Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
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CBDCs news
- The central Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that India’s progress in payment systems will provide “a useful backbone to make a state-of-the-art [central bank digital currency, CBDC] available to its citizens and financial institutions.” In a report, released today, the RBI also admitted that a CBDC “provides a safe, robust, and convenient alternative to physical cash.”
NFTs news
- Ozzy Osbourne, the former lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, is making his first foray into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Rolling Stone reported, and Osbourne himself later confirmed through Twitter. The series will consist of 9,666 NFT bats in January, as a nod to the moment when he bit the head off a bat during a 1982 performance in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Scuderia Ferrari, the sports section of luxury car manufacturer Ferrari, announced a premium partnership with NFT creator Velas, providing “for the creation of exclusive digital content for the Scuderia’s fans.” Also, Velas will be Title Sponsor of the Ferrari Esports Series and of the Esports team that will compete in the F1 Esports Series.
Crime news
- A project called MetaDAO has made off with roughly ETH 800 (USD 3m) in an apparent rug pull scam perpetrated over the holiday weekend, according to blockchain security company PeckShield.
- Cyber criminals promoting crypto scams will face five years behind bars and fines of up to DH 1m (USD 270,000) under new United Arab Emirates laws, per the National News.
- Hong Kong Customs arrested two persons suspected of engaging in money laundering activities involving about USD 384mm during an operation on December 28th, using personal bank accounts and an unspecified crypto exchange trading platform in dealing with money from unknown sources and participating in money laundering activities.
Investments news
- Gibraltar is reviewing a proposal for blockchain firm Valereum to acquire the Gibraltar Stock Exchange, which would allow the territory to serve as a platform to trade crypto alongside traditional bonds, according to The Guardian.
- Decentralized finance (DeFi) portfolio tracker DeBank said it has closed a USD 25m equity round led by Sequoia China, at a valuation of USD 200m. Other investors in the company are Dragonfly, Hash Global, Youbi, Coinbase Venture, Crypto.com, Circle, and Ledger.
- Ready Player Me, an avatar platform for the metaverse that allows users to explore virtual worlds with one consistent identity, announced a Series A funding round of USD 13m to expand their team across the globe. The round was supported by Taavet+Sten, a firm led by Taavet Hinrikus, the co-founder of fintech giant Wise, and Sten Tamkivi, Teleport co-founder, they added.
Altcoins news
- Billy Markus, co-creator of the original meme coin Dogecoin (DOGE), said he only owns DOGE 220,000 (USD 39,000) and he does not speak for the Dogecoin project. He went on to say that he will never return to coding his creation, stating that, “I have actually found the more you do for people, the more entitled they get and worse they treat you.”
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