Crypto index fund manager Bitwise Asset Management has stressed that it has no relationship with the failed technology startup Bitwise Industries, which is currently facing charges from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Today we announced charges against Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin, Jr., the former co-CEOs of Fresno, California-based private technology services startup Bitwise Industries Inc., for misleading investors about the company’s finances.

— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) November 9, 2023

On Nov. 9, Irma Olguin, Jr. and Jake Soberal, the founders of Bitwise Industries, were charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud and taking $100…

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Just under 50 national governments have issued a joint pledge to “swiftly transpose” the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), the new international standard on automatic exchange of information between tax authorities, into their domestic law systems. The statement was published on Nov. 10. 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published the CARF in 2022. Developed from an April 2021 mandate from the G20, the CARF framework requires reporting on the type of cryptocurrency and digital asset transaction — whether through an intermediary or a service provider.

The statement’s authors intend to activate exchange agreements for information exchanges to…

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The Turkish Lira (TRY) became the most dominant fiat trading pair on Binance in the month of September, according to the crypto exchange’s research.

Turkish Lira accounted for 75% of all fiat volume in early September despite being the fourth-largest crypto market globally in terms of transaction volume after the United States, India and the United Kingdom, respectively.

The TRY trading pair boom can be tied to the recent influx of crypto investors in the Turkish market. 27% of the participants in Binance’s research started their journeys as crypto investors within the last year, out of which 8% joined in the last six months.

Time in market for Binance users in Turkey. Source:…

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Binance’s dominance of Bitcoin futures open interest has been toppled by traditional derivatives market place heavyweight Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), following Bitcoin’s first move past the $37,000 mark in over 18 months.

A number of analysts highlighted the ‘flippening’ of Binance by CME, with the latter overtaking the global cryptocurrency exchange for the largest share of Bitcoin futures open interest.

Wow, the real flippening that no one is talking about:

CME just flipped Binance for the largest share of Bitcoin futures open interest.

Bittersweet — there will soon be more suits than hoodies here.

(h/t @VidiellaLaura) pic.twitter.com/SIPRLMlFcy

— Will (@WClementeIII)… Read more on Cointelegraph

A recent spike in transaction fees on Ethereum and Bitcoin appears to have reignited the debate around solutions for scalability and the role of layer 2s.

Over the last 24 hours, cryptocurrency users began sharing screenshots showing double, occasionally triple-digit transaction fees on Ethereum and Bitcoin.

One screenshot showed gas fees were as high as $220 for a high-priority transaction on Ethereum while other screenshots showed figures around the $100 mark.

Bitcoin users meanwhile, reported fees that were around $10 for high-priority transactions. While this is relatively low, the average Bitcoin (BTC) transaction cost has hovered around $1 over the last three months, according to…

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United States federal prosecutors have managed to put SafeMoon CEO Braden John Karony’s bail release order on hold, citing flight risk and his release being a possible “danger to the community.

On Nov. 9, New York District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall stayed a Nov. 8 bail release order after prosecutors challenged a Utah Magistrate judge’s decision to let Karony out on a $500,000 bail.

Prosecutors made the challenge to Judge Daphne Oberg’s decision in New York, saying the release order was given “without consideration of the defendant’s substantial financial means and ability to flee” and added his release posed a “continued danger to the community.”

“If convicted, the…

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The European Parliament has voted to approve the Data Act — controversial legislation that includes a stipulation necessitating smart contracts have the ability to be terminated.

In a Nov. 9 press release, the parliament said the legislation passed 481 votes to 31 against. To become law, it will now need approval from the European Council — the heads of each of the 27 European Union member states.

The adopted Data Act outlines the requirement that smart contacts “can be interrupted and terminated” along with controls allowing functions that reset or stop the contract.

Highlighted excerpt of the Data Act relating to smart contracts. Source: European Parliament

At its core, the Data…

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China to protect NFTs 

In a surprise move, the Chinese government has guaranteed legal protection for NFTs.

In response to a series of often conflicting judicial opinions on the state of cryptocurrency in the country, the Chinese government has officially issued a legal commentary on dealing with cases of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) theft and their status as virtual property protected by law. 

According to a November 9 publication by China’s state-controlled Southwest University of Political Science & Law (SUPL), digital collectibles such as NFTs — unlike ordinary online images — conform to the characteristics of online virtual property due to their…

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Venture capital firm Lightspeed Faction has created a $285 million fund for crypto startups, according to a Nov. 9 announcement. The fund will focus on “early stage blockchain projects” and will also provide capital as these projects scale, the announcement stated.

At Faction, no entrepreneur will ever have to answer: “why crypto?” We are fully red-pilled.

We’re coming out of stealth & announcing the launch of Lightspeed Faction Fund I, a $285M early-stage venture fund dedicated exclusively to crypto https://t.co/oUiAh6t5Sp

— Faction (@FactionVC) November 9, 2023

Lightspeed Faction said it can provide founders access to “a team of experienced blockchain investors and operators,”…

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