Mahi Sall, Advisor, Fintech-Bank Partnerships, Payments and Financial Inclusivity
January 25th, 2023
Mahi Sall is the CEO & Founder of FinXpair, a Berlin-based strategic advisory boutique firm focu[...]
Hackers Steal $40.7 Million in Bitcoin From Crypto Exchange Binance
Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | May 7, 2019
Hackers stole more than 7,000 bitcoin from crypto exchange Binance, the world’s largest by volume, the startup reported Tuesday.
Binance announced that a “large scale security breach” was discovered earlier on May 7, finding that malicious actors were able to access user API keys, two-factor authentication codes and “potentially other info,” the exchange’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, said in a letter. As a result, they were able to withdraw roughly $41 million in bitcoin from the exchange, according to a transaction published in the security notice.
The disclosure comes hours after Zhao tweeted that the exchange was undertaking “some unscheduled server maintenance,” writing that “funds are #safu.” After the disclosure announcement, Zhao tweeted that the exchange would “provide a more detailed update shortly.”
See: Binance Coin Burn Is Around The Corner – How The Coin Burn Works
The exchange may not yet have identified all impacted accounts, he said. And according to Binance’s statement, the breach only impacted Binance’s hot wallet, which contains roughly 2 percent of the exchange’s total bitcoin holdings.
“All of our other wallets are secure and unharmed,” he said, adding:
“The hackers had the patience to wait, and execute well-prepared actions through multiple seemingly independent accounts at the most opportune time. The transaction is structured in a way that passed our existing security checks. It was unfortunate that we were not able to block this withdrawal before it was executed.”
The withdrawal triggered internal alarms after it was executed, and Zhao said the exchange froze withdrawals following the discovery. While deposits and withdrawals will remain suspended for the next week, trading will be re-enabled, though he cautioned that “the hackers may still control certain user accounts.”
Binance will conduct “a thorough security review” encompassing its systems and data during the next week.
The exchange will use its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU fund) to cover the loss, which won’t impact users, according to the notice.
See: FCA reveals findings from first cryptoassets consumer research
The fund consists of 10 percent of all trading fees absorbed by the exchange, and was initially launched to protect Binance’s users “in extreme cases,” according to a previous notice. It is stored in its own cold wallet.
“In this difficult time, we strive to maintain transparency and would be appreciative of your support,” Zhao said Tuesday.
Continue to the full article -->here
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Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | Mar 22, 2023 The regulator alleged TRX and BTT are unregistered securities, and claimed Sun created an "extensive wash trading" program to boost their trading volume. The SEC said in a press release it was suing Sun, the Tron Foundation, the BitTorrent Foundation and BitTorrent (now known as Rainberry) over the sale of tronix (TRX) and bitTorrent (BTT) tokens, which the regulator described as unregistered crypto asset securities. The regulator further alleged the defendants "fraudulently manipulat[ed]" TRX's secondary market through an "extensive wash trading" scheme. See: SEC Warns Investors: Be Vigilant Regarding Crypto Asset Securities The SEC alleged, by having his own employees "engage in more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two crypto asset trading platform accounts he controlled." According to the court filing, Sun's Tron Foundation employees conducted the trades, the BitTorrent and Tron foundations controlled the accounts and Rainberry employees transferred funds for the trading. Celebrity influencers: The agency is also suing Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Akon and Michele Mason on illegal touting charges for their roles allegedly promoting TRX and BTT without disclosing they were paid to do so. The majority of these celebrities settled the ...
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Reuters | March 22, 2023 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has threatened to sue Coinbase Global Inc over some of the crypto exchange's products, turning up the heat on the largely unregulated sector. The potential enforcement actions would be tied to aspects of Coinbase's spot market as well as its Earn, Prime and Wallet products, the company said. Shares of Coinbase dropped nearly 13% to $67.33 in extended trading after the company said on Wednesday that the regulator had issued it a Wells notice - a formal declaration that SEC staff intend to recommend an enforcement action. Coinbase said its services continued to operate as usual after the notice was issued. See: Coinbase Begins ‘Wallet as a Service’ Enabling Companies to Integrate Into Their Own Apps A Wells notice does not always result in charges or signal that the recipient has violated any law. A Wells notice is typically one of the final steps before the SEC formally issues charges. It generally lays out the framework of the regulatory argument and offers the potentially accused an opportunity to rebut the SEC’s claims. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said in a blog post: Although we don’t take this ...
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CoinDesk | Nikhilesh De, Oliver Knight | March 22, 2023 Sushi DAO and Head Chef Jared Grey were served with a subpoena by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the decentralized autonomous organization revealed Tuesday. Grey proposed creating a "Sushi DAO Legal Defense Fund" in a forum post, saying it would "cover legal costs for core contributors." The proposal recommends making $3 million in tether (USDT) available for core contributors, with another $1 million worth of USDT available in case the initial $3 million are used up. The sushi token dropped 5.5% on the news. One of the initial comments on the forum post asked how the DAO known as Sushi was subpoenaed, with the user saying they did not receive it despite being a member of the DAO. "We’re cooperating with the SEC. We do not intend to comment publicly on ongoing investigations or other legal matters," the forum post said. Continue to the full article --> here The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to ...
Read More
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Read More
March 20, 2023 Bitcoin has become incredibly popular in Canada over the past decade. Celebrities keep tweeting about it. Casinos are now accepting it for payments while tech-savvy Canadians are buying it as an investment. In the online casino space, almost every website has bonuses for crypto users. Some of them also feature games created on the blockchain. What’s this commotion all about? How is Bitcoin benefiting online casinos in Canada? Fast and Secure Payments Slow, unsecured payments kill hundreds of businesses every year according to the Harvard Business Review. That’s why many new casinos are embracing crypto at such a fast pace. Bitcoin processes transactions in an average of 10 minutes. If you use an alternative coin like XRP, you can send money around the world in seconds. It doesn’t matter if you’re sending $10 or $1 billion worth of crypto—the blockchain system is lightning fast. It’s also secure. Bitcoin addresses are encrypted using cryptography. This means no one can decipher the data. Secondly, they’re stored on the blockchain, which is decentralized and impossible to hack. Although most crypto casinos accept bitcoin for deposits, some of them also accept Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. Visit Bitcoincasinocanada.com to find the ...
Read More
Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | Mar 22, 2023 The regulator alleged TRX and BTT are unregistered securities, and claimed Sun created an "extensive wash trading" program to boost their trading volume. The SEC said in a press release it was suing Sun, the Tron Foundation, the BitTorrent Foundation and BitTorrent (now known as Rainberry) over the sale of tronix (TRX) and bitTorrent (BTT) tokens, which the regulator described as unregistered crypto asset securities. The regulator further alleged the defendants "fraudulently manipulat[ed]" TRX's secondary market through an "extensive wash trading" scheme. See: SEC Warns Investors: Be Vigilant Regarding Crypto Asset Securities The SEC alleged, by having his own employees "engage in more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two crypto asset trading platform accounts he controlled." According to the court filing, Sun's Tron Foundation employees conducted the trades, the BitTorrent and Tron foundations controlled the accounts and Rainberry employees transferred funds for the trading. Celebrity influencers: The agency is also suing Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Akon and Michele Mason on illegal touting charges for their roles allegedly promoting TRX and BTT without disclosing they were paid to do so. The majority of these celebrities settled the ...
Read More
Read More
Fortune via Yahoo Finance | Steve Mollman| March 24, 2023 Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late November, technology companies including Microsoft and Google have been racing to offer new artificial intelligence tools and capabilities. But where is that race leading? Hararia shared his thoughts Friday in a New York Times op-ed written with Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, founders of the nonprofit Center for Humane Technology, which aims to align technology with humanity's best interests. They argue that artificial intelligence threatens the “foundations of our society” if it’s unleashed in an irresponsible way. “deploying humanity’s most consequential technology,” the race to dominate the market “should not set the speed.” Instead, he argues, “We should move at whatever speed enables us to get this right.” Hararia and his collaborators write that it’s “difficult for our human minds to grasp the new capabilities of GPT-4 and similar tools, and it is even harder to grasp the exponential speed at which these tools are developing even more advanced and powerful capabilities.” Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates wrote on his blog this week that the development of A.I. is “as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone.” ...
Read More
Read More
SEC | Release | March 23, 2024 The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy continues to urge investors to be cautious if considering an investment involving crypto asset securities. Risk notice to investors: Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally volatile and speculative, and the platforms where investors buy, sell, borrow, or lend these securities may lack important protections for investors. The risk of loss for individual investors who participate in transactions involving crypto assets, including crypto asset securities, remains significant. The only money you should put at risk with any speculative investment is money you can afford to lose entirely. Those offering crypto asset investments or services may not be complying with applicable law, including federal securities laws. Under the federal securities laws, a company may not offer or sell securities unless the offering is registered with the SEC or an exemption to registration is available. Similarly, the law requires parties such as securities broker-dealers, investment advisers, alternative trading systems (ATS), and exchanges to register with the SEC, a state regulator, and/or a self-regulatory organization (SRO), such as FINRA. Moreover, entities and platforms involved in lending or staking crypto assets may be subject to the federal securities ...
Read More
Read More
Reuters | March 22, 2023 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has threatened to sue Coinbase Global Inc over some of the crypto exchange's products, turning up the heat on the largely unregulated sector. The potential enforcement actions would be tied to aspects of Coinbase's spot market as well as its Earn, Prime and Wallet products, the company said. Shares of Coinbase dropped nearly 13% to $67.33 in extended trading after the company said on Wednesday that the regulator had issued it a Wells notice - a formal declaration that SEC staff intend to recommend an enforcement action. Coinbase said its services continued to operate as usual after the notice was issued. See: Coinbase Begins ‘Wallet as a Service’ Enabling Companies to Integrate Into Their Own Apps A Wells notice does not always result in charges or signal that the recipient has violated any law. A Wells notice is typically one of the final steps before the SEC formally issues charges. It generally lays out the framework of the regulatory argument and offers the potentially accused an opportunity to rebut the SEC’s claims. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said in a blog post: Although we don’t take this ...
Read More
Read More
Guest Post | March 23, 2023 After entering college, people's lives change dramatically. On the positive side, they meet new people, make friends, and experience new emotions. However, they are now adults who must live on campus, pay for college, and become financially independent from their families. In addition to this, they have to attend lectures, prepare homework, participate in college activities, etc. It's a lot of stress, pressure, and sleepless nights. To lighten their workload and speed up the process of doing homework, some students use artificial intelligence-based online tools such as GPT Chat. Others hire assignment writing services, pay the required amount, and receive their papers on time. Both options can help with homework, but which option is better? Let's discuss this further. Are Assignment Writing Services Legal? There are currently no specific laws in the United States that prevent students from hiring assignment writing services or using AI tools for academic purposes. Thus, students can count on the help of assignment writers, especially when they provide a detailed plagiarism report to prove the originality of the work. The problem is finding a reliable service that has a team of experts who write an authentic copy from scratch ...
Read More
Read More
CoinDesk | Nikhilesh De, Oliver Knight | March 22, 2023 Sushi DAO and Head Chef Jared Grey were served with a subpoena by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the decentralized autonomous organization revealed Tuesday. Grey proposed creating a "Sushi DAO Legal Defense Fund" in a forum post, saying it would "cover legal costs for core contributors." The proposal recommends making $3 million in tether (USDT) available for core contributors, with another $1 million worth of USDT available in case the initial $3 million are used up. The sushi token dropped 5.5% on the news. One of the initial comments on the forum post asked how the DAO known as Sushi was subpoenaed, with the user saying they did not receive it despite being a member of the DAO. "We’re cooperating with the SEC. We do not intend to comment publicly on ongoing investigations or other legal matters," the forum post said. Continue to the full article --> here The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to ...
Read More
Read More
March 22, 2023 Regarding legal matters: it's always better to be safe than sorry. While there are many situations where a person may try to navigate legal issues on their own - there are instances wherein hiring a lawyer is an absolute must. Here are the top six situations when hiring a lawyer is essential. Criminal Charges If you are facing criminal charges, hiring a lawyer right away is essential. An attorney can help protect your rights, build a strong defense, and negotiate with prosecutors. When choosing a lawyer, it's critical to find someone with experience in your case's specific area of law. You'll also want to ensure that the lawyer has a good track record and a reputation for being a strong advocate for their clients. The seasoned legal practitioners behind https://colbylegal.com/ recommend that you opt for a lawyer who is responsive and attentive to your needs, as well as someone who will keep you informed throughout the legal process. This way, you can make better decisions about your case and feel confident that you're getting the best representation. Personal Injury Claims Hiring a personal injury lawyer is necessary if you sustained injuries due to an accident caused by ...
Read More
Read More
Exploding Topics | Josh Howarth | Jan 20, 2023 The fintech space is making fast strides across many financial sectors, including consumer and B2B. Fintech investment and consumer adoption are clearly on the rise. But to what extent? And where is this industry headed? This list has you covered with a wide range of key, up-to-date financial technology (fintech) statistics. Fintech Industry Size: The fintech industry is worth approximately $180 billion (Deloitte) Global fintech industry revenue has nearly doubled since 2017 (Deloitte) There are currently over 26,000 fintech startups worldwide. This figure has grown dramatically over the past few years (up from only around 12,000 fintech startups in 2019). See: KPMG: Canadian Fintech Investment Drops in 2022, Mentality Shift to ‘Sensible’ Growth Investment: Fintech industry investment has increased 3.5x since 2015 (KPMG) In 2012, investment in fintech totaled $4 billion. By the end of 2021, fintech investment reached $210 billion. Venture capital distributions by sector funding: #1 Capital markets $8.07 billion #2 Payments $6.03 billion #3 Wealth management $5.43 billion #4 Digital lending $3.97 billion #5 SMB $3.36 billion #6 Banking $3.27 billion #7 Real estate $2.42 billion #8 Insurance $2.30 billion Adoption: 90% of Chinese citizens use fintech banking, ...
Read More
Read More
March 21, 2023 If you don't plan, you're planning to fail, as the old business adage goes. It's a cliché, but those who are really committed to their achievement, especially traders, should treat those words as if they were carved in stone. If you ask every successful trader, the answer will likely be the same: you must strictly adhere to a predetermined strategy, or you will be doomed to failure. You're in the minority if you already have a detailed trading or investment strategy that will help your portfolio, and congratulations on that. Creating a viable strategy or technique for trading the financial markets is a lengthy process that requires much study and investigation. While there are no guarantees, you have removed a substantial obstacle. For those of you who haven’t done it yet, here is a comprehensive guide on how to do so in order to get solid results and improve your portfolio. Have a Clear Understand of the Market A solid understanding of the market you are going to trade on is vital for establishing a smart trading strategy. Being well-versed in the field of trading will equip you to comfortably deal with the abundance of data present ...
Read More
Read More
March 20, 2023 Bitcoin has become incredibly popular in Canada over the past decade. Celebrities keep tweeting about it. Casinos are now accepting it for payments while tech-savvy Canadians are buying it as an investment. In the online casino space, almost every website has bonuses for crypto users. Some of them also feature games created on the blockchain. What’s this commotion all about? How is Bitcoin benefiting online casinos in Canada? Fast and Secure Payments Slow, unsecured payments kill hundreds of businesses every year according to the Harvard Business Review. That’s why many new casinos are embracing crypto at such a fast pace. Bitcoin processes transactions in an average of 10 minutes. If you use an alternative coin like XRP, you can send money around the world in seconds. It doesn’t matter if you’re sending $10 or $1 billion worth of crypto—the blockchain system is lightning fast. It’s also secure. Bitcoin addresses are encrypted using cryptography. This means no one can decipher the data. Secondly, they’re stored on the blockchain, which is decentralized and impossible to hack. Although most crypto casinos accept bitcoin for deposits, some of them also accept Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. Visit Bitcoincasinocanada.com to find the ...
Read More
Read More
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