Xmas Sleigh Race is a widescale winter adventure for $800 000! It will be held on BetFury on December 5-26. Xmas Sleigh Race is an amazing opportunity to compete with other users and become the richest sleigh racer. You still have time to enter and win many profitable crypto rewards.
Join and share the $800 000 prize pool
Promo Code: XMASRACE
The first 500 people to register on BetFury and enter the promo code XMASRACE by December 19th will receive $16 (1000 BFG) on their bonus balance. Make an X40 wager playing on BetFury to claim your registration bonus.
About Xmas Sleigh Race
Winter holiday events on BetFury have always amazed users with their scope and generosity! This time, everyone can join the Xmas Sleigh Race and share the $800 000 prize pool. It consists of twenty-three Battles and one final race. The winner who collects the most points will obtain the main crypto reward. Moreover, the platform has already prepared many beneficial Merry Bonuses under the Xmas tree!
The Snowfall of Profitable Battles
The total prize pool of Battles is $700 000. They occur during the Xmas Sleigh Race and cover various iGaming entertainment on the platform. The main reward of Battles is not only cryptocurrency but also points for winning the final race. One point is equal to $1 000 of the total gaming wager. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
- $40 000 Jolly Slotballs Battle: The competition for lovers of quality Slots with an exceptional winter atmosphere.
- $30 000 Live Sliding Battle: The competition for fans of Live and Table games who are interested in realistic entertainment.
- $30 000 boosted Daily Sleigh Battles: The series of twenty-one Battles with an increased prize pool in honour of Xmas.
The Final of Xmas Sleigh Race
In addition to lucrative Battles, the event has an equally profitable finale! The twenty fastest and most active racers with the maximum number of points will become the leaders of the contest table. They will share the $100,000 prize pool on December 26. BetFury will reward winners within 24 hours after the end of the Xmas Sleigh Race.
About BetFury
BetFury is an ecosystem of crypto products for entertainment and additional income. The platform has a native BFG token with many utilities. BFG is listed on many crypto exchanges: PancakeSwap, Biswap, etc. The token has over 55,000 holders, and more than 3 billion BFG are in circulation. The most profitable utility for using tokens is BetFury Staking, with the ability to daily withdraw Staking payouts.
BetFury offers over 8,000 Slots and Original games with one of the highest RTP in the industry (up to 99.02% RTP). BetFury also has 80+ kinds of Sports with odds better than the market average. Along with huge events, the platform provides profitable bonuses: Rakeback, Cashback up to 25%, and others.
Wallets connected to the now-defunct crypto trading firms FTX and Alameda Research have been in the spotlight recently, as they’ve moved a substantial $10.8 million across various platforms.
This movement was identified by the blockchain analysis firm Spot On Chain, which has been monitoring the actions of these entities since October 24th, revealing that they’ve transferred a staggering $551 million using 59 different cryptocurrencies.
The most recent transfer of $10.8 million was diversified across eight distinct tokens.
Among them, $2.58 million found its way into StepN’s GMT, $2.41 million into Uniswap’s UNI, $2.25 million into Synapse’s SYN, $1.64 million into Klaytn’s KLAY, $1.18 million into Fantom’s FTM, $644,000 into Shiba Inu, and smaller amounts in Arbitrum’s ARB and Optimism’s OP.
This saga began on October 24th when the FTX and Alameda wallets initiated a transfer of $10 million to a single wallet address.
READ MORE: Coinbase Reports Surge in Law Enforcement Requests, with the U.S. Leading the Pack
Subsequently, this amount was redistributed to accounts on Binance and Coinbase. A similar transaction of $13.1 million took place on November 1st, further cementing the pattern.
The movement of funds traces back to March when FTX and Alameda first commenced efforts to recover assets for their investors.
During this phase, three wallets associated with these entities shifted $145 million worth of stablecoins to multiple platforms, including Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken.
Notably, $69.64 million in Tether and the remaining $75.94 million in USD Coin were part of this transfer.
While it’s true that the troubled cryptocurrency exchange managed to recuperate over $5 billion in cash and liquid cryptocurrencies during this asset recovery period, it’s essential to acknowledge that its total liabilities still exceeded a staggering $8.8 billion.
This revelation sheds light on the complexities and challenges faced by crypto trading firms, even as they strive to manage and rectify their financial situations.
Swiss asset manager Pando Asset has thrown its hat into the competitive ring of the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) race in the United States, surprising many with its unexpected entry.
On the same day, investment giant BlackRock engaged in discussions with the country’s securities regulator, presenting an updated ETF model based on the regulator’s feedback.
On November 29, Pando Asset submitted a Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the document used to register securities with the agency, outlining its Pando Asset Spot Bitcoin Trust.
Similar to other ETF proposals, this trust intends to mirror Bitcoin’s price movements, with Coinbase’s custody arm responsible for safeguarding Bitcoin holdings on behalf of the trust.
Pando Asset joins a crowded field, becoming the 13th applicant seeking approval for a spot Bitcoin ETF in the U.S., competing with heavyweights like BlackRock, ARK Invest, and Grayscale.
READ MORE: Bitcoin Holds Strong at $38,000 Amid Speculation of Price Surges and Fed’s Powell Speech
In a November 29 post on X (formerly Twitter), Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas expressed curiosity about Pando’s late filing, wondering why it emerged at this stage.
He also raised concerns about the potential implications if Pando’s ETF were to be approved alongside others on January 10, a date he and fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart have earmarked as a possible approval date.
This date coincides with the SEC’s deadline to either approve or deny ARK Invest’s application.
Seyffart, however, expressed doubts about Pando’s readiness to launch its ETF on the same day as others, acknowledging that unforeseen developments can occur in this space.
Meanwhile, the SEC held meetings with executives from BlackRock and Invesco on November 28 to discuss their respective ETF proposals, as revealed in agency documents.
BlackRock presented revisions to its redemption model, addressing concerns raised during a prior meeting regarding the impact on balance sheets and the risks faced by U.S. broker-dealers dealing with offshore crypto entities.
Balchunas clarified that BlackRock’s revised approach involves offshore entities acquiring Bitcoin from Coinbase and pre-paying U.S. registered broker-dealers in cash, as these broker-dealers cannot directly handle Bitcoin.
This strategy aligns with the SEC’s requirement for ETFs to have redemption models that place the responsibility on issuers to transact in Bitcoin, avoiding the need for broker-dealers to engage with unregistered subsidiaries or third-party firms for Bitcoin transactions.
A crypto donation campaign with a noble mission to enhance the lives of children across the globe has garnered an impressive total of over $7.6 million in contributions to date.
Notably, half of this substantial sum, amounting to $3.83 million, has been generously donated in the form of Ether (ETH), a prominent cryptocurrency in today’s digital landscape.
At the time of this report, the price of ETH was hovering at $2,026.
Despite this remarkable achievement, the philanthropic foundation spearheading the initiative, known as Save the Children’s HODL Hope Campaign, finds itself approximately $2.4 million short of its ambitious goal. Their aim is to amass a total of $10 million by the culmination of the year 2023.
Breaking down the donations, Bitcoin (BTC) commands a significant share, constituting 34% of the overall crypto contributions. This translates to slightly over $2.6 million in BTC donations.
USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar and issued by Circle, emerges as the third most favored medium for contributing to this noble cause, accounting for approximately 7% of the total donations, which equates to nearly $520,000.
Conventional U.S. dollars made up a modest 2% of the donations, followed by major altcoins such as Bitcoin Cash, Tezos, ThunderCore, Tether, Litecoin, and Solana.
READ: Submit A Press Release to Yahoo Finance
Topping the charts on the donor leaderboard are the communities “Own The Doge (DOG)” and “PleasrDAO,” whose collective contribution of 291.16 ETH, exceeding $1 million, deserves special recognition.
However, it is important to note that many donors prefer to remain anonymous and thus do not feature on the leaderboard.
A substantial portion of the campaign’s funding, to the tune of approximately $3.9 million, originates from these anonymous donors, underscoring the privacy and security attributes inherent in cryptocurrency donations.
The seamless facilitation of cross-border fund transfers via cryptocurrencies has democratized participation in charitable endeavors aimed at addressing global challenges. This trend extends beyond the purview of Save the Children’s campaign.
Notably, the Singapore Red Cross has joined the digital revolution, forging a partnership with Triple-A to accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), and USD Coin (USDC) for their humanitarian and community service initiatives.
Benjamin William, the Secretary-General and CEO of the Singapore Red Cross, lauds this move, stating that it welcomes a new segment of tech-savvy donors eager to leverage their digital assets for making a positive difference in the world.
In summary, the Save the Children’s HODL Hope Campaign exemplifies the growing influence and acceptance of cryptocurrency donations within the philanthropic sector, marking a significant stride toward harnessing digital assets for the betterment of global humanitarian causes.
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub has unveiled the culmination of its private central bank digital currency (CBDC) endeavor, Project Tourbillon, in its recently released 46-page report on November 29.
This initiative explores critical elements such as privacy, security, and scalability, all within the context of two prototypes designed by cryptography pioneer David Chaum: eCash 1.0 and eCash 2.0.
These prototypes introduce a promising prospect of payment anonymity for CBDC transactions.
Among the prototypes, eCash 1.0 offers “unconditional payer anonymity,” while eCash 2.0 boasts enhanced security features.
The report suggests that it is indeed plausible to implement a CBDC that ensures payer anonymity while concurrently addressing concerns related to illicit transactions.
Project Tourbillon accomplishes this by establishing complete consumer anonymity during transactions with merchants.
In this innovative scheme, a consumer making a CBDC payment to a merchant remains entirely anonymous to all parties involved, including the merchant, banks, and the central bank.
READ MORE: Submit A Press Release to Bloomberg
The merchant’s identity is only revealed to the payer and is subsequently disclosed to the merchant’s bank as part of the payment process.
Importantly, the central bank retains no access to personal payment data but maintains the capacity to monitor CBDC circulation at an aggregated level.
However, during the initial phase, all users are required to undergo a Know Your Customer procedure at a commercial bank to gain access to the CBDC, mirroring the existing financial system’s practices.
Furthermore, the responsibility for ensuring that transactions adhere to regulatory requirements, such as Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism, and tax evasion laws, falls upon the merchant’s bank.
The report concludes that Tourbillon’s payment process seamlessly integrates with today’s payment landscape, leveraging established technologies like QR codes, proof-of-stake protocols, and existing account relationships between customers, merchants, banks, and central banks.
BIS has been at the forefront of driving global CBDC adoption, actively assisting the Swiss National Bank in the development of wholesale CBDCs and collaborating on joint platforms with central banks in countries like China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, BIS is engaged in a transaction tracker proof-of-concept project with the European Central Bank, emphasizing its pivotal role in shaping the future of digital currencies on a global scale.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is emphasizing the need for individuals to stay at the forefront of the rapidly advancing field of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) by acquiring new skills and familiarizing themselves with this emerging technology.
A recent report has underscored the importance of providing Californians with access to educational and training opportunities related to GenAI.
The report recommends that residents of California should be offered educational and training resources in GenAI to support the state’s government workforce and prepare for the evolving skills required in the GenAI-driven economy.
It envisions state agencies providing training programs for government employees to harness state-approved GenAI tools to achieve equitable outcomes.
This move is seen as essential in response to the significant employment impact predicted by recent reports on GenAI.
The report cites Goldman Sachs’ forecast, which suggests that GenAI could affect up to 300 million jobs worldwide, even though it holds the potential for substantial productivity gains.
In light of this, the state of California aims to take the lead in training and supporting its workforce, enabling them to actively participate in the AI economy and fostering demand for businesses to establish themselves and hire within the state.
READ MORE: Australian Tax Regulator’s Cryptocurrency Tax Guidance Leaves DeFi Users in the Dark
The report also emphasizes the importance of initiating GenAI education initiatives at higher education institutions and vocational schools.
By integrating GenAI education into these institutions, California aims to equip its workforce with the skills necessary to excel in this technology-driven landscape.
Recent reports have consistently highlighted the potential impact of AI on jobs in the global economy.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report on July 12, which identified the jobs most vulnerable to AI. According to the research, “high-skill, white-collar jobs” are particularly exposed to AI-driven automation.
Moreover, industries that demonstrate the most significant advancements in AI often involve “non-routine, cognitive tasks such as information organization, memorization, and perceptual speed.”
In conclusion, California, under Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership, is taking proactive steps to prepare its workforce for the challenges and opportunities presented by GenAI.
By offering education and training programs and positioning itself as a hub for GenAI innovation, California aims to remain at the forefront of the AI revolution while ensuring equitable access to these emerging technologies.
Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority is gearing up to confront a significant uptick in two formidable superbugs, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Candida auris, through the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
Over the past three years, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms, commonly referred to as superbugs, has seen a troubling rise on the island.
This surge can be attributed to the reallocation of resources aimed at combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Raymond Lai, the chief infection control officer at the Hospital Authority, explained that this shift in resources resulted in a shortage of isolation wards available for patients infected with MDROs.
He stated, “A significant number of isolation wards were allocated to Covid-19 patients, leaving fewer wards available for those infected with MDROs.”
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a substantial increase in the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics, fostering the development of antibiotic resistance within these superbugs.
READ MORE: OpenAI’s CEO Turmoil Sparks Debate Over AI Regulation and Congressional Action
According to the authority, the antibiotic resistance rate of vancomycin-resistant enterococci surged from 0.22% in 2021 to 1.2% in 2023, with the number of patients carrying these microorganisms rising from fewer than 40 in 2021 to approximately 140 by late September 2023.
Candida auris, first discovered in Hong Kong in 2019, has also witnessed a spike in carriers, escalating from nearly 200 in 2020 to over 300 by October 31, 2023.
Dr. Lai cautioned that about 10% of individuals hosting this fungus could progress to invasive infections, posing a mortality risk ranging from 53% to 83.3%.
To address this pressing issue, the Hospital Authority is set to launch an AI pilot program in January 2024 at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung.
The AI system will analyze clinical data to assess the necessity of prescribing antibiotics, initially focusing on a single popular type of antibiotic before expanding its scope to include eight other types and covering 17 public hospitals.
This initiative is not the first instance of AI being harnessed to combat antibiotic resistance.
In May 2023, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and McMaster University employed AI to identify a new antibiotic capable of combating Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria responsible for numerous drug-resistant infections.
Bitcoin has taken the lead over Ethereum in terms of average daily transaction fees due to a recent surge in Ordinals-related activity on the Bitcoin network.
According to BitInfoChart data, as of November 20th, the average daily transaction fee for Bitcoin reached $10.34, while Ethereum’s fees averaged $8.43.
Bitcoin’s average daily trading fee hit a six-month high on November 16th, peaking at $18.67, while Ethereum’s fees reached $7.90.
This shift marks a significant change in the fee dynamics between the two cryptocurrencies over the past five days.
The sudden increase in Bitcoin transaction fees can be attributed to a growing interest in assets built on the Ordinals Protocol.
This protocol enables the creation of non-fungible token (NFT)-like assets and BRC-20 tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain.
After a period of relatively low activity between September 25th and October 23rd, Ordinals-based assets began to see a substantial uptick in late October, according to data from Dune Analytics.
READ MORE: Worldcoin (WLD) Faces Turbulence Amid Sam Altman’s Departure and CEO Replacement
Since October 24th, over six million Ordinal assets have been created, resulting in more than 800 BTC in fees, equivalent to approximately $30 million, being distributed across the network.
This surge in Ordinals-related activity gained momentum when ORDI, the second-largest BRC-20 token by market capitalization, was listed on Binance on November 7th.
The listing triggered increased buying activity for BRC-20 tokens, causing the price of the ORDI token to soar by more than 50% in a single day.
In addition to these developments, on November 17th, the Ordinals-based project Taproot Wizards announced a successful seed round, securing $7.5 million in funding.
This announcement further solidified the interest and investment in Ordinals-based assets and projects on the Bitcoin network.
As Bitcoin continues to outpace Ethereum in terms of transaction fees, it reflects the growing popularity and utility of Ordinals-based assets and the broader adoption of blockchain technology for creating and trading digital assets.
These developments highlight the dynamic nature of the cryptocurrency ecosystem and the constant evolution of its use cases and applications.
Decentralized crypto exchange dYdX has taken significant steps to enhance risk management following the depletion of a $9 million insurance fund on November 17th, which was used to cover users’ losses.
This move comes in response to a targeted attack that caused the liquidation of nearly $38 million worth of positions due to a profitable trade on the YFI token.
In an announcement made on X (formerly Twitter), dYdX disclosed that it has raised margin requirements on several “less liquid markets,” impacting tokens such as Eos, 0x Protocol (ZRX), Aave, Algorand, Internet Computer, Monero, Tezos, Zcash, SushiSwap, THORChain, Synthetix Network Token, Enjin Coin, 1inch Network (1INCH), Celo, Yearn.finance, and Uma.
The founder of dYdX, Antonio Juliano, described the attack as a “targeted attack” on the exchange.
He explained that the individual behind the attack caused YFI’s open interest on dYdX to surge from $0.8 million to $67 million in just a few days.
This same individual had previously attempted to manipulate the SUSHI market on dYdX a few weeks earlier.
Despite increasing initial margin ratios for YFI, it proved insufficient to prevent the attack, as the actor managed to withdraw a significant amount of USDC just before the YFI price crash.
To mitigate similar risks in the future, dYdX has banned “highly profitable trading strategies” on its platform, using language reminiscent of Mango Markets’ exploiter Avraham Eisenberg during his $116 million attack in 2022.
READ MORE:Yearn.finance’s YFI Token Plummets 43% in Five Hours, Raising Exit Scam Concerns
The YFI token experienced a sharp decline of 43% within a few hours on November 17th, erasing over $300 million in market capitalization after a rapid 170% surge in November.
Nevertheless, over the past 30 days, the token still managed to gain more than 90%, trading at $9,190 at the time of writing.
Although the Yearn.finance team has not officially commented on the incident, there is no indication of them controlling the majority of the token supply.
Etherscan data shows that large centralized exchanges hold a significant portion of YFI tokens, dispelling initial concerns of a potential scam.
These developments mark a significant effort by dYdX to fortify its defenses and protect its users from similar incidents in the future.
The ongoing upheaval at OpenAI has reached new heights with the sudden removal of its founder, Sam Altman, on November 17, causing a ripple effect throughout the artificial intelligence (AI) company.
In the wake of Altman’s ousting, three senior researchers have reportedly chosen to resign from their positions.
The decision to remove Altman from his role as CEO was officially announced in a blog post by OpenAI’s board of directors.
They cited Altman’s alleged lack of consistent transparency in his communications with the board as the primary reason for his removal, asserting that this hindered the board’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities.
Consequently, Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, has assumed the role of interim CEO.
This significant change in leadership set off a chain reaction within OpenAI, resulting in key figures departing from the organization.
Co-founder and president Greg Brockman made his exit public mere hours after Altman’s removal.
Several senior staff members have also reportedly tendered their resignations, including Jakub Pachocki, the director of research; Aleksander Madry, the head of preparedness; and Szymon Sidor, a senior researcher.
Additionally, one employee, Alex Cohen, found himself laid off alongside Altman.
READ MORE:Sushi Partners with ZetaChain for Native Bitcoin Swaps Across 30 Blockchains
Cohen, responsible for preparing presentations for OpenAI’s board of directors, expressed his confusion over the situation, revealing that he received a cryptic text message from Sam Altman before his abrupt dismissal.
This unexpected turn of events has left many speculating about the future of OpenAI, with Cohen predicting that more employees may follow suit and seek new opportunities elsewhere.
The decision to remove Altman from his leadership role is believed to have arisen from disagreements with Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and chief scientist at OpenAI.
These disagreements appear to revolve around issues related to fundraising and the development of AI technologies.
As for Altman’s future endeavors, they remain uncertain in the wake of these recent developments.
Altman is also a founder of Tools for Humanity, a developer involved in the crypto project Worldcoin.
He has received invitations to join other projects, including one from Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, who has extended an offer for Altman to join the ecosystem’s decentralized large language model.