Bitcoin NFTs, or Ordinals, have attracted a significant amount of attention since the Ordinals protocol launched in late January, enabling users to inscribe data such as images, PDFs video and audio onto individual satoshis, or sats that each represent 0.00000001 Bitcoin (BTC). NFT giants such as Yuga Labs have even jumped in on the hype. On Feb. 28, the $4 billion firm behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club announced a Bitcoin-based NFT project dubbed “TwelveFold,” marking a notable form of recognition of the Ordinals movement. In a new report published on March. 3, Galaxy researchers analyzed the potential growth of …

Crypto ATMs — one of the key infrastructure pillars for the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies — have seen a drastic reduction this year. In the first two months of 2023, the net cryptocurrency ATMs installed globally reduced by 412 machines. Since 2014, the total number of crypto ATMs maintained a steady upward trajectory while catering to millions of users worldwide for seamless crypto-fiat conversions. For ov a year, between December 2020 to January 2022, more than 1000 crypto and Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs were being installed every month. However, the bear market had an immediate impact on its growth. September 2022 …

Cryptocurrency venture capital conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) has reported losses of over $1 billion in 2022 due largely to the contagion relating tocollapse of crypto hedge fund, Three Arrows Capital (3AC). DCG reportedly lost $1.1 billion last year, according to its Q4 2022 investor report, and said the results “reflect the impact of the Three Arrow Capital default upon Genesis” along with the “negative impact” from falling crypto prices. Genesis is the lending arm of DCG, the firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late January. Genesis is 3AC’s largest creditor as the company loaned the now-bankrupt hedge fund …

While other hedge funds decided to close down operations after being hit by the FTX debacle, some managed to survive and stay afloat after navigating the challenges brought about by the collapse of the exchange. In its fourth-quarter report for 2022, institutional crypto fund manager CoinShares highlighted that the firm managed to remain “financially robust” despite dealing with the FTX collapse at the end of the year. The fund also presented its wins, such as its graduation to Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market and strong levels of inflow into CoinShares physical ETPs. 1/ Amidst difficult market conditions, CoinShares has remained financially …

Crypto scam revenue was slashed by almost half in 2022 due mainly to falling crypto asset prices, but two scam types managed to stay immune. Crypto scam revenue in 2022, which includes investment scams, NFT scams and romance scams, among others, amounted to $5.9 billion in the year — down 46% from 2021. The data came from a Feb. 16 crime report from Chainalysis, which attributed most of the decline in scam revenue to poor market conditions — as lower crypto prices generally result in lower scam performance. Chainalysis however pointed to two different scam types that managed to stay …

2023 is off to a great start, with Bitcoin (BTC) rocketing up 40% in January. The good news is not relegated to just Bitcoin, however, as this price increase has sent ripple effects across the cryptoverse. Mining revenue jumped $22.66 million in January, and crypto-related stocks doubled on average. Despite this good news, venture capital investments are down 23% from the previous month. Download and purchase this report on the Cointelegraph Research Terminal. For a more detailed look into the various sectors of the crypto space, including venture capital, derivatives, decentralized finance (DeFi), regulations and much more, Cointelegraph Research publishes …

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 United Kingdom is a step closer to launching a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) after releasing a consultation paper explaining the proposed digital pound, which the public has nicknamed “Britcoin.” The 116-page consultation paper was jointly released on Feb. 7 by the Bank of England (BoE) and His Majesty’s Treasury. A technology working paper was also released delving into the technical and economic design considerations. Despite the rise of privately-issued stablecoins in recent years, the paper said CBDCs such as the digital pound can co-exist in what they expect to be a “mixed payments economy.” “In much the same …

California-based crypto bank Silvergate has suspended dividend payouts to preserve its “highly liquid balance sheet.” In a Jan. 27 announcement, the firm stated that it is halting “the payment of dividends on its 5.375% Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, in order to preserve capital.” The company outlined that it made the decision so that it can weather the storm of crypto winter, but did stress that it still maintains a “cash position in excess of its digital asset customer-related deposits.” “This decision reflects the Company’s focus on maintaining a highly liquid balance sheet with a strong capital …

In this week’s newsletter, read about how nonfungible token (NFT) sales reached 101 million in 2022. Learn how NFTs can be used to summon defendants who cannot be reached using traditional methods, and see how toys play a role in the NFT and Web3 ecosystem. Check out how Binance is tightening its rules on NFT listings, and don’t forget this week’s Nifty News, featuring the resurgence of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s NFTs. NFT sales topped 101 million in 2022: DappRadar report A report published by decentralized app tracker DappRadar shows that NFT sales in 2022 reached 101 million, representing …

Setting aside the criminal investigations of failed crypto businesses like FTX, Celsius, 3AC, Terra and others, 2022 set the record in illicit on-chain transactions. According to a yearly report published by Chainalysis on Jan. 12, the total cryptocurrency value received by illicit addresses reached $20.1 billion in the last year. The numbers aren’t final, as the measure of illicit transaction volume grows over time as the analysts identify new addresses associated with criminal activity. Moreover, it doesn’t include proceeds from non-crypto native crimes like drug trafficking and the funds on the balance of those failed companies, which are now under …

The blockchain gaming industry is experiencing a "massive shift," with the once-popular play-to-earn (P2E) model falling out of favor and focus directed now at improving gameplay experience, a new survey has found. The survey results were included in a newly released annual report from the Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA) on Jan. 12, which was conducted with 347 professionals, representing 252 different projects or companies in the blockchain sector. Most of the respondents were young adult males working for blockchain gaming companies in middle and top management positions, according to BGA. One of the trends gleaned from the report was an …