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

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

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

⌐◪-◪ → 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.

⌐◪-◪ → 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.

⌐◪-◪ → 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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