API
Stands for Application Programming Interface, a software intermediary that helps two separate applications communicate with one another. They define methods of communication between various components.
Chinese state company launches crypto funds
CPIC Investment Management, a subsidiary of China Pacific Insurance, is launching two crypto funds with Waterdrip Capital, targeting institutional and wealthy private investors. The funds will focus on investments in early-stage blockchain projects and proof-of-stake digital assets.
Ether Surges to Over $1,900 Ahead of Staking Withdrawals
Ether breaks $1,900 for the first time in over seven months, ahead of the Ethereum Shanghai hard fork that will allow stakers to withdraw their ETH. The recent price increase may be driven by expectations of the Federal Reserve easing its quantitative tightening efforts and increased demand for Ether due to more flexible staking options.
Dragonfly Capital Invests $10 Million in Bitget
Dragonfly Capital has invested $10 million in cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitget to support its global market and service expansion and corporate social responsibility initiatives for crypto education and adoption. Bitget plans to expand its spot trading, launchpad, and Bitget Earn products. Despite the FTX collapse, cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges have recovered, and central exchanges' open interest has risen to approximately $68.5 billion.
Bank of England halts Silicon Valley Bank UK branch operations
The Bank of England has ordered the Silicon Valley Bank's UK branch to halt its operations as it has limited presence and no critical functions supporting the financial system. The bank will be placed into a Bank Insolvency Procedure, and eligible depositors will be paid out by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to the protected limit of £85,000, with the remaining assets and liabilities being managed by bank liquidators. UK venture capitalists and a nonprofit organization have expressed concern as several startups and investors have significant exposure to the SVB UK, including prominent blockchain VCs who have over $6 billion in assets at the bank.
Investors Rally to Support Silicon Valley Bank Amidst Possible Closure
Over 125 venture capitalists and investors, including Sequoia Capital and General Catalyst, have pledged their support for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) as the 40-year-old banking institution winds down its operations. The investors signed a statement in an effort to cushion the impact of the bank's possible closure and limit the fallout on tech companies that rely on SVB for funding and banking services.
Biden's Budget Proposal Includes Crackdown on Crypto Wash Sales and Doubling of Capital Gains Tax for Certain Investors
U.S. President Joe Biden's fiscal 2024 budget plan proposes a crackdown on crypto wash sales and a doubling of the capital gains tax for certain investors, which could raise $24 billion. The proposed changes to crypto tax treatment aim to reduce the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade. The budget proposal seeks to eliminate the tax-loss harvesting strategy used by crypto traders, which allows them to sell assets at a loss for tax purposes before immediately repurchasing them. The proposal also aims to raise the capital gains tax rate for investors making at least $1 million to 39.6%.
FTX to Sell Remaining Interest in Sequoia Capital to Abu Dhabi Sovereign Wealth Fund
FTX has struck a deal with a company owned by the government of Abu Dhabi to sell its remaining interest in venture capital firm Sequoia Capital for $45 million. The deal is subject to approval by the Delaware bankruptcy judge and is part of FTX's efforts to liquidate its investments to pay off its debts to creditors. Meanwhile, Voyager Digital has agreed to set aside $445 million after being sued by Alameda Research over loan repayments.
Coinbase Launches WaaS to Simplify Adoption of Web3 Wallets
Coinbase has introduced Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) to provide enterprises with a customizable on-chain wallet API for easier customer onboarding, loyalty programs, and in-game purchases. The WaaS infrastructure features multi-party computation (MPC) cryptography to improve private key security, user-friendly backup functionality, and control over product experiences while reducing implementation cost and complexity. The solution is being used by companies like Floor, Moonray, thirdweb, and tokenproof.
Thailand Waives Taxes on Investment Tokens
Thailand's cabinet has agreed to waive corporate income tax and VAT for companies issuing investment tokens, encouraging alternative capital raising in addition to conventional methods. The government hopes to generate 128 billion Thai baht from investment token offerings over the next two years.
Digital Currency Group Reports Over $1 Billion Loss Due to 3AC Collapse
Digital Currency Group (DCG) has reported losses of over $1 billion in 2022, largely due to the collapse of Three Arrows Capital (3AC) and falling cryptocurrency prices. DCG's lending arm, Genesis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, as it was 3AC's largest creditor. DCG's fourth-quarter losses came to $24 million, while revenues came in at $143 million. Full-year revenues for DCG came in at $719 million, with total assets of $5.3 billion.