Messaging app Telegram is becoming even more crypto-focused after announcing a feature that allows creators to earn Toncoin (TON), the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network. The app’s developers said Wednesday that users can now send reactions in Stars—an off-chain, in-app currency tied to TON—to content creators and channels, and then those Stars can then be converted into TON. And if those receiving the Stars don’t want TON, then they can use them to pay for advertising. TON Ventures Laun...
Binance to Pay $1.7 Million to Brazil’s SEC Over Crypto Derivatives
Binance has agreed to pay security regulators in Brazil a fine equivalent to $1.75 million for acting as a “securities intermediary” by offering derivatives trading in the country without a proper license. The settlement of 9.6 million Brazilian reais was revealed Tuesday by Brazil’s Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), which says it decided to accept the payment amount and finally put its years-long feud with Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to bed. A spokesperson for the exc...
Judge Allows Copyright Case Against AI Image Generators to Move Forward
A federal judge has ordered the copyright infringement case against AI image developers Stability AI, Midjourney, and the online art community DeviantART to move forward, according to court documents released Monday. The lawsuit—brought by attorneys for artists including Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz—alleges the developers used their work without permission to train their respective AI models. According to court documents shared by the Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Judge Wi...
MetaMask and Mastercard Launch Debit Card That Lets You Spend From Your Ethereum Wallet
MetaMask, the popular Ethereum-centric crypto wallet, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Mastercard to pilot a new debit card that will connect directly to users’ self-custody wallets and allow them to pay with crypto anywhere in the world where Mastercard is accepted. The MetaMask Card, as the product has been dubbed, will initially be available via a limited pilot program for a few thousand users in the European Union and the United Kingdom. By later this year, the MetaMask Car...
Solana Meme Coin Gigachad Up 21% After Endorsement From Meme Model
Solana meme coin Gigachad (GIGA) is up 21.2% on the day after the model behind the meme endorsed the project on his Instagram. Shortly after, famous bodybuilder Mike ‘Titan’ O’Hearn also pushed the project. Ernest Khalimov (known as Berlin 1969 on Instagram) is the model behind the famous gigachad meme. He is one of many models photographed by Russian artist Krista Sudmalis for her “Sleek n Tears” project. When Khalimov had his hyper-muscular figure and chiseled face photographed, the internet w...
Toncoin Up 10% After Landing on Binance Launchpool
The Open Network's native currency Toncoin (TON) is up by 10.6% to $7.05 in the past 24 hours, following Binance's announcement that it will add TON to its Binance Launchpool platform. The token will be available on Launchpool from August 15, 2024, enabling users to stake BNB and FDUSD to earn TON tokens. TON peaked at $7.22 before retracing slightly to its current price, and is up 24.4% over the last week at the time of writing, per data from CoinGecko. The token also rose last week after Binan...
Bitcoin, Ethereum Hold Steady as Inflation Slows to 2.9%
The price of Bitcoin was little changed Wednesday after a widely watched inflation gauge came in cooler than expected. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.9% in the 12 months through July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Economists expected the index, which tracks price changes across a broad range of goods and services, to rise 3% year over year. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.2% compared to June. The increase comes after consumer prices fell month-to-month for...