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Airbnb is considering supporting cryptocurrency while focusing on providing free housing to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.

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The CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, talked about cryptocurrency and his company’s efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in an interview with CNBC Tuesday. According to its website, Airbnb has about 6 million active listings worldwide, with more than 4 million hosts. There are 100,000 cities and towns with active Airbnb listings.

Chesky was asked if Airbnb supports crypto since some people in Ukraine are trying to take payments in cryptocurrency following Russia’s invasion. He replied:

Airbnb is. I mean, I am personally supportive of the idea of crypto, of course. I think it’s a really interesting technology.

He continued: “I went on Twitter in the beginning of the year and I asked a community on Twitter if Airbnb can launch anything in 2022, what would it be? The number one response was [to] add crypto payments, so I have a team looking into that.”

While clarifying that Airbnb does not have anything regarding crypto payments to announce yet, the CEO emphasized:

We are absolutely looking into this and specific to this crisis.

Noted that it is unlikely that anything crypto will be implemented “that quickly,” Chesky said: “So right now we’re really focused on is providing housing for refugees. That’s what I’ve mobilized a team to do.”

Airbnb has been thinking about cryptocurrency for quite some time. In its prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in November last year, the firm named blockchain and cryptocurrencies as some of the technologies it is considering.

Airbnb announced Monday that it is offering free temporary housing for up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian invasion, more than 600,000 civilians have fled Ukraine, according to the UN. The European Union estimates that up to four million people may try to leave Ukraine because of the Russian invasion.

“We reached out to governments in Poland and Germany and Hungary and Romania, and countries even west of them to offer assistance,” the Airbnb CEO explained.

“We’ve been reaching out to our hosts. We’ve secured funding and so we’re prepared to house up to 100,000 refugees,” he shared. “Frankly, we can house as many refugees as we have hosts.”

According to DAMAC’s Managing Director, the Metaverse Project will be launched in March.

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According to Ali Sajwani, the managing director of the real estate property developer DAMAC Properties, his company is planning to start a project in the metaverse sometime in March. The project, if launched, will be a first for the London Stock Exchange-listed property developer.

Sajwani’s confirmation of the company’s planned foray into the metaverse came a few weeks after an online poll he conducted suggested real estate is likely to be the first sector to adopt non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In addition, the revelation came shortly after Sajwani himself was said to have purchased a plot in the Sandbox metaverse.

In remarks following an announcement made during the NFT collection Crypto Bear Watch Club (CBWC)’s ask me anything (AMA) session, Sajwani is quoted by Unlock Media explaining the rationale behind DAMAC’s decision. He said:

At DAMAC we are looking into different ways to include NFTs and the metaverse. As you know DAMAC is not only a multi-billion dollar property developer but also holds brands such as Roberto Cavalli (purchased in 2019). So, while most use the term Metaverse loosely we think it is much more and we have come up with a solution where we bridge the physical and digital assets to allow for cross-utilization.

He added that DAMAC has already created a solution that will integrate the real estate developer’s different platforms which range from real estate to fashion and jewelry. The objective, according to Sajwani, is to bring these into the metaverse.

Besides driving DAMAC’s metaverse initiative, the Unlock Media report said Sajwani had purchased ten percent of the CBWC’s token supply. The report said the managing director had been intrigued by CBWC’s art and had “started to work with them to add utility to the NFTs and help build the roadmap.”

Ethereum Network Fees Continue to Decline: Transfer Fees Have Dropped to Their Lowest Level in Six Months.

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It’s a lot less expensive to transact with the Ethereum (ETH) network on February 27, as average size fees are down to 0.0039 ETH or $10.26 per transfer. The last time Ethereum network fees were this low was six months ago, back in late-August 2021.

Currently, with average fees at $10.26 per transfer, it’s 80.26% cheaper than it was transferring ETH on January 10, 2022. At that time over a month ago, the average transaction fee was $52 per transaction.

Ethereum Network Fees Continues to Drop — Transfer Fees Hit Lowest Rate in 6 Months

Ethereum fees have been sliding downward ever since that day and median-sized gas fees have followed. While the median-sized gas fee was $29 in ether 48 days ago on January 10, today it’s down 84.31% lower at 0.0017 ETH or $4.55 per transfer.

Ethereum Network Fees Continues to Drop — Transfer Fees Hit Lowest Rate in 6 Months

L2 transactions are also cheaper than on-chain transactions since gas fees have plummeted. Currently, the lowest L2 fee to send ethereum is by leveraging Loopring for $0.13 per transfer. To swap tokens with Loopring, the gas fees will cost $0.66 per swap at the time of writing.

Loopring is followed by Zksync ($0.16), Polygon Hermez ($0.25), Arbitrum ($0.56), Boba Network ($0.99), Optimism ($1.24), and Aztec ($4.23) in order to push an ethereum (ETH) transaction via L2.

Ethereum Network Fees Continues to Drop — Transfer Fees Hit Lowest Rate in 6 Months

The cost to swap tokens through these L2 platforms is $0.39 using Zksync, $0.78 leveraging Arbitrum, $1.66 via Boba, and $1.83 Optimism.

On-chain fees on the Bitcoin (BTC) network are also lower at 0.000000086 BTC per byte on February 27, 2022, which equates to 0.000032 BTC or $1.20 per transaction. Moreover, the median-sized bitcoin fee on Sunday is roughly 0.0000078 BTC or $0.29 per transaction.

Rakuten, a Japanese online retailer, has launched the NFT Marketplace.

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Rakuten, the Japanese online retailer, has been dabbling in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain solutions over the last few years. Rakuten launched a cryptocurrency exchange in the summer of 2019 and allowed customers to load cryptocurrency into their Rakuten Pay accounts in the spring of 2021. Rakuten has announced the launch of a new platform called Rakuten NFT, which is the company’s first foray into the NFT space.

“Rakuten NFT is a service that provides a marketplace for users to purchase NFTs, as well as peer-to-peer buying and selling of NFTs, in a range of areas such as sports and entertainment, including music and anime,” the press announcement explains. “It also features a unique, one-stop platform which enables IP holders to build their own website for issuing and selling NFTs. Rakuten ID can be used when making purchases, allowing users to earn and spend Rakuten Points. Any NFTs purchased can be added to a collection on the buyer’s own webpage, and can also be put up for sale in the marketplace and sold.”

Rakuten follows a number of businesses that have launched NFT marketplaces during the last 12 months. Companies like Coinbase, FTX, Crypto.com, and many others have launched marketplace platforms dedicated to non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles. Additionally, Rakuten NFT faces competition from leading NFT market platforms such as Opensea, Rarible, Looksrare, and Magic Eden. Rakuten’s press announcement notes that a minting and selling feature won’t be available until next year.

“A service for peer-to-peer issuing and selling of NFT content is planned for launch in 2023 or later, which will support IP holders in Japan and worldwide to issue NFTs, as well as spur further development of a global market for NFTs. Plans also call for the introduction of a diversity of additional payment methods,” Rakuten’s launch announcement discloses.

The Rakuten NFT launch featured NFTs showcasing Ultraman anime and Kurogane Hiroshi G1 Gekitoshi with work illustrated by the renowned manga artist Hiroshi Kurogane. In future NFT drops, Rakuten NFT will feature collectibles from TV Asahi Corporation shows, Under Beasty from Daiki Sound Co., and NFTs featuring characters from Tiger & Bunny 2.

“Rakuten NFT is also planning to produce and sell the J.League NFT Collection Players Anthem, the J.League official NFT collection,” the company’s NFT platform announcement concludes.

Argentina’s freelancers are among the most active in LATAM, with a portion of their pay in cryptocurrency.

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Image Source: Unsplash.com

Freelancing seems to be experiencing a boom in Argentina, and with it, crypto, as a way of collecting payments outside of the traditional financial system. A report titled “State of Global Hiring 2021,” made by Deel, a global hiring firm, has discovered that Argentinians, and Latam in general, are increasingly focusing on international companies and jobs. The report explains this is likely a result of the decline of local economies and jobs due to the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, companies are hiring more Argentinians than ever before. This has created an increase in the wages of Argentinians in the last six months, who are earning 21% more working in the marketing, products, and sales sector.

Cryptocurrency withdrawals of these salaries have also boomed. Regarding this trend, Deel COO Dan Westgarth stated:

We are seeing an increase in cryptocurrency withdrawals, in countries like Argentina. We currently offer withdrawals in BTC -the most popular in Latin America-, ETH, USDC and SOL through Coinbase.

According to the Deel report, bitcoin is the most commonly used cryptocurrency for global withdrawals, with 63% of transactions using it. Ethereum comes in a distant second place, being present in 23% of the withdrawals made. USDC, Solana, and Dash are also used marginally.

While other countries have different legal situations, in Argentina, receiving cryptocurrencies has become a lifeline for many freelancers, helping them keep their purchasing power in a more effective way. These freelancing platforms, along with crypto, are also said to open new markets for such workers, who can now be hired at a worldwide level with a simplified payments process.

Argentina is currently seeking to regulate and control digital wallets, as its central bank is proposing to strengthen the measures providers like Mercado Pago and Uala will have to take regarding KYC-AML.

US senator Bullish on Bitcoin: It is decentralized and uncontrollable.

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U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas spoke favorably about bitcoin at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday. Launched in 1974, CPAC “is the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world,” its website describes.

During his speech at the event, the senator said:

One of the reasons why I’m so bullish on crypto, on bitcoin, is because it is decentralized and not controllable.

“Let me give a fantastic example,” he continued. “So Justin Trudeau said I don’t like me some truckers, so we are going to freeze your assets.” So the court went to try to freeze the crypto that was being given to the truckers. ”

Senator Cruz proceeded to read aloud a letter from a bitcoin wallet company called Nunchuck to the Ontario Superior Court Justice. The company received an order from the court on Feb. 18 to freeze and disclose information about the assets involved in the Freedom Convoy movement.

In the letter to the court, the Nunchuck team explained that it is a “self custodial, collaborative-multisig Bitcoin wallet.” Citing that it is “a software provider, not a custodial financial intermediary,” the company told the court:

We cannot ‘freeze’ our users’ assets. We cannot prevent them from being moved. We do not have knowledge of ‘the existence, nature, value and location’ of our users’ assets. This is by design.

The letter ends with the company urging the court, “Please look up how self custody and private keys work.”

As he put the letter back in his jacket pocket, Senator Cruz exclaimed, “That is spectacular.”

Senator Cruz then talked about control, stating:

China recently banned bitcoin because they can’t control it, which is the exact same reason Elizabeth Warren hates bitcoin.

“The Chinese Communists and Elizabeth Warren, they both want to control you, your assets, your savings, your speech, your life, your children — every decision — they want to control, and so we need to break up the means of controlling the citizenry,” he emphasized.

The senator from Texas is a bitcoin holder. In February, he declared that he bought BTC worth between $15,001 and $50,000.

Senator Warren has repeatedly bashed bitcoin, citing environmental issues and investor protection. She has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to use “full authority” to regulate crypto trading.

Relevant Laws to be Finalized in 2022, according to the South African Treasury on Crypto Regulations.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: In this photo illustration, a visual representation of Bitcoin cryptocurrency is pictured on May 30, 2021 in London, England. Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency, which has been in use since 2009. (Photo illustration by Edward Smith/Getty Images)

The South African Treasury has said it expects the proposals to include crypto asset service providers as accountable institutions within the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Act to be finalized this year.

The move to regulate crypto service providers comes as South Africa is attempting to address the “significant weaknesses in the country’s anti‐money‐laundering and counter-financing of terrorism systems” that were identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

In its latest budget review document, the South African Treasury explains that the proposed amendments, which have been open for public input since June 2022, will see the FIC Act become aligned with the standards set forth by the FATF.

“This change would address concerns around money laundering and terror risk financing through crypto-assets and align the act to the standards set by the FATF for virtual assets and related service providers,” the treasury said in its budget review document.

The Treasury’s latest remarks on crypto assets come several months after the Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group (IFWG) published a position paper that called for the regulation of crypto assets. However, as reported at the time by Bitcoin.com News, the IFWG insisted this call did not mean it was endorsing cryptocurrencies.

Meanwhile, the treasury also revealed in the budget review document that it expects to see crypto assets being declared financial products under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS). This declaration, according to the Treasury, is aimed at protecting consumers. The document explains:

According to this declaration, any person providing advice or intermediary services related to crypto-assets must be recognised as a financial services provider under the act and must comply with the act’s requirements. This will include crypto-asset exchanges and platforms, as well as brokers and advisors. This work is expected to be finalised in 2022.

On top of amending current laws, the review document states work is also underway to have crypto assets regulated under the country’s Exchange Control Regulations of 1961.

Concerning stable coins, the document said later in the year, the IFWG will also publish a follow-up paper that focuses on the risks that are posed by the assets. The document also reveals the South African Treasury is exploring ways “to regulate electricity-intensive crypto minmining,hich it claims “is environmentally harmful.”

Donations in Bitcoin are pouring in to aid Ukraine’s military in its fight against Russia; BTC has been raised in excess of $5 million.

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Cryptocurrency donations have poured into a nonprofit organization that provides support to Ukrainian soldiers after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. More than $5 million in bitcoin has already been raised. Meanwhile, the group’s fundraising page on Patreon has been abruptly removed.

One of the largest non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing support to Ukraine’s military, Come Back Alive, has received over $5 million in bitcoin donations after Russia launched a large-scale offensive against Ukraine.

Founded in 2014, the Kyiv-based group provides support to Ukrainian soldiers, including a range of military equipment, training services, and medical supplies.

Donations to the BTC address listed on the organization’s website soared Thursday after Russia launched a full-scale military attack on Ukraine. At the time of writing, the wallet address has received 131.78144015 BTC.

An analysis of all the donations to the address shows that 2,207 donations totaling 126.04304091 BTC were received from Feb. 24 to late Feb. 25. At the current bitcoin price of $39,676.51 based on data from Bitcoin.com Markets, the donations received since Feb. 24 are worth more than $5 million.

In comparison, the wallet only received 1.60976481 BTC (76 donations) on Feb. 23, and 0.42272864 BTC (25 donations) on Feb. 22.

The chief scientist and co-founder of blockchain analytics platform Elliptic, Tom Robinson, tweeted Thursday:

Cryptocurrency donations in support of the Ukrainian armed forces are soaring.

“Cryptocurrency is increasingly being used to crowdfund war, with the tacit approval of governments,” he was quoted by CNBC as saying.

Elliptic also did an analysis on the donations received by Come Back Alive. The firm described that on Feb. 24, the NGO received over $675,000 in bitcoin, and by 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, it had already received more than $3.4 million. Noting that over $3 million (80 BTC) was sent by a single donor, the firm wrote: “This pushes the total the group has raised in just 24 hours to over $4 million.”

The Come Back Alive organization began accepting bitcoin donations in 2018. BTC donations have been surging recently, with nearly $200K received in the second half of 2021, according to Elliptic. Earlier this month, the platform published a report showing that donations in digital assets to Ukrainian NGOs and volunteer groups rose 900% last year.

Meanwhile, Come Back Alive’s fundraising page on Patreon has been removed by the platform.

Come Back Alive Director Taras Chmut told CNBC in an interview that the group was receiving small amounts for several months from its page on Patreon, and then over $300,000 rolled in after Russia started invading Ukraine.

However, when he tried to transfer the money out to pay for equipment, he discovered that his organization’s page on Patreon had been removed. He contacted the platform which said it was looking into the case.

A Patreon spokesperson told CNBC:

Patreon does not allow any campaigns involved in violence or purchasing of military equipment, regardless of their cause.

Chmut opined, “We have people dying because they don’t have body armor,” adding that Ukraine is not a rich country, and Come Back Alive has helped soldiers receive the equipment they need.

Ethereum Gets a Scaling Testnet Upgrade – And It’s Years Ahead of Schedule.

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zkSync, a protocol responsible for implementing Ethereum scaling platforms, accomplished the unexpected yesterday, announcing the test network release of an Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible Zero-Knowledge rollup (zkEVM) years ahead of schedule.

The EVM is the environment in which all Ethereum wallets and contracts live and is responsible for defining the rules of the chain from block to block. The new test network is the first implementation of a ZK rollup capable of running the full Ethereum environment and will provide great insight into how capable zero-knowledge technology is at scaling blockchains.

Over the past couple of years, Ethereum rollups have taken two different directions in scaling the base layer, categorized as Optimistic and Zero-Knowledge. Both technologies have seen some level of adoption, with Arbitrum being the most notable Optimistic chain and DyDx taking advantage of ZK technology for its leveraged trading application. Like DyDx, ZK rollups have historically focused on offering a single type of application per chain, because the full Ethereum environment that offers customizable smart contracts would be too computationally extensive.

Until now, trade-offs tended to favor Arbitrum and Optimism; now zkSync has the opportunity to level the playing field. Optimistic Rollups are currently able to offer a single, composable environment in which users can use applications ranging from NFT marketplaces like OpenSea to lending protocols like Aave on mainnet. zkEVM would create a similar end experience for users, with cheaper transaction fees and nearly immediate finality, removing the need for the two-week withdrawal periods associated with Optimistic rollups.

ZK rollups are more computationally extensive and put a burden on nodes, but they are able to post network state to Ethereum for a fraction of the cost of even Optimistic Rollups. zkSync and Loopring currently offer transaction fees 1/200th of the price on mainnet, according to L2Fees.Info. At the time of writing, a trade on a decentralized exchange would cost users on Ethereum’s base layer just over $90, while Loopring and zkSync users would pay between $0.45-$0.68.

If zkEVM is capable of offering fees similar to other ZK rollups, Ethereum’s scaling issues may be mitigated earlier than expected. Ethereum native applications will be able to manageably port over Solidity-based contracts and offer a full range of products in a cheap fee environment backed by Ethereum’s security. While lower transaction fees are an essential piece of scaling blockchains, it only matters if the chain can play host to applications that drive user demand. zkEVM will theoretically be able to host the industry’s favorite applications without sacrificing liquidity, decentralization, or product offering.

The US Secret Service has launched a Crypto Awareness Hub to educate the public about the security of digital assets.

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The U.S. Secret Service announced last week that it “has launched a cryptocurrency public awareness hub.”

Established in 1865 as a bureau in the Treasury Department to suppress widespread counterfeiting, the Secret Service is now under the Department of Homeland Security. Its website states: “We have an integrated mission of protection and financial investigations to ensure the safety and security of our protectees, key locations, and events of national significance.”

The announcement details:

The new website will feature the latest in the agency’s work combating illicit use of digital assets as well as provide public awareness information on digital asset security and how to ensure it remains secure.

Jeremy Sheridan, assistant director of the Secret Service Office of Investigations, explained: “Our obligation to enforce crimes against the nation’s financial systems includes both informing the public on how digital assets work and partnering with them to identify, arrest, and prosecute those engaging in crimes involving digital assets.”

The Secret Service works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to investigate and “directly address the financial motive of cybercrime through asset seizures and other actions,” the announcement adds, elaborating:

Investments and transactions using cryptocurrencies and digital assets are not inherently criminal, however do provide new opportunities for those seeking to commit fraud or otherwise conceal further illegal activities.

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