Today's Highlights
- Russia Accepts Bitcoin for Natural Resource Exports
Russia has announced its willingness to accept Bitcoin as payment for natural resource exports, marking a significant step toward cryptocurrency adoption in global trade. - OpenSea Now Supports SOL-Priced NFTs
The leading NFT marketplace, OpenSea, has expanded its functionality to display NFT prices in Solana (SOL), catering to the growing Solana NFT ecosystem. - Frosties NFT Founders Arrested for Fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice arrested the creators of the Frosties NFT project for orchestrating a $1 million "rug pull" scam—the first such case in the NFT space. - Madonna Buys BAYC NFT, Enters the Metaverse
Pop icon Madonna purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT, signaling her entry into the metaverse with assistance from crypto payment platform Moonpay. - Israel’s Leumi Bank to Launch Crypto Trading
Israel’s second-largest bank, Leumi Bank, plans to introduce cryptocurrency trading services in collaboration with blockchain firm Paxos. - Geekcartel DAO’s META Fund Raises $10M
Web3-focused Geekcartel DAO secured $10 million for its META fund, targeting investments in元宇宙 (metaverse) and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. - Tether (USDT) Market Cap Exceeds $80B
Tether’s market capitalization surpassed $80 billion for the first time, reinforcing its dominance in the stablecoin market. - Ethereum Burns 2 Million ETH
The Ethereum network has now burned over 2 million ETH (worth ~$6.3 billion) since the implementation of EIP-1559, reducing supply and increasing scarcity.
Regulatory Updates
U.S. Bipartisan Crypto Bill Nears Submission
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) are finalizing a bipartisan crypto regulation bill set to be submitted to Congress within weeks. The bill aims to provide clarity without altering existing SEC securities definitions.
South Korea Proposes Higher Crypto Tax Threshold
A proposed amendment seeks to raise the crypto tax threshold to 50 million KRW (~$41,000) and introduce a tiered tax rate (20–25%) for investment gains, delaying the original 2023 implementation timeline.
NFT Developments
Alibaba Clarifies Digital Collection Policy
Alibaba Auction emphasized that its digital collections operate on regulated alliance chains—not public blockchains—and prohibits secondary (C2C) trading.
Com2uS’s C2X NFT Platform Delayed to April
South Korean gaming giant Com2uS postponed the launch of its NFT platform C2X to early April due to technical and auditing delays. The platform will feature K-pop, gaming, and art NFTs.
👉 Explore the future of NFT marketplaces
Metaverse and Celebrity Adoption
Madonna’s BAYC Purchase
Madonna announced her metaverse debut via Instagram, showcasing her newly acquired BAYC NFT. Moonpay facilitated the purchase, highlighting its role in celebrity crypto onboarding.
David Beckham Partners with DigitalBits
The football legend teamed up with blockchain DigitalBits as a global ambassador, with plans to release NFTs and digital assets on its network.
Key Project Updates
- Optimism Cuts Gas Fees by 40%
Ethereum L2 solution Optimism activated call data compression, significantly reducing transaction costs. - Flashbots’ MEV Bots Earn $476K
Two MEV bots profited from stablecoin arbitrage, netting 146 ETH (~$476K) after miner payouts. - Lido DAO Recovers $13.3M in Stolen Tokens
A governance vote approved burning hacked Lido tokens, safeguarding DeFiance Capital’s assets.
Funding and Investments
Phi Labs Raises $21M for Cosmos Smart Contracts
The Archway protocol developer secured funding led by CoinFund and Hashed to expand its Cosmos-based DeFi ecosystem.
FanCraze’s $100M Series A for Cricket NFTs
The ICC-licensed NFT platform attracted investments from Tiger Global and CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) to expand its sports NFT marketplace.
👉 Discover top crypto investment opportunities
Industry Data Snapshot
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Ethereum Burned (ETH) | 2,014,917 (~$6.3B) |
| Bitcoin Addresses | 40M+ |
| Tether (USDT) Market Cap | $81.4B |
FAQ Section
Q: Why is Russia accepting Bitcoin for exports?
A: Russia aims to bypass sanctions and cater to "friendly" nations preferring Bitcoin payments, starting with natural gas trades.
Q: How does OpenSea’s SOL pricing benefit users?
A: It simplifies transactions for Solana NFT collectors by eliminating ETH conversion steps.
Q: What’s the significance of Ethereum’s burned ETH?
A: Burning ETH reduces supply, potentially increasing scarcity and long-term value post-Merge.
Q: How do MEV bots profit?
A: They exploit price discrepancies (e.g., stablecoin arbitrage) and pay miners for transaction priority.
Q: Which celebrities are adopting NFTs?
A: Madonna (BAYC), Beckham (DigitalBits), and others are driving mainstream NFT adoption.
Keywords: Bitcoin payments, NFT marketplace, crypto regulation, metaverse, Tether, Ethereum burn, MEV bots, Web3 funding
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