The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) recently appointed chair has presented an unfriendly attitude toward cryptocurrencies in a cross-party Treasury select committee meeting. Ashley Alder, who will assume control of the FCA in February 2023, described cryptocurrency-related businesses as ‘deliberately evasive’ and suggested the sector facilitated money laundering during the meeting with Treasury members on Dec. 14. According to a report from Financial Times, the current chief executive of Hong Kong’s Securities & Futures Commission highlighted his belief that the cryptocurrency ecosystem created risk which called for further regulatory purview from government: “Our experience to date of [crypto] platforms, whether FTX …

Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has cautioned the crypto community about self-custody, suggesting that 99% of people choosing to self-custody their crypto will likely lose it one way or another. CZ has been been a supporter of self-custody for years, referring to its as a “fundamental human right” but has always urged users to “do it right.” He published a “CZ’s Tips” on self-storing crypto in Feb. 2020. During a recent Binance-run Twitter Spaces on Dec. 14, the Binance CEO continued to urge caution for those using self-custody wallets — suggesting that more often than not, security keys are not …

What do the cryptocurrency and porn industries have in common? As it turns out, both are frequent targets of the traditional financial system, which has been known to ban the accounts of both crypto traders and sex workers. On this week’s episode of the newly launched podcast The Agenda, Cointelegraph senior copy editor Jonathan DeYoung and head of markets Ray Salmond speak to Allie Rae, an adult content creator and CEO of WetSpace — a crypto-focused alternative to OnlyFans. Rae first exploded into the mainstream when she lost her job as an ICU nurse after her colleagues discovered her hobby …

With the crypto world still reeling from the FTX collapse, Brazil recently passed legislation that legalized cryptocurrency use for payments in the country. How to reconcile this with all those declarations in the West that crypto is having its “Lehman moment”? Brazil may have inadvertently revealed a cleft between the developed world and emerging markets with regard to the uses and misuses of cryptocurrencies. (The legislation still requires a presidential signature before it becomes law.) Unquestionably, FTX’s Nov. 11 bankruptcy filing hurt crypto exchanges and other crypto-focused enterprises in Brazil, as well as many crypto-based companies all through Latin America …

The African continent has been tipped as an important market for crypto adoption due to its young population, lousy economic management by governments and lack of efficient financial infrastructure to connect the continent internally and globally. Adoption is becoming so widespread that celebrities do not want to get left out, with several big names in the entertainment and media space working with crypto brands. In the first episode of Cointelegraph’s new podcast Hashing It Out, hosted by Cointelegraph social media specialist Elisha Owusu Akyaw, Fonbnk co-founder Michael Kimani answers questions about what crypto adoption really looks like in the face …

The metaverse and digital reality experiences are barreling toward consumers, whether they are ready or not. However, there are certain places in the world that are more ready to embrace a digital future from a technological standpoint. A new study by Uswitch, an internet and telephone service researcher, looked at a combination of fixed broadband speeds, broadband package prices, the number of blockchain financial start-ups and the price of high technology exports to determine which countries have the capacity to embrace the metaverse. At the top of the list is the Netherlands, with the most hospitable conditions to cater to …

Bored on a long drive? Want something to listen to while doing chores? Cointelegraph has something that your ears might enjoy: Cointelegraph Podcasts, a new section of the website featuring crypto podcasts. The section will start out with four shows: Hashing It Out, Crypto Trading Secrets, NFT Steez and The Agenda. Listeners can start exploring now, as each show has released two episodes — one introductory trailer and one full-length episode. Following the initial launch, each podcast will publish new episodes on specific days of the week. Some shows will publish weekly episodes, while others will start by releasing content …

The arrest of the former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) by the Bahamian authorities served as a cue for anti-crypto proponents to reignite discussions around the dangers of cryptocurrencies. While some political leaders blame the crypto ecosystem for SBF’s frauds, others find no point in blaming an entire industry for one man’s action. During an FTX hearing in front of the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Brad Sherman did not see a difference between SBF and an industry that once boasted a $2 trillion market cap, as he stated: “My fear is that we'll view Sam Bankman-Fried as just one …

Within the past 24 hours, the Binance cryptocurrency exchange has seen outflows of over $1.14B due to rising fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) within the crypto ecosystem. According to Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the exchange has seen this before and believes “it is a good idea to ‘stress test withdrawals’ on each CEX [Centralized Exchanges] on a rotating basis”. We saw some withdrawals today (net $1.14b ish). We have seen this before. Some days we have net withdrawals; some days we have net deposits. Business as usual for us. I actually think it is a good idea to “stress …

Soulbound tokens (SBTs) are becoming a mainstay in the Web3 space for users and projects to define themselves in digital reality. A Dec. 13 announcement from Cobo, a digital asset custodian and blockchain technology developer, revealed a new SBT project which unites crypto industry giants to cater to users’ developing digital identities. Cobo, MetaMask Institutional and Gnosis DAO teamed up to create “Evolution,” an SBT project, a tool to help users define themselves in digital reality and stay up to date on industry trends. A spokesperson for Cobo told Cointelegraph that since SBTs cannot be sold on the market, it …

The sudden failure of FTX has left many people questioning the impact this will have on the cryptocurrency ecosystem. For instance, it remains questionable whether or not crypto hotspots will continue to flourish or if there will be a decline in innovation. While it may be too soon to fully understand the impact of the FTX collapse, industry leaders within crypto-friendly geographies believe that the FTX failure will not hamper innovation. For example, Dubai — which has been dubbed as one of the most innovative regions for crypto and blockchain development — continues to see ecosystem activity. Most recently, The …

Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard — a move originally aimed toward building Metaverse initiatives — hit a roadblock after an intervention by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC sought to block Microsoft from acquiring the gaming giant as a way to promote fair competition in high-performance gaming consoles and subscription services. However, Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella had previously stated that acquisition would “play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms.” #BREAKING: FTC seeks to block Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc.: https://t.co/ukewjn6MUX /1 — FTC (@FTC) December 8, 2022 In a …