Crypto derivatives exchange Bybit has partnered with stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial to expand its suite of spot trading pairs denominated in USD Coin (USDC) — a move the company says will increase retail and institutional access to USDC-settled products. Under the partnership agreement, Bybit will expand its USDC spot pairs to include several additional cryptocurrencies and make auto conversions between the United States dollar and USDC available, the company disclosed Wednesday. Bybit said it intends to collaborate with Circle on other initiatives to boost stablecoin and crypto adoption. Currently, Bybit supports around 35 USDC spot pairs, according to a …

Bitcoin (BTC) price has been trying to change course while the S&P 500 is still giving up gains on a daily basis. Even though the United States equities markets have been grinding lower since Aug. 26, Bitcoin has managed to hold on to the $20,000 mark. However, investor interest seems to be shifting away from Bitcoin. That has led to a reduction in assets under management (AUM) for Bitcoin investment products, which dropped 7.16% in August to $17.4 billion, according to a new report by CryptoCompare. In comparison, the AUM for Ethereum (ETH) products increased 2.36% to $6.81 billion during …

South Korea’s second-largest city Busan has announced a partnership with crypto trading platform FTX to build a local crypto exchange and foster blockchain development. Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX will assist in creating the Busan Digital Asset Exchange as per an official statement from the Busan Metropolitan City on Aug. 30. The Bahamian-based firm will also support the city in fostering the growth of the local blockchain industry. Busan City will make use of FTX’s technology and infrastructure to establish its own cryptocurrency exchange. FTX is also set to be involved in promoting blockchain-specific education with local universities and projects within the …

Brian Shroder, the president and CEO of Binance US, received a federal letter requesting the urgent disclosure of official documents that prove the exchange’s adherence to various investor-centric safety protocols. The request comes from a Subcommittee chairman under the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In the letter addressed to Shroder, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi from the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy highlighted the lack of participation from crypto exchanges in helping the US government curb financial fraud and protect investors, stating: “I am concerned by the rapid growth of fraud and consumer abuse. I am also …

Indonesian tech company PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk (GoTo) bought PT Kripto Maksima Koin, a local crypto exchange, in a bid to diversify its assets. The deal makes a landmark in the merging of mainstream and crypto in the fourth most populated country in the world. As reported by Reuters, the sum of the acquisition of 100% shares by the country’s “biggest tech firm” came to 124.84 billion rupiahs ($8.38 million). The deal was finalized on Aug. 25, according to Indonesian media. GoTo didn’t reveal any specific plans for PT Kripto Maksima Koin’s further development, but in an official statement, …

The saga of the defunct Turkish crypto exchange, Thodex, continues as its fugitive founder is now in custody in Albania. Local law enforcement detained Faruk Fatih Özer in an operation carried out at 05:30 AM (UTC) on Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the country’s capital city Tirana. According to a report byCointelegraph Turkey, Özer is currently held in custody. After initial questioning, the Turkish embassy in Tirana will be informed by local authorities. Both the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Albanian government are working together on the case. Özer will be subject to legal proceedings in Albania, after which …

The United States equities markets are attempting to stabilize after the carnage on Aug. 26. On similar lines, Bitcoin (BTC) is also witnessing a see-saw battle near the psychological level of $20,000 with both the bulls and the bears vying for supremacy. Although several analysts are bearish on Bitcoin in the near term, it has not stopped the whales from accumulating at lower levels. Data from on-chain research firm Santiment shows that the number of whale addresses holding between 100 to 10,000 Bitcoin has risen by 103 in the past 30 days. In bear markets, rumors spread fast and could …

Global crypto exchange FTX will not be acquiring a majority stake in Huobi, according to CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, Or SBF. In a Monday tweet, SBF explicitly denied a Bloomberg report that claimed FTX was planning to purchase crypto exchange Huobi. Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 12 that Huobi co-founder Leon Li was considering selling his majority stake, valued at more than $1 billion, in the company. “We are not planning to acquire Huobi,” said SBF. Just to be explicit because apparently a lot of people are saying this: No, we are not planning to acquire Huobi. — SBF (@SBF_FTX) August 29, …

As rumors about an upcoming Bitcoin (BTC) dump float on Twitter, Mt. Gox creditors took to Twitter to say that these are all false, with one highlighting that the defunct exchange’s repayment system is still not live yet. In a Twitter thread, Eric Wall introduced himself as a Mt. Gox creditor and confirmed that there would not be a 137,000 BTC dump, countering rumors floating around on social media. According to Wall, the exchange has not yet completed the infrastructure needed to commence the repayment. In addition, Wall also said that at the moment, people are still unable to register …

The United States equities markets plunged on Aug. 26 following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech where he reiterated the central bank’s hawkish stance. Continuing its correlation with the equities market, Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency markets also witnessed a sharp selloff on Aug. 26. Bitcoin has declined about 14% this month, making it the worst performance for August since 2015 when the price had dropped 18.67%. That may be bad news for investors because September has a dubious record of a 6% average loss since 2013, according to data from CoinGlass. Although buying in a downtrending market is not …

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has updated its information related to Ethereum transitioning to proof-of-stake to include forks that could arise. In a Thursday update to an Aug. 16 blog post, Coinbase said it would evaluate any potential forks in the Ethereum blockchain on a “case by case basis.” The crypto exchange previously said it planned to 'briefly pause' Ether (ETH) and ERC-20 token deposits and withdrawals during the Merge, expected to occur between Sept. 10 and 20. “Should an ETH PoW fork arise following The Merge, this asset will be reviewed with the same rigor as any other asset that is …

Major crypto exchange Binance has confirmed it restricted account access to $1 million in crypto for a Tezos tool contributor after being called out on social media. In a Thursday Twitter thread, Binance said it had restricted the account of Tezos staking rewards auditor Baking Bad “as the result of a law enforcement request.” The Tezos contributor alleged that the crypto exchange had blocked access to its corporate account containing Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Polgyon (MATIC), Tether (USDT) and other tokens since July 1 “without any explanations” — a claim Binance denied. “BakingBad is well aware of [Binance’s actions], as …