Renee Francis, Take3: The transformative potential of Web3

The Block caught up with Renee Francis, Founder and Director of Take3, to discuss the transformative potential of Web3.

With a background in marketing and extensive experience with platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google, Francis offers a unique perspective on the issues that Web3 aims to address.

In this interview, she shares insights into the benefits of Web3, the challenges it faces, and her excitement for various projects in the space.

Data...

Bitcoin ATM maker declares all user data compromised after exploit

ATM Machine

A Bitcoin ATM manufacturer has shut down its cloud services due to a security issue that let an attacker access customers’ hot wallets and steal private information.

Prague-based company General Bytes issued a warning on 18 March saying that the hacker had remotely uploaded a Java application to its terminals, hoping to steal user information and funds stored in hot wallets.

The company has sold more than 15,000 Bitcoin ATMs to buyers in nearly 150 countries around the...

Binance updates proof-of-reserves to $63bn with 11 new tokens

Binance Reserves

Leading crypto exchange Binance has added 11 tokens to its proof-of-reserves (PoR) report, claiming it now holds $63 billion (£53bn).

The company began publishing its reserves in late 2022 following the collapse of rival exchange FTX in a bid to increase transparency.

According to the update, Binance now holds 24 assets in its proof-of-reserves system. The 11 added tokens included Dogecoin, 1inch Network, Mask Network, Enjin Coin, WazirX, The Graph, Chromia, Curve DAO...

Listen-to-earn lets you earn Bitcoin for listening to a podcast

Podcast

Podcast platform Fountain has partnered with app monetisation company ZEBEDEE to bring Bitcoin micropayments to podcast listeners.

The partnership will give both podcast creators and listeners the ability to earn Bitcoin based on the amount of time spent with content.

ZEBEDEE says that listeners will support creators by paying for content by the minute as they listen to it. Listeners themselves will also earn money for their first hour of daily podcast listening and for...

CashApp integrates Bitcoin Lightning Network support

Cash App

CashApp has added support for transaction payments through the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

Developed by Block Inc, CashApp is a mobile payment processing app similar to PayPal.

The new feature allows CashApp users to send and receive Bitcoin through its quicker, more efficient layer-2 protocol. Lightning is particularly well suited for small transactions, with near-instant processing times, compared to the minutes or sometimes hours required by the Bitcoin...

Canada’s Conservative Party elects pro-crypto Pierre Poilievre

Canada Symbolism

Pierre Poilievre, a staunch crypto advocate and Ontario Member of Parliament, has won the Conservative Party of Canada’s (CPC) leadership race by a major margin.

The Alberta-born lawmaker, who said he “wants to make Canada the blockchain capital of the world”, garnered 68% of the conservative vote. His closest rival, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, netted a meagre 16% of total votes.

As the new leader of the country’s main opposition party, Poilievre is...

Ukraine details how it spent crypto donations

Ukraine has detailed exactly how it spent over $54 million in donations from the crypto community.

In the early days of the war, Ukraine began accepting cryptocurrency donations from kind-hearted folk around the world wanting to help the country defend itself from Putin’s war of aggression.

Yesterday, Ukrainian Vice Prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov posted a breakdown of how the crypto donations were spent:

“Every helmet, bulletproof vest, and night...

Ripple: Most financial institutions plan to use crypto within three years

A report by Ripple suggests that most financial institutions plan to start using crypto within the next three years.

Despite the bear market, financial institutions remain interested in the cryptocurrency space. Just this week, $10 trillion asset manager BlackRock launched a spot Bitcoin trust while saying that it’s also exploring “permissioned blockchains, stablecoins, cryptoassets, and tokenization.”

While BlackRock is exploring the potential financial benefits...

Compass Mining announces expansion plans weeks after lay-offs

Mining

Texas-based Bitcoin mining company Compass Mining has revealed expansion plans for one of its data centres through a hosting partnership with Compute North.

The 75 megawatt expansion comes two weeks after Compass Mining laid-off 15% of its staff and implemented salary cuts for its top executives in response to bearish market conditions.

It also follows the resignation of key executives including CEO Whit Gibbs and chief finance officer Jodie Fisher in late June, as well...

North Korea’s stash of stolen crypto has plunged in value

Victims of North Korea-linked crypto thefts may take some comfort in knowing that connected wallets have plunged in value.

Despite the recent drawdown, the exponential rise in the value of cryptocurrencies over the past decade has made them key targets. Hackers are regularly seeking to obtain cryptocurrencies through hacks and ransomware campaigns.

Fortunately, transactions on most blockchains are easy to track. Wallets connected with North Korean hacking groups like...