The Nigerian Securities Regulator has proposed a rule requiring virtual asset service providers to be incorporated and maintain an office within Nigeria. The regulator has also suggested a fivefold increase in the registration fee, which must be submitted alongside license applications from prospective crypto exchanges.

…

Some of London’s wealthy residents are reportedly using cryptocurrency to pay for luxury home rentals. High interest rates and a dampened real estate market have led the city’s affluent residents to opt against buying properties. The acceptance of payment in cryptocurrency demonstrates the real estate agency’s openness and its eagerness to become “a leader within the real estate sector.”

…

In an unprecedented surge, global crypto investment products experienced a historic influx of $2.7 billion last week, signaling strong confidence among investors and propelling assets under management (AUM) back to December 2021 levels.

…

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: $400 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme founders were arrested in Argentina, the Central Bank of Brazil established cryptocurrency regulation as a priority, and the Argentine Fintech Chamber proposed crypto tax exemptions in Argentina.

…

Marathon Digital Holdings, one of the world’s largest public Bitcoin mining companies, has announced its work on Anduro, a multichain, layer two platform on top of Bitcoin. With Anduro, Marathon proposes the creation of several sidechains designed to expand Bitcoin’s standard functionality and attract activity previously directed to other chains.

…

The Avalanche blockchain has encountered a disruption due to a “stall in block finalization.” AVA Labs’ co-founder, Kevin Sekniqi, suggested that the problem might stem from a recent surge in inscriptions.

…

The volume of daily transactions on the Bitcoin network has seen a significant decline since Jan. 28, 2024, with numbers falling from peaks above 600,000 to below 300,000 transactions per day. This downturn is in sync with a decrease in the daily creation of Ordinal inscriptions, overall easing congestion and reducing onchain fees.

…

PRESS RELEASE. February 15, 2024, London, UK — In a remarkable story one Bitcasino.io player has won a huge jackpot and another big win in the space of a few weeks, earning a massive $4.5 million dollars.

…

Quicknode, a leading blockchain infrastructure provider, has officially expanded its offerings to include support for Zksync hyperchains, enhancing its custom chains solution portfolio.

…

Disney, one of the biggest entertainment companies, has decided to acquire a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, makers of the known persistent metaverse platform Fortnite. The companies will collaborate to develop a metaverse featuring Disney-owned intellectual properties (IPs) which will benefit from interaction and coexistence with Fortnite.

…

Global investment bank JPMorgan conducted a survey of over 4,000 institutional traders and found that 78% of them have no plans to trade crypto or digital coins, while 12% do. In addition, 61% of traders “predict artificial intelligence/machine learning as the most influential in shaping the future of trading over the next three years.”

…

Okx, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced the launch of its operations in Argentina. The exchange announced that it is launching its trading platform and peer-to-peer (P2P) markets in the country, offering native language technical support and a localized experience for local traders, in addition to its self-custody Web3 wallet.

…

The Thailand Finance Ministry has announced the removal of the previously applicable value-added tax on digital asset trading. This exemption, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2024, extends to regulated brokers, dealers, and authorized cryptocurrency exchanges.

…

Data gathered over the last 36 days reveals that the Bitcoin network’s average transfer fee has consistently exceeded the $3.68 mark, while costs for median-sized transactions have not dipped below the $1.67 threshold. As of Feb. 6, 2024, insights from Bitcoin’s transaction queue highlight a significant backlog of 221,799 transactions awaiting confirmation.

…

In the latest reports, a number of the nine spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that were launched on Jan. 11, 2024, have increased their bitcoin holdings following the last day of trading activity recorded on Feb. 2, 2024.

…

Bitfinex has launched Bitfinex Securities El Salvador S.A. de C.V., its securities tokenization services company in the country. The exchange, one of the first regulated digital asset service providers in El Salvador, expects its proposal to be well-received among potential customers and has planned for several token issuances this year.

…

On Feb. 1, 2024, the independent, nonprofit stablecoin assessment entity Bluechip made a noteworthy declaration. They officially bestowed an F grade upon Synthetix’s fiat tokens SUSD and SEUR, alongside Beanstalk’s dollar-pegged asset BEAN.

…

Hong Kong will now focus on regulating over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency trading, according to local sources. Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Joseph Chan Ho-lim stated that the government will aim to mitigate the risks of virtual assets amidst the rising interest of mainland investors using the city as a bridge to invest in crypto assets.

…

The data from the latest Coinover study suggests that 17% of the participants own cryptocurrency and 30% plan to do so in the coming year. About 50% of those interviewed said they were positive about their financial earnings, while 20% expressed dissatisfaction with the returns.

…

Morgan Stanley has raised concerns about the potential decline of the U.S. dollar’s dominance due to the increasing interest in digital currencies. Meanwhile, JPMorgan has warned of a potential bitcoin selloff, anticipating a $3 billion outflow from Grayscale’s Bitcoin fund.

…

Chinese investors are increasingly putting part of their portfolios in cryptocurrency due to the state of the national stock market. According to reports, investors are using exchanges like Binance or Okx, or Hong Kong local exchanges, to purchase crypto using payment methods like Alipay and Wechat, even when cryptocurrency is banned in the Chinese mainland.

…

The number of global crypto owners surged 34% in 2023, reaching 580 million by December, a new report shows. In particular, bitcoin ownership surged 33% while Ethereum saw an even steeper rise of 39%.

…

Paper Ventures, a new blockchain venture capital (VC) fund focused on early-stage Web3 and blockchain projects, has been launched with an initial fund of $25 million. The fund, founded by experienced venture capitalists, will not only invest in outstanding projects but will help nurture them.

…

Sega Singapore, a subsidiary of the worldwide recognized entertainment company, has announced that it will seek to produce new Web3 games as part of a partnership established with Finschia, a blockchain project. As part of this partnership, Sega will also participate in the governance of Finschia, operating a node to help secure the network.

…

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to stop the creation of a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC) if he is elected president of the United States. He explained that a digital dollar would give the federal government “absolute control over your money,” warning that the government could take your money and you wouldn’t even know that it’s gone.

…

Mehmet Simsek, the Turkish Finance Minister, recently revealed that a draft of his country’s crypto regulations is now in the final stage. Simsek said that once they come into force, the new regulations will help minimize the risks that are associated with trading crypto assets.

…

The Nigerian stablecoin consortium has said it will not be launching a stablecoin in late February as previously advised. Instead, the consortium, which is comprised of banks and fintech startups, said it plans to launch the stablecoin only after it gets the green light from the central bank.

…

In a detailed critique, the Blockchain Association counters the CFPB’s latest proposal to oversee digital consumer payment applications, citing legal and jurisdictional overreaches in the bureau’s approach to cryptocurrencies and digital assets.

…

The chief executive officer of Ninjalerts announced on Monday that a functional Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator has been successfully encoded onto the Bitcoin blockchain.

…

The Indian government has directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to bar access to offshore cryptocurrency exchanges deemed illegal within the country. The nine affected crypto platforms include Binance, Kucoin, Huobi, Kraken, and Bitfinex.

…