Jacquelyn Melinek
Senior Reporter, Crypto, TC+
The Latest from Jacquelyn Melinek
Institutional crypto adoption in Asia is growing as the US market remains a question mark
After multiple industry-changing events crippled the industry’s advancement last year, the positive shift is welcome, according to several industry players in the region.
Korea Blockchain Week focused on web3 gaming, institutional involvement, investors, regulation…and more
Welcome back to Chain Reaction. To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important crypto stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday at 12 p.m. PT, subscribe here. Annyeong, or hello, f
Blockchain tech needs a ‘ChatGPT moment’ to scale enterprise adoption
Big names like Starbucks and Nike were quick to adopt blockchain tech, but it will still be a while until we see the enterprise space embrace the tech.
Chris Lehane of Haun Ventures to dive into firm’s investing strategy and the web3 VC landscape at TechCrunch Disrupt
Chris Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, will bring his unique career experience and investing expertise to TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. Prior to joining the firm, Lehane was an executive at
Crypto funding in August wasn’t as good as the numbers may lead you to believe
At this point, it seems the only thing that could shake up the seemingly never-ending decline in venture interest in crypto would be a drastic thawing of the crypto winter.
Grayscale wins lawsuit against SEC, while the agency settles first NFT case and Friend.tech hype crashes
If you’ve been dreaming about bitcoin spot ETFs, it’s time to talk to someone outside of the crypto world. This is coming from someone who literally had a dream about them this week.
Grayscale’s legal head says bitcoin spot ETF approval is a ‘matter of when, not if’
The exact timeline is difficult to predict, but if there’s no “rehearing,” then it will be smooth sailing ahead, Grayscale's chief legal officer Craig Salm said.
As appeals court rules in favor of Grayscale, a bitcoin spot ETF could be on the horizon
The ruling is in response to Grayscale’s lawsuit against the SEC, which denied the firm’s application to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into an ETF.
MoonPay launches venture arm to invest in web3 infra, gaming and fintech
Web3 infrastructure firm MoonPay has launched an investment arm that will focus on early-stage startups in web3, gaming and adjacent fintech categories, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The investm
Friend.tech gets unfriended: Daily transactions drop 95% as hyped decentralized social app loses steam
It may be time to put to rest yet another effort to build a social network on a blockchain: The number of transactions on decentralized social network friend.tech has cratered after less than 20 days
Bitcoin startups remain undercapitalized as funding drought drags on
Bitcoin-focused companies are falling behind as fewer checks are being written, according to Erik Svenson, co-founder and CFO of Blockstream.
Friend.tech hype grows, Tornado Cash founders go for a spin and FBI’s monitoring North Korean hackers
Welcome back to Chain Reaction. If you haven’t heard about friend.tech this week, you’re probably living under a rock. But that’s ok, we dove deep into the hype.
Vessel Capital emerges from stealth with $55M fund focused on web3 infrastructure and apps
Vessel Capital, a web3 venture fund, has emerged from stealth with $55 million in assets under management to invest in infrastructure and applications, the firm exclusively told TechCrunch. Founded by
Two founders behind crypto mixer Tornado Cash charged by US federal courts
The two founders behind Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service, have been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, according to a statement on Wednesda
Solana Pay integrates plug-in with Shopify for USDC payments
Solana Pay, a decentralized payment protocol by Solana Labs, has integrated its plug-in with Shopify, allowing millions of businesses on its platform to use it for payments, TechCrunch was told exclus
Friend.tech hype is skyrocketing, but will it actually reach the stars?
Time will tell whether this app can result in a web3 social network, providing a use case not only for the crypto community but for mainstream users as well.
Checkout.com cuts ties with Binance, which is mulling legal action in response
Credit cards payments processor Checkout.com is no longer servicing Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, a spokesperson from the exchange told TechCrunch. “There is no impact on our servi
Bitcoin spot ETFs heat up, SBF’s bail revoked and web3 gaming adoption grows in Asia
The digital asset space is still trucking along, while there were some big headlines, the week was arguably a little less chaotic (for now). Check out what caught our attention.
A bitcoin spot ETF could open the floodgates for wider crypto demand
Bringing bitcoin to the TradFi market in a manner that is already well-understood could unlock lots of demand for the cryptocurrency in the near-term.
Web3 gaming adoption is skewing toward Asia, and the rest of the world may have to play catch-up
Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, said Asian studios are on the frontlines of web3 gaming due to the 'strong genre-fit' with collectible-driven games.