The rapid collapse of FTX, once the world’s second-largest crypto exchange, followed by the collapse of Celsius, has undermined trust in centralized crypto services. The industry’s short history has shown that hacking attacks and fund misappropriation are the two leading causes behind centralized crypto exchanges (CEXs) crashing or losing clients. If FTX represents the worst example of fund misappropriation, Mt. Gox — a Japan-based crypto exchange that accounted for over 70% of all crypto transactions at its peak in 2014 — is the worst example of how a hacking attack can lead to failure. While CEXs have played a key …

Bitcoin (BTC) drifted toward major liquidity around the Feb. 13 Wall Street open as the dust settled on United States regulatory news. BTC traders spread bids lower Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD $21,476 on Bitstamp, almost matching the weekend’s three-week lows. As analysts expected a “choppy” day prior to key U.S. macroeconomic data, news that Blockchain firm Paxos was being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) added to market nerves. BTC spot price action thus inched ever closer to a major area of bid liquidity on the Binance order book, something which Maartunn, a …

Bitcoin (BTC) is known for its robustness, security and predictability. Every 10 minutes–on average–the blockchain produces a new block and the successful miner earns a block reward of 6.25 BTC, circa $130,000. However, every once in a while, the Bitcoin blockchain surprises observers and participants. At block height 776,339, nodes across the network verified a completely empty block. The block was added to the Bitcoin blockchain with zero included transactions–leading to some confusion among the crypto community. So, what exactly is an empty block, and how does it happen? First, while an empty block might seem strange at first, it's …

Machine learning has a wide range of applications in the finance, healthcare, marketing and transportation industries. It is used to analyze and process large amounts of data, make predictions, and automate decision-making processes, among other tasks. In this article, learn the five key features of machine learning that make it a powerful tool for solving a broad set of problems, from image and speech recognition to recommendation systems and natural language processing. What is machine learning? Machine learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI) that involves the development of algorithms and statistical models, which allow computers to learn from …

Singapore state-owned megabank DBS Group is planning to expand its cryptocurrency services to Hong Kong as the Chinese territory pushes to become a digital asset hub. DBS Bank plans to apply for a license to allow it to offer crypto trading services to Hong Kong customers, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 13. “We are planning to apply for a license in Hong Kong so that the bank could sell digital assets to our Hong Kong customers,” DBS Bank Hong Kong CEO Sebastian Paredes said. Paredes noted that DBS welcomes new crypto-related policies in Hong Kong, and is also “very sensitive” to …

Blockchain infrastructure platform Paxos will halt issuance of new BUSD (BUSD) stablecoins amid the ongoing probe by the New York regulators. Paxos officially announced on Feb. 13 that the firm will end its relationship with Binance for the branded USD-pegged stablecoin BUSD. Starting from Feb. 21, Paxos will stop minting new BUSD tokens, in accordance with directions and coordination with the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). Paxos emphasized that all existing BUSD tokens will remain fully-backed and redeemable through Paxos Trust Company through “at least February 2024.” Customers will be able to redeem their funds in USD and …

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance plans to continue supporting its Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin despite its issuer Paxos facing a stop order from American regulators. As reported by Cointelegraph, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has ordered blockchain firm Paxos to cease issuing dollar-pegged stablecoin BUSD. Paxos has also received a wells notice from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleging that BUSD is an unregistered security. Binance CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao has moved to assure users that funds are safe despite the intended enforcement action. A Twitter thread on Feb. 13 noted that Paxos is regulated by …

Paxos and Binance USD (BUSD) being in the sights of United States regulators sparked various reactions from the crypto community. On Feb. 13, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Wells Notice to Paxos, alleging that BUSD is unregistered security. On the same day, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) also ordered Paxos to halt the issuance of BUSD. As Paxos faces regulatory scrutiny on several fronts, various members of the crypto community went to Twitter to give their takes on the situation. From disregarding the issue as “FUD” to calling it an attack against the …

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 …

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week just under $22,000 as bulls fail to reclaim lost ground in February. After some modest volatility towards the weekly close, BTC/USD is still near three-week lows as a new status quo enters with $22,000 as resistance. The largest cryptocurrency stands at the beginning of an important week of macroeconomic data, however, with plenty of opportunities for volatility to return. These come first and foremost in the form of the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), the January print for which will be released on Feb. 14. Other data prints will follow throughout the week, and …

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) is planning to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) for cross-border and domestic use as part of the first of its newly-launched financial infrastructure transformation (FIT) program. In a recent announcement by the CBUAE, the central bank introduced the FIT program and highlighted its aim to support the country’s financial services sector. The central bank pointed out that the program would promote digital transactions and aim to enable the UAE’s competitiveness as a financial and digital payment hub. The first stage of the FIT program includes the issuance of a …

The New York Department of Financial Services has reportedly ordered blockchain company Paxos Trust Co. to stop the issuance of dollar-pegged Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin. The New York regulator's actions come shortlyafter the United States Securities and Exchange Commission issued a Wells Notice to Paxos — a letter the regulator uses to tell companies of planned enforcement action. The notice alleged that Binance USD is an unregistered security. The NYDFS has reportedly asked Paxos to stop creating more of its BUSD token. Paxos will continue to manage redemptions of the product, according to a Binance statement. This is a developing …