Hurry Crypton

2024-04-22 12:25:23 Solana's Latest Update: A Step Towards Smoother Operations

Solana developers have rolled out a mainnet beta update, version 1.17.31, to tackle the recent network congestion issues that have been plaguing the platform.

This update specifically targets the problem of spam transactions, which have been clogging up the network and causing transaction failures. It's also expected to address recent open interest spikes.

Validators are urged to upgrade their nodes when the delinquent stake falls below 5%, ensuring stability during the process. Any hiccups should be reported on Discord's mb-validators channel.

The congestion woes on Solana have been frustrating for developers, with a staggering 75% of non-voting transactions failing. But Solana insists it's not a fundamental flaw, just a pesky bug.

With SOL trading between $160 and $200 lately, bulls will be eyeing that crucial $200 resistance level for a potential upward trend in price.

This latest update is just the beginning! Solana has more improvements lined up as part of its multi-phased plan to make the network even better. Stay tuned for what's next! Open / Comment

2024-04-21 19:35:40 Gold's Rally Continues: World Gold Council Remains Bullish

Despite hitting record highs, gold's bull rally shows no signs of slowing down, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). In their latest report, the WGC highlights several factors that continue to support the precious metal's ascent.

Geopolitical Risks and Central Bank Buying have been key drivers behind gold's recent surge, with demand for both jewelry and investment bars and coins remaining resilient.

While some may worry about a potential bubble, the WGC dismisses these concerns, stating that gold is currently underowned and not exhibiting the usual signs of a market top.

Interestingly, gold ETFs have been lagging behind the global rally, but history suggests that this could be a bullish signal for the precious metal.

Contrary to speculation, the WGC finds little evidence of a significant shift from gold to Bitcoin ETFs, suggesting that recent flows are more speculative than structural.

Looking ahead, the WGC sees a positive market setup and believes that low participation from U.S. investors could provide further fuel for gold's upward trajectory.

In an uncertain world, it seems that gold remains a shining star in investors' portfolios. Open / Comment

2024-04-14 21:55:48 FBI Investigates Bitcoin Developer Event Linked to Luke Dashjr’s Hack

FBI Subpoenas Mike Schmidt for Event Intel
The FBI has turned its attention to a Bitcoin developer event in Atlanta, with suspicions of a connection to the Luke Dashjr Bitcoin theft. Co-founder of Brink, Mike Schmidt, revealed that he received a subpoena demanding details of attendees from the October 2022 CoreDev gathering.

Schmidt's Compliance and Limited Disclosure
Under a year-long non-disclosure order, Schmidt had to keep mum until now. He complied with the FBI's request, sharing not only full names but also GitHub usernames and email addresses. Schmidt clarified that he was in the dark about the specifics of the investigation.

Irony Strikes: Luke Dashjr's Costly Loss
In a twist of fate, it was none other than Luke Dashjr himself who suffered a major blow. The prominent Core Bitcoin developer admitted that his PGP key was compromised, leading to the pilfering of over 200 BTC—worth a staggering $14.2 million today! Open / Comment

2024-04-08 13:05:41 Solana Founder Reveals Fix for Network Glitch: Challenges Ahead

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has announced that the bug causing disruptions in the blockchain ecosystem has been identified and patched. However, he warns that implementing further updates won't be a walk in the park.

The glitch stemmed from the v1.14 upgrade, which proved more complex than expected. Yakovenko emphasized that dealing with such bugs is far more challenging than tackling liveness failures.

Since March, the Solana network has grappled with a high transaction failure rate of 77.4%, impacting users and services alike.

To combat this, the Solana Foundation is taking measures like Optimizing Computing Unit (CU) Usage and planning a major update (v1.18) in April to enhance network performance and reliability. Open / Comment

2024-04-05 22:32:23 Expert Clarifies No EU-Wide Ban on Anonymous Crypto Wallets

EU Law Not Targeting Cryptos, Says Expert

An industry expert, Patrick Hansen, has stepped in to debunk the recent buzz about the European Union supposedly banning anonymous crypto wallets. Contrary to reports, the EU's latest anti-money laundering (AML) law is not singling out cryptocurrencies.

Broad Scope of AML Law

Hansen emphasizes that this legislation is a comprehensive framework applicable to all financial institutions, including crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and sectors with AML risks like gambling.

Standard KYC/AML Procedures for CASPs

Under the new law, CASPs regulated by MiCA will need to adhere to standard KYC/AML protocols, such as customer due diligence. This move aims to enhance transparency and combat illicit activities.

No Outright Ban on Anonymous Wallets

Dispelling rumors, Hansen clarifies that the AML regulation does not outrightly ban anonymous crypto wallets. However, it aligns with existing practices where custodial wallets cannot serve anonymous users.

MiCA Already Addresses Anonymization

Furthermore, the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation already prohibits listing cryptocurrencies with built-in anonymization features. This provision is not a novel development but rather a reinforcement of existing guidelines. Open / Comment

2024-04-05 12:57:18 Paradigm Sets Sights on $750 Million Fundraising Goal in Crypto Venture Capital

Paradigm, the influential player in the world of crypto venture capital, is gearing up for a major fundraising push with its latest investment fund.

According to insiders cited by Bloomberg, Paradigm has its sights set on a substantial $750 million to $850 million target. If it hits the lower end of that range, this fund will be the talk of the town, marking the largest industry investment since Andreessen Horowitz's colossal $4.5 billion crypto fund earlier this year.

Co-founded by Fred Ehrsam of Coinbase fame and former Sequoia Capital partner Matt Huang, Paradigm is known as a "research-driven technology investment firm" with a portfolio that includes big names like Uniswap, FTX, Cosmos, and Axie Infinity.

In 2021, Paradigm made waves with a record-breaking $2.5 billion fund. Just last month, reports suggested they were aiming even higher with a potential $1 billion raise.

Paradigm's Turbulent Ride: From FTX to SEC Battles

However, it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Paradigm. In October 2023, Matt Huang found himself testifying in the trial of FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried, who received a hefty prison sentence. Paradigm had invested heavily in FTX but was blindsided by the exchange's fraudulent activities and ultimately had to write off its entire investment.

On another legal front, Paradigm has thrown its weight behind Coinbase's ongoing battle against the SEC. In a filed brief, they criticized the regulator's punitive approach and called for clearer rules that don't stifle innovation.

The clash between Coinbase and the SEC began when the exchange sought regulatory guidance, only to be met with resistance. Now, Paradigm is standing in solidarity with Coinbase, highlighting the challenges faced by the industry under the current enforcement-heavy regulatory landscape. Open / Comment

2024-03-18 02:59:20 Nfprompt Platform Shaken by Crypto Breach: User Funds at Risk

In a major setback, Nfprompt, the content generation platform backed by Binance Labs, has fallen victim to a crypto security breach. The consequences are dire, with both user and platform funds being lost.

On March 15, Nfprompt sounded the alarm about a critical security incident. Hackers managed to infiltrate multiple wallets, including those of the platform's administrators, making off with a substantial amount of funds.

Responding swiftly, Nfprompt took decisive action to protect its users' assets. By transferring ownership of their smart contracts to new addresses, they effectively isolated the hackers and minimized further damage.

While NFP tokens and other assets are said to be secure, the incident has had a noticeable impact on the token's value, causing it to plummet by more than 15% in just 24 hours.

In light of this breach, Nfprompt is urging caution among its users. They advise against accepting NFPs from untrusted sources and recommend sticking to established centralized exchanges for trading until more information emerges.

Collaborating closely with partner exchanges, Nfprompt is working to suspend NFP deposits while investigations unfold. They have also enlisted the help of renowned Web3 security firms SlowMist and Chainalysis to track down the hackers and their associates. Open / Comment

2024-03-14 08:43:43 High Court Reversal: Do Kwon's Extradition Takes a Detour to South Korea

In a surprising twist, the High Court has hit the brakes on Do Kwon's fast track to the U.S., with the Appeals Court slamming the initial decision for its procedural breaches. The green light for extradition has turned red, redirecting Kwon's journey.

The spotlight now shifts to South Korea, where Terraform Labs' co-founder faces allegations that have caught the attention of Interpol. The National Police Agency is orchestrating a transfer from Montenegro, a move that seems to have swayed the High Court's about-face.

It all started with a dramatic arrest at Podgorica airport, as Kwon and his partner attempted to take flight with phony Costa Rican passports. This caper added an extra layer of intrigue, blending their alleged misdeeds with the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency in two major financial hubs.

With each turn in this international legal saga, Do Kwon's fate hangs in the balance, as he awaits his next chapter on Korean soil. Stay tuned for more updates on this high-stakes crypto drama! Open / Comment

2024-03-12 12:16:37 Waterfall is the most decentralized BlockDAG protocol currently available

Key Features:

This decentralized platform has the potential to attract much more validators than other protocols.
Minimal hardware requirements: Dual-Core CPU, 4GB RAM (your cellphone has 2-4 times more than that).
High performance and scalability, thanks to parallelism in BlockDAG compared or even higher potentially that the most scalable currently popular protocols
Compatible with EVM and Ethereum API.

The team includes senior people who were successfully building the ecosystem for Ethereum and those who were successfully competing against it:

Ron Resnick is the CEO of the company-developer of Waterfall, is also a former Executive Director of Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and a former Investment Director of Intel Capital.

Jeff McDonald is the Director at the Board of Directors for Swiss Association, is also a Former Co-Founder of Nem, which used to be in Top-5 and for a short time in Top-3 right after Ethereum.

The Chairman of Board of Swiss Association is Richard Wang, who is also General Partner at Draper Dragon Fund.

R&D team has been rigorously testing technology since 2021.

More than 350 Workers(block producers) on the TestNet are owned by the developers and future users of Waterfall.

On the first day after the new TestNet announcement, 115 Workers connected and more than 450 000 transactions were processed.

On January the 2nd more than 650 000 transactions was successfully processed.

Find out more details in their communities:
https://t.me/waterfall_network
https://twitter.com/waterfall_dag
https://discord.gg/Nwb8aR2XvR Open / Comment

2024-03-11 22:27:57 Argentina Busts $400 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme Founders; Brazil Prioritizes Crypto Rules

Arrest in Argentina: The Federal Police nabbed two culprits, a man and a woman, who orchestrated a massive Ponzi scheme in Brazil. These scammers, operating under fake names, managed to shuffle around $400 million worth of digital currencies before getting caught.

Unmasking the Fraudsters: The male suspect, going by "Joao Felipe Costa," was unmasked as Antonio Inacio Da Silva Neto, one of the masterminds behind Braiscompany. His partner-in-crime, Fabricia Farias Campos, was also apprehended.

Investigation Unveils Fake Identities: A meticulous investigation traced the couple's whereabouts through their purchases and payments made under aliases. Now in Argentine custody, they await extradition to Brazil for their day in court.

Brazil's Crypto Agenda: Meanwhile, Brazil's Central Bank has set its sights on crypto regulations. Tokenization and oversight of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) are top priorities. The goal? To foster innovation while ensuring financial integrity.

Innovation Galore: Ricardo Moura, head of the Central Bank's Exchange Regulation Department, highlighted streamlining investments for non-residents and enhancing interbank forex operations as key areas of focus. Regulating virtual assets in foreign exchanges is also on the agenda.

Argentine Fintech Pushes for Growth: Over 200 companies united under the Argentine Fintech Chamber are pushing for tax exemptions on crypto assets. Their proposal aims to level the playing field between digital currencies and traditional financial instruments.

Regulation on the Horizon: With an eye on an upcoming evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Argentina is gearing up to issue executive orders for crypto exchange regulations. The goal? To bolster the country's anti-money laundering efforts. Open / Comment