Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has shared his cryptocurrency investment strategy. He revealed that 20% of his portfolio is now in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. “The whole point is you don’t know who is going to win.”

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Dubai has adopted its first law to regulate the crypto sector. It has also established a dedicated regulator to oversee crypto activities and related service providers.

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The Prime Minister of Estonia has said cryptocurrencies must be restricted in order to address loopholes that may be used by sanctioned Russian entities to evade the punitive measures. In addition, the premier wants all Russian as well as Belarusian banks to be removed from the global payment network.

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Many people in the crypto industry welcome President Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto. A crypto regulatory expert says, “It’s about as good as we could ask.” Another sees the order as the federal government viewing “cryptocurrency as a legitimate, serious, and important part of the economy and society.”

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Authorities in Russia are continuing their work to establish a comprehensive legal framework for crypto transactions. The efforts, which started before the military invasion of Ukraine, go on amid warnings that Moscow may use cryptocurrencies to evade expanding financial sanctions.

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Ukraine has raised more than $17 million in cryptocurrency donations since Russia began its invasion. Over $10 million were donated directly to the crypto wallets posted by the Ukrainian government about 24 hours after the government solicited donations in bitcoin, ether, and tether.

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The Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase says the number of monthly transacting users on its platform rose to 11.4 million at the end of 2021, which was more than four times the previous year. In addition, Coinbase’s trading volume grew more than 8.5 times from the previous year, and the number of verified users has risen to 89 million.

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Famous actor Ryan Reynolds says crypto is “emerging as a huge, huge player.” The Hollywood star added that “companies are doing a good job of bringing it into a sort of safer, more mainstream light.”

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President Alexander Lukashenko has signed another decree regulating the crypto economy of Belarus. It envisages the establishment of a register for cryptocurrency wallets and addresses certain legal aspects pertaining to the circulation of cryptocurrencies in the country.

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The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), working in partnership with Bank ABC, recently announced it had successfully tested the transfer of funds across borders using JPMorgan’s JPM Coin. The test fulfills the central bank’s goal of creating safe and efficient settlement solutions for customers.

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Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre recently became one of the country’s early adopters of blockchain technology after it implemented a “digital credentialing solution.”

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Tezos blockchain has reportedly agreed to a training kit sponsorship with Manchester United in a deal that will see the latter receive over $27 million per year. This deal adds to Tezos’ growing list of sports teams it has sponsored since May 2021.

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During the weekend, when bitcoin rose to a two-week high, it was Gala that stole the show after climbing 37%. Bulls returned to action on Saturday, as the global crypto market capitalization was around 8% higher.

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Real estate sales in the metaverse are expected to reach a billion dollars this year, according to a metaverse analytics firm. The company expects real estate sales on four major metaverse platforms, which surpassed $501 million last year, to double this year.

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Russians may own more cryptocurrency than previously thought, a new estimate reportedly used by the government has indicated. The quoted figure amounts to over a tenth of the global holdings and may serve as an impetus for the government to regulate Russia’s crypto market rather than outlaw it.

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The founder of Barstool Sports blog, Dave Portnoy, announced he purchased 29 bitcoin on January 28, spending more than a million dollars. The day trader has had his ups and downs with bitcoin over the last few years, and it seems he’s now jumping back into the market.

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The Trump family has threatened legal action over trumpcoin, a cryptocurrency created in 2016 “to honor Donald J. Trump.” Eric Trump said that the crypto has nothing to do with the Trump family. “We do not authorize the use and we are in no way affiliated with this group. Legal action will be taken,” he said.

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Banks in Russia are preparing to dive into the pilot phase of the digital ruble project and some are already testing transactions with the currency. Trials have started with customer-to-customer (C2C) payments and Bank of Russia plans to expand the types of operations in the future.

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Animoca Brands has announced the blockchain and cryptocurrency-focused firm has raised $358.8 million to bolster the non-fungible token (NFT) industry and “build the open metaverse.” The capital raise follows the firm’s previous $65 million and $138.88 million raises last year and today, Animoca Brands has an overall valuation of $5 billion.

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As part of regulations that are set to become effective in mid-February, crypto-asset investment promoters will be required to inform the Spanish securities watchdog of the contents of any ad that targets over 100,000 people.

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On Monday, January 10, the Argentina-based mobile wallet company Belo announced that the platform has added support for the Lightning Network by partnering with the bitcoin payment processor and infrastructure provider Opennode.

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A crypto working group has held its first meeting at Russia’s parliament. Its members have been tasked to put forward legislative proposals designed to comprehensively regulate cryptocurrencies and related matters in the Russian Federation.

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The central bank of Russia intends to ensure that the digital ruble is convertible to foreign currencies and can be used by non-residents. In a document devoted to the digitalization of the Russian financial sector, the regulator reiterates its concerns over the risks associated with cryptocurrencies and insists that state-issued digital currencies are safer.

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In early 2022, South Africa will have a new regulatory framework that covers cryptocurrencies, a commissioner with a regulatory body has said.

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Kickstarter, one of the leading crowdfunding platforms on the market, has decided to abandon its current business model and migrate to a blockchain-based platform. This will be built by an independent organization funded initially by Kickstarter to work on the protocol. The new platform will be built on top of the Celo blockchain.

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Some economic experts from Africa have suggested that the continent now needs a common cryptocurrency and an integrated capital market to boost trade and sustain growth.

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American Express’ Amex Ventures, Visa, Citi Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, Jump Capital, Marshall Wace, Block (formerly Square Inc.), and Paypal Ventures are among investors in the latest funding round of crypto transaction monitoring and forensics platform TRM.

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Bancolombia, Colombia’s largest bank, will be offering cryptocurrency trading to customers in a pilot program within a regulatory framework established by the country’s financial regulator, the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC). Customers of the Colombian bank will be able to trade bitcoin, ether, litecoin, and bitcoin cash.

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Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Phemex is celebrating its 2nd anniversary this November. It’s been an eventful couple of years for the derivatives platform, and with its Choose Your Reality event, this anniversary is going to be a memorable one.

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On November 30, the crypto firm Blockchain.com announced it acquired the Argentina-based investment platform Sesocio. According to the firm, the acquisition will give the company’s global workforce an aggregate headcount of 400 Blockchain.com employees worldwide.

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