Author - James Lim

Citigroup swings to US$1.8bil loss on slew of charges

Citigroup on Friday reported a $1.8 billion loss for the fourth quarter as it recorded charges to refill a government deposit insurance fund and carry out a sweeping internal reorganization. CEO Jane Fraser called the results "very disappointing," but expects this year to be a turning point. "We made substantial progress simplifying Citi and executing our strategy...

Number of flood victims in Johor, Pahang up slightly to 5,839 on Friday night, says Nadma

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of flood victims in Johor and Pahang has increased slightly to 5,839 as of 8pm on Friday compared to 5,800 this afternoon. According to the latest report from the National Disaster Control Centre, National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), 5,018 victims from 1,399 families are sheltering at 35 temporary relief centres (PPS) in...

Fidelity trading app displays spot Bitcoin ETF tickers

Users reported seeing spot Bitcoin ETF symbols on trading platforms ahead of approval from the SEC. Fidelity’s retail trading app showed spot Bitcoin ETF tickers, including ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), although one user confirmed that trading was unavailable for now. Shortly after, Bloomberg notably listed 11 Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on its terminal under the “pending listing” designation. The Chicago Board Options...

SEC approves spot Bitcoin ETF on accelerated basis

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10. According to an official SEC filing, spot Bitcoin ETFs have been approved for listing on all registered national exchanges in the U.S., including the Nasdaq, NYSE, and CBOE, following a decade-long hunt for these products. The approval means ETFs will go live in trading...

JPMorgan CEO criticizes BTC despite backing BlackRock Bitcoin ETF

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon reiterated his longstanding skepticism about BTC despite his company’s role in the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF. Despite the cryptocurrency’s status as the most valuable in terms of market capitalization, Dimon remained unswayed, questioning its intrinsic worth. Under Dimon’s leadership, JPMorgan Chase has been identified as an authorized participant for BlackRock’s newly approved spot Bitcoin ETF, the iShares...

Bitwise to donate 10% of Bitcoin ETF profits to support open-source development

Crypto index fund manager Bitwise pledges to allocate 10% of profits from the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF to support Bitcoin open-source development. In an X thread on Jan. 11, Bitwise says it will send the proceeds of its Bitcoin spot ETF to three crypto organizations: Brink, OpenSats, and Human Rights Foundation. Bitwise says that with the donations it wants to “express gratitude...

European Central Bank allocates over $700m to propel offline digital euro development

The European Central Bank (ECB) is allocating over $700 million from its $1.3 billion contract budget for contractors to develop offline payment capabilities for a retail digital euro. In its search for providers offering various services such as risk management, information security, and user application, the ECB disclosed its intention to assign up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.3...

South Korea stands firm on crypto ETF ban, unswayed by U.S. approval

South Korea’s stance on cryptocurrency ETFs remains unchanged despite the U.S. giving the green light to a Bitcoin spot ETF. The South Korean government continues to disallow the launch of cryptocurrency ETFs, adhering to its long-standing policy of not recognizing digital currencies as financial assets. Since 2017, financial institutions in the country have been barred from...

Bitfinity allocates $7m to create Bitcoin sidechain on Internet Computer

Bitfinity Network has raised $7 million from Polychain Capital and ParaFi Capital to establish off-chain infrastructure for Bitcoin and Ordinals. In a press release shared with crypto.news, Bitfinity said the proceeds will help it develop a Bitcoin sidechain on the Internet Computer blockchain called the Bitfinity Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). With the new solutions, blockchain developers...

Upland distributed $13.5m to players in December 2023

Upland, a web3 strategy game with over three million accounts, distributed over $13.5 million to players’ PayPal accounts in December 2023. In a press release, Upland said this pointed to their commitment to empowering players with real-world value through virtual experiences. Players can earn revenue through gameplay, strategic investments, and creations within Upland. This can be converted...