct. 20.

The decision on Kwon’s extradition, including Kwon’s destination, was entrusted to the Justice Ministry by the Supreme Court in September. Both the United States and South Korea have requested his extradition.

The Constitutional Court had not informed the ministry of the suspension of that judgment until the last minute, the ministry said, adding:

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Sen. Warren calls out Deaton’s ‘pro-bono work for crypto’ in 2nd debate

October 18, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

The Oct. 17 debate was likely the final time the two Senate candidates faced off before the November election.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren faced off against lawyer John Deaton in their second and final debate to discuss policies before the November election. The Senator attacked Deaton for his ties to the cryptocurrency industry in an apparent effort to appeal to voters.

In a debate streamed by New England Public Media and GBH News on Oct. 17, Senator Warren reiterated her earlier claims that cryptocurrency transactions were tied to “drug cartels” and “terrorists,” calling for rules of the road for the industry. The two candidates made different allegations over corruption, with Senator Warren calling out Deaton over his loyalty to crypto backers.

“80% of Mr. Deaton’s wealth is tied up in crypto, 90% of his funding from this campaign is coming from crypto, and 100% of his loyalty in Washington will be to crypto: that is corruption,” said Senator Warren.

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HUMBL issued US patent for blockchain payments technology

October 18, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain

The company’s CEO described getting a blockchain patent in the US as “a very challenging process.”

Blockchain firm HUMBL recently announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) formally issued a patent for the company’s blockchain technology.

The patent was issued on Oct. 15 for HUMBL’s nebulously titled “System and Method for Transferring Currency Using Blockchain.”

While this isn’t the first company to receive a US patent for blockchain-related technology, the time frame surrounding the patent’s approval and issuance highlights one of the regulatory difficulties faced by small businesses in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries.

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US lagging behind in global stablecoin adoption — Chainalysis

October 17, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Bitcoin

Growing demand for US dollar-backed stablecoins and regulatory uncertainty in the US are the key reasons for stablecoins thriving in other jurisdictions.

The United States has seen record Bitcoin activity since the launch of spot BTC exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, stablecoin adoption in the US has slowed in 2024 compared to global markets, according to an Oct. 17 report from Chainalysis.

US markets have recorded a significant shift in stablecoin activity this year, with the share of stablecoin transactions on US-regulated exchanges dropping from roughly 50% in 2023 to below 40% in 2024.

In contrast, the share of stablecoin transactions on non-US regulated platforms has surged since 2023, breaking 60% in 2024, according to Chainalysis’ latest report on crypto adoption trends in North America.

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Bipartisan support for crypto is ‘fragile’ — Congressman John Curtis

October 11, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

71 Democrats joined their Republican colleagues in a rare bipartisan effort to repeal the SEC’s SAB-121 guidelines from earlier this year.

Congressperson John Curtis, a United States representative for the state of Utah, took the stage at Permissionless III with Utah Senator Mike Lee to discuss the future of digital asset policy in the country.

When asked if the bipartisan cooperation on the repeal of Staff Accounting Bulletin-121 (SAB-121) — which made it incredibly restrictive for banks to custody crypto — was making a comeback, the member of Congress responded, “I think so, but it’s very fragile.” He continued:

“So, I think it’s important to find connection points with Democrats” to reach a consensus on regulatory policy, Curtis concluded, before noting that fellow lawmakers had trouble understanding the complexity of cryptocurrencies.

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Crypto.com sues SEC to ‘protect the future of crypto’ in US

October 8, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Crypto.com’s lawsuit against the US SEC follows the exchange’s receipt of a Wells notice from the agency.

Major cryptocurrency exchange and service provider Crypto.com is launching a legal battle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission with the goal of protecting the future of the crypto industry in the country.

Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, took to X on Oct. 8 to officially announce that the company has filed a suit against the US SEC.

“This unprecedented action by our company against a federal agency is a warranted response to the SEC’s regulation by enforcement regime, which has hurt more than 50 million American crypto holders,” he wrote.

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Crypto.com’s US exchange lists 4 memecoin derivatives

October 8, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Bonk

Traders can now hedge exposure to memecoins including PEPE and FLOKI.

Crypto.com’s North American derivatives exchange, Nadex, has listed derivatives contracts tied to memecoins including PEPE and FLOKI, according to Oct. 7 filings with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Nadex has also listed derivatives products tied to Dogelon Mars (ELON) and BONK, according to the filings.

The combined market capitalization of the four memecoins underlying Nadex’s contracts is nearly $7 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.

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Bitcoin decentralization is a matter of national security — Auradine CEO

October 4, 2024 Coin Telegraph

ASIC

According to CryptoQuant, the current Bitcoin network difficulty is 88.4 trillion — down from the 92 trillion recorded on Sept. 20, 2024.

Maximizing Bitcoin (BTC) decentralization throughout the entirety of the stack is a matter of national security, Rajiv Khemani, co-founder and CEO of mining chip manufacturer Auradine, told Cointelegraph.

The CEO explained that third-party firmware — which updates and changes over time — could theoretically be used to compromise the energy grid or launch a 51% attack on the Bitcoin network.

Auradine’s CEO outlined a potential situation where malicious code embedded within this firmware could shut down mining operations within a certain geography. This could cause a drop in hashrate and network difficulty, making a 51% attack easier to execute.

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