Trezor and The Sandbox Issue Security Warnings, Cronos Launches a New DEX, Three Japanese Banks Set to Test Stablecoins on Japan Open Chain

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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Security news

• Hardware crypto wallet provider Trezor warned its users about a new phishing attack targeting their private keys and their crypto investments. “The attackers contact the victims via phone call, SMS and/or email to say that there’s been a security breach or suspicious activity on their Trezor account. Please ignore these messages as they are not from Trezor,” the company said on Twitter.
• Blockchain-based metaverse company The Sandbox issued a warning to users regarding a security breach, saying that an unauthorized third party accessed an employee’s computer and sent a fraudulent email to the platform’s users. “This email, titled “The Sandbox Game (PURELAND) Access” included hyperlinks to malware that may have the ability to remotely install malware on a user’s computer granting it control over the machine and access to the user’s personal information,” it said.

DeFi news

• Cronos announced the launch of Fulcrom, a decentralized perpetual exchange aimed at professional traders. “Users can trade leveraged positions for up to 25X with minimal fees and low price impact,” said a press release. Originally incubated by Cronos Labs, Fulcrom is built on the Cronos chain EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain network built on the Cosmos SDK. It is powered by two utility tokens:  its native governance token FUL, which can be staked for rewards and revenue, and its native liquidity token FLP, an index token made up of bluechip assets such as BTC, ETH, and stablecoins, it said.
• Web3 services platform Chainlink announced the launch of Chainlink Functions, a new Web3 serverless developer platform. It enables developers to connect their decentralized applications (dapps) or smart contracts to any Web2 API and run custom computations on it in minutes using Chainlink’s network. “This can be done with just a few lines of code and without the need to manage any additional infrastructure,” it said, noting integrations for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Meta, AP, and more.

Stablecoin news

• Three Japanese banks – the Tokyo Kiraboshi Financial Group, Minna no Bank, and The Shikoku Bank – will test stablecoins on an Ethereum-compatible blockchain, the Japan Open Chain. The banks will issue their own coins, compatible with major wallets like MetaMask, initially focusing on the issuance and remittance of electronic money, a report said. Future tests may involve local governments and private companies for developing a stablecoin system that meets legal requirements using a new proof-of-concept.

Wallet news

• US online trading platform Robinhood announced that its self-custodial crypto wallet app “officially rolled out to all iOS users on the waitlist of more than 1 million,” and that it is now available globally via the Apple App store, said the announcement. While the app first launched with Polygon, the company now added support for Ethereum along with 50+ ERC tokens. It also added support for NFTs on both Ethereum and Polygon.

Exchange news

• Bitget announced direct integration with charting and trading platform TradingView, which will “expand the usability of Bitget’s service, offering users the chance to trade crypto without leaving the TradingView interface and make more informed and professional decisions,” said the press release. Users can access advanced analysis instruments, learn new strategies, and trade perpetual futures directly from TradingView’s interface.
• Bitpanda announced the launch of Bitpanda Spotlight, a platform feature designed to give customers access to early-stage crypto projects. The feature will give customers the opportunity to explore and subscribe to coin listings before trading is enabled. They can subscribe to a specific project and will become eligible to earn free tokens as well as receive a notification when the coin goes live, said the announcement. All offered cryptocurrencies and tokens have to go through the same vetting process as any other asset listed on the Bitpanda broker platform, it added.

Regulation news

• Sumsub, a global tech company that provides customizable KYC, KYB, AML, and transaction monitoring solutions, has launched a Travel Rule solution for the crypto industry, offering a full compliance toolkit across the entire customer lifecycle, said a press release. “This includes secure Travel Rule information transfers between virtual asset service providers (VASPs), all the necessary KYC checks, AML screening and verification orchestration according to regulatory specifics and business needs,” it explained.

Metaverse news

• Deloitte, a provider of audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services, and technology provider Vatom said they would give “both in person and virtual attendees an opportunity to learn more about how to extend their business into the metaverse” as they announced the launch of an immersive experience platform that enables companies to build virtual spaces for customers, partners, and employees. The platform combines Deloitte’s Unlimited Reality services and Vatom’s virtual spaces capability and includes an integrated digital wallet for offering loyalty points, POS redemption, and more, they said.

Mining news

• Bitcoin (BTC) miner TeraWulf said that it completed its previously announced underwritten public offering of 40,764,706 shares of its common stock, including 4m shares sold pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares. Per the press release, the shares were issued at a public offering price of $0.68 per share for total gross proceeds of $27,720,000, before deducting expenses. TeraWulf intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for “general corporate purposes, which may include working capital and/or capital expenditures,” it said.