On Feb. 6, European cryptocurrency investment firm CoinShares published its “Digital Asset Fund Flows Report,” which revealed that investors are showing a strong interest in digital asset investment products, with inflows totaling $76 million last week, marking the fourth consecutive week of inflows. The report indicates a change in investor sentiment for the start of 2023, with year-to-date inflows now at $230 million. This growth has led to an increase in total assets under management (AUM), which now stands at $30.3 billion — the highest since mid-August 2022. Investors are primarily focusing on Bitcoin (BTC), with weekly inflows of $69 …

Science fiction’s sub-genre, known as cyberpunk, imagines a dystopian future in which advanced technology has overtaken society and divided it into classes for the haves and the have-nots. The genre frequently examines virtual reality, hacking, artificial intelligence and how technology affects people. Cyberpunk is distinguished by its emphasis on a future society in which governments and corporations have amassed enormous power and control over people, frequently at the expense of their freedom and privacy. The genre is renowned for its grim and gloomy depictions of a world where technology has gone beyond human control and produced new kinds of exploitation …

Troubled cryptocurrency lending firm Hodlnaut is reportedly working with several potential investors to sell its business and other assets. A number of potential buyers have inquired about purchasing Hodlnaut and its claims against the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 6. Hodlnaut’s interim judicial managers have received multiple proposals to acquire its Singapore-based crypto business after the company sought protection from creditors. Citing an affidavit, the report notes that the judicial managers are now in the process of signing non-disclosure agreements with the potential investors. The affidavit reportedly indicated that as of Dec. 9, Hodlnaut Group owed a …

For many countries, the tax season is right around the corner, which means companies in the crypto industry will need to be ready to help their users comply with local regulations. On Feb. 6, crypto exchange Binance announced it is launching a tax reporting tool to help users stay on track of their crypto transactions for tax reporting purposes. According to the announcement, Binance Tax lets its users download a tax summary report which includes any gains or losses which have occurred throughout the year in their Binance account. This includes spot trades, crypto donations and blockchain-based fork rewards. The …

A luxury rehabilitation center in Spain has recently added services aimed at treating a relatively new kind of addiction — crypto trading. The center, called “The Balance,” is a Switzerland-founded wellness center, with its main facility located on the Spanish island of Mallorca along with representations in Spain, London and Switzerland. While it has been known to treat addiction ailments such as alcohol, drugs and behavioral health — it has now recently begun offering services aimed at combatting crypto trading addiction, according to a report from the BBC. The Feb. 5 report revealed that one of the center’s clients reached …

The research arm of cybersecurity software firm Check Point has flagged the Dingo Token (DINGO) as a “potential scam” after reportedly discovering a smart contract function that has been used to manipulate transaction fees. In a Feb. 3 blog post, Check Point Research (CPR) said it looked into the code behind the Dingo Smart Contract, discovering a backdoor function "setTaxFeePercent," which can change the contract's buy and sell fee up to 99%. This is despite the project’s whitepaper stating that there is only a 10% fee per transaction. According to CPR, this essentially allows the project’s owner to withdraw up …

High-profile crypto bankruptcies and a hearty price crash are necessary evils to help the industry grow, while greater regulation is a must, according to Microstrategy co-founder Michael Saylor. In a Feb. 3 interview on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Saylor opined on potentia incoming United States crypto regulation after the bankruptcy of FTX, saying: “The crypto meltdown was painful in the short term, but it's necessary over the long term for the industry to grow up.” He added the industry “has some good ideas” — implying the Bitcoin (BTC) Lightning network — but added some in the space “implemented those …

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) voted against a final proposal to deploy Uniswap V3 on the BNB Chain using the Wormhole bridge, shows the Uniswap DAO forum. The governance proposal to deploy the latest Uniswap iteration on the BNB Chain was submitted on Feb. 2 by 0xPlasma Labs on behalf of the Uniswap Community, after passing a temperature check with 20 million (80.28%) votes for yes, and 4.9 million (19.72%) votes for no. The venture firm used its 15 million UNI holding against the move. At the time of publication, only 3% of votes had been cast, or 23.4 …

FTX's new management is seeking to recover political donations made by Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives until February 28, according to a statement disclosed on Feb. 5. The move is part of bankruptcy proceedings and an effort to repay the crypto exchange creditors. According to FTX attorney Andy Dietderich, the defunct firm has “recovered $5 billion in cash and liquid cryptocurrencies” by Jan. 11. Total liabilities amount to nearly $9 billion. As noted in the statement: "FTX Debtors are sending confidential messages to political figures, political action funds, and other recipients of contributions or other payments that were made …

Payment company Visa is seeking to build a "muscle memory" to settlements, aiming to allow customers to convert digital assets to fiat currencies on its platform, according to the company's head of crypto division Cuy Sheffield at the StarkWare Sessions 2023. "We've been testing how to actually accept settlement payments from issuers in USDC starting on Ethereum and paying out in USDC (USDC) on Ethereum. So, these are large value settlement payments.", noted Sheffield in a fireside chat at the event. Cointelegraph's team is on the ground in Tel-Aviv covering the two-day Ethereum community conference. According to the executive, global …

When the financial system or the economy as a whole undergoes a rapid and large decline, it is said to be in a financial crisis. Financial assets like stocks, bonds, and real estate often see a sharp and significant decline in value during financial crises. They can also be identified by a decline in credit availability and a loss of faith in financial institutions like banks. Related: DeFi vs. CeFi: Comparing decentralized to centralized finance Financial crises can be caused by a variety of factors, including: Overleveraging: When people, businesses, and governments take on excessive debt, they put themselves at …

Along with pro-crypto regulations, mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies requires a supporting infrastructure that can allow the general public access and exposure to the ecosystem. When considering eight key indicators around taxes, ATMs, jobs and events in crypto, London stands at the top as the most crypto-ready city in the world for businesses and start-ups. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vision to “ensure the UK financial services industry is always at the forefront of technology and innovation” is on the right path, reveals research conducted by Recap. An examination of eight key data points determined London to sport the highest crypto-readiness …