The term Web3 is often used as shorthand to discuss the new phase of the internet. It describes leaving the era of centralized social media and massive e-commerce platforms and arriving at a utopia of user-controlled data. Web3, in a colloquial sense, is simply an umbrella marketing term that means anything crypto-adjacent. To offer clarity on this topic, the Cointelegraph Research team has released a new report detailing the nature of the real Web3. These key insights are invaluable for investors to understand to separate facts from fundamental misconceptions. The blockchain web and the decentralized web Cointelegraph Research’s “Web3: Marketing …

This week in the United States, millions of people comprising various political and financial backgrounds are traveling to see family members for the first time in months to celebrate Thanksgiving. For crypto-minded individuals, questions about the market may come as quickly as “Why did you cut your hair?” or “Why didn’t you become a doctor?” — especially given the very public collapse of major exchange FTX and soured reputation of its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried. The Cointelegraph team has put together a humorous “how to” guide for U.S. readers to reference when interacting with crypto skeptics and curious people while …

Binance intends to allocate $1 billion for a proposed industry recovery fund while its CEO revealed intent in a new bid for assets of bankrupt cryptocurrency lending firm Voyager by its U.S.-based business. Speaking to BloombergTV on Nov. 24, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao touched on a number of topics in what has been a tumultuous month for the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Chief among them was Binance’s proposed industry recovery fund which is aimed at providing financial support to promising projects in financial distress. The exchange’s founder introduced the idea in the wake of FTX’s now-infamous collapse. Related: Binance CEO denies report …

Crypto exchange CrossTower Inc., which is currently bidding for the assets of Voyager Digital, is reportedly window shopping for other crypto company acquisitions. In a Nov. 24 Bloomberg report, CrossTower CEO Kapil Rathi revealed that the company is looking to pick up firms with a “good set of customers” and a “good balance sheet” despite the current bear market, stating: “We’re in a great place to either acquire entities who have a good set of customers with them and a good balance sheet [...] so we are openly looking at different types of companies from an organic growth perspective.” In …

For decades, banks and insurance firms employed the same mostly static but highly profitable and centralized business models. Also for decades, Big Tech firms such as Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Google have monopolized user data for their profit. However, blockchain projects could significantly challenge Big Tech’s grip on user data. In 2015, the future of money was at the forefront of financial experts’ minds at the World Economic Forum in Davos. There, they started to seriously focus on the challenges presented by the rise of Bitcoin (BTC), digital assets and fintech. The world of finance began to realize that …

Scalable blockchain network Casper announced the launch of its new Casper Accelerate Grant Program on Nov. 23, created to support developers and innovators who are building apps to support infrastructure, end-user applications, and research innovation on its blockchain. JUST IN from @nextblockexpo: We're glad to announce the launch of a $25M Casper Accelerate Grant Program. This fund will support learning, development, and innovations in Infrastructure, #dApps, #DeFi, #Gaming & NFTs. Learn more https://t.co/jClYyYxRVW pic.twitter.com/V8KszHEjM3 — Casper (@Casper_Network) November 23, 2022 The Casper Network is a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) enterprise-focused blockchain designed to help businesses to build private or permissioned apps, aimed …

Blockchain venture capital inflows sharply decreased in October from the previous month. According to Cointelegraph Research, the number of individual deals dropped from 93 to 69 monthly. The Cointelegraph Research Terminal VC database, which compiles comprehensive details on deals, mergers and acquisition activity, investors, crypto companies, funds and more, shows venture capital inflows plummeted 48.6%, totaling $843.5 million in venture capital (VC) investment, down from $1.64 billion in September. Big raises despite difficult market conditions It’s not all bad news. Signals that there is still active interest by VCs in the blockchain industry are flashing daily. In the decentralized finance …

Anxious to mint a piece of crypto history as a digital collectible? The time has almost come. After amassing a waitlist of more than 400,000 participants, spurring a delayed but fairer launch, Cointelegraph’s Historical nonfungible token (NFT) collection opened on Nov. 23 for waitlisters and will go live on Dec. 1 for the general public. Although the crypto and blockchain space is comparatively new in terms of world history, a number of memorable events have painted unforgettable headlines through the years. Cointelegraph’s Historical Collection gives the public a chance to look through Cointelegraph’s history of articles and immortalize those they …

Despite Japan’s uncertainty on whether to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Bank of Japan (BoJ) continues experimenting with a potential digital yen. The Japanese central bank has started a collaboration with three megabanks and regional banks to conduct a CBDC issuance pilot, the local news agency Nikkei reported on Nov. 23. The pilot aims to provide demo experiments for the issuance of Japan’s national digital currency, a digital yen, starting in spring 2023. As part of the trial, the BoJ is expected to cooperate with major private banks and other organizations to detect and solve any issues …

Amid the crypto market downturn, El Salvador finally makes a decisive step to the realization of its ambitious “Bitcoin bonds” project. The Minister of the Economy Maria Luisa Hayem Brevé introduced a bill confirming the government’s plan to raise $1 billion and invest them into the construction of a “Bitcoin city.” A 33-page digital securities bill, dated Nov. 17, urges lawmakers to create a legal framework using the digital asses in public issuances by El Salvador. They should also consider all the requirements for this procedure and the obligations of issuers and asset providers. The “volcano bonds” or “Bitcoin bonds” …

The downfall of former crypto exchange FTX has had the entire industry in disarray since the situation began to unravel days before it declared bankruptcy on Nov. 11. A new op-ed from United States Senator Elizabeth Warren revealed a negative stance towards the industry with regard to the fallout. Warren wrote that the crypto industry is on a “well-worn path of financial innovation,” which starts with exciting rewards but ends in “crippling losses.” She compared it to subprime mortgages of 2008, penny stocks and credit-default swaps. The Senator said what happened with FTX should be a “wake-up call” to regulators …

The turmoil surrounding crypto exchange FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) reaffirmed regulators’ belief about the need for stricter oversight across the crypto ecosystem. Seeking investor protection against a similar fallout, New York Attorney General (NYAG) Letitia James recommended prohibiting crypto investments in defined contribution plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). In a letter addressed to the members of the U.S. Congress, James requested legislation that would bar U.S. citizens from purchasing cryptocurrencies and digital assets using their funds in IRAs and defined contribution plans such as 401(k) and 457 plans. However, a survey from October 2022 showed that nearly 50% …