Evening News | Approximately $4.2 billion in client assets ruled to belong to Celsius; Animoca halves fundraising target to $1 billion
Magic Eden will refund users affected by "counterfeit" NFTs; Coinbase reaches a $100 million settlement with regulators.整理：润升，ChainCatcher
"What Important Events Happened in the Last 24 Hours"
1. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rules That Approximately $4.2 Billion in Crypto in Celsius Interest Accounts Belongs to Celsius, Not Customers
According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn ruled that approximately $4.2 billion in cryptocurrency held in interest-bearing accounts at the crypto lending platform Celsius Network belongs to Celsius, not to thousands of customers. The judge stated that each company's rights to its customers' digital assets are clearly outlined in its terms of use, and the contract between Celsius and its users clearly establishes the company's ownership, allowing Celsius to use the $4.2 billion in cryptocurrency at its discretion.
This decision will directly impact Celsius's ability to sell $18 million in stablecoins to cover costs associated with an extended stay in bankruptcy protection. Celsius executives previously testified in bankruptcy court that the company's funds would run out in March, after which it would need to raise funds to cover the costs of maintaining bankruptcy protection. (Source link)
2. Magic Eden to Refund All Users Deceived into Purchasing Fake NFTs
NFT marketplace Magic Eden announced that it has determined the impact of the unverified NFT sale incident is contained within 25 collections, and the issue has been resolved.
Magic Eden has committed to refunding all users who were deceived into purchasing fake NFTs on its platform due to the exploit, and is currently confirming whether any other NFTs were affected after the last day.
Previously, NFT collector "Trollidan《TYR》" posted on social media that they purchased a "counterfeit" NFT on the ABC (abracadabra) series NFT homepage on Magic Eden, with multiple NFT collectors responding that they had similar experiences. (Source link)
3. Animoca Brands Halves Its Web3 Investment Fundraising Target to $1 Billion
Animoca Brands CEO Yat Siu stated in an interview with Bloomberg that the company is negotiating with potential investors to raise $1 billion for its Web3 and metaverse investment fund.
ChainCatcher previously reported that Yat Siu mentioned in November 2022 that Animoca Brands planned to launch a fund of up to $2 billion for investing in metaverse businesses, describing the planned fund as a "good entry point for Web3 businesses," focusing on mid-to-late-stage startups. (Source link)
4. Memeland Captain NFT "CaptainZ" Sells Out in 12 Minutes, Team Revenue Approximately 9,801 ETH
The Memeland Captain NFT project "The CaptainZ" announced that it received over 9,999 deposits within 669 seconds after minting began, leading to the suspension of Waitlist eligibility for minting. "The CaptainZ" began minting today at 00:00 Beijing time, with a minting duration of 48 hours and a minting price of 1.069 ETH. Eligible users for minting include: Memelist, PotatoZ, or Waitlist holders. As of the time of writing, 14,546 users have participated.
It is reported that "The CaptainZ" is the third project in the Memeland ecosystem and is said to be a core project eligible for potential Memeland Token airdrops. According to the project's official website, only 9,169 Captain NFTs are available for minting, while the remaining unminted CaptainZ will be allocated to the Memeland Treasury, with expected team revenue of 9,801.661 ETH. (Source link)
5. Coinbase Reaches $100 Million Settlement with New York Regulators
According to The New York Times, cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase announced a settlement agreement with the New York State Department of Financial Services, agreeing to pay a $50 million fine and committing to invest $50 million to enhance its compliance program, aimed at preventing potential violators from opening accounts in New York.
Previously, the New York State Department of Financial Services found that Coinbase allowed customers to open accounts without adequate background checks, claiming this violated anti-money laundering laws. (Source link)
6. Du Jun: New Fire Technology is a Listed Company Regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, All Information Will Be Released via Announcements
Du Jun, Executive Director and CEO of New Fire Technology, tweeted that "New Fire Technology is a listed company in Hong Kong, regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and all information will be released via announcements, including but not limited to business operations, financial revenue, and executive information. If anyone wishes to learn more about New Fire Technology, they can check the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's official website directly." (Source link)
7. Reuters: Former Chief Lawyer of FTX Has Cooperated with U.S. Authorities in Investigating FTX Incident
According to Reuters, citing informed sources, former chief lawyer of FTX Daniel Friedberg has cooperated with U.S. prosecutors in the investigation of the SBF case, disclosing details about FTX during a meeting with over 20 investigators on November 22. The meeting took place at the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including officials from the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the SEC. (Source link)
8. Italian Cryptocurrency Exchange Young Platform Completes €16 Million Financing and Obtains Regulatory Approval in France
Italian cryptocurrency trading platform Young Platform announced that it has received approval from the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des Marchés Financier) to operate as a digital asset service provider in the country.
Additionally, Young Platform disclosed that it completed a €16 million financing round approximately six months ago, led by Azimut. (Source link)
"What Exciting Articles Are Worth Reading in the Last 24 Hours"
"Crypto winter" was the keyword for 2022, and this chill was transmitted in stages. The decline of the macro environment, the deep bear market in the secondary market, and multiple black swan events rapidly eroded confidence in the cryptocurrency investment and financing market. The entire venture capital market in the first half of this year basically continued or even surpassed the bullish performance of 2021, but the heat in the second half of the year plummeted, with both institutional fundraising and the rhythm of the investment and financing market slowing down, and this downward trend may continue into the first half of 2023.
What was the investment rhythm of the cryptocurrency investment and financing market in 2022, and where did the capital flow? Based on data from the cryptocurrency data platform Rootdata and others, ChainCatcher compiled the fundraising data of the cryptocurrency market in 2022, including overall investment and financing data, distribution of investment and financing sub-tracks, and the most active investors, reviewing the overall situation of the cryptocurrency investment and financing market in 2022.
2. "Why Did the Meme Coin Bonk on Solana Become Popular?"
In the past few days, the Solana ecosystem seems to have shaken off the gloom of 2022, immersed in a positive and joyful atmosphere. In recent days, Solana's SOL token finally broke the single-digit curse and rose back to double digits. Many attribute this positive sentiment to the continuously surging popularity of Bonk. The BONK token has been rising amidst skepticism since its launch at the end of December, with CoinmarketCap data showing an increase of nearly 200% in the past 24 hours. This article attempts to answer why a meme coin can still become so popular.
3. "Why is the NFT Project Memeland by 'Meme Factory' 9GAG So Popular?"
The NFT space, which had been quiet for a long time, is bustling again. On January 5, the NFT project Memeland under the well-known comedy community 9GAG launched its new series CaptainZ, triggering market FOMO. In addition to the whitelist being hyped to high prices, it received over 9,999 deposits within just 11 minutes after minting began, with team revenue exceeding 9,800 ETH. This article attempts to explore what special factors contributed to such high participation in Memeland amidst the ongoing downturn in the NFT market.
