FTX partners with Visa, Elon Musk returns to $44B Twitter deal and other news

October 09, 2022


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A week in review: October 2–8

Your weekly highlights to stay up to date with the latest crypto news

#1. FTX and Visa partner to permit crypto payments in 40 countries

Crypto exchange FTX unveiled that it has teamed up with Visa to produce a reportedly feeless debit card. Launching such a card has been a long-standing goal of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. The FTX Visa card will reportedly be available in 40 countries. The card's website states the card is also free to own.

#2. Musk's deal for Twitter looks set to go with original $44B price tag

Elon Musk is back on track to buy Twitter. The billionaire originally decided to buy the social media network back in April 2022, settling on a price tag of roughly $44 billion. He subsequently attempted to cancel the agreement, claiming inadequate transparency from Twitter regarding the firm's financial health as well as fake account and spam bot prevalence on the platform. Musk now intends to complete the original $44 billion deal, according to a legal filing.

#3. EU regulators ban cross-border payments from Russian crypto accounts

In light of recent escalations in the Ukraine-Russia war, the European Union has banned crypto activity between member regions and Russia, no matter how small the transaction. The ban covers "all crypto-asset wallets, accounts, or custody services, irrespective of the amount of the wallet," according to an Oct. 6 statement from the European Commission. Russia, on the other hand, has taken the opposite stance, evident in its approval of cross-border crypto activity in recent weeks.

#4. Prediction of the week. A crumbling stock market could create profitable opportunities for Bitcoin traders

Bitcoin posted another week of largely range-bound price action, trading between $19,000 and $20,500 for the most part, according to Cointelegraph's BTC price index.

Cointelegraph analyst Marcel Pechman detailed the potential importance of Q3 earnings announcements expected in October from big companies such as Tesla and Apple. If negative, the announcements could lead to a falling BTC price if the asset remains correlated to mainstream markets. In contrast, Bitcoin's scarcity could appeal to investors if inflation woes continue.

#5. FUD of the week. BNB Chain back online after suspension due to a cross-chain exploit

BNB Chain was paused briefly this week to combat a cross-chain attack related to the BSC Token Hub bridge. The exploit "resulted in extra BNB," according to an Oct. 6 tweet from Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. Although the chain was able to freeze $7 million, estimates say roughly $70 to $80 million was stolen, down from earlier estimates of $100 million. BNB Chain successfully resumed activity on Oct. 7.

#6. FUD of the week. South Korean judge dismisses warrant for individual involved in Terra collapse: Report

The broad hunt for members of the Terra team has resulted in its first arrest: head of Terraform Labs' business team Yoo Mo was taken into custody by South Korean police. A Seoul Southern District Court judge dismissed the arrest warrant shortly after, questioning the regulatory claims of the accusations, although Mo is not allowed to leave South Korea. The Terra crypto project collapsed in outlandish fashion earlier in 2022. Project leader Do Kwon remains at large.