The average crypto investor probably isn’t planning on dying of old age anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a plan in place to pass on their crypto in the event they meet an unlikely demise, lawyers warn. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Dubai-based crypto lawyer Irina Heaver believes that “billions” worth of Bitcoin (BTC) has been lost due to a lack of proper death-related planning by hodlers. She noted that many families have been unable to access their loved one’s crypto assets due to private keys being taken to the grave, and emphasized the importance of discussing crypto assets …

Arguably the most popular blockchain amongst developers building decentralized applications (dApps), the Ethereum Network is credited with introducing the Web3 community to innovations like smart contracts while maintaining robust security standards. However, in order to solve Ethereum’s scalability issue, a new type of Layer-2 (L2) blockchain was introduced that relies on the Ethereum Mainnet (Layer-1) for its security but processes transactions on separate third-party networks in order to increase throughput speeds. EVM compatibility for higher transaction speeds Importantly, developers had to ensure that these L2 blockchains were compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), a run-time environment where Ethereum’s application …

Flare, a new layer-1 Ethereum Virtual Machine blockchain platform, has gone live with the launch of two core protocols aimed at powering decentralized interoperability applications. The platform serves as an oracle network that allows developers to build applications that are aimed at being interoperable with different blockchains and internet platforms and services. Flare features two protocols that power its application-building suite. Its State Connector protocol enables information and data to be used securely and at scale from various blockchains and internet sources with the use of smart contracts. The functionality is touted to offer powerful data to the network and …

Investors across asset classes have been keeping a close watch on the United States Federal Reserve’s monetary policy because that sets the stage for a risk-on or a risk-off environment. The strong rally in the U.S. stock markets on Jan. 6 and in cryptocurrencies over the weekend suggests that market observers anticipate the Fed to slow down its frantic pace of rate hikes. The optimism was fuelled by the greater-than-expected slowdown in wage gains in the December jobs report and the first contraction in U.S. services industry activity since May 2020. The next trigger that may influence the markets could …

Ethereum's native token, Ether (ETH), rose to three-week highs, rallying in lockstep with the broader cryptocurrency market, as well as stocks. ETH price rises to three-week highs On Jan. 9, the ETH's price rose 2.85% to cross above $1,325 for the first time in three weeks, a key level that could pave the token's path toward $1,350 next if its previous price performance is any indication. The crypto market's capitalization gained 2.66%, or $21.18 billion, in the same period. Cooling inflation boosts Ethereum price Investors are rushing into riskier markets on signs of cooling inflation. Notably, on Jan. 6, the …

The crypto market witnessed the DeFi summer of 2020, where decentralized finance applications like Compound and Uniswap turned Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) into yield-bearing assets via yield farming and liquidity mining rewards. The price of Ether nearly doubled to $490 as the total liquidity across DeFi protocols quickly surged to $10 billion. Toward the end of 2020 and early 2021, the COVID-19-induced quantitative easing across global markets was in full effect, causing a mega-bull run that lasted almost a year. During this time, Ether’s price increased nearly ten times to a peak above $4,800. After the euphoric bullish phase …

The cryptocurrency ecosystem underwent a turbulent year in 2022. Criticism inside and outside of the crypto industry was fueled following the collapse of FTX, Celsius, Three Arrows Capital and the Terra ecosystem. A number of losses have been recorded from these events. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis released a report in December of last year, which noted that the depegging of Terra’s stablecoin, Terra USD Classic (USTC), saw weekly-realized losses peak at $20.5 billion. Findings further show that the subsequent collapse of Three Arrows Capital and Celsius in June 2022 saw weekly-realized losses reach $33 billion. While these events may have …

Sovereign identity has been a hot topic in blockchain and cryptocurrency, especially with the rise of the creator economy. Currently, there are two types of digital identities. One is federated and centralized whereby data is in the control of the service provider. Self-sovereign digital identity is often cited as a human right that can reclaim agency using blockchain technology, but what frameworks exist that aid in governing it? On this episode of NFT Steez met Marjorie Hernandez, the co-founder of LUKSO and The Dematerialized to discuss the state of blockchain-based identities and “Universal Profiles.” According to Hernandez, in the future, …

The developer of a Mutant Ape Yacht Club knock-off collection — Mutant Ape Planet — has been arrested in New York, charged with allegedly “defrauding” investors of $2.9 million in a "rug pull scheme." The arrest took place on Jan. 4 at the John F. International Airport in New York, with homeland security agent Ivan J. Arvelo alleging that French national “Aurelien Michel perpetrated a rug pull scheme” and stole “nearly $3 million from investors for his own personal use," stating: “Purchasers of Mutant Ape Planet NFTs thought they were investing in a trendy new collectible, but they were deceived …

On this week’s episode of Market Talks, Cointelegraph welcomes Mohit Sorout, co-founder of Bitazu Capital, a proprietary algorithmic trading and investment management platform. This week, to kick things off, we get to know a little bit about Sorout, his background in finance and trading. We also dive into his skillset, trading style and unique approach to the crypto markets. We get his view on the current Bitcoin (BTC) market sentiment and price action. Is Bitcoin finally shifting toward a bullish trend? Volatility has been low across the board as things have been pretty boring, but Ether (ETH) and BTC both …

Ethereum layer-2 scaling platform StarkNet has overhauled its in-house Cairo coding language to make Web3 development accessible to developers. An announcement shared with Cointelegraph outlined the upgrades to Cairo 1.0, which is touted to emulate characteristics of the popular programming language Rust. The overhaul intends to allow developers with general coding experience to begin building decentralized applications on StarkNet’s Ethereum layer-2 network. StarkWare co-founder and president Eli Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph that making layer-2 development more accessible to developers of varying backgrounds was the main reason for Cairo’s revamp: “Primary drivers were safety and ease of use, and conducting the overhaul …

Celebrities had a shaky year promoting crypto firms and projects throughout 2022. Many found themselves named in lawsuits over their alleged promotion of since-failed projects, while others have been relentlessly mocked on social media for their involvement in the first place. From movie stars to television actors, sports stars to musicians, many celebrities may be regretting their endorsement deals last year, though that’s not to say that there haven’t been exceptions. Who got burned? In February last year, American comedian Larry David, who co-created the television series Seinfeld, appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for now-defunct crypto exchange FTX that …