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  • 10/25/23: Vitalik Bets On Privacy Tech 😶‍🌫️🤨👎

10/25/23: Vitalik Bets On Privacy Tech 😶‍🌫️🤨👎

Author

Valko
October 25, 2023

Top News

  • 😶‍🌫️ Vitalik invests in Nocturne Labs for privacy on Ethereum | The Block

  • 🤨 FTX in talks with bidders to revive infamous exchange | Coindesk

  • 👎 DTCC listing $iBTC doesn’t guarantee approval | Blockworks

Vitalik Buterin backs Nocturne, which aims to bring private accounts to Ethereum

Nocturne Labs, a crypto startup that wants to bring private accounts within the Ethereum ecosystem, has raised $6 million in seed funding.

⌐◪-◪ → There seems to be a newfound interest in privacy tech from VCs, with this round being co-led by Bain Capital and Polychain Capital. Vitalik has clearly put a lot of thought into privacy and even published a paper on privacy pools last month. There are a lot of players working on novel smart contract-supported blockchains like Tari, Aleo, Secret Network, and more. The trick is figuring out who the winner(s) will be.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Defunct Exchange FTX Receives Multiple Bids for Restart

Options also include a sale of the exchange, which boasted 9 million users before going bankrupt.

⌐◪-◪ → I’ve grown pretty tired of the SBF, FTX, and Alameda headlines, but I suppose it’s pretty hard to top the legendary Thai Prostitutes moment. Regarding the recent bids, it sounds like discussions are pretty serious, with investment bankers already narrowing an initial round of bidder down to 3 prospective buyers. While this is good news FTX’s creditors, I selfishly wish FTX would go silently into the night.

DTCC: Listing of planned BlackRock bitcoin ETF ‘not indicative’ of approval

The iShares Bitcoin Trust — a proposed product the SEC is considering — first appeared on the list in August, DTCC spokesperson says.

⌐◪-◪ → Crypto investors are pretty much frothing at the mouth after the DTCC listed, removed, and re-listed BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF on their website. In fact, people were so excited that the DTCC website went down. While this is definitely exciting, it’s also standard practice for the DTCC to add securities to it’s “eligibility file” in preparation of a new potential ETF. Let’s not prematurely celebrate, former SEC attorney says approval is definitely not a given.

Peripheral Vision

⛓️ Crypto & DeFi

  • Binance withdrawals back online after “technical issue” | CoinDesk

  • Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian says BTC is the new gold | Bloomberg

  • “Crypto King” Tom Emmer drops out of US Speaker race | BBC

  • Jack Dorsey building BTC mining circuit board | @BTC_Archive

  • Vodafone & Chainlink experiment with blockchain for trade | CoinDesk

  • Billionaire Ricardo Salinas says sell bonds, buy BTC | @BTC_Archive

  • Maestro telegram trading bot exploited for $500k | The Block

  • Fantom launches testnet for “Sonic” upgrade | CoinDesk

  • Polygon deploys new POL contract to Ethereum | The Defiant

  • Ledger launches cloud-based key recovery tool | Cointelegraph 

  • dYdX announces its own blockchain | CryptoPotato

🏦 Wallstreet & Venture

  • BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF is re-listed on DTCC | @Watcher Guru

  • Rumors of Ark ETF being listed on DTCC are false | Decrypt

  • DTCC website goes down amid yesterday’s madness | @WatcherGuru

  • Grayscale launches Crypto Sector Index Series | The Block

  • Hytopia raises $3M, led by Delphi Ventures | Blockchain Gamer

  • Rymedi raises $9M from Avalanche’s Blizzard Fund | The Block

  • Triple-A raises $10M for white-label crypto payments | TechCrunch

  • Shrapnel raises $20M for Call of Duty style game | The Block

🏛️ Legal & Regulatory

  • SEC charges BlackRock $2.5M for improper disclosures | Reuters

  • Senators introduce PROOF act for proof of reserves | Decrypt

  • BlockFi back from bankruptcy, enables withdrawals | Cointelegraph

  • FTX moves $8.6M to Binance for asset recovery | The Block

  • Ex-SEC attorney says ETF approval isn’t a given | @BitcoinMagazine

  • IRS extends comment period on new crypto tax rules | Blockworks

🌎 Rest of the World

  • Binance applying for crypto license in Hong Kong | The Block

  • World Bank rolls out first digital bond on Euroclear | Blockworks

  • India leads crypto adoption per Chainalysis report | The Defiant

🖼️ NFTs & Metaverse

  • NFL Rivals mobile game approaches 3 million signups | The Block

  • Maison, french-based fashion house, launches NFT | @nftnow

  • Pixel Vault's Battle Plan reaches 500k transactions | @BCheque1

Spectacular Shoutout

Thanks for the shoutout @IRCAdam1!

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