1 Billion People to be Connected to the Web with Self-Sovereign Digital Identity

• Sharering is a blockchain-based platform that enables the creation and use of “self-sovereign” verifiable credentials.
• Unconnected.org recently partnered with Sharering to help disadvantaged groups have access to the internet.
• Tim Bos, CEO of Sharering believes self-sovereign digital identities are ideal when verifying online identities.

Sharering: Enabling Self-Sovereign Verifiable Credentials

Sharering is a blockchain-based platform that enables the creation and use of “self-sovereign” verifiable credentials for millions of potential world wide web users who lack required or verifiable identities, among other things. This technology ensures that individuals maintain control and security over their own data regardless of one’s geographical location or income level.

Unconnected.org: Connecting The Unconnected To The Web

Unconnected.org, a United Kingdom-based social enterprise, has partnered with Sharering in order to connect one billion people to the internet by overcoming barriers which „add friction to the availability of data“ with self-sovereign digital identities which are verifiable. This partnership reflects Unconnected’s commitment to ensure all people have access to the internet regardless of their socio economic background or geographic location.

Tim Bos On Self Sovereign Digital Identities

Tim Bos, CEO of Sharering believes self-sovereign digital identities can be used effectively when verifying online identities if constant adjustments are made in order to address any flaws or disadvantages associated with them. He also believes it is important for regulators and governments understand what these companies are trying achieve in order for this technology to reach its full potential and offer more benefits for everyone involved.

Self Custody Should Mean Everything

According to Bos, self custody should mean that individuals have ownership over everything about themselves including their personal data stored on various platforms online such as social media networks and cloud storage services. He stresses the need for individuals to be able to manage their data without having worry about it being shared without their consent or used for purposes outside of those agreed upon by both parties involved in a transaction or agreement involving personal data sharing or usage rights between two parties (i.e., business entities).

Conclusion

The introduction and implementation of self sovereign digital identity technology provides an opportunity for billions around the world who lack traditional identification methods such as passports or national ID cards gain access to services they would otherwise not be able too due because they don’t have verified forms of identification accepted by most organizations worldwide today . With this new age technology, users can prove who they claim they are online securely while maintaining control over their own personal data—a freedom many take granted today but could become increasingly valuable asset going into future as more governments adopt laws regulating how companies collect and store user information going forward

Crypto Theft Scam Alert: Beware of Play-to-Earn Games

• The FBI has issued a public service announcement warning about the utilization of play-to-earn games as part of a scheme to defraud users of funds stored in the form of cryptocurrency.
• Criminals are luring victims to participate in online play-to-earn games and then extracting the funds from their linked cryptocurrency wallets.
• The FBI offers recommendations to help users avoid this kind of fraud, such as segregating funds and verifying gains with third party block explorers.

FBI Warns About Cryptocurrency Theft Scams Using Play-to-Earn Games

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning on the use of play-to-earn games as part of an elaborate scam aimed at stealing cryptocurrency funds from unsuspecting users.

How it Works

Criminals establish relationships with potential victims in order to gain their trust, and then lure them into participating in online play-to-earn games that offer rewards for their actions. These rewards are proportional to the amount of funds put into a linked cryptocurrency wallet, which incentivizes users to invest more money for greater returns. Players observe fake rewards appearing in their wallet but when they try to withdraw these rewards, criminals drain their wallets instead and demand additional funds before returning the stolen crypto.

Recommendations From The FBI

In its PSA, the FBI provides several tips for avoiding such scams including:

1. Segregate Funds

Users should maintain separate accounts for gaming purposes only and keep other funds away from those used for gaming – this reduces losses if someone drains your wallet unexpectedly.

2. Verify Gains With A Third Party Block Explorer

It is important to check any alleged gains using a third party block explorer so that you can be sure they are real and actually being received in your wallet.

3 .Check Sites With Access To Funds Finally, users should periodically check which sites have access to their cryptocurrency wallets and revoke accesses if necessary – this will reduce the likelihood of losing funds due to unknown contracts or transactions.

Conclusion By following these tips provided by the FBI, players can protect themselves against scammers utilizing play-to-earn games as part of cryptocurrency theft schemes.

Crypto Market Slips: ETC, LTC Biggest Movers as Volatility Remains High

  • Biggest Movers: Ethereum Classic (ETC) and Litecoin (LTC) remained near two-month lows on Monday as the global crypto market cap remained bearish.
  • Ethereum Classic: ETC/USD slipped to an intraday low of $19.26, down 8% in the last five sessions.
  • Litecoin: LTC/USD dropped by 4% to a bottom at $87.15, moving closer to a floor at $86.00.

Biggest Movers: ETC Remains Near 2-Month Low, LTC Down by 4% on Monday

The global crypto market cap remained bearish to start the week, and is down 0.55% at the time of writing. Ethereum classic (ETC) and litecoin (LTC) were two notable movers, as both tokens moved lower on Monday.

Ethereum Classic (ETC)

Ethereum classic (ETC) started the week trading close to a two-month low, as volatility in crypto markets remained high. ETC/USD slipped to an intraday low of $19.26 on Monday, a day after trading at a peak of $20.05. The move has pushed ethereum classic towards Friday’s bottom at $18.89, which was its weakest point since January 6. Overall, today’s drop has seen ETC fall for a fifth consecutive session, down by over 8% in that period. Prices are marginally higher than earlier lows, which comes as the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) collided with a floor at 36.00 At the time of writing, the index is tracking at 36.19, with the next visible floor at the 30.00 mark, in the event of a breakout.

Litecoin (LTC)

In addition to ethereum classic, litecoin (LTC) was another notable mover, as the token fell by as much as 4%. Following a high of $91

G20 Finance Chiefs Acknowledge Crypto Risks, RBI Governor Says

G20 Finance Chiefs Recognize Crypto Risks

• India’s central bank governor reportedly said that the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors recognize that cryptocurrencies pose major risks to financial stability, monetary systems, and cyber security.
• The Indian government asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to produce a joint paper on crypto in order to formulate comprehensive crypto policies.
• U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the U.S. has not suggested an outright ban of crypto activities but stressed that it is „critical“ to establish a strong regulatory framework for crypto.

Major Financial Stability Risks

The G20 finance ministers and central bank governors recognize that cryptocurrencies pose major risks to financial stability, monetary systems, and cyber security, India’s central bank governor reportedly said. Crypto regulation was among the key topics discussed during the G20 meeting over the weekend.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das talked about cryptocurrency during a media briefing Saturday following the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Bengaluru. According to India’s state-owned media agency News On Air: Das told the media that there is now wide recognition and acceptance of the fact that crypto currencies or assets are major risks to financial stability, monetary systems, and cyber security.

Pilots for Central Bank Digital Currency

Das also noted that G20 delegates expressed interest in central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot projects in India and other countries, the publication conveyed. India’s central bank began its digital rupee pilots in November and December last year. During a media briefing at the conclusion of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there is almost a clear understanding that anything not backed by the central bank is not a currency. She emphasized that this is the position that India has taken for a very long time.

Joint Paper on Crypto

During the G20 meeting, India asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to produce a joint paper on crypto to help formulate „comprehensive“ crypto policies. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has called for more crypto regulation, stressing that banning should not be taken off the table. Moreover, IMF executive board recently published guidance for developing effective crypto policies as well as outlining their stance against cryptocurrency activities which are not backed by any respective country’s Central Bank or Government’s regulations .

Banning or Regulating Cryptocurrency Activities

The RBI has said repeatedly that cryptocurrencies which are not backed by banks should be banned entirely however; Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman previously said banning or regulating will only be effective if it is done with collaboration from other countries too . US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also highlighted importance of establishing strong regulatory framework regarding cryptocurrency activities instead of outright banning them .

Momint Launches Suncash Initiative to Boost SA’s Power Generation with Blockchain

• South African startup Momint has launched the Suncash initiative, which is a blockchain-based solution that seeks to boost electricity generation in the country.
• Investors can buy non-fungible tokens (NFTs) linked to solar cells, which are then leased to institutions such as schools and hospitals.
• By using blockchain technology, Momint is able to make the project transparent while also lowering risks.

South African Startup Seeks to Boost Electricity Generation

The South African startup Momint has said the recently launched Suncash initiative aims to ease the country’s power generation challenges. For about $9, investors can reportedly buy non-fungible tokens (NFTs) linked to solar cells which are then leased to institutions such as schools and hospitals.

Momint Pilots Solution at One Local School

A South African startup, Momint, recently said it has launched a blockchain-powered solution that can ease the African country’s energy woes by installing more rooftop solar systems at public institutions like hospitals and schools. According to a News 24 report, the startup’s solution has already been piloted at Delmas High School in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province. As explained in the report, investors that wish to participate in this project can do so by acquiring non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which are linked to solar cells and are sold for a minimum price of just under $9. The solar cells are then leased to institutions that agree to purchase the generated electricity via a so-called standard power purchase agreement.

Comment from CEO about Solution

Commenting on his company’s solution to South Africa’s power generation crisis, Ahren Posthumus, the CEO of Momint said: We are a technology company that’s trying to build for the next 15 years, but what we realised is we can’t build a technology company in a country that doesn’t have electricity.“ Posthumus also claimed that his company does not expect to profit from this project which he described as „not financially sustainable.“ The CEO claimed however that his organization chose pursue this project because they want help South Africa overcome its power generation challenges.

Blockchain Solution Lowers Risks for Momint

On why they chose blockchain as their solution Posthumus insisted that this not only makes he project transparent but it also lowers risks for Momint: „We take legal contracts that represent ownership of each individual cell, and we put those legal contracts into a file that’s typically referred too as ‘the token‘ on the blockchain It’s called a smart contract That smart contract says who ever owns this token has right too underlying asset and they have right too revenues underlying asset generates“.

Conclusion

While the blockchain based solution is seen as one of most appropriate solutions too tackle South Africa’s power generation crisis ,it remains unclear if it will be successful or not .

BLUR Token Launch Plummets 85% On First Day of Trading

• Blur, an NFT marketplace, launched their native token this week with “care packages” for users who conducted trades on a competing NFT market.
• The BLUR/USD peaked at $5.02 per unit before dropping 85% against the US Dollar.
• At 2:33 p.m., BLUR rebounded and hit the $0.602 per unit range.

Overview

The Blur non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace launched its native token on Valentine’s Day of 2021, giving away „care packages“ to users who conducted trades on a competing NFT market and listed their NFTs on the Blur marketplace.

Price Performance

Blur tokens began trading at noon on Feb. 14th, reaching a high of $5.02 per token before dropping more than 85% against the U.S dollar in a matter of hours. At 2:33 p.m., BLUR rebounded and hit the $0.602 per unit range with Kucoin being the most active exchange and BLUR/USDT being the most actively traded pair as of 2:05 p.m..

Statistics

As of 2:10 p.m., BLUR had a market capitalization of approximately $176 million, with a global trade volume of about $12 million and 360 million tokens in circulation; 8,798 unique addresses were holding BLUR tokens, with approximately 18,900 transfers having taken place by that time as well .

Competition

Blur has emerged as one of the top NFT markets in recent months competing with Opensea -the largest NFT market-, but also garnering attention from Looksrare -another competing NFT market- through an airdrop of its own token called LOOKS which unfortunately saw volumes subside after launch .

Final Thoughts

What are your thoughts on the recent BLUR token launch? Share your views below!

U.S. Dollar to Lose Safe-Haven Status, PIMCO Strategist Warns

• PIMCO, the $1.74 trillion asset management firm, predicts a significant downtrend for the U.S. dollar in 2023.
• Gene Frieda, an executive vice president and global strategist at PIMCO, believes that the USD will continue to lose its appeal as a safe-haven currency of last resort.
• According to Frieda, the dollar’s yield advantage versus other developed economies is likely to narrow over the coming months.

PIMCO Predicts U.S Dollar Will Lose Appeal

Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) expects the U.S. dollar to „continue to lose its appeal as the safe-haven currency of last resort.“ The $1.74 trillion asset management firm added that the USD „is likely to fall further in 2023 as inflation falls, recession risks decline, and other shocks abate.“

Gene Frieda Warns About USD

Gene Frieda, an executive vice president and global strategist at PIMCO, said in a blog post last week: “We expect the USD will continue to lose its appeal as the safe-haven currency of last resort” He noted that some of the shocks were Russia-Ukraine war, spike in energy prices and inflation which buoyed up US Dollar’s value till now but according to him these conditions are likely change this year resulting in falling US Dollar’s value further ahead in future.

Risk Premiums Likely To Decrease

Frieda added: “We believe risk premiums will decline as inflation — and monetary policy volatility decline“ PIMCO believes that „the dollar’s yield advantage versus other developed economies will narrow“ over the coming months .He explained: “Given the faster pace of cumulative rate hikes on the way up, the USD’s yield advantage is likely to fall in early stages of a rate-cutting cycle even if US Dollar sustains its relatively high yield”

The Big Picture

It looks like US Dollar is going through rough patch this year with many analysts predicting a steady decline against other major currencies due to various factors such as lower inflation rates , decreasing recession risks and abating shocks from past years etc . So far it has been serving as a safe haven for investors but growing concerns regarding it’s long term stability have started surfacing lately which may only lead to further depreciation throughout this year .

Conclusion

To sum it up , Pimco has predicted that United States Dollars may go through another slump this year , with weakening demand among investors due to falling yields relative than other major currencies along with decrease in risk premiums &abating shocks from previous years . It remains yet seen if US Dollar would be able sustain it’s position or not amidst all these factors but one thing is sure that it won’t be same again as before

Binance and Mastercard Launch Prepaid Crypto-Linked Card in Brazil

• Binance and Mastercard have partnered to launch a prepaid crypto-linked card in Brazil as part of Binance’s expansion plans in Latam.
• The Binance card features 8% cashback for eligible purchases and supports on-the-fly conversion of 13 cryptocurrencies to make payments to local merchants.
• Payments made with fiat currency using the prepaid card will be fee-free, however, payments involving crypto-to-fiat conversions will have a 0.9% fee.

Leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance and credit card giant Mastercard recently announced a strategic partnership to launch a prepaid crypto-linked card in Brazil, as part of Binance’s expansion plans in the Latin American market. The Binance card promises 8% cashback for eligible purchases and supports on-the-fly conversion of 13 cryptocurrencies to make payments to local merchants.

The availability of a prepaid crypto-linked card in Brazil has been long-awaited by crypto users in the country, as it will now enable them to make payments in crypto to legacy merchants. The card, backed by Mastercard, will enable registered customers of the exchange from all over Brazil to make crypto payments with 13 supported cryptocurrencies, including on-the-fly conversions to the Brazilian real.

The launch of this product is part of the efforts that the exchange is making to expand its footprint in Latam. Brazil is the second market in which the instrument will be launched, after Argentina, where the card was launched in August last year.

When it comes to payment fees, users will be happy to know that payments made with fiat currency using the prepaid card will be fee-free. However, payments involving crypto-to-fiat conversions will have a 0.9% fee. Also, the card features 8% cashback in crypto that applies to eligible purchases.

Binance has high hopes for the success of its prepaid card in Brazil, as it believes there is a lot of room for crypto to grow in the payments area, especially in a country that is one of the biggest payments hubs on the continent. It will be interesting to see how the product fares in the coming months, as more users start to take advantage of its features.

Robinhood’s Twitter Account Hacked: A Reminder to Stay Vigilant

• Robinhood’s verified Twitter account was allegedly hacked on Wednesday, Jan. 25th, 2023.
• The hacked tweet advertised a Binance Smart Chain token listed on the Pancakeswap decentralized exchange.
• Onchain analysis showed that the token only received a few thousand dollars in purchases before Robinhood removed the tweet.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 25th, 2023, Twitter users were abuzz with news that the official Robinhood Twitter account had been hacked. The verified account, carrying a gold checkmark, had posted a tweet promoting a Binance Smart Chain token listed on the Pancakeswap decentralized exchange. It was quickly removed, but not before Twitter users had taken screenshots of the scam tweet.

Analysis of the blockchain data revealed that the token only received a few thousand dollars in purchases before the tweet was removed. As one Twitter user wrote, “Nobody is safe in this world.” Another user remarked, “It looks like Robinhood’s social media was hacked.”

Conor Grogan, an employee at Coinbase, commented on the situation as well. He tweeted about the scam, noting that it was a reminder that no one is immune to hacks.

A Robinhood spokesperson later released a statement about the incident, confirming that the account had indeed been hacked. They also stated that no customer data had been compromised, and that they were working to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. They also thanked the Twitter community for helping to identify the scam and alerting them to it.

The incident serves as a reminder that businesses and individuals should always be vigilant when it comes to their online security. It is important to use strong passwords and two-factor authentication whenever possible. Additionally, businesses should consider investing in cybersecurity solutions to protect their data.

Overall, the incident was a stark reminder that no one is immune to hacks. It is essential to have strong security measures in place to protect yourself and your data.

EAC to Establish Regional Central Bank by 2023, Aims for Single Currency by 2024

• The East African Community (EAC) will decide during the course of the year 2023 when and where it will locate the envisioned regional central bank.
• The setting up of the regional central bank is expected to help the EAC achieve its goal of attaining a single currency regime in three years.
• Eliminating non-tariff trade barriers is another step towards the EAC’s objective of enhanced movement of businesses and persons within the region.

The East African Community (EAC) is inching closer to its goal of having a single currency regime in place by 2024. This objective will be made possible with the establishment of the regional central bank, which is set to be located and operational by the end of 2023. With the setting up of the East African Monetary Institute (EAMI), the EAC will be able to harmonize member states‘ fiscal and monetary policies, thereby paving the way for the implementation of the single currency.

The EAC secretary general, Peter Mathuki, has revealed that the regional intergovernmental organization’s council of ministers will soon deliberate on the location of the regional central bank. He noted that this would be a crucial factor in ensuring that the process of establishing the regional currency is successful. The EAMI will be responsible for providing the region with the necessary financial infrastructure and governance for the implementation of the single currency.

The implementation of the regional currency is expected to have a positive effect on the region’s economy. This is because it will facilitate the movement of businesses and persons within the region, thereby boosting intra-regional trade. According to reports, intra-regional trade stood at $10.17 billion by September 2022.

Another factor that will aid in the successful implementation of the single currency is the elimination of non-tariff trade barriers. This will be done by streamlining the region’s taxation policies and regulations, as well as allowing for the free movement of goods and services across the region.

The EAC is confident that it will be able to meet its target of having a single currency regime in place by 2024. This will be a major milestone for the region, as it will ensure economic stability and development, as well as foster closer economic ties between the member states. The EAC is also optimistic that this will result in increased trade opportunities and improved living standards for the citizens of the region.