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Consensus Magazine

He Got Arrested in Russia for a Bitcoin Bribe. Now the Coins Are Moving to Exchanges

A criminal investigator in Moscow allegedly extorted thousands of bitcoin from the hackers he arrested. Now, these coins have moved onto exchanges, Crystal Blockchain found.

Marat Tambiev, Russian officer allegedly turned crypto criminal (YouTube)

Consensus Magazine

AI Crypto Trading Bots Are the New ‘Edge’ – For Now

Artificial intelligence may kill traditional trading, but your advantage may not last long, says Jeff Wilser.

(Guillaume/Getty Images)

Consensus Magazine

Crypto Hubs 2023: Where to Live Freely and Work Smart

With shifting regulatory regimes worldwide, crypto is on the move to find the best locales to put down roots, get licensed, register or just be. Crypto Hubs 2023, our ranking of the top 15 global crypto hubs, is a good place to start.

illustration of a globe with crypto symbols

Consensus Magazine

Zug: Where Ethereum Was Born and Crypto Goes to Grow Up

What is not to like about the tiny Swiss city where Vitalik Buterin and his cofounders launched Ethereum? The No. 1 spot on CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 ranking has it all: regulatory clarity, crypto-friendly banks and a lively crypto job market and events calendar.

Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin at Techcrunch London 2015

Consensus Magazine

Singapore: The Center of Asian Crypto Wealth Is Ready for a Reset

A fintech hub turned early crypto adopter, Singapore raised billions through ICOs. Cue parties on yachts and at luxury villas. But after the collapse of homegrown crypto darlings Terraform Labs and Three Arrows Capital, the No. 2 spot in CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 is searching for the right regulatory balance to encourage crypto without getting burned again.

Gemini co-founders Tyler & Cameron Winklevoss, seen in colorful tuxedos,  announced in June that they will expand their Singapore headcount to more than 100 employees, about 20% of the total worldwide staff.

Consensus Magazine

London: The World’s Capital for Foreign Exchange Adds Cryptocurrencies to Its Ledger

Already a global hub for finance, the No. 3 spot in CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 has a healthy grassroots crypto adoption rate and a prime minister eager to attract the digital asset industry.

Official Prime Minister portrait Rishi Sunak

Consensus Magazine

Seoul: Asia’s Retail Crypto Capital Moves on After Do Kwon

South Korea’s nearly 7 million registered users, many in the nation’s capital, show a huge interest in trading crypto. But No. 4 in CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 is still licking its wounds after the catastrophic collapse of Terra blockchain – for a time, South Korea’s favorite crypto project.

South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-Yeol celebrates his victory (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Consensus Magazine

Dubai: Launching a Crypto Regulatory Arm to Become a Global Financial Power

The center of the crypto universe has been shifting toward Dubai since March 2022, when the UAE announced the world’s first independent crypto regulator: the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority. With its stated intention to provide legal clarity for crypto, the No. 5 spot in CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 has attracted jurisdiction shoppers such as Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and crypto exchange WazirX.

Founder/CEO of Binance Changpeng Zhao, closeup

Consensus Magazine

Abu Dhabi: A Wealthy Middle-East Capital Creating a Bridge From TradFi to Crypto

The heart of crypto in the capital of the United Arab Emirates is actually just offshore in the Abu Dhabi Global Markets, an economic free zone. With a mandate to encourage fintech, the No. 6 spot in CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 keeps the lines of communications open between regulators and crypto institutions.

Abu Dhabi (Kamil Rogalinski/Unsplash)

Consensus Magazine

Wyoming: Regulatory Clarity and Crypto-Friendly Banks Fuel Blockchain Revolution

America’s least populous state has passed three dozen laws regulating crypto. That has helped attract crypto, blockchain and Web3 employers and made the No. 7 spot on CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023 the most crypto-friendly state in an otherwise uncertain U.S. regulatory environment.

Caitlin Long (Credit: Ali Powell)