Leaders within India's crypto community have largely welcomed the country's decision to block websites of international crypto exchanges, including Binance, Huobi, and KuCoin. Nischal Shetty, the CEO of Indian exchange WazirX, has labeled this step as a move “towards greater regulatory clarity and control”.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a warning about the spread of deepfake videos where he appears to endorse cryptocurrency investments promising guaranteed returns. He revealed that his deputy has also been targeted by a similar cyber attack.
In the Argentine Congress, a novel legislative proposal has been tabled, encompassing a suite of reforms in taxation, labor, energy, and more, with some measures specifically addressing cryptocurrency regulation.
The Indonesian government has reiterated the necessity for cryptocurrency exchanges to register with the Commodity Futures Exchange (CFX), a national trading platform established in 2023. Exchanges that fail to register will be compelled to cease their operations in Indonesia.
Jana Bertram, who leads the RARI Foundation, incorporating the NFT marketplace Rarible, acknowledges that NFT technology is generally perceived unfavorably within much of the crypto community. She suggests that a rebranding could potentially shift this perspective, but admits it's not a definitive solution.
According to official registries, this year has seen the emergence of nearly 1,000 new cryptocurrency companies in the European Union. It is anticipated that by the end of the year, the total count of registered firms involved with decentralized technologies will reach approximately 11,600.
Bloomberg reports that Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the ex-CEO of the crypto exchange Binance, saw his fortune grow by almost $25 billion in 2023. His financial growth surpassed that of other crypto industry billionaires, including Coinbase's CEO Brian Armstrong and the Winklevoss twins.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has reversed its directive that barred commercial banks from engaging with cryptocurrency platforms. This change has, however, stirred discontent among P2P traders, who had largely taken over the market after the initial ban.
Yeou Jie Goh, who led the Portfolio Growth division at crypto investment company DeFiance Capital, has left his position to take on a new role at blockchain platform Chromia, overseeing operations in the Asia-Pacific region.
From 2024, South Korea will update its regulations regarding the disclosure of personal assets for government officials. About 5,800 state officials will be required to publicly disclose their crypto asset holdings and other properties using a designated electronic system.
Key players in the cryptocurrency sector, such as Polychain, Alliance DAO, and Sandeep Nailwal, the co-founder of Polygon, have endorsed the social platform AsMatch. This initiative is geared towards fostering user interactions in a decentralized setting rather than spotlighting high-profile personalities.
In 2023, the interest in AI has markedly widened its lead over Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, as per data from Google Trends.
Bulgaria's law enforcement agencies have concluded their investigation into Nexo, a leading crypto lending service, without finding any evidence of illegal conduct. The authorities made a formal announcement regarding the closure of the investigation.
