Meme Coins: Are They a Viable Investment Opportunity or a Risky Scam?

Cryptocurrencies have been around for over a decade, and the advent of meme coins has brought a new twist to the world of digital assets.
> Meme coins are cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes and are created for fun or to mock the traditional financial system.
> The most famous meme coin is Dogecoin, which has gained popularity over the years, thanks to endorsements from celebrities like Elon Musk.
> However, meme coins have also been associated with high volatility and scams like the "rug pull."
> In this article, we explore the dangers of meme coins and whether they are an opportunity to make money or just another scam. Full report here.

Binance Loses 16% Global Market Share Amid Regulatory Crackdown

Over the past two weeks, Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has lost 16% of its market share of trade volume.
> The loss follows the decision to end its zero-fee trading program and a lawsuit by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
> Despite the decline, Binance remains the largest exchange in the world with 54% dominance.
> According to analysts, Binance's excess volume largely vanished with the end of zero-fee trading, resulting in an even dispersal in market share among remaining exchanges.
> Upbit is the only exchange out of 17 analyzed to claim a significant share of volume, although recent volume on the Korean exchange is concentrated in XRP trading pairs. More here. Details here.

High Trading Volumes Propel Solar and Icon Tokens to New Heights in the South Korean Crypto Market

South Korean traders have set their sights on Solar (SXP) and Icon (ICX) tokens, which have both rallied by as much as 40% in the past 24 hours, with hundreds of millions of dollars in trading volumes on local crypto exchanges.
> The ICX-Korean won token pair alone saw over $420 million in trading volume on UpBit, a prominent South Korean exchange, while the SXP-won trading pair had over $490 million in volume, surpassing both bitcoin and ether trading pairs.
> It is worth noting that in both cases, trading volume exceeded market value, with SXP having a market capitalization of $455 million at writing time on Tuesday, while Icon's capitalization is just under $350 million. Continue here.

Crypto Venture Firm Dragonfly Capital Invests $10 Million in Bitget Derivatives Exchange

Bitget, a Seychelles-registered crypto derivatives exchange, has received a $10 million strategic investment from San Francisco-based crypto venture firm Dragonfly Capital.
> This comes during a busy period for Bitget, which recently acquired crypto wallet BitKeep after investing $30 million in the startup.
> BitKeep is considered to be Asia's largest crypto wallet with 9.5 million users, while Bitget had eight million users before the deal was signed.
> Founded in 2018, Bitget primarily serves customers in Asia, Latin America, and Europe, and is best known as a futures trading venue.
> In fact, a Boston Consulting Group report ranked Bitget as a top three derivatives exchange in July of last year.
> The collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX late last year blew the contest for derivatives volume wide open. Details here.

South Korean Authorities Seize $160 Million in Assets from Terraform Labs Co-Founder and Former Employees

South Korean authorities have reportedly confiscated approximately $160 million worth of assets from eight individuals associated with the collapse of Terraform Labs, including co-founder Daniel Shin.
> The Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office seized around 210 billion won in real estate owned by former Terra employees, primarily former Vice President Kim Mo, and an unnamed executive.
> The prosecutor's office has stated that they are investigating the property ownership status of the suspects and plan to recover the proceeds of crime and damages.
> The prosecutors' actions were aimed at preventing former Terra employees from disposing of assets that could potentially be used in criminal proceedings.
> No arrest warrant has been issued for Shin, and the report did not mention any crypto assets seized as part of the investigation. Continue reading.

Donald Trump's NFT Collection Sees 133% Sales Spike Ahead of Arraignment

The non-fungible token (NFT) collection of former U.S. President Donald Trump saw a 133% surge in sales on Tuesday, just hours before his arraignment in Manhattan, according to data from CryptoSlam.
> The digital cards, bearing Trump's image, were worth nearly $37,000 in the last 24 hours.
> This comes as the former president was indicted by a grand jury last week over alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and is expected to appear in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today.
> However, the recent price spike is comparatively small, with Trump's 45,000-item NFT collection selling out within hours and generating $3.53 million in sales just months ago in December. More here

OPNX Exchange Goes Live: Trade Bankrupt Crypto Companies' Claims and Major Tokens

Open Exchange (OPNX), a crypto-focused exchange that offers to trade of claims of bankrupt crypto companies, has officially launched, according to a tweet by CEO Leslie Lamb.
> OPNX provides a platform for trading claims related to crypto exchange bankruptcies, with a claimed market value of $20 billion.
> The exchange will offer claims of companies like FTX and CoinFLEX, with FTX claims currently trading at a discounted price of 20 cents on the dollar.
> In addition to claims trading, OPNX also offers spot and futures trading for major tokens including bitcoin, ether, dogecoin, and USD coin.
> The native token of the platform is CoinFLEX's FLEX token, which can be used to receive up to a 50% discount on trading fees and is expected to improve value for holders in the future. Details here.

Michael Terpin's $240M Lawsuit Against AT&T Over SIM-Swapping Hack Dismissed

After nearly six years of litigation, AT&T has won a lawsuit filed by crypto investor Michael Terpin over his loss of millions in digital assets due to a SIM-swapping hack.
> The Central District Court of California granted AT&T's motion for Summary Judgment, stating that there is no evidence to support Terpin's claims against the company.
> In mid-2017, hackers used an AT&T employee to swap Terpin's SIM settings with their own, allowing them to reset passwords and steal $24 million in crypto.
> Terpin filed a lawsuit in 2018, seeking compensation for the loss of his crypto and punitive damages totaling $240 million. More here.

Ethereum's Ether Soars to Eight-Month High Outshining Bitcoin

On Tuesday, Ether (ETH), the native token of Ethereum's blockchain, outperformed market leader bitcoin (BTC) by reaching an eight-month high.
> The rise in Ether's price to $1,873 was driven by U.S. stock futures trading higher while the dollar index dipped, according to CoinDesk data.
> Meanwhile, Bitcoin rose 1.7% to $28,300. The ether-bitcoin ratio also saw a slight increase of over 1% to 0.066, recovering a small portion of the 7% decline from the previous month.