Xapo Bank, an international private bank headquartered in Gibraltar, integrates the Lightning Network to improve its Bitcoin (BTC) capabilities. On March 2, Xapo officially announced a partnership with the Lightning Network infrastructure platform Lightspark, which allowed the firm to implement Lightning on its platform. The integration enables faster and cheaper transactions on Xapo, reducing blockchain confirmation waiting times and transaction fees on the original Bitcoin network. According to the firm, Xapo Bank members will now be able to instantly pay for small purchases of up to $100 at any vendor accepting Lightning payments. High-volume transactions are initially not supported with …

Bitcoin (BTC) NFTs will have a positive impact on Bitcoin ecosystem by improving its security and incentivizing developers to build on the network, according to independent developer Udi Wertheimer. The number of newly created Ordinals, also referred to as "inscriptions", have been spiking in recent weeks, causing a surge in transaction fees and average block size on the Bitcoin blockchain. According to Wertheimer, Bitcoin NFTs are going to be beneficial for Bitcoin's security budget: by driving up transaction fees, the creation of Ordinals will incentivize miners to secure the network while the revenue from mining reward will be decreasing with …

Major nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea announced a massive structuring around lower platform fees and greater creator earnings as competing marketplaces continue to drain away its once dominant user base. On Feb. 18, NFT marketplace Blur surpassed OpenSea in daily Ethereum (ETH) trading volume as users — anticipating greater returns on their NFT investments — are looking for a trading arena that works in their favor, shows Nansen data. As a reactionary measure, OpenSea announced three major changes to win back its migrating customers. The measures include a 0% fee for a limited time, introducing optional creator earnings and leniency …

The launch of Bitcoin nonfungible tokens (NFTs) — known as Ordinals — has tipped the number of non-zero Bitcoin addresses to a new all-time high of 44 million, according to crypto analytics platform Glassnode. In a Feb. 13 report from Glassnode, the firm explained that for the first time in Bitcoin’s 14-year history, a portion of network activity is being used for purposes other than peer-to-peer monetary Bitcoin (BTC) transfers: “This is a new and unique moment in Bitcoin history, where an innovation is generating network activity without a classical transfer of coin volume for monetary purposes.” Glassnode explained that …

Not even 24 hours after the Canadian University Dubai (CUD) announced its partnership with Binance Pay to accept course fees in cryptocurrencies, a technical roadblock watered down the excitement behind the short-lived initiative. CUD, a private university in Dubai, was seemingly interested in allowing students — both domestic and international — to pay their tuition and course fees in cryptocurrencies. This initiative would have allowed students from varied backgrounds easy access to the Canadian curriculum in Dubai. Dear CUD Community, For technical reasons, CUD will not be accepting cryptocurrency as a method of payment, until further notice. We apologize for …

Robinhood’s board of directors has approved a plan to buy back the $578 million stake in their company which was bought by former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX co-founder Gary Wang last year. Robinhood confirmed it got board approval to buy back the stake in its fourth quarter report, which was published on Feb. 8. “Our Board authorized us to pursue purchasing most or all of our shares that Emergent Fidelity Technologies bought in May 2022," said Robinhood’s chief financial officer Jason Warnick, adding “The proposed share purchase underscores the confidence the Board of Directors and management team have …

The Graph (GRT) price slipped on Feb. 8 alongside a broader correction across the top crypto assets. GRT price skyrockets wi other data management tokens GRT price plunged nearly 14.5% intraday to $0.18, showing signs of short-term upside exhaustion after rising over 200% earlier in the year. At its sessional high, the token was changing hands for $0.23 on Feb 7, its highest level in nine months Buy flocked into the GRT market amid a relatively stronger risk-on mood, led by the Federal Reserve's slower interest rate hikes and a strong recovery witnessed in the Bitcoin (BTC) market, which typically …

Bitcoin Ordinals causes fees to spike The Bitcoin (BTC)-native Ordinals protocol is taking up record-breaking space on the blockchain and in the process is hiking the transaction fees on the network. The divisive newly launched protocol allows for nonfungible token (NFT)-esque assets on the Bitcoin mainnet by inscribing satoshis with content. So far, inscriptions have included content such as images, documents including a PDF file of the Bitcoin whitepaper and even a fully playable clone of the video game DOOM. On Feb. 2, independent developer, Udi Wertheimer, tweeted he had conducted the “largest transaction in Bitcoin’s history” after using the …

Bankrupt cryptocurrency lending firm Celsius had come up with a withdrawal process for users who had their crypto in its custody when it stopped withdrawals in June 2022. Celsius released an official update on upcoming withdrawals on Jan. 31, providing the list of users that will be eligible to withdraw approximately 94% of eligible custody assets. The firm laid out the process in a 1,411-page court filing with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, listing the full names of all the eligible users alongside the type and amount of debted crypto assets. Celsius stressed …

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network is planning to file a motion that would extend the deadline for users to submit their claims by another month. The crypto community has started to grow impatient, noting that Celsius’ lawyer fees have continued to stack up and are eating away at the lender's estate. In a Dec. 29 Twitter post, Celsius announced that it would be seeking an extension that would extend the current deadline for claims from Jan. 3, 2023 to early Feb. 2023. The bankruptcy court is set to hear the motion on Jan. 10, and according to Celsius, the Jan. …

Only one of the following news items is real, but someday, all will sound equally comical. Headline, 1896: The owner of Wagoneer & Sons, a leading horse-drawn carriage maker, has announced the adoption of a new machine called the “internal combustion engine” to improve its manufacturing process. “Gas engines are powerful but dangerous,” the owner said. “We will use them to make better wagons. Headline, 1918: The American Association of Candle Makers has announced a new initiative to electrify its wax-making process. It believes that electricity is too dangerous to use for lighting but can be utilized to make cheaper …

The New York State Department of Financial Services, or NYDFS, has proposed a regulation which would allow the government department to assess supervisory costs from licensed crypto firms operating in the state. In a Dec. 1 announcement, NYDFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris opened the proposed budget measure for public comment. The regulation, if approved, would grant the department the authority to assess costs for the supervision and examination of firms operating in the state with a BitLicense — a requirement for crypto companies since 2015. “This assessment authority will allow the Department to continue building the team that is leading the …