WuBlockchain Weekly：EU lawmakers approve MiCA and Top10 News

Top10 News

1. EU lawmakers voted 517 in favor of MiCA link

On April 20, EU lawmakers voted 517 in favor of MiCA, making it the first major jurisdiction in the world to introduce comprehensive crypto laws. It also voted 529 in favor of a separate law called which would require crypto operators to identify their customers. Patrick Hansen: Entry into application in June 2024 for stablecoin issuers, in December 2024 for everything else (crypto-asset service providers etc.). Final formal vote in the Council of the EU (EU member states) on May 16. MiCA publication in the Official journal of the EU 20 days after that. CZ stated that the European Parliament voted in favor of implementing MiCA. This means that one of the world’s largest markets is introducing tailored crypto regulations to protect users and support innovation. They are ready to make the necessary adjustments to their business to ensure full compliance within the next 12–18 months.

2. Russia may start experimenting with using cryptocurrencies for external settlements link

On April 19, Central Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina said that the use of cryptocurrencies in external settlements may start as an experiment. The central bank opposes the use of cryptocurrencies domestically, but such funds can be used for external payments. A draft law in this regard is already ready.

3. SEC Chairman refuses to answer whether ETH is a commodity or security link

On April 18, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler repeatedly refused to explicitly answer House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry’s question on “Is ETH a commodity or a security” at the hearing. Gary Gensler said it depends on the legal facts and does not want to prejudge.

4. Huobi announced Q1 HT report, suggesting Q1 revenue of only $16.55 million link

On April 17, Huobi, owned by Justin Sun, announced the Q1 HT report, burning 827,226 HTs, or about $3.31m. Huobi used 20% of the platform revenue for burning, so the platform revenue in Q1 is only about $16.55m. Earlier, Sun said that the group’s Q1 revenue including TRON was US$150 million, so Huobi’s revenue accounted for less than 1/9.

5. MEXC announced Q1 MX burn, suggesting Q1 platform profit of $11.7 million link

On April 17, the MEXC exchange announced that the number of MX burned in the Q1 was 2.115 million; the MEXC rule is that 40% of the profit is used to burn the MX. It is estimated that Mexc’s platform profit in the first quarter was US$11.7 million.

6. Coinbase’s weekly summary

a. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong: will consider moving away from US if regulatory environment remains unclear link

On April 18, Coinbase (COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong indicated that the crypto exchange would consider moving away from the U.S. if the regulatory environment for the industry does not become clearer. “We’ve met with them over 30 times in the last year … never got a single piece of feedback from them about what we can be doing better or differently, and then this Wells Notice arrived,” Armstrong told CNBC in an interview. Coinbase is preparing for a years-long court battle with the U.S SEC.

b. Coinbase receives a Type F license from Bermuda Monetary Authority link

On April 20, Coinbase announced that it has received a Type F license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), and may launch an offshore derivatives exchange similar to Binance OKX next week.

7. Binance’s weekly summary

a. Binance retires deposit addresses and memos on old infrastructure for wallet upgrade link

On April 18, due to the upgrading of wallet infrastructure, Binance is retiring deposit addresses and memos still on the old infrastructure in batches. Users will receive an email if their deposit address and memo are affected.

b. Binance shared its latest product developments link

On April 18, Binance shared its latest product developments, which include a user feedback tool, zk-SNARKs proof-of-reserve, an automatic rebalancing robot that adjusts users’ investment portfolios, Binance Pay, and Binance Tax. Additionally, upcoming products include strategy robots, biometric-based products, interactive pages, and games.

8. Deribit will launch its zero-fee spot exchange on April 24 link

Crypto option exchange Deribit will launch its zero-fee spot exchange on April 24, with users initially able to trade BTC/USDC, ETH/USDC and ETH/BTC. Spot trading on Deribit, like its derivatives platform, will not be available to users in the US and some other restricted countries.

9. Serious vulnerability has been found again in Apple’s operating system link

On April 18, a very serious vulnerability has been found again in Apple’s operating system. Attackers can gain root privileges, which may compromise the security of users’ crypto assets. Requires updating to iOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1.

10. PEPE’s weekly summary

a. Meme Token PEPE quickly sparks discussion in communities link

Recently, a memecoin named after the Sad Frog meme, PEPE, has quickly gained attention in both Chinese and English-speaking communities. With marketing gimmicks such as the use of the Sad Frog meme and zero taxes, its price has increased several hundred times in just a few days. As of the 21st, PEPE’s market value is $111 million, but its liquidity pool is only $4.4 million.

b. PEPE and WOJAK became top trading objects on Ethereum in the past week link

On April 20, according to EigenPhi, the hot Memecoins PEPE and WOJAK have become the most popular trading objects on the Ethereum after WETH, USDC and USDT in the past week, with more than 250 million and 120 million US dollars in transaction volume. The MEV robot controlled by jaredfromsubway.eth has captured about 1.5 million US dollars in profits in PEPE trading pairs, and captured in WOJAK about $2.81 million profit.

Fundraising

CoreWeave, a GPU-focused cloud compute provider, announced that it raised $221 million in a Series B funding round led by Magnetar Capital with participation from Nvidia link
Crypto wallet security company Wallet Guard has completed the pre-seed fundraise led by Ethereal Ventures link
Crypto trading platform Fractal announced a $6 million fundraise; QCP invested alongside 6th Man Ventures, Archetype. Blizzard and CMT Digital link
Financial services firm Unchained Capital announced a $60 million Series B funding round led by Valor Equity Partners link
Berachain, a layer 1 blockchain focused on DeFi, has announced its $42 million Series A at a valuation of $420.69 million; the fundraise was led by Polychain Capital link
Non-custodial staking provider P2P.org has raised $23 million in Series A funding from investors, including Jump Crypto, Bybit, and Sygnum link
Automated market maker Swaap has successfully secured over $4.5 million in seed funding led by Signature Ventures link
Decentralized cloud database Tableland has raised an $8 million Series A led by crypto-focused investment firm CoinFund link

Learn more, check out crypto-fundraising.info.