• Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is set to introduce a new set of crypto ad regulations by May 17.
• Companies sponsoring crypto advertisements in Belgium must submit to its financial regulator FSMA before any campaign.
• Recent market research showed that most crypto investors are in it for the money, and 80% are men.

Belgium Introduces New Crypto Advertisement Regulations

Coming Into Effect in May

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is set to introduce a new set of crypto ad regulations by May 17, according to Finance Magnates. The official Gazette published on March 17 indicated that the regulation will require advertisements for cryptocurrency products to be accurate and contain mandatory risk information. Additionally, companies sponsoring the ads must submit them to FSMA prior to launching any campaign targeting at least 25,000 customers.

Research Highlights Male Preferences for Crypto Investing

A recent FSMA market research showed that most crypto investors in the country are in it for the money, and 80% are men. Despite the recent collapse of FTX and an overall bearish trend across markets this winter, investors continue to pour funds into cryptocurrencies.

Opinion Divided Over Cryptocurrencies in Belgium

While Belgian authorities have implemented restrictions on crypto ads, former minister Johan Van Overtveldt has called for a total ban on cryptocurrencies due to instability in the banking sector. However, other countries like the United Kingdom have also imposed similar restrictions without outright banning digital assets.

Protecting Consumers Through Education & Supervision

Jean-Paul Servais, chairman of FSMA stated: “To better protect consumers, the FSMA is stepping up the pace when it comes to supervision and financial education. Thanks to the new regulation, the FSMA will be able to check whether advertisements for virtual currencies are accurate and not misleading and whether the advertisements contain the compulsory warnings of risk.“

Conclusion

Belgium’s upcoming regulations provide a framework ensuring accuracy of advertising with regards to virtual currencies as well as protecting consumers through education and supervision from potential risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies .

• Euler Finance was hacked for $197 million
• The native EUL token has crashed 48% following the news
• Euler Labs is currently working with security professionals and law enforcement to investigate

Euler Finance Experiences $197M Hack

Euler Labs has been exploited for $177 million in four transactions, according to Blockchain security firm BlockSec.The smart contract auditing firm added that two more attack transactions took the total loss to $197 million.

Impact on EUL Token

Following the news of the hack, Euler Labs‘ EUL token has plunged by roughly 48% to 3.10, according to CoinMarketCap data.

About Euler Finance

Euler Finance provides on-chain lending services and completed a $32 million funding round that included Coinbase and defunct crypto exchange FTX in 2022.

Investigation Underway

Euler confirmed that it was aware of the exploit. It added:“We are aware and our team is currently working with security professionals and law enforcement. We will release further information as soon as we have it.“

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Our writers‘ opinions are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of CryptoSlate. None of the information you read on CryptoSlate should be taken as investment advice, nor does CryptoSlate endorse any project that may be mentioned or linked to in this article. Buying and trading cryptocurrencies should be considered a high-risk activity.

• Binance is launching an anti-scam collaboration with law enforcement agencies to combat crypto fraud.
• The exchange conducted a pilot phase of the program in Hong Kong with local police and has seen meaningful impact as a result.
• Binance plans to roll out the program globally and is also working on providing training and resources for law enforcement to prevent crypto crime.

Binance Launches Anti-Scam Campaign

Binance has announced the launch of an anti-scam campaign in collaboration with law enforcement agencies around the world, in order to combat financial scams within the cryptocurrency space. The exchange carried out an initial pilot phase of the program in Hong Kong in cooperation with the local police force.

How It Works

The campaign utilizes existing law enforcement resources to send out warning messages to users before they withdraw funds or conduct transactions, alerting them about potential risks and offering resources for identifying and reporting scammers. After just one month since its launch, this program has already made a meaningful impact, as 20% of users either reconsidered transactions after seeing the message or chose to review further before conducting them.

Future Plans

Binance will continue rolling out its anti-scam campaign globally, establishing partnerships with local police forces and government agencies for access to necessary resources. Additionally, it will provide support and training needed for preventing crypto crimes and scams, as well as cooperate with law enforcement when necessary. This initiative joins other crime prevention programs already deployed by Binance such as a portal which allows law enforcement authorities to submit case requests.

Raising Awareness

Cryptocurrency is especially vulnerable to scams due to social engineering techniques used by criminals which can trick people into disclosing personal information that can lead them to lose their assets. Raising awareness around these methods and how people can avoid being victims of such schemes is paramount for prevention purposes. That’s why Binance has been contributing seminars and conferences related to cybercrime organized by Hong Kong Police Force recently among other activities that are part of this mission statement.

Conclusion

To conclude, Binance is taking a proactive approach against fraudsters by launching this joint venture between itself and multiple international Law Enforcement bodies across various jurisdictions worldwide through its Anti-Scam Campaign which seeks not only bringing perpetrators accountable but also educating consumers on how they can protect themselves against malicious actors trying take advantage of their lack of knowledge or experience within the Crypto domain

• The U.S. court ruled that using emojis relating to rocket ships, stock charts, and money bags could be classified as investment advice.
• Former SEC branch chief Lisa Braganca warned the public against using certain emojis in promotional materials following the court ruling.
• Dapper Labs was accused of promoting NBA Top Shot Moments as investment opportunities through its marketing materials with carefully selected emojis.

SEC Chief Warns Against Using Emojis for Investment Advice

A recent U.S. court ruling determined that using particular emojis related to rocket ships, stock charts, and money bags could be considered investment advice, prompting former SEC branch chief Lisa Braganca to issue a warning about their use in promotional materials.

The Court Ruling

The court ruling was part of a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs against Dapper Labs and its CEO Roham Gharegozlou for allegedly violating securities laws by offering its NBA Top Shot Moments – non-fungible tokens (NFT) that capture key highlights and video clips from NBA games – as an investment opportunity. They argued that the company had used carefully selected emojis in its marketing materials that suggested financial returns on investments were possible if customers purchased the product. For example it tweeted a message featuring a rocket ship, stock market, and money bags emoji to show market performance data without actually saying “profit” or encouraging people to buy the token outright.

Braganca’s Warning

In response to this situation, Braganca issued a warning via Twitter urging people not to use certain emojis when attempting to promote investments or products associated with investments as they could be interpreted as providing financial advice or guidance which would go against SEC regulations. She stated that even though literal words such as “profit” may not have been used in the tweet featuring the emojis mentioned above, they still objectively meant one thing: potential financial gain from investing in something like NBA Top Shot Moments tokens.

Controversy Surrounding Use of Emoji

While some members of the crypto community argue that there is nothing wrong with using specific emoji combinations to convey messages about investments or other opportunities related to them because different people can interpret them differently according to their own experiences and backgrounds; others feel that having rules around their usage could impede freedom of speech since it restricts what someone can say without fear of legal repercussions for being too suggestive about making profits off investments when promoting them online or elsewhere on social media platforms like Twitter etc..

Conclusion

As demonstrated by this case involving Dapper Labs‘ use of emoji symbols in their promotional material regarding NBA Top Shot Moments tokens; it is important for both companies and individuals alike who are involved with cryptocurrency trading or investing activities online – whether directly through platforms like Coinbase Pro etc., or indirectly through third-party services such as NFTs – to be aware of how they communicate these activities through digital means so as not run afoul of any laws/regulations pertaining thereto (including those set forth by regulatory bodies like the SEC).

• FTX’s former employee Nishad Singh reportedly approaches a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors to face charges.
• The CFTC and SEC are also allegedly involved in the investigation against Singh since January 5th, 2021.
• If Singh reaches a plea deal, he will be the third FTX associate to do so after Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang who both pled guilty in December 2020.

FTX’s Nishad Singh Reportedly Approaches Plea Deal

FTX’s former exchange employee, Nishad Singh, is reportedly preparing to reach a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors according to Bloomberg News on February 17th, 2023. Manhattan prosecutors are allegedly preparing to file charges against him and if he agrees upon the terms of the plea deal then he would be facing those charges instead of more serious ones that may have been presented otherwise.

The CFTC And SEC Involved

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is responsible for leading this investigation with reported involvement from The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Reports from Bloomberg on January 10th suggest that Singh had discussed a cooperation deal which could result in a plea deal being accepted by all parties involved. At that time though it was reported that Singh was not accused of any wrongdoing but now it seems he is facing these prospective charges instead.

Singh’s Role In FTX

Nishad Singh played an integral role while working at FTX as their Director of Engineering where he developed software used to transfer funds between FTX and Alameda as well as his involvement in campaign financing activities which could potentially provide assistance in the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder and former CEO of FTX who currently awaits trial after being charged by authorities last year.

Previous Pledges From Associates

If Nishad does indeed reach an agreement with U.S Prosecutors then he would be joining two other associates from FTX who have already pled guilty; Caroline Ellison (former Alameda Research CEO) and Gary Wang (co-founder of FTX). Both reached their respective agreements back in December 2020 agreeing to cooperate against Bankman-Fried as part of their deals with authorities however none of these agencies have publicly confirmed Bloomberg’s statements regarding this new development yet so nothing can be said for certain until further notice has been given one way or another about their decisions moving forward concerning this matter at hand or any others related to it in any way whatsoever for that matter either at all or not ever either now or ever again in the future too no matter what happens next either now or ever again either sooner or later either way anytime soon ever nevermind right away okay?

Conclusion

At present there is still no solid evidence regarding whether or not Nishad will actually agree upon reaching a plea deal as suggested by Bloomberg News but if he does then it would mean yet another associate from FTX pleads guilty under similar circumstances involving Sam Bankman-Fried whom currently awaits trial due to his own legal woes stemming from last year’s alleged wrongdoings according to reports from multiple sources around that time period too including those mentioned above here once again just now today overall so far altogether speaking generally speaking anyway anytime soon too right away okay?

• Ordinal Punks NFTs have been called out as sketchy due to a lack of infrastructure and strong FOMO.
• There is no way to verify information, and details are restricted to social media accounts.
• Bitcoin Punks, a clone of Ethereum’s CryptoPunks, is gaining in popularity but suffers from the same drawbacks.

Ordinal Punks NFTs Called Out As ‚Sketchy‘

A Twitter user recently questioned the legitimacy of Ordinal Punks NFTs as potentially being „the biggest NFT scam of all time.“ The appeal of novelty on the Bitcoin chain has caused demand for these NFTs, though there is an inadequate infrastructure to verify information or facilitate transactions in a streamlined way. It has also been suggested that the collection may not be worthy of being categorized as blue chip given its OTC nature and lack of transparency.

Bitcoin Infrastructure Not Suited For NFTs

The Bitcoin chain was not designed with accommodating NFT functionality in mind, meaning that there is currently no infrastructure available which could verify data such as sales or enable click-and-buy purchases. This means that details about Ordinal Punk sales need to be accessed through social media accounts rather than on-chain data sources. In addition, it has been speculated that the floor price for these collections may be around 55 ETH ($85,500).

FOMO Driving Demand For Bitcoin Punks

Despite lacking smart contracts and having an overall inappropriate approach for what it’s attempting to accomplish, Bitcoin Punks have become extremely popular due to FOMO amongst Discord users trying to snap up one before someone else does. However, this clone collection suffers from similar issues as Ordinal Punks due to its use of the same rudimentary NFT infrastructure on Bitcoin.

Risks Of Investing In These Collections

Given their small size and lack of transparency surrounding them, both Ordinal Punk and Bitcoin Punk collections come with significant risk for anyone wishing to invest in them. Without verification processes or even marketplaces where potential buyers can browse collections easily, there remains a strong possibility that these collections could turn out to be scams or at least highly overvalued assets without any real value attached them beyond their novelty status on the blockchain.

Conclusion

The influx of new investors into the world of crypto assets often leads people looking for profits without doing proper research first – a situation which can lead those involved into investing money into high-risk projects such as these two collections which appear overly reliant upon FOMO rather than offering any real value beyond their novelty status on the blockchain itself

• Balance CEO Ric Burton has opened legal action against Uniswap founder Hayden Adams, claiming he was betrayed after investing time and money in supporting Adams to take Uniswap to market.
• Burton had helped Adams get Uniswap off the ground by offering studio space and other resources in the Spring of 2018.
• In March 2019, Burton discovered that Adams had raised over $1 million without including him in the round as repayment for his help.

Balance CEO Alleges Betrayal at Hands of Uniswap Founder

Balance CEO Ric Burton has opened legal action against Uniswap founder Hayden Adams, alleging betrayal at hands of someone he once considered one of his “closest friends”.

Burton Helps Get Uniswap Off The Ground

In the Spring of 2018, Burton began hosting events and providing promising developers with resources such as studio space and money. Of all the developers, it was Adams’ unwavering enthusiasm for Uniswap which stood out above the rest.

United by their goal of making “Ethereum magical for people”, the pair quickly became close — supporting each other through their respective struggles to make it.

Realizing the potential ofAdams‘ protocol, Ethereum Foundation soon came knocking and investment firm Paradigm got on board.

Adams Goes AWOL

Before this monumental step forward could be taken though, Adams told Burton he intended to include him in the round as repayment for his help. Believing his word, Burton trusted him but when personal difficulties struck in March 2019 — including being asked to leave Balance by a co-founder — he discovered that Adams had raised over $1 million without any mention of repaying him.

Burton’s Legal Action

Having invested time , friendship , and an unspecified sum of money into assisting Adams launch Uniswap , Burton said he feels heartbroken and sad that his efforts were never repaid . He is now seeking legal action against Hayes for what he believes is a breach of trust .

Conclusion

The story illustrates how difficult it can be to trust someone you believed was your friend . It also highlights how important it is to protect yourself legally when entering business partnerships .

• The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index (FGI) has entered the ‚greed‘ zone for the first time in 10 months.
• The index is made up of a combination of technical and fundamental analysis, using metrics such as volatility, market momentum/trend, trading volume, social media sentiment, and surveys.
• BTC has seen a 40% year-to-date increase and is stable at around $23,000 going into the weekend.

Bitcoin has been making significant strides in recent months, with the original cryptocurrency up nearly 40% year-to-date. This has been reflected in the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index (FGI), which recently entered the ‚greed‘ zone for the first time in 10 months.

The FGI is designed to measure the sentiment of the market, using a combination of technical and fundamental analysis. It uses a variety of data points, including volatility, market momentum/trend, trading volume, social media sentiment, and surveys of investors and traders. All of these are taken into account to create an index that ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating more fear and a lower score indicating more greed.

The positive sentiment of the FGI comes as BTC remains stable at around $23,000 going into the weekend. This stability follows a two-year low in March of 2022, when BTC plummeted to below $16,000.

The current surge in the price of Bitcoin has been attributed to a variety of factors, including an increase in institutional investors, an increase in demand for a safe haven asset, and an increase in interest in cryptocurrencies due to their potential use in the global economy.

Regardless of the cause, it is clear that the FGI is reflecting the bullish sentiment of the market, with the index firmly in the ‚greed‘ zone for the first time in 10 months. Whether or not this trend will continue remains to be seen, but it appears that the market is optimistic about the future of Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market as a whole.

• Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss threatened a lawsuit against crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its CEO Barry Silbert.
• Winklevoss argued that Genesis‘ bankruptcy does not insulate Silbert or DCG from accountability.
• He added that bankruptcy court provides a forum for Genesis, DCG, and Silbert to explain their actions and to make a „fair offer“ to creditors like Gemini Earn users.

The dispute between Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss and crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its CEO Barry Silbert over the $900 million owed by Genesis to Gemini Earn has reached a new level. On Jan. 20, Winklevoss threatened a lawsuit against the company and its head if they failed to make a “fair offer” to creditors like Gemini Earn users.

Winklevoss argued that Genesis’ bankruptcy does not insulate Silbert or DCG from accountability. He said that bankruptcy court provides a much-needed forum for Genesis, DCG, and Silbert to explain their actions and to make a “fair offer” to creditors like Gemini Earn users. He said that the bankruptcy would also subject the firm to a judicial oversight that would force it to reveal “machinations that brought us to this point.”

“We also believe that — in addition to owing creditors all of their money back — Genesis, DCG, and Barry owes them an explanation,” Winklevoss said in a Twitter thread. He added, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

Winklevoss accused Silbert of employing “bad faith stall tactics” and called for Silbert to be sacked. Meanwhile, Genesis denies any wrongdoing and has filed for bankruptcy to “minimize the impact to creditors, customers, and employees.”

The dispute between Winklevoss and Silbert has been escalating for a while. In December, Winklevoss accused Silbert of using the bankruptcy filing by Genesis to avoid paying back the $900 million owed to Gemini Earn users. He also accused Silbert of using the bankruptcy filing to protect himself and DCG from the “enormous financial, legal, and reputational liabilities” resulting from the dispute.

At the same time, Silbert has denied any wrongdoing and claims that Winklevoss is simply trying to score “cheap PR points.” He also noted that he had no control over the bankruptcy filing by Genesis.

The dispute between Winklevoss and Silbert has now reached a critical point. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, it could mean that the $900 million owed to Gemini Earn users may never be recovered. It remains to be seen how this dispute will play out and if Winklevoss will follow through with his threat of legal action.

• 2021 saw a influx of resources acquired through cheap debt, used by BTC miners to grow their ASICS.
• By the end of 2022, Marathon, Hut8, and Riot had the largest total BTC holdings, with 12,232 BTC, 9,086 BTC, and 6,952 BTC, respectively.
• Bit Digital recorded the most growth in reserves, with a 134% increase in nine months.

In 2021, Bitcoin (BTC) miners took advantage of the influx of resources acquired through cheap debt to grow their Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICS). ASICS are specialized computers used to mine BTC, and miners used the resources to continuously increase their BTC holdings until May.

However, the bear market that started in May of 2022 brought immense pressure and led to distribution across miners. The Russian-Ukraine war drove up energy costs, and the BTC price dropped, while the hash rate increased, which heated up the competition for block space. This ultimately led to a decrease in BTC holdings for miners in the second half of the year.

At the end of 2022, Marathon, Hut8, and Riot emerged as the top three companies with the largest total BTC holdings, with 12,232 BTC, 9,086 BTC, and 6,952 BTC, respectively. Marathon’s holdings accounted for 27.7% of the combined BTC pool of the top nine mining companies, while Hut8 and Riot accounted for 20.4% and 17.5%, respectively. Interestingly, Bit Digital recorded the most growth in reserves, with a 134% increase in nine months.

Overall, the BTC volume in exchanges did not see much growth throughout the year, with only less than 60,000 BTC sent to exchanges. This suggests that miners were more focused on keeping the BTC they had mined instead of selling it, likely a result of the bear market.

It will be interesting to see how the holdings of BTC mining companies have changed in 2023. With the BTC bull market happening right now, miners may be more inclined to sell their BTC, which could lead to an increase in the BTC volume in exchanges.