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Lee Kwang-jae, a South Korean lawmaker, recently stated that he will be accepting cryptocurrency donations starting mid-January 2022. According to the politician, this plan represents his attempt to raise awareness about cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens among South Koreans. Donations to Be Converted Into Korean Won A Korean lawmaker, Lee Kwang-jae, has said he will start accepting cryptocurrency donations sometime in mid-January of 2022. According to the lawmaker, anyone that wishes to sponsor his campaign will be able to do so by directly transferring funds to his office wallet. As explained in The Korean Times report , once received, the donated crypto will be converted into Korean won and then deposited into his sponsorship account. The report meanwhile reveals that receipts for such donations will be issued in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and sent to the respective donor’s email address. Explaining his reasons for choosing to accept digital currency donations

Police in Malaysia have shut down a bitcoin mining operation and seized 1,720 bitcoin mining machines in a major electricity theft crackdown following public complaints. “Police inspected 75 premises around the district and 30 of them were found to be carrying out illegal bitcoin mining activities and stealing electricity.” Malaysian Authorities Shut Down Bitcoin Mining Operation Malaysian police have cracked down on a major electricity theft case involving bitcoin mining, local media reported. Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said at a press conference Thursday at the Manjung district police headquarters that the crackdown was carried out following public complaints. Noting that the operation involved the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the Sitiawan Fire and Rescue Station, the police chief explained: This operation is the biggest success with TNB this year. He noted that according to the TNB, the theft of electricity was worth about RM2 million ($478,870).

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) claims that Binance has rescinded its commitment to comply with previously agreed requirements. The crypto exchange told the regulator that there would be no new transactions involving Ontario residents after Dec. 31. However, Binance recently informed its Ontario users that they no longer have to close their accounts by year-end. OSC Says Binance’s Action Is ‘Unacceptable’ Cryptocurrency exchange Binance got into trouble with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) Thursday. Binance notified its users in June that Ontario was becoming a restricted jurisdiction and users may need to close their accounts. However, the crypto exchange sent a letter to its users Wednesday stating: As a result of ongoing and positive cooperation with Canadian regulators, there is no need for Ontario users to close their accounts by December 31, 2021. The exchange also informed its users: “Binance in Canada has been successful in taking its first steps on the r

The co-founder of Twitch, Justin Kan launched a gaming-centric non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace called Fractal on December 30. Fractal’s focus is on NFTs with video game utility and the project launched an NFT collection called “Fractals,” a 100,000 unique snowflakes that give users benefits while using the primary and secondary NFT marketplace. Twitch Co-Founder Launches Fractal NFT Market On December 30, the co-founder of Twitch, Justin Kan , told his 245,600 Twitter followers that he launched an NFT marketplace called Fractal . Kan also tweeted about the Fractals NFT collection that leverages the Solana (SOL) blockchain network. “Today, we are excited to launch our gaming NFT marketplace: Fractal,” Kan said . “We are also dropping our Fractal NFTs, the largest NFT airdrop in Solana history,” the entrepreneur added. In addition to Kan, Fractal was also founded by Robin Chan, David Wurtz and Mike Angell. Fractal hosts a number of digital goods from The Sandbox, Solchicks, Nyan

There’s a New Year’s Eve fiesta in the metaverse called the Metafest 2022 Global Party hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and the crypto investment firm Digital Currency Group (DCG) in Decentraland. According to the announcement, the owner of One Times Square, Jamestown will recreate the iconic site in Decentraland for the 2022 ball drop. NYE Meets the Metaverse There’s New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration taking place in the Decentraland metaverse and it’s hosted by the real estate firm Jamestown and Digital Currency Group (DCG). According to the announcement, DCG is one of the largest land owner in Decentraland, while Jamestown owns the well known One Times Square. DCG’s head of real estate, Simon Koster, explains how the digital world can meld with the real one. “The metaverse is quickly evolving to bring together the most interesting and alluring parts of our favorite physical places around the world,” Koster remarked during the announcement. “From destinations, to gamin

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has added a number of advisers to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. Among them is Corey Frayer, who advises Gensler on “SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets.” SEC Has New Adviser for the Oversight of Crypto Assets The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Thursday the appointments of Corey Frayer, Phil Havenstein, Jennifer Songer, and Jorge Tenreiro to Chairman Gary Gensler’s executive staff. The announcement details: Corey Frayer advises Chair Gensler on SEC policymaking and interagency work relating to the oversight of crypto assets. Before joining the SEC, Frayer served as senior professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for Chairman Sherrod Brown. He also spent a decade as a senior adviser for Rep. Maxine Waters on the House Financial Services Committee and Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina. Havenstein serves as

According to reports, roughly $2.2 million worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were stolen from a collector. The owner of the NFTs Todd Kramer said the incident was “arguably the worst night” of his life. Furthermore, there’s claims that the NFT marketplace Opensea froze the collectibles, and crypto advocates are complaining about the lack of decentralization. 15 BAYC and MAYC NFTs Stolen — Victim Begs Opensea for Help, Reports Claim NFTs Were ‘Frozen’ On December 30, 2021, a BAYC collector told the public that 15 Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFTs were stolen. “NFTX these apes and mutants have been stolen and flagged on Opensea . Please remove from your liquidity pool,” he added. Todd Kramer also listed all the apes that were stolen. Kramer also stressed in another tweet that it was “arguably the worst night” of his life. The 15 ape theft is one of the first NFT collection crimes since NFT collections l

Non-fungible token (NFT) assets were extremely popular this year and to date, there’s been more than $20 billion in volume recorded in terms of NFT sales among 100 collections. While many single NFTs sold for millions of dollars a number of NFT projects and collections saw hundreds of millions and even billions in all-time volume. According to defillama.com metrics, the popular NFT collection Cryptopunks captured $2.98 billion in all-time volume. 100 NFT Collections, 6 Chains, $20 Billion in Volume Numerous NFT collections have been very prominent in 2021 and have been the topic of various discussions. While Bitcoin.com News published the top ten most expensive non-fungible token sales this year, a large quantity of NFT collections saw significant trade volume and demand. Data from defillama.com tracks 100 NFT collections and so far there’s been $20.13 billion in all-time sales from these specific NFT series. The NFTs stem from blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana, Immutablex, Bin

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reportedly asked mutual fund companies not to get involved or invest in any type of crypto asset-based investments until the Indian government has come up with cryptocurrency legislation. SEBI Asks Mutual Fund Companies to Wait for Crypto Legislation The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Ajay Tyagi, reportedly said Tuesday that the market regulator does not want mutual fund companies to get involved or invest in any type of crypto asset-based new fund offers (NFOs) until the Indian government has come up with cryptocurrency legislation. There is currently no law governing cryptocurrencies directly in India. However, the Indian government is actively working on cryptocurrency legislation. A crypto bill was listed to be considered in the winter session of parliament but it was not taken up. The government is now reportedly reworking the bill. Last month, Indian asset management firm Invesco Mutual F

Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk says dogecoin is “fundamentally better than anything else” he has seen while he criticizes bitcoin. He also discussed the identity of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, and the official currency of Mars. Elon Musk Discusses Crypto, Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Mars’ Currency, and Who Satoshi Nakamoto Is Elon Musk shared his thoughts on cryptocurrency, dogecoin, bitcoin, and the identity of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, in an interview with Lex Fridman, published Tuesday. Musk, who has long been a supporter of the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE), revealed: Part of the reason why I think there is some merit to dogecoin, even though it was obviously created as a joke, is that it actually does have a much higher transaction volume capability than bitcoin. “The cost of doing a transaction, the dogecoin fees are very low,” the Tesla executive added. In contrast, he said: “Right now, if you want to do a Bitcoin transaction

Nasdaq-listed Microstrategy has bought more bitcoin for its corporate treasury. The latest purchase for 1,914 coins has raised the company’s total cryptocurrency holdings to 124,391 bitcoins. CEO Michael Saylor recently said that he expects the price of the cryptocurrency to eventually reach $6 million. Microstrategy Has Purchased More Bitcoin The pro-bitcoin Nasdaq-listed company Microstrategy has purchased 1,914 more BTC . With the latest purchase, the company now holds 124,391 bitcoins. Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor announced Thursday via Twitter: Microstrategy has purchased an additional 1,914 bitcoins for ~$94.2 million in cash at an average price of ~$49,229 per bitcoin. “As of 12/29/21 we hodl ~124,391 bitcoins acquired for ~$3.75 billion at an average price of ~$30,159 per bitcoin,” he detailed. The price of BTC fell slightly Thursday. At the time of writing, it is hovering at about $47,398 after losing 1.4% over the last 24 hours. At the current price, Microstrateg

This week the stablecoin giant tether reached a market capitalization of roughly $78.2 billion according to data. Over the last 30 days, tether’s market valuation grew by 5.6% and the stablecoin now represents 46% of the $168.3 billion stablecoin economy. Tether Market Cap is Less Than $2 Billion Away From Reaching $80 Billion On December 30, 2021, there’s roughly 78.2 billion tether ( USDT ) in circulation, according to coingecko.com’s top stablecoin by market capitalization statistics . According to Tether Limited’s transparency report published to the tether.to web portal, there’s $78.5 billion assets under management. Metrics indicate that tether represents 3.35% of the $2.33 trillion crypto economy today and 46% of the $168.3 billion stablecoin economy. Tether has seen massive growth during its lifetime. For instance, on September 13, 2015, tether’s market capitalization was $451,600 and the jump to $78.2 billion is a whopping 17,327,227% increase in just over six years. The

Authorities in Pakistan have reportedly moved to seize hundreds of bank accounts and cards belonging to cryptocurrency traders. According to local media, they have been allegedly used to make transactions worth close to $300,000 through digital asset exchanges, including major platforms. Pakistan Government Blocks Cards Used to Buy Cryptocurrency, Media Reveals Bank accounts in the names of 1,064 individuals have been frozen by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency ( FIA ). The law enforcement authority acted on request from the Cyber Crime Reporting Center (CCRC) in Islamabad, the Pakistan Observer informed readers on Wednesday. Officials claim the accounts have been utilized to process transactions worth a total of 51 million Pakistani rupees (around $288,000) made by persons to and from a number of crypto exchanges, among which are well-known platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Coinmama. The agency has also blocked their credit cards used to buy and sell digital coins, t

2021 has been a bullish year for crypto assets. While prices have risen a great deal, the top ten and top twenty rankings in terms of market capitalization have also changed significantly. A great number of coins have either been pushed down or have entered the crypto economy’s top positions in terms of overall market valuation. 2021’s Top Crypto Asset Positions Change Drastically On December 27, 2020, a historical snapshot of the crypto prices that day shows that bitcoin ( BTC ) and ethereum ( ETH ) both led the pack as far as the top two crypto asset market valuations are concerned. This is still true today as both BTC and ETH are the top two market leaders. However, on December 27, 2020, bitcoin’s value was $26,272 per unit and BTC had a market cap of $488 billion. Additionally, ethereum was changing hands for $682 per unit on that same day, and had a market cap of around $77.8 billion. Fast forward to December 26, 2021 statistics, and BTC was trading for $50,809 per unit an

On December 29, two addresses from 2011 containing 500 bitcoin each transferred 1,000 coins for the first time in 10.5 years. Furthermore, another wallet from 2011 woke up on Wednesday, moving 40 bitcoin for the first time in over a decade. 1,040 Bitcoin from 2011 Move for the First Time in 10.5 Years On Wednesday, an address created on July 10, 2011, at 11:22 p.m. (UTC) with 500 bitcoin ( BTC ) transferred the BTC for the first time in 10.5 years. Another wallet, created on the same day in 2011, dispersed another 500 BTC worth more than $23 million at the time of transfer. Furthermore, a wallet from August 12, 2011, containing 40 BTC worth $1.8 million transferred coins for the first time in over a decade. At the time of transfer, BTC was trading for $47,500 per unit, and the aggregate 1,040 BTC from 2011 spent on Wednesday was worth over $49 million. One can assume the 1,000 BTC stemmed from the same owner as the bitcoin wallets were both created on July 10, 2011. It’s p

Blueprint Capital Advisors CEO Jacob Walthour says it’s a mistake to ignore crypto as an asset class. He also predicts that crypto will outperform equities in the foreseeable future. Investment Adviser Expects Crypto to Outperform Equities Jacob Walthour, CEO and co-founder of Blueprint Capital Advisors, discussed his outlook for the crypto and equity markets in an interview with CNBC Wednesday. Walthour has over 25 years of experience in capital markets, traditional, and alternative asset management. “At this stage, we have to think back to how it all started,” he began. “When we think back over the course of our lives, we started buying things with cash and then someone came up with the idea of using a check, and then someone came up with the idea of using plastics, and then someone came up with the idea of e-payments. And I think that the use of crypto, the whole concept of a wallet, is where we are going to go from here. And I think that bodes well for crypto overall in terms o

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has argued that cryptocurrency is not a path to financial inclusion like crypto advocates claim. “Bitcoin ownership is even more concentrated within the top 1% than dollars,” she said, emphasizing the need for “real solutions to make the financial system work for everyone, not just the wealthy.” Senator Elizabeth Warren on Crypto and Bitcoin U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) commented about cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and financial inclusion Tuesday. She tweeted: The crypto industry claims that crypto is the path to financial inclusion, but bitcoin ownership is even more concentrated within the top 1% than dollars. We need real solutions to make the financial system work for everyone, not just the wealthy. Her comment was in response to an article in the Wall Street Journal claiming that the top 1% of bitcoin holders “control a greater share of the cryptocurrency than the most affluent American households control in dollars.” Citing a study by t

A new type of airdrop has been very popular during the last quarter of 2021 as quickly assembled decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have been distributing lots of value to existing crypto users. Just recently, Opendao gave Opensea users an airdrop and many people accrued thousands of dollars in SOS tokens. Now, another project called Gas DAO is airdropping tokens to any wallet that’s paid more than $1,559 in ether gas fees before December 26. Gas DAO Airdrops Tokens to Users That Spent $1,559 in Ether Fees Before the Snapshot A lot of projects this year have created airdrops as a way to create a governance system, and people who have used these protocols at least once are usually rewarded with these airdropped governance tokens. In recent times, Bitcoin.com News reported on Shapeshift dissolving into a DAO, and the project airdropped FOX tokens to Shapeshift users. During the first week of November, our newsdesk also covered the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) airdrop when

At the end of May, crypto advocates discovered a website created by the video game retailer Gamestop. The web portal disclosed that Gamestop was entering the world of blockchain tech and non-fungible token (NFT) assets. Gamestop’s NFT web portal has recently been updated and is requesting creators to sign up for the platform. Gamestop NFT Website Hints at Upcoming Marketplace Launch Gamestop (Nasdaq: GME ) has had an interesting year, to say the least. It all started at the start of the year in January, when the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets sparked a Gamestop shares trading war with Wall Street hedge funds. At the time, Goldman Sachs executive David Kostin said “if the short squeeze continues, the entire market could crash.” After the Wallstreetbets fiasco fizzled out of the limelight, Gamestop has managed to remain relevant after facing bankruptcy, and shares traded for $19.26 per unit on December 30, 2020. Today, those same GME shares are swapping for $146.46 per unit, up 655.73

While the crypto economy shed billions in value this week, 18 different digital assets have accrued double-digit gains during the last week. At the same time, the top two leading crypto assets by market capitalization, bitcoin and ethereum, have lost between 2.8% to 6.2% in value in seven days. 18 Crypto Assets See Values Increase by Double-Digits Bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) have lost a bit of value according to weekly statistics, and a number of alternative digital assets have done a whole lot better. Today, the crypto economy is worth $2.36 trillion and it is down 2.9% during the last day. BTC has shed 2.8% in value during the last seven days, and ETH has lost 6.2% since last week. However, 18 crypto tokens have accrued double-digit gains against the U.S. dollar this past week. For instance, Sushiswap’s decentralized exchange (dex) token sushi (SUSHI) has gained 67% during the last seven days. Near (NEAR) jumped 57.8%, fantom (FTM) climbed 49.6%, and oasis network (ROSE)

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), says a basic central bank digital currency (CBDC) model must be adopted initially and tested comprehensively to minimize the impact on the country’s monetary policy and banking system. The Indian apex bank sees several benefits in launching a digital rupee, including “a potential to enhance the efficiency of cross-border payments.” RBI Outlines Benefits of Issuing Digital Currency and How to Launch a CBDC With Minimal Impact The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its “Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21” Tuesday. The 248-page report has a section on central bank digital currency. “In its basic form, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) provides a safe, robust, and convenient alternative to physical cash,” the Indian central bank described, adding that “Depending on various design choices, it can also assume the complex form of a financial instrument.” The RBI continued: In comparison with existing for

Electricity shortages have been dogging Kazakhstan’s booming crypto mining industry this year. A media report reveals that some miners, including some of those that moved in amid China’s crackdown on the sector, are now looking to relocate to destinations with a more stable energy supply like the United States. Miners Shut Down Crypto Farms Due to Kazakhstan’s Issues With Power Generation Kazakhstan has become a crypto mining hotspot since China launched a government offensive against bitcoin miners in May. The Central Asian nation maintains capped electricity rates and is a major producer of fossil fuels. However, its neglected infrastructure and insufficient generation capacities have failed to meet the rapidly rising demand for electricity needed to power the energy-hungry coin minting facilities. Authorities have blamed the growing deficit — consumption surged by 7% in the first three quarters of the year — on the mushrooming mining data centers , and lawmakers have proposed

Genesis Trading’s head of market insights says that the institutional investment growth in the crypto space over the last 12 months “has been astonishing.” The executive added: “We’re seeing strong signs of that accelerating over the next year.” Strong Signs of Institutional Investment Growth Accelerating Next Year Noelle Acheson, head of market insights at Genesis Trading, shared her outlook for the cryptocurrency market and what investors should expect heading into 2022 with CNBC Tuesday. She said: The institutional growth over the last 12 months has been astonishing. We’re seeing strong signs of that accelerating over the next year. Genesis Trading is a full-service digital currency prime brokerage. The firm offers market participants a fully integrated platform to trade, borrow, lend, and custody digital assets. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (DCG), one of the largest private investors in blockchain and digital asset companies. Acheson explained t

PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX is thrilled to announce the listing of the Sidus utility token, SIDUS, and the SENATE governance token under the trading pairs SIDUS/USDT and SENATE/USDT starting on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. UTC. Sidus Heroes is a space themed, play-to-earn massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Sidus Heroes gameplay takes place in the metaverse, featuring interstellar exploration and battles. Settlement on Sidus Heroes is governed by a robust political and economic structure, with a mission to build a hybrid network ecosystem consisting of work, education, and entertainment segments. Sidus Heroes is the result of one of the largest collaborations in the NFT space, as dozens of professionals and community members from different domains have come together to launch what is now the industry’s first WebGL, AAA-level, play-to-earn, NFT RPG game. Each Sidus Heroes player has the opportunity not only to become immersed in the game itself, but also to earn and collec