Author: Lora

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing the world’s airlines, plans to incorporate China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC)—known as the digital yuan or e-CNY—into its billing and settlement systems by the end of 2024. This move reflects the growing trend of digital currencies in global finance. In a report by Times Aerospace on October 29, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Financial Settlement and Distribution Services, Muhammad Albakri, highlighted the necessity of adapting to changing payment preferences. “With the increasing use of digital currencies, it is imperative that IATA’s industry financial settlement systems adapt to support the needs of those…

Bluesky, the decentralized social network co-founded by Jack Dorsey, has announced a successful $15 million Series A funding round led by Blockchain Capital, aimed at expanding its services. In a blog post on October 24, Bluesky emphasized its commitment to a user-centric design, stating it “will not hyperfinancialize the social experience” by launching a token. This announcement comes as the company sees its user base exceed 13 million since transitioning to an open platform earlier this year. The funding round also received support from other investors, including Alumni Ventures, True Ventures, and SevenX. While Bluesky did not disclose its valuation,…

Cybersecurity giant Kaspersky has revealed a highly sophisticated campaign targeting cryptocurrency users, orchestrated by the North Korean threat actor group Lazarus. Announced on Wednesday, the Lazarus Group exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome through a fake blockchain-based game. This exploit installed spyware aimed at stealing users’ wallet credentials, according to Kaspersky’s findings. The attack was identified by Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team in May 2024 and presented at the Security Analyst Summit 2024 in Bali. Advanced Techniques Employed Kaspersky’s analysis highlighted the use of social engineering techniques and generative AI to specifically target cryptocurrency investors. “The attackers went…

Montenegro’s Supreme Court has reportedly ruled that Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, qualifies for extradition to both South Korea and the United States, leaving the final decision to the Minister of Justice. Authorities are expected to make an official announcement by Sunday, October 20. Justice Minister Bojan Božović informed local media that a decision regarding Kwon’s extradition has been reached, and he plans to sign the official documentation by the end of this week. Legal Issues Surrounding Do Kwon Do Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 while attempting to leave the country with what authorities described as…

TikTok is coming under regulatory scrutiny for its virtual currency system, TikTok Coins, which users can buy, gift, and potentially convert back into cash operations resembling those of a cryptocurrency exchange. According to a report by Financial News, a compliance expert has alerted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) about concerns that TikTok may need to undergo checks for money laundering and terrorist financing. The expert highlighted that users can indirectly convert TikTok Coins into real money through the platform’s creator program. Concerns Over TikTok Coins TikTok Coins allow users to purchase virtual currency with real money, which can be gifted…

Tokens mimicking SpaceX’s branding have seen explosive growth, skyrocketing by over 5824% after the successful test launch of the Starship rocket on Sunday, October 13. Prices for the cryptocurrencies named SpaceX and StarShip surged dramatically in the wake of this high-profile event, despite the fact that these tokens have no official affiliation with Elon Musk’s space company. Data from CoinMarketCap shows that the PancakeSwap-based token SPACEX experienced an astonishing increase of 5824% within just 24 hours of trading. As of now, SPACEX boasts a market cap of $80,800, with its price reaching $0.012192. Another token, simply named SpaceX and built…

A cryptocurrency venture capital fund has suffered a significant loss of over $36 million due to a phishing attack that involved a fraudulent permit signature. The incident reportedly affected an entity linked to Continue Capital. According to a report by blockchain monitoring platform Lookonchain, the phishing attack occurred on October 11, resulting in the theft of 15,079 wrapped Ethereum tokens (fwDETH). The malicious transaction was executed using a deceptive “permit” signature, which allowed the attackers to siphon funds from the victim’s wallet. Phishing attacks are a common threat in the cryptocurrency space, often masquerading as legitimate transactions. In this case,…

Shiba Inu’s price has been confined to a narrow range, underperforming compared to newer meme coins like Popcat, Neiro, and SPX6900. As of October 9, Shiba Inu (SHIB) was trading at $0.00001718, down 21% from its peak earlier this month, signaling a potential local bear market. This decline is attributed to a shift in investor focus toward emerging meme coins that are delivering substantial returns. Notably, SPX6900 has surged over 300% in the past week, reaching a market cap of more than $562 million. Popcat, a notable meme coin on the Solana network, has skyrocketed by over 13,500% since its…

For the week ending October 6, NFT sales volumes surged to nearly $85 million, marking the highest selling week since late August. According to data from the NFT market tracker CryptoSlam!, weekly sales from September 30 to October 6 totaled over $84.9 million, a notable rebound after several weeks of sluggish sales amid a broader market downturn. This recent surge is still below the peak weekly NFT sales of over $93 million recorded for the week ending August 25. At its height, the NFT market saw weekly sales volumes exceeding $2.2 billion during the week of August 23-29, 2021. Despite…

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, often referred to as CZ, has announced plans to ramp up his investments in the blockchain sector after serving a four-month prison sentence in the United States. Over the weekend, Zhao shared on X his intention to also invest in artificial intelligence and biotechnology. He emphasized that as a long-term investor, his focus is on making a positive impact rather than solely pursuing financial returns. Commitment to Education and Charity Zhao revealed that he will be dedicating significant time to his educational initiative, Giggle Academy, which aims to provide free basic education worldwide for grades…