Category: Investment

  • Coinbase Wallet Now Supports Solana Ecosystem

    Coinbase Wallet Now Supports Solana Ecosystem

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    Coinbase, a US-listed  cryptocurrency exchange  , has announced on Thursday that it added support for Solana on an initial phase. That said, users can now handle their Solana (SOL), and Solana tokens (SPL) alongside their tokens held on all of Wallet extension’s supported networks.

    “Today’s update makes it easier to keep track of all your crypto across an ever-growing range of supported networks, without the need to manage multiple wallet apps. However, this launch is just the beginning — Coinbase Wallet plans to further integrate with the Solana ecosystem, including the ability for users to connect to Solana dapps, and the ability to view and manage their Solana NFTs directly within their Coinbase Wallet extension,” Coinbase noted in a statement published via its website.

    Coinbase Wallet’s extension has support for other networks like Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, BNB Chain, among others. With the new support of Solana, the US-listed firm aims to unlock more of Web3 ‘without needing to manage multiple wallets.’

    Solana Blockchain in Figures

    It has been reported that over the past year, the  blockchain  Solana has been growing the fastest, with a total locked value of over $7.35B and over 1,400 projects launched covering DeFi, NFTs, and Web3.

    Until now, those interested in exploring the Solana ecosystem or holding SOL and SPL tokens had to create yet another crypto wallet, manage an additional app or browser extension, and keep track of their assets across multiple platforms. From now on, users of the Coinbase Wallet extension can store, send, and receive SOL and all of its SPL tokens.

    “We want to empower millions of people to seamlessly participate in the exciting world of dapps and the larger crypto ecosystem. With its low fees and fast transaction times, Solana makes the world of crypto accessible to even more people and is a great introduction to web3,” Adam Zadikoff, Senior Product Manager at Coinbase, pointed out.

    Coinbase, a US-listed  cryptocurrency exchange  , has announced on Thursday that it added support for Solana on an initial phase. That said, users can now handle their Solana (SOL), and Solana tokens (SPL) alongside their tokens held on all of Wallet extension’s supported networks.

    “Today’s update makes it easier to keep track of all your crypto across an ever-growing range of supported networks, without the need to manage multiple wallet apps. However, this launch is just the beginning — Coinbase Wallet plans to further integrate with the Solana ecosystem, including the ability for users to connect to Solana dapps, and the ability to view and manage their Solana NFTs directly within their Coinbase Wallet extension,” Coinbase noted in a statement published via its website.

    Coinbase Wallet’s extension has support for other networks like Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, BNB Chain, among others. With the new support of Solana, the US-listed firm aims to unlock more of Web3 ‘without needing to manage multiple wallets.’

    Solana Blockchain in Figures

    It has been reported that over the past year, the  blockchain  Solana has been growing the fastest, with a total locked value of over $7.35B and over 1,400 projects launched covering DeFi, NFTs, and Web3.

    Until now, those interested in exploring the Solana ecosystem or holding SOL and SPL tokens had to create yet another crypto wallet, manage an additional app or browser extension, and keep track of their assets across multiple platforms. From now on, users of the Coinbase Wallet extension can store, send, and receive SOL and all of its SPL tokens.

    “We want to empower millions of people to seamlessly participate in the exciting world of dapps and the larger crypto ecosystem. With its low fees and fast transaction times, Solana makes the world of crypto accessible to even more people and is a great introduction to web3,” Adam Zadikoff, Senior Product Manager at Coinbase, pointed out.

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  • Coinbase Wallet introduces support for the Solana ecosystem | by Coinbase | Mar, 2022

    Coinbase Wallet introduces support for the Solana ecosystem | by Coinbase | Mar, 2022

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  • Fountain Launches Liquidity Mining Program, Attracts $15 Million TVL in 24 hrs | by Bit Media Buzz | Mar, 2022

    Fountain Launches Liquidity Mining Program, Attracts $15 Million TVL in 24 hrs | by Bit Media Buzz | Mar, 2022

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  • Crypto’s emergence as a geopolitical force | by Coinbase | Mar, 2022

    Crypto’s emergence as a geopolitical force | by Coinbase | Mar, 2022

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    Around the Block from Coinbase Ventures sheds light on key trends in crypto. Written by Connor Dempsey

    There’s a gravitational shift taking place within our industry. Since Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine, crypto has been:

    • used to crowdfund tens of millions for the Ukrainian defense
    • incorrectly speculated as a viable avenue for the Russian government to evade sanctions
    • the focus of a historic Executive Order put forward by the Biden administration

    At this point, one thing is clear: this technology is a major emerging force in the geopolitical landscape. In this edition of Around The Block, we examine crypto in a geopolitical context, along with the difficult questions the world is asking.

    An email address for money

    In the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, crypto’s power for coordinating economic activity was put on full display once the official Ukrainian twitter account tweeted out a plea for aid, accompanied with two long strings of letters and digits.

    These long strings of characters were the Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses of the Ukrainian government, and the tweet represents the first time a nation state has ever sought aid directly in crypto. At a time when the Ukrainian government and banking sites were being flooded with DDoS (denial of service) attacks, and crowdfunding platforms were deplatforming organizations raising aid for Ukraine, the utility of permissionless, borderless networks for sending money was vividly illustrated.

    At this time of writing, the Ukrainian government has collected over $50M in Bitcoin, ETH, ERC-20 stablecoins, and in other assets like DOT, DAI, and even Dogecoin.

    The Ukrainian government has said that it has been using the funds to buy military supplies including bullet-proof vests, drones, gasoline, and night vision goggles. What’s more interesting is that 40% of suppliers have accepted payment in crypto.

    Many have pointed out the oddity of private citizens from around the world essentially crowdfunding a war effort. Yet another sign of just how unprecedented all of this is.

    NFTs enter the fold

    Fungible crypto assets weren’t the only donations to pour into the Ukrainian government’s crypto wallet. NFT enthusiasts also answered the call, donating over 200 pieces of digital art work and even ENS addresses. Most notably, a rare CryptoPunk worth an estimated $200,000 was donated.

    What’s interesting is that since the ownership provenance of the CryptoPunk will forever be associated with the defense of Ukraine, this added historical significance could raise its value over the long term.

    The NFT aid didn’t stop there, as they were also combined with another crypto primitive to support the defense of Ukraine: DAOs.

    UkraineDAO

    Decentralized autonomous organizations were cast into the limelight last year after ConstitutionDAO crowdsourced $40M in under a week in a bid to buy one of the original copies of the US Constitution. While the bid ultimately failed, it underscored the power that these software enabled organizations have for coordinating economic activity at the speed of the internet.

    After a Ukrainian NGO (non-government organization) supporting the war effort called Come Back Alive was de-platformed from crowdfunding platform Patreon for supporting military activity, they also turned to crypto. Shortly thereafter, UkraineDAO was created to help support this NGO.

    The DAO minted a 1:1 NFT of the Ukrainian flag and put it up on PartyBid, which allows groups to pool funds to buy NFTs. In essence, the DAO created its own NFT, crowdsourced as much money as they could to buy it from themselves and then donated the proceeds to Come Back Alive. All told, they raised $6.7M. They also distributed commemorative “valueless” tokens called LOVE to those who donated.

    Crypto on the main stage

    Between the Ukrainian government and various NGOs, over $80M and counting in aid has been raised. While in the grand scheme of things this amount is a nominal sum not likely to turn the tides of war, it’s also far from insignificant. The sum represents over 20% of the $350M pledged by the Biden administration and is a powerful display of the promise that decentralized, borderless money holds.

    Slowmist, where we’re pulling this data, also noted that when you factor in other organizations and cryptocurrencies they’re not tracking, the full figure is likely over $100M. The Giving Block, for example, raised over $2.3M in crypto donations for over 20 non-profits supporting Ukrainian relief.

    Beyond support of the Ukrainian government and organizations, crypto has also proven useful for individual Ukrainians affected by the crisis. One Ukrainian who fled to Kazakhstan reported that he lost access to his savings and that his credit cards were no longer functioning, leaving crypto as his only financial life raft: yet another example of the utility of permissionless finance.

    At their core, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the like are neutral technologies that anyone with an internet connection can use. While we celebrate the use of these neutral technologies to help a nation defend itself against a foreign invader and as a lifeline for refugees, it also begs the question: what about their use by those on the other side of the conflict? Principally, the Russian government.

    The burning question

    Western governments responded to Russian aggression with unprecedented sanctions against the Russian government. This coincided with widespread narratives surrounding the potential for cryptocurrencies to be used to circumvent those very sanctions.

    Before we examine the fact or fiction behind these claims, it helps to understand what these sanctions entail.

    Russian sanctions

    Since Russia invaded Ukraine, governments around the world, including the U.S., have imposed sanctions targeting the Central Bank of Russia, major Russian commercial banks and companies, Vladimir Putin, Russian elites, among others. In aggregate, these sanctions cut targeted individuals and entities off from international banking and in many instances, freezes their assets.

    Among the most substantial sanctions imposed was kicking major Russian banks out of SWIFT, which is the financial network used by over 11,000 banks and institutions to move trillions of dollars across borders. This severely limits Russia’s ability to receive payments for oil and gas: their main export. For context, when Iranian banks were banned from SWIFT in 2012, and sanctions were imposed on Iranian oil purchasers, Iran lost nearly half of its oil export revenue and 30% of its foreign trade.

    The most drastic sanction is from the US, UK, and EU banning transactions with the Russian Central Bank. The Russian Central Bank holds roughly $630B in the form of the world’s major reserve currencies — the dollar, euro, pound, yuan — as well as 2,300 tons of gold. With this sanction, Russia suddenly has no one to sell its reserves to, rendering its entire stockpile useless.

    Is crypto their answer?

    We’ve seen public speculation on how crypto could be used to evade those sanctions. However, that speculation has been unfounded as the crypto market is simply not large enough to help Russia meaningfully circumvent them.

    Consider the Russian Central Bank’s $630B in immobilized assets. That’s 80% of Bitcoin’s market cap and larger than the rest of the crypto market put together. Converting that much fiat into crypto would take 5–10x the total daily traded volume of all digital assets, so the liquidity just isn’t there.

    Additionally, as our Chief Legal Officer previously pointed out, trying to obscure large transactions using open and transparent crypto technology would be far more difficult than other established methods (e.g., using fiat, art, gold, or other assets).

    The Biden Executive Order

    As crypto played a significant role in the defense of Ukraine, it was also cast into the fore of the American political system. Late last week, the Biden Administration published its long awaited Executive Order on digital asset regulation.

    The Executive Order simply directed federal agencies to study the benefits and risks of digital assets, as opposed to putting any immediate legislation into action. On one hand, many were pleasantly surprised with the optimistic tone of the EO, as it acknowledged crypto and Web3 technologies as critical for the future of U.S. national economic competitiveness. On the other, the report focused more on the potential risks of crypto rather than its societal benefits.

    The EO calls on a total of 23 federal government agencies, organizations, and White House Offices to assemble huge reports on the risks stemming from crypto. This outsized focus on risk, when compared to past EOs, has caused some people to worry that the Biden Administration doesn’t fully recognize the power and potential of digital assets, even as that power is being plainly demonstrated on the world stage.

    While the EO may have felt like a milestone, it is ultimately the start of a long road ahead. One in which the whole of the US government will finally seek to fully understand the importance of this technology. It is critical that the government fully explores not only the risks, but also the benefits that digital assets bring, with enough transparency to allow the public to weigh-in on a federal approach to regulation.

    Ultimately, this presents a tremendous opportunity for the industry to engage with regulators about how to best embrace the transformational nature of crypto and Web3 technologies.

    Closing thought

    To sum it all up, regardless of how you feel about crypto’s application in funding a war effort or the increased attention it’s receiving from the most powerful government in the world, it’s apparent that we’ve entered uncharted territory: this next phase of crypto adoption will look drastically different from the last.

    ATB Podcast: Crypto’s Role in the Ukraine Crisis with Elliptic’s Dr. Tom Robinson



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  • Former Facebook Employees Get $200 Million To Create Blockchain System For Aptos

    Former Facebook Employees Get $200 Million To Create Blockchain System For Aptos

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    This year, Silvergate Capital paid $182 million for Diem’s technology assets, bringing an end to Facebook’s plan to build a crypto payments network.

    The deal underscores how the social network giant, now Meta, has just a limited number of regulatory-approved options for becoming a prominent player in the blockchain space.

    These well-known investors participated in a strategic investing round, which was led by investors including Tiger Global, Multicoin Capital, Katie Haun and Coinbase Ventures.

    Blockchain System For Aptos

    Aptos, a project founded by ex-Facebook employees who just left the firm in December, has already received unicorn money from Andreessen Horowitz and other prominent web3 investors.

    Aptos Chief Executive Officer Mo Shaikh said in a recent blog post:

    “We are the founders, researchers, designers, and builders of Diem, the first blockchain developed for this purpose… while the rest of the world never saw what we produced, our job is far from done.”

    Aptos has disclosed that it has raised $200 million in capital from Tiger Global, Katie Haun, Multicoin Capital, 3 Arrows Capital, FTX Ventures, and Coinbase Ventures to pursue its goal of establishing a blockchain scalability system.

    Another prominent first-round investor is Silvergate Capital, while the Aptos team assures that they will not license or use any of Silvergate’s Diem IP as they develop their blockchain.

    Related Article | Gloomy Crypto Future? Book Author Warns We’re In The Biggest Bubble In History

    Crypto total market cap at $1.78 trillion on the daily chart | Source: TradingView.com

    No Direct Link With Facebook

    However, some in the crypto industry are skeptical of implementing Facebook’s web3 vision, even though Diem proponents like Andreessen Horowitz may rally behind a group aiming to take up the effort.

    “To be clear, we have no official connection with Facebook and no funding from them,” Shaikh said.

    As a result, Aptos sees another challenge in recruiting developers. Move, an open-source programming language developed by Meta, is being used to lure new developers to the company.

    The Aptos Devnet

    Instead of building on top of existing decentralized networks like Ethereum or Solana, Aptos will create its own decentralized network from the ground up.

    Additionally, Aptos launched its “devnet,” which will allow developers to explore and build on the Aptos blockchain before its public release, which the company expects to take place in the third quarter this year.

    The fundamental objective of Aptos is to develop a blockchain that is more scalable, faster, and has cheaper transaction fees than the current major networks.

    Customers that are interested in embracing blockchain technology should expect a more stable and dependable network from the project’s developers.

    Related Article | Abra CEO Predicts Ethereum Could Reach $40,000 – But Some Fintech Analysts Don’t Agree

    Featured image from SiliconANGLE, chart from TradingView.com

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  • Congress members concerned SEC stifling innovation with crypto scrutiny

    Congress members concerned SEC stifling innovation with crypto scrutiny

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    In a bipartisan letter put forward by Republican Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer, a cohort of Congress members has written to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler, challenging the regulator’s scrutiny of cryptocurrency firms and expressing concern that “overburdensome” investigation may be suffocating the crypto industry. 

    They suggest the SEC is drowning companies in paperwork in contravention of the SEC’s stated aims and mandated jurisdiction.

    Emmer tweeted to his 51,000 followers:

    “My office has received numerous tips from crypto and blockchain firms that SEC Chair @GaryGensler’s information reporting ‘requests’ to the crypto community are overburdensome, don’t feel particularly… voluntary… and are stifling innovation.”

    In the letter, which was co-signed by four Democrats and three Republicans, all of whom are members of the bipartisan Congressional Blockchain Caucus, Emmer asserts that the Gary Gensler-led SEC is abusing its investigative powers and overburdening crypto firms — claiming that the regulator has been using the Division of Enforcement and Division of Examination authorities to unfairly bog down crypto and blockchain companies in excessive paperwork.

    The legislators believe the regulator has been misusing these divisions and pointed out limitations in the SEC’s mandated jurisdiction,

    “It appears there has been a recent trend towards employing the Enforcement Division’s investigative functions to gather information from unregulated cryptocurrency and blockchain industry participants in a manner inconsistent with the Commission’s standards for initiating investigations.”

    The Congress members believe the SEC could be violating the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1980, which regulates the volume of paperwork that any individual or private entity needs to provide to a federal agency.

    Managing Partner at emerging technologies legal firm Brookwood, Collins Belton lauded Emmer’s work on Twitter, saying that the requests in the letter “will not paint the commission in a good light.”

    Belton also shared that he was “really glad” the issues raised by Emmer and the other Congress members were coming to light, as legal privilege had made it difficult for him to express concerns about the SEC publicly.

    “I haven’t been able to discuss much in public as much as I would like to due to privilege issues, but with answers to some of these, I think the public will see just how absurdly broad some of these requests have been.”

    Related: Motions denied for both SEC and Ripple as battle continues

    Emmer has been a staunch defender of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in the past, introducing the Security Clarity Act in Jul. 2021, which aimed to provide a clear legal definition for digital assets. Emmer hopes that the bill will allow blockchain entrepreneurs to distribute their assets without fear of any additional regulatory burdens, after meeting the requirements set out in the bill. The bill is still in its introduction phase and is yet to pass through the House of Representatives.