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  • 11/28/24: The Secret Debanking 🏦🇭🇰💰

11/28/24: The Secret Debanking 🏦🇭🇰💰

Today’s issue is brought to you by Safe — the world’s leading smart account provider on EVM, securing $100B+ in assets (including Vitalik’s).

Top News

  1. Operation Chokepoint silences crypto founders with “secret debanking”

  2. Hong Kong announces plan to cut taxes for crypto hedge funds

  3. Seedphrase secures $2.75M using rare CryptoPunk as collateral

Specs’ Insights

1. Operation Chokepoint silences crypto founders with “secret debanking”

⌐◪-◪ → This is why we need crypto

Imagine waking up to find your bank account closed with no warning. That’s the reality for over 30 crypto founders, allegedly targeted by "Operation Chokepoint 2.0." Marc Andreessen and Elon Musk claim this modern version of the 2013 Obama-era program is being weaponized to debank disfavored industries, with crypto firmly in the crosshairs.

The process is terrifyingly opaque—no warnings, no appeals, no due process. Just silence. The debanking doesn’t just hit crypto; it spreads fear across the entire tech startup ecosystem. Innovation? Suffocated.

At least people are finally waking up to the reality of this government overreach. Nic Carter, Caitlin Long, and others are blowing the whistle on how regulators are weaponizing financial access as a control mechanism.

Crypto was designed for this exact scenario: when banks fail us. Yet, people still say crypto-maxis are doomsayers. There are daily examples of governments restricting the freedom to transact.

2. Hong Kong announces plan to cut taxes for crypto hedge funds

⌐◪-◪ → The global race for crypto superiority is on

Hong Kong just threw down the gauntlet, eliminating capital gains tax for crypto hedge funds, private equity, and family offices. The move is a clear play to cement its status as the crypto capital of the world, competing with hubs like Singapore.

Less tax = more institutional money. Hedge funds, HNWIs, and private equity firms now have every reason to set up shop in Hong Kong. Regulators in the US and Europe? They’re snoozing while Hong Kong pulls ahead.

Meanwhile, Trump’s team is teasing the idea of eliminating capital gains taxes on US crypto to reignite domestic innovation. If they’re serious, the race for crypto dominance just got interesting.

3. Seedphrase secures $2.75M using rare CryptoPunk as collateral

⌐◪-◪ → The largest on-chain loan in history

$2.75M, a single CryptoPunk, and a seamless on-chain loan. DJ Seedphrase just collateralized his seven-trait CryptoPunk #8348 on Gondi, setting a record for the largest NFT-backed loan ever.

NFT-backed loans aren’t new—Gmoney borrowed $1M against his ape Punk earlier this year. If he used that liquidity to stack BTC or more Punks, he’s probably sitting very comfortably right now.

This is the magic of crypto lending: no middlemen, no endless paperwork, and minimal counterparty risk. Just a few clicks, and boom—liquidity.

Personally, I could never collateralize my main Punk—it’s too precious to me—but hey, respect to Seedphrase for pushing the space forward. Besides, his bets always seem to pay off.

Everything Else

📈 Market Snapshot

  • Bitcoin → 95,508.59 ▲ 0.54% (24h)

  • Ethereum → 3,568.48 ▲ 1.18% (24h)

  • Solana → 235.66 ▲ 1.55% (24h)

  • Stablecoins hit new all-time high of $190B market cap

  • Ethereum L2s hit record of $51.5B TVL, a 3x increase this year

⛓️ Crypto & DeFi

  • Ethereum co-founder Jeffrey Wilcke sends $72.5M to Kraken

  • MetaMask Adds Venmo for fiat-to-crypto ramps

  • XT exchange hacked for $1.7M

  • Base breaks 10M daily transaction record

  • Coinbase faces criticism for locking users out of accounts

  • Vitalik Buterin donates $1M to Coin Center after Tornado Cash win

  • Coinbase decision not to support Celo layer 2 stirs controversy

  • Gitfo founders mint billions of GFT after Binance delisting

  • Hyperliquid to launch HYPE token Nov 29th in “genesis event”

  • Tornado Cash ruling boon for Ethereum and DeFi, says 10x research

  • Cega to sunset platform after acquisition

  • Goat Network lets users stake Dogecoin to earn crypto

  • Tether commodities liquidity pool could hit $5B, says CEO

🏦 Wall Street & VC

  • BitWise files for ETF based on its 10 Crypto Index fund

  • Bitcoin price could hit $740K by 2028, says Pantera Capital CEO

  • Galaxy says Bitcoin bull market is far from over

  • Short-term Bitcoin flows Hint at a market bottom, says Van Straten

  • Ripple vows to invest in rebranded Bitwise fund

  • Deutsche Bank invests in blockchain network Partior

  • Bleap raises $2.3M for blockchain bank accounts

  • MARA buys $615M in Bitcoin holdings

  • Avant Raises $6.5M in seed funding

🏛️ Legal & Regulatory

  • Celsius to distribute $127M to creditors

  • CFTC chair eyes Crypto Czar role under Trump

  • Peanut the squirrel owner to sue New York for killing his pet

🌎 Rest Of The World

🖼️ NFTs & Metaverse

  • Top NFTs bounce back as ETH continues to rise

  • xAI Elon Musk launches gaming studio

  • Players try to convince AI Agent to hand over its $40k stash

  • Telegram game “Major” opens token claims ahead of airdrop

  • Attack on Titan survival game launches in The Sandbox

  • Moonray Gives away 220K NFTs in OpenSea’s biggest mint

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