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  • 9/21/23: Can Vivek Ramaswamy Save Crypto? 🇺🇸📜🏔️

9/21/23: Can Vivek Ramaswamy Save Crypto? 🇺🇸📜🏔️

Author

Valko
September 21, 2023

Today’s Top Stories ⌐◪-◪

  • 🇺🇸 Vivek Ramaswamy slams SEC and promises crypto policy framework

  • 📜 Financial Services Committee passes bill to ban Federal CBDC

  • 🏔️ Mt. Gox trustee extends deadline for credit payments by 1 year

Presidential hopeful Ramaswamy pledges' comprehensive crypto policy’ at Mainnet Conference in NYC

Lacking specifics on how he intends to shape crypto policy, Ramaswamy said he intends to gut the federal bureaucracy by up to two-thirds.

⌐◪-◪ → Vivek is doubling down on crypto and its supporters, after holding a fundraising event in NYC after speaking at Mainnnet. While I’m definitely excited to review his policy framework, I’m more excited to simply see a leading candidate, who in second only to Donald Trump in some polls, advocate for crypto on the campaign trail.

US Anti-CBDC bill moves a step closer to passing

The “CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act” was passed out of the Committee and favorably reported to the House floor

⌐◪-◪ → I am increasingly of the opinion that this blockckage is in our best financial interest: for sake of freedom of commerce, financial privacy, and guarding our assets from wrongful search & seizure. However, this battle is far from over, as the bill still must face congressional vote.

Breaking: Mt. Gox trustee changes repayment deadline to October 2024

Mt. Gox rehabilitation trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi has extended the repayment deadline for the exchanges' creditors by an entire year, from October 31, 2023 to October 31, 2024.

⌐◪-◪ → The infamous Mt. Gox hack happened over 10 years ago in 2011. It impacted 24,000 creditors and led to the disssappearance of 850,000 BTC, now valued at $23B. The deadline was just delayed 1 year and is still subject to change. My takeaway → don’t trust courts to enforce what can be done trustlessly via smart contracts.

Peripheral Vision ⌐◪-◪

⛓️ DeFi & Crypto

  • PayPal extends PYUSD stablecoin to Venmo and 12 other platforms

  • Optimism announces private sale of OP tokens valued at $157M

  • Balancer attributes attack to social engineering tactics using DNS

  • Hal Finney describes zk proofs 25 years ago in rediscovered clip

  • Tether acquires 20% stake in German Bitcoin miner Northern Data

  • Bitboy cons followers and raises $200k for his legal defense fund

  • DYdX V4 integrates Squid and Axelar for Cosmos appchain onboarding

🏛️ Legal & Regulatory

  • SBF’s mom encouraged him not to disclose certain donations

  • Celsius bankruptcy plan faces backlash for favoring institutionals

  • New York cracks down on crypto coin listings with new guidance

  • “Cryptoqueen” lawyer denied new trial in $400M One Coin fraud

🏦 Wallstreet & Venture

  • Essential raises $5.15M to build intent-based infrastructure

  • DraftKing investor raises $6.3M to tackle money lost to crypto exploits

  • a16z leads $3.6 seed round in Freatic for information markets protocol

🌎 Rest of the World

  • Hong Kong blocks access to JPEX exchange’s website and app

  • Australia claims Kraken caused $13M in losses due to non-compliance

  • Poland has the most corporate crypto company filings in the EU

  • South Korea’s 2nd largest city plans digital-assets exchange

  • Carl Lowery launches company to help crypto firms deal with UK rules

  • Singapore adds scrutiny for Chinese clients over money laundering

🖼️ NFTs

  • Friend Tech competition sets Pepe social media handle as the prize

  • Mythic Games bringing web3 game Blankos Block Party to mobile

  • Soccer club Paris Saint-Germain giving away free NFT posters

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