Cryptocurrency Prices today on December 18: Bitcoin, Ethereum fall over 3%

Global crypto market capitalisation dropped to $2.14 trillion from $2.21 trillion during the last 24 hours, while the volume rose to $105.96 billion from $89.49 billion on Friday, December 18.
Among major cryptocurrencies globally, Bitcoin dropped 3.6% to Rs 36,79,813, while Ethereum declined 3.8% to RS 3,05,454.0. On the other hand, Avalanche advanced over 4% to Rs 8,556.00. Read more here.

Ray Dalio roots for cryptocurrency to diversify investment portfolio

Billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio opines that cryptocurrency can be a part of investment portfolios in an environment where the value of the dollar is depreciating in real terms.
According to a Blockworks report, Dalio said during an interview with Yahoo Finance that he owns bitcoin and ethereum. He did not specify the how much worth of crypto he owns. Read more here.

Revenue from crypto scams surges 81 percent in 2021, "rug pulls" make for most of it

The money garnered from cryptocurrency-related scams and crimes worldwide touched almost $7.7 billion, reaching an all-time high in 2021, surging almost 81 percent over the last year, per the Chainalysis' 2022 Crypto Crime Report. However, the lion's share of this $7.7 billion, almost 37 percent to stand at $2.8 billion belonged to "rug pulls" scams taking place in the Defi ecosystem. Read more here.

RBI board discusses CBDC, private cryptocurrencies

The central board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 17 discussed issues related to Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and private cryptocurrencies, the RBI said in a press release.
This development assumes significance as the central government is currently in the process of finalising a national law to regulate cryptocurrencies. Read more here.