headlines

headlines

Du Jun: Huobi plans to return to the US market and will focus on asset management and other fields
But Du Jun said that entering the US market this time, the company may not launch an exchange, but instead focus on other areas such as asset management. In addition, Huobi is also exploring setting up a headquarters in Europe. (CNBC)

cryptocurrency

cryptocurrency

Tether released the Q4 reserve report: total assets of 78.6 billion US dollars, USDT has sufficient reserve support
Tether, the USDT issuer, announced the comprehensive reserve report for the fourth quarter of 2021, and stated that it has been certified and confirmed by the accounting firm MHA Cayman.
The report shows that as of December 31, 2021, Tether’s combined total assets are at least $78,675,642,677, and its combined total liabilities are $78,538,305,451, of which $78,480,852,949 is related to the issued digital tokens.
Specifically, of Tether's combined total assets of $78.6 billion, cash and cash equivalents and other short-term deposits and commercial paper exceeded $65.8 billion, secured loans (not extended to affiliated entities) exceeded $4.11 billion, corporate bonds, funds and precious metals More than $3.62 billion; other investments (including digital tokens) exceeded $5.02 billion, accounting for 6.3%.

Tether said it indicated that the company held reserves for its issued digital tokens in excess of the amount required to redeem the issued digital tokens. The latest report also showed that the firm's investments in money market funds and Treasury bills, as well as A-1+ commercial paper holdings, increased from the previous quarter. (Tether official website)

Data: Over 56% of wealthy clients are currently investing in cryptocurrencies

Luxury retailer Juliettes Interiors issued a document saying that during 2021, the encrypted transactions of luxury consumers will increase sharply. Research shows that more than 56% of wealthy clients are currently investing in cryptocurrencies, suggesting that the number of wealthy investors will increase in the coming years. Crypto users are more likely to buy higher-end items than non-crypto users, as a typical crypto user has an average order value (AOV) of $450 compared to $200 for non-crypto users. In addition, nearly 60% of high-net-worth individuals are interested in crypto investments. As a result, major luxury brands began to accept cryptocurrencies. (PRNewswire)

Number of Bitcoin Hodlers Hit All-Time High Despite Crypto Market Drop
According to data from Glassnode, the supply of Bitcoin held for more than half a year has reached a record high, accounting for about 76.5% of the total. The metric suggests that most investors who bought the cryptocurrency more than half a year ago prefer to hold it rather than sell it.

At present, the market can see a wave-like growth in the holdings of 6-10-year supply. This metric can be considered a fundamental change in the behavior of cryptocurrency investors looking at Bitcoin as a long-term investment. At present, the proportion of Bitcoin supply that has been held for more than 10 years is about 12.6%, which is about 2.39 million BTC. (U. Today)

AssangeDAO released two proposals in response to differences in the direction of community development
Snapshot voting for both proposals will begin on February 23 and end on February 26.

GameFi and NFTs

GameFi and NFTs

MMORPG chain game Tap Fantasy will integrate Clover Chain and wallet

Clover Finance, a cross-chain smart contract platform, announced that the MMORPG blockchain game Tap Fantasy is integrating Clover Chain and wallets to create its Play-to-Earn NFT game.

Spring Airlines limited issue of 100 NFT digital collections

On February 22, Spring Airlines released the first batch of limited NFT digital collections in the aviation industry on the NFT China platform. The theme of this batch of digital collections is "Born with Love", and 5 models are released, namely short track speed skating, alpine skiing, ski jumping, speed skating, and cross-country skiing. Each model has 20 pieces, and the global limit is 100 pieces. It is reported that all proceeds from the sale of digital collections will be donated to the Shanghai Charity Foundation Chunqiu Let Love Fly Special Fund for public welfare and charity projects. (China Civil Aviation Network)

NFT project BOOMGALA spent 777 ETH to purchase The Sandbox plot
The NFT project BOOMGALA purchased a 12×12 plot in The Sandbox at a price of 777ETH, and the coordinates are (-48, 192).

BOOMGALA promises that the 6×6 land, BAYC and 12×12 land purchased with its own funds, with a total value of about 1100 ETH, will be injected into the BOOMGALA DAO treasury for all NFT holders to share.

Data: Axie Infinity's total NFT volume exceeds $4 billion

DappRadar data shows that the total value of NFTs sold on Axie Infinity exceeded US$4 billion, reaching US$4.14 billion; the number of traders exceeded 1.9 million, and the average price of NFTs sold was US$198.77. Axie Infinity became the third largest NFT marketplace after OpenSea and LooksRare. (Cryptopotato)

Investment and Financing

Investment and Financing

Luna Completes $1 Billion Funding Led by Jump Crypto and Three Arrows Capital

Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) announced the completion of US$1 billion in financing. This round of financing was completed through off-site sales of LUNA tokens, led by Jump Crypto and Three Arrows Capital, with participation from Republic Capital, GSR, Tribe Capital, and DeFiance Capital. It is reported that the funds raised will be used to establish a Bitcoin-denominated foreign exchange reserve for Terra Stablecoin UST. LFG said the reserve created through the $1 billion capital injection will effectively serve as a redemption mechanism for UST, ensuring that the stablecoin’s price remains pegged to the U.S. dollar during a sharp sell-off in the crypto market. (The Block)

Amber Group completes financing of US$200 million at a valuation of US$3 billion, led by Temasek and participated by Sequoia China

Amber Group completes financing of US$200 million at a valuation of US$3 billion, led by Temasek and participated by Sequoia China

Amber Group, the world's leading digital financial technology platform, completed a financing of US$200 million at a valuation of US$3 billion. Temasek led the investment, and Sequoia China, Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and Tiger Global Management participated in the investment. The financing is used to recruit in Europe and the Americas, and to further expand the user coverage of its app launched globally last year. (Bloomberg)

Crypto Exchange Bitpanda Announces Acquisition of UK Crypto Custodian Trustology
The cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda announced the acquisition of Trustology, a UK-based crypto custodian. The specific amount of the acquisition has not yet been announced. According to people familiar with the matter, the acquisition amounted to tens of millions of dollars. After this acquisition, Trustology will be renamed Bitpanda Custody. It is reported that Trustology has been fully registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

According to previous reports, in August 2021, Bitpanda completed a US$263 million Series C financing at a valuation of US$4.1 billion. Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures led the investment, and LeadBlock Partners, Jump Capital, Alan Howard and REDO Ventures participated. (CoinDesk)

LSE to buy multi-asset trading tech provider Tora for $325 million
The London Stock Exchange (LSEG) will acquire multi-asset trading technology provider Tora for $325 million in an attempt to open a bridge to the world of digital asset trading. Founded in 2004, Tora provides an order and execution management system as well as a portfolio management system for clients trading equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, derivatives and digital assets.
The addition of digital asset trading capabilities will enhance their presence in the cryptocurrency market at a time when institutional market participants are increasing their exposure to cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, LSEG said.

The transaction will also expand LSEG's trade and banking solutions global business, as Tora has established operations in Asia and North America, as well as a presence in Europe. After closing in the second half of 2022, Tora will become part of LSEG's data and analytics division. (Finextra)

Backed VC completes 150 million euros in financing, which will be used to invest in European technology companies
Founded in 2016, London-based Backed VC now has a total portfolio value of $12.1 billion, which includes metaverse social platform Loot Squad, crypto services firm BCB Group and Immutable X. (Venture Beat)

Metaverse Startup BuzzAR Completes USD 3.8 Million Seed Round Financing, F50 Elevate and Others Participate

Metaverse start-up BuzzAR announced the completion of a $3.8 million seed round of financing, with venture capital firm F50 Elevate, angel investor former Marina Bay Sands executive Ian Wilson, and SenzeCare co-founder Peter Hlavnicka participating. According to the development roadmap, BuzzAR will launch two core businesses including Web3 games and social networking in 2022. In addition, it will build an avatar NFT platform called "CryptoToon", on which users can use the CryptoToon API to create Your own avatar and NFT. (PR Newswire)

Bitcoin Mining Startup Arkon Energy Completes A$2.6 Million Pre-Seed Funding, Led by Kestrel0x1

Arkon Energy, a Bitcoin mining start-up company, has completed A$2.6 million Pre seed round financing, led by Kestrel0x1 and participated by Linked Group Services. (Asia One)

global policy

global policy

Russia’s Ministry of Finance Crypto Draft: Individual Annual Investment Capped at $7,548
In addition, in order to protect the rights and interests of investors, exchanges will be required to remind citizens of the high risks of buying digital currencies. Citizens are required to take an online test before purchasing cryptocurrencies, and the maximum annual threshold for crypto investments is 600,000 rubles ($7,548), which will be limited to 50,000 rubles ($627.75) if the test fails. (FX Empire)

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Grayscale: If GBTC is Approved to Convert to a Spot Bitcoin ETF, Management Fees Will Be Reduced
Grayscale officially tweeted that if GBTC is approved to be converted into a spot bitcoin ETF. We will reduce management fees; the inherent mechanism of the ETF should effectively avoid the net asset value (NAV) discount; US investors will get a new option to access the spot price of Bitcoin. Grayscale urges investors to actively comment on the relevant SEC public comment column.

According to previous reports, on February 4, the US SEC once again postponed the decision on whether to approve the conversion of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a Bitcoin spot ETF, citing widespread concerns about manipulation, liquidity, and transparency. The SEC has invited public comment on the issues and has given interested parties 21 days to respond in writing.

Media: Tourism in El Salvador grows 30% after bitcoin bill

Bitcoin Magazine tweeted that tourism in El Salvador has grown by 30% since the implementation of the Bitcoin Act in El Salvador.

Bloomberg: Bitcoin may no longer be digital gold