The negative effects caused by the FTX debacle have put the crypto space in an unfavorable light. However, institutional investors continued to show interest in the industry even at the height of the FTX controversy. According to crypto exchange Bitstamp, compared to their data in October, institutional registrations within its digital asset trading platform is up by 57% in November, when the topic of the FTX collapse frequented news headlines. The exchange also told Cointelegraph that its total revenue is up by 45% in the same period, with revenue coming from institutions up by 34% and from retail traders up …

In a move to tone down the negative impacts of a bear market and ecosystem collapses, crypto exchange Gate.io launched an industry liquidity support fund with an initial commitment of $100 million. With investors moving their funds away from exchanges into self-custody, market liquidy concerns are an immediate threat to struggling crypto businesses. Gate.io’s $100 million commitment aims to support companies looking to restrategize and adapt to changing market conditions. The liquidity support aims to help crypto businesses maintain their focus on their business while being protected from market uncertainties. The announcement read: “The $100 million will be allocated to …

A member of the Iranian parliament has told local media the government plans to impose new punishments on women who do not wear a hijab in public, with individuals who refuse to comply after two warnings possibly having their bank accounts frozen. Hossein Jalali, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, told Iranian media on Dec. 6 that “unveiled persons” would be sent an SMS urging them to respect the law and wear a hijab before entering a “warning phase” and finally having their bank account potentially frozen. "In the third stage, the bank account of …

Nigeria has drastically reduced the amount of cash individuals and businesses can withdraw as it attempts to push its “cash-less Nigeria” policy and increase the use of the eNaira — Nigeria’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The Central Bank of Nigeria issued the directive to financial businesses in a Dec. 6 circular, noting that individuals and businesses would now be limited to withdrawing $45 (₦20,000) per day and $225 (₦100,000) per week from ATMs. Individuals and businesses will also be limited to withdrawing $225 (₦100,000) and $1,125 (₦500,000) respectively at banks per week, with individuals hit with a 5% fee …

News involving crypto and fraud is ubiquitous in the white-collar crime sphere and, perhaps more worryingly, these fraudulent activities in the crypto sector are not limited to a single type of crime. Diverse and distinct yet with one common thread, these crimes involve real money and crypto investors are the victims. Many people have placed their life savings into crypto and, on a larger scale, private equities, pension schemes and even nation-states are principal investors and losers. There are con artists who will try and entice their targets to invest in a get-rich scheme that turns out to be a …

Once just a technical term within the crypto ecosystem, self-custody quickly took the main stage when FTX, a multi-billion crypto empire, went down in flames. The prolonged bear market, combined with bankruptcy announcements from once-prominent crypto exchanges, triggered a spike in crypto ownership awareness. The domino effect of the FTX collapse was a harsh lesson reminding users of a fundamental principle in crypto: Not your keys, not your coins. Since the custody of FTX customers’ assets was on the exchange, users faced issues when they wanted to withdraw the funds they thought belonged to them. Centralized exchange wallets vs. self-custody …

For over 14 years, central banks worldwide have seen blockchain technology deliver highly secure, immutable, verifiable and transparent financial ecosystems, starting with the Bitcoin network. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) stood out as one of the ways for fiat currency to harness a part of what cryptocurrencies achieve today. To not only keep up with rising inflation and cut down on operational costs but also to counter money laundering and related concerns, 98 of 195 countries — representing over 95% of global GDP — have either launched or are researching and developing their own versions of CBDC. With CBDCs joining …

A Bitcoin (BTC) advocate on Twitter known by the name of ShireHodl, or simply Shire, sent over 110 micropayments to first-time Bitcoin Lightning users in response to Michael Saylor's Lightning Network pool. Shire asked those new to Lightning to download a Lightning wallet from App Store or Google Play Store and to send him a QR invoice. To pay the invoice, Shire scanned the code with his camera, and the Bitcoin Lightning Network did the rest. In the Tweet, Shire said he’d send 1000 sats to as many people as he can be bothered before sleep. OK guys. Sent 76 …

It’s quite evident that bad actors have left no stone unturned as legendary metal band Metallica warned fans against crypto giveaway scams right before their highly anticipated launch of its new album, 72 Seasons. Cashing in on the buzz around Metallica’s new album launch and upcoming tour, scammers have started targeting metalheads through social media impersonation. Metallica, however, was quick to point out “the ugly side of social media,” asking fans to steer away from Metallica Crypto giveaways, stating: “Let’s be as clear as possible. [Metallica crypto giveaways] are scams.” Sad but true, Cointelegraph recently highlighted a rise in front-running …

The crypto community appears to be having a ball with ChatGPT, a recently launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot created by research company OpenAI — using it for a multitude of applications including a trading bot, a crypto blog, and even an original song. The bot is a language interface tool that OpenAI says can interact “in a conversational way” and can be used to answer questions or assist in making almost anything it’s prompted to create, with some limitations. A user on Twitter posted their interaction with ChatGPT showing that from a simple prompt the tool created a basic trading …

What are the pros and cons of accepting Bitcoin payments? Accepting Bitcoin payments is advantageous due to lower fees than credit and debit cards, expansion of customer base and real-time bank balances. However, risks like volatility and cybercrime may undermine these benefits. Cryptocurrency payments help save excessive credit and debit card processing fees as they are decentralized and do not need intermediaries to verify the transaction. Moreover, merchants do not incur overseas currency exchange changes if payments are made in BTC or other cryptocurrencies. High transaction speed is another benefit of accepting Bitcoin payments, allowing businesses to receive payments in …

As the global crypto community is still licking its wounds from the FTX collapse, a liquidity crisis continues to spread around centralized exchanges and decentralized finance (DeFi) alike. It is soon to be decided whether the coming regulation triggered by FTX’s bankruptcy will bring a silver lining to crypto. The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, the lower house of the country’s federal legislative body, has passed a regulatory framework that legalizes the use of cryptocurrencies as a payment method within the country. It is estimated that 10 million Brazilians, or about 5% of the population, trade crypto assets. The largest …