Chain News by Thebittimes.Com

MANTRA, a Layer-1 blockchain platform focusing on Real World Assets (RWA), has announced a strategic investment from Laser Digital, the digital asset subsidiary of Nomura, as per the info shared with Finbold on May 23.  The funding is set to propel the company towards its goal of becoming the leading RWA Layer 1 blockchain across Middle Eastern and Asian markets. Bolstering RWA tokenization in the Middle East and Asia The partnership brings together MANTRA’s innovative approach to blockchain technology with Laser Digital’s extensive experience in RWA tokenization .  Picks for you Tesla sells over 30 Cybertrucks daily in the U.S. 20 mins ago Crypto expert Michaël van de Poppe predicts 'big bull cycle' for these asset...

Tether announced a $25 million investment in mobile payment platform Oobit, facilitating a more accessible path for crypto within everyday commerce.  Oobit’s mobile application attempts to change how crypto currency holders interact with the physical retail world. It enables users to use their digital assets at over 100 million retailers globally that accept Visa and Mastercard. Paolo Ardoino, the newly appointed CEO of Tether, emphasized the series A investment as a testament to Tether’s commitment to introducing new users to the crypto currency ecosystem. Tether invests in Oobit. Oobit's mobile payment app empowers crypto holders to Tap & Pay at over 100 million retailers worldwide, accepting Visa and Mastercard.$USDt Real World Ecosystem is growing. https://t.co/umXSXNMUja — Paolo Ardoino (@paoloardoino) February 5, 2024 You might also like: Crypto-friendly banks in 2024: How to protect your digital currency Tether has started 2024 stron...

The crypto spot and futures trading platform Bitget announced on Dec 11 a multi million -dollar investment in Morph, a Layer 2 consumer blockchain for value-driven dApps. An important factor behind Bitget’s investment is Morph’s roll-up technology, which enables secure and flexible transactions for dApps and speeds up dispute resolutions by utilizing the “best Features of Optimistic and ZK roll-ups to reduce cost barriers,” according to information shared with Finbold . Bitget Managing Director Gracy Chen described Morph’s team as vibrant and highly experienced. She believes the blockchain has the potential and the knowledge base to help encourage mass adoption. Chen added that the investment was part of Bitget’s broader strategy to build relations with innovative and promising Web3 projects. Morph gearing up for seed round Cryptocurrency Oasys and Fireblocks team up to ease Web3 game developers’ asset handling Cryptocurrency Rise In acquire...

The blockchain-based investment note is issued on Avalanche and will automatically distribute profits to holders’ wallets. Neo- investment and technology firm Republic plans to issue a blockchain-based security token that will pay dividends to retail investors from profits across its broad portfolio of investment holdings. The Republic Note is a profit-sharing digital asset that will be launched on the Avalanche blockchain, which accrues profits generated from Republic’s wide-ranging investment portfolio and services. Republic has attracted over three million investors and has deployed over $2.6 billion into various ventures, including the likes of Web3 firms Avalanche, DappRadar and Dapper Labs. Republic has already carried out a presale round for the Republic Note, attracting over $30 million from individual and institutional investors. Dividends from the note are set to be paid out in USD Coin (USDC) to retail investors when the dividend pool reaches a threshold of $2 million. ...

Crypto media firm The Block sold a majority stake to Foresight Ventures in a deal, valuing it at $70 million. Most capital is used to buy out former CEO Mike McCaffrey’s stake. He resigned after the news that he secretly accepted millions from former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. CEO of The Block, Larry Cermak, confirmed the deal on X (formerly Twitter). He added that he will stay CEO, and nothing else is impacted. Cermak noted that running the company and getting it to a more sustainable state while working at this deal was very difficult. 1/ Big news today as we announce Foresight Ventures acquired a majority stake in The Block. This tx gives The Block a fresh start ahead of the bull market and provides us with more capital to build out new exciting products and expand our footprint into Asia and the Middle East. https://t.co/1ohnptiKwQ — Larry Cermak (@lawmaster) November 13, 2023 Foresight CEO Forest Bai will become chairman of The Block. Partner Tony Cheng will al...

SkyBridge Capital, led by Anthony Scaramucci, is among the frontrunners bidding for Silicon Valley Bank’s VC arm, with a sale foreseen in the coming weeks. SVB Financial Group, once the umbrella organization for Silicon Valley Bank, is reportedly nearing the final stages of negotiations to sell its venture capital subsidiary, SVB Capital. According to The Wall Street Journal, informed sources have indicated that Anthony Scaramucci’s SkyBridge Capital and Atlas Merchant Capital are in tight competition with San Francisco-based Vector Capital in the concluding rounds of the bidding war. Insiders have suggested that SVB’s venture capital segment could fetch a price between $250 million and $500 million. Nonetheless, they emphasized that a definitive sale is not specific and remains subject to the approval of the creditor’s committee. A verdict regarding the sale is anticipated to be announced in the forthcoming weeks. You might also like: First Citize...

Bitcoin financial services firm Ledn’s ties with the Cayman Islands open a doorway for crypto users to use their funds to obtain real estate “golden visas.“ The Cayman Islands has long been an idyllic beach getaway for tourists, but the archipelago could soon welcome Bitcoin (BTC) holders as new residents through BTC-backed loans used to invest in real estate. Bitcoin banking firm Ledn, which is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as a virtual assets service provider (VASP), is providing an avenue for Bitcoin holders to use their BTC as collateral for loans to invest in real estate on the islands. This is just one avenue that prospective new residents of the islands could take to obtain citizenship, with investments over $2.4 million in real estate in the Cayman Islands qualifying a buyer for permanent residency. Related: Noted tax haven Cayman Islands sees new bills to bring local crypto to FATF’s heel Speaking directly to Cointelegraph, Ledn CEO Adam Reeds unpack...

The court seeks to address issues related to orders that rejected the SEC's plea to seal the Hinman speech documents and Ripple's request to seal information regarding XRP sales. In the most recent update in the legal proceedings of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Ripple Labs, Judge Torres grants permission for an investment banker declarant to make an appearance.  According to a court filing, Judge Analisa Torres granted permission for Andrew A. Kunsak from the law firm Sidley Austin LLP to serve as an investment banker declarant in the ongoing lawsuit of U.S. SEC v. Ripple Labs. Previously, Ripple had objected to a similar appearance by an investment banker declarant affiliated with the law firm that supported the U.S. SEC's position, prompting concerns among the defendants. “Andrew A. Kunsak of Sidley Austin LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, a member of this Court in good standing, hereby respectfully enters an app...

Crypto database shows that most firms are venture capital at 52.8%, followed by hedge funds with 44.3% and then private equity and mutual funds at 2.9%. Despite Venture Capital funding halving in October, there seem to be funds that still remain bullish on this space investing in emerging markets, Web3 and infrastructure. But, most people do not know who these mysterious funds are or what they are made of, or if there is a project starting up, how to get in touch with these funds. That is why Cointelegraph Research created a Crypto Funds Database, which keeps track of a list of nearly 900 different crypto funds from around the world. This database is designed for those looking to keep up with contacts from the movers and shakers within the crypto industry. From general information like founding dates, contact information (with backup contacts as well), size of firms, assets under management (AUM) size and much more, this database provides a great overview with actionable data. The Cr...