roadrunner

The Legends of Bezogia, the land where everything always goes up, is a massive open-world sandbox-style game where players can summon their own Bezogi characters from a large selection of different breeds by minting in-game NFTs, which randomly generate Bezogi. Each unique to their own playstyles and lore, Bezogi fight, craft and explore the epic lands of Bezogia. Crypto integrations in the gaming space are becoming ever more sophisticated and Bezoge Earth is taking this to the next level by making The Legends of Bezogia the most comprehensive gaming world where players can interact with the game in numerous ways without actually being obliged to have any cryptocurrencies. The Legends of Bezogia gives the player the power to fully control their character’s destiny in a game that is actually fun to play. The current issue with the crypto gaming space is that the games are just too basic. With a total market cap sitting at $20B, expected to grow exponentially, the NFT gaming industry is ripe for the taking and The Legends of Bezogia is doing exactly that with a meme packed hilariously fun game that gives players the option to play for fun or play to earn, or both. The players have the power in Bezogia. A Serious Axie Infinity Competitor Axie Infinity has been sitting at the top of the crypto gaming space for far too long with a game that isn’t that fun to actually play, it’s just the biggest and has play to earn potential. The Legends of Bezogia will blow all of this out of the water with next generational MMO features that pack the world with meme filled environments, quests, monsters to slay and massive play to earn systems that give the player so much to interact within a world filled with rich immersive law. A Crypto Meme Packed World The Legends of Bezogia is packed with fun crypto memes that exist all around Bezogia. A few of these memes include; Doge, Shib, FEG, Dogelon & more. The gaming world is also filled with Crypto themed environments like the City of Bullish, The Triple Top Mountain and Bear Market. The game will also feature historic crypto monuments including Whalon Musk, the statue of Vitalik and Pizza Day. The Legends of Bezogia aims to be the gateway for newcomers to get into the crypto space without high barriers to entry and have a great time while doing it. The Cryptocurrency Industry is a really complicated place to get involved in. The game will give gamers a fun environment to both learn & earn cryptocurrency in a community-driven environment, where gamers from the community can have input into the game so it grows into a large and dynamic community. A Fully Decentralized NFT Renting System Players who own Bezogi (NFT in-game character) can Rent2Earn in The Legends of Bezogia by renting out their NFTs to other gamers who don’t own the characters. The renting system is fully decentralized and anyone who owns a Bezogi NFT will be able to rent theirs out and earn while doing so. Systems like this, along with the meme packed world and play for fun or to earn potential aim to bring The Legends of Bezogia to the mainstream as players will be able to play without owning a crypto wallet. The game will feature gasless transactions that only require users to sign transactions to spend their in-game assets and it will all be linked to DeFi platforms, giving gamers direct access to QuickSwap, Aave and more at in-game market stalls. Limitless Potential With a mainstream audience as the goal, The Legends of Bezogia isn’t limited to a crypto audience and automatically creates a new wallet for players who don’t own one so they can dive right in, rent an NFT if they like and just start experiencing the game right away. Additionally, Bezoge Earth understands that not all gamers will be able to access high-end gaming equipment so there will be a low spec mode for players with limited hardware. This gives The Legends of Bezogia almost limitless potential in a world where everything goes up, right alongside the actual global crypto market. To learn more about the Bezogi and The Legends of Bezogia, visit bezogia.com and follow @bezoge on Twitter. Bezoge Earth | Legends of Bezogia | Discord | Telegram | Twitter This is a sponsored post. Learn how to reach our audience here. Read disclaimer below. View the full article

A Nigerian Federal Court judge recently ruled that the two frozen bank accounts belonging to Rise Vest Technologies, which is accused of trading cryptocurrencies, must be reopened. CBN’s Bank Account Freeze Order Dismissed In a ruling that overturns the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s August 17 decision to freeze the bank accounts, Judge Taiwo Taiwo is quoted by The Nation insisting that the central bank could not simply rely on a mere circular when deciding to close an account. In addition, the news outlet quotes the judge explaining in his ruling that the CBN’s February 6 directive to banks is, in fact, not the law. Judge Taiwo notes in his ruling that the CBN had failed to furnish the court with the relevant sections of the law which prove that cryptocurrency trading is indeed illegal. “I have perused the counter affidavit of the Respondent and I see that the reason for freezing the account of the applicant is based on the alleged infraction of the circular of the CBN. The law is trite that any conduct that must be sanctioned must be expressly stated in a written law,” said Judge Taiwo. Central Bank Circulars Not Law The judge asserts that since such circulars are unknown to the law, the CBN cannot, therefore, use these as a basis for punishing errant companies. Meanwhile, the same report also quotes judge Taiwo questioning the CBN’s inclusion of public policy considerations in its submissions against Rise Vest Technologies’ application. What are your thoughts about this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Law enforcement authorities in Ukraine have exposed a crime ring specializing in cryptocurrency theft and laundering of illicit funds for hackers. The gang, which provided services to clients on the darknet, has been dismantled as a result of a joint operation carried out with the United States. Cybercriminals From Ukraine Launder Millions, Offer Flash Drives With Crypto Malware The Cybersecurity Department at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has recently identified a group of individuals who allegedly laundered tens of millions of dollars from darknet sources, the agency announced. The Ukrainians were legalizing illicit funds on behalf of international hackers, the SBU revealed in a press release published Monday. To launder the money, the suspects organized a large-scale scheme involving fake online identities and fictitious persons. Investigators were able to establish that the funds had been transferred through various financial services. Customers were mostly hackers engaged in cyber theft and attacks on banking systems in different parts of the world. The members of the criminal group were also selling flash drives containing viruses designed to compromise digital wallets and steal cryptocurrency. The operation, carried out with support from U.S. agencies, and with the participation of Ukraine’s national police and the Prosecutor General’s Office, led to searches at addresses in the Southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Authorities seized computer equipment, malicious software, paperwork, and cash. The SBU explained that the collected information and materials are currently being analyzed to prosecute all responsible persons, including foreign clients of the Ukrainian criminals. The law enforcement authority did not provide details regarding the number of those involved and if they were under arrest. Ukraine, which has in recent years become a leader in crypto adoption while moving to legalize cryptocurrencies, has seen an increase in crypto-related crime. The Security Service of Ukraine has been going after illegal miners this year and shut down crypto farms in different regions of the country. In August, the SBU blocked a number of online crypto exchangers allegedly sending money to Russia. Earlier this month, South Korean police announced participation in a joint operation with Interpol and the FBI to disrupt another Ukraine-based criminal network accused of extorting bitcoin through ransomware attacks on Korean universities and businesses. According to an announcement by the National Office of Investigation, quoted by the Korean public broadcaster KBS, law enforcement raided 21 locations in Kiev this past June, arresting six individuals. The attacks took place in 2019, when four academic institutions and companies in South Korea were blackmailed to pay up to 4.5 billion won (over $3.8 million) worth of bitcoin to have their computer systems decrypted. While Ukraine’s current legislation makes it difficult to extradite the perpetrators, authorities in Seoul have asked Interpol to issue a red notice for two of the suspects who could end up in Korean custody if they leave their country, the report noted. Do you think Ukraine will be able to deal with crypto-related crime? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency marketplace Localbitcoins has announced the launch of a new mobile application for its global user base. The software is designed for devices running on Android. The app has been released in response to a growing number of mobile traders. P2P Crypto Market Localbitcoins Offers Users Android App Popular P2P crypto exchange Localbitcoins has presented a mobile application for traders around the world. The app has been developed for Android users and according to an announcement published on Monday, it has already seen thousands of downloads. Work continues to create an iOS version as well, the marketplace assured. The Helsinki, Finland-headquartered company said it’s launching the app after signing up 1.7 million customers in 2020, most of whom were using mobile devices to access its platform. Quoted in the press release, Localbitcoins Chief Marketing Officer Jukka Blomberg commented: Our new mobile app shows our commitment to our global user base and enforces LocalBitcoins’ founding idea of Bringing Bitcoin Everywhere. The application facilitates crypto purchases and sales in 190 countries, the exchange detailed, supporting “almost all global currencies” and more than 100 payment methods. Users are offered a free bitcoin wallet while the security has been enhanced with biometric and two-factor authentication. Localbitcoins also promises low fees, with free deposits and transactions between its users. The platform will collect a 1% escrow fee from advertisers and charge a withdrawal fee based on Bitcoin blockchain fees. “Bringing Bitcoin Everywhere is all about inclusion and accessibility. We are continuously listening to the needs of our customers worldwide and constantly aiming to improve and evolve our service to fulfil those,” Blomberg also stated, adding: “Many of our customers had been hoping for a mobile app as an option and as a result, we developed one.” In the years since its establishment in 2012, Localbitcoins has become the world’s leading peer-to-peer crypto exchange by facilitating over-the-counter trading of bitcoin (BTC) with local fiat currency. In June this year, the platform added to its payment options bitcoin cash (BCH) and dogecoin (DOGE), among other cryptocurrencies, and stablecoins like tether (USDT). Localbitcoins allows users to post advertisements on its website, propose an exchange rate for their digital assets and state the desired payment methods buyers will be able to use to acquire the coins. In 2019, the P2P marketplace announced it was introducing new identity verification rules and removed in-person cash trades, forcing some of its customers to look for alternative services. Paxful, a major competitor of Localbitcoins, has a mobile wallet app which lets users buy, send, and receive BTC, ETH and USDT. Other peer-to-peer crypto exchange options include Hodl Hodl, which last year allowed users of the Bluewallet app to buy bitcoin through an integration with its platform, and Localcryptos, which added support for BCH transactions in September. Are you using a mobile app to exchange cryptocurrencies? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

The European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed an advisory group for the digital euro project. Called the Digital Euro Market Advisory Group, it was founded with 30 members from business backgrounds. The council will have a say in the design, distribution, and value that this new digital currency can provide for the payments ecosystem. The currency could start its development phase in two years. ECB Integrates Digital Euro Advisory Group The European Central Bank has announced the appointment of the Digital Euro Market Advisory Group, an organization that will give council to the bank in terms of how they can add value to the proposal of a central bank digital currency. The ECB called for parties to express their interest in joining the group in June, and the bank filtered and selected the most experienced applicants. Of the individuals that applied, the ECB selected 30 senior business professionals. Among the selected are members of known banking and economic institutions in Europe like Société Générale, Nordea, Intesa Sanpaolo, Swedbank, La Banque Postale, and Deutsche Bank. Roberto Catanzaro, of the Nexi Group, a company that revealed it was involved in the design phases of the digital euro, is also part of the council. The group will host meetings at least quarterly, starting next month. ECB Board Member Fabio Panetta stated: I am pleased that many high-quality experts from the private sector are willing to contribute to the digital euro project. Their expertise will facilitate the integration of prospective users’ and distributors’ views on a digital euro during the investigation phase. Roles and Possible Effect The 30 members of the advisory group will have the task of advising the ECB about the proposal and how it can be modified to better resolve the needs of the different sectors in the Eurozone. The payments area will also be specially considered, as issues identified as a result of these group meetings will be elevated to the Euro Retail Payments Board, an institutional forum that discusses retail payments. The Digital Euro is currently in its investigative phases, according to the statements offered in September by Christine Lagarde, the president of the institution. This phase will begin this month and will take two years to be completed. Only after this phase finishes, and there is a clear demand for a digital currency, will the project start its development phases with plans for releasing a test trial in Europe. What do you think about the appointment of the Digital Euro Market Advisory Group? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Tether, the operator of one of the leading stablecoins in the crypto market has announced it will commence trials of a system that will allow the company to comply with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) travel rule. The system, that is provided by Notabene, a company that offers ID and travel rule compliance solutions, will allow Tether to automatically communicate travel rule data between Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs). Tether Eyes Compliance Solution Tether, the company behind the issuance of the biggest stablecoin by market cap in the cryptocurrency market, USDT, will test trial a solution that will allow it to comply with the travel rule proposed by the Financial Action Task Force. The solution that will be tested, provided by Notabene, a software company that offers compliance solutions, will allow this information to be relayed between VASPs. Tether’s actions are directed to thwart bad actors using USDT to move funds coming from illicit or going to illegal sources. This solution aims to make tether (USDT) more friendly to law enforcement agencies all around the world, and safer for users making transactions using Tether’s stablecoin. Leonardo Real. CCO of Tether, declared: It’s important that we work with other large VASPs to build this industry from the ground up. As pioneers of blockchain technology and leaders in transparency, we are dedicated to not only keeping up with new rules but helping shape them. FATF’s Travel Rule FATF’s travel rule, which was proposed to be implemented by VASPs as it is now enforced for traditional financial institutions, dictates that the information of both parties doing a transaction must be shared by the institutions facilitating it to help in case of money laundering or terrorists financing activities. However, the implementation of this rule in the cryptocurrency world has been difficult, due to the pseudonymous nature of the transactions. This is why in the crypto world, approaches to comply with the travel rule sometimes use blockchain analytics and other systems to successfully deliver this data. Tether is not the only company that is seeking to heighten the level of vigilance on transactions made using its products. In July, Binance also implemented a similar system, provided by blockchain intelligence firm Ciphertrace, to comply with travel rule requirements, being one of the first exchanges doing it. After successfully testing Notabene’s system, Tether aims to integrate this solution to have better oversight of transactions involving USDT. At the time of writing, Tether’s transparency page notes that there are approximately 70,687,988,377 tethers in circulation today. What do you think about Tether testing a travel rule compliance solution? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. Blockchain that provides an environment of security, transparency and traceability is an innovative technology that applies in various kinds of life activities. For Africa, it is an opportunity for evolving and making changes. The SimbCity – SimbCoin Swap project, a solution for real estate and finance, is making an impact on the African market with the power of blockchain technology. The project could be viewed as two parts that complement each other, for the real estate part, there is SimbCity project that focuses on booming African tourism industry. In Africa, currently more than 63 million visitors are being received every year, and this number is expected to grow even larger by the year of 2027, which will be astounding 110 million. SimbCity project concentrates on real estate located on popular touristic area of Africa like Kribi, to ensure that it chooses the best locations with minimal expenses and supply reliability for each division. As for the finance part, there is a token called SimbCoin Swap (SMBSWAP), which is based on the ERC20 system from Ethereum. It offers a new and unique approach to invest in the crypto field, generates rewards from tangible luxurious markets such as real estate, and is integrated by eco-sustainable energy and an extraordinary form of BTC crypto-mining. The total supply of SMBSWAP token is 150 million (i.e. 150,000,000 SMB SWAP), 60% of it was for private sale, and 40% has been provided for public sale, investors can buy SMBSWAP on LBank Exchange right now, and there is also a special staking event provided, investors can enjoy 20% APY without locking on LBank Exchange, gaining interest which will be settled daily by just holding the SMBSWAP tokens. Backed by GIT Global Investment Trading (GIT) was founded in May 2017 following the success story of its promoter, the crypto-millionaire Emile Parfait SIMB. It is a business development center and a private crypto investment fund as well. In 2018, the company embarked on new projects such as e-commerce, trading platform and numerous investments in the livestock sector, agriculture, catering and real estate. In 2019, with success and continuous growth, GIT launched a project named Liyeplimal Africa Tour that ensured its presence in 24 African countries and three e-commerce sites in Madagascar (Limarket Mada), Dubai (Liportal) and Cameroon (Limarket). Today, GIT is made up of more than 8,000 crypto-investors, members in more than 55 countries across the world, 7 representation head offices, an association charity (Odette Liyeplimal Association), 3 e-commerce sites (Limarket Cameroon, Limarket Mada, Liportal), a trading platform (SIMTREX), a recruitment platform (Workoo), a restaurant (Liyeplimal restaurant), a currency of exchange (Liyeplimal money), an agropastoral farm, a driving school center and a crypto ecosystem (SimbCoin Swap). Beginning of the adventure GIT has already proven its portfolio with all the successful projects and products it is holding and managing. But this is still just the beginning of the adventure, the collaboration with Cameroon State vision made it possible to launch SimbCity project in the seaside town Kribi, and with the innovative blockchain technology, SimbCoin Swap was launched for proceeding the fundraising of SimbCity. In addition, by being listed on trading platforms including LBank Exchange, SMBSWAP token now can be reached by users from all around the world, which helps the project draw more attention and further expand its global market. SimbCoin Swap is on its way to make an even bigger impact on Africa, and eventually achieve its goal of reaching a secure, prosperous and sustainable future. Official website:https://www.simbcoin.net Contact Details: LBK Blockchain Co. Limited LBank Exchange marketing@lbank.info This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

While the blockchain network Solana’s native token has skyrocketed in value this week jumping 31.4%, the Solana-based perpetual swap platform Drift Protocol announced it raised $3.8 million from strategic investors. At the same time, Drift announced the launch of its alpha mainnet after several months of “grind, hard work, debugging, building security guardrails.” Solana Perpetual Swap Exchange Drift Reveals Mainnet Launch, Raises $3.8 Million While centralized exchanges like Binance, FTX, Bybit, and Bitmex offer crypto-based perpetual swaps, decentralized finance (defi) competitors are aiming to take the large amounts of trading volume these trading platforms command. There are a number of decentralized apps (dapps) attempting to move forward in this direction like dYdX, Mango Markets, and MCDEX. On October 25, a Solana-based perpetual swap platform called the Drift Protocol launched its mainnet. “We successfully launched our mainnet at the Solana’s Chicago Hacker House, working with the guidance of Bartosz, Jordan, and alongside the rest of the residents (HXRO and Mango teams),” the project noted on Monday. Additionally, the project announced the “Drift Alpha Ticket” non-fungible token (NFT) collection and detailed the platform’s team raised $3.8 million from investors. Drift explained on Monday: The Drift Alpha Ticket is a collection of 1,500 NFTs exclusively released by Drift through rewarding early Discord users and its partnership with defi and NFT projects on the Solana network. According to Drift, the $3.8 million in financing was led by the thesis-driven investment firm Multicoin Capital. Alongside Multicoin Capital, Jump Capital, QCP Capital, Not3Lau, and Alameda Research joined. The project aims to support tokens stemming from SOL and ETH and aims to be a “one-way path to being Solana’s top decentralised futures exchange.” The Drift Alpha Ticket, Drift details, “is a way for the team to identify and reward its early adopters and believers.” As far as the Solana network’s native token solana (SOL) the crypto asset has been surging in value this week capturing the sixth position in terms of market cap. Solana jumped 31.4% in value this week, 51.4% over the last month, and 11,467% year-to-date. What do you think about the Solana-based perpetual swaps dex Drift raising $3.8 million and launching its alpha mainnet on Monday? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, has informed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a quarterly filing that it may restart the practice of transacting in cryptocurrencies for its products and services. Tesla suspended accepting bitcoin in May, citing environmental concerns. Tesla May Resume Accepting Bitcoin, SEC Filing Shows Tesla Inc. filed a quarterly report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Monday. The company explained that during the nine months ended Sept. 20, it “purchased an aggregate of $1.50 billion in bitcoin.” In its Q3 earnings report, Tesla’s balance sheet shows bitcoin worth $1.26 billion, after reporting bitcoin-related impairments in the past two quarters. The SEC filing further states that during the three months ended March 31, Tesla “accepted bitcoin as a payment for sales of certain of our products in specified regions, subject to applicable laws.” However, the company noted that it “suspended this practice in May 2021.” Tesla continued: We may in the future restart the practice of transacting in cryptocurrencies (‘digital assets’) for our products and services. The electric car company, whose market cap hit $1 trillion for the first time this week, explained that it “suspended vehicle purchases using bitcoin” due to concerns “about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk then tried to convince bitcoin miners to use renewable energy. In May, he spoke with North American bitcoin miners, after which they formed a Bitcoin Mining Council to “promote energy usage transparency & accelerate sustainability initiatives worldwide.” In June, Musk tweeted: “When there’s confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing bitcoin transactions.” At the “B Word” event in July, he said: “It looks like Bitcoin is shifting a lot more toward renewables and a bunch of the heavy-duty coal plants that were being used … have been shut down, especially in China.” He added: “I want to do a little more due diligence to confirm that the percentage of renewable energy usage is most likely at or above 50% and that there is a trend toward increasing that number. If so, Tesla will most likely resume accepting bitcoin.” While Tesla only accepted bitcoin, Musk conducted a poll on Twitter in May asking his followers if Tesla should accept dogecoin (DOGE). 78.2% of more than 3.9 million votes were in favor of Tesla accepting the meme cryptocurrency. Musk recently confirmed that he personally owns bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin. Meanwhile, his companies, Tesla and Spacex, only own bitcoin. Do you think Tesla will accept bitcoin again soon and do you think the company will also accept dogecoin? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says the SEC v. Ripple case “seems to be going better than expected.” He added that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission “is realizing that attacking crypto is politically unpopular.” Coinbase’s CEO on the Ripple Lawsuit, SEC Attacking Crypto The CEO of the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, commented on the enforcement action against Ripple Labs by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Monday. Referencing a Forbes article titled “The crypto uprising the SEC didn’t see coming,” he tweeted: The Ripple case seems to be going better than expected. Meanwhile, the SEC is realizing that attacking crypto is politically unpopular (because it harms consumers). “The irony is that the people they are supposedly protecting are the ones attacking them,” the Coinbase boss added. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has made a similar statement regarding the SEC. Noting that the regulator is refusing to provide a clear framework for crypto, he said: “Instead of working with the industry, the SEC is using their meetings with companies as lead generation for their enforcement actions.” He added that many XRP holders have filed a class-action lawsuit against the SEC, emphasizing, “These are the exact people the SEC is supposed to be protecting.” Several people on Twitter expressed surprise to see Armstrong tweeting a positive comment about Ripple. Many took his statement as a bullish sign that the price of XRP will soon pump. Some people suspect that Coinbase may be relisting XRP soon. “Sounds like Brian Armstrong and Coinbase should be getting ready to relist XRP,” one person tweeted. However, some are still skeptical, arguing that Coinbase will not relist XRP until the lawsuit is over. Coinbase delisted XRP in January, soon after the SEC filed a lawsuit against Ripple Labs and its executives, CEO Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen. The Nasdaq-listed company itself recently ran into trouble with the securities watchdog when it tried to launch a lending program. The exchange discussed the product with the SEC but was threatened with legal action if it proceeded with the launch. This caused Coinbase to shelve the product. What do you think about Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s comment on Ripple? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

German authorities are auctioning bitcoin seized from the darknet in cybercrime cases. The auction website reportedly experienced high traffic to bitcoin listings, with 4,000 new registered users over the past few days. German Government Auctioning Seized Bitcoin The Justice Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s largest state by population, announced Monday an auction of bitcoin seized from criminal cases. Justiz Auktion, the auction website for the ministry, experienced high traffic to the bitcoin listings Monday after the prosecutors began listing the cryptocurrency on the site, Bloomberg reported, adding that the auction platform had 4,000 new registered users in the last few days. The bitcoins were seized in cybercrime and drug trafficking cases, mostly from the darknet, the publication conveyed. Prosecutors in Germany cannot sell seized cryptocurrencies on the market; they are required to auction them like any other seized stolen goods. The Ministry of Justice was quoted as saying: Each euro that’s extracted from criminal networks helps weakens them. The auction site currently has 15 listings for bitcoin. One is for 10 BTC, three are for 1 BTC, six are for 0.5 BTC, and five are for 0.1 BTC. According to the auction website, the seized bitcoins are stored on official paper wallets at the Central and Contact Point Cybercrime North Rhine-Westphalia (ZAC NRW). ZAC NRW is the central contact point for investigative authorities, particularly public prosecutors and police authorities, in North Rhine-Westphalia in the area of computer crime. The website explains that bitcoin transfers will take place by “personally handing over the paper wallet including the private key.” It adds that if an electronic transfer to a bitcoin address of the winning bidder is preferred, it will be done “after video identification at the expense of the buyer at the usual transaction fees.” Furthermore, the website notes: The handover or transfer will take place only after the purchase price has been received by the Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office. The process can take 2 working days. Would you buy seized bitcoin from governments? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. The revolutionary blockchain-based global point integration platform ASSEMBLE Protocol has announced the listing of its utility token ASM on Coinbase, which has been followed swiftly after the ASM-USD and ASM-USDT pairs were enabled on Coinbase Pro. It is highly expected that this development is going to further boost the global adoption of ASM token and also expose it to the larger potential user base across different countries with its latest listing developments. ASM Listed on Coinbase.com As the leading mainstream cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, Coinbase has become a standard on-ramp for new crypto investors. Coinbase is the NASDAQ listed cryptocurrency exchange, that offers a wide variety of products including cryptocurrency investing, an advanced trading platform, custodial accounts for institutions, a wallet for retail investors, and its own U.S. dollar stable-coin. Coinbase has recently released an announcement that it now supports the ASM-USD and ASM-USDT pairs on both of its platforms, Coinbase and Coinbase Pro. The announcement was contained in an official press release on October 21,2021. It should be noted that, ASM has been included to the Coinbase Custody earlier this year. ASSEMBLE Protocol noted that ASM had met the liquidity conditions required by Coinbase during the pre-listing phase. With the listing, ASM holders are now able to deposit, trade, exchange and withdraw their tokens on the Coinbase exchange in both crypto and fiat pairs. It also represents a major development for ASSEMBLE Protocol given Coinbase standing in the crypto industry. Coinbase is the second-largest centralized crypto exchange and processes over $6 billion worth of crypto assets daily. The U.S Exchange also has 68 million verified users in 100 countries and recently got listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. ASSEMBLE Protocol hopes that the listing will increase traction in its ecosystem and lead to major adoption of the ASM token. The Coinbase effect has already occurred, with ASM price increasing by 200% in the past 24 hours. In addition, the transaction volume of ASM has also spiked by 26,000% during this period. ASM Listed on Gate.io ASSEMBLE Protocol has also listed ASM token on Gate.io. Gate.io conducted the listing of the ASM/USDT and ASM/ETH pairs on its trading platforms. Trading went live from October 22, 2021, and users are now able to deposit, withdraw and trade ASM tokens. The listing on Gate.io also shows the high-level of interest towards ASM token, as Gate.io is the sixth-largest centralized exchange based on trading volume and has 4 million users in 120 countries globally. It is expected that listing on Gate.io will also provide more options for users to purchase and hold ASM tokens. An innovative Blockchain platform ASSEMBLE Protocol has continued to receive plaudits from the crypto community about its innovative products and features. The blockchain platform provides point integration for organizations and allows loyalty points to be converted into its native ASM token using a single unified wallet. Users can spend their points to purchase goods and services in the ASSEMBLE Marketplace or convert their points into ASM tokens that can be exchanged for fiat on supported exchanges. ASSEMBLE has inked strategic collaborations with STA1.com and clubpass. The two e-commerce platforms have 750,000 users, 3,500 shopping malls and 181 club affiliates. ASSEMBLE has also developed mobile apps that provide an optimized experience for iOS and Android users. It recently launched a desktop version for the ASSEMBLE wallet that will enable users to perform transactions directly from their computers. About ASSEMBLE Protocol Assemble Protocol (ASM) is an Ethereum-based utility token that powers Assemble Platform, which is a platform where users and merchants can aggregate, manage, and spend reward and loyalty points. Learn more about ASSEMBLE protocol: Telegram: https://t.me/assembleprotocol Medium: https://medium.com/assembleprotocol Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASSEMBLE_io This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. A crypto platform Crypto Gaming United (CGU), which has joined the crypto exchange TimeX on the 18th of october, made $2.5 million in a record-breaking six seconds since public token trading began. One of the co-founders of the project is a crypto-currency, DeFi and blockchain app entrepreneur Sergei Sergienko born in Russia. CGU operates on the principles of uber-economy. Gamers don’t need to spend money on the initial purchase of NFT-characters. The platform rents them out to players in exchange for a share of their daily income. Meanwhile the games themselves reward players with income proportionate to their in-game skill and performance. The open market sale of GCU tokens became the third and final investment round. For context, previously the seed and pre-IDO rounds had ended at $5 million and $10 million respectively. The tokens released during these rounds have a blocking period with a 3 year rights transfer schedule. This means that CGU’s tokens are now only available on the secondary market. There were 10 million the GCU tokens available for sale in total, at the price of $0.25 each. In 6 seconds after the market opened, all tokens had been bought out. “Success of every project is always measured by the market. We never expected the demand to be high enough to sell all the tokens in under 6 seconds. This makes it even more pleasant to realize the importance of the gaming crypto platform CGU to the market, and to feel the support coming from the project’s community” – the co-founder of the project Sergei Sergienko notes. The next step for CGU according to Sergei is committing to the plan publicized in the token’s emission prospect – the company intends to increase the number of active players on the platform to a hundred thousand in the nearest future. The gathered funds will also be used for creation and development of CGU and DAO communities for the project. Overall, Crypto Gaming United attracted $17.5 million during the 3 investment rounds. The total volume of CGU’s emission is 1 billion tokens, 26% of which belong to investors. This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

Sandile Shezi, the South African bitcoin trader accused of defrauding investors, recently made his first court appearance before a Johannesburg magistrate. Shezi out on Bail The bitcoin trader’s court appearance came just days after he honored his pledge to surrender himself to the police. However, according to a report by the Sowetan, Shezi — who is now out on bail — is set to return to court on November 24. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Shezi is facing fraud allegations that stem from his failure to honor promises he made to Allan Ledwaba, an investor in the latter’s Global Forex Institute. Although Shezi has repeatedly denied the allegations, Ledwaba and an unnamed investor still went on to file complaints against the bitcoin trader. The filing of these complaints then culminated in the issuing of the warrant for the bitcoin trader’s arrest. The report in the meantime quotes Ledwaba commenting on Shezi’s arrest and his subsequent court appearance. He said: Today is not the right time for me to lay bare my entire story and how I suffered at the hands of a man trusted as the matter has just gone to court. Meanwhile, the Sowetan newspaper reports that by the time Shezi handed himself over to the police he had already resigned from his company. Still, the report does not say why Shezi chose to resign before handing himself over. Do you agree with the court’s decision to grant bail to Shezi? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. View the full article

Elon Musk has revealed the real reason he supports the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin. He shared that a lot of people he talks to at his companies, Tesla and Spacex, own dogecoin, noting that “it felt like the people’s crypto.” Lots of People Elon Musk Talks to at Spacex and Tesla Own Dogecoin Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk revealed Sunday the real reason he began supporting dogecoin. He noted that many people he talks to at both companies own the meme cryptocurrency. Responding to a tweet by dogecoin holder Glauber Contessoto, who said the appeal for DOGE is real, referencing a survey that found about a third of U.S. crypto holders own the meme cryptocurrency, Musk wrote: Lots of people I talked to on the production lines at Tesla or building rockets at Spacex own Doge. They aren’t financial experts or Silicon Valley technologists. That’s why I decided to support Doge — it felt like the people’s crypto. The Doge community welcomes Musk’s comment and support. “Most of us don’t come from privileged backgrounds and honestly can’t relate to the experts in Silicon Valley,” Contessoto responded. “We just want to believe in a crypto that represents us all. Dogecoin is the little guy personified in crypto which is why we love it. We appreciate your support, Elon.” A survey by price comparison portal Finder shows that more people in the U.S. own dogecoin than in any other country. The survey states: Dogecoin sees its highest adoption in the United States with 30.6% of crypto owners saying they own dogecoin. This is 1.6 times the global average adoption rate of 19.2%. At the time of writing, the price of dogecoin is up 11.31% over the past week, with DOGE sitting at $0.2664 based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets. Musk previously said he personally owns three cryptocurrencies: bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin. On Sunday, he tweeted several important dogecoin improvements and confirmed that he does not own any shiba inu tokens. In August, the Tesla boss agreed with the Shark Tank star Mark Cuban that dogecoin is the “strongest” crypto for payments. What do you think about Elon Musk’s comments about dogecoin? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Payments giant Mastercard has partnered with a cryptocurrency exchange to allow its partners and merchants in the U.S. to offer crypto solutions, including the buying, selling, and holding of cryptocurrencies. “We want to offer all of our partners the ability to more easily add crypto services to whatever it is they’re doing.” Mastercard’s Network Integrates Crypto Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and cryptocurrency exchange platform Bakkt (NYSE: BKKT) announced “a multifaceted partnership” Monday at the Money20/20 event. The partnership aims “to make it easier for merchants, banks, and fintechs in the U.S. to embrace and offer a broad set of cryptocurrency solutions and services,” the announcement details. “Bakkt extends Mastercard’s ecosystem of cryptocurrency partners enabling crypto-as-a-service, which provides quick access to cryptocurrency capabilities.” The two companies explained: Mastercard partners will be able to offer cryptocurrency solutions. These include the ability for consumers to buy, sell and hold digital assets through custodial wallets powered by the Bakkt platform and streamlined issuance of branded crypto debit and credit cards. The payments giant has relationships with more than 20,000 financial institutions worldwide, and there are 2.8 billion Mastercards in use, according to the company. An October 2019 Nilson Report states that Visa and Mastercard both had 52.9 million merchants — more than any other company worldwide. Mastercard further revealed that crypto will also be integrated into its loyalty solutions, allowing its partners to “offer cryptocurrency as rewards and create fungibility between loyalty points and other digital assets.” The announcement adds: This means that consumers can earn and spend rewards in cryptocurrency instead of traditional loyalty points and seamlessly convert their crypto holdings to pay for purchases. Sherri Haymond, Mastercard’s executive vice president of digital partnerships, was quoted as saying: “We want to offer all of our partners the ability to more easily add crypto services to whatever it is they’re doing. Our partners, be they banks, fintechs, or merchants can offer their customers the ability to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency through an integration with the Bakkt platform.” Bakkt CEO Gavin Michael opined: “We’re lowering the barriers to entry, allowing people to take something like your rewards points and trade them into crypto. It’s an easy way to get going because you’re not using cash, you’re putting something that’s an idle asset sitting on your balance sheet, and we’re allowing you to put it to work.” What do you think about Mastercard helping merchants on its network integrate crypto solutions? Let us know in the comments section below. View the full article

Player wins a mighty big jackpot in the flashy new sequel Aloha King Elvis! on our crypto casino! A massive 1000x on the exciting Hawaiian-themed slot game The charismatic Elvis Frog has been taking a trip to Hawaii lately in BGaming’s popular new slot game on Bitcoin.com’s very own crypto casino. The titular character King Elvis has now bestowed riches upon one lucky player who landed a massive win on Aloha King Elvis! This big win comes at the onset of Halloween that should allow the player to enjoy his newly acquired riches quite festively. The Hawaiian-themed slot game features two jackpots, namely a Mini and a Major, both applying a 200x and a 1000x multiplier to the player bet amount respectively. A Major jackpot was applied to the lucky player’s bet that propelled his casino wallet’s balance into an exponential frenzy adding an amount equalling roughly 1.9 BTC as per current evaluations. King Elvis bestows generous riches onto the player with a 1000x multiplier! Aloha King Elvis! is one of the newest offerings from the premium gaming provider BGaming. The game also stands as an exciting sequel to the ever-popular slot game Elvis Frog in Vegas that broke all records by becoming one of the most played Bitcoin slot games of all time. The slot game allows players to place bets on up to 25 pay lines, across which they can land a winning combination that can dish out a reward of up to x2200 their initial bet amount. Aloha King Elvis! also features a Coin Respin positional trigger that can allow them to win one of the Jackpots. Bitcoin Slots have a tendency to accumulate jackpots much faster than traditional slot games at a brick-and-mortar casino as there are thousands of players playing slot games at any given time. They are more accessible to a worldwide audience of players, especially in this era of social distancing and lockdowns due to the pandemic. Play Aloha King Elvis! now or check out other games with big jackpots and bonuses that you can play on Bitcoin.com Games. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. MetaWars, an innovative, multiplayer strategy blockchain-based game, has successfully raised $2.3 million USD from its supporting investors. MetaWars has collaborated with various investors and partners to incorporate blockchain into the emerging gaming industry and revolutionize NFTs. The game has recently announced their exclusive NFT auction starting from October 21st. The auction will be ongoing until the date of their confirmed TGE, the 27th of October. The NFT auction offers participants a range of NFTs that provide advantageous benefits for players in-game from a minimum price of 0.2 BNB. To know more about MetaWars’ exclusive NFT auction event, visit here. MetaWars, as mentioned, will be hosting their TGE on the 27th of October in collaboration with three launchpads, Polylauncher, Red Kite and GameFi. Their utility token, $WARS, has a total supply of 1,500,000,000 and is required for an in-game token $GAM for staking, upgrades, trading and more on their NFT marketplace. Introducing MetaWars MetaWars is a sci-fi strategy game set with a multi-layered, key tactical battlefield that enables players to monetize from the game. Users can customize their game experience by taking control of the game’s ecosystem. It is a highly-interactive, galactic exploration game that provides users the opportunity to discover universes, solve mysteries, and defend riches from adversaries. With MetaWars, every player can wager, play-to-earn, and obtain NFT collectibles by completing challenges, earning MetaWars’ tokens ($WARS) and in-game ($GAM) tokens. Investors and Partners MetaWars has successfully raised a total of $2.3 million USD for funding. The company is supported by various investors, including ABV, Raptor Capital, CinchBlock, x21, CoinUnited.io, Double Peak, Magnus Capital, Everse Capital, Infinity Gainz, and IceTeaLabs. The company is also grateful for the endless support of various partners, such as BSC, PancakeSwap, and launchpads Polylauncher, Red Kite and GameFi. Metawars is also supported by content creator Mr. Beast. Mr. Beast is one of the top content creators in the industry amassing 70.3 million YouTube followers. This serves as an opportunity for MetaWars to be introduced to various communities and provides the company with strength and motivation to move forward in the crypto industry. MetaWars plans to utilise the accumulated funds to enhance the game and further the development of the platform and reach new heights, providing users the opportunity to maximize the use of the platform. For more technological updates and important announcements, don’t forget to visit MetaWars’ social media platforms. About MetaWars MetaWars is a play-to-earn next-generation blockchain-backed gaming experience. Explore and battle throughout the universe. Fight, trade, and earn robots, ships, and planetary terrain backed by NFT in-game items. The $WARS token will become the anchor of an entire universe up for grabs. Website: https://metawars.gg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetaWarsNFT Telegram: https://t.me/MetaWarsNFT Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MetaWarsNFT/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/VtCZCEQbd6 This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

After the price of bitcoin tapped an all-time high above the $67K handle, it then dropped below the $60K zone to $59,510 per unit. Since then, the leading crypto asset has regained some of the losses and bitcoin is still up 2.4% during the last seven days. However, a great number of crypto assets have outperformed bitcoin’s weekly rise, capturing double-digit gains as high as 65.1%. Thorchain, Nexo, Near, Okb, Shiba Inu, Safemoon Values Spike Digital currency markets are on the move again as the $2.733 trillion market valuation of all 10,000+ crypto assets is up 4.6% on Monday. BTC has jumped a bit higher during the latter half of Sunday’s trading sessions into Monday and BTC has gained 2.4% this past week. But there’s over 55 different digital assets that have outperformed BTC’s weekly gains. The top seven-day gainer this week is thorchain (RUNE) which has jumped a whopping 65.1% this past week. The crypto asset thorchain has a $3.3 billion market capitalization and $208 million in trade volume on Monday. Nexo (NEXO) spiked 61.6% during the last week and has a market cap of around $1.5 billion. Nexo is followed by okb’s (OKB) gains which have jumped 61.5% this week and near’s (NEAR) value rise of 56.1%. Shiba inu suffered some losses after Elon Musk said he didn’t own any SHIB but the meme-currency did gather 53.2% in gains this week. Harmony (ONE) did well this past week obtaining 47.5% and safemoon (SAFEMOON) lifted 45.8%. Ethereum Gains 9% Pushing Market Dominance to 18.2% As far as the top ten crypto are concerned, ethereum (ETH) has risen 9.4%, binance coin (BNB) spiked 3.4%, solana (SOL) is up 33%, polkadot (DOT) up 5.7%, and dogecoin (DOGE) jumped 10.7%. With a $2.733 trillion market valuation, all the digital assets today have seen around $125 billion in global trade volume. Ethereum’s 9.4% gain has cushioned ether’s dominance level this week as it has tapped 18.2% on Monday. Bitcoin’s dominance level has dropped a couple of percentages from over 45% to 43.5% on Monday afternoon. Furthermore, binance coin (BNB) has a market cap dominance of around 3.09%, the stablecoin tether (USDT) commands 2.72%, cardano (ADA) 2.71%, and solana (SOL) 2.43% in terms of market dominance among the 10,000+ crypto assets. What do you think about the crypto market performers this past week? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

On Sunday, Elon Musk discussed his relationship with the Dogecoin Foundation and he mentioned a few improvements he’d like to see implemented via Dogecoin Core’s codebase. Meanwhile, Github metrics show developers have been working on Dogecoin Core during the last few months and it seems Dogecoin software engineers are prepping the network to address fees, transaction time, and mining. Dogecoin Proponents Including Elon Musk Patiently Wait for a fee Change Fix, Dogecoin Core Repo Has Been Active At the end of June, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk tweeted about the fee change proposal added to the Dogecoin Core Github repository. At the time, Musk said it was “important to support” it. The following week, people noticed that Dogecoin software developers Ross Nicoll and Patrick Lodder were maintaining the project and looking to add Musk’s suggestions. Lodder’s Dogecoin Core fee change proposal explained that the fix would be “gradually deployed to the network over multiple software releases.” Ever since then, there’s been a lot more action happening in the Dogecoin Core Github repo. 1000x.group metrics from the “Number of Developers Working on Specific Crypto Projects” tracker show that between August 2017 to January 2021, Dogecoin network development was a ghost town. In February 2021, 16 software engineers were working on the project, in May there were three developers. 1000x.group statistics show that 12 software developers contributed to Dogecoin Core in August. Last Dogecoin Release ‘Part of a Two-Stage Update to Lower the Fee Recommendation’ Looking at Dogecoin Core’s Github repo indicates that Ross Nicoll and Patrick Lodder are still very active. Lodder dropped the release Dogecoin Core 1.14.4 on August 20, 2021. Lodder’s description of the 1.14.4 software notes that the release prepares the network for a reduction of the recommended fees. The action would reduce the “default fee requirement 1000x for transaction relay and 100x for mining.” “At the same time, it increases freedom for miner, wallet, and node operators to agree on fees regardless of defaults coded into the Dogecoin Core software by solidifying fine-grained controls for operators to deviate from built-in defaults,” the Dogecoin Core 1.14.4 release notes written by Lodder explain. “This realizes the first part of a two-stage update to lower the fee recommendation – a follow-up release will implement the lower fee recommendation, once the network has adapted to the relay defaults introduced with this version of Dogecoin Core.” In the Twitter thread with the Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the individual mentioned “NFT integrations” that looked “promising.” But many others agreed with Musk who was more interested in “lowering fees, decreasing block time & increasing block size.” Dogecoin’s co-creator Billy Markus agreed with Musk as well. “Yeah… IMO dogecoin being fast, scalable, and inexpensive to send around is all it needs to be, it doesn’t need to be yet another blockchain that hosts NFTs or other tokens or whatever,” Markus said. Tesla’s CEO agreed with the Dogecoin co-founder and replied with a 100% emoji. From the looks of it, Dogecoin Core developers are preparing to address Musk’s scaling concerns. The Dogecoin community has supported Musk’s scaling idea for quite some time but almost once a week someone asks: “when will Dogecoin transaction fees drop?” What do you think about Elon Musk’s Dogecoin network scaling concerns and the recent Dogecoin Core development? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

During the last few weeks, a project called Worldcoin has been the subject of numerous headlines and speculation. Worldcoin launched on October 21 and aims to be a universal basic income (UBI) crypto asset that gives free tokens to accounts that are verified with a biometric eye scan. The project has privacy advocates reeling and whistleblower Edward Snowden slammed the project’s creators and said “don’t catalogue eyeballs.” Worldcoin Turns Heads in the Crypto World as It Wants to Scan Your Eyeballs in Exchange for Free Crypto There’s a new cryptocurrency project that is turning heads because of the way it disperses funds to network participants. The project Worldcoin was introduced to the world by Alex Blania and Sam Altman and the team hopes to get one billion people using the crypto asset by the end of 2022. Worldcoin launched on October 21, and the founders have raised $25 million from strategic investors like Blockchange, Coinbase Ventures, Andreesen Horowitz, and Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman. Worldcoin is essentially a universal basic income crypto concept because the users of the network get free tokens. However, Worldcoin developers created an orb-shaped device that people have to look into in order to obtain a unique identifier. Essentially, the orb scans the person’s iris in order to create a unique identifier and verify the user. “Iris recognition ensures uniqueness, fraud resistance, and practicality,” the Worldcoin intro blog post details. Sam Altman was once the president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator and he came up with the idea two years ago. “I’ve been interested in things like universal basic income and what’s going to happen to global wealth distribution and how we can do that better, is there a way we can use technology to do that at a global scale,” Altman explained to Bloomberg last week. According to the project’s team, around 30 orbs that can scan people’s eyes and create a unique identifier are located all across the world. Worldcoin orbs can be found in France, Sudan, Indonesia, Kenya, and Chile. Worldcoin’s orbs are maintained by “Orb Operators” who get rewarded for soliciting potential Worldcoin participants. Depending on when the person got in on the project, token recipients can get between $10 and $200 worth of the digital asset worldcoin (WC). Worldcoin Described as an MLM and ICO — Worldcoin Idea Makes Edward Snowden Explain His Disdain for Biometrics Many crypto and privacy advocates have spoken out against the Worldcoin project. The CTO at Bitfinex, Paolo Ardoino, discussed a possible future with Worldcoin. “Imagine that you’re living in a cyberpunk world, with 1984 style of govt. control and worldcoin eyeball scanners at every corner of the street,” Ardoino remarked on Twitter. “Which type of apparel would you need to go around the city and protect your privacy?” the Bitfinex CTO asked. Others have said that the Worldcoin project is similar to 2017’s initial coin offering (ICO) scams. “Let me sum up how bad Worldcoin is,” an individual on Twitter stressed. “[It says] distributed ‘fairly’ yet the team gets 20% of the supply and every major VC is invested. User acquisition model imitates that of an MLM (Herbalife). Privacy policy permits them to give your data to 3rd parties. [And] the name resembles a 2017 ICO scam.” The popular whistleblower Edward Snowden scorned Sam Altman’s Worldcoin intro tweet as well. “This looks like it produces a global (hash) database of people’s iris scans (for ‘fairness’), and waves away the implications by saying ‘we deleted the scans,’” Snowden said. “Yeah, but you save the *hashes* produced by the scans. Hashes that match *future* scans. Don’t catalogue eyeballs,” Snowden added. Snowden continued his Twitter thread showing a distaste for biometrics. “Don’t use biometrics for anti-fraud,” Snowden further remarked. “In fact, don’t use biometrics for anything. ‘We use ZK-proofs.’ Great, clever. Still bad. The human body is not a ticket-punch,” he noted. What do you think about the Worldcoin project and the critics who believe the biometric iris scanning idea is not good for privacy? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

The 78th United States secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that U.S. lawmakers are considering taxing unrealized capital gains. According to Yellen, the funds collected would help finance things related to climate and social change. While Yellen said that U.S. senator Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) was working on drafting the plan, a great number of Americans have been criticizing the proposal on forums and social media. Janet Yellen Discusses Unrealized Capital Gains Tax Proposal, House Speaker Pelosi Approves The phrase “unrealized capital gains” has been trending on social media and forums during the last 24 hours after the U.S. secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen discussed the subject on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Yellen explained the concept, which aims to tax Americans on unrealized capital gains stemming from liquid assets. Of course, like the controversial $600 IRS monitoring proposal, Yellen stressed that the proposal was aimed at “extremely wealthy individuals, billionaires.” Yellen emphasized, however, that the tax was not a wealth tax. “I wouldn’t call that a wealth tax, but it would help get at capital gains, which are an extraordinarily large part of the incomes of the wealthiest individuals and right now escape taxation until they’re realized,” Yellen said on CNN. She explained that the Democrat senator Ron Wyden was working on the proposal, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is backing the concept. Although, despite Yellen saying it wasn’t a “wealth tax,” Pelosi’s (D., Calif.) words were different when she told CNN on Sunday: “We probably will have a wealth tax.” .@SecYellen on the proposed tax which would pay for the Build Back Better act: "It's not a wealth tax, but a tax on unrealized capital gains of exceptionally wealthy individuals." pic.twitter.com/7JXAysPkxI — The Hill (@thehill) October 24, 2021 Pelosi thinks the unrealized gains tax will help fund the $2 trillion spending bill and said the spending bill package was “pretty much there” and lawmakers are finalizing some of the “last decisions.” While Yellen, Democrats, and CNN have been lauding the idea of taxing unrealized gains, Americans are upset about the idea and consider it “unconscionable.” Political Commentators, Libertarians, Crypto Enthusiasts Scorn Yellen’s Proposal — ‘Tax on Unrealized Gains Is Legal Plunder’ The 2020 Libertarian vice presidential candidate, Spike Cohen, said “This is unconscionable. For those who don’t know, an ‘unrealized gain’ is when something you own gains value, but you don’t sell it. You know, like your house. Or your retirement fund. So now you have to sell it, to pay the taxes. If implemented, this would be an act of war against the remaining middle-class folks who still actually own things,” Cohen added. Cryptocurrency supporter and Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz shared his two cents about unrealized gains on Twitter. “Maybe try eliminating [the] step-up basis first. And carried interest,” the billionaire investor said. “That would be a start. Unrealized gains on illiquid securities would be [an] unmitigated disaster.” Independent journalist Jordan Schachtel explained that “taxing unrealized gains is only minimally about taxation itself. That’s not the bigger objective,” Schachtel remarked. The journalist added: Taxing unrealized gains grants the government the ability to monitor your each and every move. Nearly every post on social media and forums concerning this subject is littered with commentary that indicates Americans think taxing unrealized gains is a horrible idea. Except for mainstream media publications like the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Hill, and other publications that continue to argue that the tax is aimed at the “billionaire-class” and “exceptionally wealthy individuals.” American journalist and Youtuber Tim Pool said that the proposal is merely a trick on people with no money. “Wealth Tax, Unrealized gains, whatever,” Pool tweeted. “It’s a trick rich people are pulling on poor people who don’t understand how finance and the economy works. Wealth taxes will not do anything, people really don’t understand the power of that vast wealth.” Bitcoin proponent Stephen Livera stressed on social media that “Tax on unrealized gains is legal plunder. They created this mess and now they’re looking to pass the cost to the people.” Forcing people to sell their assets is totalitarian. It’s antithetical to a free market and will cause second and third order effects that will be devastating to an economy. This is actually what taxing unrealized gains will do. #bitcoin — Neil Jacobs (@NeilJacobs) October 25, 2021 The evolutionary behavioral scientist and well-known author Gad Saad noted sarcastically that the unrealized gains tax was a good concept. “This sounds like a good idea,” Saad said scornfully. “Also, we should engage in punitive action on unrealized crimes. You find the person who looks guilty and you preemptively give them the chair (for community cohesion and diversity),” the author concluded. What do you think about Janet Yellen and Nancy Pelosi telling Americans that lawmakers are planning to push through an unrealized gains tax in the upcoming $2 trillion spending bill? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. View the full article

PRESS RELEASE. The MetaHUMAN Foundation has announced a grants program to support a new generation of projects looking to adopt and build on top of HUMAN Protocol. Successful applicants will have access to an allocated fund of $10 million, to supercharge the adoption of the Protocol, and realize new possibilities for HUMAN technology across new use cases. HUMAN Protocol is an open-source infrastructure. It is a beginning – a new way to represent and verify human value and contribution – that can be built upon. With each new application, the diversity of work processed by the Protocol expands, and the utility of the HMT token as a means to represent all forms of contribution increases. HUMAN Protocol facilitates a new future of work by offering a permissionless system of exchange. Automated by software, enforced by smart contracts, and settled on the blockchain, HUMAN Protocol means any input or interaction can be tokenized, and its value securely represented. Its primary application is the creation and settlement of open job markets; the first to be supported by the Protocol is a data-labeling market, designed to offer ML practitioners the data required to create more relevant and detailed datasets. “The grants program allows others to carry forward what we’ve started. HUMAN Protocol offers an open-source, broadly applicable solution to representing, verifying, and valuing worker contribution on an automatic basis. This could be job markets in which organizations request the completion of different jobs, split into the composite tasks; solutions such as Proof of HUMANity that verify human behaviour; or global Q&A systems,” said Alex Newman, Protocol Designer. The core technology of HUMAN Protocol, however, extends far beyond job markets. It governs, secures, and automates the exchange of contribution – including knowledge – for value. Through it, all parties may interact and trade without trust; for example, organizations may request the completion of jobs by global workforces, with composite tasks parceled out through partnered applications. It makes possible a more comprehensive model for crowdsourcing in which both sides are equally served, and all contributions are rewarded. “HUMAN Protocol is built to change the future of work. That change will take collaboration; it will require us to support projects as they apply the technology to their unique use cases. We’re pleased to deliver a program that can help projects use, develop, and adopt HUMAN Protocol. Such a powerful tool needs to be worked on together. That is how we realize a better future of work,” said Andreas Schemm, Head of Ecosystem. The grants program is an invitation to all kinds of businesses, independent entrepreneurs, and developers to submit an application, which, far from the monetary rewards, can offer them a better way to reward workforces, offer more to users, or increase the value generated by user interactions. Applicants will be assessed in accordance with prespecified criteria, which includes the viability of the proposal and its potential value to the HUMAN ecosystem. To learn more about the HUMAN grants program, visit the webpage, or read the latest updates on the HUMAN blog. This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. View the full article

As authorities in the EU are still discussing union-wide cryptocurrency regulations, a major U.S. bank has reportedly lobbied the Irish government to adopt its own rules for the space. BNY Mellon launched its digital asset business in Ireland this year to provide custodian services to institutional investors. Banking Giant BNY Mellon Calls for Irish Crypto Regulations U.S. banking corporation BNY Mellon, which established a crypto unit in Ireland this spring, has urged the country’s finance ministry to introduce crypto regulations while the EU rules for the space are still being developed, the Irish press reported. The bank’s digital hub in Dublin was set up to provide depository services for digital assets to institutions interested in cryptocurrency investments. A report by the Irish Independent unveils that representatives of BNY Mellon met with the Irish Minister of State at the Department of Finance Seán Fleming in May to try to convince the government about the need to adopt national crypto regulations as the European Union’s rules for the sector are still under consideration. According to Fleming’s briefing notes for the department, BNY Mellon stated: While we recognize that the European Commission’s Crypto Asset Markets (MiCA) proposal aims to create a separate regime for crypto assets at the European level, given the timeframe for this legislative action to come into effect, the national regimes quickly began to fill up the gap within their respective national jurisdictions and we believe Ireland should follow suit. The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation aims to harmonize cryptocurrency legislation across the 27 EU member states with common rules regarding the custody of digital assets, capital requirements for service providers and improved investor protection. These standards should apply to both decentralized digital currencies and stablecoins backed by fiat currencies. BNY Mellon expects the new regulations to come into force not earlier than 2023. In the meantime, several European countries have moved to introduce their own legislation in recent years. The publication provides an example with the German fund location law which came into effect this summer. Its provisions loosened the rules for a category of institutional funds called ‘spezialfonds’ that can now invest 20% of their portfolios in crypto assets. “Given the accelerating change happening in other jurisdictions and to meet the changing needs of clients for digital assets, we would be happy to have a clear and comprehensive strategy to create an ecosystem of assets. Attractive digital technologies in Ireland,” the government official has been quoted as saying in the notes while BNY Mellon has declined to comment on the conversations. Irish media also revealed that the U.S. bank emphasized the importance of securing a talent pool in the country’s crypto and blockchain space that would allow members of the growing industry to deliver this type of services. The financial company further noted that within BNY Mellon, Ireland is competing with Israel and New York for relevant blockchain expertise. “Developing this talent in Ireland at a pace to meet the expected growth will be a challenge,” the banking group reportedly said. BNY Mellon has maintained presence in the Republic of Ireland in the last 25 years, operating out of offices in the capital Dublin, Cork and Wexford where it has around 1,000 employees, the report added. With a business-friendly climate and positive attitude towards financial innovation, Ireland has established itself as an attractive destination and a European base for crypto companies and fintech arms of major players seeking access to the common EU market. A number of such businesses have been opening offices there in the past few years and looking to hire professionals. These include well-known names such as crypto exchange Kraken and Goldman Sachs-backed fintech Blockdaemon. Do you think Ireland will adopt its own crypto regulations before the EU-wide rules are enforced? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article

Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, the company that backs the Terra blockchain ecosystem, is suing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Kwon, who was served a subpoena while appearing at Messari’s Mainnet conference as a presenter, states this behavior was against the SEC’s own policies, and that they needed to go through proper channels to deliver the subpoena. Do Kwon Takes the Fight to the SEC Do Kwon, the co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, the company behind the design and creation of Terra, a smart contracts-enabled cryptocurrency, is suing the SEC over an incident that happened during the latest installment of Messari’s Mainnet conference. He had been conducting conversations with the SEC about possible actions against Mirror Protocol, a decentralized app that tracks prices of stocks for synthetic assets. The lawsuit explains the SEC had contacted Kwon in May to talk to him about the operation of Mirror Protocol, and the connection of Terraform Labs with the company. Kwon met with SEC lawyers voluntarily and answered their questions during a five-hour interrogation. The SEC then asked for Terraform to voluntarily produce documents on the subject. This back and forth between the SEC and Kwon’s lawyers reached a breaking point in September, when the SEC, still having conversations with Terra’s parties, decided to issue subpoenas for Terraform Labs and Kwon using a private company called “Cavalier Courier And Process Services” to deliver these at Messari’s Mainnet. Illegal Procedures According to court documents, the SEC lacks jurisdiction over Terraform Labs and Kwon. The lawsuit states that: The SEC attorneys were well aware that TFL and Mr. Kwon had consistently maintained that the SEC lacked jurisdiction over TFL and Mr. Kwon, and at no time asked Dentons lawyers whether it was authorized to accept service of subpoenas. In addition to this, the lawsuit states that the SEC also broke its own rules regarding the management of these incidents. The subpoenas were served in public, and in fact, one of the assistants at Messari’s Mainnet witnessed the delivery of these subpoenas. This goes against SEC policy that states these formal matters should be kept confidential until stated otherwise by the institution. The lawsuit asks for the subpoenas to be considered void, and also asks for damages, including attorney fees and further relief, as the court deems appropriate. What do you think about the lawsuit Do Kwon has launched against the SEC? Tell us in the comments section below. View the full article