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 …

What is the future of DeFi and Web3 In both cases, the success of DeFi and Web3 will depend on the continued development of blockchain technology and the willingness of individuals and organizations to adopt these new models. The future is uncertain, but the potential for a positive impact is significant. For DeFi, there is a growing trend toward more innovation in the space, with the introduction of new financial products and services that have the potential to disrupt traditional finance. This includes decentralized exchanges, yield farming and stablecoins. There is also an increasing focus on user adoption and accessibility, …

Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has announced that it will discontinue its Huobi Cloud Wallet platform in May 2023 citing ‘strategic and product adjustments’. As per an announcement on Huobi’s support page, maintenance and upgrades of the multi-token wallet service will officially stop on Feb. 13. Users that are still using the Cloud Wallet are being encouraged to transfer cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to their main Huobi accounts or other wallet addresses. Huobi Cloud Wallet’s withdrawal and transfer functions will work for the next three months, while users are cautioned not to transfer digital assets to their Cloud Wallet. Huobi Cloud …

Crypto-friendly e-commerce giant Shopify has launched a suite of blockchain commerce tools to enhance the user experience of their web3-focused stores hosted by the platform. Announcing the move via Twitter on Feb. 9, Shopify blockchain team designer @ryancreatescopy noted that “we've launched some fresh tools to help you buidl tokengating apps for Shopify merchants.” In particular, expanded crypto wallet connect features and “tokengating” application programming interface (API) tools have been highlighted. The latter has been in early access beta access mode since June 2022 and was previously only available to a select number of merchants. With tokegating, all applicable Shopify …

As the world moves toward a more digital future, the concept of Web3 and its potential to revolutionize the internet has become a hot topic in the tech industry. In this interview, SafePal CEO Veronica Wong, shares her insights on the future of Web3 and the current state of the crypto market. She also talks about her thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in the crypto security space and how SafePal is positioning itself to meet these challenges head-on. Q: In 2022 the crypto space saw some significant turbulence and the crash of several big platforms. What do users need …

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 …

United States-based crypto exchange Coinbase has become the latest crypto wallet provider to roll out transaction previews and blocklists amid a rise in crypto thefts. On Jan. 30, the crypto exchange announced it had integrated a new suite of safety features to its wallet app to make it easier for users to spot and take action on potential foul play from scammers. Such integrations include a transaction preview feature which gives the user an estimation of how users “token and NFT balances will change” during a transaction before the confirm button is hit. The firm has also rolled out token …

Azuki, a popular nonfungible token (NFT) project, had its Twitter account compromised on Jan. 27 leading to hackers stealing over $750,000 worth of USD Coin (USDC) by posting a malicious “wallet drainer link” posed as a virtual land mint. Hackers stole $751,321.80 USDC from a single wallet within half an hour of the malicious links being tweeted, according to Etherscan data provided to Cointelegraph by crypto wallet security firm Wallet Guard. The data also revealed that hackers stole a further $6,752.62 worth of USDC from various wallets holding 11 NFTs and over 3.9 Ether (ETH). Wallet Guard stated that the …

Bitcoin mining (BTC) is the process of adding transactions to the Bitcoin blockchain, a decentralized public ledger of all Bitcoin transactions. Miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical puzzles, known as proof-of-work (PoW), to validate transactions and add them to the blockchain. In return, miners receive newly minted BTC as a reward for their work. The process of mining Bitcoin involves solving a complex mathematical puzzle, known as a hash, using specialized software and hardware. The miner that solves the puzzle first is rewarded with new BTC, as well as the transaction fees associated with the transactions included in …

Kevin Rose, the co-founder of the nonfungible token (NFT) collection Moonbirds, has fallen victim to a phishing scam leading to more than $1.1 million worth of his personal NFTs stolen. The NFT creator and PROOF co-founder shared the news with his 1.6 million Twitter followers on Jan. 25 asking them to avoid buying any Squiggles NFTs until they manage to get them flagged as stolen. I was just hacked, stay tuned for details - please avoid buying any squiggles until we get them flagged (just lost 25) + a few other NFTs (an autoglyph) ... — KΞVIN R◎SE (,) (@kevinrose) …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance reportedly admitted that it mistakenly stores some customer funds in the same wallet with its collateral for some in-house tokens. After the revelation, Binance started the process of transferring the assets in question to dedicated collateral wallets. Binance mistakenly put collateral for some of the Binance-minted tokens, or B-Tokens, in a wallet that also holds customer assets, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 24. On Monday, Binance released a proof of collateral for B-Tokens, providing information for all 94 tokens issued by Binance. The firm previously stressed that B-Tokens are always fully collateralized and backed 1:1. According to …

Are HD wallets safe? HD wallets are as secure as the medium (physical or digital) on which they are stored. BIP-32 enables an HD wallet to produce a tree-like hierarchical structure of private keys from the seed. As a result, if a device is lost or destroyed, the seed backup can be used to restore the wallet along with all of the tree’s private keys. Hierarchical deterministic wallets offer enhanced security and privacy compared to non-deterministic wallets. They are secure because a new address is issued for every new transaction. Therefore, hacking them is a challenging and intricate process. Additionally, …