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LINK token continues to strengthen as professional traders and enterprise solution clients enter Chainlink’s ecosystem. Chainlink's (LINK) token has experienced a remarkable 26% surge between Nov. 2 and Nov. 8, approaching $14, a level not seen since April 2022. This solidified its position as the 10th largest cryptocurrency (excluding stablecoins) by market capitalization. While the price action is a welcome sight for traders, is Chainlink's current valuation of $8.1 billion justified? Cointelegraph research shows that the impressive price surge is driven by expectations of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and initial signs of institutional adoption. However, let's delve deeper to assess the sustainability of the current rally. Spot Bitcoin ETF expectations and real world asset tokenization boost sentiment Bloomberg's ETF strategists, James Seyffart and Eric Balhunas, issued a research note on Nov. 8, which has boosted the confidence of cryptocurrency traders. New ...

The 4th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum concluded on Oct. 27 after two days of discussions on the future of fintech, cryptocurrencies and global connectivity. A highlight of the event was a panel featuring Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of leading crypto exchange Bybit. According to an announcement shared with crypto.news, speaking before an audience of over 2,000 attendees from more than 60 countries, Zhou shared insights on Bybit’s strategic approach to new jurisdictions. Zhou explained that Bybit looks at regulatory structure, proximity to central banks, local talent pools and favorable policies when deciding where to operate. He also suggested Georgia could become a regional hub for Bybit, citing the country’s supportive central bank and regulatory environment. You might also like: ByBit to pause operations in the UK following new crypto rules On the topic of trust in cryptocurrencies, Zhou reflected on the industry’s remarkable growth over the last five years, ...

According to the study, a blockchain’s “fullness” is directly related to its security. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Mississippi recently published research indicating that blockchains with “full” blocks — especially when there’s a transaction queue — appear to have an added layer of protection against nefarious actors , money launderers, and would-be fraudsters.  Dubbed, “Bitcoin Blocksize, Custodial Security, and Price,” the team’s paper takes a deep dive into the Mt.Gox crash and other instances where cryptocurrency has been stolen from crypto exchanges. The study’s premise lies in the notion that the perpetrators of illicit activity wish to complete laundering transaction s as soon as possible. Per the paper: “This investigation is driven by the following intuition: the closer the blocksize is to the limit, the more likely the next transaction will be published on a later block and not the most current one. When these cybercriminals breach a...

The “fake deposit” attack enables bad actors to execute a transfer where the requested value is larger than what the user actually owns. Ethereum staking protocol Lido Finance has assured both Lido DAO (LDO) and staked-Ether (stETH) tokens remain safe despite hackers allegedly exploiting a known security flaw in LDO’s token contract. Lido didn’t confirm any exploits, but acknowledged the security flaw was known and reassured LDO and stETH funds remain safe in response to a Sept. 10 post by blockchain security firm SlowMist. SlowMist said LDO’s flawed token contract allows bad actors to facilitate “fake deposit” attacks on exchanges because LDO’s token contract enables users to execute transactions even where they don’t have sufficient funds. This code deviates from the Ethereum Request for Comment 20 (ERC-20) token standard, according to SlowMist. However, Lido Finance argued the flaw is built into all ERC-20 tokens — not just Lido’s LDO token: This behaviour is expected and conf...

Explore strong password creation, management and advanced protection techniques to secure crypto holdings. In the world of cryptocurrencies, security is paramount. As a crypto enthusiast, one of the foundational steps to ensuring the safety of your digital assets is effective password management.  With the potential for significant financial loss in the event of a security breach, mastering the art of password protection is a critical skill. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the importance of password security, best practices for creating strong password s and advanced techniques for managing your password s securely. Why password security matters The first line of defense against unwanted access to an individual’s cryptocurrency holdings is their passwords. Due to the irreversible nature of blockchain transactions, a compromised account may result in large losses. As a result, it’s important to ensure strong password security since hackers and cybercriminals are conti...

Jarrad Hope, the co-founder of open source community Status, delivered a thought-provoking speech at the ETHBarcelona conference, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen civil liberties through politically neutral networks. A prominent advocate for privacy and co-founder of open source community Status, Jarrad Hope, addressed a captivated audience at the recent ETHBarcelona conference, shedding light on strengthening civil liberties through politically neutral networks. With a passionate plea for privacy, Hope warned of the dangers of mass surveillance and the potential tyranny associated with the rise of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). You might also like: Money20/20 looks at frontiers of crypto policy and evolution of CBDCs Hope emphasized the importance of privacy, the dangers of mass surveillance, and the potential tyranny of central bank digital currencies, urging individuals and organizations to champion the cause of freedom and seek partnerships aligned w...

MAS is also working to restrict crypto service providers from facilitating lending or staking for retail customers, but not for institutional ones. Singapore’s central bank is introducing new measures to improve investor protection and market integrity in the cryptocurrency industry. On July 3, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced new requirements for crypto service providers to hold customer assets into a statutory trust by year-end. “This will mitigate the risk of loss or misuse of customers’ assets, and facilitate the recovery of customers’ assets in the event of a DPT service provider’s insolvency,” the regulator said. The new custody measures follow a public consultation on regulatory measures to reduce risks to consumers from crypto trading which was launched in October 2022. According to the MAS, the consultation received “significant interest” from a wide range of respondents. In the official response to the public consultation, Singapore’s central bank noted t...

A video has surfaced that purports to show Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler claiming that a number of prominent cryptocurrencies aren’t securities — a view that’s seemingly at odds with his more recent comments and the regulator’s numerous enforcement actions against the space. The five-year-old video clip was taken at a Bloomberg event for institutional investors when Gensler was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the clip, Gensler says, “Over 70% of the crypto market is Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash. Why did I name those four? They’re not securities.” Chair Gensler in 2018 at a Bloomberg conference in NYC: “Bitcoin. Ether. Litecoin. Bitcoin Cash. Why did I name those four? They’re not securities.” What’s Goldman Gary going to say about this one? Deep fake? pic.twitter.com/p7DJlYkJIt — Ryan Selkis 🪳 (@twobitidiot) June 12, 2023 Read more: Binance wants SEC chair Gary Gensler recused for ‘advising’ the C...

Cosmos governance has approved the v9-Lambda upgrade, including interchain security and possibly kicking off a “virtuous real yield cycle.” The Cosmos community has approved a vote to add “replicated security (RS)” to its chain, with 99.99% of votes in favor of the motion. The much-awaited upgrade is set to go live on March 15, 2023, with the v9-Lamba upgrade.  RS is the first version of Cosmos’s Inter chain Security (ICS) feature, allowing block chain s in the Cosmos ecosystem to share validation resources for improved security . Only protocols approved by Cosmos governance will be added as consumer chains in the upcoming update. Eight consumer chains are potential candidates for selection, including Neutron, PolymerDAO, Duality, Stride, Simply Staking, FairBlock and Comdex. Cosmos’s interchain security could start a virtuous real yield cycle The Replicated Security feature will distribute up to 25% of the consumer chain fees to Cosmos Hub stakers. The protocols can also allocate a ...

Lead on-chain analyst at Glassnode, James Check, explains why taking self-custody of your private keys has become more important than ever and how to do it in a few simple steps. There is no excuse for not putting a few hours of research into how to properly custody your crypto , according to lead on-chain analyst James Check. Joining the latest debate around self-custody, the analyst pushed back against the notion that managing Private Keys is too complicated and risky for the average crypto user.  “If you have gold in your vault, if you have cash in your wallet, it's the same concept: you need to exercise a level of responsibility,” said Check in our latest Cointelegraph interview. Check argued that, while third-party custody and semi-custodial solutions such as collaborative custody may appear more user-friendly for the average user, they also have their own, even bigger, vectors of risks. To the analyst , when it comes to custody "there are no solutions, only trade-...