• BlackRock CEO Larry Fink believes tokenizing asset classes like stocks and bonds might increase efficiency in capital markets and improve investor access.
• He also discussed the advancements of payment systems and financial inclusion in developing countries, while advanced nations such as the US lag behind.
• Fink believes that more transparent regulations will help investors understand the risks associated with cryptocurrency investments.

BlackRock CEO Backs Tokenizing Assets

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has voiced his support for tokenizing asset classes like stocks, bonds, and other digital assets. He believes this could enhance efficiency in capital markets and give investors more access to investment opportunities.

Payment Systems Developing Quickly

The practical applications of digital assets are not limited to Bitcoin alone. Behind the hype, exciting developments are taking place within the sector. Payment methods are developing quickly in certain countries, particularly those in developing areas such as Brazil, India, and Africa. However, advanced economies such as the U.S., have been lagging behind when it comes to payment innovation.

Regulations Need To Be More Nuanced

As authorities crack down on crypto businesses due to issues with stablecoin issuance firm Paxos and Signature Bank’s sudden collapse, Fink thinks that more nuanced regulation is needed for the digital asset sector as it develops further. This way investors can understand the risks associated with cryptocurrency investments better with more transparent regulations in place.

BlackRock Looking Into Digital Asset Sector

In addition to voicing his support of tokenization of stocks and bonds, Fink said that BlackRock would continue looking into permissioned blockchains and other technologies related to digital assets moving forward.

Conclusion

Overall, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink believes that tokenizing asset classes like stocks and bonds could be beneficial for both investors and capital markets alike; however he also emphasized on the need for more nuanced regulation so that investors can better comprehend potential risks involved with investing in cryptocurrencies or any other digital assets

• Circle announced that it will back its stablecoin USDC with corporate resources if needed.
• USDC temporarily traded for less than its $1 peg on March 11, and is currently trading at $0.95.
• The unexpected closure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) sparked the need for this strategy.

Circle Announces Corporate Backing for USDC Stablecoin

Circle has pledged to back its stablecoin, USDC, with corporate resources should the need arise. The news comes after the stablecoin temporarily traded for less than its $1 peg on March 11, and is currently trading at $0.95 at the time of writing. This announcement was made in response to the unexpected closure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

Unexpected Closure of SVB

The California regulators closed down SVB on Friday, which served as a go-to financial institution for Silicon Valley’s venture investors and early-stage entrepreneurs. It’s been reported that Circle had major exposure to the failed bank, although it wasn’t as concerning as the Silvergate case. As a result of this closure, Circle has developed a strategy to draw into its „corporate resources“ to make up for any deficit in its reserves and keep the USDC pegged to one dollar.

USDC Recovery Strategy

On Monday when regular operations at U.S financial institutions are likely to resume again, Circle said that it would seek more money from other sources should there be a need for it and that it also attempted to move its assets before SVB went bust . Circle has also said that they will once again be exchangeable for dollars at a rate of one-to-one beginning on Monday if their reserve holds out or not.

Crypto Community Reactions

Many in the crypto world were astonished to find out about Circle’s involvement with SVB and have expressed concerns over whether such an event could happen again or not. Despite these concerns however, due to Circle’s announcement regarding their backup plan involving corporate resources, investor confidence seems returning gradually when looking at current price numbers..

Conclusion

Rumors of SEC Notice Cause Lido (LDO) Token Prices to Drop

• On Saturday, the value of Lido’s LDO token dropped by 10% on speculation that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had issued a Wells Notice to the biggest Ethereum staking provider.
• David Hoffman of the Bankless crypto podcast initially reported that Lido and other crypto projects had been issued with Wells Notices but walked back his statement later.
• If reports are accurate, the SEC may be increasing its investigation into Ethereum and cryptocurrency staking.

What is a Wells Notice?

A Wells Notice is a letter from the SEC outlining potential charges that might be filed against the receiver. It is sent as part of an investigation by the regulator into certain activities in order to determine whether or not they violate securities laws.

David Hoffman’s Retraction

David Hoffman of the Bankless crypto podcast initially said he’d heard rumors that many projects had been issued with Wells Notices but later retracted this statement saying „there have apparently been rumours of Lido being caught in the crosshairs of Gary The Destroyer,“ referring to SEC Commissioner Gary Gensler who has become famous for his negative stance toward cryptocurrencies. He also said „members of the Lido team have reached out to me and said that this is false.“

Lido DAO Involvement

The staking service which was allegedly receiving a notice is run by the Lido DAO (decentralized autonomous organization). This means it is run by a loose confederation of people who possess LDO tokens in Lido and make decisions without a central authority – making it difficult for regulators like the SEC to communicate directly with them about any potential issues or investigations.

Conclusion

It remains unclear if these reports are accurate or not, although many investors seem worried enough about them to cause prices to drop significantly in response. Investors should keep an eye out for further news as more information could soon come out regarding this story as well as how other projects may be affected by increased scrutiny from regulators like the SEC.

• Alchemy announces the launch of their Dapp Building Tool for Web3.
• The tool is open-source and aims to increase interest in decentralized technologies.
• It only takes four minutes for developers to create a Dapp from scratch.

Alchemy Launches Dapp Building Tool For Web3

Alchemy recently announced the launch of their Create Web3 Dapp (CW3D) platform, an open-source project which intends to increase interest in decentralized technologies. Elan Halpern, Product Manager at Alchemy, stated that their mission and vision is to bring blockchain or Web3 to a billion people by empowering developers. With CW3D, developers can create a dApp from scratch within four minutes.

Background on Alchemy

Alchemy is a blockchain software development business which launched in 2017. They have apps available for Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimist with plans to add support for Solana in the future. In October 2021 they secured $250 million in Series C investment and then in August 2022 purchased the Ethereum coding platform Chainshot.

Spearmint NFT Allowlist Platform

In November 2020 Alchemy launched Spearmint, a NFT allowlist platform for Ethereum layer-2 initiatives which allowed users to make an allowlist within 10 minutes. This was followed up with CW3D which has significantly reduced this time frame down to just four minutes for developers creating dApps from scratch.

Overall Goal: To Reach A Billion People

Halpern explained that there needs to be products that people are excited about using if they want her grandmother (or anyone else) to be able to use a Web3 application – and this starts with inspiring programmers so they can build these useful things out of decentralized technology. Their overall goal is therefore quite ambitious – they want Web3 accessible by one billion people worldwide!

Conclusion

Alchemy’s new CW3D platform is expected to further increase interest in decentralized technologies among developers by reducing the time it takes them to create dApps from scratch while simultaneously setting out on an ambitious mission of bringing blockchain or Web3 technology accessibly by one billion people globally!

• Blur is a new NFT marketplace that has gained significant attention after its airdrops on February 14th.
• The platform has surged 273.22% in terms of volume over the last 7 days, surpassing the NFT marketplace giant OpenSea.
• Blur has been listed by DappRadar as the number one marketplace in terms of volume, with $98.07 million in total trade within the last 24 hours.

Overview of Blur NFT Marketplace

Recently posted on February 20, 2023 (February 20, 2023), 11:20 am by Pavithra 8 hours ago | 2 mins read NFT News, BLUR airdrop claim is so far 337,814,207 tokens in total 360M. The platform surged 273.22% in terms of volume over the last 7 days and its native token gained substantial popularity after its airdrops on the 14th of February.

Airdrop Program for BLUR Token

The platform is processing the airdrops in multiple phases before the actual launch of the token. As per official blogs from Blur, three rounds of airdrops were defined for particular sets of community – initial supporters received first airdrop; active traders received second set; and traders who bid on ecosystem received final round. At present time, 2nd round airdrop claim is 337,814,207 BLUR tokens from total allocation of 360 million and with 54 days left more for ending this process 93.84% tokens have already been claimed.

Boost to Blur Marketplace

In recent weeks, Blur has been surpassing OpenSea as data aggregator DappRadar listed it as number one marketplace in terms of volume and with $98.07 million total trade within last 24 hours . This setback pushed OpenSea to revise its technical functionalities to gain back migrating customers through royalty program and enhanced attributes allowing creators list their artworks only at specific marketplaces . Though there are few suspicious activities recorded indicating wash trading on these platforms but distance between average price and traders is minimal making community believe that it can overshadow others .

Suspicious Activities Detected

Few suspicious activities are also on record indicating wash trading of NFTs on Blur platform though top average price & traders are different from other marketplaces yet difference was very minimal

Conclusion

Within short span of time since claiming its airdrop ,Blur has outperformed other competitors by gaining top position according to latest report by DappRadar but still suspicious activities need to be monitored closely & carefully while considering it’s potentiality to overtake others .

• Bakkt, a digital asset platform, has announced that it will discontinue its consumer app on March 16th.
• This move is to allow the company to focus on providing crypto and loyalty experiences for their partners’ customers through SaaS and API solutions.
• The Bakkt Visa debit card will no longer allow new transactions, purchase or management of gift cards, or tracking of reward programmes or points as of March 16th.

Bakkt Announces Discontinuation of Consumer App

Bakkt, a platform for managing digital assets, has now stated it would discontinue its consumer app in favor of interacting directly with companies to provide them „with crypto and loyalty experiences for their customers through SaaS and API solutions.“ On March 16th, there will be a final shutdown of the app.

Bakkt’s Bitcoin-Only Product

In March 2021, Bakkt launched as a Bitcoin-only product; Ethereum support was added later that year. The goal of the consumer app was to let users buy and trade cryptocurrency, acquire gift cards, and spend their coins in stores to accumulate incentives. Starbucks, Best Buy, Choice Hotels, Fiserv, and GolfNow are just some of the more than 200 businesses associated with Bakkt.

Discontinuation Details

Bakkt’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Mark Elliot stated: „We are sunsetting our consumer App because it is not core to our B2B2C approach. This approach ensures we are supporting the relationship our partners and clients have with their customers rather than competing in any way.“

Apex Crypto Acquisition

This news comes after Bakkt agreed to purchase Apex Crypto from Apex Fintech Solutions in a $200 million transaction in November. Despite the change customers will still be able to see cash and crypto balances purchase and trade crypto make withdrawals to a valid bank account obtain crypto transaction records for tax reasons under Bakkts new service.

Visa Debit Card No Longer Supported

The firm has announced that as of March 16th the Bakkt Visa debit card will no longer allow for new transactions purchase or management of gift cards or tracking of reward programmes or points

• Limit Break, a blockchain-based Web 3 company, will be airing an interactive advertisement during Super Bowl LVII on February 12.
• The advertisement will give away thousands of the company’s Dragon series NFTs for free – a radical departure from the traditional NFT model.
• These tokens can be used to enhance the player experience in Web3 games like “Castaways” and “Ether Orcs”.

Limit Break to Give Away Thousands of NFTs During Super Bowl LVII

Limit Break, a blockchain-based Web 3 company and pioneer of free-to-own NFT model, will give away thousands of its Dragon series NFTs via an interactive advertisement that will air during Super Bowl LVII on February 12. This new approach marks a radical departure from the previous generation of NFT projects, which often charge thousands of dollars for digital collectibles instead of giving them away for free. Instead, DigiDaigaku provides tens of thousands of free NFT tokens, gamers own outright without the aftertaste of false promises and puffery.

NFT Tokens to Enhance Player Experience in Web3 Games

These tokens can be used to enhance the player experience in Web3 games – like Limit Break collaborator games „Castaways“ and „Ether Orcs“. This new blockchain gaming model is poised to revolutionize the industry by giving players access to more game features than ever before while also providing users with ownership over their assets. Mr. Leydon was CEO of Machine Zone in 2016, when it spun off Game Of War: Fire Age – one of mobile gaming’s most successful titles since then.

Free-To-Own Model Revolutionizing Industry

Limit Break has been giving away free NFT assets for months among a growing legion of fans in advance of this coming Super Bowl giveaway. The giveaways mark a shift in how customers view digital collectibles as now they are seen as something that can be owned rather than bought or sold or promised down the line as part payment for future products never delivered. Limit Break’s free-to-own model is literally game changing and these asset releases are key moments building up anticipation ahead of their upcoming commercial during Super Bowl LVII.

Mobile Gaming Industry Growing Rapidly

Mobile gaming is a $300-billion industry worldwide – far larger than television, movies and music combined –and Limit Break expects to grow a massive global audience with its interactive advertising campaign at this year’s Super Bowl broadcast on February 12th . Founded just two years ago (in 2021) they have already raised $200 million in funding demonstrating investor confidence that they can grow their user base exponentially through innovative marketing techniques such as this one during next week’s football extravaganza!

Conclusion

To sum up; Limit Break is pioneering an entirely new way forward for online gaming with its revolutionary ‚free-to own‘ model which gives gamers access to premium content without having to spend any money upfront or make promises about future products which may not materialize – all while opening up ownership opportunities unavailable before now within web3 gaming environments such as Castaways & Ether Orcs! With hundreds millions invested already & plans for an interactive ad at next week’s super bowl; we could well be witnessing history being made!

• The Philippines‘ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new regulations to expand its purview to include virtual currencies and to increase its control over the country’s crypto space.
• The SEC’s rule-making, surveillance, inspection, market monitoring, and more enforcement powers would be enhanced by the legislation.
• The regulations broaden what constitutes security to include tokenized securities products and other financial instruments based on blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new set of regulations to expand its purview to include virtual currencies and to increase its control over the country’s crypto space. The proposed regulations, which were reported by local media source Manila Bulletin on January 25, encompass financial goods and services, including cryptocurrency and digital financial products, and are open for public comment.

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement that the agency’s „rule-making, surveillance, inspection, market monitoring, and more enforcement powers“ would be enhanced by the legislation. The SEC’s purview will expand to include other types of financial goods and services, including digital financial products and services, and the companies that deliver them. Furthermore, the regulations broaden what constitutes security to include „tokenized securities products“ and other financial instruments based on blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The SEC will have the authority to prevent service providers from levying excessive interest, fees, or other charges. If a director, executive, or employee is found to be in breach of the law, the regulator has the authority to disqualify and suspend them from their positions. It may also lead to financial penalties, including fines or other sanctions, being imposed.

The SEC has also upgraded its capacity to enforce securities rules. This includes enhanced powers to inspect and monitor markets, as well as the ability to take enforcement actions against firms or individuals found to be in violation of securities laws.

The proposed regulations are open for public comment and are expected to come into effect later this year. The SEC’s move is seen as a positive step towards the legitimization of virtual currencies in the Philippines and the development of a secure, transparent, and reliable crypto sector.

• The Cardano (ADA) protocol experienced an outage on at least 50% of its nodes over the weekend.
• The outage was caused by an unidentified anomaly and the nodes recovered automatically.
• The design of the protocol anticipated outages like this and the nodes behaved as expected when the blocks were restored.

Over the weekend, the Cardano (ADA) protocol experienced an outage that affected at least 50% of its nodes. According to an update shared on the official Telegram page of the Cardano Stake Pool Operators (SPO), the outage was caused by an unidentified anomaly. The outage was experienced in blocks 8300569 and 8300570, and the nodes recovered automatically when the blocks were restored.

The update shared also highlighted that these sorts of outages have been anticipated in the design of the protocol and that the nodes behaved just as expected. Despite the concerns that the outage caused, its impact was not so detrimental as almost all of the nodes recovered automatically. This means that production notably continued as normal, and that no data was lost.

The Cardano protocol was one of the first protocols to introduce a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, and its mainnet launch in September 2020 marked a significant milestone in its journey. Since then, the protocol has continued to attract new users and stakeholders, and the outage over the weekend serves as a reminder of the importance of being prepared for any unforeseen situations.

The Cardano team is currently investigating the root cause of the outage and will continue to work towards making the protocol more resilient to any future outages. They are also planning to launch a bug bounty program to incentivize the community to help identify and fix any potential issues with the protocol. In the meantime, the Cardano community can take solace in the fact that the nodes recovered quickly, and that the protocol is continuously being improved and strengthened.

• Aptos (APT) has seen an impressive amount of gains, surging over 300% from its November lows to reach a new all-time high.
• Nearly 80% of the increase in price took place over the last three days.
• The general crypto market has been experiencing some sort of relief since the turn of the new year, which appears to be a contributing factor to the price surge.

The coin of the Aptos blockchain, Aptos (APT), has seen a remarkable surge in price over the last week. In the span of seven days, the native token of the Aptos blockchain has gained an impressive 94%, with nearly 80% of the increase happening over the last three days. The surge in price for the token has been so significant that it now holds the position of the most profitable crypto asset of the week.

The current all-time high for the APT token is $14.4, per CoinMarketCap data, which is a 300% increase from the token’s November lows. The surge in price for the token is especially impressive given the fact that the current bear market appears to have no bearing on the token’s growth.

The factors triggering the token’s price surge appear to be related to the general relief experienced by the crypto market since the turn of the new year. This relief is reflected in the overall increase in the price of many digital assets since the beginning of 2020.

The impressive surge in the price of the APT token has not gone unnoticed. Investors and traders alike are taking note of the token’s performance, and this has caused a flurry of activity in the Aptos markets. With more and more traders entering the Aptos markets, the price of the token is likely to continue surging in the near future.

It remains to be seen if the token will be able to keep up its impressive performance or if the current surge is just a temporary blip. However, given the current market conditions, it appears that the APT token is well-positioned to benefit from the current market rally.