The global decentralized finance (DeFi) market size was valued at $11.78 billion in 2021. This number is expected to increase as DeFi advances, yet it is still in its infancy. Therefore, a number of banks and traditional financial institutions still tend to be unaware of DeFi’s potential. While this may be, industry experts within the crypto sector are predicting that decentralized finance will overtake traditional financial institutions in the coming years. For instance, Mike Belshe, CEO and co-founder of BitGo — a digital asset custody provider — told Cointelegraph that he believes DeFi will replace institutions in the next three …

Crypto staking platform Freeway pointed at the failure of one of its trading strategies, along with market conditions as the leading reason for halting user withdrawals earlier this week. The crypto yield platform on Oct. 23 announced it was halting various transactions relating to its high-yield “Supercharger” product, citing “unprecedented volatility” at the time, without giving any more details at the time, which saw its token price plummet. In a 22-part Twitter thread on Oct. 25, Freeway shed more light on the situation, revealing that it was “one of Freeway’s trading strategies” that “appears to have failed” and has “dramatically …

It may not have been Tulip season in the Netherlands, but there was a palpable buzz at the picturesque Westerpark, which played host to the Bitcoin Amsterdam 2022 conference. Prominent speakers from all corners of the Bitcoin (BTC) ecosystem drew in a healthy number of attendees across the two days of the program, exploring wide-ranging topics, challenges and successes as the space nears its 14th year of existence. With global economic woes continuing across conventional markets and global monetary inflation concerns mounting, Bitcoin’s role as a potential hedge was a major topic of discussion, kicking things off inside the Westerunie …

With inflation becoming a bigger problem as time goes on, Bitcoin may become a better and more trusted means of exchange in Europe in the coming years, according to politician Nigel Farage. At the Bitcoin Amsterdam 2022, Cointelegraph reporter Gareth Jenkinson spoke with Nigel Farage, the former head of the pro-Brexit United Kingdom Independence Party, and discussed how the politician first heard about Bitcoin (BTC), the appeal of the cryptocurrency as a hedge against inflation and how it may get broader adoption in Europe in the near future. According to Farage, he first discovered Bitcoin ten years ago when he …

With crypto becoming more popular, mainstream outlets must get more educated on the space to ensure accurate reporting, according to a panel discussion during the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) Global event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. At the TDeFi Pavillion, Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr participated in a panel discussion titled “Crypto and Media: The View, The Perspective and Chaos.” Moderated by Maria Vovchok, ambassador at Blockchain Association of Ukraine and Finoverse, the panel included Laura Inamedinova, the founder of LKI Consulting; Triska Hamid, editorial director at Wamda; and Walid Abou Zaki, the founder of Unlock Blockchain. While …

Even though one of the stars of the show is a talking robot, human interaction was still the highlight of the recent Blockchain Economy Dubai Summit 2022 held at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre. Titan, an 8-foot-tall talking robot previously seen on Britain's Got Talent 2022, was one of the event's main attractions. The robot gave a Transformers-like introduction at the beginning of the event and mingled with the audience at various times. Cointelegraph was involved in various aspects of the event including interviewing keynote speakers like Bitcoin.com CEO Dennis Jarvis and former NFL player Lewis Neal. Apart …

At the Blockchain Economy Dubai Summit 2022, Cointelegraph spoke with Codego CEO Simone Binotto Torre about crypto cards. During the talk, the executive argued that one of the catalysts for broader adoption is the simple ability to make purchases with your crypto through a credit or debit card. Even with Web3 use cases sprouting left and right within the space, the ability to spend crypto to make purchases at real-world stores and shops is still one of the most important applications for digital assets according to Torre. The exec highlighted that it’s important for holders to be able to easily …

With crypto companies like Coinbase announcing layoffs earlier this year, it seemed like there were little to no opportunities within the blockchain space during the bear market. However, an executive in a crypto-focused recruitment firm believes that this is not the case. At the recent Blockchain Economy Summit Dubai 2022, Clayton Pullum, co-founder and director of Satoshi Solutions, spoke to Cointelegraph and shared insights about the current state of hiring within the crypto space. According to Pullum, the hiring situation today is very different from the recruitment conditions back in the bull market. The executive described the previous bull runs …

As the decentralized finance (DeFi) space remains plagued with hacks, people have become less interested in jumping in and engaging with DeFi. But according to Dennis Jarvis, the CEO of Bitcoin.com, there is a way for DeFi adoption to move forward through Bitcoin (BTC). In a keynote speech at the Blockchain Economy Dubai Summit 2022, Jarvis pointed out that massive losses of investor funds like the collapse of Terra and the Axie Infinity Ronin hack have made DeFi unappealing to potential users. However, the executive believes that by using Bitcoin as a hook, DeFi can overcome the onboarding crisis brought …

Tennis legend Maria Sharapova appeared at the Binance Blockchain Week Paris 2022 to share her interest in nonfungible tokens (NFTs). During an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Sharapova mentioned that “she is exposing herself to this new world of crypto and Web3,” noting that the sector will help her better engage with her fans. Sharapova was also one of the strategic investors behind MoonPay’s Series A financing round, yet she mentioned that she aims to bridge her personal experiences to the digital world moving forward. Cointelegraph: What are you doing here today at Binance Blockchain Week Paris? Maria Sharapova: I’m crypto …

As the dust settled over the Ethereum network’s highly-anticipated transition to proof-of-stake (PoS), Eli Ben-Sasson, the co-founder of Starkware, gave his thoughts on its execution and potential for the future. Speaking to Cointelegraph’s Gareth Jenkinson at the Token2049 event, Ben-Sasson shared his thoughts on the current situation post-Merge and how it affects layer-2 projects like Starkware. In addition to that, the executive also gave his thoughts on the adoption and interest for layer-2 products and the crypto winter. Looking back at the Ethereum Merge’s execution, Ben-Sasson rejoiced that the transition was flawless and said things happened as they should. The …

In this week’s newsletter, read about how UNICEF is using nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to help connect schools to the internet and how post offices are able to revive the philately sector through NFTs. Check out how an NFT gaming project lets many aspects of its game be customizable and sold as NFT packs. In other news, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu spoke with Cointelegraph and shared his thoughts about Asia’s perception of NFTs. And, don’t forget this week’s Nifty News featuring Walmart’s entry to the Metaverse. UNICEF Giga NFTs to connect schools in developing countries to internet Humanitarian aid organization …