Bitget pledges $10M for Blockchain4Youth corporate responsibility project

On May 4, cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitget announced it would allocate $10 million over five years for its novel corporate social responsibility project. Dubbed “Blockchain4Youth,” the project will provide blockchain courses and certifications through Bitget Academy and host campus lectures in partnership with universities worldwide. In addition, Bitget staff wrote: “The platform will also collaborate with other leading blockchain firms to incubate innovative projects by young entrepreneurs and host U30 (Under the age of 30) hackathons to identify the most promising ones.” Blockchain4Youth will commence this month with a series…

Deal Box launches $125M blockchain and Web3 venture fund

According to a Jan. 18 press release, United States-based capital markets advisory and token offering platform Deal Box has launched a new $125 million venture capital arm dedicated to blockchain and Web3 startups. The fund, dubbed Deal Box Ventures, will invest in companies in the emerging growth, real estate, fintech, funtech and social impact fields. Commenting on the development, Thomas Carter, founder and chairman of Deal Box, said:  “Deal Box Ventures is an important milestone in our journey to invest in the most promising and disruptive blockchain startups, providing them with…

Blockchain fintech GammaRey signs $320M merger agreement

According to an announcement on Jan.3, blockchain fintech firm GammaRey signed a merger agreement with financial e-commerce and consumer data analytics company GoLogiq. Both companies are based in the U.S., while GoLogiq focuses on customers in Southeast Asia.  As stipulated by the terms, GoLogiq will issue $320 million in common stock to acquire 100% of GammaRey’s outstanding shares. The transaction is anticipated to be completed within the next few weeks, subject to conditions. As told by the two parties, the merger aims to “focus on the high-growth market of wealth management…

BitKeep CEO says some users’ private keys remain at risk after exploit

According to a letter posted on Chinese blockchain news publisher Odaily.com on Dec. 27, Kevin Como, the anonymous CEO of BitKeep, warned that users’ private keys are still at risk after a security incident on Dec. 26 led to over $13 million in losses at the time of publication. BitKeep is one of the more popular noncustodial, decentralized finance multichain wallets with over 6 million users. Specifically, Como wrote: “This was a large and atrocious hacker attack incident. The BitKeep APK 7.2.9 (Android Package Kit) installation package was hijacked and…

EIB settles €100 million digital bond on private blockchain

According to a new press release on Nov. 29, the European Investment Bank, or EIB, issued a first-ever euro-denominated €100 million digital bond on a private blockchain-underpinned platform with tokenization help from Goldman Sachs. The latter, along with Société Générale Luxembourg, also act as the on-chain custodians for the financial instrument. The bond bears interest at a coupon rate of 2.57% per year with a maturity date of Nov. 29, 2024, and is governed by Luxembourger laws.  Banque de France and the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg participated in the project…

Hive Blockchain revenue declines by 44% Y/Y despite overall mining production surge

According to its second-quarter (ending Sept. 30) earnings presentation released on Nov. 15, Vancouver-based digital assets mining company Hive Blockchain’s revenue declined by 44% year over year to $29.6 million. During the same period, the company’s net income also decreased from $59.8 million in the prior year’s quarter to a loss of $37 million.  Hive Blockchain’s net income was notably higher than its revenue in Q2 2022, as the company also recognized over $22 million worth of gains on the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) it mined. Although the company…

What are the long-terms goals for the Ethereum blockchain? Vitalik Buterin explains live at EthCC

On Thursday, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, shared his long-term vision for the namesake blockchain live at the annual Ethereum Community Conference, or EthCC, in Paris. As told by Buterin, Ethereum is currently at an inflection point, or period of rapid change, before the ecosystem’s capability will eventually settle down.  Currently, the foremost priority for Ethereum is building an easy-to-use light client for the consensus layer, execution layer, and layer-2 solutions by default. Next is better support for home stakers or those looking to validate network transactions when Ethereum transitions…

NYDFS calls for crypto firms to use blockchain analytics

In a letter published on Thursday, the New York State Department of Financial Services, or NYDFS, recommended that all virtual currency companies operating under New York banking law adopt blockchain analytics to trace transactions. In supporting the decision, the regulatory agency wrote: “Wallet addresses are typically pseudonymous, with nothing on the face of the transfer tying back to the originator, beneficiary, or underlying beneficial owners.” Therefore, as told by NYDFS, it is vital that such class of firms use blockchain analytics to prevent illicit transactions, such as money laundering or…

Telegram Wallet Bot enables users to send crypto in-app via revived blockchain project

As told via a Twitter post on Tuesday, instant-messaging app Telegram has rolled out crypto payments via Toncoin (TON). To access the feature, users first need to opt in via Telegram’s official Wallet Bot, which allows them to purchase cryptocurrency by bank card, exchange and transfer to other wallets. According to the company, they can then send Bitcoin (BTC) or Toncoin to other users by clicking on the “Wallet” icon in direct messages.  You can now send #Toncoin directly within Telegram chats! It’s a new way to send Toncoin without…

Minecraft-linked developers draws up pledge for NFT and digital asset engagement

Over the weekend, Climate Replay, which comprises of developers from Mojang Group, the maker of the popular Minecraft series, posted a pledge regarding the responsible integration of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and digital currencies, into gaming. “Games give us hope in a world that is increasingly uncertain. They help us unlock our creative potential and free us of real-world constraints – physical, financial, or otherwise,” the team at Climate Replay said. However, they cautioned about the current state of digital assets intertwining with gaming:  “Most NFTs, and by consequence, most…