Charlie Shrem paid a steep price for his place in crypto history. Major figures in the crypto world were part of his story, and his personal life was transformed as he went from online retailer to CEO of Bitcoin (BTC) exchange BitInstant and convicted felon before he was even 30. Today he is an investor and podcaster.

Coming from a prominent family in Brooklyn’s Syrian Orthodox Jewish community, Shrem was on the path to becoming a rabbi from an early age. It was not an easy path, and Shrem had other ideas for his life. It was a story as old as parents and children.

“The only way to get out was through money,” Shrem realized. He found a thoroughly modern outlet for his frustrations….

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After nine months in development, Ethereum layer-2 network Mantle has launched its second core product, Mantle Liquid Staking Protocol (LSP).

This new protocol, deployed on Mantle and Ethereum mainnet, introduces a non-custodial and permissionless ether liquid staking solution, Mantle Staked Ether (mETH).

METH acts as a value-accumulating receipt token within the Mantle LSP, very similar to Lido’s staked ether (stETH). Mantle aims to achieve the highest sustainable core yield by exploring maximal extractable value. It also shares yield from the Mantle treasury, according to a statement released Monday.

The idea for mETH came from Mantle “alchemist” Jordi Alexander, chief…

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The financial world buzzed with excitement as Max Keiser, a well-known financial pundit, reported on the burgeoning rumors that Qatar’s Sovereign Wealth Fund is making a monumental entrance into the Bitcoin market. The whispers suggest a staggering interest—up to $500 billion could be allocated for Bitcoin acquisitions, a figure that would represent one of the most significant endorsements of Bitcoin’s value as an investment.

Keiser’s revelation has the potential to send shockwaves through the financial community. If Qatar’s Wealth Fund were to funnel such an immense sum into Bitcoin, it would not only signify a major shift in institutional investment strategies but also potentially usher in a new era for Bitcoin’s market valuation and stability.

The implications of this move are immense. A buy-in of this magnitude from a sovereign wealth fund would greatly diminish the skepticism surrounding Bitcoin’s staying power. It could potentially act as a catalyst for other large-scale institutional investors who have been on the fence about committing to Bitcoin, waiting for a sign of its acceptance by established financial entities.

This isn’t the first time Qatar has been at the forefront of financial innovation. The nation’s wealth fund is known for its strategic investments and its eye for future trends. A pivot towards Bitcoin would align with its reputation for forward-thinking investment decisions.

Keiser’s reports, if confirmed, could position Bitcoin in a league previously dominated by traditional safe-haven assets like gold and real estate. Such an endorsement would likely attract a new wave of retail investors, eager to follow in the footsteps of one of the world’s most formidable financial powerhouses.

As the community awaits further details and official statements, the mere possibility of Qatar’s Wealth Fund engaging with Bitcoin at this scale has already sparked a flurry of excitement and speculation. The Bitcoin narrative, already rich with tales of unprecedented growth and unexpected turns, now teeters on the brink of a new chapter—one that could redefine its role in the global financial ecosystem.

IBM announced the unveiling of its 1,121-qubit “Condor” quantum computing processor on Dec. 4th. This is the company’s largest by qubit count and, arguably, the world’s most advanced gate-based, superconducting, quantum system.

Alongside the new chip, IBM delivered an updated roadmap and a trove of information on the company’s planned endeavors in the quantum computing space.

The Condor quantum processor

The 1,121-qubit processor represents the apex of IBM’s previous roadmap. It’s preceded by 2022’s 433-qubit “Osprey” processor and by 2021’s 127-qubit “Eagle” processor.

In quantum computing terms, qubit count isn’t necessarily a measure of power or capability so…

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Societe Generale announced Monday that it issued its first green bond on the Ethereum blockchain. 

The transaction — which took place in late November — amounts to 10 million euros, or roughly $10.8 million, and has a maturity of three years. 

The tokenized bonds, France’s third largest bank wrote, will ensure “increased transparency and traceability as well as improved fluidity and speed in transactions and settlements.”

According to a press release, SocGen aims to enable more transparency on ESG by using the blockchain as a “data repository and certification tool for issuers and investors.”

The smart contract of the bond includes carbon footprint information, and is…

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The ‘Stand With Crypto’ campaign launched by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase plans to bring candidates for the 2024 United States Presidential Election together to discuss blockchain technology and digital assets.

According to its website as of Dec. 4, Stand With Crypto confirmed that Republican candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, will appear in person in New Hampshire on Dec. 11 to discuss issues related to digital assets. Invited candidates included former President Donald Trump, Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Republicans Doug Burgum, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Chris Christie.

“This special…

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As voting winds down on Optimism’s public goods funding, backlash is emerging against projects that are set to receive the public goods funding.

Critics argue that projects with solid financial backing should not receive these tokens. Instead, they are advocating for their distribution to contributors without financial backing.

The Optimism Collective is retroactively disbursing roughly $53 million in OP tokens to reward people and projects who have contributed “public goods” to the popular layer-2. Voting on applicants ends Dec. 7.

The ongoing squabble is the latest complaint about DAO treasury spending, and comes as the crypto market stares down another potential bull…

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Meta AI boss Yann LeCun sounded off on the industry-wide state of artificial intelligence and quantum computing during a recent event to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the founding of Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) team. 

During LeCun’s commentary, he commented on Nvidia’s current stranglehold on the AI hardware industry, the likelihood human-level AI will emerge in the near future, and why Meta isn’t currently pursuing quantum computing alongside its competitors.

By “not any time soon”, I mean “clearly not in the next 5 years”, contrary to a number of folks in the AI industry.Yes, I’m skeptical of quantum computing, particularly when it comes to…

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Crypto investment products continue to notch inflows, marking a 10-week stretch with asset injection not seen in more than two years. 

Such offerings brought in $176 million last week, according to a Monday CoinShares report — down from $346 million the week prior.

Source: CoinShares

Still, these products have brought in $1.76 billion total over the active 10-week inflow streak. This is the best stretch since October 2021. That month marked the launch of bitcoin futures ETFs, including the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) that quickly grew to having more than $1 billion in assets under management.

Interest in BITO has picked up in recent months as optimism around the potential…

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