Coinbase Signals Interest in UAE Base

Legal Process Continues Following Crypto.com Transfer MishapJatinder Singh, a customer of Singapore-headquartered Crypto.com is expected to face a plea trial next month in the wake of an errant transfer that occurred on the platform over two years ago.In 2021, Crypto.com inadvertently transferred over $10 million into Thevamanogari Manivel’s Commonwealth Bank account in Australia. Remarkably, this substantial error went unnoticed by Crypto.com for seven months until it was uncovered during an audit.Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash18-month sentenceManivel, a 41-year-old disability support worker, was arrested at Melbourne airport while attempting to board a plane to Malaysia in March 2022. She was holding a one-way ticket and nearly $11,000 in cash. Her recent sentencing, following her guilty plea for recklessly dealing with the proceeds of the crime, has garnered significant attention.The court imposed an 18-month community corrections order, including six months of intensive compliance and unpaid community work. This punishment was in addition to the 209 days Manivel had already spent in custody.Embarrassing errorCrypto.com’s multimillion-dollar mistake made headlines globally when it came to light during legal proceedings aimed at freezing Manivel’s assets. This incident occurred during a period of heightened uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market, mere months before the highly publicized collapse of rival FTX.In 2018, Manivel met Jatinder Singh, who became her partner and shared her interest in cryptocurrency investments. Singh attempted to make a payment using Manivel’s bank account on Crypto.com but encountered a rejection due to a name mismatch. A processing error, however, led to a massive transfer of $10.47 million into Manivel’s account.Realizing the overpayment, Singh advised Manivel to move the funds to a joint Westpac account. Between the transfer and Manivel’s arrest, the money was used to purchase four houses, vehicles, art, and furniture, and $4 million was sent to an overseas account.Crypto.com discovered the error during an audit in December 2021 and initiated efforts to reclaim the funds from Commonwealth Bank. In January 2022, the bank contacted Manivel multiple times, seeking the return of the money. Manivel, initially regarding these communications as scam attempts, remained unaware of the gravity of the situation. She later informed the police that Singh had claimed to win the money in a Crypto.com competition.Theft chargesWith Manivel having been dealt with by the courts, attention now turns to Singh, who faces charges of theft and is scheduled for a plea hearing on October 23.In response to this incident, Crypto.com highlighted its commitment to enhancing internal processes to ensure security and compliance in financial services. This includes updates to their refund and withdrawal systems to prevent such occurrences in the future.The wayward transfer may have left Crypto.com with egg on its face, but the firm has been redeeming itself via other endeavors, including the roll-out of the use of AI on its platform. On the regulatory front, the company has been working diligently towards compliance in the Spanish market, having already acquired trading licenses in Dubai and its home market of Singapore.This case serves as a cautionary tale of the unexpected consequences that can arise in crypto. Such elementary mistakes will not provide confidence to service users. The saga lays down a marker for a need for greater professionalism in the sector.

At the end of last month, social derivatives trading platform ZKX, a protocol that runs on the Ethereum-centric Starknet layer-2 network, shut down blindsiding the project’s stakeholders. That event has led to Singapore-headquartered digital assets firm Amber Group speaking out, calling for cryptocurrency projects to be more accountable and transparent going forward. Not economically viableNews of the project shutdown emerged when ZKX founder Eduard Jubany Tur took to X on July 30 to outline the discontinuation of the protocol. Tur claimed that the project was “unable to find an economically viable path for the protocol.” In a long-form post, the ZKX founder outlined that user engagement had been minimal, resulting in disappointing trading volumes. By extension, Tur claimed that revenues didn’t come anywhere close to covering cloud server expenses. “The market is undervaluing the work done and infrastructure built by appchains and dApps coming from ecosystems like ours,” Tur added. Pseudonymous blockchain sleuth ZachXBT had a different take on the matter, claiming that the shutdown represented a rug pull. Amber Group chimed in on the subject on X on Aug. 3. Amber suggested that it wouldn’t break any contractual non-disclosure obligations it had with regard to ZKX but that aside, the firm took the opportunity to share its perspective more broadly in an effort to promote transparency.Photo by Markus Spiske on PexelsAmber Group criticismAmber Group criticized the ZKX team on the basis of a lack of transparency. It stated: “The last update we received was on July 30, when the project announced the cessation of operations. This decision was made without prior communication, highlighting the importance of transparency in our industry.” Staying with that theme, it claimed that clear communication and transparency are essential for fostering trust and collaboration within the crypto community, and that such principles would guide future projects. Amber Group had acted as a market maker relative to the ZKX project. It borrowed and purchased ZKX tokens in support of the launch of the token and in an effort to support token liquidity post-launch. It had secured two million ZKX tokens from the open market, with its overall holding totaling three million ZKX tokens. Project investor HashKey Capital also took to the X social media platform on the subject. Like Amber Group it too criticized the ZKX project for its lack of accountability and transparency. It described the project’s reluctance to communicate as “disappointing,” while it asserted that Tur’s handling of the situation had been “regrettable.” Ye Su, founding partner at ArkStream Capital, expressed a similar complaint, stating on X that “when ZKX shut down, as investors, we got zero heads-up.” He also singled out Tur, claiming that “Edward took the money from early supporters without any communication, showing no moral standards and losing his right to future entrepreneurship in the industry.”

EMERGE Group, a leading Southeast Asian marketing technology firm specializing in intellectual property (IP) and gaming partnerships, has forged a strategic alliance with TZ APAC in an effort to drive Web3 gaming relative to the Tezos layer one blockchain. Singapore-based TZ APAC is a Web3 ecosystem builder dedicated to advancing the Web3 ecosystem on the Tezos blockchain by empowering founders, creators and developers. It’s also the Asian adoption entity supported by the Tezos Foundation with a mandate to garner adoption of the Tezos blockchain within the region. EMERGE is also a Singapore-based entity that established itself during the pandemic.Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on UnsplashPositioning Tezos as preferred gaming blockchainNews of the partnership was publicized recently within "The Baking Sheet," a bulletin published by an independent not-for-profit entity, Tezos Commons. The primary focus of this partnership is to offer marketing solutions and publishing partnership support. EMERGE Group, known for its expertise and influential network, including partnerships with Moonton, Singtel and Shopback, aims to position Tezos as the preferred blockchain platform for the gaming community. Leveraging advertising inventories and critical IPs, EMERGE Group intends to facilitate the seamless onboarding of game studios onto the Tezos blockchain. Tezos, renowned for its open-source blockchain emphasizing upgradability, participation and smart contract safety, joins forces with EMERGE Group, which has previously established strategic alliances with industry leaders like Nvir World and Infinite Loop Media. This partnership is seeking to make an impact within the gaming industry, harnessing the potential of blockchain technology. Jason Lim, responsible for business development (gaming) at TZ APAC, commented on the partnership:“With this collaboration, TZ APAC can now rely on a partner that shares the same goal — to empower the gaming community with the relevant tools, resources, and network to succeed. Builders, gamers, and ecosystem partners can stand to benefit from the marriage of full-suite support provided by TZ APAC and the marketing prowess of EMERGE Group.”  EMERGE Group co-founder and CEO Roy Kek was similarly enthused, stating that the partnership reflected the firm’s expertise in the Web3 gaming space. Bridging Web2 to Web3The collaborative effort is designed to create a bridge between Web2 and Web3 technologies, enhancing the overall gaming experience. By fostering a supportive environment for game developers and capitalizing on Tezos' blockchain capabilities, the partnership aims to deliver a frictionless onboarding experience.  The collaboration between EMERGE Group and TZ APAC signifies a proactive move towards the integration of gaming into the Web3 ecosystem on Tezos. In the past, gaming giant Ubisoft has leaned on Tezos in providing in-game items for some of its gaming titles. The project has partnered with Google Cloud in an effort to enable Google Cloud customers to build Web3 applications on the blockchain. It’s still early days for Web3 gaming and with that, this partnership is seeking to advance gaming development on Tezos.