Google partners with crypto exchanges to allow digital asset cards
Google’s payments division, Google Pay, has partnered with crypto exchanges such as Coinbase and BitPay to store crypto assets in digital cards, while still having users pay in traditional currencies. The search giant is yet to fully embrace digital assets and does not accept them.
Google has also hired former PayPal Senior Vice President and Chief Product Architect Arnold Goldberg to lead its payments division. The hire is part of a broader strategy to team up with a wider range of financial services, including cryptocurrencies.
Crypto prices today: Bitcoin Rises 1.4%, ETH Up 2%
Bitcoin is currently trading at $41,955, a 1.41% increase over the previous day. Ethereum rose 2.1% over the last 24 hours to $3,129. Solana is up 2.7% to $137.15, while Cardano has fallen 2.3% to $1.35. Polygon (MATIC) rose 1.7% to $2.07. The global crypto market cap stands at $1.98 trillion, a 1.99% increase over the previous day.
UK Govt cracks down on misleading crypto ads
The UK government is introducing new legislation to protect consumers from misleading cryptocurrency advertisements. Reports suggest that nearly 2.3 million Britons, or 3.4% of the UK population, now own cryptocurrencies. The government hopes to bring all crypto-related advertising in line with financial promotions legislation in a bid to “increase consumer protection while encouraging innovation”.
Tom Brady’s Autograph NFT platform raises $170M Ffom Andreessen, others
Autograph, the NFT platform co-founded by NFL player Tom Brady, has raised $170 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z fund and Kleiner Perkins. The startup has attracted athletes and entertainers such as Tiger Woods, The Weeknd, and Simone Biles to its cause.
EU markets regulator calls for ban on energy intensive crypto mining
Europe’s Securities and Markets Authority has called for a ban on energy-intensive mining practices. It warned that crypto mining poses a risk to the international community’s ability to meet climate change commitments. Bitcoin now consumes 0.6% of the world’s electricity, according to figures from the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index.
Crypto.com CEO confirms major data breach
The CEO of crypto exchange platform Crypto.com, Kris Marszalek, has confirmed that the accounts of 400 users were compromised, and funds had been stolen by hackers in a recent attack on its platform. He also said that the exchange was back online after 13-14 hours of downtime. All impacted customers had been fully reimbursed with the stolen funds.
Viacom18 set to launch NFT marketplace Fully Faltoo
Viacom18’s youth, music, and English entertainment (YME) cluster is all geared to set its foot in the rapidly growing digital space of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with the announcement of Fullyfaltoonft.com. The NFT marketplace, set up by GuardianLink.io (a pioneer and innovator of NFT Technologies), will go live globally on 14 February. The first drop will include popular MTV digital artwork conceptualised and created by the MTV team.
