MAS
Unidentified Exploit Steals Over $10.5 Million in NFTs and Coins
An unidentified exploit has drained over $10.5 million in NFTs and coins from experienced crypto community members since December 2022. The exploit targets keys created from 2014 to 2022 and those who are "crypto native," with multiple addresses and work within the space. Crypto veterans are advised to use a hardware wallet or migrate their funds to safeguard their digital assets.
OKX and Manchester City Captain İlkay Gündoğan Launch Football Masterclass in the Metaverse
OKX, the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume and a leading Web3 technology company, today launched “Make Your Play”, an immersive metaverse experience in which fans can attend an exclusive tactical football masterclass from Manchester City captain İlkay Gündoğan.
MetaMask Users Email Addresses Exposed in Cybersecurity Incident
MetaMask, the popular Ethereum wallet, experienced a cybersecurity incident that exposed the email addresses of some of its users who submitted a customer support ticket between August 1, 2021 and February 10, 2023. The breach may have affected up to 7,000 users and some of the customer support tickets included a free text field where users may have submitted personally identifying information. The company has taken steps to eliminate unauthorized access in the future and is working with a cybersecurity and forensics team to investigate the incident.
Twitter and Alibaba Enter Global AI Race
Twitter and Alibaba are reportedly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their businesses. Meanwhile, Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have funded their business with a $100 million personal loan. This week’s Crypto Biz also covers MetaMask's new feature for purchasing cryptocurrency and Alibaba's new chatbot assistant.
Mastercard Launches NFT-Gated Artist Accelerator Program
Mastercard announced a new artist accelerator program, which is NFT-gated and only accessible to holders of its Mastercard Music Pass NFT. The program is a collaboration with Polygon and offers free access to educational materials, unique AI tools, and other experiences.
Binance CEO Emphasizes Importance of Understanding Crypto for Proper Regulation
During a fireside chat at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) discussed the importance of regulators having a deep understanding of the crypto industry to properly regulate it. He emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and engagement with regulators. CZ also suggested that government efforts to restrict traditional financial markets may push more people towards crypto, ultimately leading to mass adoption.
MetaMask Launches "Buy Crypto" Feature
MetaMask has launched a new feature allowing users to purchase crypto with fiat currency directly from its Portfolio Dapp. The "Buy Crypto" feature will enable MetaMask users to purchase a wide range of cryptocurrencies using various payment methods, and it takes into account several factors such as user location and local regulations. The funds will then be deposited directly into the user’s MetaMask wallet.
Avalanche Launches Avaissance to Boost NFT Ecosystem
The Avalanche Foundation has announced the launch of Avaissance, an initiative aimed at supporting digital artists and growing the Avalanche NFT ecosystem. The program includes an Artist in Resident program for over 50 artists and the Mona Lisa Initiative to curate digital art and expand the collections of art-focused DAOs. In other news, Ticketmaster has announced a new feature, token-gated ticket sales, allowing artists to reward NFT holders with exclusive benefits. Popular NFT artist Patrick Amadon withdrew his work from a major auction house to protest a lack of female representation. Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a patent for a framework allowing users to transfer and utilize NFTs across multiple game platforms.
Mastercard Enables USDC Spending in Asia
Mastercard has partnered with Stables to allow retail customers in the Asia-Pacific region to spend and save USDC through its network. Meanwhile, worldwide banking turmoil has not slowed the blending of traditional and decentralized finance (DeFi). Global payment provider Mastercard has expanded its partnership with the Australian stablecoin platform, Stables, to enable retail customers in the Asia-Pacific region to spend and save USDC anywhere Mastercard is accepted. The wallet will accept deposits in several stablecoins, including Tether (USDT) and Binance USD (BUSD), with all deposits automatically converted into USDC. This move comes as worldwide banking turmoil and regulatory crackdowns continue to impact the crypto space.
MetaMask Launches Ethereum Staking Marketplace
MetaMask Institutional has announced a new staking marketplace that allows institutional clients to manage ETH staking through vendors such as ConsenSys Staking, Allnodes, Blockdaemon, and Kiln. The marketplace aims to simplify access and management of solo staking and enable institutions to become Ethereum network validators.