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The metaverse division of Disney has apparently fallen victim to the latest round of layoffs announced by the company. Per reports from the Wall Street Journal citing people “familiar with the situation,” the whole next-generation storytelling and consumer-experience unit, comprised of 50 people, has been axed — this being part of the 7,000 layoffs the company is executing as a cost-cutting measure. Disney’s Metaverse Division Is No More, According to Reports Disney, the well-known entertainment behemoth, seems to have lost interest in the metaverse. According to reports coming from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the metaverse unit of the company was wholly disintegrated in the latest round of layoffs that CEO Bob Iger announced on March 27. The measure, which will be completed in three waves, will reduce Disney’s headcount by 7,000, aiming to cut costs by $5.5 billion. In a memo sent to employees, Iger justified this move stating that it was “part of a strategic realignment of t

Famous Hollywood actor Matt Damon has revealed the story of how he became involved in creating a cryptocurrency commercial called “Fortune Favors the Brave” with Crypto.com. After the release of the crypto ad, Damon faced global criticism for his involvement in it. Matt Damon Talks About His Crypto Commercial Famous actor and producer Matt Damon shared how he became involved in creating a cryptocurrency advertisement with crypto exchange platform Crypto.com in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday. The Oscar-winning actor is known for his roles in movies such as Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, and the Bourne franchise. “The story behind that for me personally was that we had a down year in Water.org, and I did that commercial in an attempt to raise money for Water.org,” the famous actor said, adding: I gave my whole salary to Water.org because we were down. Crypto.com heard about that and they gave $1 million to Water.org … just on their own. So, I definitel

After several failed attempts in the past, the South Korean National Assembly is now expected to pass its digital asset market regulation in April, a report has said. Kim Hee-gon, a member of the Political Affairs Committee’s first subcommittee, said the prospects of this happening were bolstered after members agreed to narrow their differences . Politicians Narrow Their Differences According to a Korean media report, the country’s National Assembly is now expected to pass the digital asset market regulation bill. As stated in the report, the passage of the bill by the legislative body’s Political Affairs Committee has raised hopes that the South Korean legislators will finally pass the law after several failed attempts. South Korea’s prospects for finally passing a law that governs digital assets were raised after Rep. Kim Hee-gon, a member of the Political Affairs Committee’s first subcommittee, revealed that opposition and ruling party members had narrowed their differences. “O

China has been advancing its goal of positioning the yuan as an alternative to the U.S. dollar for settling international payments. The Chinese government recently struck a bilateral deal with Brazil to settle trades using their national currencies and completed a purchase of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with a French company using yuan as payment. China Advances De-Dollarization Efforts With Brazil and France China is positioning its fiat currency, the yuan, as a U.S. dollar alternative for international settlements. The Chinese government recently achieved two milestones in this sense, inking a bilateral deal with Brazil that will allow the two countries to settle payments with their national currencies, and completing the first LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) import trade settled in yuan. The Brazil-China deal allows the two countries to exchange goods using the Chinese yuan and the Brazilian real. The expectation is that this deal will ease the transactions between the two countri

Galaxy Digital Holdings chief executive Mike Novogratz has said he finds it shocking that U.S. authorities are interested in talking about the regulation of crypto, but have said nothing about artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. Novogratz added that by choosing mainly to focus on crypto regulation, the U.S. government has it “completely upside-down.” ‘A Real Technology That People Care About’ Crypto billionaire and Galaxy Digital Holdings CEO, Mike Novogratz, recently said he finds it shocking that regulators only seem to be interested in “talking so much about crypto regulation and nothing about AI [artificial intelligence] regulation.” Novogratz also suggested that it would “be dumb” for the government to “cache this industry because of Sam Bankman-Fried in his Bermuda shorts.” Speaking at Galaxy Digital’s Fourth Quarter (Q4) 2022 Shareholder Update Conference Call, Novogratz, who has previously slammed Sam Bankman-Fried, insisted that he is not against any move that weeds

The cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has raised €100 million ($109 million) in funding, according to the company’s disclosure on Thursday. Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier says there has been significant demand for hardware wallets. He added, “2023 is even better for us because now you can’t even leave money at a Swiss bank.” Ledger to Expand Distribution, Production, and Research and Development With New Funding Injection According to a Thursday report by Bloomberg, Ledger, the cryptocurrency hardware wallet maker, has revealed it raised €100 million ($109 million) from investors. The capital raise comes at a time when crypto companies have been going insolvent and laying off significant portions of their workers. Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier told Bloomberg’s Anna Irrera that the company will leverage the cash injection to expand distribution, production, and research and development. Gauthier noted that in 2022, people became very aware that leaving money on centralize

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against crypto trading platform Beaxy and its executives. Additionally, the regulator alleged that the cryptocurrency exchange’s founder raised $8 million in an unregistered crypto token offering and “misappropriated at least $900,000 for personal use, including gambling.” SEC Charges Crypto Exchange Platform Beaxy The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Wednesday that it has filed charges against crypto asset trading platform Beaxy, its founder, and its executives. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler commented: We allege that Beaxy and its affiliates performed the functions of an exchange, broker, clearing agency, and dealer without registering with the Commission and complying with clear, time-tested rules governing those activities. Besides alleging that Beaxy and its executives failed to “register as a national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency,” the securities watchdog said that it

Economist Peter Schiff has warned of “the biggest economic disaster” in U.S. history. He stressed that we are on the cusp of a financial crisis and “it’s going to be much bigger than the last.” In addition, he said the U.S. dollar is being debased in order to fund the bank bailouts. Peter Schiff Foresees ‘Biggest Economic Disaster’ in US History Economist and gold bug Peter Schiff shared his warnings about the U.S. economy, the banking crisis, and where inflation is headed on NTD News Monday. Commenting on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell claiming that the U.S. banking system is sound and resilient, Schiff exclaimed: “It’s not sound at all. It’s a house of cards that’s starting to collapse.” Schiff explained: “Thanks to the mistakes the Fed has made since the 2008 crisis, we have a much bigger bubble now. The Fed caused the bubble that led to the financial crisis of 2008, and then they inflated a bigger bubble to try to paper over those mistakes and kick the can down the road

Millions of U.S. dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency has been sent to centralized exchanges (CEXs), most notably Binance, from wallets providing funds in support of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, transaction data suggests. According to Ukrainian analysts, the money was transferred to the crypto trading platforms in order to be laundered. Over 90% of Pro-Russian Crypto Transfers Identified in a Study Sent to Largest Exchange More than $40 million was sent last year from wallets that were used to sponsor the Russian invasion of Ukraine to cryptocurrency exchanges, according to an analysis of such transactions conducted by Hapi Labs. The main purpose of these transfers was to launder the money, the Ukrainian startup claims in a post on Twitter published Tuesday. While various amounts went to a number of crypto platforms, nearly 96% of the digital cash reached Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Researchers at the company, which provides blockchain tracking tools and d

Court filings reveal that the FTX co-founder is seeking access to a $10 million insurance plan to cover his attorney fees. FTX debtors and unsecured creditors have opposed Sam Bankman-Fried’s request, arguing that every dollar spent on his defense is “one less dollar” available to cover the losses of the debtors. FTX Debtors and Unsecured Creditors Oppose Sam Bankman-Fried’s Request for D&O Funds Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the former CEO of FTX, is seeking access to a $10 million legal insurance fund to cover his defense expenses. The filing notes that FTX’s $10 million director and officer (D&O) insurance policy covers individuals who are “legally obligated to pay on account of any claim first made against them.” However, FTX debtors and the committee of unsecured creditors have criticized SBF’s request, arguing that granting him access to the insurance funds would harm the debtors and cause “material prejudice.” “Thus, for every dollar extended by the insurance carrier to

Unlike AI applications such as Chatgpt, cryptocurrencies do not bring “anything useful,” a top executive of U.S. chip maker Nvidia is convinced. The comment comes despite his company making significant sales in the space where its powerful processors are widely used to mint digital coins. Developing Chatbots More Worthwhile Than Crypto Mining, Nvidia Exec Claims Cryptocurrencies do not “bring anything useful for society,” according to a high-ranking representative of Nvidia, the leading manufacturer of graphics processing units ( GPUs ). The executive expressed this opinion despite his company selling quantities of video cards to the industry. Other uses of their processing power, such as those associated with artificial intelligence (AI) applications like the Chatgpt chatbot, are more worthwhile than mining crypto, Nvidia’s Chief Technology Officer Michael Kagan told the Guardian. The U.S. tech firm, which is also a major supplier of AI hardware and software, hasn’t been too kee

Crypto exchange Binance has announced the opening of a blockchain hub in Georgia which will promote cryptocurrency adoption in the region. The move comes on the backdrop of a number of partnerships, initiatives, and events the company is involved in in the country. Digital Asset Exchange Binance Establishes ‘Web3 Outpost’ in Georgia Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by daily trading volume, has launched a new blockchain hub in Georgia, the small crypto-friendly nation in the South Caucasus. In an announcement on its website, the trading platform explained the motives behind the project: By establishing this Web3 outpost, we hope to attract top talent to the blockchain sector, facilitate educational initiatives related to digital finance, and further the development of Georgia’s crypto industry. The leading global exchange noted that it already employs 25 people on its Georgia team but hopes to add dozens more jobs in the coming months. Besides expanding its workforce

The U.K. government has confirmed that it is not proceeding with a plan to launch a non-fungible token (NFT). British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Royal Mint to create an “NFT for Britain” while he was serving as the Chancellor of the Exchequer last year as part of his efforts to make the U.K. a global hub for crypto-asset technology and investment. Britain Drops NFT Plan Parliament Member Harriett Baldwin, chair of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee and a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer “whether it remains the policy of his department that the Royal Mint issue a non-fungible token.” Wholly owned by His Majesty’s Treasury, the Royal Mint is the official mint of the U.K. and the maker of British coins. Responding to Baldwin’s question on Monday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith stated: In consultation with HM Treasury, the Royal Mint is not proceeding with the launch of a non-fungible token at t

EU lawmakers have voted in favor of imposing a €1,000 limit on crypto transactions where the customer cannot be identified. “Entities, such as banks, assets and crypto assets managers, real and virtual estate agents, and high-level professional football clubs, will be required to verify their customers’ identity, what they own and who controls the company,” the European Parliament emphasized. Lawmakers Vote on New EU Regulation On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) and the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) adopted their position on three pieces of draft legislation on the financing provisions of EU Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) policy. One of the three was the “single rulebook” regulation, which aims to harmonize financial regulation across the EU. It was adopted with 99 votes to 8 and 6 abstentions, according to an announcement by the European

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, also known as the Senate Banking Committee, held a hearing to discuss the recent bank collapses in the United States and the regulatory response. Throughout the testimonies, digital assets and crypto businesses were mentioned. Senate Banking Committee chairman Sherrod Brown claimed on Tuesday that Signature Bank “found itself in the middle of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crime spree at the crypto exchange FTX.” Regulators Highlight Bank Exposure to Crypto Asset Businesses in Senate Banking Committee Hearing About Bank Failures Following the collapse of Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank, the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing to discuss the situation and its implications. The hearing witnesses included Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Michael Barr, vice chairman for supervision with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve; and Nellie L

Cryptocurrency and technology proponents have recently been discussing a new bipartisan bill called the “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT)” Act. In addition to targeting firms such as Kaspersky, Huawei, and Tiktok, opponents of the bill believe one of its provisions will punish ordinary Americans for leveraging a virtual private network (VPN). However, a spokesperson for Democratic senator Mark Warner insists the “legislation is aimed squarely at companies” and “not at individual users.” Concerns Over the RESTRICT Act’s Potential Impact on Cryptocurrency and VPN Use Since the bill was introduced in March, the RESTRICT Act, sponsored by over a dozen bipartisan politicians and initiated by senator Mark Warner (D-VA), has been the center of controversy. A great deal of attention has been focused on the bill targeting Tiktok, and several reports say the legislation could be used to ban the app in the United Sta

The central bank in the United Arab Emirates said it has started implementing its digital currency strategy with partners G42 Cloud and R3. According to the central bank, the digital currency initiative is expected to “further position and solidify the UAE as a leading global financial hub.” CBDC Strategy to Focus on Three Pillars The United Arab Emirates (UAE) central bank recently said it would start implementing its digital currency strategy with its two partners G42 Cloud and R3. According to a report, the UAE’s apex bank’s two partners are expected to play a key role in helping the central bank achieve CBDC implementation. As explained in a recent Arabian Business report , the first phase of the central bank’s strategy, which is expected to take place in the next 12 to 15 months, will focus on three key pillars. The proof-of-concept work for bilateral central bank digital currency (CBDC) bridges with India, as well as the soft launch of the M-bridge, are two of the key pillars

According to the token protocol startup Noble, the second-largest stablecoin, USDC, will be integrated into the Cosmos blockchain, as the company has partnered with Circle Financial for the rollout. Noble details that the integration will give access to Circle’s USDC stablecoin to more than 50 Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) networks. USDC Native Support Is Coming to the Cosmos Blockchain Noble , a token issuance protocol startup, has revealed the Cosmos network of IBC protocols will support USDC. The team introduced Noble last week in a blog post that describes the protocol as an “app-chain purpose-built for native asset issuance in Cosmos and the boundless Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) ecosystem.” On Tuesday, Noble announced its partnership with Circle Financial to bring USDC to the Cosmos ecosystem. “This is a huge moment for our ecosystem,” Noble said on Tuesday. “Cosmos has never had a native, fiat-backed stablecoin that is highly liquid [and] fully collateralize

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has addressed the allegations against him by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). “We do not agree with the characterization of many of the issues alleged in the complaint,” the executive stressed. CZ Responds to CFTC’s Allegations The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), published a blog post on Monday to address the civil enforcement action against him and his crypto exchange by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The U.S. regulator charged Zhao and three entities that operate the Binance platform “with numerous violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations.” Noting that the CFTC’s civil complaint against him and Binance was “unexpected” and “disappointing,” Zhao explained: Upon an initial review, the complaint appears to contain an incomplete recitation of facts, and we do not agree with the characterization of many of the issues alleged in the complaint. “We wil

The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Neel Kashkari, says the current banking crisis has pushed the U.S. economy closer to a recession. “We have fundamental issues, regulatory issues facing our banking system,” the Fed official stressed. Neel Kashkari on U.S. Economy, Banking Crisis, Recession Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari shared his thoughts on the state of the U.S. economy, the current banking crisis, and whether the U.S. is headed toward a recession in an interview with CBS News Sunday. Responding to a question about whether the present banking crisis has caused the U.S. economy to edge closer toward a recession, Kashkari said: It definitely brings us closer. Right now, what’s unclear for us is how much of these banking stresses are leading to a widespread credit crunch. “That credit crunch … would then slow down the economy,” he cautioned, noting that the Fed is monitoring the situation “very, very closely.” “Such strains c

A prosecutor investigating Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon for alleged passport forgery in Montenegro has indicated that he will not be extradited soon. The law enforcement official told South Korean media that Montenegrin authorities intend to indict Kwon within a month, ruling out the possibility of him being handed over to other countries within the detention period. Passport Forgery Investigation Takes Precedence Over Extradition Requests in Do Kwon’s Case It may take some time before an extradition process begins for Do Kwon, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported, quoting the prosecutor working on the case of the Terraform Labs co-founder who was recently arrested in Montenegro. Judicial condemnation of crimes that have taken place in Montenegro’s jurisdiction is a priority for the authorities in the small Balkan nation, Haris Šabotić stated in an interview in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica on Monday. Šabotić is in charge of the local investigation against Kwon for alle

PRESS RELEASE. Canada, Alberta – Cryptocurrency has become a hot topic in recent years, capturing the attention of investors and traders alike. While it has faced its fair share of controversies, it has also opened up new possibilities and transformed the financial sector. With the rise of cryptocurrency, there has been a surge in the number of exchanges that facilitate the buying and selling of digital assets; with the fall of FTX, traders have become more aware of whether their digital assets are within their own key, boosting the popularity of decentralized exchanges. Among these exchanges is the emerging decentralized spot and perpetual trading exchange, DAMX, which has quickly gained popularity in the market. What sets DAMX apart from other exchanges is its focus on providing benefits to both investors and traders. The exchange supports low swap fees and zero-price impact trades, making it an attractive option for those looking to minimize costs. Additionally, DAMX has a uniqu