Tag: issues

  • FUSE token regains momentum after SEC issues no-action letter to the Solana DePIN project

    FUSE token regains momentum after SEC issues no-action letter to the Solana DePIN project

    SEC issues no-action letter to FUSE token

    • SEC clears FUSE token as a non-security, providing regulatory clarity.
    • FUSE token rewards network participation and green energy actions, not profits.
    • Market shows renewed momentum, boosting FUSE token price outlook.

    The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a no-action letter to Fuse, a Solana-based decentralised physical infrastructure network (DePIN) project, providing the token with rare regulatory clarity.

    This development has sparked optimism on the FUSE token’s potential, highlighting its utility-driven design and positioning it as a notable example of how blockchain projects can navigate US securities regulations.

    SEC clears Fuse

    Fuse Crypto submitted a formal request to the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance on November 19, seeking confirmation that it could continue offering its FUSE token without triggering enforcement action.

    In its response, the SEC confirmed it would not recommend enforcement, based on the specific facts and circumstances described by Fuse.

    This no-action letter, while conditional, marks a significant milestone for the project, as such regulatory guidance is rare in the crypto space.

    Notably, the SEC decision signals a shift under Paul Atkins’ leadership toward a more practical and balanced approach to token oversight, contrasting with the more stringent policies of previous administrations.

    Unlike speculative tokens, the FUSE token is designed for participation and network utility.

    It functions as a reward for users maintaining Fuse’s distributed infrastructure rather than as an investment vehicle.

    Holders earn tokens through active engagement, such as contributing to the network’s Solana-based operations, installing solar panels, or using electric vehicle chargers.

    By linking token rewards to tangible, energy-focused activities, Fuse has structured FUSE as a consumptive asset that aligns with regulatory expectations, reducing the risk of it being classified as a security under US law.

    Utility-driven token model

    The SEC highlighted that FUSE token holders do not expect profits from Fuse’s managerial efforts, and the token does not grant ownership, dividends, or voting rights.

    This utility-driven framework allows participants to redeem tokens for benefits such as energy bill discounts, priority access to home electrification upgrades, or carbon-offset programs.

    By emphasising real-world use cases and sustainable energy participation, Fuse has created a model where blockchain technology directly incentivises environmentally conscious behaviour.

    The token’s scalability ensures it can grow alongside the project’s broader green energy initiatives, reinforcing its role as a functional, consumptive asset rather than a speculative instrument.

    The approval has resonated across the DePIN sector, a space valued at over $24 billion, as it provides a blueprint for other infrastructure-driven blockchain projects.

    Fuse’s approach demonstrates how decentralised networks can effectively integrate tokenised rewards with practical utility, offering both financial and environmental value to participants.

    Market impact and FUSE token price outlook

    Following the announcement, the FUSE token has shown signs of regaining momentum in trading markets.

    Current figures indicate that the token trades around $0.0077, with a market capitalisation of approximately $2.4 million and total value locked exceeding $68 million.

    Over the past year, the token experienced a significant decline from its all-time high of $2.13 in January 2022, but the SEC’s no-action letter has injected renewed confidence among investors.

    Looking ahead, Fuse’s strengthened regulatory position, combined with its utility-oriented model, could positively influence the FUSE token price outlook over the medium term.

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  • Metaplanet issues $24.8M in bonds to boost Bitcoin holdings past 5,000 BTC

    Metaplanet issues $24.8M in bonds to boost Bitcoin holdings past 5,000 BTC

    • The funds raised will be specifically allocated for further Bitcoin purchases.
    • The bonds were sold in full to EVO FUND.
    • The bonds offer investors the potential for early repayment if certain conditions are met.

    Tokyo-based Metaplanet is taking steps to expand its cryptocurrency portfolio by issuing ¥3.6 billion (approximately $24.8 million) in bonds to fund the acquisition of more Bitcoin (BTC).

    This move comes as the Japanese hotel firm’s Bitcoin holdings surpass the 5,000 BTC mark.

    The bonds, which carry no interest, are set to be redeemed at their par value on October 31, 2025, or earlier, if the bondholder requests repayment.

    The funds raised will be specifically allocated for further Bitcoin purchases, continuing the company’s earlier strategy to increase its digital asset investments.

    The bonds were sold in full to EVO FUND, a move Metaplanet hopes will help support its growing Bitcoin strategy.

    While the bonds carry no interest, they offer investors the potential for early repayment if certain conditions are met.

    Specifically, Metaplanet plans to use capital raised through stock acquisition rights to redeem the bonds.

    This means the company’s ability to repay the bonds hinges on the demand for its equity-linked instruments, highlighting a potential reliance on investor sentiment and market conditions.

    Metaplanet’s recent bond issuance underscores the growing trend of companies integrating Bitcoin into their financial strategies.

    With cryptocurrency markets gaining momentum, the company’s move aligns with the broader trend of corporate adoption of digital assets as a store of value.

    As Metaplanet’s share price recently rose by 8.6%, investors are keeping a close eye on how the company’s Bitcoin purchases will impact its financial performance in the coming years.

    In an era where digital currencies are becoming more mainstream, Metaplanet’s decision to use bonds for Bitcoin acquisition marks a noteworthy step toward integrating cryptocurrency into corporate balance sheets.

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  • Gensler issues warning ahead of SEC’s Spot Bitcoin ETF decision

    Gensler issues warning ahead of SEC’s Spot Bitcoin ETF decision

    • Spot Bitcoin ETF applicants strategically adjust fees ahead of potential SEC approval.
    • Invesco, Valkyrie, and WisdomTree reduce costs to attract investors.
    • Gensler’s cautionary note; SEC emphasizes risks in cryptocurrency investments, warning of unique challenges.

    As the crypto community eagerly awaits the SEC’s decision on Spot Bitcoin ETFs, recent developments have intensified the competition among ETF providers.

    In the midst of the hype, Gary Gensler, the SEC Chairman, has issued a cautionary message, emphasizing the risks associated with cryptocurrency investments. The warning comes amid a flurry of activity from ETF applicants, with some dropping proposed management fees.

    The stage is set for a potential revolution in the crypto landscape, but Gensler’s words serve as a stark reminder of the challenges that lie ahead.

    Spot Bitcoin ETF applicants compete to slash fees

    Various ETF providers are vying for approval of their Spot Bitcoin ETFs, anticipating a green light from the SEC. In a bid to attract investors, providers like Invesco, Valkyrie, and WisdomTree have slashed their proposed management fees. Invesco dropped its fee to 0.39% annually, while Valkyrie and WisdomTree reduced theirs to 0.49% and 0.2%, respectively.

    The strategic fee adjustments aim to stand out in a crowded field and potentially lure investors into what is becoming a highly competitive landscape.

    This fee-cutting frenzy extends beyond mere reductions, with WisdomTree going a step further by announcing a fee waiver for the initial $1 billion in assets under management. This bold move appears to be a marketing tactic, creating a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) around WisdomTree’s ETF launch.

    Other providers, including Bitwise, ARK/21Shares, Invesco, and iShares (BlackRock), are also adopting similar strategies, offering lower or zero fees for the first months or tranches of AUM.

    Gensler’s cautionary note: emphasis on investor protection

    Amidst the excitement surrounding potential Spot Bitcoin ETF approvals, Gary Gensler has reiterated the SEC’s concerns about cryptocurrency investments. Quoting an SEC article, Gensler warned potential investors to exercise caution, emphasizing the unique risks associated with crypto securities.

    The article cited by Gensler highlights the SEC’s unease about the lack of regulatory protections in the cryptocurrency market compared to traditional securities markets. Gensler’s message serves as a sobering reminder to market participants, urging them to thoroughly research and evaluate the risks before diving into the world of cryptocurrencies.

    The juxtaposition of the heated fee completion and Gensler’s regulatory caution sets the stage for a pivotal moment in the crypto space. As the SEC’s decision looms, market participants are waiting with bated breath to see whether the SEC will approve or deny the spot Bitcoin ETF applications. If approved, the price of Bitcoin could see some major upward swings and if denied the opposite could be the case.

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  • BRC-20 tokens have flaws and issues, Mintlayer CEO says

    BRC-20 tokens have flaws and issues, Mintlayer CEO says

    • Bitcoin BRC-20 tokens have skyrocketed over the past few days, with their combined market value rising to over $923 million as of 8 May, 2023.
    • Mintlayer CEO Enrico Rubboli has highlighted some of the flaws and issues plaguing the BRC-20 token standard.
    • Apart from not aligning with the “axioms of the core Bitcoin community,” flaws and issues mean users are likely to be rug pulled.

    Crypto news this week indeed has the skyrocketing transactions of BRC-20 tokens as one of the reasons the Bitcoin network experienced massive congestion amid rising fees. 

    As CoinJournal highlighted on Monday morning, the crypto market was down as Binance halted BTC withdrawals amid the network congestion. Some of the trending BRC-20 tokens include ordi, pepe, meme, piza and domo. 

    Enrico Rubboli, the CEO of Bitcoin sidechain Mintlayer, says that while BRC-20 tokens continue to create a frenzy, there are flaws and other issues that plague the tokens and offshoot decentralised applications that try to connect with smart contracts.

    What are BRC-20 tokens?

    BRC-20, or “Bitcoin Request for Comment,” is a token standard for Ordinals. The tokens allow for the issuance and transfer of fungible tokens on Bitcoin and hit the market soon after the mainnet launch of the Ordinals Protocol.

    With BRC-20 tokens, one can etch digital art references into small Bitcoin transactions. The tokens are a creation of a pseudonymous crypto developer known as Domo.

    According to market data for the token category, the combined value of all 11,705 BRC-20 tokens was $923 million as of Monday, 8 May 2023.

    BRC-20 tokens plagued by speed and transaction costs issues

    Among the insights Rubboli shared with CoinJournal on Monday is that while people pour BTC into minting BRC-20 tokens, there’s a need to realise that the technology behind these assets is “heavily flawed.” He also notes that BRC-20 tokens aren’t “in line with the axioms of the core Bitcoin community.”

    Rubboli said that some of the issues currently plaguing the tokens and offshoot dApps within the ecosystem include speed, transaction costs and security.

    On the issue of speed, he explains that transactions have to wait for Bitcoin block confirmation before settlement, which when combined with network congestion, has resulted in users waiting hours for transactions to clear.

    Mintlayer CEO says BRC-20 tokens are potential rug pulls

    According to Rubboli, the use of token bridges and wrapped BTC could expose users to exploits, with DeFi bridges seeing more than $1.4 billion lost to hackers that targeted crypto bridges in 2022. Rubboli believes the entire concept for BRC-20 was designed to confuse and mislead potential investors, with the creators leeching off the popular ERC-20 token standard.

    Saying this could be an opportunity for scams, he added:

    The entire ecosystem was set up to be confusing and misleading. BRC-20 was chosen not because it was the 20th proposed standard, but to leech off the popularity of Ethereum’s ERC-20 token. The developers of the standard and the tools are not affiliated with Bitcoin, they are anonymous, and their software has not been thoroughly tested in this application.”

    Besides, the hundreds of BRC-20 tokens might not just be totally worthless, but also minted specifically to rug pull later investors. BRC-20 token standard creator Domo has previously warned of the shortcomings of the software, including minting balances to intermediary wallets.

    Regulatory issues also arise, with the minting of BRC-20 tokens likely to lead to regulatory concerns around commingling of user-generated tokens with BTC.

    If users mint unregulated securities, it could expose the Bitcoin blockchain to further regulatory scrutiny, which in turn exposes every BRC-20 to regulation due to 1 bad actor. A layer 2 solution fixes this problem as tokens are not commingled with Bitcoin,” he opined.

    A layer 2 solution is a protocol that runs on top of a layer 1 blockchain, for instance Bitcoin or Ethereum. The key features that these protocols bring to the L1 include improved scalability and privacy among others. 

    In blockchain, common layer 2 solutions include state channels, sidechains, and zero knowledge roll-ups.



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  • Bitcoin drops below $17,500 as Coinbase/Kraken report issues

    Bitcoin drops below $17,500 as Coinbase/Kraken report issues

    Bitcoin price fell more than 12% to touch lows of $17,114 on crypto exchange Coinbase.

    Bitcoin declined more than 12% on Tuesday as a stunned crypto world descended into sell-off territory on news that Binance, led by Changpeng Zhao, had signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the acquisition of crypto exchange FTX.

    Bitcoin sell-off pushes BTC below June 2022 lows

    After an initial upward spike for the crypto market amid a positive take, Bitcoin nosedived to lows of $17,114 on crypto exchange Coinbase. 

    The downside marks Bitcoin’s fall to its lowest price level since the crypto bloodbath in June, when the aftermath of the crash of Luna and Three Arrows Capital bankruptcy coincided with Bitcoin printing a low of $17,592.

    With the sell-off crashing the FTX (FTT) token as much as 85% within hours on Tuesday – from highs of $22 to lows of $4.60 – other markets followed suit as uncertainty and fear reigned supreme.

    Ethereum had fallen below $1,300 and Solana was getting smoked near $23.80 at the time of writing.

    Coinbase and Kraken report connectivity issues

    Meanwhile, leading crypto exchanges Kraken and Coinbase reported connectivity issues that only fueled the negative sentiment. 

    Kraken announced an investigation into reports that certain users were having connectivity issues on its website as well as via mobile.

    Coinbase also reported connectivity issues affecting its Coinbase.com, Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Prime platforms. An update the US-based crypto exchange posted an hour later noted improvement in network latency, but users were reportedly still having difficulty accessing the exchange’s various platforms.



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