Temasek invests in algorithmic currency system

Temasek, the government-owned investment firm of Singapore, has recently invested $10 million in Array, a developer of an algorithmic currency system based on smart contracts and artificial intelligence. Array has announced that the funding round marks its second, raising its valuation to over $100 million.

The new Temasek-backed algorithmic currency system is aimed at providing a more stable, efficient, and scalable asset than traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. The system is expected to have a variety of use cases, including payments, remittances, and investments.

Array’s smart contract platform, ArrayFi, is designed to enable decentralized applications built on top of its network and driven by its proprietary AI algorithm ArrayGo. ArrayGo operates independently, without any human or institutional control, and is triggered solely by market actions. According to a Medium blog post by the Array team, a traditional bonding curve is implemented manually to ensure the value of the token remains stable and predictable for investors and traders indefinitely. The bonding curve is implemented into a smart contract that governs the issuance and trading of the native token Ara (ARA). The smart contract platform also aims to protect Array users against “pump and dump” schemes.

Temasek’s investment in Array comes several months after the Singapore government admitted that the company suffered reputational damage due to investing in the collapsed crypto exchange FTX. In November 2022, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong argued that Temasek suffered more than just financial losses due to investing in FTX.

Despite suffering significant losses, Temasek continues to invest in cryptocurrency projects. In April, Temasek also participated in a $10 million series A round for the United States-based impact-verification and intelligence firm BlueMark.

Temasek is fully owned by the Ministry of Finance but operates independently. The company was forced to write down its entire $275 million FTX investment, which accounted for just 0.09% of Temasek’s $403 billion portfolio as of March 2022. Despite this loss, Temasek continues to be a major investor in various industries, including technology, healthcare, and financial services.

In conclusion, Temasek’s investment in Array highlights the company’s continued interest in cryptocurrency projects despite significant losses in the past. The new algorithmic currency system developed by Array aims to provide a more stable and efficient asset than traditional cryptocurrencies, with a variety of use cases such as payments, remittances, and investments. With the backing of Temasek, Array’s valuation is set to exceed $100 million, indicating significant potential for growth and development in the future.

Source

Tagged : / / / / /

Visa New Crypto Initiative

Visa, a leading global payment corporation, has announced its latest initiative focused on stablecoin payments. This move is part of the company’s ongoing exploration of the potential benefits of the cryptocurrency industry. Visa’s latest cryptocurrency-related endeavor was unveiled by Cuy Sheffield, the company’s head of crypto, via Twitter on April 24th. Visa made the announcement. A new cryptocurrency product has been developed to promote the extensive use of public blockchain networks and stablecoin transactions.

Visa is on the hunt for software engineers with specialized skills in programming, backend systems, and Web3 technologies. The goal is to create innovative products that simplify digital commerce in our daily lives. The organization is seeking potential employees with prior experience in writing and debugging smart contracts using Github Copilot and other AI-assisted engineering tools. In the latest job posting, the preferred qualifications for the position include a comprehensive understanding of layer 1 and layer 2 solutions, proficiency in writing smart contracts using Solidity programming language, and familiarity with both public and permissioned distributed ledger networks, security protocols, private key custody, and Ethereum enhancements like ERC-4337.

Visa’s venture into the cryptocurrency market in 2020 has led to the development of a new cryptocurrency product. In a recent development, the business has partnered with the blockchain startup Circle to facilitate the integration of the stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) on a specific set of credit cards. In the face of a challenging market for cryptocurrencies in 2022, Visa has reportedly postponed a number of new industry partnerships. Despite the company’s efforts to expand its crypto offerings, setbacks such as the struggles of Celsius and FTX have contributed to a more cautious approach.

Visa has announced a new crypto project, signaling the company’s increasing involvement in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. The move also highlights Visa’s desire to promote the widespread adoption of stablecoin payments. Visa’s goal to encourage widespread use of stablecoin payments is a testament to the growing interest and demand for this type of currency. In a recent development, Visa has launched a new cryptocurrency product that is expected to have a significant impact on the growth and progress of the industry. As more companies and individuals begin to recognize the benefits of cryptocurrencies, this latest offering from Visa is poised to play a crucial role in their adoption.

Source

Tagged : / / / / /

Ethereum Layer 2s See Surge in Popularity in Q1 2023

Ethereum layer 2 networks, including Optimism, Arbitrum, and Polygon, saw a surge in popularity in Q1 2023, according to a report from Web3 development platform Alchemy. The report, titled “Web3 Development Report,” cites data from Dune Analytics and shows that Ethereum users bridged over $635,000 worth of crypto assets to these networks from January to March, a significant increase of 44% over the fourth quarter of 2022 and 518% over the first quarter of 2022.

The growth in bridged assets may have been driven by successful airdrops from Optimism and Arbitrum in Q1 2023, as suggested by the Alchemy report. Additionally, layer 2s saw greater activity from developers, with the deployment of smart contracts related to layer 2s increasing by 160% compared to Q1 2022, despite a 30% decrease from Q4 2022.

Layer 2s have been offered as a solution to Ethereum’s scalability problem, which has been causing high gas fees since as early as 2020. By enabling more transactions to be processed off the main Ethereum network, layer 2s can significantly reduce the fees required to interact with the blockchain. As a result, users are increasingly turning to these new scalability solutions.

This trend is reflected in the broader Ethereum ecosystem, with increased developer interest observed in Q1 2023. According to the Alchemy report, Ethereum software development kits (SDKs) such as Ethers.js, Web3.js, Hardhat, and Web3.py were downloaded 1.9 million times in the first quarter of 2023, an 8% increase from Q1 2022. Downloads of the MetaMask SDK, a tool used to develop apps that can interact with Ethereum wallet MetaMask, also increased in each month of the first quarter.

The crypto industry is coming off the back of a steep downturn in trading volume and crypto prices during 2022, with scandals like the UST depegging and FTX collapse causing many investors to shy away. However, despite this negative sentiment, users still flocked to these new scalability solutions.

While layer 2s have proven to be a useful tool for improving Ethereum’s scalability, some experts have argued that sharding the Ethereum network will also help to cut down on gas fees. Sharding involves breaking up the Ethereum network into smaller, more manageable pieces, allowing for more parallel processing of transactions. Ultimately, a combination of solutions will likely be necessary to address Ethereum’s scalability challenges and keep up with growing demand.

Source

Tagged : / / / / / / / /

Astar Network Launches Second Iteration of Smart Contracts

Astar Network Launches Second Iteration of Smart Contracts, Supporting Ethereum Virtual Machine and WebAssembly Virtual Machine

Astar Network, a multichain decentralized application (DApp) protocol, has announced the launch of the second iteration of its smart contracts on its mainnet on April 6. This iteration will support both Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and WebAssembly Virtual Machine (WASM VM), and the Astar team claims that having both virtual machines and allowing interactions between the two is a “key success factor” in an emerging layer-1 blockchain.

According to the Astar team, even though the Ethereum network brought about the Web3 revolution through smart contracts, it cannot build the future of blockchain on its own. Therefore, Astar Network is offering an alternative for developers who want to utilize the benefits of both EVM and WASM VM.

To celebrate the launch, the Astar team has invited community members to a panel discussion led by its executives and various Polkadot developers to discuss how WASM can be utilized. The company will also meet with its infrastructure partners who will build the foundations for the WASM environment.

This announcement comes as Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Polygon has recently released its zkEVM beta to its mainnet, allowing developers to deploy smart contracts at lower costs. Polygon founder Sandeep Nailwal described zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs as the “holy grail of Ethereum scaling.” The release of Polygon’s zkEVM beta and Astar Network’s launch of its second iteration of smart contracts both offer alternative solutions for developers who want to utilize the benefits of Ethereum scaling.

Meanwhile, the Web3 Foundation, the team behind Polkadot, has once again argued that the Polkadot (DOT) token is not a security. On Jan. 26, the firm restated that DOT has already morphed away from being a security and said that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has welcomed talks with the firm.

In conclusion, Astar Network’s launch of its second iteration of smart contracts that support both EVM and WASM VM offers an alternative solution for developers who want to utilize the benefits of both virtual machines. As the blockchain industry continues to grow and evolve, it is likely that we will see more alternative solutions and protocols emerge to meet the demands of developers and users alike.

Source

Tagged : / / / / /

Forsage Founders Indicted for Alleged $340 Million “Global Ponzi” Scheme on Ethereum Blockchain

A federal grand jury in the District of Oregon has handed down indictments against the individuals who are believed to have been the masterminds behind the “global Ponzi” scam known as Forsage, which is said to have generated $340 million.

According to a statement released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on February 22, the four Russian founders, Vladimir Okhotnikov, Olena Oblamska, Mikhail Sergeev, and Sergey Maslakov, have been formally accused of having key roles in the scheme that raised approximately $340 million from victim-investors. This information comes from the formal accusation.

U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon stated that “today’s indictment is the result of a rigorous investigation that spent months piecing together the systematic theft of hundreds of millions of dollars.” She also stated that “bringing charges against foreign actors who used new technology to commit fraud in an emerging financial market is a complicated endeavor only possible with the full and complete coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies.”

Forsage promoted itself as a low-risk, decentralized financial platform that was based on the Ethereum blockchain and offered customers the opportunity to create passive income over the long term. Blockchain analytics, on the other hand, allegedly shown that eighty percent of Forsage “investors” got back less money than they had initially contributed.

Analysis of the smart contracts, as reported by the Department of Justice (DOJ), indicated that monies that were obtained when new investors acquired “slots” in Forsage’s smart contracts were routed to older investors, which is consistent with the definition of a “Ponzi scheme.”

Forsage has an active Twitter account, on which they recently posted a thread saying that community members who take part in “The Ambassador Program” will be able to receive monthly incentives by accomplishing certain activities. The tweet was published on February 22.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges of fraud and selling unregistered securities against the company’s four founders and seven promoters on August 1. At the time, acting chief of the SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit Carolyn Welshhans said: “Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains.”

Back in 2020, the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission had also raised concerns about Forsage, indicating that it may be a Ponzi scheme. However, one month later, the platform remained the second-most popular decentralized application (DApp) on the Ethereum blockchain.

When a prosecutor brings criminal charges against an individual or group and accuses them of committing an offense, this is referred to as a charge. However, an indictment is filed by a grand jury if prosecutors are successful in persuading a majority of the grand jury members that a formal accusation is warranted following an investigation.

The use of grand juries is widespread practice in the prosecution of significant federal and state criminal crimes.

Source

Tagged : / / / / / / / / / /

Real Vision CEO believes NFT will act similar to high-end property

Raoul Pal, CEO and co-founder of Real Vision, speculates that nonfungible tokens (NFTs) would behave similarly to “high-end property” in the old economy and will outperform Ether (ETH) during boom cycles in the cryptocurrency market.

The former executive at JPMorgan offered a rundown of what he felt most bullish about when it came to NFTs in a video that was uploaded to YouTube and published on February 20. The video lasted one hour and covered topics such as key use cases for the asset class, its underlying technology, and its potential performance in comparison to Ether.

According to Pal, in the same way that “high-end property” often outperforms the market when the “economy rebounds,” it is expected that the same will occur with specific NFTs during boom cycles in the cryptocurrency market.

“Therefore, I am able to transfer my ETH into a JPEG, which is an NFT. However, why? If you like, you can think of a [Crypto]Punk as a high-end property in London or New York or Hong Kong or wherever it is, and when the economy starts booming and people have more money, they tend to buy expensive high-end property. “Well, because much like high-end property and think of a [Crypto]Punk as a high-end property in London or New York or Hong Kong or wherever it is.

In addition to this, it has a history of outperforming the majority of the market. And I believe the same thing will take place in the ETH economy,” he went on to say.

He brought attention to the fact that major collections such as CryptoPunks and the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) have become status symbols in the cryptocurrency community. This is analogous to the fact that owning a luxury home, car, or item from a well-known brand provides access to exclusive clubs or what he referred to as “mini network-states.”

NFTs, he said, provide a “means of owning property in the ETH market.” He went on to say that humans are “stupid” and that we “love to socially signal things.” ETH is a cryptocurrency.

In retrospect, the former manager of a hedge fund stated that it was the year 2022 when non-fungible tokens (NFTs) first began to attract his attention because he began to “understand the power of what they are and what they can do.” This included the ability to transfer “value” using blockchains and automated smart contracts.

He also brought up the applications of NFTs in the resolution of contracts, saying that blockchain-based ledgers can offer verifiable transparency on what has been agreed upon between people, while smart contracts can, in essence, do away with the need for unnecessary third parties. He cited these applications as an example.

“Now, what’s interesting about the smart contract element of a networked financial transaction is the fact that it kind of allows for the settlement mechanism to be automated in code and resolves without the need for a third party, so you don’t need the courts, the lawyers, the notaries, and the accountants,”

Pal said that ever since he began investing in NFTs, he has placed around ten percent of his ETH holdings in “premium NFTs,” such as CryptoPunks and BAYC NFT.

As a result of the fact that such collections have been able to maintain a respectable level of value throughout the bad market, he hypothesized that they may possibly provide greater upside potential than negative danger. He is also of the opinion that there will be a rise in the price of ETH in the future.

“When measured in terms of ETH, the prices of CryptoPunks and Bored Apes have shown an astonishing lack of volatility over the last several days. Yes, they had a blow-off top, and once it subsided, they returned and have been trading about 65 ETH ever since. And the fact that they didn’t fall too much farther is something that fascinates me about it. During the large crypto market crash in June, they had a strong rise. Aside from that, though, they have just made a comeback and have maintained their position at 65 ETH. Therefore, whatever ETH does, they are just replicating it,” he said.

Source

Tagged : / / / /

The Most Unworkable State Law

The cryptocurrency industry has recently criticised a bill that was recently proposed in the Illinois Senate due to its “unworkable” intentions to compel blockchain miners and validators to perform “impossible things.” One example of this would be undoing transactions if a state court ordered them to do so.

The Senate Bill was surreptitiously submitted into the Illinois senate on February 9 by Illinois Senator Robert Peters. However, it does not seem that the community was aware of it until February 19, when Florida-based attorney Drew Hinkes mentioned it in a tweet.

The bill, which would give the courts the authority to alter or rescind a blockchain transaction that was carried out through the use of a smart contract, would be given the title “Digital Property Protection and Law Enforcement Act,” and it would give the courts this authority in response to a valid request from the attorney general or a state’s attorney that is made in accordance with the laws of Illinois.

Any “blockchain network that executes a blockchain transaction originating in the State” would be subject to the act if it were to become law.

When it comes to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, Hinkes referred to the proposed legislation as “the most impractical state law” he has ever seen.

“This is a shocking about-face for a state that was previously supportive of innovation. Instead, he tweeted that the state had enacted “probably the most impractical state legislation relating to cryptocurrency and blockchain I have ever seen.”

According to the provisions of the law, miners and validators on the blockchain might be subject to fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for each day that they disobey the instructions of the court.

Hinkes said that it would be “difficult” for miners and validators to comply with the measure suggested by Senator Peters, despite the fact that he acknowledged the need of passing legislation that would increase consumer protection.

Hinkes was also surprised to learn that miners and validators who worked on a blockchain network that “has not adopted reasonably available processes” to comply with the court orders would have “no defense” open to them.

The law also seems to dictate that “any person utilizing a smart contract to supply goods and services” must include code in the smart contract that may be used to comply with court orders. This code can be used to ensure that the terms of the smart contract are followed.

“Any person utilizing a smart contract to supply goods or services in this State should incorporate smart contract code capable of implementing court orders respecting the smart contract,” is the full text of the law.

Other members of the bitcoin community have replied with derision of the measure in a manner similar to what was previously said.

On February 19, the crypto analyst “foobar” remarked to the 120,800 people who follow him on Twitter that court-ordered transactions would need to be changed “without having the private key” of the participants, which he found to be “hilarious.”

Source

Tagged : / / / / / / / / / /

DekaBank to Launch Blockchain-Based Tokenization Platform

Together with the digital asset startup Metaco, the German bank DekaBank, which has been in business for 105 years, is now working on the preparations necessary to launch a tokenization platform that is powered by blockchain technology.

Sack has said that the infrastructure for the tokenization platform will become accessible in the not too distant future, and that this will result in the introduction of the first minimum viable product in our cryptocurrency custody solution. Moreover, he believes that this will take place very soon. He went on to explain that it is extremely conceivable that the tokenization platform will have its first set of test transactions this year. He said that this year is the most likely time for this to occur.

In collaboration with the digital asset management platform Metaco Harmonize, the next blockchain platform that will be used by DekaBank is now in the process of being developed. The statement about the financial institution’s relationship with Metaco was made in an official capacity on January 31. It is the intention of the bank to make use of Harmonize as the key platform for what it refers to as a “institutional digital asset offering.”

According to Sack, the next sale will include tokenizing assets like as shares, bonds, and money in order to create a new token economy viable. This will make it possible to buy and sell tokens. In addition, he said that “Metaco is the key to this economy since it is our major management solution for tokenized assets on different blockchains.” The reason for this is due to the fact that Metaco is the driving force behind this economy.

The CEO said that the process of tokenization takes use of a number of other blockchains, such as Ethereum and Polygon, amongst others. “It is not yet clear if there is one blockchain that will become the standard,” he stated. “It is possible that several blockchains will coexist.” There is a possibility that more than one blockchain may emerge as the industry standard.

Source

Tagged : / / / / / /

Australia Opens Public Consultation on National Taxonomy of Crypto Assets

In response to the ongoing regulatory arms race taking place throughout the world, Australia has initiated a public consultation over the classification of its own cryptocurrency assets. The national authorities want to differentiate between four primary categories of items that are connected to the cryptocurrency business.

The Australian Treasury issued a consultation document on “token mapping” on February 3, claiming that it would serve as a fundamental step in the government’s multistage reform strategy to regulate the market. This announcement was made. It is intended to contribute to “a fact-based, consumer mindful, and innovation-friendly” approach to the formulation of public policy.

In this study, some fundamental definitions for cryptographic concepts are proposed using a methodology that is both “functional” and technology-neutral.

At the most fundamental level, it provides an explanation of the fundamental ideas behind cryptographic networks, cryptographic tokens, and smart contracts. A decentralised computer network that is capable of hosting crypto tokens is what the Treasury envisions when it talks about what a crypto network is. The storing of information and the processing of user commands are its two fundamental functions. According to the research study, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two public crypto networks that have the largest name recognition.

A unit of digital information that may be “exclusively utilised or controlled” by a person who does not administrate the host hardware where the token is recorded is referred to as a crypto token. This is the definition of a crypto token. According to the research report, one of the most important characteristics that set crypto tokens apart from other types of digital records is the ability to exercise “exclusive use and control.”

A computer code that is submitted to the database of a crypto network is what constitutes a smart contract. It entails intermediaries or agents executing tasks under promises or other arrangements or processes being carried out by cryptographic networks without the need of intermediaries or agents, as well as without the use of promises.

Using these straightforward concepts as a foundation, the study presents its taxonomy of four distinct categories of crypto-related products:

Although the study does not present any legislative efforts and rather suggests to begin the conversation on this taxonomy, the authors of the article predict that a significant section of the crypto ecosystem will be able to comply with current regulations with only minor modifications. It is the parts of the ecosystem whose services are being assured by public, self-service software that may need the development of a whole new regulatory framework.

The Treasury Department will keep an open mind and listen for input until March 3. Midway through the year 2023, a similar report will be published on the potential licencing and custody framework for cryptocurrencies. This will be the next key stage in the ongoing process of a national regulatory debate.

The consultation document that His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom had prepared for the crypto regulation was also released on February 1. In it, the financial authority stressed the lack of requirement in the separate law, given that the current Financial Services and Markets Act is capable of covering digital assets. This is due to the fact that the Financial Services and Markets Act was amended in 2013.

Source

Tagged : / / / / /

China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

Improvements have been implemented into China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), often known as the digital yuan or eCNY. These upgrades have given the digital yuan the ability to participate in smart contracts, and they have also introduced a number of new use cases.

According to a story published on January 17 by a local cryptocurrency media site called 8btc, the smart contract capability was released on the Meituan app, which is a Chinese app that offers retail and food delivery services.

When a user of Meituan places an order and pays for it with their e-CNY wallet, a smart contract is triggered, and the contract examines the order for certain keywords and things that were bought.

If a user purchases an item that is included in the list of keywords for the day, they will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a portion of a reward.

The award consists of a portion of a “red envelope,” also known as an hongbao in the area, which contains 8,888 yuan, which is equivalent to little more than $1,300.

Hongbao are wallet-sized packages that have long been used as an auspicious way to present monetary presents during the Chinese New Year celebration.

In an effort to encourage more people to use the e-CNY wallet app before the Chinese New Year begins on January 22, the developers included a function in December of the previous year that enables users to send digital red envelopes to one another.

In conjunction with the most recent advancement, new applications for the e-CNY have also been developed during the course of the last several days.

According to a story that was published in the China Shares Journal on January 16, e-CNY was utilised for the very first time to purchase securities.

In addition, investors are able to purchase assets via the CBDC by using the mobile app for Soochow Securities, which is a local brokerage business.

According to a report published on January 11 by Yicai Global, the digital yuan wallet software has gotten an upgrade that enables users to conduct contactless payments using their Android phones even when their device does not have access to the internet or electricity.

The new applications for the digital yuan come at a time when China is having difficulty increasing the usage of its central bank digital currency (CBDC).

In December 2022, a former official from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, made a rare public admission saying that the digital yuan’s “usage has been low” and “highly inactive,” and added that “the results are not ideal.” This admission was made by saying that the digital yuan’s “usage has been low” and “highly inactive.”

On January 10, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) for the first time included e-CNY in currency circulation data, which revealed that the CBDC constituted around 0.13% of the 10.47 trillion yuan ($1.54 trillion) in circulation at the end of 2022.

Source

Tagged : / / / / / / /
Bitcoin (BTC) $ 26,973.23 0.67%
Ethereum (ETH) $ 1,878.21 1.26%
Litecoin (LTC) $ 94.81 4.03%
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) $ 114.44 1.54%