Author: John Smith

The U.S. Senate has abandoned the renomination hearing for anti-crypto Democratic SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw. Outgoing Securities and Exchange Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw will not be renominated to her position following a decision by the Senate Banking Committee. The hearing to nominate Crenshaw and Gordon Ito to the Financial Stability Oversight Council, previously scheduled for Wednesday, December 17, was canceled, according to multiple reports. The FSOC is a financial system monitoring agency established in 2010 under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Anti-Bitcoin SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw “will not be renominated to her position” after…

Oasys, a game-optimized blockchain platform with key partnerships including Ubisoft and Yield Guild Games, has secured another major collaboration through a deal with Animoca Brands Japan. The gaming-focused blockchain announced on Dec. 17 that Animoca Brands’ Japan subsidiary had made a direct investment in Oasys and will also join as a new validator. As part of the partnership, Oasys will leverage Animoca Brands’ traction to expand its presence in the Greater China region. “Through this partnership, we aim to bring game developers and users around the world more innovative experiences advancing the blockchain gaming market,” Ryo Matsubara, Oasys representative director,…

Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD is live on major crypto exchanges, the U.S.-based crypto company has announced. The launch of the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin follows the official announcement of its highly anticipated unveiling on December 16. In that communication, Ripple stated that RLUSD would go live on December 17 with key launch partners, including some of the world’s leading crypto exchanges and platforms. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse confirmed the stablecoin’s launch on several exchanges in a post on X. These include Uphold, MoonPay, CoinMENA, ArchaxEx, and Bitso. Garlinghouse also noted that Bullish, Mercado Bitcoin, Bitstamp, Zero Hash, and Independent Reserve are…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria arrested 792 individuals allegedly involved in crypto investment and romance scams.  The suspects, including 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, and others from various countries, were apprehended on December 10, 2024, during a raid on the Big Leaf Building in Victoria Island, Lagos. EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, speaking through the agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, revealed that the suspects used the seven-story facility to train Nigerian accomplices in fraudulent activities. Investigators recovered over 500 SIM cards and high-end computer equipment used to target victims across North America, Europe, and other regions.…

Bitcoin price rallied to a record high of $108,000 on Dec. 17, continuing a bull run that began in 2023. Bitcoin (BTC) has surged by nearly 150% this year, driven by rising demand and decreasing supply growth. The unwinding of high interest rates by the Federal Reserve and other central banks has also contributed to this upward momentum. Data from SoSoValue shows that spot Bitcoin ETFs have accumulated over $36 billion in assets, bringing their combined total to more than $120 billion. This growth indicates that Bitcoin is increasingly competing with gold for investor attention. People asking me about this.…

The 2022 LastPass data breach has allowed threat actors to steal 12.38 million from users in a new attack. According to blockchain sleuth ZachXBT, the LastPass hackers stole millions in Ethereum (ETH) from over 100 wallet addresses between Dec. 16 and Dec. 17. The criminals quickly swapped the ill-gotten wealth from ETH to Bitcoin (BTC), using multiple instant exchanges. A list of affected addresses may be found here. LastPass is a password management service for securing cryptocurrency wallets. The startup suffered two hacks in 2022 – once in August and again in October – resulting in unauthorized access to customer keys,…

The U.S. Department of Justice is set to reimburse victims of a wire fraud scheme, aided by the tripling value of Bitcoin since the cryptocurrency was seized.  The scheme, which targeted real estate transactions, resulted in millions of dollars in losses for businesses and individuals. In December 2023, fraudsters infiltrated systems used in real estate transactions, sending fake wire transfer instructions to divert funds intended for mortgages and other payments.  One company reported losing over $1 million. Investigators later uncovered at least ten additional victims, with individual losses ranging from $75,000 to $425,000, according to the DOJ. The stolen funds…

Tether, the company behind the USDT stablecoin, made an investment in the European firm StablR. The investment comes as the European Union prepares to implement the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulatory framework on December 30, 2024. MiCA sets clear compliance standards for stablecoin issuers, providing legal certainty in a previously fragmented regulatory environment.  StablR has introduced two stablecoins, EURR and USDR, designed to streamline transactions and offer cost savings for users. Stablecoins are digital currencies pegged to a fiat currency, like the euro or dollar, to minimize price volatility. These tokens play a critical role in facilitating cross-border payments and improving liquidity…

Centralized exchange tokens are doing well as most experienced a strong surge in volume amid the ongoing bull run. Bitget Token (BGB) has emerged as the best-performing CEX token as it jumped to a record high of $3.9672. It has soared by more than 545% from its lowest level this year, giving it a market cap of over $5.2 billion.  Cronos (CRO), which is associated with Crypto.com, rose by over 20% on Dec. 17, valuing it at over $5.1 billion.  Binance Coin (BNB) token, on the other hand, has remained in a consolidation phase at its all-time high in the…

Ethereum price has stalled at the resistance level of $4,000, but on-chain metrics and other external factors points to more gains. Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was trading at $4,008. But the momentum failed to continue as it has faced resistance over the past three consecutive weeks. Still, ETH has positive catalysts that could push its price higher in the near term. The first main catalyst is that Bitcoin (BTC) has continued rising and moved to a record high this week. Altcoins like Ether often follow the price of Bitcoin. Spot Ethereum ETFs are also seeing strong…