PYMNTS-MonitorEdge-May-2024

Today in Crypto: Coinbase Global Deletes Some Crypto Instructions Over Scam Fears; Avanti Gets Closer to Fed Master Account

Coinbase, scam tokens, crypto

Coinbase Global has cut its instructions for how to buy at least three crypto tokens that have had ‘rug pull’ warnings, referring to scams that could lose people money, Reuters reported Thursday (Feb. 10).

The company said it plans to create better safeguards against possible scams, and Coinbase spokesperson Jaclyn Sales said the links had been removed once the links were brought to the company’s attention.

Sales added that the pages were created automatically from information from the data website CoinMarketCap.

Coinbase, which is listed on the Nasdaq, has pages offering tips on investments in tokens. The pages in question were “informational,” and contained a disclaimer that they were not investment advice and the exchange wasn’t liable for “errors and delays.”

Meanwhile, Wyoming-based crypto bank Avanti is a step closer to acquiring a master account with the U.S. Federal Reserve, according to a Wednesday (Feb. 9) report by CoinDesk.

The bank has a routing number from the American Bankers Association, which is a milestone in that process. Routing numbers are used to identify banks for checks and other transactional purposes, and are only issued to federal or state-chartered financial institutions that are also able to get a Fed account.

In other news, bitcoin payment processor OpenNode has closed its $20 million Series A round with a valuation of $220 million, the company announced Thursday (Feb. 10).

In the release, Head of Strategy Josh Held said OpenNode “has believed in the promise of Bitcoin and Lightning-powered payments for a long time, and demand is now growing exponentially.”

Held added the company’s goal is to make “bitcoin payments simple and accessible for everyone, everywhere.”

Furthermore, Bloomberg reported Thursday that Jamaica’s prime minister says the country will be debuting its own eCurrency this year.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Bank of Jamaica had a “successful pilot” last year.

“This will serve as a foundation for Jamaica’s digital payments architecture and will facilitate greater financial inclusion, increase transaction velocity while reducing the cost of banking for the Jamaican people,” Holness added, per the report.

PYMNTS-MonitorEdge-May-2024