Blockchain for Good: Bitcoin ESG with KPMG, Brian Consolvo, Technology Risk Principal

Join Blockchain.com Co-Founders, Nic Cary and Peter Smith as they discuss the recent Bitcoin rally. Is this a false spring or is this the real deal? In this episode, Nic and Peter dive into the detail of what could be driving the recent market movements, as well as other narratives that they have been following recently. Listen now to this week's Byline to find out more.

In this episode, we spoke with Tristan Chaudry from Heroes of Mavia. Mavia is a platform you’re hearing across crypto and gaming circles that promises a captivating blend of thrilling strategy, competitive battles, and the alluring potential of Play-to-Earn rewards. But what exactly is Heroes of Mavia, and how does the MAVIA token fit into the world of web3?

In today's episode, we’re joined by Josh Deems, Staking Business Development Manager at Figment. Figment provides comprehensive staking solutions for over 250+ clients, including Blockchain.com. Josh will explain what exactly staking is, how it works, and talk us through how to stake with Blockchain.com.

In today’s episode, we’re unpacking crypto regulation. We explore the role regulation plays in enhancing crypto’s legitimacy, trust and adoption, and examine how frameworks address consumer protection, market transparency, and innovation.  With the much-anticipated Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) set to make a substantial impact on the EU market, today, we’re joined by Josh Peschko, Global Head of Compliance at Talos, to shed light on its significance, and potential implications for businesses in the crypto space.

On January 10, 2024, the first US-listed Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds were approved by the Securities Exchange Commission, representing a significant step towards greater institutional acceptance of Bitcoin. Here to talk more about the impact of this approval is Benjamin Dean, Director of Digital Assets at WisdomTree - one of the leading fund managers to have its spot Bitcoin ETF application approved by the SEC. 

KPMG recently published a report looking at the environmental, social, and governance impact of Bitcoin and its role in the ESG imperative.  To discuss this report in more detail, today we’re joined by Brian Consolvo, Technology Risk Principal at KPMG, who co-authored the report alongside Kirk-Patrick Caron, ESG & Climate Advisory Director at KPMG. 

The sustainability and energy use issue around Bitcoin mining is a topic of significant concern and debate in both the cryptocurrency community and broader public discourse. Addressing this issue head on, today, we’re joined by Bert de Groot, the Owner of Bitcoin Bloem, a Dutch startup that uses Bitcoin mining to grow tulips in the Netherlands. Sign up for a Wallet ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3dpcCQw⁠⁠⁠ Sign up to the Exchange ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3QzCKGP⁠

This week in crypto, the fallout of Binance’s $4 billion fine continued, new NFT games are launched, and CoinShares released their latest report on institutional crypto investments.  Binance's former CEO, CZ, is facing an uncertain future as a judge deliberates on whether to permit his departure from the U.S. before his February 2024 sentencing. CZ recently pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act related to Binance's anti-money laundering policies. While he initially obtained release on a $175 million bond, allowing him to return to the UAE where his family resides, prosecutors raised concerns about a potential flight risk due to his considerable wealth and the absence of an extradition treaty with the UAE. In response, the judge temporarily halted CZ's foreign travel privileges. The sentencing in February 2024 carries the possibility of a prison term ranging from a few months to a maximum of 10 years, and CZ's future endeavors may be influenced by the judge's decision on his travel restrictions. Australian exchange Swyftx has partnered with blockchain forensic firm TRM Labs to combat fraud in the cryptocurrency space. Following government data reporting a substantial $146 million loss in cryptocurrency, the collaboration aims to enhance security measures. Swyftx and TRM Labs are launching a pilot project, encouraging 2,000 customers to activate two-factor authentication on their accounts and complete a course jointly developed by the two companies. As an incentive, participants will receive AUD $10 (~$6.6) in Bitcoin. Swyftx's COO, Jason Titman, highlighted the exchange's success in halting approximately $2 million worth of crypto scams, emphasizing the typical progression of fraud from social media to banking systems and ultimately reaching exchanges. This initiative aims to curb fraudsters in the Australian market following a reported $2 million hack on a local exchange.  BinaryX has launched an AI-based battle royale adventure game, AI Hero, introducing innovative elements of AI technology, Battle Royale, and GameFi. Following the Open Beta release in October, the game utilizes AI-generated content to dynamically shape the gaming experience, altering the world, generating quests, NPC interactions, and events for a unique playthrough each time. With 20 participants simultaneously entering the game, AI plays a crucial role in creating a personalized and ever-changing adventure. PvP gameplay adds intensity, encouraging players to gather resources, craft superior gear, and outmaneuver rivals among the 20 participants for victory. Most interestingly, players have the opportunity to mint NFT heroes after the launch, participating in a competitive mode with potential mining rewards.  Crypto institutional investment marked their ninth consecutive week of inflows, as reported by CoinShares. In the past week alone, inflows reached $346 million, contributing to a total of $1.663 billion for the year. Institutional traders are also gaining exposure through exchange-traded products (ETPs), bringing stability and legitimacy to the space. Bitcoin remains a dominant choice, attracting $312 million in new inflows last week. Ethereum ETPs experienced a significant surge, with a 915% increase in inflows to $33.5 million. Institutional investments in digital asset products have reached their highest point since the late 2021 bull market, with total assets under management (AuM) reaching $45.3 billion. The surge in momentum followed the announcement of spot Bitcoin ETF applications in the US, and Ethereum ETF applications further fueled positive inflows into Ethereum ETPs. Anticipation is high for the approval of spot ETFs in 2024, offering another avenue for institutional exposure.

Last week in crypto, Bitcoin dipped down, and at time of writing/recording sits at $36,290.  The news we’re most excited about though, Blockchain.com closed a $110M round of funding, led by UK-based Kingsway Capital, the latest sign that crypto-focused venture capital investments are picking up amid this year’s rebound in digital-asset prices.  Disney and Dapper Labs are collaborating on a new NFT collectibles platform called Disney Pinnacle. Inspired by Disney's physical pins, the platform will offer digital collectibles based on Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars characters, minted as NFTs on the Flow blockchain. Characters like Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Disney Princesses, and Darth Vader will be featured. While Marvel is not mentioned at launch, Dapper Labs CEO hinted at potential future additions. Disney Pinnacle is designed for mobile use and aims to strike a balance between accessibility for fans and limited or even super limited edition assets for collectors. The platform's waitlist is open, and a gradual onboarding process for beta testing will begin before public launch. Dapper Labs, known for NBA Top Shot's success, introduced Disney to NFTs, and the collaboration signifies the broader application of NFTs beyond sports. Uniswap Labs, the developer of the decentralized exchange Uniswap, has launched its Android app, catering to approximately 430,000 users on the waitlist. This move is part of Uniswap Labs' strategy to expand its user base globally, given Android's 70% market share worldwide. The Android app, following a beta release in October, complements the previously launched iOS app in April. To enhance international reach, Uniswap Labs is adding more languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. A few weeks ago, we talked about Uniswap Labs’ decision to charge a 15 basis point fee on certain tokens, which has generated nearly $1 million in revenue, a strategy that’s been implemented on both the iOS and Android apps too. 

Last week in crypto, we saw Bitcoin rise to $35k, and that trend continued with another year-to-date all-time-high this week, at the time of recording bitcoin is trading at over $36,000, passing the $36k mark. Along with other altcoins, Toncoin saw a price rise as well - to it’s highest point in nearly a year. Right now, Toncoin is trading at $2.63, up over 20% from its price 30 days ago. It’s suggested that this spike can be attributed to Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram who announced last week they would give away 10,000 premium subscriptions for the Telegram App. Durov specified in his announcement that he procured the premium accounts with TON tokens, totalling around $200k. Attendees at ApeFest, a convention based on the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, returned for the event in Hong Kong this week. However, some attendees reported extreme eye pain after attending, with a small handful hospitalized. Yuga Labs, the digital assets company behind the event, shared a post on X, addressing the concerns and concluding this was likely the result of UVA emitting lights that were used at the event. London’s City Minister, Andrew Griffith, is championing the role of crypto in London’s financial portfolio. In a recent conversation with David Merritt, Griffith shared he perceives London as a potential hub for emerging domains such as cryptocurrency and AI, capitalizing on London’s reputation for quality and trust. Griffith stated: “I think it builds naturally on our strengths in terms of things like tech and payments”.