Bit2Me is leading the charge in fusing traditional finance and cryptocurrency with their innovative technology. The Madrid-based company has made a powerful impression as Spain’s premier crypto exchange, and has even been given the stamp of approval as the first virtual currency service provider sanctioned by the Bank of Spain.
In response to growing demands, Bit2Me has just launched their latest offering – the Bit2Me debit card. This card empowers users to effortlessly switch between multiple cryptocurrencies such as B2M, BTC, ETH, ADA, XRP, SOL, DOT, and the top stablecoin, USDT, for all their purchasing needs.
Thanks to Bit2Me’s cutting-edge software and Mastercard’s extensive global network of 90 million, the Bit2Me card offers seamless transactions, contactless payments, and 24/7 ATM withdrawals. The card operates just like a standard debit card, but with the added benefits of fast wallet switching and top-notch security features like the ability to lock and unlock the card and set usage restrictions.
Bit2Me’s CEO and co-founder, Leif Ferreira, sheds light on the extensive development process required to integrate the debit card with the Mastercard network and offer a high cash-back rate. He states:
“Dozens of professionals have been involved in this project, and after two years of work, we have found the key to connect cryptocurrencies to the Mastercard payment network. To do this, we had to modify the transaction flow (which is part of the international card payment protocol) so that customers can use cryptocurrencies to pay instantly and transparently for businesses. Moreover, we have managed to add up to 9% cash back on purchases.”
The Bit2Me card aims to simplify the use of cryptocurrencies in everyday life, providing instant and secure online payments and ATM withdrawals without the hassle of manual exchange. Bit2Me’s COO and co-founder, Andrei Manuel, has high hopes for the card, stating:
“Our mission is to bring the use of cryptocurrencies closer to everyone. Bit2Me Card allows you to use your cryptocurrencies easily and quickly in your day-to-day life. You can use cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, or stablecoins, such as USDT, at physical or online stores.”
The crypto market has seen stability in recent months, resulting in a boost in investor confidence and a $300 billion USD increase in total market capitalization since the start of 2023.
The Bit2Me card offers consumers on both sides of the iaisle a great spending solution and a dependable way to spend their digital assets, with its user-friendly service, Mastercard network connectivity, robust mobile support, and up to a whopping 9% cash-back.
Hackers have hit CoW Swap with a major cyberattack, leading to 550 BNB in stolen funds.
Contract exploits from cybercriminals stole funds from the decentralised exchange (DEX) protocol. This triggered the platform’s maximal extractable value (MEV) searcher and posted the alerts on a Twitter thread.
Smart contract auditing firm BlockSec found that the exploit added a wallet address as a “solver” with a multisig. The address later attempted to approve DAI tokens to SwapGuard. The latter transferred DAI from the CoW Swap settlement contract to the subsequent addresses.
According to blockchain cybersecurity company PeckShied, hackers stole roughly 551 BNB totalling $181,600 to date. They later transferred the stolen money to the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash.
News of the theft sparked outcry from community members, who demanded users revoke the DEX’s approvals.
News of the cyberattacks comes at a time when criminals are set to continue 2022’s trends this year. A CertiK report found that last year was the worst for the crypto industry. Losses topped roughly $3.7 billion using hacks, platform exploits, and scams.
Cryptocurrency giant Binance has stepped up efforts to help people affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey with airdropped BNB tokens.
The company’s charity division will donate $100 USD of its native token to users in regions hit by the natural disaster. Users can provide Proof of Address (POA) submissions before 6 February across ten cities. These include ลanlฤฑurfa, Kahramanmaraล, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Diyabakir and others.
According to figures, Binance’s donation scheme totals roughly $5 million USD, or 94 million Turkish Lira. The company has said POA measures were the most effective way to roll out the donation scheme, stating it is the best option for users.
Binance Charity also deployed its public donation address to allow users to donate to the Emergency Earthquake Appeal.
Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao said in a statement,
โThe recent earthquakes in Turkey have had a devastating impact on so many people and communities. We hope that our efforts will bring some relief to those affected. We are also calling on our industry peers to once again come together to offer support in these times of crisis.โ
Binance Crypto Charity Efforts
The news comes as cryptocurrencies gain in popularity as people can access Web3 payment systems after natural disasters, war, and other incidences damage local infrastructure.
Users can access their decentralised finance (DeFi) and crypto wallets with low fees to donate, transfer, and monitor funds quickly and in real-time. Many of those affected by the Russo-Ukrainian war have leveraged cryptocurrencies to support relief efforts as the conflict continues.
The developments come after Binance Charity launched its Scholar Programme (BCSP) to back future Web3 workforces. The initiative aims to upskill enthusiasts in the space, develop cohorts, and finance ongoing cryptocurrency projects.
The company stated that “crypto literacy is the cornerstone of mass adoption,” adding education was a huge part of its operations.
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has suspended bank transfers in USD from Wednesday, it confirmed in reports.
Speaking to CoinDesk on Monday, a Binance spokesperson confirmed that it would take measures from 8 February. It added that just 0.001 percent of bank transfers are conducted in USD each month.
The spokesperson said: “We are temporarily suspending USD bank transfers as of February 8th. Affected customers are being notified directly.”
The spokesperson continued,
“In the interim, all other methods of buying and selling crypto remain unaffected, including bank transfer using one of the other fiat currencies supported by Binance (including euros), buying and selling crypto via credit card, debit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay and via our Binance P2P marketplace.”
Despite this, the measures will enter force on its global platform, but not the firm’s Binance.US subsidy.
A second spokesperson said: “[Binance.US] is not affected by this suspension. Unless you see an official message from http://Binance.US, our customers will not be affected.”
San Francisco, United States, 9th February, 2023, Chainwire
Webacy has announced the successful closure of a $4M seed round to support its goal of making web3 safer. gmjp led the round which also included Gary Vaynerchuk and AJ Vaynerchuk, Mozilla Ventures, Soma Capital, DG Daiwa Ventures, Quantstamp, CEAS Investments, Dreamers, and Miraise.
The event is Webacyโs second round of financing, following a pre-seed raise in late 2021. Notable previous investors include Pareto Holdings, Quiet Capital, LOI Venture, MetaverseHQ, and Origin Protocol. The two rounds bring Webacyโs total financing to over $5M.
Louis Kang, Partner at gmjp, said: โWeโre excited to back incredible founders building important companies that solve important problems in the world today in web3. Digital assets are going to become more pervasive as part of our daily lives. Ownership is one element, but protection is just as important. Weโre excited to invest in Webacy and to bring this enhanced digital safety to the masses.โ
AJ Vaynerchuk, Partner at VaynerFund, said: โWeโve seen a huge need for safety products amongst our communities at VaynerSports Pass and Veefriends. Our brand clients see the need to engage their customers while maintaining responsible and safe habits. No one wants to make the wrong move that might get them hacked. This feeling is mitigated by solutions like Webacy.โ
Webacy is building comprehensive and easy-to-use products to help people protect their self-custodied digital assets. The companyโs protection technology doesnโt require custody or storage of keys. With the mass movement of assets off centralized environments into self-managed wallets, protection is more important than ever.
Webacyโs Safety Suite of products includes Wallet Watch (for real-time wallet monitoring), Backup Wallet (for loss of access, keys, or phrases), Panic Button (to bulk send assets to a safe house wallet in case of an exploit or hack), and Crypto Will (to ensure assets are in the hands of beneficiaries and loved ones in the event of death). Webacy has built its products using smart contract technology. The customer is able to sign their own smart contracts to set triggers that enable the transfer of assets to backup wallets and beneficiaries.
โWebacy helps create intelligent tools using smart contracts the way they were meant to be used,โ said Maika Isogawa, CEO and Founder of Webacy. โTo welcome the next billion users to web3, weโll need a safe environment that allows everyone to transact and own assets with the power to protect themselves. Billions of dollars worth of crypto was stolen and misplaced in 2022. Weโre creating a safer web3 for everyone.โ
Launching of Safety Suite
The seed round coincides with the public launch of Webacyโs Safety Suite. This enables consumers to protect multiple wallets and any type of Ethereum asset along with a wallet monitoring service called Wallet Watch that is free for a limited time. Anyone can use Webacyโs wallet monitoring service to get notified of transactions and approvals in real-time via SMS or email. This allows them to identify suspicious and/or known activity across their hot and cold wallets.
Webacyโs Panic Button, Backup Wallet, and Crypto Will are covered by a subscription plan. However, holders of the companyโs access pass NFT, Grimmies, get yearly access with a certain number of assets that can be protected. Other partners under Webacyโs Season Pass program can also access the rest of the Safety Suite without a subscription for a limited time. Webacy has announced partnerships with multiple companies, NFT projects, and DAOs to help bring their product to a blockchain-native audience.
Communities such as TokenAcademy 333, MetaverseHQ, VaynerSports Pass, DeGen Sports, Rug Radio, Unstoppable Domains, and Ninjalerts have access to Webacy. Webacy has also announced its first wallet partnership with Arculus (NASDAQ:CMPO), a leading hardware wallet, with similar pricing and membership access privileges.
Learn more: https://webacy.com.
About Webacy
Founded by Stanford graduates and blockchain technologists, Webacy is creating a safer web3 for everyone through wallet protection. Webacy has created a Safety Suite of products including Wallet Watch, Backup Wallet, Panic Button, and Crypto Will, all backed by powerful smart contracts that never use keys or passwords. By constantly innovating new methods to bring control back to the user, Webacy is creating the ultimate protection layer for digital assets.
Contact
CEO
Maika Isogawa
Webacy
[email protected]
Munich, Germany, 9th February, 2023, Chainwire
bitsCrunch is thrilled to announce the launch of its upcoming startup program as part of its commitment to bring more awareness and transparency of data to the NFT ecosystem. The latest initiative by the startup will include a comprehensive agenda to ramp up investment of its resources and innovation in the burgeoning industry.
With this, bitsCrunch seeks to make NFT data more accessible to developers and startups building projects that add value to the market. At the same time, it will allow the community to drive adoption and innovation in the future.
The startup program will allow developers and early-stage startups to utilise bitsCrunchโs analytics and risk-management tools to their advantage for free or for a marginal cost. Upon acceptance to the program, participants can expect helpful feedback and guidance from the firmโs technical team and obtain integration guides that will help them get the most out of this initiative. In addition, the product team will also offer technical assistance and early access to new updates under this program.
โAs leaders in data forensics and multi-chain analytics for the global NFT market, any innovations in the space need to be shared for the betterment of the industry. โ – cites Kevin Conabree, Global Head of Growth.
The wide breadth of use cases canโt be done by only us, so we are excited to see how deep and wide other projects can go with the platforms and APIs we have created.โโ
The minimum eligibility to apply for the program is having a solid use case of NFT data for each project. Having said that, the criteria to apply to differ for startups and developers. However, both are required to have a well-researched or tested idea that keenly focuses on NFT utilisation or protection. Members of the program will have special access to free, and then discounted/tiered pricing, that will be charged only when:
- Their project is live and has a certain amount of users/customers.
- They hit a certain amount of monthly API calls or active queries.
- Their monthly data or speed requirements from bitsCrunch hit a certain level.
Follow this link to learn more about the eligibility criteria for the program:
bitsCrunch Startup Program
bitsCrunch has been taking several initiatives to create awareness of issues affecting the NFT ecosystem. It recently launched a community program that seeks to onboard individuals who can join its initiative as community contributors and follow a series of quests that will help bitsCrunch spread its mission across the wider web3 community.
For the startup program, applications that meet our eligibility requirements will be reviewed and considered.
If you or your firm is selected for the program, you will receive an E-mail from bitsCrunch team. To learn more about the program click here.
To apply for it, fill out this application form.
About bitsCrunch
bitsCrunch is a leading global data analytics firm specialising in multi-chain insights for NFTs and digital assets. Established in 2020, we are pioneering crypto data forensics to allow retail, institutional, and venture investors to make better financing decisions through risk management tools and an all-encompassing analytics platform.
Contact us here.
Contact
Ajay Prashanth
bitsCrunch
[email protected]
Interpol, the global organisation tasked with international policing, has begun exploring how to police the Metaverse, reports reveal.
Citing Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock, the BBC reported that the agency aimed to monitor and regulate criminality on the spatial communications platform.
He noted how “sophisticated and professional” cybercriminals could leverage emerging technologies.
Stock continued: “We need to sufficiently respond to that. Sometimes lawmakers, police, and our societies are running a little bit behind. We have seen if we are doing it too late, it already impacts trust in the tools we are using, and therefore the metaverse. In similar platforms that already exist, criminals are using it.”
He concluded that his organisation faced challenges with educating the public on metaverse cybercrime. The organisation aims to tackle cryptocurrency crimes with its outreach.
The comments come after Interpol opened a metaverse portal in October last year at its 90th General Assembly. The new virtual space aimed to inform visitors of Interpol’s operations, metaverse ambitions, and upskill employees on security protocols.
Details of the ongoing bankruptcy cases of FTX have surfaced, revealing details of the crisis in a recent court testimony.
John Ray, the acting chief executive of the now-defunct crypto exchange, testified on Monday at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. During the hearing, he stated that he and others working at the firm had “carefully” conducted investigations on FTX’s operations.
The latter began to resist a measure to appoint an independent examiner to the company’s bankruptcy case, Ray claimed. He cited “inadvertent errors” that could lead to the loss of “hundreds of millions of dollars of value” for the pushback.
Ray continued that, after taking control of FTX in November last year, he could not find “a single list of anything” linked to the firm’s bank accounts, insurance, and income statements.
The lack of data triggered a “massive scramble for information,” he said.
Amid the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, he noted several attempts to steal digital assets, sparking security protocols from experts and liquidators.
He explained: โYour normal first-day petition is chaotic as sometimes can be โ this was something that I have never experienced. Those hacks went on virtually all night long […] It was really 48 hours of what I can only describe as pure hell.โ
Additionally, he asserted he did not have connections with former FTX executives, including the top three: Alameda Research chief executive Caroline Ellison, ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, and FTX co-founder Gary Wang. He also had no ties to Bankman-Fried’s parents or other affiliates before taking over the firm.
No one โthat was in a control positionโ with the ex-chief executive could direct the exchange’s actions while under new management.
New Examiner under Examination
The news comes after the Office of the US Trustee claimed the case required an independent examiner capable of releasing a public transparency report on the company’s bankruptcy activities.
US Trustee Office representative Juliet Sarkessian urged courts should appoint an examiner for the public’s interest. Despite this, court judges did not rule to select an independent examiner.
Lawyers were instead directed to confirm a “consensual resolution” on the case.
The developments follow ongoing proceedings to resolve FTX’s asset management crisis and unveil events that unfolded prior to and during the company’s collapse. Bankman-Fried currently faces eight counts related to the misappropriation of funds, wire fraud, and defrauding investors, among others.
Singapore, Singapore, 9th February, 2023, Chainwire
BinaryX, a Gamefi and IGO platform, today announced it will split its token, BNX. The decision was made after the project team ran a DAO vote and received overwhelmingly unanimous support (99.5%) to conduct the split. The exact timeline for the split will be announced on BinaryXโs social media and community channels soon.
BNX is the platform token of BinaryX, and is used as a utility token for all activities on the BinaryX ecosystem, including in games and for the incubation fund. This move to split the token is expected to lower the threshold for overall spending, to increase new users’ acceptance of the token, and consequently increase the adoption of BNX in a broader crowd.
โLast year, BinaryX experienced an increase in adoption in many regions of the world, and our product line up expanded significantly. We evaluated the market situation at present and concluded that the current price of BNX per unit could be optimized to better promote BinaryXโs economic model and products. Weโre confident that our community is behind us on this decision. The new denomination of BNX will undoubtedly have a positive impact, providing new utility and consumption scenarios, and driving the wider adoption of BNX,โ said Rudy, Head of Growth at BinaryX.
Once BNX is split, all consumption scenarios of the old BNX will be transferred over to the new BNX. The split will have the same effects on in-game and/or output scenarios (e.g. CyberChess Weekly Prize, Hero prices).
As of Feb 9, 12pm UTC+8, BNX is priced at $114.5, according to data fromย CoinMarketCap.ย
BinaryX reveals new games and plans to push VR/AR games through their IGO platform in 2023:
Besides the BNX token split, the BinaryX team also unveiled plans to expand their plethora of game offerings. They will be sharing a sneak peek of a long-awaited update of their flagship game, CyberDragon, and a new offering, Project M. The team also expressed the intention to introduce virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games into their product lineup later in the year and is actively receiving applications from VR projects to provide fundraising support and advisory services. Updates will regularly be shared on social media and in BinaryXโs community channels, such as Twitter and Discord.
โTo ramp things up even more this year for our users, we will be releasing a series of new games and game updates across the year, including an update for CyberDragon. Weโre dropping sneak peeks of some of our games real soon, so please stay tuned. As always, we thank our holders for their invaluable support and we look forward to revealing all our exciting projects in 2023,โ Rudy said.
About BinaryX
BinaryX is the GameFi platform behind play-to-earn games CyberDragon and CyberChess, both of which run on the BNB chain.
BinaryX began as a decentralised derivative trading system. The team gradually evolved into developing decentralised video games, and is now transitioning to becoming a GameFi platform offering IGO services to bridge Web2 developers to Web3.
As one of the top 10 projects on the BNB Chain, BinaryX has a vast community of more than 100k coin holders and 30K monthly active wallets. It is also one of the top few metaverse projects by trading volume on the BNB chain, with more than 250 million in market cap. BinaryX also has a token, BNX, that has consistently demonstrated strong performance despite the bear market.
For more details and information about BinaryX, please visit:
BinaryX Website | BinaryX Medium | About BinaryX deck
Our Socials: Discord | Telegram | Twitter
Check out our games on our website and YouTube
Contact
Communications Lead
Sam K.
BinaryX
[email protected]
San Francisco, USA / California, 8th February, 2023, Chainwire
Collector Crypt, a revolutionary startup bringing the $402 billion physical collectibles market to the Web3 space, has successfully closed its seed round, securing investments from GSR, Big Brain Holdings, FunFair Ventures, Genesis Block Ventures, Master Ventures Investment Management, StarLaunch, and Telos.
Collector transforms the multi-billion-dollar collectibles industry in a way that protects collectors from the unnecessary risks, high fees, and time-wasting logistics that plague the industry. The Collector model leverages established brands, grading companies, physical vaults, and decentralized Web3 marketplaces to offer globally accessible solutions for usersโ prized collectibles.
Using fully composable blockchain infrastructure, Collector streamlines all aspects of the collectibles market on a global scale. But Collector is doing more than just competing with ecommerce giants; the Collector ecosystem evolves the way collectors interact with each other and their prized collections.
โAs long-time collectors ourselves, weโre all too familiar with the friction between physical collectibles and our digital world,โ said Collector CEO Tuomas Holmberg. โTrading cards used to mean heading to a local meet-up with people who you probably knew. Now itโs mostly done online, with cards worth a thousand times what they were, with people you donโt know, and on marketplaces that have lost touch with advances in technology and the needs of collectors. Yet theyโll still happily charge around 13% on every trade.โ
Collector now turns focus to its upcoming marketplace launch and private round. Card collectors can begin depositing their collectibles today at collectorcrypt.com, or meet the team directly on Discord to learn more about what Collector can do.
“We are thrilled to be working with the Collector team as they continue to expand their community,” said Pete Mscichowski, Venture Investor at GSR. “We look forward to supporting the next phase of Collector‘s growth through its global, accessible solutions transforming the collectibles industry.”
โTuomas’ successful exits from previous startups and his knowledge of and enthusiasm for physical collectibles like Magic: The Gathering impressed us. Weโre confident in his teamโs ability to create a tailored solution for collectors to share, trade, and collateralize their collectibles. We believe Collectorโs users can benefit from both a decentralized marketplace and underlying vaulting solution that keeps cherished possessions secure,” said Christian Ng, Partner at Genesis Block Ventures.
Investors, collectors, superfans, and everyone in between can join Collectorโs growing community. To learn more about the platform or to enquire about future investment opportunities, contact the team via the links below.
Contact
About Collector
Collector transforms the collectibles market by integrating physical ownership with Web3-powered digital marketplaces. This means significantly less time-wasting, fraud, risk, and fees than what millions of collectors currently experience transacting billions of dollars annually.
Collectorโs native token, COLL, is distributed as rewards and unlocks the full potential of the platform. This includes discounts, premium features, and governance rights.
To learn more about Collector, visit https://collectorcrypt.com/.
Contact
CEO
Tuomas Holmberg
Collector Crypt Inc
[email protected]