What’s Happening In Crypto Today? Daily Crypto News Digest
Get your daily, bite-sized digest of blockchain and crypto news today – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s news.
In crypto news today:
- Why is crypto down today?
- Anchorage Digital Launching Crypto Settlement Network
- 260,000 Users and 250M NFT Mints Expected from SKALE-Virtualness Partnerships
- Fake Bomber Sentenced to Three Years of Probation
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Why is crypto down today?
The global cryptocurrency market capitalization today stands at $2.43 trillion. It is a 3.2% decrease over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.
Among the top 100 coins per market cap, only five have seen their prices increase.
Ribbon Finance (RBN) is leading this list. It’s up 23% to $1.14.
WhiteBIT Coin (WBT), Lido DAO (LDO), Kaspa (KAS), and Bitget Token (BGB) are also on this green list.
On the other hand, CORE’s price fell the most: 10.5% to $2.
PEPE and FLOKI are down nearly 10%.
As for the top 10 coins per market cap, they are all red today.
The highest drop here is Solana (SOL)’s drop of 6.2% to $134.84.
Toncoin (TON)’s fall of nearly 6% to $5.24 is next, followed by Dogecoin (DOGE)’s 5.8% decrease to $0.1414.
Bitcoin (BTC) declined by 2.6%, currently trading at $62,255, while Ethereum (ETH) went down 4.1%, changing hands at $3,182.
Meanwhile, Ethereum gas fees saw a significant drop to $1.12 – their lowest levels in six months.
Analysts from crypto analytics platform Santiment suggest that this decline could be a signal for an upcoming altcoin rally.
Also, Australia’s main market operator, ASX, is on track to greenlight the country’s first spot-based Bitcoin ETFs by the end of 2024.
A spokesperson told Cryptonews that the operator is discussing crypto-based ETFs with “a number of” interested issuers.
Anchorage Digital Launching Crypto Settlement Network
In crypto news today, the US-based crypto platform Anchorage Digital is launching its own settlement network for institutional clients.
According to the announcement, Anchorage Digital has introduced Atlas – Anchorage Digital Trusted Liquidity and Settlement.
It is described as the only settlement network offered by a federally chartered bank.
Atlas is purpose-built for all types of institutional counterparties, it said. This includes buy- and sell-side, and exchanges.
It facilitates “a wide range of settlements,” including OTC settlement, OTC margin/collateral management, and off-exchange settlement.
“Since its early access launch earlier this year, Atlas is already settling hundreds of millions of dollars in digital assets,” the announcement said.
EXCLUSIVE: Atlas, @Anchorage Digital’s revolutionary global settlement network, is here for buy- and sell-side institutions.
Watch the interview with our CEO & Co-founder @nathanmccauley and @CNBC Crypto World’s @TaliaKaplan on the launch ⬇️: pic.twitter.com/IjQaWnCwKb
— Anchorage Digital (@Anchorage) April 25, 2024
Meanwhile, Atlas offers funds 24/7, while customers are able to settle in crypto and USD in a few minutes.
The bank is mandated by statutes set by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to keep assets segregated with verifiable wallet addresses.
It also must ensure that funds settle to bankruptcy-remote custody.
The settlement is fully on-chain, not reliant on settlement providers’ books, and assets are never commingled.
Additionally, the customers can access global counterparties, including clients of both Anchorage Digital Bank and Anchorage Digital Singapore.
Also, “some of the biggest counterparties in crypto” work with Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. to meet their fiduciary obligations, it added.
Notably, said the announcement, Anchorage Digital is the only custodian to provide on-demand settlement directly between participants without escrow, collateral, or the use of omnibus accounts.
260,000 Users and 250M NFT Mints Expected from SKALE-Virtualness Partnerships
SKALE Network, a gas-less EVM-compatible blockchain designed for Ethereum scaling, and Virtualness, a mobile-first platform powered by generative AI and blockchain, announced a strategic partnership “aimed at redefining digital engagement and empowering global sports fans, enterprises and creators alike.”
Virtualness serves 260,000 users and recently signed to work with Asia’s largest football league Liga1.
Per the announcement, sports fans will have access to exclusive NFT moments, player cards, rewards, loyalty programs, real-world experiences, and gamification on the Virtualness platform, powered by SKALE.
Notably, SKALE expects 250 million NFTs to be minted on Virtualness in 2024.
Virtualness and SKALE announce a strategic partnership
Today marks an exciting milestone for @Virtualnessio as we join forces with @SkaleNetwork, a leading gas-less EVM-compatible blockchain solution designed for secure Ethereum scaling. This partnership aims to redefine digital…
— Virtualness (@Virtualnessio) April 26, 2024
Thanks to the partnership, Virtualness’ users will leverage SKALE’s high-throughput, zero-gas-fee transactions, and instant finality capabilities, the teams said.
With SKALE, sports fans, enterprises, organizations, and all Virtualness users “can now mint for free, further democratizing the access to digital asset ownership,” they added.
The Virtualness platform offers a user-friendly interface for creating, minting, and showcasing digital goods. No knowledge of crypto or blockchain is needed.
It also allows sports, enterprises, and creators to interact with their communities directly.
Virtualness will “soon” offer more on-chain assets, including NFT player cards, prizes via SKALE tokens, and the transparent storage and sharing of game data, such as leadership board scores and prize information.
Fake Bomber Sentenced to Three Years of Probation
In other crypto news today, William Giordani (55), accused of participating in a crypto-related bomb threats plot, was sentenced to three years of probation.
According to The Independent, last April, a caller with a disguised voice told Harvard University’s police department that bombs had been placed on campus.
The caller demanded an unspecified amount in Bitcoin in exchange for not remotely detonating the bombs.
Harvard’s Science Center Plaza and surrounding academic buildings were evacuated.
Only one false device was found, and there were no injuries.
Giordani pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a federal felony – knowing about a felony and not reporting it.
The charge was dropped. While Giordani originally faced a sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000, the prosecutors recommended a sentence of up to three years’ probation.
Prosecutors said that one reason they accepted his guilty plea was that they believed he had been pulled into the plot after he responded to a Craigslist ad.
His reply to the ad was driven in part by a drug habit, they said, adding that Giordani “has made efforts to remain in a recovery program.”
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