LensLinks: Issue 312

2023 Crypto Thefts: Down 50% from 2022, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
January 29, 2024

  • Funds Stolen from 2023 Crypto Thefts Down More Than 50% from 2022

  • KT Closes NFT Platform Because of Business Circumstances

  • DeFi Positioned to Drive Crypto’s Next Bull Run: Flipside Crypto - Unchained

  • Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday

  • Gen Alpha and Gen Z video gamers face a new threat that their parents didn’t: Other players

  • China Pushes Metaverse Standardization Group to Establish the Rules of the Yuanverse

  • Only five crypto exchange account for 98% of total euro trade volume, data shows

  • “Bitcoin not Backed By Anything Crowd” like Flat-Earthers?

  • Singularity: Most Popular AI Tools; Will GPT-5 Surpass Human Intelligence?; AI’s Achilles Heel: New Research Pinpoints Fundamental Weaknesses;

  • And Much, Much, More…

#regimentco #ArtificialIntelligence #bitcoin

QUOTABLE

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“I do think that the increase of security measures in DeFi protocols is a key factor in the reduction in the quantity of hacks related to smart contracts vulnerabilities.”

- Mar Gimenez-Aguilar, Lead Security Architect and Researcher at Halborn

NOTABLE

Funds Stolen from 2023 Crypto Thefts Down More Than 50% from 2022

Funds stolen in cryptocurrency thefts fell from US$3.7 billion in 2022 to $1.7 billion in 2023, representing a decrease of more than 50%, according to a crypto crime report by Chanalysis.

www.occrp.org/en/daily/18408-funds-stolen-from-2023-crypto-thefts-down-more-than-50-from-2022

Metaverse & Gaming

KT Closes NFT Platform Because of Business Circumstances

1 South Korean telecom giant KT is closing NFT platform MINCL. 2 They have cited "shifting business conditions" as a

www.thecoinrepublic.com/2024/01/26/kt-closes-nft-platform-because-of-business-circumstances

Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

DeFi Positioned to Drive Crypto’s Next Bull Run: Flipside Crypto - Unchained

“DeFi leads and NFTs follow,” data scientist Carlos Mercado of Flipside Crypto said to Unchained in an interview. “Everything that’s culture, DeFi is absorbing.”

unchainedcrypto.com/defi-positioned-to-drive-cryptos-next-bull-run-flipside-crypto

Crypto Trading

Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday

Bloomberg analysts James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas join Unchained to discuss the final spot bitcoin ETF filings, the likely schedule, and whether all the applications are likely to be approved on the same day. Plus, insights on the cutthroat wars that have already begun and why Grayscale might be keeping its fees on the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust so high.

www.coindesk.com/tv/unchained/why-spot-bitcoin-etfs-are-likely-to-finally-start-trading-on-thursday

Metaverse & Gaming - a little more…

Gen Alpha and Gen Z video gamers face a new threat that their parents didn’t: Other players

Parents aren’t as concerned about hyper-realistic in-game experiences as they are about the content from other users.

fortune.com/2024/01/26/gen-alpha-and-gen-z-video-gamers-face-a-new-threat-that-their-parents-didnt-other-players

China Pushes Metaverse Standardization Group to Establish the Rules of the Yuanverse – Metaverse Bitcoin News

The government of China has announced the creation of a metaverse standardization group to establish different rules for the Yuanverse.

news.bitcoin.com/china-pushes-metaverse-standardization-group-to-establish-the-rules-of-the-yuanverse

Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi - a little more…

Michael Nadeau on LinkedIn: How many more years until the “Bitcoin isn’t backed by anything”; crowd… | 17 comments

How many more years until the "Bitcoin isn’t backed by anything” crowd attains similar infamy as “the earth is flat” crowd? In all seriousness, Bitcoin… | 17 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/posts/michael-austin-nadeau_how-many-more-years-until-the-bitcoin-isnt-activity-7156481101752913920-TfUM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Crypto Trading - a little more…

Bitcoin ETF stems outflows to help stabilize crypto at $40K

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust has seen almost $5B exit since Jan. 11.

www.investmentnews.com/investing/news/bitcoin-etf-stems-outflows-to-help-stabilize-crypto-at-40k-248506

Only five crypto exchange account for 98% of total euro trade volume, data shows

Despite the availability of over 15 platforms facilitating euro-denominated trading with crypto, only a few attract substantial trading volume, Kaiko says

crypto.news/only-five-crypto-exchange-account-for-98-of-total-euro-trade-volume-data-shows

Hedge funds cash in on Grayscale bitcoin ETF conversion - sources

A handful of hedge funds made a winning bet on approval of a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) by investing in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) well ahead of regulatory sign off, according to sources familiar with the matter. Hedge funds bought shares in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) between 2021 and 2023 betting its price would skyrocket once the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave the spot bitcoin ETF its green light, the sources said. Grayscale had been unsuccessfully trying to convert its trust into an ETF since 2016 and filed a lawsuit against the SEC in 2022 after the regulator rejected its new application.

finance.yahoo.com/news/hedge-funds-cash-grayscale-bitcoin-154958116.html

The Singularity:
AI, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Bio-engineering & Other Stuff on the way

Hamna Aslam Kahn on LinkedIn: AI tools generated over 20 billion visits last year 🤯 A recent report… | 91 comments

AI tools generated over 20 billion visits last year 🤯 A recent report by Visual Capitalist highlights the most popular AI tools of 2023 Here are the top… | 91 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/posts/hamna-aslam-kahn-81a777134_ai-tools-generated-over-20-billion-visits-activity-7156621898854903809-sqF3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

AI’s Achilles Heel: New Research Pinpoints Fundamental Weaknesses

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have become the first in the world to mathematically prove that, beyond simple problems, it is impossible to develop algorithms for AI that will always be stable. ChatGPT and similar machine learning-based technologies are on the rise. However, even the…

scitechdaily.com/ais-achilles-heel-new-research-pinpoints-fundamental-weaknesses

ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance)

Barclays Banned From Texas Municipal-Bond Market Over ESG Dispute

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton barred Barclays Plc from working on municipal-bond deals after his office said the bank didn’t respond to requests for information about its carbon emission commitments.

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-26/texas-bars-barclays-from-managing-muni-deals-amid-esg-probe

Regiment

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Disclaimer: This note is distributed by Regiment, LLC for informational purposes only and is sourced from publicly available media reports. It is not an investment recommendation or solicitation for any investment. The information is current as of date and subject to change. In such case Regiment, LLC does not undertake to provide any updates. Recipients must be aware that any private, alternative investments discussed are speculative in nature, often illiquid, and subject to loss of capital.