Every week we compile the top news stories weekly within the crypto, blockchain, metaverse, and NFT space. Here's what you need to know for this week.

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 We compile the top news stories weekly within the crypto, blockchain, metaverse, and NFT space. The weekly wrap-up covers everything from BTC &amp; ETH updates, recent investments, developments of exciting new projects, and other relevant topics. 
 
Here is everything you need to know from May 22nd to May 26th

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📈  Weekly BTC and ETH Overview
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Bitcoin’s (BTC) recent behavior resembles its price action at the beginning of the 2019 bull market. However, the consolidation within the last 7 days and rejection at the $30K resistance could head for the expected bearish target price of $25K. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is also showing an upward trend is approaching the 50% threshold, meaning a more bullish breaking could be the more likely scenario to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks. Ethereum (ETH), on the other hand, has remained stagnant, leaving little room for interpretation and a full bearish sentiment.  

When writing, BTC is trading at $26.5K, up 1.25% in the last 24 hours. Similarly, ETH is trading at $1.82K, up 1.8% in the previous 24 hours. 

<h3 class="customH3" style="line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:11px;">🗞️ Top Market News</h3>

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	Digital Currency Group missed a $630M payment to Genesis. Digital Currency Group is part of the recently bankrupted Genesis Global Captial group. After having missed their payment, Gemini is working with other creditors to provide forbearance to DCG to avoid the firm’s default. In total, Genesis owes Gemini $900M.  Read more <a href="http://theblock.co/post/231656/dcg-misses-630-million-payment-due-earlier-this-month-says-gemini" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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	EU finance ministers approve MiCA crypto regulation. The ministers voted unanimously to adopt the bloc’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation. Two pieces of legislation around regulation on information accompanying transfers for funds and certain crypto assets were also adopted by the European Parliament. Read more <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/eu-council-approves-mica-regulations" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>
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🚀 New Project Developments
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	Bware Labs $INFRA token will have its primary listing on May 30th. The decentralized API infrastructure will have its primary listing next week. KuCoin, MEXC, Gate, and Bitmart will enable trading around 10:00 AM UTC. Read more <a href="https://bwarelabs.com/infra-token" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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	STEPN ($GMT) integrates Apple Pay for in-game purchases. The move-to-earn game integrating payment service Apple Pay as a fiat onramp for in-app purchases will allow users to purchase NFT sneakers more easily.  Read more <a href="http://coindesk.com/web3/2023/05/22/web3-move-to-earn-app-stepn-integrates-apple-pay-for-in-game-purchases" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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	WorldCoin raised $115M in Series C Round. The round was led by Blockchain Capital and included other institutional investors such as a16z, BainCapital, and Distributed Global. The capital will accelerate research and development and growth efforts.  Read more <a href="http://coindesk.com/business/2023/05/25/sam-altmans-crypto-project-worldcoin-raises-115m-led-by-blockchain-capital" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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	Crypto browser Opera integrates layer 1 blockchain MultiversX. Users can interact with the MultiversX network through its native tokens, NFTs, and dApps, all within the Opera browser. Read more <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2023/05/19/crypto-browser-opera-integrates-layer-1-blockchain-multiversx/" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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🔍 More Featured Stories…
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	OpenAI raises $175M for a start-up investment fund. The company will seek to back companies that are pushing the boundaries of AI and can positively impact the world and change people’s lives for the better. Read more <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-25/openai-raises-175-million-for-startup-investment-fund" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.
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Weekly Market Review - May 26th

Weekly Market Review - May 19th

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 Data has emerged as <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/05/06/the-worlds-most-valuable-resource-is-no-longer-oil-but-data" style="text-decoration:none;">the world's most valuable commodity in today's digital era, surpassing even oil, according to The Economist</a>. As we approach the advent of web3, our reliance on data has grown exponentially, shaping how we interact with technology and the digital world. Data has emerged as a critical factor in the crypto space. With the rise of digital assets and their impact on various industries, data-driven insights have become invaluable. 

In this article, we delve into the significance of data in the crypto space – with an in-depth focus on <a href="https://www.itheum.io/" style="text-decoration:none;">Itheum</a>, an innovative company spearheading the use of data in the Web3 domain.

<h2 class="customH2">The Underlying Issue</h2>

Collecting and utilizing personal data have given rise to significant concerns and controversies. Much of the data collected is stored in centralized servers without users' explicit consent, making it vulnerable to data breaches. This creates a challenging situation, as our modern world relies heavily on data while users rightfully raise concerns about its usage. Navigating this dilemma can be complex. However, the emergence of various projects like Itheum and the decentralization of web3 technology offers a promising solution.

<h3 class="customH3">Itheum - “Your Data Belongs to You”</h3>

Itheum addresses the growing demand for data privacy and ownership, providing users a secure and decentralized platform to manage their personal information. By leveraging blockchain technology, Itheum ensures that data is stored in a transparent and immutable manner, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

With Itheum, users regain sovereignty over their data, determining how it is shared, utilized, and monetized. This empowers individuals to participate actively in the data economy, as they can choose to share their data with trusted entities in exchange for rewards or incentives. By placing the control back in the hands of users, Itheum aims to establish a new paradigm where data becomes a tool for individuals to benefit from its usage rather than being exploited by centralized entities.

For example, Itheum’s Claims Portal is an integral part of distributing data and token rewards, community testing rewards, and data trading fees. Without it, direct exchange between Data Consumers and Creators would halt the ecosystem's potential growth. The Claims Portal handles two types of transactions:

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Data Trading Distribution: Data Creators and the Data Coalition DAO exchange data using $ITHEUM tokens. The tokens are distributed to all participants (Board members, DAO-aligned Data Creators, and Members) through a multicast process. Data is collected on DAO smart contracts, deposited into the DC Fund Pool, and distributed via the Claims Portal to all recipients 
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Community Guardians and Data-Market Makers Distribution: Out of the 4% fee collected from data trades coordinated by Data DEX smart contracts, 2% is indirectly multicast distributed through the Claims Portal. 1% goes to the community of guardians of the Itheum Protocol, and the other 1% is allocated for ecosystem growth through the Data Partners Program.
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<h3 class="customH3" style="line-height:1.38;">Itheum Utilizes The Power of Data in Crypto</h3>

Crypto operates on the principles of decentralization and transparency, resulting in vast amounts of data being recorded and analyzed. Unfortunately, some organizations take advantage of their data and sell it to third-party brokers. These shadowy entities thrive in the personal data trade, generating millions of dollars in profit by packaging and selling your data to other organizations. <a href="https://dev.to/itheum/itheum-data-dex-whitepaper-ooo#intro-1" style="text-decoration:none;">With over 4,000 data brokers worldwide, each gathering around 3,000 data points per individual, the data brokerage industry rakes in a staggering $200 billion annually.</a> 

The situation becomes even more unsettling as our increasingly digitized world gives rise to the hyper-digitized "Metaverse," where data generation will soar exponentially. This new data will be harvested from us, intensifying the need for a solution that empowers individuals and respects their data ownership.

Itheum's focus on privacy protection ensures that users' personal information remains confidential and secure. Through encryption and other advanced security measures, Itheum safeguards sensitive data from unauthorized access, mitigating the risks associated with centralized data storage. Recently, Itheum announced a partnership with <a href="https://bwarelabs.com/" style="text-decoration:none;">Bware Labs</a>, a leading decentralized infrastructure service provider, to integrate resilient and high-speed infrastructure services into the Itheum protocol. This collaboration aims to enhance data ownership and identity in the Web3 and Open Metaverse ecosystems by incorporating Bware Labs' innovative technologies.

As part of the partnership, Itheum will integrate <a href="https://blastapi.io/" style="text-decoration:none;">Blast API</a>, Bware Labs' flagship product, into its multi-chain protocol platform. The integration enables Itheum to provide a seamless lookup and aggregation of on-chain user data, empowering web3 users active on multiple blockchains to take ownership of their data and identity through the Itheum protocol. Users can participate in products like the Web3 Passport, share data and identity with consent, and earn rewards.

This partnership between Itheum and Bware Labs represents a significant step towards enhancing data ownership and identity in the Web3 and Open Metaverse ecosystems.  
 
Final thoughts

While data plays a pivotal role in our modern society, concerns about its misuse and lack of user consent have led to a complex dilemma. Itheum emerges as a promising project that addresses these concerns by providing users with control over their data and the opportunity to benefit from sharing it. Through projects like the Itheum platform, we recognize the importance of empowering individuals in the data economy and fostering a more secure and user-centric digital landscape.
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Significance of Data in the Crypto Space

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 We compile the top news stories weekly within the crypto, blockchain, metaverse, and NFT space. The weekly wrap-up covers everything from BTC &amp; ETH updates, recent investments, developments of exciting new projects, and other relevant topics. 
 
Here is everything you need to know from May 6th to May 12th. 

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📈  Weekly BTC and ETH Overview
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Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) showed bearish behavior this past week, as BTC resists the crucial $30K and shows movement below the $27K mark. Although ETH found bullish momentum at the beginning of the week, the price saw more red towards the end, falling below $1.7K. With the standoff between markets and policymakers still making headlines and Powell’s statement that interest rates are unlikely to come down this year, analysts say BTC could revisit sub $20K levels. 

At the time of writing, BTC is trading at $26.3K, down 4.54% in the last 24 hours. Similarly, ETH is trading at $1.76K, down 3.99% in the previous 24 hours.

<h3 class="customH3" style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:11px;">🗞️ Top Market News</h3>

<ul>
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	The estate of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and its affiliated entities face claims worth nearly $44 billion from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The most significant claims include a $20.4 billion lawsuit against Alameda Research LLC, with nearly $20 billion in unpaid partnership taxes. Read more <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/05/10/us-internal-revenue-service-files-claims-worth-44-billion-against-ftx-bankruptcy/" style="text-decoration:none;">here.</a> 
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FTX bankruptcy judge approves the sale of LedgerX. At the time of the hearing, FTX said the total proceeds of the transaction would total roughly $50 million. Read more <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/ftx-bankruptcy-judge-approves-sale-of-ledgerx" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>. 
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<h3 class="customH3" style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:11px;">
🚀 New Project Developments
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	Axie Infinity Origins Season 4 is now live. The mechanic updates shared by the team in April are live and will allow users to complete entire daily and weekly missions, win $AXS rewards, and make the matches more competitive. Read more <a href="https://blog.axieinfinity.com/p/s4origins" style="text-decoration:none;">here.</a> 
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zkRollup launches on Aztec Netowork and introduces the 2024 roadmap for the testnet rollout. The vision behind the launch is to create a trustless, scalable, and decentralized Layer 2, enabling private smart contract execution. Read more <a href="https://medium.com/aztec-protocol/aztec-the-hybrid-zkrollup-a90a197bf22e" style="text-decoration:none;">here</a>.  
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Immutable announces decentralized payment solution - Immutable Checkout. The new payment solution will manage the entire game and the marketplace payment process. Immutable has already formed strategic alliances with Polygon, OpenSea, Square Enix, and Unity. Read more <a href="https://cryptotvplus.com/2023/05/immutable-introduces-a-payment-solution-for-games-and-marketplace/" style="text-decoration:none;">here.</a>
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🔍 More Featured Stories…
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Alibaba Cloud builds launchpad for businesses to deploy metaverses on Avalanche rapidly. The end-to-end solution aims to allow businesses to seamlessly customize, launch, and maintain their own metaverse space. Read more <a href="https://www.binance.com/en/news/flash/7540011" style="text-decoration:none;">here.</a>
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Weekly Market Review - May 12th

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