The number of Ethereum addresses with a non-zero balance has hit a new all-time high above 71.3 million, surpassing a previous high of 51.49 million seen in December of last year.

Ethereum scaling solution Polygon has disclosed a patched “critical” vulnerability in its Proof-of-Stake genesis contract that could have allowed attackers to steal over 9.2 billion MATIC tokens, worth over $24 billion.

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone has announced that it plans to halt withdrawals to unverified external wallets in January. In an announcement, the firm said users have until January 23 to register external wallets at the exchange.

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Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Number of Non-Zero Ethereum Addresses Hits 71 Million Record
• Polygon Discloses Patched Bug That Put $24 Billion at Risk
• Crypto Exchange Coinone to Halt Withdrawals to Unverified Wallets
• What is a Gold-Backed Cryptocurrency?
• Sponsored: Christmas Fun with Bybit’s Jolly Jamboree

Number of Non-Zero Ethereum Addresses Hits 71 Million Record

The number of Ethereum addresses with a non-zero balance has hit a new all-time high above 71.3 million, surpassing a previous high of 51.49 million seen in December of last year.

The rise in Ethereum addresses with a balance has been attributed to a growing decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem on its network, along with the surging non-fungible token (NFT) market.

NFTs are blockchain-based tokens that can prove ownership of just about anything and have seen their popularity explode this year. Most NFTs are minted on the Ethereum blockchain, although some are launched on other networks including Solana.

The number of non-zero Ethereum addresses has been steadily growing since 2017, while the number of non-zero Bitcoin addresses has been fluctuating over the last few years.

Polygon Discloses Patched Bug That Put $24 Billion at Risk

Ethereum scaling solution Polygon has disclosed a patched “critical” vulnerability in its Proof-of-Stake genesis contract that could have allowed attackers to steal over 9.2 billion MATIC tokens, worth over $24 billion.

The vulnerability, which could have allowed for over 90% of MATIC’s supply to be stolen, was reported on the bug bounty platform Immunefi by a white hat hacker known as Leon Spacewalker.

After the bug was found, Immunefi quickly informed the Polygon team who confirmed it and moved to update the Polygon network. An initial update was deployed on the Mumbai testnet on December 4, before being deployed on the mainnet.

Ahead of the mainnet deployment, however, a malicious actor exploited the bug to steal 801,601 MATIC tokens, worth over $2 million. After the theft, a second white hat hacker, who has remained anonymous, submitted a report through Immuefi.

Polygon then released an emergency update with a hard fork taking place on December 5. The Polygon team awarded bug bounties worth $3.46 million, with Spacewalker receiving $2.2 million in stablecoins and the anonymous white hat hacker receiving 500,000 MATIC.

Crypto Exchange Coinone to Halt Withdrawals to Unverified Wallets

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone has announced that it plans to halt withdrawals to unverified external wallets in January. In an announcement, the firm said users have until January 23 to register external wallets at the exchange.

The exchange clarified that users can only register their own wallets and added that the verification process “may take some time” and could change in the future. In a bid to ensure transactions are “not used for illegal activities such as money laundering,” Coinone has planned to verify users’ names and resident registration numbers – issued to all residents of South Korea.

In March, the South Korean government implemented a previously approved bill requiring local crypto exchanges to meet authentication requirements and report on their operations within six months. Various local exchanges have since announced stronger know-your-customer and anti-money laundering checks.

What Is a Gold-Backed Cryptocurrency?

Gold has historically always held value. The precious metal isn’t just used as a component of decorative jewelry, it has often been used as a currency and an investment. Gold-backed cryptocurrencies essentially bring gold to the blockchain.

Bringing gold on to the blockchain makes it easier to transact with gold, and could even allow it to become an efficient medium of exchange. Nevertheless, gold-backed cryptocurrencies have historically struggled to gain widespread adoption.

In this guide, we explore why investors with exposure to cryptocurrencies would want a gold-backed cryptocurrency and the pros and cons of such a digital asset. We also list some of the top gold-backed cryptocurrencies in circulation.

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