The team behind the new gaming-focused proof-of-stake blockchain Oasys say that it’s been designed to increase mainstream play-to-earn (P2E) adoption. The Singapore-based firm (Oasys PTE. LTD) behind the new chain touts its scalability, eco-friendly PoS blockchain, “zero gas fee experience” and the portability of digital assets between different projects built on the blockchain as key drawcards for developers and users. The founding team includes a host of names from top crypto and gaming firms including Bandai Namco Research president and CEO Hajime Nakatani, Sega Corporation co-COO Shuji Utsumi, double.jump.tokyo CEO Hironobu Ueno, Thirdverse CEO Hironao Kunimitsu and Yield Guild Games …

In May 2021, a Nashville couple known as the Jarretts filed a lawsuit against the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over taxes they had paid on unclaimed and unsold Tezos (XTZ) staking rewards. At the beginning of February, news broke that the lawsuit filed by the Jarretts had come to an end, resulting in the IRS issuing the couple a tax refund for $3,793. Confusion among crypto holders Not long after this news made headlines, confusion among the crypto community piqued. One crypto media publication sent a tweet from its official account on Feb. 2, 2022, saying, “BREAKING: IRS …

The cryptocurrency market has an interesting way of catching even the most seasoned veterans off guard as each bull and bear market initially shows similarities to previous cycles only to veer off in an unexpected direction and wipe out the fortunes of newly minted crypto millionaires. This was the case with the weak close of 2021 which completely went against the bullish $100,000 BTC price estimates that crypto analysts and influencers were peddling nonstop. Currently, Bitcoin price is more than 50% away from its $69,000 all-time high and altcoins have fared worse, with many down more than 60% in the …

Welcome to the latest edition of Cointelegraph’s decentralized finance newsletter. It’s been a tumultuous week of doxxing, hacks, bailouts and new highs in the decentralized finance space. Read on to recap the most impactful stories of the last seven days. This article represents a conspectus of the full email newsletter. For the full edition, sign up via the box below. Wonderland lost in no mans amid Sifu saga Following the revelatory identification of previously anonymous QuadrigaCX co-founder Michael Patryn as the founder of DeFi protocol Wonderland — known on social media as @0xSifu — a subsequent community vote decided upon …

A United States couple suing the federal tax agency over Tezos (XTZ) staking rewards taxation chose to forego a tactical victory and engage in a court battle that could eventually result in policy change. Joshua and Jessica Jarrett, who run a node on the Tezos network (thus “baking” new blocks, in the ecosystem’s lingo), have sued the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the taxes paid on the XTZ tokens created in 2019. The Jarretts filed a refund claim on upwards of $3,000 paid on the tokens, which the IRS ignored. The fundamental point of contention underlying the lawsuit is the …

Solana (SOL), one of the most active proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains, appears to be a PoS protocol consuming the lowest amount of electricity per transaction, according to a new report. The Crypto Carbon Ratings Institute (CCRI), a research startup focused on the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies, released on Wednesday a new report calculating the electricity consumption and carbon footprint of major PoS blockchains. The CCRI specifically analyzed PoS networks including Cardano, Solana, Polkadot, Avalanche, Algorand and Tezos. According to the CCRI’s findings, the Solana blockchain consumed 0.166 watt-hours (Wh) of electricity per transaction within the study, becoming the most energy-efficient PoS …

According to blockchain data from Nansen analytics on Tuesday, over $1.096 billion worth of Ethereum (ETH) has been burned in the past month. With the introduction of the EIP-1559 last August, a portion of fees is taken out of circulation for every transaction that occurs on the Ethereum blockchain. While sending and receiving ETH does not cost much, higher-level tasks, such as minting nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, via smart contracts, cost far more gas. In January, the total volume of NFT transactions on OpenSea hit an all-time high of $3.5 billion. It currently ranks No.1 on a burn leaderboard compiled …

The Ethereum Foundation has removed all references to Eth1 and Eth2 in favor of calling the original blockchain the “execution layer” and the upgraded Proof of Stake chain the “consensus layer.” Ethereum’s long-awaited transition from a Proof-of-work mining model to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism is expected to go live around in the second or third quarter of this year. Announcing the change the foundation cited a number of rationales including a “broken mental model for new users,” scam prevention, inclusivity and staking clarity. In a Jan.24 blog post, the Ethereum Foundation noted that the branding of Eth2 failed to …

Proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol has raised $150 million in seed investments to accelerate the adoption of Web3 technologies. The team announced that the fund would be used to develop regional hubs and raise awareness for blockchain and decentralized tech. NEAR Protocol aims to use the fresh funds to foster the adoption of Web3. According to the announcement, the funding will be used to “help billions of people learn and use blockchain.” With this, projects building on the NEAR blockchain will have the opportunity to connect with new audiences. The investment round was led by hedge fund Three-Arrows Capital, with additional …

The prospects of Ren (REN) continuing its ongoing rebound to fresh highs appear slim as a classic bearish reversal pattern begins to emerge. Dubbed head and shoulders, the setup appears when the price forms three peaks, with the middle peak (called the head) longer than the other two peaks described as the left and right shoulders. The bottoms of these peaks are supported by a neckline. The pattern comes into play primarily when the price breaks below the neckline in a correction that follows the formation of the right shoulder. That prompts traders to open short entries below the neckline, …

Rocket Pool, a decentralized Ethereum 2.0 staking platform has surpassed $350 million worth of total value locked (TVL) within five weeks of its official launch. The project aims to remove the barriers to entry for Eth2 stakers and node operators. It allows any user to run a node for 16 ETH ($59,000), which is half of the 32 ETH ($119,000) required in the Eth2 deposit contract. Users with as little as 0.01 ETH can also stake their funds and receive yield. According to data from DefiLlama, Rocket Pool has surged up the decentralized finance (DeFi) staking platform rankings to sit …

The Dogecoin Foundation, a non-profit organization behind the meme-based cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE), is working on a staking mechanism in collaboration with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. The Foundation on Thursday released its Dogecoin Trailmap or a “dog-walk” that the Dogecoin Foundation is committed to exploring and which it believes would contribute to Dogecoin’s success. As part of the trailmap, the Dogecoin Foundation is working with Buterin on building a “uniquely Doge proposal” for a “community staking” version of proof-of-stake (PoS). Such a version would allow all Dogecoin users to stake their DOGE and get extra tokens for supporting the network, the …