Bitcoin is down .5% at $38,840
Ethereum is down .5% at $2,574
and Binance Coin is down .5% at $384

Immutable X up 27%
Golem up 22%
Waves up 15%

Biden is reportedly planning to sign an executive order on crypto

The World of Women NFT project teams up with The Sandbox

Coinbase said its currently blocking 25k crypto addresses linked to Russia

Links:

• Using Crypto Tech to Promote Sanctions Compliance | by Coinbase | Mar, 2022 | The Coinbase Blog
• World of Women Teams Up With The Sandbox for $25M Inclusivity Push
• Biden to order studies on regulating, issuing cryptocurrency -source | Reuters

Bitcoin is up slightly at $43,594
Ethereum is down slightly at $2,916
and Binance Coin is up 1% at $411

Anchor Protocol up 19%
Frax Share up 15%

Ukraine has cancelled their recently announced airdrop

Russia sanctions may mean tougher Fed stance on crypto.

Billboard and Universal Music Group partner for NFT project: ChartStars.

Pantera capital is leading a $10M investment round in Rarify

Links:

• Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy | U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
• Pantera Capital Leads $10M Investment in NFT Infrastructure Startup Rarify
• Billboard and Universal Music Group partner to launch NFT project
• Mykhailo Fedorov on Twitter: "After careful consideration we decided to cancel airdrop. Every day there are more and more people willing to help Ukraine to fight back the agression. Instead, we will announce NFTs to support Ukrainian Armed Forces soon. We DO NOT HAVE any plans to issue any fungible tokens" / Twitter

Bitcoin is up slightly at $38,295
Ethereum is down slightly at $2,636
and Binance Coin is up slightly at $367

Ruble denominated Bitcoin volumes hit a 9-month high

Ukraine government receives more than $20M in donations from crypto citizens

Binance pledges $10M to intergovernmental and non governmental organizations in Ukraine.

Ukraine plans to make legal demands on crypto exchanges in order to halt access to crypto for all Russian citizens

eBay is looking into taking crypto payments

Bitcoin is up .5% at $39,674
Ethereum is down slightly at $2,809
and Binance Coin is up slightly at $378

EU commits to cutting Russian banks off from SWIFT due to Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine is apparently forming a task force to surveil Russian politicians crypto wallets

Co-founders of crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX plead guilty to violating the US Bank Secrecy Act

Coinbase Ventures lead Katherine Wu departs for VC firm Archetype.

Goldman Sachs veteran Roger Bartlett leaves Wall Street for Coinbase

Bitcoin is down slightly at $35,233
Ethereum is down 1% at $2,357
and Binance Coin is down slightly at $333

Russia attacks Ukraine, also pushes to limit crypto transactions.

Pantera Capital says recent crypto selling pressure comes from tax positions

NFT platform OneOf expands to sports, Polygon.

Sotheby’s withdraws "Punk it" — 104 CryptoPunks— at behest of the consignor

Links:

• Russia to Restrict Crypto Trading to Licensed Platforms, Certified Wallets
• February Blockchain Letter | Pantera
• OneOf Expands Sports NFT Presence With New Collection on Polygon
• Sotheby's withdrew a lot of 104 CryptoPunks before its auction was set to begin
• FTX moves into $300 billion luxury fashion industry with new hire

Bitcoin is up .5% at $43,565
Ethereum is up .5% at $3,101
and Binance Coin is up .5% at $416

Skale Network up 22%

Bi-partisan bill in Tennessee is pro crypto.

BlackRock may offer crypto trading

AML regulation waitlist leaves some crypto firms off balance.

Russia shuts down some darknet sites.

OnlyFans verified NFT pfps

Links:

• Elliptic Analysis: Russia Seizes Four Major Dark Web Carding Sites with $263 Million in Crypto Sales
• Crypto firms face cliff-edge in UK as time ticks down for AML approval
• BlackRock Planning to Offer Crypto Trading, Sources Say
• OnlyFans jumps into NFT profile pictures | Reuters
• Bipartisan Bill Would Allow Tennessee to Invest in Crypto and NFTs
• Coinbase Trading Vulnerability Exposed by White-Hat Hacker
• Dr. Oz files trademarks for digital goods and services in the metaverse
• Andrew Holness on Twitter: "This will serve as a foundation for Jamaica’s digital payments architecture and will facilitate greater financial inclusion, increase transaction velocity while reducing the cost of banking for the Jamaican people." / Twitter
• BlockFi to Pay $100M Penalty, Stop Opening New High-Yield Bitcoin Accounts: Report - Decrypt
• US Treasury reiterates that the IRS won't consider crypto miners, stakers or coders to be brokers

Bitcoin is up .5% at $44,187
Ethereum is up 1% at $3,197
and Binance Coin is up .5% at $424

Bitfinex’s Unus sed Leo up 55%
Flow up 15%

US Government seizes $3.6B in Bitcoin from the Bitfinex hack of 2016

Russia government & bank reach agreement on crypto regulation

EU body looks into regulating metaverse.

Links:

• EU's Vestager says analysing metaverse ahead of possible regulatory action
• What I learned from the words and rhymes of alleged Bitcoin launderer Razzlekhan - The Verge
• U.S. Department of Justice Announcement Regarding Seizure of Bitcoin Linked to the August 2016 Security Breach
• US government seizes $3.6 billion in bitcoin tied to 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex
• Russia set to recognize crypto as a form of currency: report
• Wife of couple accused of $4.5 billion Bitcoin swindle gave cybersecurity advice
• Heather Morgan, Rapping Tech CEO, Accused of Laundering Billions in Hacked Crypto With Ilya Lichtenstein
• Bail for Crypto Couple in $4.5 Billion Hack Is Halted by Judge

Bitcoin is up slightly at $42,026
Ethereum is even at $3,137
and Binance Coin up .5% at $463

crypto.com changes story about hack—34M in user funds taken.

Russia’s central bank wants a firm ban on crypto

a16z looks for 4.5B more for crypto funds.

Google exec tells Bloomberg the company will evolve with user and merchant demands for crypto payments.

Gary Gensler and the SEC are pushing for more scrutiny for crypto exchanges.

Links:

• a16z seeks 4.5B | Financial Times
• Google (GOOG) Hires PayPal (PYPL) Vet to Reset Strategy After Banking Retreat - Bloomberg
• crypto.com on hack
• Crypto Exchanges Will Face More Scrutiny From SEC, Gensler Says - Bloomberg
• Russia's central bank calls for crypto ban

Bitcoin is down 1% at $48,510
Ethereum is down 1% at $4,018
and Binance Coin is down 1% at $534

Helium up 25%
Elrond up 23%
Avalanche up 17%

Jack & Jay-Z announce board for BTrust

Russia’s central bank is keen on banning investments in cryptocurrency

Deutsche Börse acquires majority stake in Crypto Finance AG.

Katie Haun is set to depart Andreessen Horowitz to form her own fund.

Links:

• Russian cenbank to seek ban on investment in cryptocurrencies, sources say | Reuters
• Kathryn Haun on Twitter: "1/ Today @cdixon and I shared with the @a16z crypto team that I will be launching my own fund focused on crypto and web3 early next year. The current crypto fund will be my last at the firm" / Twitter
• Dorsey names board members of his bitcoin endowment with Jay-Z
• Deutsche Börse closes deal for majority stake in Crypto Finance AG

Links:

• Russia does ‘absolutely nothing’ to regulate crypto, RACIB head says
• FTX Crypto Exchange Finalizes LedgerX Acquisition
• Luongo: Is The Bitcoin ETF "A Trap"? | ZeroHedge

Bitcoin is up 1% at $50,337
Ethereum is up .5% at $3,958
and Cardano is up 1% at $2.98

Solana up 19%
Near protocol up 17%
Revain up 15%

Inter Milan has signed a $100M sponsorship deal with Zytara Labs and the Digital Bits Foundation.

A pyramid scheme in Eastern Europe picked up $1.5 billion in bitcoin from Russia and Ukraine.

Playboy is minting a collection of NFTs on the art of gender and sexuality

Bitcoin miners posted $1.4B in revenue for august

Links:

• CoinDesk: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News and Price Data
• Russian pyramid scheme netted over $1.5 billion in bitcoin throughout Eastern Europe, says Chainalysis
• August saw the second highest bitcoin mining revenue ever 

Bitcoin is down .5% at $55,940
Ethereum is down .5% at $1752
and Binance Coin is down 3% at 260.41

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Chiliz up 96%
Matic Network up 42%
Terra up 15%

Gavel falls on NFT history.

Jamaica is looking to pilot a CBDC

Former UK chief for Coinbase joins MoonPay

The bank of Russia looks to create a CBDC prototype

Links:

• Beeple (b. 1981), EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS | Christie’s
• Bank of Russia Eyes Digital Ruble Prototype in Late 2021: Report - CoinDesk
• Bank of Jamaica set to roll out digital currency by early 2022
• Beeple NFT Everydays Sells at Christies Auction for $69 Million in Ether - Bloomberg
• Former Coinbase CEO Zeeshan Feroz joins MoonPay as chief growth officer

Bitcoin is down 1% at $10,681
Ethereum is down 1.5% at $347
and XRP is down 2% at 24 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
IDEX up 14%

Russia’s ministry of finance is calling for higher reporting standards in the crypto space.

Roskomnadzor blacklists Binance’s website.

Chinese state-owned media make coordinated report that crypto is the year’s top performing investment.

Liquity raises $2.4 million in seed funding in a round led by Polychain capital.

Knesset members in Israel are looking to relax the tax burden on cryptocurrencies.

Today's episode was brought to you by ungrocery.com

Links:

• China State Media Make Rare Reports Calling Crypto 2020's Best Performing Asset - CoinDesk
• Israeli regulators propose Bitcoin be taxed as a currency, not an asset
• Liquity secures $2.4M in seed funding to further develop lending protocol - The Block

Bitcoin is up 0.5% at $11,805
Ethereum is down 0.5% at $394
and XRP is down 2.5% at 30 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Decentraland up 26%
Band Protocol up 22%
and Zilliqa up 15%

Binance receives a green light for BUSD from NYDFS.

Russia’s largest state-owned bank Sberbank is preparing to launch its own stable coin Sbercoin.

Compound releases their own price oracle.

Links:

• Sberbank is preparing to issue its own cryptocurrency - Vedomosti
• DeFi platform Compound launches permissionless price oracle - The Block
• Binance Says New York Banks Can Now Use Its Stablecoin After Watchdog Approval - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is up half a percent at $7,229
XRP is down 1% at 22 cents
and Ethereum is up slightly at $144

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Navcoin, up 16%

The large cap cryptocurrencies remain one of the biggest investment success stories of the decade.

A darknet marketplace in Russia is looking to raise 146 million through a token sale in an effort to fund a worldwide expansion.

Lightcurve is laying off 40% of its staff to become more agile again.

The European Central Bank is looking to get ahead of the curve on stable coins and accelerate its efforts in the digital currency space

Links:

• Cryptocurrency Is Still the World's Best Performing Asset Class This Year - CoinDesk
• Russia's Largest Darknet Market Is Hawking an ICO to Fund Global Expansion - CoinDesk
• Blockchain project Lisk's unit Lightcurve lays off 40% of staff to become ‘more agile again’ - The Block
• The European Central Bank hopes to get "ahead of the curve" on stablecoins - The Block

Bitcoin is down 2% at $9,019
XRP is down 3.5% at 28 cents
and Ethereum is down 1% at $183

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Numeraire, up 19%
and Dentacoin, up 15%

Todays headlines:

Tether released a response to an academic paper that claimed a single whale manipulated bitcoin’s boom in 2017.

The block is noting a trend down in cumulative monthly traffic to retail exchanges since june.

Coinbase has expanded their staking services to all us customers, starting with the Tezos token.

Russian authorities are looking for the legal backing to confiscate virtual assets from "criminals".

Five people in Malaysia have been charged with stealing mining equipment.

Links:

• Tether responds to academic paper on bitcoin manipulation; calls it 'flawed' and 'embarrassing' - The Block
• Crypto exchanges experiencing a steady drop in traffic since June, suggesting declining retail interest - The Block
• Coinbase expands staking service beyond Coinbase Custody to all US customers - The Block
• Russia Wants to Be Able to Seize Cybercriminals' Bitcoin - CoinDesk
• Malaysian Thieves Drill Through Wall to Steal 85 Crypto Machines - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is up 20% at $9,217
XRP is up 3% 29 cents
and Ethereum is up 8% at $181

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
EthLend up 54%
Bytom up 37%
Populos up 37%
and DMarket up 36%

China’s president Xi praised blockchain and called China to accelerate the standardization of blockchain technology.

Polish police have arrested Ivan Molina Lee, the president of crypto capital on accusations of money laundering.

The World Economic Forum has launched a blockchain initiative, aimed at responsible sourcing of metals.

A nuclear scientist in Russia is set to serve 3 years in prison for using government equipment to mine Bitcoin.

Links:

• China's President Xi Jinping wants the country to 'take the leading position' in blockchain - The Block
• Final Russian Nuclear Scientist Sentenced Over Illicit Crypto Mining - CoinDesk
• World Economic Forum to build blockchain platform for responsible sourcing of metals - The Block
• Cash App adds stock trading - The Block
• Polish Police Arrest Head of Payment Processor Tied to Bitfinex Crypto Exchange - CoinDesk

PrimeX Offers Immediate Settlement

Chinese and Russians Like to "Move It, Move It" With Tether

Zuckerberg's Facebook Acknowledges Cracks in Libra Wall

Links:

• Prime Trust Launches Instant Settlement Network for Crypto-Fiat Trades - CoinDesk
• Millions in Crypto Is Crossing the Russia-China Border Daily. There, Tether Is King - CoinDesk
• Facebook Libra Might Never Launch, Concedes Firm - CoinDesk