Opera’s Crypto Browser Enters iOS, Worldcoin’s Open Source, LUNA Gift + More News

Fredrik Vold

Last updated: June 26, 2023 06:54 EDT | 3 min read

Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

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Adoption news

• Web browser Opera announced that its Crypto Browser for iOS is out and available for download from its website, and that it comes with a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet that supports several blockchain networks. In addition, the browser will give users access to Web 3-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized apps, including 7,000 services based on the Polygon (MATIC) ecosystem.
• Self-custodial crypto software platform Exodus Movement announced that customers now have the ability to buy crypto using their bank accounts within the Exodus mobile application. This is enabled through the fiat on-ramp service Ramp Network, and it enables customers to exchange USD, EUR, or GBP for over 25 cryptoassets within the app, they added.
• The Emirates airline will launch NFTs and metaverse experiences for its customers and employees, with the launch of the first projects anticipated in the coming months. The company also announced that its Emirates Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site will be used to introduce new projects, including those relating to the metaverse, NFTs, and Web3.
• Portugal-based financial institution Bison Bank received a license from the Banco de Portugal, the country’s central bank, to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP). Although it is the fifth VASP to be authorized by the central bank, it is only the first bank-owned entity on the list.

Altcoins news

• Major crypto exchange Coinbase-backed startup Worldcoin announced that they are open-sourcing the stack. In the coming weeks and months, the team will open-source most of their work from the last two years and will post deep–dives explaining each component, the announcement said. Everything will be published with permissive or responsible legal licenses, it added.

Stablecoin news

• Terra (LUNA) blockchain developer Terraform Labs gifted the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) LUNA 10m (USD 81m). The LFG is tasked with collateralizing the network’s algorithmic stablecoin terra USD (UST).

Investments news

• In a letter to investors, analytics platform MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor called his multibillion-dollar bitcoin (BTC) trove “a tremendous success” in driving shareholder value. He added that this strategy was complementary to the company’s decades-old analytics business, and that they would “continue to vigorously pursue both strategies.”
• Tech entrepreneur, author, and Bitcoin proponent Jeff Booth is launching Ego Death Capital, an investment fund aimed at providing funding to entrepreneurs who are working to grow the bitcoin ecosystem. Nico Lechuga and Andrea Pitt have joined as co-founding partners, while bitcoin advocates Lyn Alden and Preston Pysh will join as advisors. “The onboarding of billions of people to the Bitcoin ecosystem will come from creating products that solve real needs,” Booth wrote in a letter introducing the fund.
• Digital asset gateway Fasset raised USD 22m in a Series A funding round co-led by Liberty City Ventures and Fatima Gobi Venture. The project aims to expand its offerings in Islamic and emerging markets which include Indonesia and Pakistan.

DeFi news

• Decentralized finance (DeFi) and decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator 1inch announced it has deployed its Aggregation Protocol and the Limit Order Protocol on the Fantom (FTM) blockchain.

Legal news

• Robert Taylor was indicted for operating an illegal Bitcoin ATM business in at least 46 locations in New York City, USA, mostly in laundromats, as well as locations in New Jersey and Miami, aimed at individuals engaged in criminal activity, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Between 2017 and 2018, he converted more than USD 5.6m of his customers’ cash into bitcoin while charging a fee of between 10% and 20% without a valid regulatory license, it said.
• Nessa Risley of North Carolina, USA, a user of the Uniswap (UNI) swapping service, alleges in a class-action lawsuit that a lack of know-your-customer procedures on the platform allowed scammers to execute pump and dump schemes, resulting in her losing funds. She states that the protocol’s failure to register as a broker-dealer with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and comply with securities laws has put investors at risk.

Career news

• Binance announced that its Director of Sanctions Compliance Chagri Poyraz has been promoted to Global Head of Sanctions since joining in early January. He is responsible for ensuring Binance meets and maintains sanctions compliance globally, as well as for building a sanctions control framework similar to traditional banks, they added.