LensLinks: Issue 80

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
January 26, 2023

Today in LensLinks:

  • MiCA at the Door: How European Crypto Firms Are Getting Ready for Sweeping Legislation

  • How not to conduct an NFT drop: Porsche ends 'low effort' NFT mint early

  • SBF Saga Continued: SBF gave $400M to obscure crypto trading firm with romantic link

  • Activision Blizzard’s head of business marketing’s top 5 predictions for 2023

  • North Korea-backed hackers stole $100 million worth of crypto, says FBI

  • Bitcoin Sideways at $23K

  • RETRO: Ethereum Price History: 2015-2022

  • And Much, Much, More...

QUOTABLE...

“It’s always more complicated and takes more time than you think. My advice for the industry is you need to start now, prepare yourself for the MiCA application. What does your company do today and what does MiCA require?”

- John Ehlers, chief operating officer of the Luxembourg-based crypto exchange Bitstamp

NOTABLE...

MiCA at the Door: How European Crypto Firms Are Getting Ready for Sweeping Legislation

Adapting how crypto exchanges operate under the new regulation won’t be easy, but it might make it easier for them to get bank accounts in Europe.

https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-magazine/2023/01/24/european-union-mica-crypto-regulation/

The European Union’s sweeping Market in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) legislation is slowly moving toward becoming law, and local crypto companies are getting ready for the change. The new regulations, which will be the law for all 27 EU member countries, apply stricter rules than are now in place in some European countries.

In addition to very detailed rules and limitations for stablecoin issuers, which CoinDesk has been covering in depth, MiCA demands an unprecedented level of transparency from crypto exchanges.

 Metaverse & Gaming

Nifty News: Porsche ends 'low effort' NFT mint early, Oreo dunks into the Metaverse and more

Porsche ended an NFT mint of its white 911 model early after it was heavily criticized for its high price, cookie company Oreo made its own Metaverse and Nike's .SWOOSH Studio NFT marketplace kicked off with its first collection inspired by its Air Force 1 sneakers.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/nifty-news-porsche-ends-low-effort-nft-mint-early-oreo-dunks-into-the-metaverse-and-more

The Jan. 23 launch was seen by some as a huge flop for Porsche with just 2,040 of the 7,500 NFTs available having been sold at the time of writing.

Cookie company Oreo launched its own Metaverse, the OREOVERSE, an interactive digital world where cookie lovers can play cookie-themed games and enter into a sweepstake.

 Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

Crypto Lender Celsius Wins Court Approval for Customer Withdrawals, Flare Token Airdrop

The U.S. bankruptcy court authorized eligible XRP holders to receive the Flare tokens due under a prior agreement.

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/01/25/crypto-lender-celsius-wins-court-approval-for-customer-withdrawals-flare-token-airdrop/

Crypto Trading

Sam Bankman-Fried gave $400 million to an obscure crypto-trading firm cofounded by a Jane Street trader just 2 years out of college, report says

Modulo Capital operated out of the same luxury Bahamas resort where Sam Bankman-Fried lived. Like SBF, its cofounders used to work at Jane Street.

https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-bankman-fried-gave-400m-to-obscure-crypto-trading-firm-2023-1

Sam Bankman-Fried sent $400 million to Modulo Capital, an obscure crypto trading firm.

One of the founders was once romantically involved with Bankman-Fried, per the New York Times.

Another, the Times said, was just two years out of college.

Metaverse & Gaming - A Little More...

Activision Blizzard’s head of business marketing’s top 5 predictions for 2023

As marketers wake up to the fact gaming isn’t to be ignored, Jonathan Stringfield outlines how the space will evolve this year and where attention needs to be directed.

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/01/25/activision-blizzard-s-head-business-marketing-s-top-5-predictions-2023

Parcel Rolls Out New Marketplace Upgrades to Meet the Needs of Next-Gen Gamers

Parcel, the marketplace for the next generation of gaming, has unveiled updates designed to enhance the process of buying and selling in-game items.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124006091/en/Parcel-Rolls-Out-New-Marketplace-Upgrades-to-Meet-the-Needs-of-Next-Gen-Gamers

Blockchain, Tokens & Defi - A Little More...

The Crypto Token Economy Is Second-Order Fraud

The entire industry is artifice built atop artifice.

https://quillette.com/2023/01/24/the-crypto-token-industry-is-second-order-fraud/

https://hackernoon.com/what-are-crypto-venture-capitalists-vcs-investing-in-this-bearish-market

North Korea-backed hackers stole $100 million worth of crypto, says FBI

North Korea-backed Lazarus Group of hackers has been successful in carrying out many crypto heists. But is its success ratio dropping already?

https://interestingengineering.com/culture/100-million-crypto-heist-north-korea-fbi

Crypto Trading - A Little More...

Crypto Markets Today: Bitcoin Moves Sideways at $23K

Also: Binance mixed customer funds with B-Token collateral "by mistake." Equities closed mixed.

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/01/24/crypto-markets-today-bitcoin-moves-sideways-at-23k/

Investment Manager Wilshire Teams Up With Crypto Trading Firm FalconX to Develop Digital Asset Indexes

The two firms will jointly develop a set of single-coin, multicoin and thematic indexes to offer institutional investors with access to the crypto derivatives market.

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/01/24/investment-manager-wilshire-taps-crypto-trading-firm-falconx-for-digital-assets-indexes/

BlockFi secret financials show a $1.2 billion relationship with Sam Bankman-Fried's crypto empire

Financial documents that were mistakenly uploaded from bankrupt crypto firm BlockFi show a $1.2 billion relationship with FTX and Alameda Research.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/24/blockfi-secret-financials-show-1point2-billion-tie-to-ftx-and-alameda.html

Industry Retro (How far we have come)

Ethereum Price History: 2015 to 2022

Ethereum is the second-most popular cryptocurrency and the most commonly used altcoin. Here’s a look at Ethereum’s price history.

https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/ethereum-price-history/

ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)

Mastercard's Davos Takeaways: The Economy, Blockchain and Building Trust by Accelerating Inclusion

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mastercards-davos-takeaways-economy-blockchain-175000017.html

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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.