Staff Picks - March 2022

75% of investors in emerging markets want more crypto: Survey

The survey found that the vast majority of surveyed investors in APAC and LATAM emerging markets are eager to get more crypto because they believe in its long-term growth trajectory.

OpenSea phishing scandal reveals a security need across the NFT landscape

OpenSea’s latest vulnerability poses a larger and more deeper question relating to the global NFT ecosystem’s existing security infrastructure.

Russia Proceeds With Efforts to Legalize Crypto Amid Sanctions Over Ukraine

Authorities in Russia are continuing their work to establish a comprehensive legal framework for crypto transactions. The efforts, which started before the military invasion of Ukraine, go on amid warnings that Moscow may use cryptocurrencies to evade expanding financial sanctions.

Bitcoin Miners Catch a Break as Mining Difficulty Drops for the First Time in 3 Months

Bitcoin miners got a small break on March 3, after the network’s mining difficulty shifted downward for the first time since November 28, 2021. Bitcoin’s hashrate has remained high meandering between 180 to 220 exahash per second (EH/s) over the last week, but the leading crypto asset’s price has shed more than 3% during the last 24 hours.

Hacker Group Anonymous Vows to Disrupt Russia's Internet — RT Websites Become 'Subject of Massive DDoS Attacks'

The international hacktivist collective known as Anonymous has vowed to attack Russian government websites over the recent Ukraine invasion. So far Anonymous says that it hacked the Russian Ministry of Defense database and various state-operated television channels in Russia. Additionally, a spokesperson from Russia Today (RT) said that after Anonymous’ recent statement, RT websites were inundated with DDoS attacks.


European Parliament votes against PoW ban, providing huge relief to the crypto industry

The moderate version of the regulatory framework's draft prevailed in the ECON committee voting.

Consolidation and centralization: How Europe’s new AML regulation will affect crypto

With plans for a new watchdog, experts say the EU could take a more hardline position on digital assets.

Artists and Activists Turn to NFT Sales to Support the Ukrainian People

NFTs are showing the brighter side of humanity as real support transcends the boundaries of nations and reaches Ukraine through the metaverse. In light of the ongoing military conflict, people from all around the world send their donations to Ukraine via NFT sales, as artists and activists turn to them over older fundraising methods.

G7 Countries: We Will Ensure Russia Cannot Use Crypto Assets to Evade Sanctions

The Group of Seven (G7) countries issued a joint statement stating that they “will ensure that the Russian state and elites, proxies and oligarchs cannot leverage digital assets as a means of evading or offsetting the impact of international sanctions.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department is “closely monitoring any efforts to circumvent or violate Russia-related sanctions, including through the use of virtual currency.”

Bored Ape Yacht Club Slammed for New KYC-Restricted Project

Users can now register for the collaborative project between Yuga Labs and Animoca Brands—but they will need to reveal their identities.


Bitcoin on track to see its highest weekly close of 2022

Seven-day gains nearing 9% have put BTC price action firmly ahead of every other week so far this year.

Bitcoin veteran tricks crypto scammer into learning Lightning

A Bitcoiner called Felix Crisan outfoxed a crypto scammer, getting them to set up a Bitcoin Lightning Wallet before putting them in their place.

DeFiance Capital founder loses $1.6M in hot wallet hack

The hackers took on one of the biggest names in DeFi, but may have bitten off more than they could chew, as “Arthur_0x” warned, “you messed with the wrong person.”

EU Lawmakers to Vote on Blocking Anonymous Crypto Payments, Documents Show

The European Parliament also wants to curb payments to tax havens and check people’s identity even for payments between unhosted wallets.

Millions Lost as Solana DeFi App cashio Suffers Hack

A hacker exploited an "infinite mint glitch" and drained at least $28 million worth of assets from cashio's liquidity pools.