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Nigeria-based crypto exchange Roqqu has reportedly received a virtual currency license for the European Economic Area. The exchange currently operates in Nigeria with 1.4 million users and it hopes to increase its user base to 5 million by the end of 2023. It also plans to provide services in South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in the coming months. Roqqu CEO Benjamin Onomor is bullish about the exchange’s business opportunity in Europe. He cited the data that there was foreign remittance of over $5 billion sent to people in Africa annually and he believes crypto could help reduce fees of such foreign remittance.

Bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital has received initial court approval on 10 January for the proposal to sell its asset at around $1 billion to Binance.US. The US court permitted the crypto lender to enter into such agreement and to obtain creditor’s approval, though the issues would not be finalized until a future court hearing. Voyager attorney Joshua Sussberg said the company was addressing authority’s national security concern over the deal in order to expedite the review process. It is estimated that the customers will be able to recover 51% of the value of their deposits at the time the company filed bankruptcy application if the deal is executed.

UK crypto app Tap Global announced in a press release on 10 January that it became the first listing on the Aquis Stock Exchange in 2023. The listing was achieved through the acquisition of the crypto app by a listed company Quetzal Capital, which traded $24.9 million of its own stock in return for control over the company. Quetzal also issued new shares to raise a further $3.8 million. Tap Global CEO David Carr said the company determined to continue the listing process despite the negative market sentiment as it would like to provide a regulated option for UK residents.

Crypto exchange Crypto.com will reportedly delist Tether for Canadian users starting from 31 January to comply with Canada’s regulatory requirements. The exchange has signed a Pre-registration Undertaking with the Ontario Securities Commission, which prohibits crypto exchanges operating in Ontario from listing banned Tether. The exchange would convert its users’ Tether into USD Coin if they neither withdraw nor covert their Tether by 31 January. A retrieval fee may also be charged if the customers deposit Tether from external wallets after the deadline.

US-based crypto exchange Coinbase announced another round of layoffs on 10 January as part of the exchange’s restructuring plan to keep the appropriate operational efficiency after it cut 18% of its workforce in June 2022. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said it planned to lay off 20% of its staff to help achieve the goal of lowering the firm’s operating costs by around 25%. The exchange would also terminate several projects with a lower probability of success. He reassured the customers that the exchange was well-capitalized and crypto was not going anywhere.

Osprey Fund, a digital asset manager which provides access to crypto-focus investment products for accredited investors, has reportedly dismissed 15 of its staff since last year summer. The last round of layoff leaves the firm’s current workforce with fewer than 10 people. Osprey Fund CEO Greg Kling said that the move was consistent with the market downtown and that the company was not in danger of ceasing operations. Many crypto firms have been experiencing operational difficulties over the past few months. Crypto exchange Kraken also laid off 30% of its staff in November 2022.

Crypto exchange Huobi has reportedly cut its workforce by 20%. The layoff is part of the firm’s efforts to restructure the business after Justin Sun took over the exchange. According to the exchange’s spokesperson, the move aims to optimize its structure and improve efficiency in the midst of crypto winter. Sun has previously denied allegations of the firm’s purported insolvency and said user assets were fully protected. He also promised that the exchange will fully respect the legal demands of local employees.

The global installation of Bitcoin ATMs has only recorded a slight increase in the second half of 2022. Compared to the total of 4,169 Bitcoin ATMs installed in the first six months of 2022, only 94 ATMs have been added since July 2022. It is believed that the geopolitical tensions, global inflation and continuance of the crypto winter have discouraged countries from adding more Bitcoin ATMs. The United States and Canada remain the top two countries with the largest Bitcoin ATMs network.

Mutant Ape Planet’s developer Aurelien Michel has been arrested at the John F. International Airport in New York for allegedly executing a rug pull scheme and deceiving nearly $3 million from investors of the Mutant Ape Yacht Club knock-off collection. The press release from the Department of Justice stated that he defrauded investors by making false representations of giveaways, tokens with staking features, and merchandise collections. However, none of the benefits he promised was received and the developer withdrew the funds for his personal benefit after selling out of the NFTs.

FTX’s former lawyer Daniel Friedberg has reportedly cooperated with US prosecutors for the investigation of the FTX fraud case. According to Reuters’ report, Friedberg met with investigators at the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York’s office on 22 November 2022 to disclose his knowledge of Bankman-Fried’s misappropriation of customer funds to finance the business. He also gave details of how the hedge fund Alameda Research operated. Friedberg resigned from his position on 8 November 2022, a few days before FTX filed for bankruptcy protection.

Crypto lender Genesis Global Trading has reportedly laid off 30% of its staff to cut costs. According to the company’s spokesperson, it has made the difficult decision to reduce its headcount globally as it continues to navigate unprecedented industry challenges. The company also laid off 20% of its workforce in August 2022 and moved the then CEO Michael Moro into an advisory role. Being the lender of the bankrupted Alameda Research and Three Arrows Capital, the company suffered losses and it halted withdrawals and suspended new loan originations in November 2022.

US-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has reportedly reached an agreement with the New York State Department of Financial Services to pay a $50 million fine for its breach of New York’s financial services and banking laws. The exchange also committed to investing at least $50 million to further improve and enhance its compliance program. Coinbase was accused of violating the state’s AML requirement as it did not conduct sufficient background checks before allowing customers to open accounts. The exchange acknowledged the deficiencies and pledged to fix the issues.