On January 29, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the UAE, marked a momentous occasion by conducting the first-ever cross-border payment using the UAE Central Bank’s digital currency, the ‘Digital Dirham.’
The transaction, amounting to Dh50 million, was executed through the innovative ‘mBridge‘ platform, connecting the UAE directly with China.
UAE’s Historic Cross-Border Transfer
The historic cross-border transfer to China took place while Sheikh Mansour attended the celebration of the ‘Golden Jubilee’ of the establishment of the Central Bank and the graduation of 1,056 Emiratis from the inaugural batch of the ‘Ethraa Emiratisation’ program, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
During the transaction, Sheikh

Ben Armstrong, widely known as “Bitboy,” has announced the discontinuation of his daily crypto show, bringing an end to a three-year run that garnered a significant following.
The decision comes amid financial challenges and legal battles that have been plaguing the influential crypto personality.
Financial Strain and Mounting Legal Bills
Armstrong revealed the news through an emotional 10-minute video posted on his personal YouTube channel, where he disclosed that the daily shows discussing crypto trends were no longer financially viable.
The production costs for the show were reported to be $25,000 a week, contributing to the financial strain on Armstrong’s endeavors. He also disclosed that he was dealing with monthly legal bills of approximately $100,000.
“We’re barely

The popular actor and comedian Larry David has expressed remorse over participating in a high-profile 2022 Super Bowl commercial for the now-fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
Notably, Sam Bankman Fried, the FTX founder, was imprisoned after he was found guilty of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering last year.
Larry David Reflects on FTX Ad Regret
Speaking to The Associated Press at the Los Angeles premiere of the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” a series he created and stars in, David recounted seeking advice from knowledgeable friends before agreeing to the advertisement.
Despite assurances that it was legitimate, David now reflects on his decision with disappointment, highlighting his participation in the ad that humorously showcased him dismissing

As stated in an SEC filing on Tuesday, the ETF provider Global X has withdrawn its application for a spot in Bitcoin ETF.
The CBOE BZX Exchange submitted a notice of withdrawal for the Global X Bitcoin Trust on January 26, roughly two weeks after the SEC approved 11 other spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Global X Withdraws Application
The Global X Bitcoin Trust’s initial application was submitted in August 2023, and despite two extensions for consideration in September and November, the exchange officially withdrew its proposal on January 26. As of December 2023, Global X had approximately $51 billion in assets under management in its ETFs worldwide.
Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart commented on the withdrawal, stating that it was not surprising, given prior

Alex Chriss, the CEO of payment company Paypal, announced to the staff on Tuesday that an additional 9% of the workforce, approximately 2,500 positions, will be cut.
The development follows PayPal’s decision to reduce its headcount by around 2,000 in January of the previous year.
Paypal Further Reduces Workforce
In a letter, the newly appointed CEO explained that the company’s decision to cut its workforce, including direct cuts and the elimination of open roles, is part of an effort to “right-size” the organization. Affected staff members are expected to be informed by the end of the week.
In November, Chriss outlined his strategy to steer the company towards more profitable growth by simplifying operations and implementing stricter cost control measures. This strategy

The highly-anticipated Dencun upgrade of Ethereum was successfully deployed on the Sepolia testnet on Jan. 30.
This marks the second deployment out of three planned testnet launches, bringing the Ethereum community one step closer to embracing the features of Dencun.
Smooth Sailing on Sepolia Testnet
Terence Tsao, from Prysmatic Labs, the team behind the Prysm Ethereum client, announced the achievement on Jan. 30, stating, “Sepolia has finalized. Sorry for an uneventful upgrade.”

Sepolia has finalized! 🎉Sorry for an uneventful upgrade😄 https://t.co/86HXWRGO7a
— terence.eth (@terencechain) January 30, 2024

Paritosh, a DevOps engineer at the Ethereum Foundation, echoed the sentiment: “Blobs are now flowing in Sepolia. Uneventful testnet forks are the best ones!”

Blobs

Robert Kiyosaki, renowned for his book “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” is gaining attention for his strong endorsement of Bitcoin (BTC).
The author positions Bitcoin as a key defense against what he perceives as systematic wealth erosion orchestrated by institutions such as the Federal Reserve, Treasury, and Wall Street bankers.
Why Kiyosaki Owns Bitcoin
In his recent post on X, Kiyosaki emphasized his investment strategy, favoring Bitcoin over traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and fiat currencies. According to him, this preference is driven by Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and resistance to inflation.

Why I own Bitcoin. Bitcoin is protection against the theft of our wealth via our money. Fed Chairman Powell, Treasury Secretary Yellin, and Wall Street bankers steal our wealth

Mark Cuban recently took to X on Monday afternoon for a spontaneous Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with his 8.8 million followers, where he touched on various topics, including crypto-related ones.
When asked about his preferred cryptocurrency ventures beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, Mark Cuban highlighted Polygon and Injective, declaring, “I’ve invested in both (DYOR).”
Dallas Mavericks Still Accepts Dogecoin
One of the questions touched on Cuban’s support for Dogecoin, with the user inquiring, “Do the Mavs still accept Dogecoin?” To this, Cuban simply replied, “Yes.” Cuban’s NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, gained widespread attention in 2021 for becoming one of the first major businesses to accept DOGE as a payment method.
Reflecting on the success of Dogecoin, Cuban

Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has shown his support for the proposed governance changes within the XRP Ledger Foundation (XRPLF).
The move comes in response to a comprehensive proposal by XRP Ledger developer David Fuelling, aiming to enhance transparency and decentralization within the XRPL governance systems.
Open Dialogue and Community Involvement
In a recent social media post on X, Schwartz commended Fuelling’s initiative:
“Appreciate this public clarity from you, @sappenin. David also shared his proposal with me as a courtesy beforehand, as he did with XRPLF, and the Foundation was receptive to the proposal.”
He further emphasized that any community member can contribute ideas and proposals without “permission.” Schwartz described the proposal as

Apple users have been urged to be vigilant as cybersecurity firm Kaspersky reports a verified macOS exploit targeting the latest operating system version.
The exploit is designed to deceive Bitcoin and Exodus wallet users into unwittingly downloading a fraudulent version of the software.
Crypto-Stealing Malware Targets macOS Users
Kaspersky mentioned that the malware, distributed through pirated applications, is distinctive in its focus on compromising wallet applications. Unlike typical proxy trojans or remote control software, this malware stands out in two ways.
First, it utilizes DNS records to deliver a malicious Python script. Second, rather than merely stealing crypto wallets, it replaces a wallet application with its infected version. This allows the malware to

Polygon, a layer-2 scaling network, nearly matched Ethereum’s user base in 2023, as reported by blockchain analytics firm Flipside.
Polygon acquired 15.24 million users that year, coming close to Ethereum’s 15.4 million, with a difference of around 160,000 wallets.
Polygon Topped User Acquisition in First Half of 2023
Flipside defines an “acquired” user as someone who engaged in at least two transactions on a specific blockchain, with at least one occurring in 2023. During the first half of 2023, Polygon led the user acquisition race but was later surpassed by Ethereum, maintaining its lead throughout the latter part of the year.

Is the bull is really here? How can we tell?
Data.
Sentiment isn’t the only thing that’s changed lately. According to the data, user behavior is

According to Manhattan federal prosecutors, Mark Scott, a former partner at the U.S. law firm Locke Lord, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a $400 million fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme.
The sentencing took place on Thursday, and Scott was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud in November 2019, linked to his role in the OneCoin cryptocurrency fraud.
Judge Orders $392 Million Forfeiture
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, presiding over the case, also ordered Scott to forfeit $392,940,000 along with various assets, including bank accounts, a yacht, two Porsche automobiles, and four real estate properties, as part of the sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams emphasized in a

On January 26, the Twitter account of Staci Warden, the CEO of the Algorand Foundation, was hacked.
The breach was announced via an official post by the Algorand Foundation, cautioning the community against interacting with any links or responding to private messages from the compromised account to prevent potential asset theft.
Hacker Urges Community to Dump ALGO for ETH
The hacker, who took control of Warden’s account, posted a derogatory message aimed at the Algorand community and urged them to sell their ALGO tokens and buy Ethereum (ETH) instead. The attacker also promised to give away one Ethereum for every percentage that the price of the ALGO token loses during this week.

‼️ @StaciW_DC’s account has been compromised.
Please do not click on any links on her account

Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the crypto exchange Binance, encountered a setback last month when a federal judge denied his request to travel to the United Arab Emirates.
CZ proposed using his substantial $4.5 billion stake in Binance as collateral, based on the company’s valuation from its last fundraising round two years ago. However, the Judge still rejected the request.
Zhao Requests Travel Permission
In November, Zhao pleaded guilty in a Seattle federal court for failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at the world’s largest crypto exchange. Binance, in response, agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties related to the case.
Following his guilty plea, Zhao stepped down as CEO, and his sentencing is scheduled for February 23. Despite the guilty

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its ruling on BlackRock’s request to introduce a spot Ethereum ETF until March.
As the largest fund manager globally, BlackRock submitted its application for a spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) in November.
SEC Delays Decision on BlackRock Spot Ethereum ETF
According to a filing on the SEC website, the decision on BlackRock’s application for a spot Ethereum ETF, initially scheduled for January 25, has been deferred to March 10, 2024.
The SEC filing explained that the Commission deems it appropriate to extend the timeframe for taking action on the proposed rule change, ensuring ample time for a comprehensive assessment of the proposal and the associated concerns.
BlackRock’s CEO, Larry Fink, expressed his

In a recent interview, Jack Dorsey and Luke Dashjr shared their insights on the current state and future trajectory of Bitcoin.
The interview also shed light on Ocean Mining’s innovative efforts to combat the centralization of mining pools.
Bitcoin’s Journey and Future
When asked about their general impression of Bitcoin’s journey so far, Dashjr remarked that Bitcoin has evolved from a “toy project” to a serious endeavor in recent years. Dorsey echoed this sentiment, stating that Bitcoin has become more resilient and beautiful in its workings and testing. He praised the community’s ability to identify and rectify new threats deliberately and thoughtfully.
Dorsey expressed his ambitious vision for Bitcoin’s impact on humanity. He believes BTC can potentially contribute to

According to the Financial Times, European brokers are slashing spot Bitcoin ETF fees after Invesco and WisdomTree reduced theirs by over 60% on European BTC products.
The decision comes as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently approved spot Bitcoin ETFs from major players like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Invesco, resulting in an influx of new investment options for U.S. investors.
Fee Wars Move to the European Market
Gary Buxton, Invesco’s Head of ETFs for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, stated that the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs led to an “unprecedented supply of new products” for U.S. investors. Previously, such investors had to look to Canadian or European providers for exchange-traded exposure to the cryptocurrency.
The

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosed that multi-factor authentication (MFA) on its X account was disabled leading up to a false post earlier this month, just before the formal approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, when the SEC’s @SECGov X account was compromised, and unauthorized posts regarding the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds emerged.
SIM Swap Attack
According to a statement released by an SEC spokesperson on January 22, It was revealed that the unauthorized party gained control of the agency cell phone number associated with the account through a “SIM swap” attack.
This technique allows transferring a person’s phone number to another device without authorization. While the SEC has

Bitcoin ETF issuers, except for Grayscale, have collectively acquired more than 86,000 BTC at an average price of $42,000, an investment of $3.63 billion, according to on-chain analyst Ali on X.
The sustained high trading activity shows investors’ ongoing interest and engagement in recently launched Bitcoin ETFs.
Bitcoin ETFs Show Resilience
Among Bitcoin ETF issuers, iShares emerges as the leader, boasting a substantial holding of over $1.3 billion in BTC. Following closely is Fidelity, securing the second position with BTC holdings valued at $1.22 billion.
Bitwise and ARK/21Shares claim the third and fourth spots, with holdings worth $409.23 million and $364.94 million, respectively.

Excluding @Grayscale, all #Bitcoin ETF issuers have collectively acquired over 86,320

Chris J Terry, a crypto market analyst, has recently predicted that Bitcoin’s (BTC) price could either remain stagnant or decline until the $25 billion liquidation of GBTC is finalized.
Mike Novogratz, the founder of Galaxy Digital, holds a different view. He argues that despite the anticipated GBTC sell-offs, most investors will shift their focus to alternative ETFs, leading to a rise in Bitcoin prices within six months.
Analyst Warns of Bitcoin Price Dip
BTCdata’s Chief Architect, Chris J Terry, recently took to X to predict that Bitcoin prices will likely remain stable or fall until the completion of the $25 billion liquidation of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC).
Terry pointed to Grayscale’s decision to maintain a 1.5% ETF fee rate as a strategic mistake that could go

In a recent publication, Morgan Stanley’s Head of Digital Assets, Andrew Peel, has cautioned about a potential “paradigm shift” in the perception and use of digital assets, emphasizing its potential impact on the U.S. dollar’s global dominance.
Peel highlights that the rising interest surrounding assets such as Bitcoin, the surge in stablecoin volumes, and the emergence of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) pose a significant challenge to the traditional role of the dollar in global finance.
Nation States Target Dollar Diversification
Despite the U.S. contributing 25% to global GDP, the greenback holds a dominant position, constituting nearly 60% of global foreign exchange reserves.
However, this dominance is facing increased scrutiny, with some nations exploring

A recent study by CoinGecko reveals that over 50% of all cryptocurrencies listed on the platform since 2014 have met their demise.
Of the 24,000+ cryptocurrencies listed on CoinGecko since 2014, 14,039 have been deemed ‘dead’ or ‘failed.’
Most Dead Coins Linked to 2020-2021 Bull Run
The study, which analyzed the fate of these digital assets, provides insights into the patterns of cryptocurrency failures over the years. Most of these dead ones originated from projects launched during the 2020-2021 bull run.
During this period, 7,530 cryptocurrencies died, accounting for 53.6% of all failed assets on CoinGecko. Over 11,000 cryptocurrencies were listed on CoinGecko during this bull run, with approximately 70% having shut down since.
In comparison, the previous bull run

The latest TokenInsight report reveals that 2023 witnessed shifts in market share and trading volume among top exchanges, with Binance’s numbers decreasing from 54.2% to 48.7% while OKX’s and Bybit’s increasing by 4.3% and 2.2%, respectively.
Binance, Upbit, and OKX occupy the top three positions in total annual trading volume, while Binance, OKX, and Bybit are in the lead regarding derivatives.
Binance’s Market Share and Resilience
At the beginning of 2023, Binance held a market share of 54.2%, maintaining a dominant position in the industry. However, events such as the end of the Zero-Fee Bitcoin trading promotion and the SEC filing a lawsuit in June impacted its market share, which dropped below 50%.
The subsequent resignation of CEO CZ led to a temporary dip to 32%,

Manta Network (MANTA), a blockchain project aiming to expand its reach in the Asian market, has found itself entangled in a controversy surrounding allegations of money laundering following its recent listing on the South Korean exchange Bithumb.
The controversy emerged when DeFi enthusiast Definalist took to Twitter, suggesting potential misconduct by Manta Network on the day of its Bithumb listing.
Money Laundering Allegations
Definalist’s tweet highlighted several suspicious transactions, pointing to a series of concerning events.

. @MantaNetwork was suspected of money laundering through Bithumb on the day of listing
– 2M $MANTA transferred to personal wallet of MANTA’s Korean BD– 2M $MANTA was deposited into Bithumb deposit wallet, accounting for more than 75% of

In an interview with Bloomberg, Rachel Aguirre, the head of product at BlackRock U.S. iShares, revealed that the firm’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) has witnessed a surge in inflows, predominantly coming from retail investors and newcomers to the cryptocurrency space.
This revelation follows the impressive performance of IBIT, which has maintained its lead in total volume among U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs.
BlackRock’s IBIT Records Impressive Inflows
As of the third day of trading, data from Nasdaq indicates that the total trading volume of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs approached $10 billion, with IBIT contributing approximately $1.9 billion to this figure.

BlackRock Head of US iShares Product Rachel Aguirre says that the influx of flows into IBIT are coming from both retail and new

The Bitcoin hashrate has experienced a 25% drop since the weekend, raising concerns about the security of the network just ahead of the highly anticipated “halving” event.
Data sourced from BTC.com reveals a decline in global hashrate estimates from approximately 600 EH/s on Friday to 450 EH/s by Tuesday.
Texas Cold Weather Affects Bitcoin Hashrate
The Bitcoin hashrate drop coincided with a weather warning issued by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for January 14 to 17 due to extreme cold conditions. ERCOT, acting as the grid regulator for most of Texas, issued conservation appeals on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, expressing concerns about low operating reserves attributed to freezing temperatures, high demand, and unusually low wind.
The reduction in

The trading volume for BRC-20 tokens has surged, rising from $10-15 million to over $500 million since November 2023, according to data from Kaiko.
The data indicates a substantial increase in trading activity for tokens minted on the Bitcoin blockchain, with their volumes experiencing a tenfold growth since the close of 2023.
BRC-20 Token Trading Volume Surge
According to a report on January 15 by the Paris-based blockchain analytics firm, trading volumes for BRC-20 tokens have surged, with Binance playing a significant role in the increase.
Binance recently introduced spot and perpetual futures trading for ORDI, SATS, and RATS tokens. Initially holding a 63% market share, Binance’s dominance declined to around 50% as trading volumes reached $2 billion following the

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has expressed a lack of opposition to postponing the Terraform co-founder Do Kwon’s crypto fraud trial and, instead, is open to waiting until he is extradited.
Two court filings were submitted by federal prosecutors, outlining the case against Kwon and Terraform Labs concerning the $40 billion collapse of TerraLuna (LUNC) and TerraUSD (UST) in May 2022.
SEC Consents to Delay in Terraform Case
The SEC has consented to a “modest adjournment” of the Terraform case until April 15, allowing for ongoing extradition proceedings for Kwon in Montenegro.
In a letter to Judge Jed Rakoff on January 11, Kwon’s legal team requested a delay in the January trial until he could participate in his defense in person. They cited the

On January 15, TrueUSD (TUSD), the USD-pegged stablecoin, experienced a deviation from its $1 parity that saw its price decline to $0.985.
This comes amidst speculations that TrueUSD holders are exchanging hundreds of millions of tokens for the competing stablecoin Tether (USDT).
TrueUSD Depeg Sparks Trading Frenzy on Binance
Based on data from the exchange’s trading page, TUSD experienced a total inflow of $301.54 million in the past 24 hours, with outflows amounting to $147.77 million.
Several market experts have linked the sell-offs caused by whales and market dynamics to the loss of parity by TrueUSD. The stablecoin’s value declined gradually over the past two weeks, dropping from $1 to $0.985.
This marks the second significant decline against the USD for TUSD within

Michael Saylor revealed an alarming trend involving the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) generated deepfake videos featuring him.
Saylor disclosed that his team is tirelessly working to remove approximately 80 such fake videos daily, most aimed at promoting various Bitcoin scams.
Deepfake Videos Promoting Bitcoin Scams

⚠️ Warning ⚠️ There is no risk-free way to double your #bitcoin, and @MicroStrategy doesn’t give away $BTC to those who scan a barcode. My team takes down about 80 fake AI-generated @YouTube videos every day, but the scammers keep launching more. Don’t trust, verify. pic.twitter.com/gqZkQW02Ji
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) January 13, 2024

Saylor reiterated his warning, urging the community, “Don’t trust, verify.”  stating that “the scammers