von • CZ denies rumors that senior Binance executives are resigning due to ongoing regulatory challenges.
• BlackRock CEO Larry Fink praises Bitcoin as an ‘international asset’ and likens crypto to ‘digitizing gold’.
• Op-ed: The outlook for DeFi lending remains strong – the industry is mature and ripe for institutions.
Rumors of Senior Binance Executives Resigning
CZ has denied rumors that senior Binance executives have resigned due to ongoing regulatory challenges. This comes amid increasing scrutiny from governments and regulators on cryptocurrency exchanges, leading some to speculate that certain executives had decided to move on from their roles at the company.
BlackRock CEO Praises Crypto
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has praised Bitcoin as an „international asset“ and likened it to „digitizing gold“. He believes that the digital asset could play a major role in helping people diversify their portfolios, noting its potential as an inflation hedge in times of economic uncertainty.
DeFi Lending Market Growing
The DeFi lending market has seen a 20.5% increase in Total Value Locked (TVL) so far this year, signaling a shift in the crypto credit landscape. The emergence of sophisticated platforms such as Clearpool is further propelling the evolution of DeFi, with traditional and crypto-native institutions recognizing its potential to solve the problems exposed by CeFi failures in 2022.
Regulations Present Hurdles
Despite these advances, regulations still present hurdles for DeFi lenders – particularly those based in the US – who must adhere to strict rules or face fines and other penalties. Bitwage recently announced it was halting USDC payments for US residents because of these regulations, while Valkyrie’s spot-Bitcoin ETF application has been refiled with Coinbase named as surveillance partner.
Contrasting Approaches To Scalability
Finally, NEAR and Ethereum are taking contrasting approaches when it comes to scalability issues faced by blockchain networks; Shards versus Layer-2s respectively. While both options offer solutions, it remains unclear which one will prove more successful over time – though both are likely needed if blockchain is going to reach mass adoption levels.
