A cryptocurrency researcher and former CIA analyst believes the United States government’s relatively slow start on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) development may result in it losing grip on controlling the global financial system. Yaya Fanusie, the policy head at the crypto advocacy group the Crypto Council for Innovation explained in a Feb. 28 Bloomberg interview that sanctioned states are looking to transact on financial infrastructure that isn’t controlled or heavily influenced by the U.S. in order to move funds more freely cross-borders. If the U.S. continues to sit on the “sidelines” and lag behind on CBDC adoption, Fanusie believes …

Stacks is one of the first blockchains to enable a way for minting Bitcoin (BTC) Ordinals, which puts it in an excellent position to benefit from the hype. However, Ordinals have invoked an issue from the past where Bitcoin maximalist ideologies will be tested if the NFTs lead to network congestion. On top of that, Stacks has yet to deliver all the functionalities required to support an NFT trading ecosystem and it faces competition from projects in other blockchain ecosystems. The fundamental and technical analysis of the project suggests that the price surge might have reached overbought conditions and may …

The month of February was filled with investors’ hope that an earlier-than-expected Federal Reserve policy pivot would occur, but this sentiment faded as the inflation and employment data came in hotter than expected. While the start of the month was bullish for the crypto market, Bitcoin (BTC) retraced 60% of the move from February’s low at around $21,500 to the peak of $25,250. Nevertheless, some narrative-driven rallies still caused significant price growth in some altcoins. The leading narratives were Bitcoin NFTs, liquidity staking derivatives (LSDs) on Ethereum and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects. Let’s review the top performing coins of the …

In a new blog post published on Feb. 28, Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin documented the continued need to improve the namesake network to better facilitate ETH as a means of payment. In one instance, Buterin shared how he tried to pay for tea for himself and friends at a coffee shop in Argentina in 2021, but had to pay 0.01 ETH (around $40 at the time) as that was the minimum deposit for the owner's exchange account. "I did not mind the 3x overpayment and treated it as a tip," the co-founder wrote. In another instance, Buterin explained how …

The recent weakness in the crypto market has not invalidated the six-week-long ascending trend, even after a failed test of the channel's upper band on Feb. 21. The total crypto market capitalization remains above the psychological $1 trillion mark and, more importantly, cautiously optimistic after a new round of negative remarks from regulators. As displayed above, the ascending channel initiated in mid-January has room for an additional 3.5% correction down to $1.025 trillion market capitalization while still sustaining the bullish formation. That is excellent news considering the FUD — fear, uncertainty and doubt — brought down by regulators regarding the …

Nishad Singh, former director of engineering at FTX, is expected to plead guilty to fraud charges brought by U.S. prosecutors who are investigating the now bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Reuters reported on Feb 28. During the hearing in a Manhattan federal court, Singh's lawyer announced that his client had agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on FTX customers, and one count of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud. Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, has agreed to plead guilty to U.S. criminal charges, …

According to a press release published by cryptocurrency exchange OKX on Feb. 28, the firm said that it seized 2,014,381 Tether (USDT) from five accounts suspected of partaking in "malicious market manipulation," of the Celestial (CELT) token. As told by OKX, on Feb. 26, Celestial developers announced the creation of a new blockchain game. Shortly afterwards, the Celestial developers allegedly launched a social media campaign promoting the new game using OKX's branding, which the firm says was unauthorized. As a partial result of the activities, the CELT token nearly doubled in value within two days' time before falling over 50% …

Universities in the United Kingdom have started offering cutting-edge research programs, courses and practical experience in various aspects of blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, privacy, security and scalability. Students who graduate from these programs will be well-equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to become leaders in the field of blockchain technology and drive innovation and adoption in various industries. Here are top five universities to study blockchain in the United Kingdom. University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, and its Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is a leading research …

According to a a Reuters report published on Feb. 28, American payment processors Visa and Mastercard has delayed the launch of new partnerships with crypto firms due to a series of high-profile bankruptcies in the industry that have led to increased regulatory scrutiny. The move follows a period of warming relations between payment giants and crypto firms as the popularity of cryptocurrencies exploded, with Mastercard exploring payments via USD Coin and Visa targeting stablecoin settlements mere weeks before today's development. Both Visa and Mastercard are said to be pushing back the launch of certain products and services related to crypto …

A year after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine continues working on cryptocurrency legislation, but the war has not changed its regulatory stance, according to a Kyiv official. Ukraine has continued to follow in the footsteps of the European Union in regard to adopting digital asset laws, Ukraine’s securities commissioner Yurii Boiko told Cointelegraph in an interview. Boiko said that the Ukrainian lawmakers have been working to implement major European crypto regulations, known as the Markets in Crypto Assets regulation, or MiCA. “The approach to the regulation of the virtual asset market has not changed during the war,” Boiko stated, adding: “We clearly …

A whopping 80% of American adults believe the financial system favors those with “powerful interests,” while 20% currently own cryptocurrency — a new survey has revealed. Commissioned by crypto exchange Coinbase, the February online survey of more than 2,000 American adults found that 80% of respondents said the “global financial system unfairly favors powerful interests,” while 67% have called for “major changes” or a “complete overhaul” of the financial system. The survey was conducted by business intelligence firm Morning Consult and was aimed at examining the perception of the global financial system and how United States adults and crypto investors …

Robinhood Markets has confirmed that it had received an investigative subpoena from the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) over its digital asset business' crypto listings, custody and platform operations. In a 10-K filing, the brokerage said it received the investigative subpoena in December shortly after crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in November, and after "several other major cryptocurrency trading venues and lending platforms earlier in 2022," including Three Arrows Capital, Voyager Digital Holdings and Celsius Network. The investigative subpoena was in relation to its cryptocurrency listings and custody services, which they said came in response to the crypto …