Crypto Mogul Sam Bankman-Fried Granted Online Access to Whitelisted Websites in Latest Bail Agreement

> U.S. prosecutors and lawyers for beleaguered FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried have agreed on new bail conditions to allow him to access a limited number of approved websites on a specially configured laptop.
> The new conditions, submitted for approval to District Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York, include an "allowlist" of acceptable websites for Bankman-Fried to visit.
> Among the approved sites are Amazon, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Decrypt, CoinDesk, Netflix, Spotify, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and various government websites.
> Additionally, Bankman-Fried will be allowed to access blockchain explorers, crypto price trackers, and other resources for legal research.
> The laptop will also be configured to allow Bankman-Fried access to a cloud-hosted, read-only version of the FTX database as part of the discovery process. Full report here.

Former FTX CEO's Request for $10 Million Insurance Funds Sparks Controversy

Lawyers for troubled cryptocurrency firm FTX have called it "unfair" and "inequitable" for former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to use the company's $10 million insurance policy to pay his legal bills, according to a recent court filing.
> Bankman-Fried, who is facing government inquiries and other claims, has requested a court order that would allow him to access the company's Director and Officer insurance plan to reimburse his costly legal expenses.
> However, the FTX debtors, which includes the entity West Realm Shires, and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, a group of FTX or FTX-affiliate company customers, have objections to Bankman-Fried's request. More here.

Short-Term Output Profit Ratio Tool Indicates Increased Profit-Takin

The cryptocurrency market has seen significant growth in recent weeks, with Bitcoin (BTC) leading the charge with a 17% increase.
> Despite regulatory challenges, the digital asset has displayed resilience and could be entering a bullish phase. The price of Bitcoin briefly reached $29,000 on Thursday before settling around $28,500.
> Other major tokens such as Ether (ETH) and XRP have also seen gains, although they fell slightly over the past 24 hours.
> According to analytics firm CryptoQuant, on-chain data suggests that some traders and large token holders, also known as "whales," are taking profits after weeks of gains.
> This could lead to a potential decline in the coming days. Continue here.

Sam Bankman-Fried Denies Attempted Bribery Charges Involving Crypto Worth $40M

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of FTX, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted bribery and campaign finance violations during a court appearance on Thursday.
> The charges were revealed in two recent superseding indictments, with the bribery charge being unveiled on Tuesday.
> The indictment alleges that Bankman-Fried attempted to bribe a Chinese government official with over $40 million in crypto to unlock funds in accounts tied to Alameda Research, another of his companies.
> Bankman-Fried's attorney, Mark Cohen, stated that while his client pleaded not guilty, he did not acknowledge the more recent charges.
> "My client is not acknowledging he can be tried," Cohen said. Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas last year and extradited to the US, where he was released on bond. Continue here.

SEC Charges Beaxy and Executives for Violating Securities Laws

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged crypto platform Beaxy and its executives for violating securities laws by not registering as a broker, exchange, or clearing agency.
> Beaxy founder Artak Hamazaspyan and Beaxy Digital Ltd were also charged for raising $8 million through an unregistered offering of the Beaxy token.
> The SEC further claimed that Hamazaspyan used $900,000 of the raised funds for personal use, including gambling.
> The SEC also charged executives Nicholas Murphy and Randolph Bay Abbott through their company Windy, which violated securities laws by operating Beaxy as an unregistered exchange, clearing agency and broker.
> In response, Windy, Murphy, Abbott and another individual agreed to cease all unregistered activities and shut down the Beaxy platform. More here.

Coinbase Appoints Lucas Matheson as Canada Country Director and Commits to Stay Amid Regulatory Changes

Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange, has announced the appointment of Lucas Matheson as its country director in Canada.
> The announcement came alongside news that the exchange has signed an enhanced Pre-Registration Undertaking with Canadian regulators, affirming its commitment to remain in the country despite impending regulatory changes.
> This follows rival exchange Kraken's announcement earlier in the day that it too intends to continue operating in Canada.
> Matheson, who previously worked at Shopify, where he led operations and strategic expansions, will oversee over 200 engineers at Coinbase. Continue reading.

Flybondi Becomes First Airline to Integrate Web3 Technology with NFT Tickets on Algorand Blockchain

Low-cost airline Flybondi is set to become the first airline to integrate Web3 technology into its ticketing process.
> The airline has partnered with NFT ticketing company TravelX to launch Ticket 3.0, a new feature that allows e-tickets to be issued as non-fungible tokens on the Algorand blockchain.
> This enables passengers to change their name, transfer, or even sell their NFTickets independently, providing a more flexible travel experience.
> Flybondi stands to benefit from reduced customer service costs and increased revenue from trading fees.
> According to TravelX, airlines also receive a 2% cut of the transaction fees. Details here.

Bitcoin Holds Above $28k as Crypto Market Slips; Ether, BNB, XRP, ADA, SOL, and LTC in the Red

Bitcoin's value remained steady at over $28,000 while other cryptocurrencies were facing a downward trend.
> While Bitcoin was trading at around $28,350, up by 0.2%, Ether was down 1% and trading below $1,800.
> Altcoins like Binance's BNB, Ripple's XRP, and Cardano's ADA also witnessed declines of 0.2%, 1%, and 1.8%, respectively.
> The market sell-off affected Solana's SOL and Litecoin's LTC more sharply, with both experiencing drops of 3% and 2.2%, respectively.