Senior editor at Bloomberg focused on crypto in APAC | Follow me: bloomberg.com/authors/AWv6qG…
Kuala Lumpur
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How Eric Trump Became an Ally of One of China’s Biggest Crypto Companies
My latest for @BW. Hardware giant Bitmain has been dogged for years by questions about the security of its mining rigs, but that hasn’t stopped it from seeking a foothold in the US.
bloomberg.com/news/features/…
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Incidentally I paid a visit to the offices of Binance Markets Limited’s auditors recently - as listed on accounts signed off in April - just a stone’s throw from my grandparents’ house…
Binance deregisters in UK amid regulatory woes theblock.co/post/235425/bina…
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Scoop: Bored Ape Yacht Club startup Yuga Labs plans virtual land sales, APECoin token to kickstart metaverse gaming project
theblockcrypto.com/post/1378…
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Personal news! Thrilled to announce that I'm joining Bloomberg as a senior editor focused on crypto in APAC. I start Monday and will be based in the Kuala Lumpur office. Can't wait to get stuck in!
If you want to catch up before then, please reach out on Telegram.
@crypto
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Exclusive: Avalanche Foundation unveils $290 million incentive program to spur on growth of subnets on @avalancheavax
theblockcrypto.com/post/1366…
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New: Bank of England begins hiring for central bank digital currency team
theblockcrypto.com/linked/10…
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Scoop: @PayPal is exploring the launch of a stablecoin. Sources tell me the company has held talks about this with Ava Labs, the team behind the Avalanche blockchain, among others.
SCOOP: PayPal has held exploratory talks about launching a stablecoin: sources (via @RyanJamesWeeks) theblockcrypto.com/post/1036…
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Scoop! How a fake job offer took down the world’s most popular crypto game
theblock.co/post/156038/how-…
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Scoop: @moonpay has quietly set up a 'concierge service' to help celebrities and the super-rich buy NFTs and crypto without any hassle.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1254…
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Scoop! Crypto trading firm @wintermute_t is in talks with investors including Chinese tech giant Tencent to raise money at a valuation of roughly $2 billion
On the Terminal now 🖥️
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Excited to announce that I've joined @FinancialNews! I'll still be covering fintech. Drop me a line if you'd like to catch up/air an earth-shattering opinion.
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After a thoroughly enjoyable year and a half, today is my last day at Financial News. I'll be going freelance and will continue to write the #FintechFiles newsletter for FN. So please keep the fintech tips/pitches coming!
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Depressing, baffling news. What angers me most is that we are now forced to defend our work - which I’ve been particularly proud of this year - because of the actions of one person. Bitterly disappointing.
The Block CEO resigns after failure to disclose loans from Bankman-Fried’s Alameda
theblock.co/post/193753/the-…
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SCOOP: Luna Foundation Guard has raised $1 billion through a private sale of LUNA tokens to form a bitcoin reserve for UST, the algorithmic stablecoin.
The token sale, one of the largest in history, was led by Jump Crypto and Three Arrows Capital.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1348…
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In addition to the #FintechFiles and other stuff, I'm now contributing to the @TheBlock__, so hit me up - and I say this with some apprehension - with all your blockchain/crypto news and tips: rweeks@theblockcrypto.com.
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This is anything but a puff piece. It’s a scathing examination of how 3AC’s founders continue to live large instead of being held to account, as many believe they should. Crypto twitter cries puff far too often.
nytimes.com/2023/06/09/techn…
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The deals team at @TheBlock__ is going to start publishing regular profiles of the big characters in crypto/fintech VC. Who should we speak to first?
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Going forward I'm going to be fintech editor at
@TheBlock__ which I'm most excited about. The line between crypto and fintech is blurring and The Block is expanding its coverage accordingly. So expect more stories like these (yesterday's scoop)...
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theblockcrypto.com/post/1118…
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Exclusive: @jenniferarcuri applies to chair government-backed Tech Nation fnlondon.com/articles/jennif…
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SCOOP: Safe Foundation, proposed steward of the @gnosisSafe ecosystem, is plotting a $100 million token sale.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1342…
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Sam Altman's @worldnetwork has acknowledged “suspicious and potentially fraudulent activity whereby individuals were incentivized to sign up for a verified World ID that was then delivered to a third party’s World App rather than their own.”
Sam Altman’s Worldcoin rolls out fresh measures to combat black market for iris scans theblock.co/post/231433/worl…
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Scoop: Mechanism Capital is among the many VCs to have taken a hit from the implosion of FTX, but the fund remains operational and is exploring legal options.
Mechanism Capital among funds with assets stuck in FTX, exploring legal options
theblock.co/post/185838/mech…
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And so the freelancing begins! Please get in touch with tips, pitches and ideas at ryanjamesweeks1@gmail.com.
I'll still be writing my weekly Fintech Files newsletter for Financial News/chasing stories, but am also available for commissions, so please shout if I can help you.
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Worldcoin officially launches today. Its WLD token will be distributed to more than 2 million people based largely in the Global South.
(1/6)
theblock.co/post/241074/sam-…
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Breaking: @opensea has admitted that its head of product used insider knowledge to snap up front-page NFTs ahead of public release.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1177…
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SCOOP with @AJRummer: Tech giant Apple acquires UK open banking startup Credit Kudos
theblockcrypto.com/post/1388…
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Scoop! @circle, issuer of crypto’s second-largest stablecoin, plans to shift its legal base to the US from the Republic of Ireland
On the terminal now 🖥️
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I asked MoonPay that directly in relation to Fallon and they said they had no commercial relationship with him. They also said concierge clients get invoiced for the full amount of their NFT/crypto purchases + any other services rendered.
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You heard it here second! Delighted to be teaming up with @i_woodford on Sifted’s new fintech newsletter. Hitting your inbox every Tuesday.
Sign up here: mailchi.mp/sifted/fintech-ne…
Have you heard the news? I’m launching a fintech newsletter (!) with the brilliant @RyanJamesWeeks, starting next Tuesday 🥳 Would love you to subscribe and be part of our club. Here’s a little thread to show you what to expect in your inbox mailchi.mp/sifted/fintech-ne…
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Worldcoin has raised over $250 million. The pitch? Maybe it works, maybe not.
like any really ambitious project, maybe it works out and maybe it doesn’t, but trying stuff like this is how progress happens.
in either case, we especially love our haters, it gives us energy, please keep it coming!
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Steered my first @crypto newsletter!
This one’s on the spike in new token launches, which hit a two-year high in Q1. Some see this as a scramble to capture favourable market conditions, some as the result of VC pressure.
bloomberg.com/news/newslette…
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Scoop: @RevolutApp is set to lose four department heads, including director of marketing and communications @ChadWestTweets - who will be joining an unnamed startup in the coming months.
The firm is also losing its head of growth, business, and support.
theblockcrypto.com/post/9730…
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Here's my exclusive interview with hedge fund heavyweight Alan Howard, who for the first time outlines the full extent of his crypto activities at Brevan Howard and beyond, and explains why he is investing across the entire crypto ecosystem
theblockcrypto.com/post/1462…
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Enjoyed my first outings for @BloombergTV today discussing the potential for Ether ETF approvals in the US. Hope to look less furious next time.
piped.video/watch?v=YHktr-…
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Signing off for 2022. What a year it was to cover crypto. Here’s a chronological (not to mention vainglorious) list of the stories I’m proudest of this year 🧵
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Profile of @NYDIG_BTC president Yan Zhao for @TheBlock__.
We cover recent deals with Morgan Stanley and big insurers, why the firm only advises clients to buy bitcoin, why it isn’t yet sold on MPC for crypto custody and much more.
theblockcrypto.com/daily/991…
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Scoop w/ @fintechfrank: Coinbase helped broker Tesla’s $1.5bn investment in bitcoin
SCOOP: Crypto exchange Coinbase was behind Tesla’s bitcoin buy (via @fintechfrank and @RyanJamesWeeks) theblockcrypto.com/post/9514…
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Scoop: SolChicks’ creator Catheon Gaming raised $55m to build one of the most hyped crypto games on Solana. But as the crypto winter set in, the startup halved its headcount and saw a planned $100m fundraise led by Lazard fall through.
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Just extraordinary that this conversation happened
Audio from my first interview with Sam Bankman-Fried. SBF talks bankruptcy, the alleged “backdoor,” donations to the Democratic Party, Ukraine money laundering rumors, the hack, Alameda’s margin position on FTX, using FTT as collateral & more. 👀
piped.video/6DezodR9hNI
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Mini scoop: RIT Capital Partners, a £3.8bn British investment trust managed by J. Rothschild Capital Management Limited, has acquired a stake in the cryptocurrency exchange @krakenfx
theblockcrypto.com/linked/10…
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Scoop: Ethereum developer @ConsenSys is poised to more than double its valuation in its latest fundraise. The company has held talks with backers about investing at a valuation of around $6.5bn, but the post-money valuation will be higher still.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1314…
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Breaking: Crypto lender Genesis lent $2.36bn to Three Arrows Capital
theblock.co/post/158167/cryp…
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A small personal goal made when I joined FN in March: to profile @AnneBoden, @t_blom and @NStoronsky. Links in thread.
Enjoy responsibly.
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Scoop: Crypto startups are giving up hope of continuing to do business in the UK under pressure from the FCA.
Among them is B2C2 Ltd., one of the crypto sector’s largest market makers, which has withdrawn from the temporary register.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1374…
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I have done that thing where you forgo a big fundraising scoop in favour of an exclusive + interview in a few weeks.
Will let you know if I get horribly, horribly burned.
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New: Amsterdam-based @Maven11Capital closes second crypto investment fund at $120 million
theblockcrypto.com/post/1260…
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Scoop! We obtained photos showing the moment 3AC’s Su Zhu was arrested in Singapore last week.
EXCLUSIVE: Photos show the moment 3AC co-founder Su Zhu was arrested in Singapore theblock.co/post/255133/phot…
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Potential PB here, 11 months ahead of the news… LayerZero hits $3bn valuation, confirming this scoop: theblock.co/post/148576/laye…
LayerZero reaches $3 billion valuation in Series B funding round theblock.co/post/224762/laye…
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New from me: Staff at @RevolutApp have spent the past nine months in the dark about their share options thanks to a protracted back and forth between the start-up and HMRC over the value of its shares.
🚨 NEW fintech SCOOP from @RyanJamesWeeks... Revolut staff vent frustration over delay to their share options
sifted.eu/articles/revolut-s…
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Exclusive: @SwarmMarkets launches what it claims is the world’s first regulated DeFi platform
theblockcrypto.com/daily/110…
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Scoop: Two more people execs quit @RevolutApp, including its head of diversity and inclusion.
The start-up has also parted ways with MHP Communications, which was brought in amid widespread criticism of its culture in April 2019.
fnlondon.com/articles/two-mo… via @FinancialNews
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Obligatory victory tweet. Worldcoin developer announces $115m raise, confirming our scoop from Feb: theblock.co/post/210014/sam-…
Worldcoin developer nets $115 million fundraise led by Blockchain Capital theblock.co/post/232172/worl…
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Very excited to have @_tommatsuda join @TheBlock__ to help expand our coverage of the fintech sector!
🚨Some personal news! 🚨
Excited to say that I've joined @TheBlock__ as a fintech reporter 💸🎉🥳
Shoot me an email at tom.matsuda@theblockcrypto.com for tips or even just to say hi!
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A few updates of the personal kind. Today marked my last fintech newsletter for @Siftedeu (link below). It's been a delight working with the whole team to launch this over the past 6 months or so. Special thanks to star co-author @i_woodford.
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mailchi.mp/sifted/whats-hot-…
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Getting sent analysis of the latest development in the Monzo/Starling “feud” by PRs is pretty weird, especially since the main development concerns an unsatisfying Sunday roast
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SBF: ‘I don’t think I ever had literally zero visibility into Alameda.’ He says he saw balance sheets and P&L graphs.
Frank: So you saw all that FTT and that didn’t raise any red flags?
SBF: ‘I’m not sure that I even saw it being broken out by token.’
theblock.co/post/192005/2-ho…
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Sign up to the Fintech Files for more of me “smiling with my eyes” (+ some commentary): tinyurl.com/fintechfiles
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Worldcoin suspended in Kenya.
An investment deck I obtained previously showed that Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi had been a key market for the project, responsible for more than a quarter of a million sign-ups as of December last year.
BREAKING: Worldcoin suspended in Kenya, one of its biggest markets for sign-ups so far theblock.co/post/242704/worl…
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Enjoyed this chat with Visa’s head of crypto @cuysheffield about how the company’s new stablecoin settlement system could also be used for CBDC payments in the not too distant future
FEATURE: Visa wants to help you pay with central bank digital currency (via @RyanJamesWeeks) theblockcrypto.com/daily/102…
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Sifted’s latest fintech newsletter, hot off the press: mailchi.mp/sifted/whats-hot-…
Come for more on Bitpanda’s stocks push, TransferWise’s rebrand and fintechs going green. Stay for the strained wordplay.
W/ @i_woodford
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A family with young children just called my work phone to sing me, their presumed aunt, happy birthday. One of the more joyful wrong numbers I've had.
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MoonPay, the crypto unicorn snapping up NFTs for celebs, just splashed $3 million on CryptoPunk #2681.
theblockcrypto.com/linked/12…
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Fintech friends, please share! The Block is hiring a fintech reporter to help expand its coverage beyond digital assets. Really interesting role with a rapidly growing company.
jobs.lever.co/theblockcrypto…
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New: Makor Group has raised $17m, in part to fuel the growth of Enigma Securities, its crypto brokerage. British billionaire Alan Howard and Algorand have invested at a valuation of $200m.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1203…
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To the fintech start-ups which formally announce funding rounds *before* closing them: that’s not news, that’s an ad.
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Exclusive w/ @fintechfrank: DeFi exchange @dydxprotocol closes $65 million raise led by Paradigm.
“Our goal for dYdX is to make it one of the biggest crypto exchanges period, but on a three to five-year time horizon,” Antonio Juliano, founder of dYdX, tells me.
NEW: DeFi exchange dYdX closes $65 million raise led by Paradigm
by @RyanJamesWeeks & @fintechfrank
theblockcrypto.com/post/1058…
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Going through a forgotten cache of business cards from 7+ years of fintech reporting... Some absolute gems (Wirecard, Wellesley, etc.)
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I just saw one of these ads on the tube (not my pic). How the hell do they not have capital at risk warnings?
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Latest feature on Mercado Bitcoin, the Brazilian crypto exchange that just raised $200m from SoftBank
FEATURE: After scoring $200 million from SoftBank, Mercado Bitcoin wants to quicken the growth of Latin America’s crypto market
@RyanJamesWeeks interviews @ftota
theblockcrypto.com/daily/111…
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Scoop: Recent filings reveal that British billionaire Alan Howard has a c. $60m stake in CoinShares, Europe's largest crypto asset manager, through a Jersey entity named AH (St Helier) Limited
NEW: British financier Alan Howard revealed as fourth-largest shareholder of digital asset manager CoinShares (via @RyanJamesWeeks) theblockcrypto.com/post/9879…
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My latest for @wired: Negative interest rates are bad news for neo banks.
Their advent has been likened to Y2K for big banks. Startups should be able to manage the tech side, but whether their business models can take the hit is another matter.
wired.co.uk/article/monzo-st…
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Those interested in fintech will, like me, see only one possibility... even without the I and A.
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Looks like tomorrow’s front pages will report @RevolutApp has closed its $500m fundraise, valuing the company at $5.5bn. I did not receive an embargoed press release today, but fortunately had the (pre-money) numbers right in mid-Jan: fnlondon.com/articles/invest…
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Interview with former chancellor @PhilipHammondUK following the announcement of his new advisory role at @CopperHQ.
He says UK regulators need to shift “from talking about digital assets to implementing a legal framework that enables firms to embrace them.”
Former Chancellor Philip Hammond: UK’s treatment of digital assets is a ‘huge risk’ for finance sector (via @RyanJamesWeeks)
theblockcrypto.com/post/1202…
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I'll be at #Token2049 in Singapore in a few weeks. Say hi, tell me secrets, etc.
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Hark! Sifted's latest fintech newsletter has arrived.
Delve into our analysis of whether JPMorgan overpaid for Nutmeg (valuation: £560-600m). Ponder the significance of fintech firms finally taking on card giants Visa and Mastercard.
W/ @i_woodford
mailchi.mp/sifted/whats-hot-…
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Exclusive: Crypto infrastructure startup @QredoNetwork closes $80m Series A round led by Dan Tapiero's 10T Holdings
theblockcrypto.com/post/1328…
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This article has generated a crazy number of subscription sales for @TheBlock__ so my challenge now is to come up with a subject that warrants the headline: "Want a wilder ride than the wilder-than-bitcoin ride offered by bitcoin mining stocks? Try TKTKTK"
theblockcrypto.com/daily/988…
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SCOOP: Chartered crypto bank @ProtegoTrust is targeting a $2 billion valuation in its latest fundraising effort, after quietly closing a $70 million Series A round last year.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1482…
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And yes I get that BML is a largely defunct entity, but it’s still not quite what you’d expect!
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A wee scoop: London-based crypto data company
@CryptoCompare has scored a strategic investment from VanEck subsidiary MVIS.
VanEck subsidiary invests in UK analytics startup CryptoCompare (via @RyanJamesWeeks theblockcrypto.com/post/1087…
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Here's one I've been working on a while: Who is Harald McPike, the secretive billionaire behind @StarlingBank? fnlondon.com/articles/who-is…
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So this year alone I've covered Plum, Freetrade, MoneyLion, Brex, Trade Republic and now N26 all planning expansions into crypto trading or rewards. All 'non-crypto' fintechs up to this point.
How long till holdouts Monzo, Starling, etc. fall into line?
German neobank N26 is working with 'top-tier crypto exchanges' on new trading feature (via @RyanJamesWeeks)
theblockcrypto.com/post/1105…
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Scoop: Digital bank @monese plots hundred-plus hiring drive, has a fresh fundraising in the works and will soon publish its first set of accounts (interview with @NorrisKoppel) fnlondon.com/articles/digita… via @FinancialNews
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New: Fund UK start-ups or risk ‘losing a generation’ of tech talent, lobby groups warn. With comments from @coadec and @technation. fnlondon.com/articles/fund-u… via @FinancialNews
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Scoop: Crypto art collector @PleasrDAO - the group that splashed millions of dollars on an NFT of the image that inspired Dogecoin and on a rare Wu-Tang Clan album - is raising $69 million. Sources say the raise will value the DAO at around $1bn.
theblockcrypto.com/post/1314…
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