• Microsoft is quietly testing a built-in non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet in its Edge browser.
• The wallet would have a user interface for making crypto payments, browsing decentralized applications, and buying cryptocurrency through Coinbase and MoonPay.
• Other major web browsers such as Opera have also added support for built-in crypto wallets as adoption grows.

Microsoft Testing Built-In Crypto Wallet

Microsoft has been secretly testing a built-in non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet for its Edge browser. According to screenshots shared by software researcher Albacore, the wallet will provide users with an intuitive user interface for making crypto payments or accessing DeFi and Web3 applications. Features of the wallet include the ability to buy cryptocurrency through Coinbase and MoonPay, browse different marketplaces to find NFTs, and manually add custom tokens.

Non-Custodial Wallet

The onboarding process of the wallet states that it is non-custodial meaning users are completely in control of their funds without Microsoft having access to their password or recovery key. It is also embedded into Edge so there is no need to install any extension in order to use it.

Microsoft’s Interest In Crypto Space

This experiment with a crypto wallet comes as Microsoft has been involved with the crypto space in numerous ways including expressing great interest in the metaverse. However, recently they discontinued their Industrial Metaverse Core team which was aimed at encouraging the use of metaverse in industrial environments resulting in about 100 employees being laid off from this project.

Other Browsers Offering Crypto Wallets

Microsoft Edge is not alone when it comes to offering built-in crypto wallets as other major web browsers have followed suit by adding similar features due to increasing demand from users. Examples include Opera which has been supporting cryptocurrencies since 2018 initially adding support for Ethereum but later expanding its list of supported currencies over time.

Conclusion

Cryptocurrency adoption continues to grow as more companies are integrating them into their services and products while web browsers are leading the way by providing users with easy access through built-in wallets that require little setup on behalf of users while still ensuring complete control over funds at all times

• Russian anti-money laundering regulator Rosfinmonitoring is monitoring over 25,000 crypto users.
• It believes cryptocurrencies are being used for money laundering and has conducted 120 crypto-related investigations.
• The body has developed blockchain analytics software to improve its monitoring capabilities.

Russian AML Regulator Monitors Crypto Users

The top Russian anti-money laundering regulator, Rosfinmonitoring, says it is “monitoring” over 25,000 cryptocurrency users – and claims it has sophisticated tools that let it detect illegal activities. The agency suspects cryptoassets are being used as a money laundering tool in many instances.

Crypto Use Growing in Russia

Per Finam, Yury Chikhanchin, the head of Rosfinmonitoring, recently held a crypto-themed meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Chikhanchin was quoted as stating that “unfortunately,” the “volume of use” of “cryptocurrencies” was “growing” in Russia and turnover is estimated at over BTC 630K. He added that the body had conducted about 120 crypto-related investigations which had led to criminal prosecutions.

Rosfinmonitoring Uses Blockchain Analytics Software

The Rosfinmonitoring chief claimed that advances in blockchain analytics software had helped the body increase its monitoring capabilities. In 2020, the body began using a de-anonymizing solution in conjunction with VTB Bank which allowed them to monitor transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain protocol but can now be used for over 20 other networks too. Testing with this tool is now underway at other government organs such as Internal Affairs and Security Service too.

Assistance Asked From Other CIS Countries

Chikhanchin concluded that regulators from several Commonwealth of Independent States countries have asked Rosfinmonitoring to provide them with the same solution they have created using blockchain analytics software and de-anonymizing technology.

Conclusion

The long-serving head of Rosfinmonitoring met with President Putin to discuss cryptocurrencies and their potential use for money laundering purposes. The organization is utilizing sophisticated tools such as blockchain analytics software and de-anonymizing solutions along with other government agencies to monitor more than 25K participants involved in crypto operations in Russia and beyond its borders into other CIS countries who have requested assistance from them too

• Prices of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been increasing, despite cryptocurrency prices remaining stagnant.
• This rally in NFT prices has occurred despite broader derisking in traditional asset classes and an increase in regulatory pressure on centralized crypto firms.
• The surge in trading volumes provides support for the price increases.

Price Increase of Non-Fungible Tokens

Despite the prices of most major cryptocurrencies stagnating over the course of the last 30-days, with the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum only up a respective 1.7 and 4.0% and BNB and XRP down 3.9% and 7.0% each according to CoinMarketCap, the prices of non-fungible tokens (NFT) have been pumping. According to NFT Price Floor, the price floor to get your hands on an NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection has jumped 17.5% over the course of the last 30-days to $117,750.

Macroeconomic Headwinds

The rally in NFT prices comes despite broader derisking in traditional asset classes, with a string of strong US data releases last month boosting Fed tightening bets – with inflation heating up again and US economic activity and labor markets remaining robust, the Fed is now seen taking interest rates to around 5.5% by the middle of the year, versus expectations for rate hikes to pause around 5.0% only one month ago. Such a shift in Fed tightening expectations has typically been a negative for digital assets, which are still very much viewed as a speculative asset class. In such circumstances, NFTs have historically been one of the worst-hit sectors of the crypto space. The rally in prices also comes amid a ramp-up in regulatory pressure on centralized crypto firms in the US, with the SEC recently targeting Kraken over its staking program and Paxos over its issuance of BUSD.

Surging Trading Volumes

Prices have been able to remain resilient amid a surge in NFT trading volumes. According to a just-released monthly report by DappRadar, trading volumes surpassed $2 billion in February 2021–the highest monthly trading volume since May 2022–and top seven exchanges saw total trading volumes exceed $2 billion during this time period too.. Notably driving these high levels of liquidity was Blur Network with more than 70 percent share among all exchanges during this period according to DappRadar’s data sources..

Price Battle Between Two Heavyweight Exchanges

A key factor that has contributed towards this surge is what can be termed as ‘price battle’ between two heavyweight exchanges – OpenSea & Rarible—which saw both platforms pushing their own marketplaces lower transaction fees compared to one another throughout February 2021 per DappRadar’s report.. This tit for tat pricing dynamic caused users from both OpenSea & Rarible chase after lower fees stimulating higher levels overall demand that ultimately pushed up NFT prices across all collections..

Conclusion

In conclusion it appears that traders are seeing potential value within certain types of non fungible token assets despite macroeconomic headwinds still present within other parts traditional asset classes like stocks or bonds.. Furthermore competition between two large marketplaces—OpenSea & Rarible—are acting as propellant into higher valuations as they compete against one another offering ever decreasing transaction fees ..

• Blockchain security firm PeckShield has uncovered a new crypto scam impersonating ChatGPT.
• The scam tokens are honeypots and have high sell taxes, leading to losses of nearly 100% for investors.
• Microsoft announced the launch of an AI-powered Bing search engine that is more powerful than ChatGPT.

New Crypto Scam Impersonating ChatGPT

Blockchain security firm PeckShield has discovered a number of cryptocurrency scams designed to take advantage of the popularity of the ChatGPT AI chatbot. According to PeckShield’s tweet, some of these tokens appear to be honeypots with high sales tax, resulting in losses of up to 100%.

What Are Honeypots?

A honeypot is a type of scam whereby malicious actors create fake crypto wallets in order to attract victims into investing or trading. The scammers often pose as legitimate businesses or organizations, promising services or rewards in exchange for cryptocurrency.

High Sales Taxes

Many legitimate projects use sales tax as a way to incentivize long-term holding and reward token holders. However, fraudulent projects often set their sales taxes at 100% in order to steal money from unsuspecting users. Two out of the three identified tokens had already dropped by almost 100%, while another one fell by 65%.

Microsoft Launches Bing Search Engine

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced the launch of an all-new AI-powered Bing search engine that utilizes OpenAI’s large language model – making it more powerful than ChatGPT. This has only further increased interest in the chatbot craze and led to even more scams trying to capitalize on its popularity; according to DEXTools, there are 175 coins called ‘ChatGPT’ issued on several different blockchains like BNB Chain, Ethereum, Arbitrum etc., showing hundreds of thousands dollars in trading volume.

Final Thoughts

It is important for investors to do their due diligence before investing any money into cryptocurrencies – no matter how promising they may seem – and always be aware that there are malicious actors who will go out of their way trying to take advantage of them.

• The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) launched the Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) program to facilitate digital transformation in the financial sector.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a warning to El Salvador regarding the risks associated with Bitcoin adoption.
• The news is positive for Bitcoin, as it could boost its security and operational resilience while also improving customer experience.

CBUAE Launches FIT Initiative

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has introduced a Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) program to facilitate digital transformation in the financial sector. This program will be rolled out in phases, beginning with various digital payment infrastructures and services. Additionally, this initiative will expand to include data management and regulation related digital infrastructures, which will help improve security, operational resilience and customer experience while reducing operating costs and enhancing regulatory compliance.

IMF Issues Warning To El Salvador

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a caution declaration following its recent visit to El Salvador where it contacted country’s financial representatives about the potential risks associated with Bitcoin adoption. The IMF warned that El Salvador should address any potential legal, technical or macroeconomic challenges before proceeding with any plans for widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Positive News For Bitcoin

The news from CBUAE and IMF is positive for Bitcoin as it could boost its security and operational resilience while also improving customer experience. Additionally, more widespread implementation of cryptocurrencies would increase consumer confidence in digital assets as well as providing more avenues for investors to diversify their portfolios into crypto investments without worrying too much about volatility or lack of liquidity on some exchanges.

Death Cross & Price Prediction

On February 13th BTC/USD started trading at $21,796 but has moved between a high of $21,902 and low of $21,444 losing 6% over last week ending on February 12th forming its first-ever “death cross” pattern which many analysts think signals bearishness ahead. Although there is no way to know exactly how BTC/USD will react due to this new formation it goes without saying that prices may drop further given current market conditions so caution is advised when investing in cryptocurrency at this time.

Conclusion

Overall it can be concluded that despite short-term bearishness signaled by BTC/USD’s first-ever “death cross” pattern long term prospects remain bright given initiatives like FIT being implemented by CBUAE which aim to promote digital transactions as well as warnings by IMF addressing potential risks associated with cryptocurrency adoption such as legal challenges or macroeconomic instability which could impact prices drastically if not properly addressed upfront.

• Bitcoin neared its seventh “golden cross” in 10 years, whales discussed potential altcoins, and crypto assets under management surged 36.7%.
• Ethereum developers launched the Zhejiang testnet, Mike Novogratz endorsed Binance and a Premier League backed Sorare’s NFT fantasy football game.
• Changsha accepted digital yuan payments, frauds like BonqDAO lost $120 million and US Senators demanded answers from Silvergate over FTX’s misuse of customer funds.

Bitcoin Market Activity

This week in crypto saw Bitcoin nearing its seventh “golden cross” in 10 years, with analysts discussing which altcoins had huge potential for the future of the crypto world. Crypto assets under management surged by 36.7% in January and Grayscale’s situation remained delicate. Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood also stood by her thesis that bitcoin would hit $500,000 by 2030.

Ethereum Developments

Ethereum developers launched the “Zhejiang” testnet and Mike Novogratz endorsed Binance and urged success for CEO CZ. The first-ever NFT and metaverse assets-focused ETF announced closure due to market conditions, while Rally announced the closure of its sidechain operations due to a lack of funding. However, Premier League ignored the crypto chaos and backed Sorare’s NFT fantasy football game.

CBDC News

Over 300,000 stores and vendors in Changsha, China now accept digital yuan payments while India’s largest retailer Reliance Retail announced plans to accept payments in the digital rupee.

Crypto Frauds

BonqDAO lost $120 million in a hack while CertiK revealed two individuals behind a several-million-dollar heavy scam. A Canadian man allegedly lost his home and his entire life savings after falling victim to a crypto scam; South Korean police were probing an $8 million dollar crypto scam; North Korean hackers finished laundering 17,278 ETH valued at over $27 million; and US said that crypto industry security vulnerabilities allowed North Korean hackers to steal more than $1 billion dollars over two years.

Silvergate & FTX Relations

US senators demanded answers from Silvergate over FTX’s misuse of customer funds; Australian regulators probed FTX before its collapse; Sam Bankman-Fried requested to meet with new FTX CEO John Ray; a South Korean ministry; local law firm; Samsung affiliate included on creditor list; Grayscale sued by Osprey Funds over how it promotes Grayscale Bitcoin Trust Fund; Coinbase won legal battle related to lawsuit by clients alleging platform facilitated sale of unregistered securities

• Blockchain and Web3 provide opportunities for communities to use novel technology to solve issues specific to them.
• Examples of this include universal basic income, undercollateralized loans, and micro-work.
• The most active hubs for this technology are in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, and Colombia, among others.

Blockchain and Web3 are revolutionizing the way people interact with technology and the opportunities that come with it. With the introduction of these new technologies, communities have the ability to use them to solve issues specific to them. In particular, communities are utilizing these advancements to provide access to universal basic income, undercollateralized loans, and micro-work.

Celo, an open-source, mobile-first platform, has a global ecosystem comprised of builders from 150 countries, many of whom are in emerging markets. The most active hubs for this technology are located in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Brazil and Colombia, among other countries. In Brazil, for instance, projects are being created to protect the Amazon, while in Kenya, projects are focused on enabling microwork due to the high unemployment rate and young population.

The value of Web3 is measured by metrics such as total value locked, but it can also be measured by the communities and basic needs that are being met. Web3 has enabled communities to gain access to resources that they would not have been able to access before. For instance, a homeless person in Nigeria was able to quadruple their monthly income through the use of Web3 technology.

Overall, blockchain and Web3 are providing communities with the tools and resources they need to solve their own unique issues. Not only are these technologies providing access to resources, but they are also connecting people in ways they never thought possible. As more and more communities adopt these technologies, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected.

• The solana price is down by 1% today, but has seen a 26% increase in a week and a 71% surge in the last 30 days.
• SOL is exhibiting strong momentum, with its relative strength index (purple) remaining close to 70, and its 30-day moving average (red) rising up to its 200-day average (blue).
• Solana is on the path to recovery, evidenced by its 70% price increase in the past month, and its launch of Solana-based meme token BONK.

Solana is a layer-one blockchain that is currently experiencing a resurgence in price, having seen a 26% increase in a week and a 71% surge in the last 30 days. The altcoin is currently trading at $21.03, down by 1% in the past 24 hours, but still significantly higher than its recent lows.

This resurgence is partly due to the launch of Solana-based meme token BONK, which has attracted a lot of attention and increased the traffic on the blockchain. At the same time, Solana is also benefitting from some of the updates it has been rolling out in the second half of 2022, which have restored confidence in the project and put it on the path to recovery.

The current momentum of SOL is evidenced by its technical indicators. The relative strength index (purple) is close to 70, despite having had a dip a few days ago, while its 30-day moving average (red) is rising up towards its 200-day average (blue). This suggests that SOL may be in the middle of a breakout to a new longer term level.

Given the promising outlook for Solana, traders may be tempted to invest in the altcoin in hopes of profiting from its price increases. However, there are other more profitable alternatives, such as move-to-earn crypto Fight Out. Fight Out is a presale token that offers traders the opportunity to capitalize on short-term gains, while also participating in the development of the project.

Overall, Solana’s recovery appears to be on track, with its recent price increases suggesting that it may soon be on the way to $50. However, traders should also consider other options, such as Fight Out, as these may offer better returns in the short-term.