Today in Crypto: Yield Protocol Shutting Down, Wirex Reveals App Chain Connecting DeFi & TradFi, Montréal Exchange Announces BTC Futures Contracts

Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
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DeFi news

• Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending project Yield Protocol will wind down by the end of the year, citing a lack of demand for fixed-rate borrowing on the platform, the current regulatory environment in the US, and the increasing regulatory requirements in Europe and the UK. Per the announcement, borrowing and lending have been restricted to the December 2023 series, and liquidity providers for the March-September strategies won’t accrue any further fees. On December 29, the remaining series will mature as well, ending all borrowing and lending on Yield Protocol, the team added.

Payments news

• Crypto payments platform Wirex revealed W-Pay, a Zero-Knowledge (ZK)-powered App Chain designed to connect decentralized applications (dapps), non-custodial wallets, and traditional payment infrastructures, said the press release. W-Pay enables dapps and non-custodial wallets to issue non-custodial crypto debit cards. “Wirex facilitates card transactions up to a predefined limit, facilitating the integration of dapps and non-custodial wallets with traditional payment rails while preserving fund access—a crucial advancement for the burgeoning Web3 industry,” it said.

Exchange news

• Major Canadian exchange TMX Group announced that its derivatives trading platform will soon introduce bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts. “Montréal Exchange (MX) is launching the Bitcoin Price Index Futures to meet rising market demand for digital cryptocurrency asset classes,” according to the announcement. The product provides exposure to BTC value movements on the underlying CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX), and the cash-settled futures contract will trade and settle in US dollars and be cleared at the Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation (CDCC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Montréal Exchange, it said. 

Regulation news

• The European Commission has launched collective risk assessments with the Member States in four technology areas critical for the EU’s economic security, according to a press release. Out of ten critical technology areas, the Commission identified four that are considered highly likely to present the most sensitive and immediate risks related to technology security and leakage: advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, and biotechnologies, it said.
• The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) – with the Deutsche Bundesbank, De Nederlandsche Bank, the European Central Bank (ECB), and the Bank of France – developed a proof-of-concept (PoC) for a system tracking on-chain and off-chain transactions from crypto exchanges and public blockchains, called Project Atlas. “Project Atlas creates a data platform that sheds light on the macroeconomic relevance of cryptoasset markets and decentralised finance (DeFi),” according to the published report detailing the project.

Crime news

• The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it charged several Chinese businesses and their employees in relation to the production and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and synthetic opioids. Per the announcement, these companies used cryptocurrency transactions to conceal their identities and the location and movement of their funds. Several Chinese nationals have been identified as having allegedly operated sixteen crypto wallets that accepted payment for the sales of fentanyl precursors and opioid additives.