South Korea's Democratic Party (KDP) is pushing for a 20% tax on profits from digital assets, scheduled to take effect in January 2025. The party aims to raise the taxable capital gains threshold from $1,800 to $36,000, targeting larger investors. This move contrasts with the People's Power Party (PPP), which suggests delaying the crypto tax until 2028. The KDP accuses the PPP of using the delay for political gain in upcoming elections. By increasing the threshold to $36,000, the KDP hopes to ea

The rug pull incident has caused a significant backlash among traders, with a 13-year-old boy at the center of the controversy. The boy introduced a token called Gen Z Quant, which quickly surged in value from $0. DNS to $0.260 USD, only to have the boy sell off all his tokens shortly after, resulting in losses for investors. He made $30,000 from the transaction, manipulating the token's value and causing market instability. Subsequent actions by the boy led to further market interventions and p

Chainwire Pepe Unchained, based in London, UK, is a key player in the memecoin sector, utilizing Layer 2 blockchain tech for improved scalability and transaction speed. With a focus on enhancing user experience, Pepe Unchained is paving the way for innovation in the memecoin landscape. Pepeto, a project under Pepe Unchained, offers cross-chain trading, liquidity management, and a staking rewards program to foster community engagement and long-term value. By prioritizing accessibility and practic

A study by BIS in November 2024 found that a few major players dominate Uniswap V3's liquidity pool, raising doubts about DeFi's decentralization. The research, led by Matteo Aquilina, Sean Foley, Leonardo Gambacorta, and William Krekel, analyzed the top 250 LPs on Uniswap V3, revealing that 96% of trading volume is controlled by these pools. The study also showed that sophisticated traders hold 80% of the total value locked in these pools, disadvantaging retail investors. However, Gordon Liao f

Copy trading, a method where individuals mimic the trades of experienced investors, has been present in finance since 2005. Canadian interest in this strategy was low until 2018, but has since surged, surpassing levels seen during the 2021 crypto boom. Factors like global crypto market growth and user-friendly platforms have fueled this trend. Copy trading offers a way for both new and seasoned investors to benefit from crypto opportunities without extensive market knowledge. Platforms like BTCC

Sky has introduced USDS, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar on Solana's high-speed, low-cost blockchain network. This move aims to enhance DeFi accessibility, focusing on efficiency and scalability for real-time payments and trading. The launch signifies a step towards mainstreaming stablecoins, promoting liquidity, and expanding blockchain technology's utility in financial ecosystems. Sky's USDS deployment on Solana on November 19, 2024, marks a strategic shift, aiming to reshape the stableco

Coinbase's recent decision to delist Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) signals a shift in market competition, aligning with the launch of its own cbBTC product. This move positions cbBTC as a direct competitor to WBTC, potentially indicating Coinbase's intent to dominate the wrapped Bitcoin market. The impact on the WBTC ecosystem could reduce accessibility and adoption, driving users towards alternatives like cbBTC. Coinbase's rationale for delisting WBTC includes low trading activity, prompting discussio

Switzerland's Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has expressed concerns regarding the escalating money laundering risks within the cryptocurrency industry. In their 2024 Risk Monitor report, FINMA highlighted the misuse of digital assets, particularly stablecoins, for illicit purposes such as sanctions evasion. This misuse poses challenges for enforcement and increases legal and reputational risks for financial institutions lacking robust risk management strategies. FINMA stressed th

Injective, a leading blockchain protocol for finance, has introduced a groundbreaking software development kit (SDK) named iAgent. This innovative toolkit allows users to create on-chain AI agents that can automate blockchain tasks using natural language commands, ushering in a new era of AI-driven interactions on the blockchain. Announced at the Injective Summit 2024, iAgent seamlessly integrates with large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The SDK simplifies complex blockchain operations

UFOs were a hot topic in Washington D.C. as the U.S. Senate delved into sightings and unexplained encounters. Led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the hearing focused on the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and its investigations into unidentified phenomena. Director Jon T. Kosloski shed light on cases like the 'Go Fast' UFO sighting, attributing some to optical illusions. While some sightings were debunked as Starlink flares or balloons, others remained mysterious. Kosloski shared a ch

The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) is progressing its central bank digital currency (CBDC) framework initiative through a collaboration with Banco Inter, Microsoft Brazil, 7COMm, and Chainlink. This partnership aims to enhance trade finance solutions in the second phase of Brazil’s DREX pilot program by automating cross-border settlements for commodity transactions using blockchain technology and oracles. Leveraging Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), the test will enable sea

MicroStrategy's MSTR token has experienced a remarkable 450% year-to-date increase, surpassing Bitcoin's 110% gains. The company's strategic shift towards making Bitcoin a key component of its financial strategy has attracted attention from major players like Vanguard, Morgan Stanley, and Capital International Investors. With a holding of 331,200 BTC valued at $29.7 billion, MicroStrategy is the largest corporate Bitcoin holder. Recent SEC filings and financial reports highlight the company's si

The Keanu (KNU) token, a new Solana-based meme coin inspired by cultural icon Keanu Reeves, has been introduced to the market through a fair launch on Pump.fun. This launch coincides with a surge in meme coin activity, with the Keanu team emphasizing community-driven efforts and viral potential. The broader meme coin market has experienced significant growth, contributing to a market cap of $125 billion. Keanu aims to capitalize on this trend by appealing to a wide audience, from crypto enthusia

The United Nations has announced the expansion of its Blockchain Academy to provide training to over 24,000 staff members. In partnership with the Algorand Foundation, the initiative aims to equip UN personnel with blockchain skills to support sustainable development goals. Launched in late 2023, the academy has already seen success, with more than 30 staff members set to receive certificates. The program will now offer specialized blockchain education to staff within the UN Development Programm

Bitcoin recently reached a record high of over $92,500, the highest since 2021, driven by US political changes and renewed investor confidence. The cryptocurrency faced significant crashes in the past, such as the Mt. Gox attack in 2011, China's crackdown in 2013, the market crash in 2017, the pandemic plunge in 2020, and the FTX collapse in 2022. Despite these challenges, Bitcoin has always bounced back stronger. For instance, after the Mt. Gox attack, Bitcoin's value dropped to $0.01 but quick

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to a settlement of $11 million in a lawsuit related to his Astrals NFT project. The settlement aims to compensate investors who had allegedly purchased unregistered securities. If approved by the court, this settlement would bring an end to O'Neal's legal issues regarding NFTs. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of investors who bought NFTs from O’Neal’s Astrals project, which included Solana-based avatars and a governance token. O’Neal was accused of pro

Luce (LUCE), a meme coin inspired by the Catholic Church's mascot for the upcoming Holy Year, surged in value following a futures listing on Bybit. Created just three weeks ago, Luce has seen a 13% increase in the past 24 hours, trading above $0.23. Bybit offers trading with leverage up to 12.5x in its 'Innovation Zone' for riskier coins. The coin, named after 'light' in Italian, aims to engage a younger audience for the Jubilee event. Luce quickly gained popularity on Pump.fun, resembling the M

Flickplay, a platform for interactive character NFTs, is collaborating with Bandai Namco Entertainment to launch a scavenger hunt in Tokyo inspired by Pokémon Go. This event celebrates the 45th anniversary of Pac-Man, the classic arcade game. Scheduled for February 2025, the partnership will kick off with the release of two exclusive series of Pac-Man digital collectibles. One series will be exclusive to the Shibuya neighborhood in Japan, where Pac-Man was first introduced in 1980. Flickplay's c

Mistral AI, a French company founded by former Google and Meta employees, has upgraded its free AI platform to compete with paid options like OpenAI and Anthropic. The Paris-based startup now offers web search and image generation tools, along with a visual model that outperforms larger competitors. The company introduced updates for document analysis, a Large Language Model, and Codestral for coding tasks. Utilizing Flux Pro for image generation, Mistral's chatbot, Le Chat, now boasts top-notch

Bonk (BONK) has become Solana's top meme coin by market cap, surpassing Dogwifhat (WIF) as Solana's price approaches an all-time high. Bonk's value surged by almost 7% to $0.00005269, reaching over $3.9 billion, while Dogwifhat fell 5% to $3.29, decreasing its market cap to under $3.3 billion. Bonk hit a new all-time high of $0.000057, reclaiming its status as the primary meme coin on Solana. The community-led projects around Bonk, such as BONKbot and BONKSwap, have contributed to its popularity