Many predicted that Binance would never embrace regulation — it would only pretend to comply in jurisdictions like the United States.  No more. Binance pleading guilty to money laundering and other federal charges on Nov. 21 means it’s giving up its free-booting ways. It will also pay a $4.3 billion …

Artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are emerging digital technologies that have captured the public imagination but also raised serious concerns. So it bears asking: Can AI and blockchain be integrated in a way that benefits humanity? There are reasons to think so. As far back as 2016, Vitalik Buterin wrote …

So much of the world’s economic steam depends on interest rates, which in turn are tied to inflation, i.e., the rate at which producer and consumer prices are rising.  But measuring inflation isn’t easy. It is as much art as it is science. The world’s number one inflation index, arguably, …

The ghastly events of this past month raise again some troubling questions: Does crypto have a terrorist fundraising problem? Are its networks really being exploited by terrorists to wreak global havoc? If so, what must it do better? On the other hand, maybe the problem is one of perception — …

The Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) Project Atlas report offers yet another indication that the worlds of crypto and traditional finance may be converging. On the surface, this proof-of-concept project backed by some of Europe’s biggest central banks — like German central bank Deutsche Bundesbank and Dutch central bank De …

In a world increasingly anxious about privacy and exploitation of one’s personal data by governments, corporations, social media platforms and banks, zero-knowledge proofs may offer some relief.  Indeed, this emerging cryptographic protocol could partially remedy two rapidly growing global deficits: privacy and truth. ZK-proofs have already found a home within …

Over the past 12 months, some investors learned the hard way why they needed to move their crypto offline. Those who kept Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins on crypto exchanges like FTX lost control of their assets, sometimes forever. Events drew a red line under the storied crypto adage: “Not your …

Coinbase launched Base, its new blockchain, in late July, and it has already become a major player among Ethereum-based layer-2 chains.  On Sept. 21, for instance, the chain notched some 677,000 transactions, with 870,163 “new addresses seen,” according to Etherscan. By comparison, Arbitrum, a prominent layer 2 that launched in …

There is a global consensus that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are warming the planet, but efforts to accurately measure, report and verify these emissions continue to challenge researchers, nonprofits, corporations and governments.  This is especially the case with “nature-based” projects to reduce carbon dioxide levels, like planting trees or restoring …

When it comes to cryptocurrency/blockchain regulation, considerable attention has been focused, this past year, on the United States’ action (or inaction). But the U.S. is not the world, just one important player, and crypto, from its beginnings, has been a global enterprise.  Perhaps, then, it makes sense to step back …

Small farmers in the developing world may be on the cusp of an agricultural breakthrough. With emerging technologies like satellite imagery, drones and machine learning boosting productivity, it’s becoming more viable than ever to sell their produce in places like Western Europe.  There’s just one catch: avocado farmers in East …

British society is both civil and democratic, so it wasn’t unexpected that the government of the United Kingdom would “consult” the public before signing off on a digital version of the British pound. The response it received may have been surprising, though. The public canvassing conducted jointly by His Majesty’s …