Paying via Telegram bot 🤖, New Google Play policy 🆕, First Bitcoin futures contract 🇦🇷
Daily Crypto, Blockchain & Web3 Update 2023-07-14
CRYPTOCURRENCY
Telegram Wallet bot enables in-app payments in Bitcoin, USDT and TON (3 min read)
The cryptocurrency payment industry continues to evolve, with a new cryptocurrency payment option coming to the crypto-friendly Telegram messenger.
Wallet, a Telegram bot, now lets users buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It has introduced a crypto payment solution using The Open Network (TON) blockchain.
IRS investigating crypto traders using Puerto Rico tax breaks: Report (4 min read)
“The noose is tightening” for wealthy Americans suspected of exploiting Puerto Rico’s relaxed tax regime.
Prosecutors from the United States and agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are reportedly investigating wealthy crypto traders’s tax breaks.
Europe’s first spot Bitcoin ETF eyes 2023 debut after year-long delay (2 min read)
Jacob Asset Management is approved by the Guernsey regulator and will debut on the Euronext Amsterdam Exchange in July 2022.
Europe’s first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) is set to debut later this year after a long delay. The Bitcoin ETF by Jacobi Asset Management, a London-based multi-asset investment platform, was set to debut on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange in July 2022.
First Bitcoin futures contract debuts in Argentina (2 min read)
According to Matba Rofex, the trading platform behind the investment vehicle, the first Bitcoin futures contract in Latin US has begun trading.
Argentina's first Bitcoin futures contract was launched on July 13, following approval by the country's securities watchdog.
Google Play changes policy toward blockchain-based apps, opening door to tokenized digital assets, NFTs (3 min read)
Developers can now include digital assets like NFTs in their games on Google Play. The policy emphasizes the transparency of digital assets and discourages developers from promoting earnings from trading or playing activities.
According to Google's policy, games that don't comply cannot charge money for the opportunity to win assets, such as NFTs. Google is testing this policy with developers, with a full rollout expected later this year. Apple remains cautious about crypto games in its app store.
BUSINESS
Breaking: Celsius Network fined $4.7B by FTC (1 min read)
According to the regulator, Celsius misused billions of dollars from depositors and deceived customers into placing their funds.
The United States Federal Trade Commission has issued a $4.7 billion fine against bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network. However, the judgment will be suspended to “permit Celsius to return its remaining assets to consumers in bankruptcy proceedings.”
Bitget reserves top $1.44B, claims to be debt free (2 min read)
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget says its total proof-of-reserves ratio has reached 223%. In a July 13 announcement, Bitget revealed that its total reserve currently stands at $1.44 billion spread across 31 different crypto assets. Reserve ratios for Bitcoin, Tether, Ether, and USD Coin stand at 454%, 135%, 171%, and 2,604%, respectively.
QUICK LINKS
Report: Meta to release commercial AI tools to rival Google, OpenAI (2 min read)
Meta plans to release a commercial version of its artificial intelligence (AI) model, aiming to reach a wider audience, according to a Financial Times report.
According to sources close to Meta, the company released a large language mode called LLaMa for researchers and academics earlier this year. However, a new version will be released that is more widely available and can be customized by companies.
Crypto miner Hive Digital drops ‘blockchain’ from name amid pivot to AI (2 min read)
Crypto mining firm Hive Blockchain has rebranded to Hive Digital Technologies to highlight its foray into artificial intelligence (AI).
In a July 12 statement, the Vancouver, Canada-based mining company said it has dropped “blockchain” from its name to better represent the company’s “evolving focus” on revenue opportunities in graphics processing units (GPUs) and cloud computing, as well as “its mission to drive advancements in AI” and support the “new Web3 ecosystem.”
CleanSpark’s Bitcoin mining capacity hits 8 EH/s as new facility goes live (3 min read)
The Bitcoin mining company kicked off the second phase of its mining campus in Georgia, gearing up for the next Bitcoin halving.
Bitcoin miner CleanSpark has begun the second phase of operations at its mining campus in Washington, a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, reaching 8.0 exahashes per second (EH/s), halfway to its year-end target of 16 EH/s.
Texas Blockchain Council director announces run for State House (2 min read)
The Bitcoin mining analytics director at the TBC opposes the Fed's exploration of a digital currency and wants to promote "digital freedom".
Steven Kinard, a director at the Texas Blockchain Council, will run for the Texas House of Representatives.
Court: FTX spent $400 million on the acquisition of its European branch (2 min read)
The goal behind an overpriced buyout of the Swiss company was to get a proper European license.
FTX Europe, formerly known as Digital Assets AG (DAAG), was acquired by the failed crypto exchange for almost $400 million, as stated by the legal team involved in returning investor funds through legal proceedings.