Hackers steals $320 million from Solana, Ethereum bridge Wormhole
Wormhole, one of the popular bridges linking the Ethereum and Solana blockchains, lost over $320 million in an apparent hack on Wednesday afternoon. Experts have called it one of the biggest hacks ever in the decentralised finance (DeFi) space. In a tweet, Wormhole’s official Twitter handle confirmed that the bridge is currently down while the team investigates a potential exploit.
Crypto prices today: Bitcoin falls 3.4%, ETH down 2.8%
Bitcoin is currently trading at $37,097, a 3.4% decline over the previous day. Ethereum fell 2.8% over the last 24 hours to $2,679. Solana slumped 8.6% to $99.75, while Cardano is down 1.9% to $1.04. Polygon (MATIC) is down 5% to $1.54. The global crypto market cap stands at $1.71 trillion, a 3% decline over the previous day.
Google is looking to help build Web3, blockchain products: Alphabet CEO
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said he is watching the blockchain space and looking at how the company can add value to the development of Web3 technology. Investors have been plowing money into companies working on Web3, a vision of the internet model built around cryptos and digital ownership. Google has also established its own team working on blockchain.
South African regulator FSCA cautions consumers against FTX, ByBit
South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has warned the public against dealing with crypto exchanges FTX and ByBit. It added that FTX is not authorized to give any financial advice or render intermediary services. South African regulators have been alarmed by major instances of crypto fraud over the past year. They have warned traders to be “cautious and vigilant”.
Crypto bill unlikely this Budget session, hints Finance Minister
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the govt is in consultation with various stakeholders regarding India’s crypto bill. Post consultation, the Centre will come up with the bill. They are yet to fix a timeline on the same. The FM also stated that the budget announcement on virtual assets was aimed to differentiate between private cryptos and digital currency.
