Telegram trading bot Maestro refunds users 610 ETH after router exploit

Maestrobots, a group of cryptocurrency bots on the Telegram messenger, is refunding users in the aftermath of a 280 Ether (ETH) attack.

The Maestro team refunded the users affected by the Maestro Router 2 contract, the platform announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Oct. 25. According to the announcement, Maestrobots paid a total of 610 ETH in its own revenue to cover all the user losses, worth more than $1 million at the time of writing.

“Every wallet that lost tokens in the router exploit has now received the full amount they lost. Some of you ended up with even bigger bags,” Maestro wrote.

The Maestro team noted that some amounts were paid back in affected tokens and ETH. For nine out…

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Large-cap cryptos following bitcoin’s lead as SOL, LINK entice traders

After a period of market uncertainty, several large-cap cryptos are flashing signs of a comeback. 

The surge is being led by bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) along with other noteworthy digital assets on the back of heightened interest surrounding possible ETF approval next year.

“After the SEC declined to appeal its loss to Grayscale in the circuit court, an approval of a physically-backed BTC ETF in the US became increasingly more likely,” CoinShares head of research James Butterfill said in a statement to Blockworks.

Bitcoin has seen its price increase by 19% over the last seven days, trading at $34,100 as of Wednesday at 6:00 am ET. The asset has registered a 24-hour volume of $44…

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Binance reportedly behind new Hong Kong crypto exchange pursuing license

Binance appears to be the driving force behind a recently launched crypto exchange in Hong Kong.

South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that the exchange HKVAEX was established in Hong Kong as an independent entity under BX Services Limited.

Despite not having similar names or a publicly acknowledged connection, they share resources, the report said, citing sources.

Notably, Binance and HKVAEX’s logos bear resemblance, and Binance’s official accounts, along with CEO Changpeng Zhao, are among HKVAEX’s few followers on social media platform X.

Stanley Fung, now at the helm of HKVAEX, served as the chief of Huobi’s Hong Kong operations until Nov. 2022, according to…

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‘This is the trigger’ — Arthur Hayes says it’s time to bet on Bitcoin

Bitcoin (BTC) faces a “trigger” moment which keeps a $1 million BTC price tag in play, one of its household names says.

In a blog post titled “The Periphery” released on Oct. 24, Arthur Hayes, former CEO of crypto exchange BitMEX, said that Bitcoin is already warning markets about the future.

“Global wartime inflation” to drive Bitcoin, gold price

With the United States increasingly invested in two new wars, the risk of escalation worldwide is growing, Hayes believes.

The timing is conspicuous — the U.S. Federal Reserve faces persisting inflation but has halted interest rate hikes, and a so-called “bear steepener” looms for the economy.

“The structural hedging needs of banks…

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85% of crypto rug pulls in Q3 didn’t report audits: Hacken

Cryptocurrency rug pulls are not too difficult to be spotted by investors as the majority of such scams usually share distinct and visible features, according to a new report.

Blockchain security auditor Hacken on Oct. 25 released its latest security insights report, aiming to spot the trends in Q3 crypto hacks and evaluate how affected projects approached security.

The report paid specific attention to rug pulls, which is a type of exit scam occurring when a team pumps their project’s token before the sudden withdrawal of liquidity. According to Hacken, crypto rug pulls made up the largest amount of exploits in crypto, accounting for more than 65% of all hacks in Q3 2023.

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Bitcoin volatility explodes, reflecting ‘short squeeze,’ bullish options bets

Volatility across the crypto derivatives market leaped to fresh local highs this week following a surge led by major blue chip asset bitcoin (BTC).

A two-month period of relatively muted market activity had placed the world’s largest digital asset in relative stasis, trading within a $2,000 range. But on Monday, the market sprang to life, with a 14% rise in the asset’s price topping out at just above $35,000 on Tuesday.

That activity caused a flush of large leveraged short positions, creating a short squeeze — short sellers closing out their positions “en mass” — Bradley Duke, chief strategy officer at ETC Group told Blockworks.

“Only hindsight will be able to tell us if…

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IRS extends comments period for new crypto tax rule to mid-November

The United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has extended the commentaries period for crypto tax reporting rules proposed in August 2023. The public consultation will last until Nov. 13. 

The “Gross Proceeds and Basis Reporting by Brokers and Determination of Amount Realized and Basis for Digital Asset Transactions” were made public on Aug. 29. According to the regulations, brokers will need to adopt a novel reporting form to streamline tax submissions and reduce instances of tax evasion.

The proposed Form 1099-DA would “help taxpayers determine if they owe taxes, and […] avoid having to make complicated calculations or pay digital asset tax preparation services to file their…

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Coinbase Vs. Block: Cathie Wood Has Made A Bank On This Crypto Stock In Her Portfolio This Year – ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARCA:ARKF), ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARCA:ARKW), Coinbase Glb (NASDAQ:COIN)

Cathie Wood-led hedge fund Ark Invest has bet big on two cryptocurrency-focused stocks across its portfolio and one of these stocks has returned the firm banger returns.

Wood’s Portfolio: Both Coinbase Inc. COIN and Block Inc. SQ are among the top holdings in Ark’s flagship ETF, the Ark Innovation ETF ARKK alongside the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF ARKW and the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF ARKF.

Coinbase stake accounts for 8.8% weight in ARKK ETF, next only to Tesla’s 8.9%, with the latest market valuation of $545 million.

Will The SEC Finally Approve Long-Awaited Bitcoin Spot ETF? Ask industry experts directly at Benzinga’s Future of Digital Assets event happening in NYC on Nov….

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No, ARK 21 Shares spot Bitcoin ETF is not listed on DTCC website

Despite swirling rumors on social media, ARK Invest’s spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) does not appear to be listed on the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation’s (DTCC) website.

On Oct. 25, numerous high-profile crypto accounts on X (Twitter) including Mike Alfred, Bitcoin News, Simply Bitcoin, Crypto News Alerts and others posted tweets and screenshots claiming ARK Invest and 21 Shares’ joint spot Bitcoin ETF had been listed on the DTCC’s site.

BREAKING:CATHIE WOODS’ ARK SPOT BITCOIN ETF IS NOW LISTED ON THE DTCC WEBSITE WITH TICKER AND CUSIP

— Mike Alfred (@mikealfred) October 25, 2023

However, none of the screenshots showed the correct ticker for the spot…

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