Terraform Labs, the company behind TerraUSD and Luna, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. With estimated liabilities and assets between $100 million and $500 million, the filing aims to address ongoing legal matters, including the SEC lawsuit and a pending litigation in Singapore. The CEO, Chris Amani, stated that this step will protect their ability to continue providing infrastructure, innovative tools, and ecosystem support. Former CEO Kwon Do-hyeong, who faced fraud charges, awaits extradition while the SEC trial has been postponed to late March upon Kwon's request. The filing and statement from Terraform Labs provide updates on the situation.
JPMorgan has issued a warning about an upcoming selloff in Bitcoin, citing the anticipated $3 billion outflow from Grayscale's Bitcoin fund. The bank's analyst explained that this outflow will add further pressure on Bitcoin prices in the coming weeks. Additionally, the analyst highlighted the $1.5 billion outflow from Grayscale's GBTC fund, indicating that investors who previously bought at a discount to NAV are now exiting the Bitcoin space entirely, rather than shifting to cheaper spot Bitcoin ETFs. Overall, the warning suggests that the recent drop in Bitcoin prices may be due to profit-taking following the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs, and there could be more selling pressure in the near future.
According to a recent note from JP Morgan, there is hesitancy in expecting approval for an Ethereum spot ETF by the SEC within the next three months. While there is sympathy towards classifying Ether as a commodity, skepticism remains regarding the SEC's decision by May. Despite the approval of BTC spot price indexed exchange-traded funds, those anticipating an ETH ETF will have to wait a little longer.
Crypto markets have been in decline over the weekend, as the focus shifts towards key economic events in the United States, including the release of quarterly GDP figures. The retreat in crypto markets comes in the wake of the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US, which had generated much anticipation. This week's economic calendar includes the release of the Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI reports, both of which are expected to show a slight decrease. Thursday will see the release of the quarterly gross domestic product report, which is an important indicator of the nation's overall economic health. Additionally, the Core PCE report, which reflects consumer spending, will be published on Friday. As for the crypto market outlook, a positive economic outlook usually benefits high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies. However, the markets are currently cooling off after a three-month rally, with most altcoins experiencing losses. While the losses are currently small, the prevailing color in the crypto markets this Monday is red.
The investigation conducted by security researchers at Blockfence has revealed a highly sophisticated scam operation that has successfully stolen $32 million from over 42,000 victims through the creation of more than 1,300 scam crypto tokens since April. The scammers employ an automated process whereby they create tokens that often resemble legitimate companies or projects, enticing traders with fake volume. Once enough legitimate capital is drawn in, the scammers cash out the tokens and repeat the process. Although the token's contract appears secure, the operators retain control over burning tokens, minting infinite tokens, and faking the token's maximum supply. The operation seems to be predominantly automated, with the creation of token names utilizing a mix of words and AI. While it is uncertain whether it is the work of a single individual, limiting the profit per token to 5-20 eth helps the scammers evade detection. To protect themselves from similar scams, crypto traders should avoid trading sketchy tokens and only invest in assets they thoroughly understand. Additionally, using multiple fraud detection tools is advised.
Terraform Labs, the company behind TerraUSD, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US after the collapse of the stablecoin in 2022. With assets and liabilities in the range of $100-$500 million, the company plans to meet its financial obligations without requiring additional financing and will continue expanding its Web3 offerings. The bankruptcy filing will enable TFL to execute its business plan while dealing with ongoing legal proceedings, including litigation with the SEC. TerraUSD's collapse led to a civil case against Terraform Labs and its co-founder, Do Kwon, who is currently facing extradition for his alleged involvement in a $40 billion cryptocurrency fraud.
The XRP market is currently facing a major crisis as technical indicators indicate a potential deepening of the bearish trend. The breakdown below the 200-day EMA and the impending bearish EMA cross suggest that XRP's price could further decline. Adding to the concern is the descending volume, which indicates a lack of conviction in the downtrend and potential for a prolonged bear market.
To change the current narrative, XRP needs to break the resistance level at around $0.66. On the downside, the support level to watch is around $0.42, breaching which could lead to accelerated selling pressure and undermine market confidence. A reversal scenario would require the price to go back above the 200-day EMA and initiate a bullish EMA cross, accompanied by an increase in buying volume triggered by positive developments in Ripple's legal challenges or adoption news.
Arbitrum (ARB), the native token of Ethereum's Layer-2 scaling solution, is also experiencing a substantial price correction. The retracement from recent highs suggests a bearish reversal pattern, possibly influenced by a shift in market sentiment towards ecosystems like Solana. ARB needs to maintain the critical support level at approximately $1 to prevent further slides. On the upside, the resistance at $1.8 may pose a barrier to recovery.
However, there is some hope in the Cardano (ADA) market. ADA witnessed a sharp reversal from the 100-day moving average, symbolized by a candle of hope on the chart. The decreasing volume accompanying the downward price action indicates weakening selling pressure. ADA has a strong support level at around $0.4126, which could serve as a springboard for possible recovery. Breaking the resistance at $0.5591 is crucial for ADA to regain its bullish momentum.
For a bullish reversal, ADA needs to sustain the momentum from the candle of hope and break through the resistance level with increasing volume. Positive developments within the Cardano network, such as scalability advancements or new partnerships, along with stable market conditions, can act as catalysts for the reversal from the current downtrend.
Congressman Tom Emmer has joined former President Donald Trump in the fight against the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the U.S. Emmer agrees with Trump that CBDCs pose a significant threat to the financial privacy of Americans. He expressed his support on social media, stating that he looks forward to working with Trump in the battle against an expanding government surveillance state. Emmer also highlighted his efforts in Congress, where he has garnered support for his bill, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act. While the Federal Reserve has explored the idea of a digital dollar, it has not committed to creating one. Emmer believes that Trump, if reelected, will become more crypto-friendly, and some analysts predict that a Trump victory could lead to record-high prices for Bitcoin.
Terraform Labs, a crypto company, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. following the collapse of its TerraUSD and Luna stablecoins in 2022. The co-founders have been indicted on fraud charges, with Do Kwon facing allegations of defrauding investors out of billions of dollars. Despite the challenges, Terraform remains determined to resolve its legal proceedings and continue operating. The collapse of TerraUSD and Luna stablecoins played a significant role in the wider crypto crash, wiping out over $40 billion in market capitalization. The bankruptcy filing states that Terraform has estimated assets and liabilities ranging between $100 million and $500 million. While Do Kwon's trial has been postponed for his extradition, Daniel Shin, Terraform's other co-founder, was indicted in South Korea in April 2023.
Nethermind, an Ethereum infrastructure provider, has released a hotfix to address a critical consensus bug in their execution client that was causing invalid blocks. This bug highlighted the need for greater client diversity on the Ethereum network to reduce systemic risk. The incident underscores the importance of fault tolerance and redundancy measures in blockchain networks, especially as Ethereum transitions to proof-of-stake and emphasizes the need for distributed upgrades. While critics argue that sufficient client diversity has already been achieved, the incident serves as a reminder of the significance of decentralized execution layers and the core value proposition of Ethereum.
US Senator Saddam Azlan Salim is championing the cause of Bitcoin mining by advocating for regulations that support the industry. He believes that digital asset mining should not be penalized solely based on its nature and should be treated similarly to other manufacturing companies. Salim emphasizes that as long as local noise ordinances are followed, home digital asset mining should be allowed. Recent developments in the industry, such as Marathon Digital mining 1,853 Bitcoins and miners earning $30 million in transaction fees, highlight the growing significance of Bitcoin mining. However, as the upcoming Bitcoin halving approaches in April, its impact on mining companies remains uncertain. While there is controversy within the US government over the environmental effects of Bitcoin mining, with some politicians using it as a reason to limit financial freedom, others like Robert Kennedy Jr argue against curbing transactions based on environmental concerns. In any case, the US government itself has been involved in the auction of Bitcoin obtained from illicit activities on Silk Road.
OKX Wallet has announced its integration with SatoshiVM Bridge, connecting the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem with Bitcoin. This milestone demonstrates OKX's commitment to promoting interoperability between different blockchain ecosystems. Users of OKX Wallet can now access the range of solutions offered by SatoshiVM Bridge, including cross-chain transactions, trading, and earning opportunities. This integration showcases the advanced features of SatoshiVM Bridge, such as the Bitcoin ZK Rollup Layer 2 solution and seamless connectivity between the Bitcoin and EVM ecosystems. OKX, as a global leader in Web3 technology, offers a comprehensive suite of products, including the powerful and secure OKX Wallet, a multi-chain DEX aggregator, a zero-fee NFT marketplace, and a DeFi platform. The company also partners with top brands and athletes, advocating for a new paradigm led by self-managed Web3 technology through its recent global brand campaign, The System Needs a Rewrite.
As the lightning network matures, fee discussions are making their way into the network. Blockstream’s c-Lightning Rusty Russell called for an uptick in the default fee from 1 sats plus 1 ppm to 5 sats and 500 ppm. As Lightning’s Economy Takes Shape, Devs Are Split on Proposed Fee Hike1