tl;dr

• Volunteer hackers get into the fray!• Singapore joins the list of countries sanctioning Russia• Aave is one of nine projects helping Brazil put crypto through its paces• Virginia is about to pass a serious crypto bill• Terra LUNA tops Ether and is quickly approaching SolanaThere is more than a lit...

• Volunteer hackers get into the fray!
• Singapore joins the list of countries sanctioning Russia
• Aave is one of nine projects helping Brazil put crypto through its paces
• Virginia is about to pass a serious crypto bill
• Terra LUNA tops Ether and is quickly approaching Solana

There is more than a little turmoil in the world today. Even more threats coming from Putin to the world and lies to his people. Meanwhile, the world is trying to figure out what to do about an errant dictator. With that on my mind I research the markets. Here's what's on my mind at the moment.

1. There are a lot of volunteer hackers descending upon Russia and Ukraine. They have brought down websites and defaced home pages. More importantly, they are working for both sides. Hackers are doing taking part in these online battles, confusing governments' reaction. It would seem they are connecting through the chat app Telegram where they receive directions on what websites to target. Ukraine is very active in recruiting these volunteers and have a 14-page introductory document on how people can participate in the I.T. Army of Ukraine. Keep in mind, this is in addition to the more sophisticated, government-backed hackers that are also at play.

2. From out of nowhere, Singapore, a major cryptocurrency haven, has announced sanctions against Russia. Not just any sanctions though, crypto sanctions. They have sanctioned the Russian Central Bank targeting their cryptocurrency transactions in addition to an export ban on military and electronics. Singapore is a major financial power in the region. It is expected their sanctions will be a major impact on Russia. This follows a long line of countries that are imposing serious sanctions against Russia, including Switzerland, Japan and even South Korea where 5 local exchanges say they are banning Russian Ips and freezing accounts.

3. Aave is one of nine projects selected to participate in Brazil's LIFT challenge. The challenge is to evaluate use cases for digital currencies and how technologically feasible they might be. Other companies selected for this challenge include Santander Bank of Brazil, Febreban, Giesecke, VERT, Visa do Brasil.

4. Joining several states that are taking positive steps toward cryptocurrency adoptions, the Virginia state senate has unanimously approved a bill that will allow banks to offer crypto custody services. This is a major step intended to boost crypto investment in the state. I am pretty sure this will be a boon to the state once it is signed by the governor.

5. LUNA has topped Ether as to become the second largest staked asset and is only $7B toppling Solana. The total value of the staked assets on the Terra blockchain is over $28B while Ethereum's is about $25B. With over 226K participants in the staking pool, Terra has over 4 times as many as in Ethereum's. I have been telling you LUNA is something to be watched. This is why.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by the writers at Grow My Bag are their own and do not reflect the official stance of Grow My Bag. The content provided on our site is not intended as investment advice, and Grow My Bag is not an investment advisor. We do not endorse buying or selling any cryptocurrencies or digital assets mentioned in our articles. High-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and digital assets require thorough due diligence, and all transfers and trades made are at your own risk. Grow My Bag is not responsible for any potential losses and participates in affiliate marketing.
 20 Dec 24
 20 Dec 24
 20 Dec 24