Roland Guirdonan
Roland is a Public Relations & Communications guru with an immense passion for the blockchain and crypto industry. A fusion of his expertise and passion led to the dawn of Optimisus in 2020.
Articles by Roland Guirdonan
1 year ago
1 min read
According to blockchain monitoring service Whale Alert, large transactions involving tens of thousands of BTC worth more than $856 million took place in just 24 hours. These transfers involved moving BTC between wallets of unknown origin and centralized crypto exchanges. One of the most substantial transactions involved a crypto whale shifting 9,819 BTC worth nearly $300 million from an unknown wallet to another unknown wallet. The cost of moving such a large amount of Bitcoin? Less than $8. In another transaction, a deep-pocketed entity sent 5,503 BTC worth over $165 million between wallets of unknown origin, paying around $10 for
1 year ago
1 min read
As the cryptocurrency market continues to grow, so does the risk of cyber threats targeting digital asset investors and users. The recent Kaspersky report highlights the increasing trend of crypto phishing attacks that surged by 40% in just one year. The report reveals that cybercriminals are becoming more creative and sophisticated in their tactics to carry out these attacks. They create fake cryptocurrency exchange websites and send phishing emails and messages that trick users into disclosing their private keys and other sensitive information. Phishing attacks are a prevalent form of cyber exploit where an attacker poses as a legitimate entity,
1 year ago
2 mins read
South Korean prosecutors have revealed that Do Kwon, the CEO of Terraform Labs, sent a significant sum of money to a prominent law firm in the country just before the Terra stablecoin and Luna cryptocurrency collapsed a year ago. The move sent shockwaves throughout the industry and created a domino effect. Over the following months, Kwon sent a total of $3 million to Kim & Chang, which is now being investigated by Singaporean law enforcement. If Kwon is found to have liquidated illicit cryptocurrency assets to pay for legal representation, embezzlement charges may be brought against him. Both countries hope
1 year ago
1 min read
On April 13, Mati Greenspan’s Quantum Economics announced its acquisition of Revault Network, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that allows users to find the highest-return vaults without the need to choose where to deposit their funds. The acquisition includes assets and intellectual property from the Revault Foundation and its subsidiaries, as well as the transfer of Revault founders’ tokens to Quantum Economics’ own DeFi project, Layered Cake Protocol. Despite the acquisition, Revault Network’s DAO will continue to operate and vote on development decisions. This marks the first time an Israel-based company has purchased a DAO. Revault Network’s REVA token will
1 year ago
1 min read
Sweden is set to end tax incentives for data centers in July, signaling potential doom for the country’s bitcoin mining industry. Once a haven for Bitcoin miners due to the availability of cheap hydroelectricity and cool climate, Sweden is one of the last regions in Europe where the industry has been profitable. However, spiking energy prices driven by the Ukraine war had already forced some miners to turn off their operations partly in 2022, even in these northernmost parts of Europe. With energy prices having stabilized in 2023, a tax hike on the energy use of SEK 0.36 ($0.035) per
1 year ago
1 min read
Uniswap, the popular decentralized finance (DeFi) token swap service, has announced that its mobile wallet has been approved by Apple’s iOS App Store. According to the update on the project’s blog, the wallet will now be available for use in several countries, with the aim to extend availability further as Apple allows it. Until recently, Uniswap’s features were mostly aimed at desktop browser users, but the mobile wallet will allow DeFi users to access most of the platform’s features on their mobile devices. However, Uniswap encountered difficulties launching its wallet on iOS devices due to Apple’s strict app store guidelines.
1 year ago
2 mins read
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler faces a congressional subpoena threat from House Republicans if the regulator fails to provide information related to the charges brought against Sam Bankman-Fried, the failed crypto mogul. The Republicans are demanding the staff memo recommending charges for Bankman-Fried, as well as other information related to the charges filed by the agency against him. The congressional probe centers around the timing of Bankman-Fried’s arrest, which occurred the night before he was to testify before the House committee alongside caretaker FTX CEO John Ray III in December. House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick
1 year ago
1 min read
A massive Shiba Inu whale has expanded its $SHIB holdings to almost 5 trillion tokens after purchasing an additional 171.68 billion SHIB for approximately $1.88 million through four different transactions. The whale has been accumulating the meme-inspired cryptocurrency through various transactions, some from wallets associated with leading exchange Binance and others from unmarked wallets. The investor’s wallet now holds a total of $170 million worth of digital currency holdings, with $80.9 million worth of Ethereum’s native currency, ETH, in second place. The whale also has holdings in other cryptocurrencies, including $13.1 million worth of Polygon ($MATIC) and $4.9 million worth
1 year ago
1 min read
The Ethereum Shapella upgrade was successfully completed on April 12, allowing stakers to withdraw their staked ETH for the first time since the launch of the Beacon Chain contract. However, the withdrawal requests have increased rapidly in less than 24 hours, causing the amount of ETH expected to be released back into the market to rise significantly. Currently, there are over 822,000 ETH requests for withdrawal, which is equivalent to more than $1.6 billion at current prices. Token Unlocks predicts that around 88,000 ETH could be released daily, adding over $330 million worth of liquid ETH to the market. Despite
1 year ago
1 min read
Cross-chain bridge platform Ren Protocol has announced that it will be moving all of its crypto assets to FTX debtors’ wallets. This move was authorized and directed by FTX, Alameda Research, and other affiliates who acquired Ren Protocol in 2022. The decision to transfer assets to FTX debtors’ wallets was made to ensure that debtors can safeguard their assets in the event of a potential shutdown of Ren Protocol’s systems and infrastructure. Ren Protocol will also transfer the assets to a segregated wallet specific to its assets to separate the funds from other debtor wallets. Ren Protocol joined forces with
1 year ago
1 min read
China’s Beijing tax authorities have fined Bitmain, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cryptocurrency mining rigs, a whopping $3.6 million for tax violations. The Beijing branch of the State Taxation Administration issued a notice on April 4, stating that Bitmain had failed to comply with personal income tax regulations. Despite receiving a notice in August 2020, the company failed to withhold and pay around 16.6 million yuan in personal income tax. Bitmain is yet to respond to requests for comment from Forkast. Founded in 2013, Bitmain is renowned for its Antminer series, and on Tuesday, CleanSpark, a US crypto
1 year ago
1 min read
The Investor Advisory Committee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called for strict enforcement of regulations against crypto players who offer unregistered securities. In a letter addressed to SEC Chair Gary Gensler, the committee urged the regulatory agency to continue its aggressive crackdown on violators in the crypto space, including issuers, custodians, and unregistered trading platforms. The letter also made it clear that the committee considers “virtually all” crypto tokens to be financial securities, a view shared by Gensler himself, who has previously stated that all cryptocurrencies, except Bitcoin, are securities. The SEC committee expressed concern about
