• Crypto exchange Binance temporarily suspends payments from EU’s SEPA network - Reuters
• Binance Temporarily Stops Payments From EU’s Sepa Platform - Coindesk
• Binance ‘temporarily suspends’ payments from EU’s Sepa network - Financial Times
• Binance crackdown: regulators tussle with ‘wild west’ of crypto - Financial Times
• Santander to block payments by UK banking customers to Binance - Financial Times
• Santander UK is the latest bank to block payments to Binance - The Block
• Barclays stops UK clients from sending funds to Binance - Financial Times
• Binance CEO Calls For ‘Clear Regulations’ Amid Growing Pressure - Decrypt
• A Letter from Our CEO: Reflecting on Progress and the Road Ahead - Binance Blog

Ecosystem - Mining

• Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Records Largest Drop in History, Price Jumps - CoinDesk
• Bitcoin mining difficulty drops after hashrate collapse in China - CNBC
• MicroStrategy and Galaxy ‘Bitcoin Mining Council’ Claims Mining is One of Most Sustainable Industries - Blockworks

Ecosystem - China

• China’s central bank is ‘quite worried’ about global risks from some digital currencies - CNBC
• China cracks down on crypto-related services in ongoing war on bitcoin - CNBC
• Crackdowns by regulators could pop the crypto bubble and mean bitcoin is unsuitable for professional investors, says UBS - Business Insider

Regulation

• Washington is Divided on Crypto, Hearing Reveals - Blockworks
• Fed’s Powell met with Coinbase CEO on May 11 - Reuters
• Crypto lobbyists put DeFi proposals to FATF in open letter - The Block
• EU to Propose New Anti-Money Laundering Body to Crack Down on Crypto - Decrypt
• EU to propose new body to tackle dirty money, documents say - Reuters
• EU to create anti-money laundering agency - EU Observer
• Sen. Warren warns of cryptocurrency risks, presses SEC on oversight authority - Reuters
• FinCEN Welcomes First-Ever Chief Digital Currency Advisor and First Director of Strategic Communications - FinCEN.gov
• FinCEN Appoints First Chief Advisor for Crypto - Decrypt

Ecosystem - Crime

• Bitcoin Fraud Concerns Draw Scrutiny From Regulators - WSJ
• How REvil Ransomware Took Out Thousands of Business at Once - Wired
• Ransomware Group REvil Strikes Again, Demands $70M in Bitcoin From 200 US Firms - Coindesk
• Bitcoin.org Reportedly Hit With DDoS Attack, Ransom Demand - Decrypt
• Israeli Seizure Order Shows Hamas Holds USDT, TRX, DOGE - CoinDesk

Regulation - CBDC

• The Banque de France conducts a successful experiment on the use of central bank digital money
• Bank of France Carries Out Fifth CBDC Experiment With BNP Paribas, Euroclear - Coindesk
• Reserve Bank of New Zealand to Consult on Potential CBDC - CoinDesk

Ecosystem - VISA

• Visa: More Than $1 Billion Spent Using Crypto-Linked Cards in 2021 - Decrypt
• Visa says crypto-linked card usage tops $1 billion in first half of 2021 - CNBC
• Visa’s Crypto Ambitions Are Beginning to Pay Off - Business Insider

Ecosystem - Research

• Digital Assets: ESG – Why Not GSE? - Arca
• Bloomberg Crypto Outlook July 2021
• Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use - Elsevier

Markets

• Kraken Casts Doubt on Bearish Call Over GBTC ‘Unlocks’ - CoinDesk
• Bitcoin Bulls Under Pressure After Cryptocurrency Selloff - WSJ
• In gold-crazy India, millennials are turning to cryptocurrency amid Covid-19 - South China Morning Post

Tech

• Newsletter #156 - Bitcoin Optech
• bips/bip-descriptors-general.mediawiki at descriptors · achow101/bips
• Templates, Eltoo, and Covenants, Oh My! - Jeremy Rubin
• Centralization is the Enemy of Property Rights - Bitcoin Tech Talk #247 by Jimmy Song

Digital Gold Institute

• News from DGI
• Events
• 2021-Q2 Report Presentation
• Crypto Asset Lab – CAL Conference

• CheckSig Funding Round - Press release
• CheckSig Funding Round - LinkedIn
• CheckSig Funding Round - Facebook
• CheckSig Funding Round - Twitter

Ecosystem - M&A, VC

• Crypto companies raised just over $25 billion in venture funding during 2021
• Crypto industry M&A activity surged 131% in 2021
• Kraken Ventures Raises $65 Million for Early Stage Fund - Business Wire

Ecosystem - Defi

• Crypto exchange Kraken acquires staking startup Staked
• Kraken Acquires Staked to Support Growth and Resilience in One of Largest Crypto Industry Deals to Date - Business Wire
• Switzerland’s SEBA Bank wants to use Aave’s institutional DeFi platform
• Terra Becomes Second-Largest DeFi Protocol, Surpassing Binance Smart Chain
• Do Kwon, Terra Claim SEC Violated Procedure in Ongoing Legal Fight
• Terraform Labs Hits Back at SEC: ‘No Jurisdiction over Do Kwon’ - Blockworks
• Parachains officially launch on Polkadot network
• Polkadot Launches Parachains, Increasing Scalability - Decrypt
• Uniswap Launches on Polygon, Driving MATIC to All-Time Highs - Coindesk
• Uniswap goes live on Ethereum scaling network Polygon - theblockcrypto
• Adidas Originals pauses collaborative NFT mint - theblockcrypto

Ecosystem - NFT

• First Wikipedia edit NFT sells at Christie’s for $750K - Cointelegraph
• Crypto Exchange BitMEX to Launch and Airdrop Native Token - Decrypt
• Crypto.com Will Run Its First Super Bowl Ad Amid Marketing Blitz - WSJ
• Decentralized exchanges saw over $1 trillion in trading volume this year

Ecosystem - TradFi

• SWIFT will test how it might play a role in asset tokenization next year
• Exploring tokenised assets: Collaborative innovation in action - SWIFT - The global provider of secure financial messaging services
• Bakkt President Adam White Announces He Is Leaving - Decrypt

Ecosystem - Binance

• Binance Signs Agreement With Dubai Authority to Establish Crypto Hub - Decrypt
• Binance Signs Agreement with Dubai World Trade Centre Authority to Establish an Industry Hub for Global Virtual Assets - Binance Support

Regulation - ETF

• SEC Rejects Valkyrie, Kryptoin Spot Bitcoin ETF Applications - Decrypt
• SEC Rejects Kryptoin Spot Bitcoin ETF Proposal

Regulation

• Only Two Senators Own Crypto Assets. Both Are Shaping the Industry’s Rules. - WSJ
• Bank of England to Ramp Up Talks on Crypto Rules as Data Is Hard to Find - CoinDesk
• Paraguay moves a step closer to regulating digital currency

Facts and Opinions

• Asset classes of 2021: Bitcoin’s surge leaves gold in the dust - Financial Times
• Why bitcoin is worse than a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme - Financial Times
• Bitcoin: Disrupting Cross Border Payments - IMF Fintech Seminar - YouTube
• Jack Dorsey: Bitcoin will replace the dollar, criticizes Web3 - Fortune

Tech

• Newsletter #180: 2021 Year-in-Review Special - Bitcoin Optech

Digital Gold Institute

• News from DGI
• DGI Events

• MicroStrategy Buys 1,900 More Bitcoins - Blockworks

Ecosystem - Ethereum and Alt-coins

• 12 key moments that fueled crypto’s record growth in 2021 - CNBC
• 24 Hours In Crypto, December 29, 2021 - FRNT Financial
• Cryptocurrencies: ethereum will challenge the hegemony of bitcoin - Financial Times
• Pantera Capital CEO: Terra is ‘One of the Most Promising Coins for the Coming Year’ - Blockworks
• Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Lays Out 2022 Plans - Coindesk
• Polygon Quietly Patched Vulnerability That Put $24 Billion in MATIC at Risk - Decrypt
• ‘Critical’ Polygon bug put $24 billion in tokens at risk until recent hard fork - theblockcrypto
• All You Need to Know About the Recent Network Upgrade - Polygon

Ecosystem - NFTs

• NFT trading volume surpassed $13 billion in 2021 - theblockcrypto
• NFTs and SNL: Crypto Keeps Burrowing Into the Mainstream - WSJ
• 2022 Prediction: ‘Gaming Will Lead to Further Crypto Adoption’ - Blockworks

Ecosystem - Binance

• Binance to Continue Operating in Ontario After Cooperating With Canadian Regulators - Coindesk
• Ontario securities regulator slams Binance after crypto exchange claims it can continue operating there - theblockcrypto
• Binance is not registered in Ontario - OSC

Regulation - US

• SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Says Washington Doesn’t Need a New Crypto Regulator - Coindesk
• Bitcoin-Owning (BTC) Wyoming GOP Senator Lummis to Propose Crypto Bill in 2022 - Bloomberg
• Tom Emmer - Twitter

Regulation - CBDC

• Mexican government signals circulation of digital currency by 2024 - theblockcrypto
• Bank of Mexico Plans to Launch Digital Currency by 2024 - WSJ
• Swiss Central Bank Ready to Run With wCBDC in January: ‘Just Takes a Policy Decision’ - Coindesk

Ecosystem - Custody

• Institutional crypto custodians raised more than $3 billion in 2021 - theblockcrypto
• CheckSig Funding Round Press Release - CheckSig

Digital Gold Institute

• Odg della Sen. Elena Botto - Ametrano su LinkedIn
• Odg della Sen. Elena Botto - Senato della Repubblica
• Outlook 2002 - DGI / Ametrano
• News from DGI
• DGI Events

Regulation - Ether ETF

Ecosystem - Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Proof-of-Address

Regulation - Ether ETF

Ecosystem - Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Proof-of-Address

• The SEC approved Bitcoin ETFs. The European Central Bank is not happy - Financial Times
• ETF approval for bitcoin – the naked emperor’s new clothes - ECB
• Bitcoin’s last stand - ECB
• Ferdinando Ametrano - LinkedIn
• The European Central Bank Is Either Lying About Bitcoin or Lying to Itself - CoinDesk

Regulation

• As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Push US SEC to Change Crypto Guidance - Bloomberg
• Frankfurt to Host New EU Money Laundering Watchdog Tasked With Monitoring Crypto - CoinDesk

Market - BTC ETF

• BTC ETF Net Inflows Slow to a Trickle as Price Flattens - CoinDesk
• EFT Flows - BitMEX Research on X
• BlackRock’s Rick Rieder on Bitcoin, the Fed and His Big Worry in 2024 - WSJ

Market - USDC leaves TRON

• Why Circle’s USDC Is Quitting the TRON Network - CoinDesk

• “Oggi sono dieci anni da quando ho scoperto #Bitcoin” - Ferdinando Ametrano on X
• “Wall Street ha addomesticato la cripto ribelle” - Ferdinando Ametrano on X

Markets - Bitcoin

• Bitcoin Regains $1 Trillion Market Cap - WSJ
• Bitcoin ETF Flow - BitMEX Research on X

Markets - Coinbase

• Coinbase Returns to Profitability After Crypto Market Rebound - Bloomberg

Regulation

• As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Push US SEC to Change Crypto Guidance - Bloomberg
• “Manners should not, but truth can be harsh” - Ametrano on X
• U.S. Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller Says DeFi Could Boost Dollar’s Global Strength - Coindesk

Markets - MicroStrategy

• MicroStrategy May Soon Enter the S&P 500: What That Means for Bitcoin - Decrypt

Ecosystem - Craigh Wright

• Stupid Things Craig Wright Said in His Latest Stupid Trial - Coindesk

Ecosystem - Craigh Wright

• Genesis Cleared by Bankruptcy Court to Redeem GBTC Shares - Bloomberg

Ecosystem - Mining

• “Ho parlato di mining #bitcoin e #halving con @VitoLops su @sole24ore” - Ferdinando Ametrano on X
• “Parlare con @VitoLops è sempre un piacere. Parlare di #Bitcoin quasi un godimento.” - Ferdinando Ametrano on X

Tech - Cloud-mining

• About cloud-mining - Ferdinando Ametrano on X

• Bitcoin Price Tops $47,000, Tests January Highs - WSJ
• Bitcoin Hovers Near One-Month High on ETF Flows, Halving - Bloomberg
• Eric Balchunas - X
• IBIT Bitcoin ETF Ranks Fifth in All ETF Inflows - CoinDesk
• CME Trading Volume Reached Highest in 3 Years After Bitcoin ETF Approval - CoinDesk

Markets - Miners Increase Crypto Selling

• Bitcoin Price Under Pressure as Miners Increase Crypto Selling Ahead of Bitcoin Halving - CoinDesk
• Bitcoin Miners Are Pressuring BTC - Bitfinex

Ecosystem - Ethereum

• Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest Amends Spot ETH ETF Filing - CoinDesk
• Ethereum Set for Boost as Dencun Upgrade Gets a Date - Decrypt
• Ethereum Developers Target March 13 for Milestone ‘Dencun’ Upgrade on Mainnet - CoinDesk
• Ben Schiller - X
• Prometheum Ember Capital is the First SEC Qualified Custodian for Digital Assets Securities - Business Wire
• Custody of Digital Asset Securities by Special Purpose Broker-Dealers - SEC

Ecosystem - DeFi

• DeFi Shouldn’t Have to Worry About the SEC’s Expanded Broker Rule - CoinDesk

Ecosystem - Genesis

• Bankrupt Crypto Lender Genesis Global Settles NY Fraud Lawsuit - Bloomberg

Ecosystem - Do Kwon

• Terraform Labs Founder Wins Second Appeal Against Montenegro Extradition Decision - CoinDesk

Ecosystem - Solana

• Solana faces slowdown in block production, network restarted
• Solana confirms outage on mainnet, engineers are investigating - The Block
• Solana network restarts after outage that lasted five hours - The Block
• Solana ‘Chapter 2’ crypto phone reaches 60,000 preorders - The Block
• Ametrano Benetazzo - YouTube
• Can We All Stop Pretending That Solana Is in Beta? - CoinDesk

Ecosystem - Craig Wright

• Craig Wright Denies Forging Evidence He’s Satoshi on Day 2 of COPA Trial - CoinDesk

• BitMEX Research on Bitcoin ETF Flow - X
• Spot-Bitcoin ETF Price War Is Trickling Down to Crypto Custodians - Bloomberg
• US bitcoin ETFs raise questions over broader financial system risks - Reuters
• Crypto Traders Prefer Bitcoin Over Ether Despite Spot ETH ETF Narrative - CoinDesk

Ecosystem - FTX

• FTX’s Missing Funds Were Stolen in SIM-Swapping Hack, DOJ Says - Bloomberg
• Bankrupt FTX won’t be restarting, but former customers will get money back in full - The Block

Ecosystem - Celsius

• Celsius Emerges from Chapter 11 and Commences Distributions of Over $3 Billion of Cryptocurrency to Creditors - Business Wire

Ecosystem - Ripple

• Ripple was not hacked for $112M XRP — but its co-founder was - Blockworks

Ecosystem - Thether

• Tether Reports $6.2B Profit in 2023 as USDT Market Cap Grew to Record High - CoinDesk
• Q4 Attestation: Reports $2.85 billion in Profit, Sets New Records in Excess Reserves - Tether
• JPMorgan says Tether’s increasing dominance is negative for crypto - The Block

Ecosystem - Coinbase

• Coinbase targets ‘VIP’ crypto traders at rival exchanges with no-fee promo - The Block

Ecosystem - Binance

• Binance bows to trader demands to keep their assets elsewhere - Financial Times

Ecosystem - Bitcoin Seized in Germany

• Bitcoin Worth $2.1B Seized by German Police - CoinDesk
• INES: Integrierte Ermittlungseinheit Sachsen sichert nahezu 50.000 Bitcoins - Polizei Sachsen

Tech - Bitcoin Halving

• Bitcoin Halving and Miner Economics – Coinbase