The leading stock exchange – Nasdaq Inc. – could make another push toward the cryptocurrency sector by launching custody services by the end of the second quarter of this year. 
Fidelity and Bank of New York Mellon are other financial behemoths that offer such options.
Ira Auerbach – Senior Vice President and Head of Nasdaq Digital Assets – said in a recent interview that the global exchange group will aim to obtain all necessary approvals and form the technical infrastructure for the platform in the following months.
If everything goes as planned, Nasdaq could start offering cryptocurrency custody services by the middle of 2023.
It has also applied to the New York Department of Financial Services for a limited-purpose trust company charter, which is supposed to monitor

US prosecutors have reportedly accused the notorious Co-Founder of Terraform Labs – Do Kwon – of orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam that drained at least $40 billion from investors.
The authorities of Montenegro arrested the 31-year-old developer earlier this week after he was on the run for several months, hiding in numerous countries and falsifying his identity.
The US Pressing Charges
According to a Bloomberg coverage, US prosecutors named Kwon as the main culprit behind the collapse of LUNA/UST in May last year that led to multi-billion losses for investors. According to the US indictment, Terraform Labs operated as a cryptocurrency fraud, for which its Co-Founder should receive appropriate punishment.
More specifically, a grand jury in Manhattan charged him with

The London-based cryptocurrency platform – Luno – announced that its long-reigning CEO Marcus Swanepoel will step down from his post to become an Executive Chairman. James Lanigan, who previously served as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, will replace him.
The new boss will aim to raise funds from new investors (other than DCG) and prepare Luno for eventual public listing.
Marcus Swanepoel – a South African former banker who founded Luno ten years ago – praised his successor, believing he could help the platform achieve its primary goals:
“The opportunity for crypto is bigger and brighter than ever, and James is a seasoned operator and an outstanding leader with a track record of success across all aspects of running a truly global fintech business.”
The new CEO will

The Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen said her financial advisers pushed her into investing in the now-bankrupt exchange FTX, describing it as “a sound and great” opportunity.
She and her ex-husband – the NFL legend Tom Brady – are among the numerous people who parted with substantial funds due to their involvement with the former crypto giant.
Praying for Justice
The massive demise of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November last year left multiple investors empty-handed, some of those including well-known athletes, TV personalities, and all kinds of celebrities. One of the highest-paid models in the world – Gisele Bündchen – is also part of the list.
In a recent interview, she blamed her financial advisers for letting her become a victim of the crash. The Brazilian

The authorities of the United States pressed charges against Irina Dilkinska (who served as Head of Legal and Compliance at OneCoin) for her alleged role in the infamous crypto scam and deported her from Bulgaria to the US.
She could receive a maximum potential prison sentence of 20 years for allegedly committing wire fraud and additional 20 years for supposedly violating money laundering laws.
A Possible Jail Time for Another OneCoin Member
In a recent press release, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Dilkinska will appear before United States Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. US Attorney Damian Williams claimed the 41-year-old Bulgarian allegedly enabled the crypto pyramid scheme OneCoin to launder millions of dollars of illicit profits through shell

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered Core Scientific to transfer approximately $20.8 million worth of mining equipment to the energy infrastructure firm – Priority Power. 
The entities had a dispute over two mining facilities located in Texas that were supposed to supply Core Scientific with 1,000 megawatts of electricity. 
The Judge’s Decision
The judge involved in Core Scientific’s bankruptcy case – David Jones – ordered the company to transfer more than $20 million of electrical equipment to Priority Power Management (PPM) and thus settle the quarrel between the two.
“All of the Debtors’ interest, if any, in the equipment described in Annex A to this Order shall be transferred to PPM, on a “free and clear” basis pursuant to

The Twitter account of one of the leading news channels in India – News24 – became a victim of a recent cryptocurrency scheme. Hackers breached their security to post phishing links of a fake XRP drop, urging people to click and potentially get conned. 
Crypto scammers have previously compromised the Twitter account of India’s Prime Minister – Narendra Modi – and the profiles of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), and Mann Deshi Mahila Bank.
The Latest Victim in India
Wrongdoers took control of News24’s Twitter account and posted counterfeit Ripple events, such as an XRP airdrop. They attached compromised links regarding and even featured the image of Ripple’s CEO – Brad Galinghouse – to gain people’s trust.
Needless to say,

The cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX outlined some possible scenarios that could unfold in the coming months for the cryptocurrency industry.
It believes the Federal Reserve will most probably cease its interest rate hikes by the end of the year, triggering a flow of funds into global capital markets and risk-off assets. Cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ether, could benefit in such cases.
Scenario #1
According to BitMEX, the US Federal Reserve will most likely slow the pace of interest rate hikes or completely halt them by the second half of 2023 and even begin decreasing them towards the year-end. Currently, the percentage stands at 4.75%, a figure last seen during the financial crash in 2008. 
The company argued that such a policy amendment could fuel a market

One of the leading American banks – Goldman Sachs – highlighted bitcoin as the best-performing asset since the start of the new year. 
The primary cryptocurrency surpasses Nasdaq 100, gold, S&P 500, and other investment assets and sectors. 
The bank said bitcoin’s potential had outpaced that of traditional assets, precious metals, and other investments in terms of year-to-date (YTD) and risk-adjusted returns.

Bitcoin Performance YTD, Source: Twitter
Contrary to 2022, the primary digital asset has started off the new year on the right foot. Its price has skyrocketed from $16,500 on January 1 to approximately $28,400 at the moment of writing these lines (a 70% increase).
The rally caused some to believe that the bear market could be over and that BTC has entered into a new

The Fear and Greed Index – a metric that shows the overall sentiment toward bitcoin – currently points at 66, the highest level since November 2021.
One factor behind the investors’ predominantly bullish perspective could be the impressive price performance of the primary cryptocurrency, which has been up nearly 30% for the past week.
Greed Among Investors 
Most cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, have recently shown remarkable resilience to the global economic issues surging to levels unseen in several months. The primary digital asset recently tapped $28,500, increasing its price by almost 30% in one week. 
The rally seems to have affected the popular Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index – a metric that tracks numerous segments, such as price volatility, social media comments,

The Switzerland-based crypto ETP issuer – 21Shares – will reportedly terminate five of its funds and delist another one due to low interest from investors. 
Arielle Pennington – Head of Global Communications – claimed the firm will keep offering its other products that enjoy a solid level of demand.
Scraping Some ETPs
As revealed by Bloomberg, the company will close down the following five funds: the 21Shares S&P Risk Controlled Ethereum Index ETP (ticker SPETH), the 21Shares S&P Risk Controlled Bitcoin Index ETP (ticker SPBTC), the 21Shares DeFi 10 Infrastructure ETP (DEFII), the 21Shares USD Yield ETP (USDY), and the 21Shares Crypto Layer 1 ETP (LAY1).
Traders will no longer have access from April 6. It will also delist the 21Shares Terra Classic ETP (LUNA) on June

A survey carried out by one of the leading daily newspapers in El Salvador – La Prensa Grafica – determined that President Nayib Bukele has the support of 91% of the locals. 
The media outlet is known as an opposition to the ongoing political regime in the Central American country, prompting the leader to doubt that the figure might be even higher.
Bukele’s Record Approval Rate
El Salvador’s President, who took the helm in June 2019, enjoys one of the highest approval ratings globally. Previous data showed that approximately 85% of Salvadorans were satisfied with his rule, while the most recent study conducted by La Prensa Grafica estimated that the figure has surged to 91%. Less than 7% disapproved, while 2.1% did not respond to the question.
The people most satisfied

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that Americans parted with over $10 billion last year due to online fraud.
Wrongdoers drained $2.57 billion of that amount via cryptocurrency investment schemes. 
Crypto Scams on the Rise
Despite the predominantly bearish year for the cryptocurrency industry, 2022 was fruitful for criminals. They stole nearly $2.6 billion from American consumers using investment schemes related to bitcoin and other digital assets. In contrast, such fraud resulted in “just” $907 million in 2021.
“Crypto investment scams saw unprecedented increases in the number of victims and the dollar losses to these investors. Many victims have assumed massive debt to cover losses from these fraudulent investments,” the FBI report reads.
The agency

The professional Brazilian soccer players – Gustavo Scarpa, Mayke Rocha de Oliveira, and Willian Bigode – have reportedly lost over $5 million due to investing in an alleged fraudulent cryptocurrency firm called Xland.
The company said it did not run a pyramid scheme and promised to reimburse the victims.
Athletes Have Fallen Victims
Scarpa – Brazilian soccer player who plays for Premier League club Nottingham Forest – and Mayke Rocha de Oliveira (better known as Mayke) – who competes at Brazil’s Serie A team Palmeiras – were supposedly urged to join Xland as investors by Willian Bigode. 
The platform promised returns of up to 5% a month, but it seems like it drained the players’ investment. Scarpa distributed 6.3 million reais (around $1.2 million), while Mayke parted

The “Vietnam Crypto Market Report 2022” revealed that 16.6 million Vietnamese own digital currencies, with bitcoin being the most popular asset.
Another research conducted by Chainalysis placed the Asian country as the world’s cryptocurrency adoption leader, with a score of 1.000.
Close to the Top
The study, reported by a local media outlet, estimated that 16.6 million Vietnamese had purchased cryptocurrencies (approximately 17% of the country’s population). 31% of those have invested in bitcoin, making it the most preferred digital asset.
The research determined that Thailand is the only country with more HODLers than Vietnam in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
Apart from having a considerable number of crypto investors, Vietnam is also home to

A recent study conducted by the analytics company Juniper Research estimated that payments via central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could reach $213 billion by 2030. 
The firm believes governments across the globe will use the product to boost financial inclusion and improve the monetary condition of emerging economies.
A Possible Boom of CBDC Transactions
Juniper Research experts analyzing the fintech and payments market believe CBDC transactions could skyrocket from $100 million in 2023 to $213 billion by 2030 (a staggering 213,000% increase). 
The specialists said the financial product is still in its early days, adding that global centralized authorities will focus on it to improve digital settlements and enable additional monetary services. However, they might also

Twitter’s owner and one of the wealthiest people on the planet – Elon Musk – dropped a sarcastic tweet regarding Jim Cramer’s recent market predictions. 
The host of CNBC’s financial TV show – “Mad Money” – has given guidance to investors numerous times, but often that advice has turned wrong. A few days ago, he argued that people should use the recent crypto price rally as an opportunity to sell their stash. However, the market kept its uptrend, with bitcoin tapping a new 9-month high at $27,000 earlier today.
‘Inverse Cramer’ ETF Seems to be Working
In a recent Twitter post, the Co-Creator of the memecoin Dogecoin – Billy Markus (better known as Shibetoshi Nakamoto) – said Cramer is “good at his job.” His comment started a debate, and one of the people to join was Elon

Ryan Selkis – CEO of the crypto intelligence firm Messari – believes there will be more negative events in the financial world in the near future, including bank crashes.
He sees bitcoin acting as “a life raft and peaceful exit option” amid the calamity, predicting its price could soar to $100,000 in the next twelve months.
What Does the Future Hold?
In a recent tweet, Selkis shared his vision regarding the future condition of the financial world and how those possible factors could affect bitcoin.
He thinks the ongoing banking crisis is far from over, forecasting additional collapses in the following weeks. Silvergate Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank are among those recently closed by regulators. SVB – one of the top 20 biggest financial institutions in

Companies willing to acquire the troubled Signature Bank will reportedly have to give up its cryptocurrency business. Those interested in purchasing the financial institution or Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) can submit bids by March 17. 
Both entities, which acted as main lenders for numerous crypto organizations, revealed operational difficulties earlier this week, prompting American regulators to close them down.
The Necessary Condition: Forget About Crypto
According to a recent Reuters coverage, any prospective bidder of Signature Bank must agree to give up all cryptocurrency forays at the organization. 
The American authorities forced the bank to shut its doors a few days ago after it revealed significant liquidity issues. The Federal Reserve maintained that the measures

Jeffrey Gundlach – an American businessman and Founder of DoubleLine Capital – thinks the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by 25 basis points next week. 
According to him, this will be the last hike, believing the central bank will switch to other inflation-fighting efforts.
The End of the Fed’s Hike Policy?
In a recent interview for CNBC, Gundlach (better known as the “Bond King”) predicted that the Federal Reserve will impose a small rate hike on March 22 amid the ongoing banking crisis in the US. 
“I just think that, at this point, the Fed is not going to go 50. To save the central bank’s credibility, they’ll probably raise rates by 25 basis points. I would think that that would be the last increase.”
Jeffrey Gundlach, Source: CNBCThe collapses of major

Cardano’s Founder – Charles Hoskinskon – believes the cryptocurrency industry should differentiate itself from the “unstable and volatile” banking sector.
Three of America’s leading financial institutions – Silvergate Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank – were shut down by regulators earlier this month, propelling severe losses for numerous crypto-focused firms.
In a recent tweet, Hoskinson opined that crypto should stay away from traditional banking since the sector is full of “unstable and volatile” institutions.

Crypto needs to de-risk itself from those unstable and volatile banks
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) March 15, 2023
He also predicted a “game over” scenario for banks once “we can digitize treasuries.”
The collapse of Silvergate, SVB, and the

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly launched an investigation against Terraform Labs and its former employees to explore what led to the collapse of the project’s native token – LUNA – and its algorithmic stablecoin – UST.
The US SEC recently accused the entity and its co-founder – Do Kwon – of orchestrating a massive fraud, suggesting this could be the main factor behind the catastrophe. 
US DOJ Joins the Club
According to a Wall Street Journal coverage, the FBI and the Southern District of New York have started questioning former members of Terraform Labs to investigate the reasons that triggered the LUNA/UST crash in May last year. 
The US SEC filed charges against the organization and its co-creator – Do Kwon – earlier this year, claiming they ran

Ethereum’s Co-Founder – Vitalik Buterin – recently sent 200 ETH (approximately $350,000 at current valuations) to an address belonging to the crypto exchange Kraken and 500 ETH (over $875,000) to the DeFi protocol Reflexer. He deposited the 500 ETH to mint 150,000 RAI tokens, exchanging most for USDC. 
The stablecoin passed through some turbulence lately, depegging from its target after Circle revealed a whopping $3.3 billion exposure to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The peg has since been restored.
Buterin’s Recent Move
As revealed by the analytics platform – Etherscan – Buterin transferred 200 ETH to a wallet that belongs to Kraken. As of the moment of writing these lines, it remains unclear why he conducted that transaction. 
On the other hand, it seems like he sent the

Robert Kiyosaki – an American businessman, investor, and motivational speaker better known as the author of the bestseller “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” – thinks the current crisis in the banking sector will intensify. As such, he advised investors to focus on bitcoin, gold, and silver, arguing those assets could save them amid the potential turbulence.
BTC has quickly regained ground after plunging significantly on the news of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse. Despite the ongoing uncertainty in the monetary system, it crossed the $22K mark, causing many to believe it will soon start a new bull run. Arthur Hayes seems to be a proponent of this thesis.
Same Advice
In a recent post on Twitter, Kiyosaki said the current crisis will prompt central banks to print more “fake money” as a

Bitcoin surged by 6% minutes after US President Joe Biden assured that the American banking system is “safe.”
Many alternative coins, including Ether (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB), and Cardano (ADA), also headed north.
The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank caused severe panic, with some predicting a further contagion in the sector.
In a highly anticipated speech, the President of the United States – Joe Biden – stated that Americans should have confidence in the local banking system, describing it as “safe.” 
He also assured that customer deposits remain available, meaning that small businesses “can breathe easier knowing they’ll be able to pay their workers and pay their bills.”
“Every American should feel confident that their deposits will be there

Silicon Valley Bank and the crypto-friendly – Signature Bank – disclosed operational difficulties and were closed down by regulators.
While some expect the collapse to prompt a domino effect, numerous cryptocurrency-related companies have already suffered losses because of their exposure to the aforementioned institutions. Let’s have a closer look.
SVB’s Impact
As CryptoPotato reported last week, Circle – the Boston-based company which issues the second-largest stablecoin USDC – held a whopping $3.3 billion of its cash reserves at Silicon Valley Bank. The news of the bank’s problems caused a severe disruption in USDC’s price, which lost its dollar parity, plunging to as low as $0.87 (CoinGecko data) on March 11.
Despite the issues, Circle stated it continues the normal

A second-year B.Com student from the Indian city Lucknow reportedly hanged himself after losing a bitcoin investment worth ₹3.5 lahks ($4,200).
The local police assured they will investigate the tragic event once the victim’s family filed a complaint. 
Depression and Then Suicide
According to coverage by Hindustan Times, the boy distributed the sum through an online crypto investment company which he previously found while using Telegram. The firm promised high returns, and the student transferred over $4,200 in bitcoin.
However, he did not receive any yield on his investment. When he asked for his funds back, the organization’s representative he was in touch with stopped answering his calls and ceased all types of communication. The victim felt depressed after the alleged

One of the leading travel agencies in Latin America – Despegar – partnered with Binance Pay and Inswitch to enable clients to pay for tour packages in cryptocurrencies.
For starters, the offering will be available only for customers in Argentina. 
Despegar Leads the Way
The agreement, announced by the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange – Binance, turned Despegar into the first online travel agency (OTA) in Latin America to accept digital assets as a means of payment. Customers will be able to settle hotel accommodation, flights, car rentals, and cruise trips in more than 70 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), Litecoin (LTC), and Ripple (XRP).
While the new option applies only to clients in Argentina, it might reach other countries

According to Dua Crypto’s research, The Netherlands rank as the most interested European nation in cryptocurrencies. Russia (where the local central bank is predominantly negative on the asset class) is at the bottom of the list.
Bitcoin (BTC) is the most popular digital currency in most countries, while Dogecoin (DOGE) is second.
The Dutch Reached the Top
The study estimated that the residents of The Netherlands had conducted the highest number of crypto-related searches per capita (0.1299). The leading digital asset by market capitalization – Bitcoin – is the locals’ favorite, while the popular memecoin – Dogecoin – and Cardano are respectively second and third.
Slovenia ranked second with 0.1181 searches per capita, while Switzerland rounds up the top three with an

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an emergency action against the Miami-based financial advisor firm – BKCoin Management LLC – and its Co-Founder Kevin Kang, claiming they have defrauded investors with $100 million via a fraudulent crypto scheme.
The agency seeks to impose financial penalties on the organization and a conduct-based injunction against Kang.
Stealing for Personal Benefits?
In a recent press release, the US securities regulator asserted that BKCoin raised around $100 million from at least 55 investors between October 2018 and September 2022. The company and one of its founders – Kevin Kang – assured customers their funds will be used to trade cryptocurrencies, promising significant returns on the investment.
Instead, the SEC suggested that