Hello crypto fellows,

It’s Friday again, although not a casual one if you take a look at breaking news. As you’ll find out: the crypto world is constantly moving back and forward in the light spectrum. From black to white with numerous shades of grey in between.

In todays’ news:

• Crypto evangelist John McAfee found dead in prison
• Coinbase lists Amp (AMP) and Livepeer (LPT)
• Ethereum London update started on testnet
• Andreesen Horowitz launches $2.2B crypto fund, while Chainalysis expands to Asia-Pacific
• NFT news: Reddit, Alipay, and Beeple enter the space

Crypto Evangelist John McAfee Found Dead in Prison

The antivirus software mogul and crypto advocate John McAfee was found dead in his cell in a Spanish prison on Wednesday. Few hours before his body was found, the Spanish court had approved his extradition to the United States.

A 75 years old entrepreneur had to be charged for crypto-related criminal tax evasion. He could face up to 30 years in prison. McAfee was held in prison near Barcelona last October.

The death investigation is going on, although McAfee’s lawyer says the mogul has committed suicide.

Flipsider:

• The life story of controversial John McAfee is worth a film script. Maybe Hollywood will turn into it someday.

Coinbase Adding New Tokens: Amp and Livepeer, Welcome on Board

Coinbase is extending its cryptocurrency listings with new tokens. The US’s biggest crypto exchange added Amp (AMP) and Livepeer (LPT) tokens just hours ago. From now, both cryptos are available on Coinbase and Coinbase Pro.

AMP is an Ethereum token that offers instant collateralized payments, making them instant and secure. LPT is the native token of Livepeer, a decentralized video streaming platform on the Ethereum network.

Flipsider:

• Coinbase is lagging. Grayscale and multiple other exchanges have surpassed it in LPT listings. Also, both coins don’t show any signs of a euphoric price jump after the announcement. On the contrary, they are dropping. Does it mean that Coinbase needs a defibrillator itself to keep the coins’ heartbeat alive?

NFT News: Reddit, Alipay and Beeple With Partners Enter the Space

Ethereum starts the testing of its long-anticipated London upgrade. The upgrade, also known as London hardfork or EIP 1559, has been launched on Ropsten testnet, which is the first of the three estimated.

London upgrade is dedicated to implementing network improvements before the upcoming Ethereum 2.0 update, planned next year. The update allows a change to the transaction fee model with burning transaction fees.

Flipsider:

• Ethereum developers are definitely on a move. However, some updates like London hardfork are still temporary. We cannot celebrate before the final Ethereum 2.0 is launched. While it is notorious for delays, the champagne definitely will be properly cooled until then.

Andreesen Horowitz Launches $2.2b Crypto Fund, While Chainalysis Expands to Asia-Pacific

The crypto space is evolving with new impressive investments.

• Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz is launching a new massive $2.2 billion fund to invest in blockchain and crypto-related startups. Their “Crypto Fund III” will be the largest crypto-related fund ever since.
  Andreesen Horowitz, also known as 16z, has been an early investor in companies like Coinbase, Facebook, Instagram, Lyft, and Airbnb.
• Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis is raising a $100 million funding round to expand in the Asia-Pacific region. Chainalysis’ software helps to detect cryptocurrency crime and money laundering and is one of the most used by governments and private companies worldwide.

Flipsider:

• Right on time, guys. Hope new cash inflow will fill the $3.6 billion vacuum in crypto space, which wide opened after crypto exchange founders in South Africa disappeared with 69,000 Bitcoins. The case is said to be one of the biggest heists in crypto history.

NFT News: Reddit, Alipay and Beeple with Partners Enter the Space

NFT space is not showing signs of slowing down. The big names keep coming into the game.

• Reddit social network announced the auction of NFTs featuring its Snoo alien mascot. The collection called “CryptoSnoos” contains 3 NFTs, that later can be used as the user’s profile avatars.
• The famous Beeple is launching an NFT marketplace, which specializes in selling historical moments on the blockchain. His WeNew platform partners with the world’s news, sports, and music giants, including TIME, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Wimbledon tennis championship, Endeavor, and IMG.
• China’s largest payment provider Alipay added an NFT buying service to its payment app. Sold over 16,000 copies of NFT artworks mirroring ancient frescoes. All NFT purchases were done with traditional currencies.

Flipsider:

• NFT space is shooting the news in bulk. If the number of digital collectibles keeps emerging at such a pace, we soon might be out of collectors.