Marek G.

You may have seen Marcel van Oost’s post about 35M new cards being introduced in Lithuania in the past 5 years (population of 2.8M), caused by banking licenses issued to Revolut (and a few other fintechs). What’s actually happening, according to Alexandre Pinot, is: 1.⁠ ⁠Revolut serves most of its EU clients from Lithuania 2.⁠ ⁠Lithuania is the #1 fintech hub in the EU in terms of licensed fintechs (EMIs, PIs, specialized banks) Offering access to credit and new technology is important, but the other side of the coin (which we hear a lot about at Hoox) is how hard it is to activate customers and maintain card usage; if the cards are not being used, it’s a dead cost.

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BUY BACK AND BURN When considering a token, is buy back and burn a major consideration for investors? For example some projects allocate 50% of platform fees to buy back and burn, whereas others do more and some not at all. Others commit platform fees to staking programs. My opinion is that users want rewards and therefore there should be a balance between rewards and staking. Buy back and burn should be used as a strategic measure, such as when a project token FDV is undervalued. I understand buy back and burn is a good deflationary measure but it only works if there is demand for the token in the first place, therefore it cannot be relied upon in the absence of a genuine use case. There are a few things to keep in mind regarding coin burning. First, it does not guarantee that the value of the cryptocurrency will rise. Many people believe it provides little or no benefit. The use of a cryptocurrency coin burn to deceive investors is also possible. Developers can claim that they're burning tokens when they're sending them to a wallet they own. Burning tokens is also used by developers to conceal whales that own large amounts of a cryptocurrency. What are your thoughts, would live to hear yijr experience or opinion below ⬇️ #crypto #cryptocurrency #tokenomics #venturecapital #blockchain #cryotoPR #web3marketing #tokensale #launchpad

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🔥 HUGE!! Apple makes NFC available to ALL developers for a fee Overview and my thoughts below 👇 Apple announced that it will make Tap-to-Pay available to all developers via its iPhone on iOS 18.1 in the UK and the US. Brazil, Canada, Australia, and Japan will follow shortly. This is significant because today only Apple's proprietary Apple Pay and Apple Wallet can access the on-device NFC chip that makes Tap to Pay available. Developers will have to sign an agreement with Apple and pay "associated fees" that have yet to be announced. 🧠 This unlocks incredible experiences and opportunities for Neobanks and Wallets. If you're Venmo, CashApp or Chime, you can now enable in store payments through your wallet. 🧠 Competing with Apple will require offering something unique. Apple Pay has a phenomenal lead for tap-to-pay in-store payments in the US, which will be hard to catch. But they're not the only game in town. Apple's feature development is always conservative. Imagine baking in loyalty and rewards into a hub for example. 🧠 Heads Apple wins, Tails you lose. Regulators were going to force Apple to do this anyway. By opening up to the market, but keeping a take rate, Apple gets to monetize everyone just like they did with the app store. 🧠 Let the wallet wars begin. The future is wallets that hold your identity, loyalty, and payment instruments that work via any rail. Apple is in prime position, but they're not the only game in town. What's your wallet strategy? #fintech #payments #wallets

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FUNToken Delistings on Major Exchanges: What Does This Mean for Crypto Traders? FUNToken (FUN) has recently been delisted from multiple major platforms, including Bitfinex on 5 November 2024 and Bybit on 15 November 2024. These actions highlight the importance of monitoring the lifecycle of tokens in this fast-evolving market. Why was FUNToken delisted? While neither exchange has provided detailed reasons, such decisions are typically based on rigorous assessments of token performance, market demand, or compliance with listing standards. Exchanges regularly review listed assets to ensure a robust and secure user trading environment. What should holders and traders do? Withdraw FUNToken: If you held FUN on these platforms, ensure you withdraw your assets to an external wallet or another exchange supporting FUNToken (e.g., Binance). Reassess your holdings: Delistings often serve as a wake-up call to evaluate a token’s long-term viability. Diversify strategies: Stay updated and adapt to changes in the market. The cryptocurrency space remains highly dynamic, and such developments underscore the importance of due diligence when engaging with digital assets. What are your thoughts on the future of FUNToken? https://lnkd.in/eGuatVwd #CryptoNews #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #FUNToken #CryptoMarket #TokenDelisting #CryptoTrading #DigitalAssets #CryptoInvesting #BlockchainTechnology #CryptoRegulations #DecentralisedFinance #CryptoUpdates #Altcoins #CryptocurrencyAnalysis

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Yesterday I received an email into my personal email account which straight away rang some scam alarm bells. I normally share crypto crime content on Friday but since this feels like a live one I wanted to share this sooner rather than later. The email purported to be from Aleo, a L1 blockchain focussing on zero knowledge/privacy, but was coming from typeform and specifically from the email address '[email protected]' The email was addressed to ‘Community Members’ but since I didn’t remember signing up to receive any notifications about Aleo’s incentive program this struck me as immediately odd. In addition, the fact it was coming from TypeForm rather than an official email account for the project was another red flag. The email content contained a line which jumped out to me too “Keep in mind that only verified, eligible users will be able to participate, so don’t delay!” This contains a perfect example of fomo inducing language and also is very clear that it’s trying to get you to share some personal and potentially sensitive wallet data. 🚩’s a plenty already. So I hovered over the “Join us” button to see where the email was trying to direct me and it was a bit.ly address. This isn’t necessarily a scam sign as truncating a URL is standard practice but I certainly wasn’t going to be clicking this without further digging. I used an URL checker to see where this was redirecting users and it went through a website which is an online community for “WWII living history” enthusiasms then to an Aleo related website and finally resolved at yahoo.com Odd by all accounts there 2 security vendors were also flagging this as a phishing website and so my suspiciouns were already looking valid. The Aleo related website they were directing people to was aleofoundation(dot)digital, and this immediately looks like a phishing website since .digital domains are cheap to buy (the price of this domain was estimated to be c$133) and a quick look at the official Aleo Twitter account shows that their website is Aleo.org . The domain was also registered on 10th Sept 2024. Furthermore when I looked on the official website I found a blog about the incentive program (which was the content in the email) and which clearly outlined that the eligibility check was via the Aleo wallet NOT an external website. https://lnkd.in/eVadbMYv In summary, the red flags were: 🚩Receiving an email about a project that you have not proactively engaged with or signed up for updates from 🚩The email address doesn’t match the official project name 🚩FOMO language and trying to get you to share sensitive or wallet related information 🚩The URL you’re being directed you to redirected to a different website (you can check this using tools such as virustotal.com)  🚩The URL uses a less familiar domain ending such as .digital and is very recently registered

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Candidates in crypto on CV vs. Reality 😂 I am sure, anyone who has ever recruited or hired for a position in crypto can relate to this. While it’s not a problem exclusive to web3, the gap between what candidates claim on their CVs and their actual skills seems particularly pronounced in our industry. Why do you think this is the case? 🤔 P.S. applies not only to candidates, but to most recruiters and startups in the space too 😅 🧑‍💻🧑‍💻🧑‍💻 - Exploring jobs in crypto? Apply for our latest roles at Blockchain Headhunter via https://bit.ly/3jIlL77 - Hiring crypto talent and need a hand? Reach out! #Blockchainheadhunter is the pioneering recruitment & executive search agency in crypto, web3 and blockchain with 280+ placements for 80 clients since 2017. 🚀 Follow me Michael Shlayen along with 65k others to see top crypto jobs and other insightful web3 content in your feed

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Who do I know that has done 1. Subscriptions for a Neobank (Product)? 2. Growth for a Neobank (Marketing)? 3. Branches that don't suck? If you usually like being a freelancer but want to work on something with a client who listens, I might have something special that fits and hits different

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I've spent the last three years of my career working across borders but more importantly for fintechs in the cross-border payment space and I've encountered many challenges and opportunities. One opportunity that's getting increasing traction is the use of stablecoins for cross-border transactions, and we have many reputable institutions promoting them, like Visa. Just five days ago, Bloomberg announced that Visa has launched a platform for Banks to issue fiat-backed stablecoins. However, I feel the existing high-risk categorisation of crypto makes it a less favourable combo for African cross-border fintechs. This is because most African countries are categorised as "high-risk" by international FIs like banks. So, being an African fintech and combining that with involvement in crypto could increase the overall risk-rating in the eyes of a banking partner. Thereby, making them less likely to do business with you. But I might be wrong. Tomorrow, I'm moderating a panel at Moonshot by TechCabal on the State of Cross-border payments with Guy Stiebel (Cedar Money), Oluwaferanmi Ajetomobi (Cenoa for Business) and Moyo Sodipo (Busha). On the panel, we will discuss some of the opportunities and challenges or cross-border payments, particularly regarding Africa. Get your tickets for 20% less using the code 'MSVIP': https://lnkd.in/eHF_k9NW Also, BCSL (Bendada.com) is a second-time media partner for Moonshot this year. #moonshotbyTechCabal

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Token launches seem broken, with most Binance Launchpool projects losing value except for Notcoin. The post highlights that out of the five latest projects, four are down significantly. This pattern shows a disparity between professional supply and retail demand, resulting in retail investors often being exit liquidity. With new Launchpool projects slowing down and liquidity issues persisting, the future of these launches remains uncertain. Changes are needed to address these imbalances. What are your thoughts on improving this situation?

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ICP is a stellar example of the worst token dynamics ever. If your token chart resembles the one below, I've got some unfortunate news for you... Anton Golub and Jelle Buth provided insightful takes on how tokens launch at a high Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV), slowly bleed out as airdrop recipients sell, and then collapse as VCs unlock. This framework is fueling a 'down only' paradigm where prices plummet. There are two measures of token supply: > Circulating supply: tokens actively circulating. > Fully diluted supply the maximum number of tokens ever. Circulating supply increases over time until it equals the fully diluted supply. If team tokens are locked at Token Generation Event (TGE) and start vesting in month 12, they get added to the circulating supply. They were always part of the fully diluted supply. Market cap = circulating token supply * price Fully diluted valuation (FDV) = fully diluted supply * price Market cap is a measure of demand, while FDV is just a measure of supply; FDV increases as market cap increases because both metrics are based on the current market token price. However, market cap going up does not mean there is additional demand for those locked tokens. Holders of locked tokens may, in fact, be happy to sell at much lower prices. So FDV can be a wildly inaccurate metric of true network value. FDV probably doesn't matter much for retail unless they get caught holding the bag on an unlock. But FDV matters for VCs because they are the ones holding the locked tokens. The vast majority of protocols today raising from decent VCs have a one-year cliff and then vest over another 18-36 months. VCs should value assets at expected FDV in 3-4 years because that is a true reflection of what they could return to their LPs, but alas, that is not how this market is working. What is this current paradigm I talk about? 1/ Launch token at high FDV 2/ <20% token supply circulating 3/ No public token sale 4/ Large airdrop Maybe once the airdrop paradigm started, this was the natural way to boost the $ value of the airdrop without giving more tokens. VCs and teams can sell locked tokens, but I'm not sure there is that much demand for locked tokens. This, of course, is not always how these projects are being launched. L1s are quite different, for example. Let's look at NEAR. 20% circulating at launch, but the community sale immediately started unlocking, with 50% circulating 1 year in, at a $500-800M FDV out of the gate. They managed to go through it thanks to strong community and a solid base of token holders who have a relatively low cost basis. Thinking back to the ICP chart...do you think there's a strong community behind ICP? Or behind most tokens for that matter? Price increases can catalyze a real community/developer ecosystem. However, the reverse is also true and can be brutal. And it's token users who protect the system not just token holders.

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Dear colleagues, we have described the Crypto Scam Methods: 1. Fake ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) Scammers create a fake ICO, collect money from investors, and then disappear. They might have a professional-looking website, whitepaper, and extensive marketing campaigns to lure investors. 2. Ponzi and Pyramid Schemes Similar to traditional financial pyramid schemes, these scams promise high returns from crypto investments. Returns for the early investors are paid using the capital from newer investors. Eventually, when the new investments stop, the scheme collapses. 3. Pump and Dump Groups These groups often coordinate via social media. They artificially inflate the price of small, less-known cryptocurrencies (pump) and then sell off their shares when the price peaks (dump), causing the price to crash and leaving other investors at a loss. 4. Phishing Scams Scammers use phishing emails or fake websites to trick users into providing their crypto wallet's private keys or login credentials, granting them access to the victims' digital assets. 5. Fraudulent Exchanges and Wallets Some scammers set up fake exchanges or wallets that may offer lower transaction fees, free coins, or other incentives. Once a user deposits their cryptocurrency, the scammers might steal it, or the exchange or wallet might simply disappear. 6. Social Media Scams Scammers may impersonate celebrities or known crypto influencers on social media, promising to multiply any cryptocurrency sent to them. Of course, any sent crypto is stolen. 7. Malware Malicious software is designed to infiltrate a user's computer to steal cryptocurrency or log keystrokes to gain access to wallets. 8. Ransomware This type of malware locks victims out of their computers or encrypts files, demanding a ransom, typically in cryptocurrency, for the release of the locked resources. 9. Deceptive Advertisements Using fake news articles or endorsements from celebrities, scammers will push deceptive ads that lead to scam websites. 10. Cloud Mining Scams Scammers promise to lease the computing power of their crypto mining setup in exchange for a fee. The profits from mining never materialize for the investors. 11. Non-Existent Coins Scammers create and hype a new cryptocurrency that doesn't actually exist or is worthless and sell it to unsuspecting investors. 12. SIM Swapping Attackers gain control of a victim's phone number and use it to reset passwords and bypass two-factor authentication, gaining access to crypto accounts. 13. Investment Seminars and Courses Offering seminars and courses that claim to teach you how to make huge profits in the crypto market, scammers will either provide worthless information or steal your investment when you attempt to trade through their recommended platforms. Be careful and follow us: https://lnkd.in/g9zam8Bd

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For those who don't subscribe to Ben Thompson's full content subscription, one more reason to do so. Ben is always on point on a very broad range of topics, now even on crypto and stablecoins. His views of the bridge acquisition are quite simple but powerful. I have been a paying customer for 5 years now. And I will probably be for another 10. https://buff.ly/48ztZXC I won't copy and paste the article, but here are a few parts where he brought very interesting points. From an anonymous writer in conviction.finance Zach has managed to do the (near) impossible, obtain solid licenses in the 2 major jurisdictions: the United States and Europe, where they are both permitted to transmit large sums of money and exchange currencies on behalf of users, essentially, a ramp. One, for the Eurozone (EU/EEA) is located in Poland, and another for the US DE C-corp is located in Berkeley, California. The US C-corp has a money transmitter license (MTL) approved in 22 states, but don’t fret, it looks like they’re far from done; in 2024 alone, Ohio, North Dakota, North Carolina, New Mexico, Maine, Louisiana, Illinois, and the District of Colombia has issued them a MTL [Note: The Fortune article above says that Bridge has MTL licenses in 48 states]… The downstream effects of their B2B flow, their large settlement limits, great compliance, and speed cannot be understated. The consumer-facing routes used by auxiliary non-related entities are a huge quality of life improvement right now, but for institutional use, I believe Bridge is going to play a huge, if not the ultimate role, in ensuring funds are never stuck on or offchain. From Ben himself: What is interesting to think about is how more of this end-to-end infrastructure might be built out over time. Earlier this year I interviewed the founder and new CEO of dLocal, which is attacking the space from a different direction: dLocal’s focus is on building One API for large multinationals to use to offer services to emerging markets, while dLocal does all of the legwork to integrate local payment methods; the Bridge approach is the exact opposite. Yes, it is all about the API, but that API is the plumbing for financial services companies to be built on both sides, whether that be for getting fiat money into the system (usually in developed markets) or getting it out (usually in emerging markets). It’s unbundling the process, while removing the cross-border challenges via stablecoins.

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THOUGHT PIECE: as the crypto market gets bullish, tokenisation will take a hit... for now. Considering the largest chunk of this pie is tokenised money market funds, the double-edged sword is Trump's victory lapping up digital asset prices and the Fed cutting rates - and thereby returns - making Treasuries a less appealing product in a 'extreme greedy' market. As the bull run begins, we can expect to see investors dive into these more 'risky' crypto assets, leaving real assets (e.g. real estate, commodities, infrastructure) and subsequently tokenised product offerings behind. On the contrary, it presents an opportunity for issuers to explore the crux of real-world asset tokenisation - unlocking liquidity for unlisted assets through secondary markets. What these assets are, how they operate, why they would be appealing to investors... is what the next three years are for. Stay tuned 😉 #dlt #digitalassets #finance #tokenization #tokenisation #finance #innovation #blockchain

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Stripe showing the new crypto payment feature they added and how much faster and lower the fees are with the 'new crypto' For this example they use Solana and Phantom Wallet, to be fair you can also have low fees and fast acceptance with Layer 2s on Ethereum and with Metamask, Coinbase, and other wallets. But hey, Phantom is awesome. It aggregates multiple chains on the backend and makes it pretty user friendly on the frontend to access and see them all without using multiple wallets, accessing and transacting across Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, etc.

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Crypto & Web3 Experts these days… myself included 😅 On one side, we have the builders: buried in code, refining tokenomics, ensuring smart contracts are bulletproof. On the other, we have the microphone holders: hyping projects, dropping buzzwords, and making ‘gm’ a lifestyle. Both play a role in the ecosystem, but let’s be real - only one group stops your funds from vanishing in a rug pull. Which one is that? ;) 🌴 🌴 🌴 🚀 Exploring jobs in crypto & blockchain? Check out our latest openings at #blockchainheadhunter & apply via https://bit.ly/3jIlL77 🚀 Looking to launch and / or advance your crypto & web3 career? Schedule a free introductory call via bit.ly/CryptoCareer and find out how our expert coaches can support your career journey 🚀 Hiring for your team? Let us help you recruit top crypto native talent. We have placed 300+ positions in crypto since 2017. Reach out to discuss

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CZ posted this over 2 years ago.. Today there are 11200 profiles on Linkedin associated with Binance. How many of these are real? I believe the ratio is even worse than back then. Take it as an educated guess, based on the constantly growing number of "employees" at Blockchain Headhunter - Crypto & Web3 Recruitment 😅 I really wished LinkedIn would finally solve this major problem. As I much as I love the platform, fake accounts are the single most important issue at the moment negatively affecting the overall experience and actively endangering users. Needs to be addressed ASAP! What do you think? 😎😎😎 🏄🏻‍♂️ Exploring jobs in crypto & blockchain? Apply for our latest roles with some of the most exciting projects in the space via https://bit.ly/3jIlL77 🦄 Hiring for your team? Reach out and let us help you recruit top crypto & web3 native talent #blockchainheadhunter 👯 With over 300 successful placements for 80+ clients, we are the leading recruitment and executive search agency in the crypto, web3, and blockchain space since 2017

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Robinhood, Revolut Explore Joining $170 Billion Stablecoin Market Companies from Robinhood to Revolut are considering launching stablecoins, betting that stricter regulations in Europe and elsewhere will finally loosen Tether's grip on the rapidly expanding $170 billion digital-asset sector. Robinhood and Revolut, two of the most valuable fintechs, have both been kicking the tires on issuing their own stablecoins, but the firms could still opt not to proceed, said people with knowledge of the matter. They asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Upstarts have tried to compete with Tether’s USDT for years, with most having little to show for it. Circulation of the stablecoin — a type of token designed to maintain a constant value — has swelled to almost $120 billion, accounting for more than two-thirds of the market by that measure. Runner-up USDC stands at $36 billion, according to CoinGecko data, and other stablecoins are far smaller. But with the European Union poised to fully adopt wide-ranging crypto rules at the end of this year, Tether faces heightened uncertainty. Under regulations known as MiCA, crypto exchanges operating in the EU may be forced to delist stablecoins from issuers like Tether who don’t have the appropriate permits. Circle Internet Financial Ltd., the issuer of USDC, already has the required EU license. The company said in January that it had confidentially filed for a US initial public offering. Tether Chief Executive Officer Paolo A. has repeatedly expressed concern that EU rules present too many risks if a stablecoin issuer were to face mass redemptions. The company, which doesn’t have an e-money license in the bloc, is working on a “technology-based solution” to serve the EU market, Ardoino said in an emailed statement. Everyone Wants In As more issuers push into the market, the result may be “hyper-fragmentation of stablecoins,” according to Nuri Chang, head of product at BitGo, which announced its own token in September. Different financial apps may run their own stablecoins, and swapping between tokens would become so seamless that end users wouldn’t even notice, he said. Over the years, USDT has been resilient in the face of various challengers. PayPal Holdings Inc. launched a stablecoin last year, seeking to cement its dominance in digital payments. The token’s circulation peaked at just over $1 billion in August but has since dropped some 30%, data from CoinGecko show. Rules governing stablecoins in the EU are already in effect under the first phase of MiCA, which kicked in at the end of June. They require stablecoin issuers to have an electronic-money license in an EU member state and hold up to two-thirds of the assets backing their token at independent banks, among other criteria. An implementation period of up to 18 months for regulation of all other crypto platforms in the EU, from exchanges to funds, will begin at the end of 2024. Source Bloomberg #fintech #stablecoins

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