With the rising interest in digital assets from institutional and retail investors, custody options have also experienced parallel growth. As a result, different kinds of custody choices have evolved as the market changes, and new providers are working to establish the structures and controls that are most effective for particular markets and offerings. Self-custody, exchange wallets and third-party custodians are the various choices available for users to safeguard their cryptocurrencies. Custodians in the world of digital assets function similarly to traditional financial markets in that their primary duty is to take care of and protect their clients’ assets by holding …

According to a new Medium post published on Dec. 26, decentralized finance (DeFi) architect Andre Cronje reaffirmed goals and priorities for the Fantom (FTM) ecosystem in 2023. Cronje, who previously created protocols such as Yearn Finance and Keep3rV1, also revealed that he accepted a position as a board of directors member for both Fantom Foundation Ltd and Fantom Operations Ltd, which in turn oversees the namesake directed acrylic graph ecosystem. "Our overarching objective over the next 12 months will be towards creating an environment for dapp developers to build out sustainable businesses, while differentiating ourselves from other layer 1 solutions." …

On Dec. 26, blockchain security firm CertiK issued a warning alleging that Defrost Finance, a decentralized leveraged trading platform on the Avalanche Blockchain, is an "Exit Scam." In supporting the decision, CertiK wrote: "On 24 December we have seen an #exitscam on @Defrost_Finance. We have attempted to contact multiple members of the team but have had no response. The team are not KYC'd but we are using all the information that we do have to assist with authorities." The prior day, Defrost Finance suffered a flash loan attack that drained protocol users of $12 million in assets. Immediately after the …

Major cryptocurrency mining pool BTC.com has suffered a cyberattack resulting in a significant loss of funds by the company and its customers. BTC.com experienced a cyberattack on Dec. 3, with attackers stealing around $700,000 in client assets and $2.3 million in the company’s assets, the mining pool’s parent firm BIT Mining Limited officially announced on Dec. 26. BIT Mining and BTC.com reported the cyberattack to law enforcement authorities in Shenzhen, China. The local authorities subsequently launched an investigation into the incident, starting collecting evidence and requesting assistance from relevant agencies in China. The local coordination has already helped BTC.com recover …

Traders looking forward to a rally during Christmas were disappointed as the markets turned out to be steady as many celebrated the holidays. Crypto community members expressed their disappointment by sharing memes, with some even employing their creativity through poetry. On Dec. 23, Data tracker Coinstats shared an image showing positive market movements and floating the idea of a potential “Santa Claus rally.” Is that the beginning of the Santa Claus Rally? pic.twitter.com/zf1WDNaGpm — CoinStats (@CoinStats) December 23, 2022 However, with Bitcoin’s volatility index hitting record lows on Dec. 25, any thoughts of having a merry BTC rally on Christmas …

Japanese regulators are reconsidering some major cryptocurrency restrictions related to the use of stablecoins like Tether (USDT) or USD Coin (USDC). The Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan will lift the ban on the domestic distribution of foreign-issued stablecoins in 2023, local news agency Nikkei reported on Dec. 26. The new stablecoin regulations in Japan will allow local exchanges to handle stablecoin trading under condition of asset preservation by deposits and an upper limit of remittance. “If payment using stablecoins spreads, international remittances may become faster and cheaper,” the report notes. Allowing stablecoin distribution in Japan will also require more …

The collapse of FTX is being viewed as a cautionary tale and a precursor for more prudent regulation by public and private sector players in the United Kingdom. Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe made headlines ahead of the Christmas weekend in an interview with Sky News, outlining his belief that greater protection needs to be afforded to investors in the U.K. looking to gain exposure to cryptocurrency markets. Cunliffe stressed that prospective cryptocurrency users and investors should have a structure to invest in the asset class that ensures similar consumer protection and integrity to conventional financial markets. …

Hackers linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group are reportedly behind a massive phishing campaign targeting non-fungible token (NFT) investors — utilizing nearly 500 phishing domains to dupe victims. Blockchain security firm SlowMist released a report on Dec. 24, revealing the tactics that North Korean Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups have used to part NFT investors from their NFTs, including decoy websites disguised as a variety of NFT-related platforms and projects. Examples of these fake websites include a site pretending to be a project associated with the World Cup, as well as sites that impersonate well-known NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea, …

2022 saw the continued rise of disruptive blockchain-centric concepts such as decentralized finance, GameFi, nonfungible tokens and Web3. Notably, some of the related projects that thrived in 2022 were headed by women, which is a good indicator of progress in an otherwise male-dominated sector. The increased involvement of women in the cryptocurrency field signals growing inclusivity and maturation of the sector, which encourages diversity and the embrace of ideas that resonate more with underrepresented subsets of the population. That said, a group of eminent women reached unprecedented levels of accomplishment in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries in 2022 due to …

2022 will surely be remembered as a year of crypto discontent — one when the price of Bitcoin crashed three times, many large companies went bankrupt and the industry experienced a series of significant lay-offs. However, it was a crucial year for crypto regulation worldwide. Although some regulatory developments are worrisome in terms of their tighter stance on digital assets, their effect could help the industry to mature in the long run. Looking at the significant regulatory events of 2022 might fuel one’s optimism for the future. The controversial policy to restrict proof-of-work (PoW) mining was supported in New York, …

The bear market and the wave of bankruptcies in the crypto industry drained $116 billion from the pockets of founders and investors in the past nine months, according to recent estimates by Forbes. The loss represents the combined personal equity of 17 people in the space, with over 15 losing more than half of their fortunes since March. As a result, 10 names were removed from the crypto billionaires list. One of the major losses was attributed to Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao. In March, his 70% stake in the crypto exchange was valued at $65 billion, but it is …

After a lackluster rise of crypto in 2021, which saw many new crypto millionaires and several crypto startups attain unicorn status, came the dramatic fall in 2022. The industry was plagued by macroeconomic pressures, scandals and meltdowns that wiped out fortunes virtually overnight. As 2022 comes to a close, many crypto proponents are perplexed about the state of the industry, especially in light of the recent FTX collapse and the contagion it has caused, taking down several firms associated with it. Many who couldn’t stop talking about crypto and recommending their family to invest in it last year at Christmas …