JOE(JOE)

The Chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, is demanding more funds to support his regulatory crusade against cryptocurrencies. Gensler Wants More Money On a March 29 testimony to the House Financial Services Subcommittee for SEC’s fiscal year 2024, chief Gary Gensler demanded more financial support to keep up with the technological advances of the crypto sector. He has demanded that the regulatory body needs a higher functioning budget to crack down effectively on bad actors in the country.He said, “Rapid technological innovation in the financial markets has led to misconduct in emerging and new areas, not least in the crypto space. Addressing this requires new tools, expertise, and resources.” The budget amount of $2.4 billion was first proposed by President Joe Biden for the fiscal year 2024. Agency Spread Thin, Needs Funds: Gensler Gensler claimed that the SEC funds are already spread thin, and the agency requires funding in the amount of $2.4 billion to manage the increasing complexity in the capital markets as introduced by crypto companies. Giving an account of the agency’s functioning, Gensler reported that the Division of Enforcement and Examinations, which consists of a major chunk of the agency’s staff, had received over 35,000 separate tips, complaints, and referrals from whistleblowers in the crypto industry. On top of that, he reported that the Enforcement Division cracked the whip on 750 different cases last year by enforcing actions that brought in $6.4 billion in penalties and fines. Of these 750, thirty actions were related to the crypto industry and brought in $242 million of penalties, indicating a 36% increase over the 22 actions in 2021. SEC’s Crypto Crusade However, his statements at the hearing indicate that, as always, Gensler has approached the fund's appeal by lashing out at the crypto industry and portraying his own agency as the lone “cop on the beat” working against the big bad. His statements indicate that it is an unruly space full of bad actors whose sole aim is to trick funds out of the pockets of honest American citizens. At the budget hearing, Gensler said, “Further, we’ve seen the Wild West of the crypto markets, rife with noncompliance, where investors have put hard-earned assets at risk in a highly speculative asset class.” The SEC has been accused of being extra-judicial when it comes to cryptocurrency. The regulatory body is quite insistent on getting cryptocurrencies declared as securities so that they fall under the SEC’s purview. The agency’s severe action against certain crypto companies without any congressional oversight has drawn the interest of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, which has recently summoned Gensler to a subcommittee hearing in April. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Trader Joe is seeing activity spike on its Arbitrum crypto trading venue.

According to President Biden, there are chances of further problems in the banking industry.

Detroit, USA, 29th March, 2023, ChainwireForging a new path for musicians to use Web3 technologies, the video offers a glimpse into Royce’s new virtual world, the Heaven Experience. "Signs" is the first song released from Royce's New EP "The Heaven Experience: Lost Sessions," available Friday, March 31.In advance of his March 31 release of The Heaven Experience: Lost Sessions, platinum-selling, GRAMMY®-nominated rapper Royce 5'9" has dropped the video for “SIGNS,” the first offering from his new EP. Created with Web3 platform Passage, the video gives fans a sneak peek into the Heaven Experience, Royce’s new virtual world for fans and community.Watch the “Signs” video here.Forging a path for musicians and creators to use Web3 technologies, the video for the high-energy freestyle is built inside an immersive virtual world. In partnership with Passage, the Heaven Experience will offer exclusive opportunities to connect with Royce 5’9” throughout 2023.Of the initiative, Royce 5'9" says, "I have been searching for a better way to connect with my community for a while, but existing platforms haven't lived up to my expectations. Passage delivers on all fronts.”Heaven Experience pass holders will benefit from connecting directly to Royce and his team, real-time engagement with the community and artists, and access to exclusive songs, performances, interviews, events, apparel, and more. Passes for the Heaven Experience will be available on April 4.With the Heaven Experience, Royce 5’9” has doubled down on his commitment to Web3 and community, offering a unique, immersive space to authentically engage with fans. The initiative follows a successful 60-second sell-out of his first NFT offering, which gave fans a percentage of streaming royalties from the critically acclaimed single, “Caterpillar,” ft. Eminem and King Green.By allowing creators to connect directly with their audience in immersive, custom 3D virtual settings, Passage is empowering artists and brands to forge deeper relationships with their supporters and engage in ways that aren’t possible with existing social platforms.Fans interested in joining the Heaven Experience can join the waitlist at heavenexperience.com.Dropping March 31, The Heaven Experience: Lost Sessions EP can be found across all streaming platforms and on sale on iTunes through Heaven Studios Inc. in partnership with The Orchard.Royce 5’9” and Lex Avellino, Passage founder & CMO, are available for interview upon request.About Royce da 5’9”GRAMMY® award-nominated Royce 5'9" has balanced substance and style with the best in music. In addition to selling millions of records with a remarkable solo career, Royce co-founded Bad Meets Evil (with Eminem), Slaughterhouse (with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Kxng Crooked), and PRhyme (with DJ Premier). Known for confident wordplay, revealing accounts of life in Detroit, and holding Rap peers accountable, Royce is among Hip-Hop's most trusted brands. With a cult following earned by professional accolades in his career, Ryan Montgomery's pedigree is never a question. Instead, through recent releases, including the #1 album Layers (2016), Top 10 and critically acclaimed album The Book Of Ryan (2018), and the thought-provoking GRAMMY® award-nominated Allegory (2019), Royce has been a leader of culture. Once the self-proclaimed "best-kept secret" of Rap, having written award-nominated songs for many artists, this platinum-selling, list-topping MC consistently earns accolades. Partnering with Jay-Z and Roc Nation with the NFL for its "Inspire Change" initiative, Royce 5'9" has gone on to be one of hip hop's leading activists, recently launching his Ryan Montgomery Foundation and its mission to empower underprivileged communities through advocacy, education, and personal enrichment, and joining long-time friend Eminem as the Director of Community Engagement and Social Justice Initiatives for The Marshall Mathers Foundation. For more information, visit royce59.com.About PassagePassage, is a world builder and social layer for connecting physical and digital experiences. Built on Cosmos, Passage is blockchain agnostic and offers a suite of tools to make the Metaverse more accessible: in-browser streaming, cross-world commerce for fungible tokens and NFTs, and 3D communication infrastructure. The Passage ecosystem is fueled by PASG, the native utility token used in Passage worlds. For more information, visit passage.io.ContactsChief of StaffBryana [email protected] & FounderTresa [email protected]

On this episode of Decentralize with Cointelegraph, reporter Joe Hall is at Paris Blockchain Week 2023, chatting with some of the industry’s most prominent thinkers in the aftermath of the recent banking crisis.