With digital asset management firm Grayscale refusing to provide proof of reserves for its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), an independent analyst has spent days combing through the blockchain to independently verify its holdings. The OXT Research analyst, Ergo, used on-chain forensics to confirm that as of Nov. 23 that the GBTC owns approximately 633,000 Bitcoin (BTC) held by its custodian, Coinbase Custody. The Grayscale G(BTC) Coins Part 2 In this analysis we use additional on-chain forensics to CONFIRM the approximate 633k BTC balance held by G(BTC) at Coinbase Custody. Which begs the question, why does Grayscale refuse to disclose their …

In the past, it was often said that Bitcoin (BTC) moves the entire crypto and blockchain industry. Is this still the case? The past few months have seen Bitcoin hitting high-water marks including all-time high long-term holder rates and local highs in hash rate difficulty adjustment — yet Bitcoin is still in bearish conditions as we head into Q4 of 2022. Not all areas of the blockchain industry can boast such signals of strength, such as venture capital (VC), which brought in $840,000 in October, down 48.6% from the previous month. Likewise, there has been a continued drop in GameFi …

The Web3 and cryptocurrency space is seeing a significant amount of smart contract scams proliferating, with blockchain risk monitoring firm Solidus Labs saying it has detected on average 15 newly deployed scams every hour. Solidus Labs said on Oct. 27 that it had been monitoring 12 blockchains including Ethereum (ETH), Polygon (MATIC), and BNB Chain (BNB) since Oct. 10 and in that time had detected 188,525 smart contract scams. Former United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) director, Kathy Kraninger, who is now Solidus’ VP of regulatory affairs, said in the statement that “while some of the big rug pulls …

In 2022, it’s no surprise that most assets are in a bear market. People have a variety of signals they look for when determining a good time to enter the market, and Cointelegraph Research’s Venture Capital Report for Q2 revealed that VC inflows stagnated at just above $14 billion last quarter, the same as Q1. However, the third quarter did not fare as well, dropping over 66% to just $4.98 billion, as Cointelegraph Research explores in its latest Venture Capital Report for Q3. The number of deals also declined to 338 for the entire quarter, compared with Q2’s 621. While …

Despite the ongoing cryptocurrency bear market, investors have been increasingly looking at Bitcoin (BTC) as a safe haven, a new study suggests. The rise in correlation between Bitcoin and gold (XAU) is one of major indicators demonstrating investors’ confidence in BTC amid the ongoing economic downturn, according to digital strategists at the Bank of America. Bitcoin’s correlation with gold — which is commonly viewed as an inflation hedge — has been on the rise this year, hitting its highest yearly levels in early October. The growing correlation trend started on Sept. 5 after remaining close to zero from June 2021 …

The latest survey carried out by Cointelegraph Research among 84 professional investors across the globe revealed that out of $316 billion in assets managed by the respondents, 3.3%, or approximately $10.42 billion, is invested in cryptocurrencies. Some surveyed investors reported over 50% exposure to digital assets, but respondents’ median percentage invested in cryptocurrencies stands at about 3%. The risk-return ratio was the primary consideration when investing in crypto, as 44% of respondents rated this characteristic as “highly important.” Other factors deemed relatively less important were “diversification” and “my company is convinced that the technology will be important in the future.” …

The blockchain industry does not exist in a bubble. The impact of the rest of the world’s economic turmoil seems to be stomping all over the progress of the “blockchain revolution.” Traditional markets like the S&P 500 index crashed by more than 11.5% in September, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index plummeted by 12.5%. However, Bitcoin (BTC) may have seen a decoupling, having only dropped 3% during this same period. For some, these are signs of a bottom for Bitcoin, but it does not necessarily mean an immediate reversal is upon the market. Are there other positive flashing signals we …

Venture financing for the blockchain industry remained robust in the third quarter, even as bearish conditions ravaged digital asset markets, a sign that venture capital firms were focused more on the long-term value proposition of the sector. Blockchain games and metaverse projects raised a cumulative $1.3 billion in venture capital between July and September, according to DappRadar’s latest BGA Games Report. While this figure was down 48% compared to the second quarter, it was nearly double the total amount raised in 2021. DappRadar said that projects focused on Web3 metaverse infrastructure accounted for over 36% of the quarterly investments. Looking …

Despite the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), cryptocurrency investors appear to stick to centralized exchanges (CEX) over DeFi tools, according to a new report. Crypto investors are more comfortable with holding their assets on CEXes because decentralized exchanges are still more vulnerable to the threat of hacks. This is according to a joint report by the blockchain data firm Chainalysis and Bitfinex exchange, issued on Oct. 13. According to the study, the risks of hacks associated with CEXes have significantly dropped over the past few years, while various DeFi platforms have become increasingly hacked. The total value stolen from centralized …

After weeks of reduced volatility, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) are likely to see sharp price changes in the short to medium term, according to one analyst. The current situation in cryptocurrency markets could potentially generate “explosive volatility” due to massive leverage and recent low volatility, Arcane Research analyst Vetle Lunde suggested. Lunde pointed to “leverage bonanza,” or leverage going parabolic in the crypto derivatives market, while Bitcoin has continued to hover around $19,000 over the past few weeks. In crypto trading, leverage refers to using borrowed funds to make trades in order to profit bigger through contracts like perpetual swaps. …

Decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAOs, have caught the imagination of many in the blockchain industry. What was once just a theory talked about on internet forums in the early days of the blockchain revolution has become a growing trend in how organizations form. Cointelegraph Research has unveiled a primer on DAOs, exploring their historical origins up through how they are currently impacting the cryptoverse. There has been a massive spike in DAOs — or at least the modern conception of them — with over 4,000 active as of the latter half of 2022, according to data from Snapshot. Every cryptocurrency …

Stanford University researchers have come up with a prototype for “reversible transactions” on Ethereum, arguing it could be a solution to reduce the impact of crypto theft. In a Sept. 25 tweet, Stanford University blockchain researcher Kaili Wang shared a run down of the Ethereum-based reversible token idea, noting that at this stage it is not a finished concept but more of a “proposal to provoke discussion and even better solutions from the blockchain community,” noting: “The major hacks we've seen are undeniably thefts with strong evidence. If there was a way to reverse those thefts under such circumstances, our …