Risk assets have started the new year on a strong note. The S&P 500 (SPX) and the Nasdaq closed in the positive for the second successive week and also notched their best weekly performance since November. Bitcoin (BTC) led the recovery in the crypto markets with a sharp 21% rally last week. That sent the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index into the neutral territory of 52 on Jan. 15, its highest since April 5, 2022. However, the index has given back its gains and is again back into the Fear zone on Jan. 17. The strong rally in Bitcoin has …

Masa Finance has launched the first soulbound identity protocol for the Ethereum mainnet, according to a Jan. 17 press release shared with Cointelegraph. The protocol will allow for standardized soulbound tokens to be minted on Ethereum for Know Your Customer verification, credit scores and other use cases. Soulbound tokens are tokens that cannot be transferred from one wallet to another. The concept was popularized via a blog post from Vitalik Buterin, who argued that these tokens could be used to signify governance rights for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols or to prove that a person has attended an event. Speaking to …

In a candid interview with Cointelegraph at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Anthony Scaramucci, cofounder of SkyBridge Capital, lambasted Sam Bankman-Fried and shed light on his crypto portfolio. Scaramucci trusted the former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) of FTX, which imploded in late 2021. Scaramucci said in a panel preceding the interview that the “Ninth circle of hell” is reserved for SBF. He added further color to the comments in discussion with Cointelegraph: “I actually thought he was the Mark Zuckerberg of crypto. I didn't realize he was the Bernie Madoff. And that's something I have to own. And so …

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand is working to better protect cryptocurrency investors by introducing new rules for crypto custody services. Thai SEC on Jan. 17 issued regulations requiring virtual asset service providers (VASP) to establish a digital wallet management system to guarantee efficient custody. The new rules target crypto custodians, or VASPs that provide crypto storage services. The regulations include three major requirements, including provision of policy and guidelines for overseeing risk management of digital wallets and private keys. The rules require VASPs to communicate with regulators regarding such policies and provide action plans to ensure compliance. …

Mike McGlone, Bloomberg's senior commodity strategist believes Bitcoin (BTC) could be developing a "bottom" in the same way it did prior to 2019's bull run but said there is a major difference this time around. During a Jan. 16 interview with crypto podcaster Scott Melker, McGlone argued unlike in 2018 when financial institutions such as the Federal Reserve were easing interest rates, this time they’re still tightening along with "every central bank." "Back then the Fed already started easing and we held the bottom and broke out higher and then we had that issue in 2019," he said. "Right now …

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and decentralized finance (DeFi) are redefining how charities raise donations and distribute funds to those most in need. Through ever-evolving crypto and blockchain-related technology, crypto philanthropists told Cointelegraph that they've witnessed “new wealth distribution mechanisms" never seen before. “Philanthropy has traditionally been seen as a high-cost-of-entry, individualistic activity but with web3, collective decision-making bodies like DAOs can use tools that streamline financial coordination and encourage more participation,” explained Omar Antila, Product Lead at Crypto for Charity. “Crypto enables new innovative fundraising strategies, like charitable NFT-drop campaigns, or allowing people to pool their crypto …

The liquidators of Alameda Research have reportedly incurred at least $11.5 million in losses since taking control of Alameda's trading accounts. On Jan. 16, a Twitter thread from Arkham Intelligence reported that one wallet under the control of liquidators has seen a string of "significant losses" due to liquidations, some of which were "preventable losses." Over the past two weeks being under Liquidator control, the account incurred significant losses: Largest single liquidation: $4.85M Total liquidated amount: $11.5M Preventable losses: $4M+ — Arkham (@ArkhamIntel) January 16, 2023 As one example, Arkham noted that the account ending 0x997 initially had a short …

Amid mounting criticism on social media, crypto investment firm CoinFLEX has attempted to clarify its plans to build a new crypto exchange with Three Arrows Capital (3AC). A leaked pitch deck on Jan. 16 revealed it was collaborating with the now-bankrupt hedge fund to build a proposed crypto exchange called "GTX" — which would focus on the trading of claims against bankrupt firms. In a blog post published shortly after, CoinFLEX went on to "clarify misconceptions about the leaked materials concerning the proposed 'GTX' Exchange." Firstly, CoinFLEX said it won't actually be using the "GTX" name as detailed in the …

2022 was a huge year for the play-to-earn (P2E) gaming scene. An influx of capital and users was followed by a sharp downturn in blockchain game token prices and a decrease in players — and the market is still reeling. And, with fallout from the FTX disaster reaching into every corner of the industry, play-to-earn’s prospects seem bleak on the surface. But peeking under the hood, the numbers tell a different story: Strong funding this year has set the stage for serious “buidling” in 2023. A consistent flow of strong raises for Web3 gaming studios has been silently infusing the …

Digital assets will largely decouple from traditional equity markets in 2023, says Chief Investment Officer at Arca, Jeff Dorman. Discussing his outlook for 2023 in a recent interview with Cointelegraph, Dorman argues that as the global economy enters a recession this year, equities will be negatively affected while some crypto tokens will perform well: the value of the latter, he explained, is determined not only by macroeconomic factors but also by their utility within the respective ecosystems, which would remain unaltered in a recession. “You're going to see a lot of stocks get punished under the weight of restructurings and …

Amid the crisis of centralized cryptocurrency exchanges (CEX), crypto exchange Binance is moving to improve its institutional trading services with cold custody opportunities. Binance announced on Jan. 16 the official launch of Binance Mirror, an off-exchange settlement solution that enables institutional investors to invest and trade using cold custody. The newly launched Mirror service is based on Binance Custody, a regulated institutional digital asset custodian, by mirroring cold storage assets through a 1:1 collateral on Binance account. Binance emphasized that the new solution enables more security, allowing traders to access the exchange ecosystem without having to post collateral directly on …

Central banks worldwide are pushing forward with digital asset projects despite the various crypto industry implosions over the past 12 months. China has rolled out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) to several cities, and it was available for use at the Winter Olympics. Many other central banks, including the Bank of England, are considering how to roll out a CDBC, while Nigeria’s CBDC has had poor uptake so far. India has already launched a pilot scheme, while Mexico has confirmed the launch of a digital peso. However, Tony Yates, Financial Times writer and former senior advisor to the Bank …