Crypto News Headlines (21-Jun-2023)

Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value, has rallied above $29,000 for the first time in over a month. This comes following an uptick in bullish sentiment in the crypto market as traditional finance (TradFi) players push further into crypto.

Last week, investment giant BlackRock (BLK) filed for a U.S. bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF) and on Tuesday, Deutsche Bank said it had applied for a digital asset custody license in Germany.

Adding to this, crypto exchange EDX Markets, which received funding from financial heavyweights including Charles Schwab (SCHW), Citadel Securities and Fidelity Digital Assets, started its trading services.

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/06/21/bitcoin-crosses-29k-for-first-time-in-over-a-month/

Shark Tank star and the owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, has engaged in a lengthy discussion on Twitter about how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could regulate the crypto sector. The discussion followed a series of enforcement actions taken by the SEC against a number of prominent cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase.

Citing how the securities watchdog went after the Nasdaq-listed crypto exchange Coinbase for securities law violations as an example, the billionaire described in a tweet Saturday that the current non-crypto-specific registration process offered by the SEC “doesn’t deal with how the token will be traded after the fact.” He suggested:

By doing a crypto-specific registration process, the transparency for the enterprise could increase dramatically. They could eliminate anonymity. Require disclosure on how wallets are secured and maintained. What the wallet addresses are. How and where the token will be traded. Etc.

https://news.bitcoin.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-offers-suggestions-on-how-sec-should-regulate-crypto/

French publicly funded investment bank Bpifrance entered the crypto space in 2014 with an investment in hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger.

Now it’s exploring new opportunities in the Web3 landscape, including Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs—and funding investment in AI.

Ivan de Lastours, Blockchain & Crypto Lead at Bpifrance, told Decrypt that ZK proofs have piqued the firm’s interest. “They may be key to the future of the internet,” he said. “If AI-generated deep fakes become more prevalent, ZK proofs could be a great solution to verify the authenticity of digital content.”.

https://decrypt.co/145570/ledger-investor-bpifrance-exploring-zk-proofs-ai

EDX Markets – a cryptocurrency exchange that received support from behemoths in the finance sector, such as Fidelity Digital Assets, Charles Schwab, and Citadel Securities – went live. Initially, the platform will support four of the leading digital assets, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC).

The development could be one reason behind the recent massive surge in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin is up 8% for the past 24 hours, hovering at a six-week high of almost $29,000. Bitcoin Cash has performed even better, registering a 25% price increase.

https://www.binance.com/en/feed/post/677344

German tabloid company Bild has denied reports it is laying off parts of its editorial team and replacing staffers with artificial intelligence and “automated processes.”

The Guardian and other media outlets reported on June 21 that Bild’s parent publishing firm, Axel Springer SE, was planning to replace a range of editorial jobs with AI, citing an internal email.

Screenshot of one of the headlines. Source: Sydney Morning Herald

However, Bild Group’s director of communications, Christian Senft, told Cointelegraph that the “reports are false” and that “with our current measures, we have no intention of replacing journalism with AI.”

Instead, Senft said the announcement was regarding a restructuring program for regional newspaper editions, which involves reducing from 18 regional editions to 12 by the end of the year, and the closing of 10 out of 15 regional offices, with many functions moving centrally to Berlin.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/german-newspaper-bild-replace-staff-with-ai

Bitcoin temporarily surged to as much as $138,000 on crypto exchange Binance.US earlier today in a sudden price wick on the btc/tether trading pair, exchange data shows.

Prices shot up to those levels for a few seconds at 6:50 a.m. UTC before immediately reverting to parity with other bitcoin spot markets. Other trading pairs for bitcoin traded as normal.

The move was unlikely to have been caused by a trader wanting to pay a nearly 450% premium for bitcoin, which currently exchanges hands for just over $29,000 in European morning hours on Wednesday.
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/06/21/bitcoin-price-spikes-to-138k-on-binanceus/

EDX Markets announced Tuesday “the successful launch of its digital asset market and the completion of an investment round with new equity partners.” According to the announcement and the new exchange’s website:

Products traded on EDX include bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), litecoin (LTC), and bitcoin cash (BCH).

EDX offers “a unique, non-custodial model designed to mitigate conflicts of interest,” the announcement adds. In addition, the platform has “introduced a retail-only quote to the crypto markets, allowing participants the benefit of better pricing for retail-originated orders” and plans to launch EDX Clearing later this year “to settle trades matched on EDX Markets.”

The company also recently closed a funding round with the participation of new strategic investors, including Miami International Holdings, DV Crypto, GTS, GSR Markets Ltd., and HRT Technology. The firm’s founding investors include Charles Schwab, Citadel Securities, Fidelity Digital Assets, Paradigm, Sequoia Capital, and Virtu Financial. Bitcoin.com News first reported Schwab, Citadel, and Fidelity planning to launch a cryptocurrency trading platform in June last year.

https://news.bitcoin.com/crypto-exchange-backed-by-fidelity-schwab-citadel-launches-with-trading-of-4-cryptocurrencies/

A new U.S. task force comprising five federal enforcement agencies that regularly collaborate to investigate crypto and darknet crimes has been established, according to an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security.

Dubbed the “Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Crimes Task Force,” the new interagency group will investigate how criminal gangs within Arizona use crypto and the dark web for crimes including drug trafficking, money laundering, personal data theft and child exploitation.

The announcement says the Task Force’s goal is to “provide increased collaboration, enhance resources, and disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that use these new and emerging technologies.”

https://decrypt.co/145569/federal-agencies-form-new-u-s-crypto-crime-task-force

The Indonesian cryptocurrency market received a massive boost recently when the government made a historic announcement: Ripple’s XRP, along with 500 other digital assets, has been granted official, legal trading status. This is a significant step, given that XRP and several other tokens are recognized as securities by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In one fell swoop, the nation has not only embraced a digital revolution but has also paved the way for an exciting era of crypto adoption. The amendment of trade regulations has ignited a spark in the crypto industry, with the government showing a clear intention to embrace the future of finance.

https://www.binance.com/en/feed/post/676980

German tabloid company Bild has denied reports it is laying off parts of its editorial team and replacing staffers with artificial intelligence and “automated processes.”

The Guardian and other media outlets reported on June 21 that Bild’s parent publishing firm, Axel Springer SE, was planning to replace a range of editorial jobs with AI, citing an internal email.

Screenshot of one of the headlines. Source: Sydney Morning Herald

However, Bild Group’s director of communications, Christian Senft, told Cointelegraph that the “reports are false” and that “with our current measures, we have no intention of replacing journalism with AI.”

https://cointelegraph.com/news/german-newspaper-bild-replace-staff-with-ai

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