BLOCKCHAIN
Blockchains incorporate several important features such as immutability, encryption and distributed storage, which combined makes secure peer-to-peer transactions possible and in turn has created the means to end human dependence on credit and thus credit intermediaries. Due to these features, blockchain has been referred to as ‘the Trust Machine’ and is forecasted to transfer the trust from agencies and institutions which are enforced by law to machine-based networks guaranteed by technology and mathematics.
SAMA is Ramping Up Its Research into Central bank digital currencies
SAMA is expanding its central bank digital currency study (CBDCs). Saudi Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy, decrease oil dependency, and improve public services.
Nifty Gateway Founders Resign
Nifty Gateway co-founders Duncan and Griffin Cock Foster are leaving Gemini. Gemini is suing Genesis Global, an insolvent cryptocurrency lender. "Technical leader" Eddie Ma and "non-tech leader" Tara Harris will head the platform.
China's "Instagram" chooses Conflux Network for permissionless blockchain integration
Little Red Book, (XiaohongShu), the Chinese version of Instagram integrates Conflux Network as permissionless blockchain allowing users to showcase NFTs minted on Conflux on their profile page in the digital collection section called ‘R-Space’.
The Wormhole hack: hacker shifts $155 million
On January 23, a DEX received $155 million in Ether. The Wormhole attack, which lost 120,000 Wrapped ETH on Feb. 2, was 2022's third biggest crypto heist.
New partnership to enable Bitcoin micropayments for content platforms
Crypto has enabled micro-monetization across businesses. Play-to-earn games and music streaming led this crypto integration. ZEBEDEE and Fountain, a value-for-value podcasting platform, partnered.
SushiSwap to Redirect Trading Fees to its treasury
SushiSwap will shortly transfer all trade fees to its treasury. 99.85% of voters "clawbacked" 10,936,284 unclaimed SUSHI ($14.8 million) tokens.
Cardano Nodes Go Offline for Half an Hour
Stake pool operators reported 50% of Cardano nodes disconnecting and restarting due to anomaly. Cardano's fintech business is investigating the anomaly's cause.
Insider Trading and Cryptocurrency
Coinbase director Conor Grogan saw Binance-linked anonymous wallet transactions. The wallets acquired unlisted tokens minutes before their listing announcement on Binance's website and sold them shortly after, sparking suspicions of crypto insider trading.
Binance Informs Customers of Upcoming Service Disruption
Disruption begins February 1. U.S. Dollar-held bank account holders who use SWIFT to acquire or sell cryptocurrencies under $100,000 may be impacted. Binance needs a new SWIFT (USD) partner to prevent service delays.
Mars Hub Launches Independent Cosmos Application Chain
An airdrop on the mainnet will unlock 64.4 million MARS tokens for Terra Classic holders who held them throughout the two historical snapshots. Osmosis blockchain will launch the first Mars outpost in early 2023.