Key figures from the wider cryptocurrency space painted a picture of increased dialogue and collaboration at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology remained but a small part of the projects and initiatives discussed and workshopped at the annual WEF conference high in the Swiss Alps. However, an increased number of sessions focused on the sector suggests that the wider world is looking for synergies between traditional finance and decentralized finance. This theme emerged from a number of interviews conducted by Cointelegraph during January’s conference in Davos. Senior executives from XRP issuer Ripple and USD …

Tether aims to increase visibility and mitigate controls of cryptocurrency payments used in child abuse content marketplaces through a collaboration with INHOPE. The stablecoin operator will work with INHOPE, a global network combating online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), to share information, collaborate with stakeholders and enforce actions on bad actors from the cryptocurrency ecosystem. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the collaboration intends to develop a standard practice for the cryptocurrency industry to identify and report these underground marketplaces. Tether’s CTO Paolo Ardoino said the company was working alongside law enforcement, financial intelligence units, lawmakers and standard-setting bodies …

The notorious failure of the Terra USD (UST) affected the crypto market in general, but it’s the algorithmic stablecoins alike that took the harshest punch. Since its peak in April 2022, the market share of algorithmic stablecoins shrank almost tenfold. According to a fresh report from CryptoCompare, the current market share of algorithmic stablecoins stands at 1.71%, while its all-time high record in April reached 12.4% of the whole crypto market. Prior to its crash, Terra USD accounted for 79.8% of all the algorithmic stablecoin’s market share. The stablecoin market in general also doesn’t feel too well with January becoming …

Crypto-versed lawyers will play an increasingly important role in Web3 firms — particularly after the implosion of FTX and the industry braces for regulatory turbulence, two legal academics believe. Boston Law School professor and chief compliance officer at crypto exchange Bitstamp, Thomas Hook, told Cointelegraph that Web3 lawyers will soon become “business differentiators” because they’ll be faced with the tough task of helping firms navigate through legal and regulatory uncertainties. This will ultimately determine how fast firms can take their products and services to market, Hook explained: “Given the lack of clarity in many regulations and the complexity, Web3 companies …

Cointelegraph Research has analyzed all the deals and trends from venture capital in the blockchain industry during the fourth quarter of 2022. The second half of 2022 saw a dramatic decline in capital inflows across all five major sectors of the blockchain industry: decentralized finance (DeFi), centralized finance (CeFi), nonfungible tokens (NFTs), infrastructure and Web3. The first half of 2022 brought in just under $30 billion of investment, while the second half only saw $7.3 billion — a dramatic plunge. As the crypto industry moves into 2023, Cointelegraph Research has looked at the data from its Venture Capital Database, which …

Blue-collar workers are the gears that make the world go round. They turn in a hard day’s work day after day, so there is little question that these professions hold a valuable place in society. Unfortunately, despite their contributions, these hard workers often go unnoticed. Cointelegraph and Web3 metaverse concert platform Animal Concerts have joined together to recognize the efforts of hard workers and overachievers with a nonfungible token (NFT) collection named A Hard Working Man (AHWM). Inspired by “A Hard Working Man” — a song from The Avila Brothers, Billy Ray Cyrus and Snoop Dogg — this NFT collection …

The human side of Bitcoin (BTC) is seldom explored in legacy or mainstream crypto media outlets. Even within the Bitcoin space, Bitcoin is “number goes up” technology, while catchphrases like “Bitcoin to the moon” and “have fun staying poor” rattle around like coins in a jar. Bitcoin documentaries tend to sensationalize Bitcoin as a panacea to the world’s problems instead of offering nuanced portrayals of Bitcoin’s impact on the individuals who form the decentralized movement. Moreover, while the price per Bitcoin has inflated, ballooned and popped over the past five years, a steady stream of new people is flowing into …

A Bitcoin (BTC) mining project that taps into clean, stranded and excess hydro energy in Malawi has picked up steam. The company behind the project, Gridless, shared that there are now “1600 families connected to this remote hydro mini-grid in the mountains of southern Malawi.” 1600 families connected to this remote hydro minigrid in the mountains of southern Malawi. They have 50kW of stranded energy that we are testing out as a new Bitcoin mining site. Videos for context. Still working on venting, wiring, etc. pic.twitter.com/Sxf8ABGPWH — Gridless (@GridlessCompute) January 21, 2023 The project exploits 50 Kilowatt (kW) of stranded …

Despite the bear market and the record-low dynamics of new Bitcoin ATM installations around the world, Australia breaks into the top three nations globally by the number of crypto ATMs. It was only in the first days of January when the Aussies got to the fourth spot — since that time they installed 16 more machines. According to Coinatmradar’s data, Australia now enjoys 234 crypto ATMs, which puts her in the third spot globally after the United States and Canada. In three weeks it outperformed Spain, which possesses 222 crypto ATMs. It’s all about dynamics — Australia deployed 99 crypto …

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) is ramping up its research into Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) but is yet to announce a deployment. In a Jan. 23 bulletin, the bank stated it was working on a phase of a project that “focuses on domestic wholesale CBDC use cases in collaboration with local banks and fintechs.” However, it confirmed there had been no final decision to launch such a digital currency in the Middle Eastern nation. “SAMA stresses that although no decision has been made regarding the introduction of CBDC in the Kingdom, it continues to focus on exploring the benefits …

The chief executive of credit card giant Visa remains confident that blockchain-powered solutions can be integrated into its services and offerings to power the next generation of payments. Speaking on a call at Visa’s annual stockholder meeting on Jan. 24, outgoing CEO Al Kelly — who will officially step down on Feb. 1 — briefly shared the firm’s plans for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and private stablecoins. According to a Jan. 24 report from San Francisco Business Times, Kelly said: “It’s very early days, but we continue to believe that stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies have the potential …

Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin (BTC), originally envisioned cryptocurrency as a form of payment between two people. This is a key reason why blockchain, the underlying technology of the crypto ecosystem, found its best use cases within the payments sector. Blockchain-based payment solutions, widely known as crypto payments, allow for a truly global financial network. Cryptocurrencies are detached from geographical restrictions, allowing for seamless transactions between different regions across the globe. The robust technology and potentially minimal fees introduced with cryptocurrency make this type of payment an ideal fit for transaction-heavy digital sectors such as online shopping or e-commerce. …