Classroom adoption of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency courses continue to skyrocket, with Texas A&M now being the latest U.S. College to offer a Bitcoin course to some of its 74,000+ students. The news was announced on Jan. 13 by Associate Professor Korok Ray of Mays Business School at Texas A&M, who will be teaching the “Bitcoin Protocol” course to students in the College of Engineering and Mays Business School when the Spring Semester starts on Jan. 17. I will be teaching the first ever Bitcoin class at Texas A&M this spring! — Korok Ray (@KorokRay) January 12, 2023 Ray stated in …

One of the main properties advanced in blockchain technology is interoperability, the art of different blockchains communicating with one another. Interoperability is crucial when it comes to exchanging data and assets such as nonfungible tokens (NFTs) or cryptocurrencies while enjoying the best of two or more platforms to save on fees, for example, or transact faster. The Avalanche blockchain is an interoperable, versatile platform and cryptocurrency network that addresses scalability, security and decentralization issues with a unique proof-of-stake (PoS) governance type. It was developed by Ava Labs, a New York-based research and development company, to launch decentralized finance (DeFi) and …

As the World Economic Forum brings global leaders together to tackle global issues, a number of cryptocurrency and blockchain events will create a vibrant sideshow in the snowy ski destination in the Swiss Alps. Cointelegraph will be on the ground to cover the World Economic Forum (WEF) as well as a host of blockchain-focused events taking place. Key members from global governments, businesses and civil society converge on the town annually for the WEF conference, but cryptocurrency and blockchain events are beginning to make their mark during the exclusive event. The official WEF agenda for 2023 has made provision for …

The liquidators of Alameda Research continue to encounter obstacles in their efforts to recover funds for creditors. Crypto analytics firm Arkham disclosed in a thread on Twitter that Alameda Research liquidators lost $72,000 worth of digital assets on the decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Aave while trying to consolidate funds into a single multi-sig wallet. Liquidators were attempting to close a borrow position on Aave, but instead removed extra collateral used for the position, putting the assets at risk of liquidation. Arkham reported that over nine days, the loan was liquidated twice for a total of 4.05 WBTC, which creditors …

Blockchain use cases have expanded far beyond cryptocurrency in the past years, with multiple industries embracing the technology in a wide range of fields, including healthcare, logistics, and financial services. The hype has many reasons behind it. Blockchains are decentralized, transparent, and increase the capacity of a whole network, opening a window for solutions that require significant computational power. More importantly, it gives users the capacity to control their assets, including their data, without relying on third parties. As blockchain evolves, companies across the world are working to find the best ways to implement the technology on a range of …

In many countries, millions of people clack basic equitable access to the financial services that would allow them to meet their daily needs. On this week’s episode of NFT Steez, hosts Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond meet with Mashiat Mutmainnah to discuss how regenerative finance (ReFi) can provide more accessibility and inclusivity to blockchain technology. Mutmainnah explained that as a “mission-driven movement,” ReFi enables users to redefine their relationship with the current financial system and their relationship with finance and wealth. What if there were newer models that could sustainably alleviate this? According to Mutmainnah, ReFi can redefine what money …

Talk of decentralized social media platforms continue to gain significant traction, with users becoming increasingly concerned with the centralized nature of traditional platforms and the potential for censorship. Even the former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey has publicly pushed for a decentralized Twitter alternative. Cointelegraph interviewed Rick Porter, the CEO of decentralized social media start-up DSVR, about the potential these platforms have to change the way users interact and share information online. Porter said that decentralized social media platforms provide, “the potential for users to own their content, their data, and make decisions about its monetization.” Porter also believes that …

The Singapore-based troubled crypto lender is looking at a possible liquidation as the firm's creditors have rejected the proposed restructuring plan and are seeking liquidation of the platform’s assets. The group of creditors rejected a restructuring plan offer that allowed the current directors to look over the operations of the firm during the restructuring phase. However, a Jan. 12 hearing rejected an application to remove the interim judicial managers, reported Bloomberg. The creditors believe restructuring plans are of no help, and it is in their best interest to wind down and liquidate the remaining assets of the firm. Algorand Foundation, …

The music industry has not shied away from its keenness on adopting Web3 solutions. From nonfungible tokens (NFTs) helping artists connect with their communities to blockchain being used for various use cases including event ticketing. Another relevant implementation of the technology to be considered by industry insiders is how Web3 tools can help artists and companies manage music metadata. Cointelegraph spoke with Con Raso, the managing director of B2B music streaming technology provider Tuned Global, to better understand this use case. In the current Web2 music industry, numerous organizations are dedicated to the management of music metadata, along with its …

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood believes that digital wallets and blockchain tech were among “game-changing innovations” that the equity markets largely ignored in 2022. In a Jan. 12 blog post on the ARK Invest website, Wood suggested that the equity market faced a “wall of worry” in 2022, caused by fears of entrenched inflation and higher interest rates, and largely ignored a number of innovative technologies. Wood highlighted that digital wallets are “replacing cash and credit cards,” noting that they overtook cash as the top transaction method for offline commerce in 2020. Further arguing that digital wallets should not be …

Input Output Global (IOG) — the team behind the Cardano ecosystem — will release a software toolkit in late Jan. 2023 that will enable developers to deploy custom-built sidechains on Cardano aimed at improving the ecosystem. The news was announced by IOHK — a blockchain engineering company founded by Charles Hoskinson and now known as IOG — on Jan.12, which also attached the official technical documentation for the sidechain toolkit. ⛓️ The #Cardano sidechain toolkit was previewed at #IOScotFest, and we’re happy to share the first iteration is out now. Here’s the lowdown on this exciting new project! https://t.co/Ny9tQuJh5K — …

Crypto investors have been urged to keep their eyes peeled for "deepfake" crypto scams to come, with the digital-doppelganger technology continuing to advance, making it harder for viewers to separate fact from fiction. David Schwed, the COO of blockchain security firm Halborn told Cointelegraph that the crypto industry is more “susceptible” to deepfakes than ever because “time is of the essence in making decisions” which results in less time to verify the veracity of a video. Deepfakes use deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) to create highly realistic digital content by manipulating and altering original media, such as swapping faces in …