Top Stories

India Expands National Payment Network to Singapore

India’s national payment network, called the unified payments interface (UPI), is expanding its services beyond Indian borders to Singapore. The cross-border connectivity between Singapore and India via their respective rapid payment systems, namely PayNow and the UPI. 

Japan’s FTX Unit K.K. Decides To Return Back Its Client’s Money

The FTX unit in Japan, a subsidiary of the failed cryptocurrency exchange of Sam Bankman-Fried, announced its decision to resume withdrawals this week to make the 1st of the FTX group to return funds to customers. 

CoinShares Sees 2022 Income Plunge 97% to $3.6M

European digital asset manager CoinShares (CS.ST) recorded total comprehensive income of GBP 3 million ($3.63 million) in 2022, down 97% compared to 2021, as the firm felt the pinch of FTX's collapse and its ramifications across the crypto industry.

BlackRock Issues Metaverse Thematic ETF

BlackRock becomes the latest ETF issuer in the United States to launch a thematic equity fund aimed at companies around the world that are shaping the evolution of the metaverse. 

DeFi Protocol Hope Finance Hacked for $2M at Launch

Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Hope Finance lost roughly $2 million worth of crypto assets on Feb. 20 to a hacker who “claimed everything from the genesis protocol.”

Market Watch

As of press time, according to Cointime data:

BTC 's live price is $24,649.45 USD, dropped by 0.79% in the last 24 hours;

ETH’s live price is $1,676.73 USD, dropped by 1.89% in the last 24 hours;

BNB’s live price is $312.77 USD, dropped by 1.47% in the last 24 hours;

XRP's live price is $0.3923 USD, dropped by 0.47% in the last 24 hours.

Fundraising News

Strider Raises $5.5M for Collaborative Story-Driven Gaming Platform

Strider has raised $5.5 million so that it can co-create story-driven games with players using Web3 technology. Makers Fund and Fabric Ventures led the funding, with participation from Shima Capital, Sfermion, Magic Eden and other notable funds, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $8.5 million.

Curio Research Raised $2.9 Million in Seed Funding, Led by Bain Capital Crypto

Curio Research raised $2.9 million in seed funding as it sets out to change the mechanics of how users interact with blockchain-based games, beyond the financial incentives it says have driven the space so far.

Bosch and Fetch.AI Launch $100M Foundation to Fuel Web3 Adoption

German multinational engineering giant Bosch and Cambridge-based artificial intelligence lab – Fetch.ai – have jointly unveiled a new foundation focused on fueling industrial adoption of software agents, AI, and Web3 technology.

Intu Had Secured $2 Million in Pre-Seed Funding From Notable Crypto Industry Players

Intu announced on Feb. 20 that it had secured $2 million in pre-seed funding from notable crypto industry players — including CoinFund, Metaweb Ventures, Fantom Foundation, Kitefin, Orrick, and angel investors.

Ex-Binance M&A Chief Seeks $100 Million for Crypto VC Fund

Bill Qian, who oversaw venture capital investments and acquisitions at Binance Holdings Ltd., is seeking more than $100 million for a crypto VC fund.

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