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Rosseti, Russia’s largest power grid operator, is exploring crypto mining operations at its underutilized power centers and aims to become a coordinator for mining infrastructure deployment across the country, according to state news agency TASS.

“The Rosseti Group is the largest grid company in Russia and can act as an operator for coordinating the placement of mining infrastructure,” the company told TASS.

The state-owned energy provider sees crypto mining as an opportunity to utilize spare capacity at low-load power centers, which could increase both the company’s tariff revenue and tax payments while contributing to economic development.

The grid operator confirmed its technical readiness for mining operations, noting that its infrastructure is equipped with the necessary switching equipment to manage mining facility loads. The company also maintains operational data on available capacity and consumption patterns to ensure reliable regional power supply.

Rosseti is currently discussing various aspects of its mining development strategy, including the potential introduction of a separate tariff structure for miners as a demand management tool.

Last August, President Vladimir Putin signed a law regulating crypto mining as part of the country’s digital asset management strategy. Under the law, only registered entities and individual entrepreneurs are allowed to engage in large-scale crypto mining operations in Russia.

Due to power shortages, the Russian government has banned crypto mining in several regions starting January 1, 2025, extending through March 15, 2031.

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Crypto trading firm Wintermute expects stablecoins to become deeply integrated with traditional finance in 2025.

This integration will be driven by the growing adoption of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and increased corporate holdings of digital assets, according to Wintermute’s recently released annual review and outlook report.

The firm predicts a major corporate acquisition or merger will be settled entirely in stablecoins this year, marking a significant convergence between crypto and traditional financial systems.

The forecast comes as institutions increasingly recognize the advantages of stablecoins for their efficiency, speed, and reduced cross-border transaction costs.

The shift toward stablecoins is part of a larger wave of institutional adoption observed in 2024, which saw Wintermute’s OTC trading volumes quadruple, reaching a record $2.24 billion in a single day during November.

Wintermute’s CEO, Evgeny Gaevoy, emphasized the role of stablecoins in bridging the gap between crypto markets and traditional finance.

The firm’s outlook suggests that tokenized corporate debt or equity settled in stablecoins could become increasingly common as companies explore blockchain technology for its transparency and efficiency.

The company has expanded its presence in global ETF markets through partnerships with OSL Digital Securities and HashKey HK Exchange, supporting Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs listed in Hong Kong.

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The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) denied making any official decisions about XRP or Solana futures contracts after a test page erroneously appeared on its website showing a potential launch date for the products.

“The beta version of the website, which is often used for mock-up drafts, was made public in error,” a CME spokesperson told FOX Business. “No official decisions have yet been made about launching futures contracts for either token.”

A test version of the CME Group’s staging website, briefly accessible on Wednesday, indicated the potential introduction of XRP and Solana futures contracts on February 10, subject to regulatory approval.

Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart corroborated the page’s existence before it was removed.

Assuming “beta.cmegroup” is actually a beta/test version of the actual CMEGroup website — looks like CME is expecting to launch SOL & XRP futures on Feb 10. But this isn’t available on the actual website yet.

Honestly makes sense and largely to be expected if true IMO https://t.co/lfMGd8X9KE

— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) January 22, 2025

XRP and SOL rose around 3% on the leak news before pulling back, according to CoinGecko.

CME currently offers Bitcoin and Ethereum futures contracts in both standard and micro-sized versions.

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On-chain activity for transactions under $10,000 has declined by 19.34% in recent days, according to verified CryptoQuant analyst Causeconomy, suggesting subdued retail interest.

Bitcoin has traded between $100,000 and $109,000 since Trump’s inauguration on Monday, currently hovering above $105,000.

Historically, high volatility has driven demand for on-chain activity, but this trend seems to be diverging. Retail activity peaked in December but has since tapered off.

Despite Bitcoin’s impressive performance, on-chain metrics suggest the market structure remains stable and not overstretched, providing room for potential further uptrends.

Google Trends data shows retail interest in “Bitcoin,” “how to buy crypto,” and “altcoins” in the US is higher than last year but not to the extent many expected, given Bitcoin’s price surpassing $100,000.

Currently, searches for “Bitcoin” in the US are at 52 on Google Trends, showing a noticeable increase compared to the same period last year.

However, it’s important to note that this time last year, Bitcoin search interest began rising due to the approval of Bitcoin ETFs, which fueled broader market attention.

While search interest is higher year-over-year, it remains far below the euphoric levels seen in 2021, when Bitcoin surged to previous all-time highs and captured mainstream interest.

Search trends suggest that retail interest in crypto currently points to brief moments of euphoria, like the spike seen during the launch of Trump’s meme coin, rather than the sustained rallies where retail engagement lasted for months.

Last week, the launch of the Trump-themed meme coin drove a surge in searches for “Trump coin,” “how to buy Trump crypto,” and “Trump meme coin.” The coin initially soared to a $15 billion market cap.

The Trump meme coin has since fallen 55% to a $6.7 billion market cap, with search interest declining alongside the broader drop in retail engagement.

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MicroStrategy has announced plans to redeem $1.05 billion in 0% convertible senior notes due in 2027.

This decision comes as the company faces potential tax implications under new corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) rules introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

MicroStrategy, the world’s largest Bitcoin-holding company, could be subject to federal income taxes on its $18 billion in unrealized Bitcoin gains.

The CAMT implements a 15% minimum tax rate based on adjusted GAAP financial statement income, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

GAAP income represents earnings reported under standardized accounting rules, including certain unrealized gains like Bitcoin’s value increases.

The CAMT targets companies reporting substantial GAAP earnings but minimal taxable income on IRS filings.

While companies like Berkshire Hathaway received exemptions for unrealized stock gains, no such provisions exist for crypto assets. MicroStrategy, holding $47 billion in Bitcoin, continues lobbying the IRS for similar treatment.

“The IRS may ultimately exclude unrealized crypto gains, especially under a Trump administration, which has historically supported pro-crypto policies,” tax analyst Robert Willens told the Wall Street Journal, while noting that such exemptions aren’t guaranteed.

Note holders can convert their securities into class A common stock before February 20, 2025, with conversions settled in stock and fractional shares paid in cash.

The company’s tax situation is further complicated by new Financial Accounting Standards Board rules requiring fair value reporting of crypto assets on balance sheets.

MicroStrategy recently reported a $4 billion increase in deferred tax liabilities and a $12.8 billion increase in retained earnings under the new framework.

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San Francisco, USA / California, October 10th, 2024, Chainwire

Constellation Network’s “HyDef ‘24” conference will take place on Thursday, October 24, 2024, featuring a free daylong virtual event combined with a live in-person event for a nominal fee at 1 Hotel in San Francisco.

Constellation Network is a unique Web3 framework with new open-source tooling that empowers companies and individuals to build blockchain networks for Big Data, creating trust and transparency around data collection, validation, and transacting. Nicknamed “America’s Blockchain,” Constellation Network actively works with entities such as the U.S. Military, The Digital Chamber, the Texas Blockchain Association, Space ISAC, and the National DigiFoundry. Constellation has been validated and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as a, “Scalable, Secure and Defense-Approved Blockchain technology.” 

“So much work has been going on behind the scenes which is why HyDef is a great forum to bring it to the forefront around one action packed event. Since the launch of Metagraphs, it’s been hard to keep up with all the inbound interest from federal, enterprise and academia. We are excited to not only give updates on what has matured but also unveil new expressions that truly separate Constellation apart in the Web3 industry.” – Benjamin Diggles, Constellation Co-founder and CSO

Constellation’s HyDef ‘24 conference will deliver a jam-packed day of ground-breaking insights. Conference sessions cover secure information-sharing in a zero-trust world, the future of finance and blockchain, the evolving regulatory environment, government and blockchain, and much more.

Hackathon-winning projects will be showcased at the event where developers have leveraged Constellation’s big data transaction and validation capabilities to build apps that gather and validate data at scale. These apps feed the data into AI or causal models to give businesses and individuals insights based on more input than we’ve heretofore been able to process.

Another HyDef highlight will be the long-awaited reveal of the details of the working relationship between Constellation and Panasonic. The work the two companies are doing together has the potential to bring Constellation’s technology and blockchain-secured edge computing to the world en masse in a meaningful way.

“The Constellation Community is the backbone to our ecosystem. HyDef is a time for us all to come together, celebrate the progress in our ecosystem, give visibility to our partners, and gear up for the future of Constellation. By bringing together thought leaders, builders, and new product development we paint a picture for new opportunities in distributed networks and the communities that build them.”- Ben Jorgensen, Constellation Co-founder and CEO

The in-person event will be held at the 1 Hotel in San Francisco and will require a nominal $150 fee. Attendees include representatives from Panasonic, the Greer Institute at Intel, Forward Edge AI, venture capitalists, The Digital Chamber, the Constellation leadership team, along with Stardust Collective community leaders.

The virtual event is free to attend with access via livestream to all keynote speeches, panel discussions, and hackathon showcases in real time. Virtual attendees can engage directly with speakers and panelists through Q&A and live chat features, and may connect with other attendees in virtual event spaces.

“Our metagraph application layer just released to the public, and this is the perfect time for us to showcase our Hackathon winners, our partners, and our progress. I’m excited for the chance to bring the industry together in this unique format and share ideas and ways we can work together and build together.”- Altif Brown, Constellation co-founder, Head of Community, and conference organizer

To find out more about the event and register, users can visit stardust’s event site at https://stardust-collective.org/HyDef-Conference

About Constellation Network

Constellation Network, founded in 2017, is a Blockchain ecosystem powered by the Hypergraph Transfer Protocol (HGTP), designed to secure, validate, and process data for Web3 applications. HGTP enables seamless and secure Blockchain communication, akin to how HTTP functions for the web. Constellation’s tools support building Blockchain networks for big data, fostering trust and transparency. Validated by the U.S. Department of Defense via the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Constellation is recognized as a scalable and secure Blockchain solution.

Website: www.constellationnetwork.io

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Conste11ation

Telegram: https://t.me/constellationcommunity

Contact

Constellation co-founder, Head of Community, and conference organizer
Altif Brown
Constellation Network, Inc.
[email protected]

Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, October 15th, 2024, Chainwire

SingularityDAO, Cogito Finance, and SelfKey have announced a strategic token merger to launch Singularity Finance, an EVM Layer-2 for tokenising the AI economy’s Real World Assets (RWA).

Combining the trio’s complementary technologies will power a platform optimised for Artificial Intelligence tokenisation that will accelerate Web3. Tokenising AI assets such as GPUs and integrating them into existing DeFi applications will create new onchain primitives, enabling more efficient funding sources for AI-driven innovations.

Singularity Finance will bring RWAs onchain using Cogito’s tokenisation framework, creating decentralised markets where users can easily participate with the support of SelfKey’s compliant identity solution. Singularity’s Layer-2 will offer AI-powered financial tools services that enhance and automate analysis, portfolio, and risk management leveraging SingularityDAO’s AI-driven DynaVaults and other technologies.

Cogito Finance CEO Cloris Chen said: “The rapid growth of the AI sector is creating significant opportunities for both institutions and retail participants. However, barriers still exist on both the demand and supply sides, limiting broader participation in the AI economy. By developing our own Layer-2 solution democratising AI-Fi, we can overcome these challenges and remain agile in adapting to an evolving regulatory landscape.”

SingularityDAO co-founder Mario Casiraghi added: “We stand at the intersection of AI and DeFi, where much of the innovation currently taking place within the Web3 space is occurring. AI-Fi harnesses the immense potential of the AI economy by tokenising the AI value chain, creating unprecedented opportunities to access, exchange and monetise these assets.”

As part of the merger, the three existing tokens—SDAO, CGV, and KEY—will be converted into a unified token, SFI, which will serve as the network token for Singularity Finance. Initially, the SFI token will be available on Ethereum and BNB Chain, with mainnet released planned for the first half of 2025 and with the conversion ratios between SDAO, CGV, and KEY set as follows:

• SDAO migration to SFI at a ratio of 1:80.353 (1 SDAO = 80.353 SFI)
• CGV migration to SFI at a ratio of 1:10.890 (1 CGV = 10.890 SFI)
• KEY migration to SFI at a ratio of 1:1 (1 KEY = 1 SFI)

The pricing is based on the 200 days moving average of each token in the period up to 20th August 2024. 

Upon closing of the merger, a leadership council for Singularity Finance will be established to oversee and guide the operations of the newly merged financial ecosystem. The council will be led by Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET and the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance; Cloris Chen, CEO of Cogito Finance; and Mario Casiraghi, CFO of SingularityNET and Co-Founder of SingularityDAO. Following the merger announcement, the community will have the opportunity to participate in a governance vote, which will run from 21 to 31 October.

The merger will address the significant challenges currently faced in the ownership and accessibility of AI-related assets and yield. By leveraging SFI compliant tokenisation infrastructure users will be able to access yield opportunities from compute and AI agents; in addition, AI market participants will be able to foster extra liquidity for their assets thereby making AI and hardware-backed high-quality yield more accessible. Singularity Finance will solve these challenges through its Layer2 including built-in legal frameworks, distribution channels, marketplace, and AI-driven asset management tools.

About SingularityDAO

SingularityDAO is a decentralised Portfolio Management Protocol designed to democratise access to sophisticated crypto asset management tools. The upcoming DynaVaults, multi-asset, multistrategy vaults leveraging AI-enhanced analytics and risk management tools, provide the much needed infrastructure in the volatile world of DeFi.

Learn more: https://singularitydao.ai/

About Cogito Finance

Cogito’s mission is to bring traditional assets onchain for increased liquidity, security, and transparency. It offers a suite of carefully-engineered, fully transparent, and institutional-grade investment products. Led by a team of finance and technology experts, Cogito is pioneering the future of onchain finance.

Learn more: https://www.cogito.finance/

About SelfKey

A blockchain-based identity platform that enables individuals and organisations to securely manage and control their digital identities, enhancing compliance with KYC requirements through decentralised technology. With a team experienced in decentralised identity since 2014 across major companies, SelfKey aims to revolutionise the KYC onboarding process by lowering costs, improving security, and upholding the principles of self-sovereign identity.

Learn more: https://selfkey.org/

Contact

Avishay Litani
[email protected]