🚀 Gemini users, rejoice! The crypto exchange has begun reimbursing users of its now-defunct Earn program. A whopping $2.18 billion in digital assets was paid back to users, covering 97% of the assets owed. This comes after a settlement with Genesis and other creditors in the bankruptcy process. The NY Attorney General also secured a $2 billion settlement with Genesis over investor fraud claims. Gemini clarified that the Genesis bankruptcy was not a crypto problem, but "old-fashioned financial fraud". So, if you lent one Bitcoin, you'll get one Bitcoin back, plus any appreciation. Now that's a happy ending! 🎉

🎮 Blockchain gaming is still a mystery to many, with 52% of adults clueless about it, according to a OnePoll survey. But, the game is changing! With blockchain, gamers can prevent the loss of in-game assets by linking them to nonfungible tokens (NFTs). This gives them the power to resell items that would usually have zero value. Axie Infinity, a blockchain game, has shown the potential, generating $1.3 billion in 2021 and providing income for gamers. So, who's ready to play and earn? #BlockchainGaming #NFTs #PlayToEarn

📈 Bitcoin's long-term holders (LTHs) are holding on tight, resisting the urge to cash in despite the BTC price nearing $70,000. These "diamond hands" are not selling BTC at a rate that would destabilize the current bull market, says on-chain analytics firm Glassnode. Even at BTC's peak of $73,800, LTHs weren't distributing to the market as heavily as during previous bull market tops. So, if you're feeling the pressure to sell, remember: diamonds are made under pressure! 💎 #HODL #BitcoinBull

🔒 Cybercrime is a growing concern, with losses predicted to hit $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. But don't fret, blockchain might be our knight in shining armor! 💪 Blockchain, the tech behind Bitcoin, is inherently secure with features like cryptography and decentralization. Industries heavy on data integrity, like healthcare and finance, could benefit immensely. Imagine patient records on a blockchain, reducing data breaches and giving patients control over their data. While blockchain isn't immune to cyberattacks, its decentralized nature makes it a tough nut to crack for hackers. So, while we can't eliminate cybercrime entirely, blockchain could help us put up a good fight! 💼🔐

🚀 PayPal's PYUSD stablecoin is hitching a ride on the Solana express! Leaving the Ethereum station, PYUSD is now available on Solana, offering users cheaper and faster transactions. Solana's speed? A whopping 65,000 transactions per second at a cost of just $0.0025. Ethereum? A mere 15 transactions per second with fees that can hit $50. PayPal's aim? To make PYUSD a go-to for everyday purchases. Solana's been a hot spot for stablecoin transfers, hitting $1.5 trillion over the past year. So, hop on board, folks! Let's see where this Solana express takes us! 🚂

🚀Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, predicts a cosmic boom for the crypto market, potentially growing 200 times in a decade to a whopping $200 trillion! In the next 12-18 months, he foresees a mere doubling or tripling of the current $2.7 trillion market. The rocket fuel? Billions of digital property owners in the Web3 ecosystem. Siu also notes Asia's lead in the Web3 race, leaving the US in the cosmic dust due to regulatory uncertainty. His bullish stance extends to Bitcoin, which he believes will reach $1 million one day. Buckle up, folks! 🌙

🎤 Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea's memecoin, MOTHER, built on the Solana blockchain, has outperformed the token named after her by Sahil Arora, hitting a market cap of over $28m. Arora, accused of fraudulent activities, launched $IGGY which initially hit a $3m cap but then nosedived to $158k. Azalea denies any connection with Arora, despite a suspiciously similar-looking chap appearing on her Instagram (spoiler: it was her brother). Meanwhile, Arora, facing scam accusations from public figures like Caitlyn Jenner and rapper "Rich the Kid," shrugs it off as "haters gonna hate."

📢 In a plot twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller, UK hospitality worker Jian Wen, 42, has been jailed for 6 years and 8 months after being found guilty of laundering a whopping $2.5 billion in Bitcoin. Wen's sudden upgrade from a flat above a Chinese restaurant to a six-bedroom mansion raised eyebrows and led to the largest Bitcoin seizure in UK history. Critics often paint crypto as a money launderer's dream, but the US Treasury Department begs to differ, suggesting it's not the go-to choice for washing dirty money. So, while our Bitcoin bandit may have thought she'd hit the jackpot, it seems the blockchain had the last laugh! 😏

🤖 OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, was briefly sacked for allegedly lying to the board and withholding key information, including the release of ChatGPT and his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund. However, over 500 of the 700-strong workforce demanded the board's resignation, leading to Altman's swift reinstatement. The AI firm has since changed the fund's governance structure, removing Altman's ownership and control. In other news, a Hong Kong streaming firm plans to buy $100M in crypto. More twists and turns than a blockchain rollercoaster ride! 🎢

🔮 Imagine a token that's both a dollar bill and a rare baseball card! Meet ERC-404, the brainchild of "ctrl" and "Acme". This experimental token standard merges the fungibility of ERC-20 and uniqueness of ERC-721, allowing NFTs to be fractionalized. No more third-party trust issues, as ERC-404 links NFT value directly to the token via a smart contract. This means more liquidity and fractional trading of NFTs. However, it's not all rainbows and unicorns. ERC-404 is still experimental, lacks official Ethereum recognition, and faces potential security risks. But hey, no risk, no reward, right? 🎲

🇮🇱 Israel is racing to develop its own digital currency, the digital shekel, with a little help from its friends. The Bank of Israel is launching the "Digital Shekel Challenge", inviting public, private, and academic entities to build real-time central bank digital currency (CBDC) payment systems. The challenge, inspired by the Bank for International Settlements' "Project Rosalind", will provide a sandbox environment for participants to play in. While the focus is on universal use cases, unique niche solutions are also welcome. So, if you've got a groundbreaking idea, now's your chance to make your mark in the crypto world! 🚀

🤠 Howdy folks! The Texas State Securities Board has lassoed Arkbit Capital with a cease and desist order for some shady crypto cloud mining activities. Apparently, Arkbit has been spinning tall tales about operating Arkansas-based data centers for crypto mining. They even promised daily returns of 1.6-2.8% for 120 days on digital assets. But hold your horses! The payment processor, CoinPayments.Net, used by Arkbit is not even allowed in the US. And guess what? The Arkbit CoinPayments account holder is located in India, not Arkansas. Yeehaw! Remember, always do your homework before investing in any crypto schemes. Don't get roped into a rodeo of regrets!

🐕 Memecoin madness is in full swing! Shiba Inu (SHIB) has just outshone Cardano (ADA) in the top-10 crypto rankings by market cap. ADA, once a crypto superstar, is now sitting at 11th place, trading at $0.45, a staggering 80% below its all-time high. Meanwhile, SHIB is barking loud with a market cap of $16.4 billion! Other memecoins like Pepe (PEPE) and Dogwifhat (WIF) are also having a field day, reaching new all-time highs and overtaking some crypto bigwigs. It seems like the memecoin puppies are having more fun in the park while Bitcoin and other altcoins are stuck fetching the same old stick.

🚀ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has bought a stake in Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI. This move, representing about 2% of ARK's holdings, is another step in ARK's AI-focused strategy. Last month, they revealed 4% of their assets are in OpenAI, and 5% in Anthropic. Brett Winton, ARK's Chief Futurist, believes AI foundation models will be worth "multiple trillions of dollars by the end of this decade." xAI, Musk's latest venture, has recently raised $6 billion in a Series B funding round, boosting its valuation to $24 billion. Musk plans to launch a new data center by fall 2025, dubbed the "Gigafactory of Compute."

Love is in the air, but so are crypto scams! 😱 Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) warn citizens about a surge in crypto scams. The culprits? Hopeless romantics and investment enthusiasts. Scammers are playing cupid on dating apps, then swiftly moving the conversation to private messaging to discuss crypto trading. Beware of bogus investment platforms promising unrealistic returns! In 2023, Canadians lost a whopping $309.4 million to investment frauds, with $172 million from social media-related scams alone. Meanwhile, Canada plans to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) by 2026 for taxation purposes. Stay vigilant, eh!

⚽ Cristiano Ronaldo is making a goal in the NFT world! The football legend is launching a new NFT collection on Binance, celebrating his journey from Madeira to Manchester United and Real Madrid. 🎨 The collection, "Forever Worldwide: The Road to Saudi Arabia," features unique designs by artists from Ronaldo's career-defining cities.

Not just a pretty digital picture, these NFTs come with real-world rewards like vintage jerseys, signed posters, and even a chance to celebrate a goal with Ronaldo in Riyadh! The first collection dropped on May 29, with a second launch set for June 6.

So, if you're a Ronaldo fan, get ready to bid! Who knows, you might just score a winning goal! 🥅

🌴 Thailand is rolling out the red carpet for digital nomads, including crypto traders and developers, with a new visa class. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) offers a 180-day stay, extendable for another 180 days, for a $270 fee. But don't pack your bags just yet! The DTV requires a minimum guarantee of around $13,650 to support spouses and children. Plus, the Thai government has announced plans to tax all foreign income, including crypto trading, from 2024. So, while the beaches are tempting, it might be worth checking the fine print before booking your flight! 🏖️💰

🚀 Ether (ETH) might just beat Bitcoin (BTC) to the punch and hit new all-time highs, says Michaël van de Poppe, CEO of MNTrading. This prediction comes as the US gears up for the launch of spot ETF products on Ether. This move, while not fully approved, has received a tentative thumbs-up from regulators. Van de Poppe believes Bitcoin's dominance may have peaked at 58%, giving altcoins more room to grow. Meanwhile, BlackRock's IBIT has overtaken the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) in BTC holdings, marking a significant milestone in the Bitcoin ETF battle. So, buckle up crypto enthusiasts, we're in for a wild ride! 🎢

👑 Move over, Grayscale! BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is now the world's largest Bitcoin ETF, with a whopping 288,670 BTC held. Grayscale, who started with a hefty 620,000 BTC, is now left holding 287,450 BTC. BlackRock's ETF has seen $102.5 million in inflows, while Grayscale has experienced a $105 million outflow. The ETF throne has been claimed, but the crypto kingdom is ever-changing. Meanwhile, the crypto community is on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the potential launch of spot Ether ETFs. Will there be a new king soon? Stay tuned!

🚀 El Salvador's GDP could skyrocket tenfold in the next five years if it continues its Bitcoin and AI adoption strategy, according to ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood. After a tête-à-tête with President Nayib Bukele, Wood is convinced that the Central American nation could be the next big thing in the crypto and tech space. If El Salvador's GDP hits $300 billion, it'll be rubbing shoulders with Romania, the Czech Republic, and Chile. Despite some hiccups with Bitcoin adoption among the locals, the upward price trend has sparked a new wave of merchant adoption. So, will El Salvador become the Silicon Valley of Central America? Stay tuned!