Staff Picks - December 2021
Decentralized exchange aggregator trading volumes surge to new highs
More and more traders are turning to DEX aggregators to seek out the best rates for token swaps.
Bitmart hacked for $200M following Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain exploit
The hackers made away with a mix of over 20 tokens that includes altcoins such as BNB, Safemoon, BSC-USD and BPay.
Croatia’s largest supermarket chain now accepts crypto
While it now accepts crypto online, Konzum plans to expand the new payment option to its physical chain stores soon.
FROM A MEME TO $47 MILLION: CONSTITUTIONDAO, CRYPTO, AND THE FUTURE OF CROWDFUNDING
Jonah Erlich is one of the core members of a group called ConstitutionDAO, a group that raised money to try to buy one of the original copies of the United States Constitution at an auction held by the high-end auction house Sotheby’s.
DAOs are running crypto. Can they replace the corporation, too?
Decentralized structures like ConstitutionDAO are fast, simple to spin up, democratic and global. The problem is getting regulators to recognize them.
Bill Gates: Office Meetings Will Be In the Metaverse Within Three Years
The Microsoft co-founder believes that most virtual meetings will go from 2D images on a grid to full on 3D avatars in the metaverse
New NFTs Will Let Virtual Museum Show Art Across the Metaverse
A new series of NFTs dropping early next year could bridge its many universes, at least for art curators. The Museum of Crypto Art (MOCA) has a plan to show artwork in as many corners of the metaverse as it can.
Kickstarter plans to move its crowdfunding platform to the blockchain
Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter is making a big bet on the blockchain, announcing plans to create an open source protocol “that will essentially create a decentralized version of Kickstarter’s core functionality.” The company says the goal is for multiple platforms to embrace the protocol, including, eventually, Kickstarter.com.
Sologenic Set to Airdrop $1 Billion to XRP Holders with the Launch of a Decentralized NFT Marketplace
The new marketplace is built on the XRP ledger, solving the high-cost and slow transactions of current NFT marketplaces on the Ethereum blockchain
96 private keys stolen from Vulcan Forged in $140 million theft
Earlier today, 96 private keys were stolen from the crypto gaming ecosystem Vulcan Forged, enabling the attacker to siphon off $140 million in cryptocurrency.
Jefferies says the metaverse is as big an investment opportunity as the early internet
Wall Street is getting very excited about the metaverse, with investment bank Jefferies perhaps the most optimistic.
Jack Dorsey Ignites Battle Over Competing Visions for ‘Web3’
Tech stalwarts are debating how decentralized the future internet might be, after comments by the former Twitter CEO
Arcade Raises $15M to Offer NFT-Backed Loans
The project lets users borrow against the value of their NFTs.
Polkadot Is Deutsche Telekom’s Latest Crypto Experiment
Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems purchased a “significant” amount of DOT tokens “to put its money where its mouth is,” according to blockchain lead Andreas Dittrich.
Jack Dorsey says VCs really own Web3 (and Web3 boosters are pretty mad about it)
The Twitter founder and Block CEO tweeted out some thoughts on crypto and “Web3” that managed to exasperate some of the idea’s biggest boosters. This wasn’t the kind of Web3 criticism we’ve seen time and again — Dorsey didn’t come at them with a “right-clicker mentality” or anything so trivial.
Mexico confirms plans to roll out CBDCs in 2024
New technologies and a next-generation payment infrastructure would help Mexico become more financially inclusive.
Over 20,000 Bitcoin ATMs Installed in a Year
The number of cryptocurrency ATMs around the world has grown exponentially in 2021, with over 20,000 new installations made since last December. That’s more than the total of all crypto teller machines put into operation in the previous seven years.
Analysts warn that possible downside wick could push BTC price as low as $44K
A double top formation preceded Bitcoin's plunge below $48,000 on Dec. 28 with some analysts suggesting it could dip to $44,000 before resuming its uptrend.
Hong Kong Authorities Arrest Two Siblings Accused of Laundering $384 Million via Banks, Crypto Platform
Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested two individuals accused of laundering about $384 million using various avenues including a cryptocurrency exchange trading platform. If convicted, the two face a maximum jail sentence of 14 years plus a fine of $5 million.