Blockwater Technologies Defaults Loan from TrueFi

Decentralized lending protocol TrueFi announced that Blockwater Technologies has defaulted on a loan, which is another example of the crypto industry’s insolvency crisis.

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The protocol issued a “notice of default” to the South Korean blockchain investment firm on October 6 after it failed payment on a $3.4 million loan in Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin, according to a statement from TrueFi.

The debt default from Blockwater came about after the two firms restructured the loan and extended the payment period in August. 

The blockchain investment firm has only managed to repay $654,000 of its outstanding debt following the restructuring decision. However, the firm failed to make payment on time, and the debt currently amounts to $3 million.

Defaulting on a loan means that a company has stopped making payments on a loan according to the terms and conditions agreed upon by both parties.

According to the lending protocol’s statement, TrueFi determined that “a potential court-supervised administrative proceeding would lead to a better outcome for stakeholders given the complexity around the sudden insolvency.”

“While we always prefer to pursue an out-of-court solution with distressed borrowers, in some instances an administrative proceeding is the best option in preserving value for stakeholders,” Roshan Daria – head of lending at ArchBlock – responsible for managing relationships between lenders and borrowers on the TrueFi protocol, told CoinDesk.

Many crypto companies have gone bankrupt this year due to the dramatic downturn of the crypto market, which took an even worse turn after the implosion of the Terra blockchain. Companies that have suffered bankruptcy include hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), crypto lender Celsius Network, digital asset broker Voyager Digital and crypto-mining data centre operator Compute North.

TrueFi remained in “active discussion” with Blockwater. As per the statement, it said that Blockwater’s insolvency does not affect the protocol’s other lending pools.

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TRON’s Founder Justin Sun Could be Real Acquirer of Huobi Global: Sources

Justin Sun, founder of Tron, could be the real buyer behind the deal for the acquisition of Huobi Global, according to sources with the matter.

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The information was first disclosed by a Chinese online media outlet of @wublockchain12 on Monday, Oct 10, citing multiple sources with the matter and claiming that Sun is the real investor by offering $1 billion behind the deal.

Yet, no parties confirmed or denied the acquisition at the time of writing.

Justin Sun tweeted on Monday, confirming that he has joined and been appointed as one of the advisors of Huobi Global.”:

“I am very honoured to be appointed as a member of the Global Advisory Board of @HuobiGlobal and work with industry, academic, and policy leaders to help guide and grow this innovative, vibrant, and resilient organization in its latest chapter of global expansion.”

Meanwhile, Sun also added the link Huobi on his cover page Twitter in English-version account.

Among advisors, Ted Chen, CEO of About Capital; Du Jun, co-founder of Huobi Global; Wang Yang, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Leah Wald, CEO of Valkyrie Investments, also joined the advisory board, per the announcement of Huobi Global.

The rumour came after Huobi Global’s transaction announced last Friday that the crypto exchange “has completed the transaction to sell its entire shareholding in Huobi Global to the buyout vehicle managed by a Hong Kong-based About Capital Management (HK) Co., Limited (“About Capital”).” Per the statement, the buyout vehicle of About Capital will control the majority stake in Huobi Global upon completion of the transaction.

With the latest development, About Capital’s move was described as merely “a bridge” for Justin Sun’s acquisition.

Huobi was trading up to $4.4739 at 2:20 pm HKT, up over 5% during the intraday, according to CoinMarkCap.

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Over 12,000 Brazilan Firms Hold Crypto, Says Local Tax Authority

Brazil registered a hike in records of companies and institutions claiming to hold some cryptocurrencies, according to a recent report from the Brazilian Tax Authority (RFB).

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The report showed that more than 12,000 companies in Brazil admit to holding cryptocurrencies as part of their revenues. This is an increase compared to the 11,360 companies confirmed in July.

Although, the number of individuals confirmed to own some cryptocurrencies in the same month declined by 35,000. 

The  adoption rates are still very much at the top, given that more than 1.3 million people registered.

Notably, this information was obtained from the mandatory monthly report from the RFB on the ownership of cryptocurrencies which gives a brief look at how the market is going so far.

Furthermore, the report also revealed that most significant volumes are moved using the dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Tether, USDT.

Over $1.4 billion was moved using USDT covering 79,836 operations in August, with an average amount of almost $18,000 per transaction.

However, comparing the number of transactions executed in the same period, Bitcoin surpassed tether’s USDT, with more than 2.1 million transactions made using BTC.

Nevertheless, one thing worth noting is that the aggregated money involved was much less, holding out with an average amount of about  $130 per transaction.

In addition, not only USDT and BTC were being adopted. BRZ, the first Brazilian real-pegged stablecoin, ETH, and USDC – another dollar-pegged stablecoin, also registered unprecedented levels of movement.

While the cause for the crypto adoption in Brazil might be due to the issue the country’s economy is facing, which has made dollar-pegged stablecoins and digital assets appealing.

One positive way of looking at it is that it could at least push foreign crypto companies to the region. On Friday, crypto exchange platform FTX announced its partnership with Visa Inc. to continue expanding the rollouts of its crypto debit cards to 40 countries, including a number of Latin America.

Additionally, in August, a US-based leading provider of crypto solutions for businesses, Ripple, announced the launch of its crypto on-demand liquidity (ODL) in Brazil.

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DeFi Startup Arch Secures $5m from Seed Round, to Achieve ‘BlackRock of Web3’

Arch Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) startup, has acquired $5 million in funding from a seed round to make an effort to accomplish its goal of becoming the “BlackRock of web3.”

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As reported by The Block, this new seed round funding will be used to tokenize an extensive range of decentralized finance indices and to build the platform into a decentralized asset management protocol.

According to the company release, the fundraising is co-led by Digital Currency Group and SoftBank spinoff Upload Ventures. Other investors include the venture arm of Latin America blockchain firm Ripio, TechStars, and GBV.

Andres Fleischer, managing partner of Ripio Ventures, stated that Arch Finance provided solution is compelling since it’s bringing in something complex but making it easy for everyone to do it.

Arch is a portfolio management startup that aims to make investments in DeFi accessible to the public.

Christopher Storaker, co-founder and CEO of Arch, in an interview with The Block, stated, “diversification is the only free lunch in finance,” and he wants to make it simple for the web3 ecosystem.

Storaker said his decentralized asset management protocol, Arch finance, creates well-diversified tokenized investment portfolios that individuals will be able to buy using smart contracts and self-custody.

When asked why investors should choose Arch over buying a crypto exchange-traded product (ETP) from a player like BlackRock or 21Shares, Storaker replied, “Arch will take a different approach by going beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum to provide investors exposure to the cutting-edge of what’s happening in web3.”

“When we say ‘BlackRock of web3,’ we really want to be on par on the methodology side with what they do and what people expect from passive products,” said Storaker.

Notably, Arch Finance has previously raised a pre-seed round and went through the TechStars accelerator program.

The portfolio management platform will offer two index tokens, including the Arch blockchain token. These index tokens would be used to track the largest blockchains, and the Arch Ethereum Web3 token will track native tokens of notable protocols like Uniswap and Chainlink.

Speaking of seed rounds, in June, Astaria, an NFT lending platform unlocking instant liquidity, raised a total of $8 million in a seed round from significant venture capital and angel investors to Improve NFT Lending Liquidity.

With this series of funding, even amid the bear market, the saying “bear markets are for building” seems to have been justified.

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DeFi Startup Arch Secures $5m from Seed Round to Become ‘BlackRock of Web3’

Arch Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) startup, has acquired $5 million in funding from a seed round to make an effort to accomplish its goal of becoming the “BlackRock of web3.”

funding_1200.jpg

As reported by The Block, this new seed round funding will be used to tokenize an extensive range of decentralized finance indices and to build the platform into a decentralized asset management protocol.

According to the company release, the fundraising is co-led by Digital Currency Group and SoftBank spinoff Upload Ventures. Other investors include the venture arm of Latin America blockchain firm Ripio, TechStars, and GBV.

Andres Fleischer, managing partner of Ripio Ventures, stated that Arch Finance provided solution is compelling since it’s bringing in something complex but making it easy for everyone to do it.

Arch is a portfolio management startup that aims to make investments in DeFi accessible to the public.

Christopher Storaker, co-founder and CEO of Arch, in an interview with The Block, stated, “diversification is the only free lunch in finance,” and he wants to make it simple for the web3 ecosystem.

Storaker said his decentralized asset management protocol, Arch finance, creates well-diversified tokenized investment portfolios that individuals will be able to buy using smart contracts and self-custody.

When asked why investors should choose Arch over buying a crypto exchange-traded product (ETP) from a player like BlackRock or 21Shares, Storaker replied, “Arch will take a different approach by going beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum to provide investors exposure to the cutting-edge of what’s happening in web3.”

“When we say ‘BlackRock of web3,’ we really want to be on par on the methodology side with what they do and what people expect from passive products,” said Storaker.

Notably, Arch Finance has previously raised a pre-seed round and went through the TechStars accelerator program.

The portfolio management platform will offer two index tokens, including the Arch blockchain token. These index tokens would be used to track the largest blockchains, and the Arch Ethereum Web3 token will track native tokens of notable protocols like Uniswap and Chainlink.

Speaking of seed rounds, in June, Astaria, an NFT lending platform unlocking instant liquidity, raised a total of $8 million in a seed round from significant venture capital and angel investors to Improve NFT Lending Liquidity.

With this series of funding, even amid the bear market, the saying “bear markets are for building” seems to have been justified.

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Iranian Bitcoin Advocate Arrested by Local Security Forces

Ziya Sadr, an Iranian Bitcoin advocate, has been arrested by Iranian security forces. Multiple sources disclosed the matter, which was reported on Sunday.

According to sources, the arrest occurred on the streets of Tehran on September 19, and so far, Sadr has not been released.

Sadr’s arrest came amid widespread anti-government protests following the killing of a 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini who died in police custody. Iranian authorities arrested at least 35 journalists in connection with the widespread demonstrations.

While Sadr is currently being held in Fashafouyeh Prison and remains in contact with his family and close friends, the reason for his arrest has not been tabled.

Sources said Sadr was not participating in a protest at the time of his arrest. He was set to be released on bail Sunday, but mass arrests from the protests have caused bail requests across the country to be delayed.

Sadr is just one of several Iranian residents and activists detained by the government in the weeks following the protests. It is unknown if the Iranian government’s interest in Sadr is associated with his Bitcoin advocacy.

Sadr is a popular Bitcoin educator and Youtuber and an advocate for the technology. He has been translating Bitcoin content into Farsi and promoting privacy-focused ways to use Bitcoin for personal transactions.

Last year, Ziya Sadr, a Tehran-based Bitcoin expert, disclosed the role that Bitcoin plays for Iran’s economy amid sanctions levelled against the country. For Iran, anonymous transactions made in cryptocurrencies allow local users and firms to bypass economic sanctions that have crippled the economy.

Sadr said: “Iranians understand the value of such a borderless network much more than others because we can’t access any kind of global payment networks. Bitcoin shines here.”

Since former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Tehran’s nuclear accord with world powers in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, crypto has surged in popularity in the Islamic nation.

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Dapper Labs Restricts Russian-based NFT Accounts, Abides by EU Sanctions

Dapper Labs – a company behind NFTs like CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot, NFL All Day, UFC Strike, and the Flow blockchain – has confirmed it is cutting off payment services for non-fungible owners with links to Russia – said the move is due to new EU sanctions on Russia.

The NFT company said it is blocking Russian accounts from being able to purchase, sell or gift NFTs, as well as make other NFT purchases or withdrawals from the platform. Dapper stated: “It is now prohibited to provide crypto-asset wallet, account or custody services of any value to accounts with connections to Russia.”

Dapper explained that the sanctions prohibit companies from providing crypto wallet and custody services to accounts associated with Russian users. The company said its business service offering is based in the EU, which has ordered it to comply with the sanctions.

The Vancouver-based firm said while affected users cannot move funds, gift tokens, sell NFTs or purchase new ones, they still own their assets on the platform and can continue viewing them.

The announcement comes after several crypto users raised complaints that they could not access their accounts and even showed email communication from Dapper Labs about the restrictions.

Last Thursday, the European Union introduced another wave of sanctions against Russia due to the prolonged invasion of Ukraine. The new sanctions enforced a complete ban on cross-border crypto payments between Russians and the EU. The ban prohibits all crypto-asset wallets, accounts, or custody services, regardless of the amount of funds in the wallet.

The EU introduced the new sanctions in response to Russia’s continued escalation of conflicts in Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the EU has continued evolving packages of sanctions on Russia in a bid to close potential loopholes which could allow Russians to move funds abroad.

The latest sanctions come shortly after Russian officials approved cryptocurrency usage for cross-border payments. Late month, Russia’s Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance approved crypto payments for cross-border use. This way will help the country evade the multiple financial sanctions that have been levied against it.

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Dapper Labs Restricts NFT Accounts Associated with Russian Users

Dapper Labs – a company behind NFTs like CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot, NFL All Day, UFC Strike, and the Flow blockchain – has confirmed it is cutting off payment services for non-fungible owners with links to Russia – said the move is due to new EU sanctions on Russia.

The NFT company said it is blocking Russian accounts from being able to purchase, sell or gift NFTs, as well as make other NFT purchases or withdrawals from the platform. Dapper stated: “It is now prohibited to provide crypto-asset wallet, account or custody services of any value to accounts with connections to Russia.”

Dapper explained that the sanctions prohibit companies from providing crypto wallet and custody services to accounts associated with Russian users. The company said its business service offering is based in the EU, which has ordered it to comply with the sanctions.

The Vancouver-based firm said while affected users cannot move funds, gift tokens, sell NFTs or purchase new ones, they still own their assets on the platform and can continue viewing them.

The announcement comes after several crypto users raised complaints that they could not access their accounts and even showed email communication from Dapper Labs about the restrictions.

Last Thursday, the European Union introduced another wave of sanctions against Russia due to the prolonged invasion of Ukraine. The new sanctions enforced a complete ban on cross-border crypto payments between Russians and the EU. The ban prohibits all crypto-asset wallets, accounts, or custody services, regardless of the amount of funds in the wallet.

The EU introduced the new sanctions in response to Russia’s continued escalation of conflicts in Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the EU has continued evolving packages of sanctions on Russia in a bid to close potential loopholes which could allow Russians to move funds abroad.

The latest sanctions come shortly after Russian officials approved cryptocurrency usage for cross-border payments. Late month, Russia’s Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance approved crypto payments for cross-border use. This way will help the country evade the multiple financial sanctions that have been levied against it.

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BaaS Startup Domineum to Train 100k Nigerian Students in Blockchain Solutions

Domineum, a London-based Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) startup, is set to train as many as 100,000 students under the umbrella of the Nigeria Association of Computing Students (NACOS) in blockchain and emerging technologies. 

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As announced, the partnership seeks to ensure the youths, which are considered the future leaders in digital technologies, gain the adequate skills they need to be changemakers and contribute their quota to the Nigerian economy.

Africa has often been seen as an untapped region when it comes to blockchain-related initiatives. While the region is known as a major hub in terms of the growth and adoption of blockchain-related innovations.

When it comes to crypto trading activities, Nigeria has consistently been ranked above a number of other African countries, as well as emerging countries in other parts of the world. The move from Domineum to train budding professionals will seek to bridge the gap in what Nigeria currently lacks and what it needs to stay well visible on the radar as one of the most renowned crypto hotspots in the world.

“The NACOS / DOMINEUM partnership is a strategic collaboration that will bring a significant change to all students studying computer-related courses in tertiary institutions across Nigeria,” said Geoffrey Weli-Wosu, Chief Executive Officer of Domineum Blockchain Solutions, adding that “Youths hold the future of IT in Nigeria, and it is paramount that they should be invested in and supported with the necessary resources, connections, and opportunities to excel.”

Crypto and blockchain-related education account for one of the most proactive ways to build capacity in the nascent ecosystem and empower the next generation of developers. Stakeholders in the crypto world, including exchanges and Layer-1 and 2 protocols, are investing heavily in blockchain-related education.

Thus far, most of these programs have led to a series of hackathons from which innovative projects serving the broader crypto ecosystem have emerged.

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Top 3 Crypto Gainers as Market Sees Flat Recovery: XRP, QNT, and CSPR

The digital currency ecosystem is seeing a general flat growth over the past 24 hours, evidenced by the combined crypto market cap, which was up 0.25% to $945.82 billion. 

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The past week, as usual, has been filled with a lot of ups and downs for the top digital currencies, all of whom have managed to pare off some of the steep losses accrued in the trailing 7-day period. 

With bankruptcy rocking the crypto world and known companies losing their top executives, the upset in the industry is only climbing more. However, amidst all these, XRP, Quant (QNT), and Casper Network (CSPR) have stood out over the past week.

XRP (XRP)

Arguably one of the most resilient tokens since the start of the crypto winter, further compounded by the fact that it is at the centre of the legal battle between the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its associated blockchain payments company, Ripple Labs Inc.

At its current price of $0.5403, XRP has seen a 16.98% growth over the past week, reiterating how much of a bullish run it has printed in that time frame per the chart below.

Quant (QNT)

Quant is consistently top-performing and is known to have featured in the previous Blockchain.News altcoins watchlist. Currently changing hands at $157.63, up 6.57% in the past 24 hours and by 17.20% over the past week, the token is notably one of the altcoins to watch for the coming week.

Quant is notably expanding its ecosystem and relevance by a large factor as a protocol to connect blockchain protocols on a global scale.

Casper Network (CSPR)

The Casper Network recently made it to the top 100 biggest cryptocurrencies list by market cap. Investors have taken their time to ascertain how revolutionary the protocol has been since its token sale in Q1 2021.

Branded as a functional, highly efficient, low-energy consuming layer 1 protocol, Casper adoption and token price growth took a new dimension this past week.

While its price is slightly below its weekly high, the current $0.03634 came by following a 24.94% growth over the past 7 days, the highest of the top 100 coins surveyed over the same timeframe.

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Bitcoin (BTC) $ 27,689.42 1.06%
Ethereum (ETH) $ 1,643.78 0.13%
Litecoin (LTC) $ 64.61 0.52%
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) $ 231.18 1.31%