The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the  Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Treasury Department have warned of the threat posed by cryptocurrency thefts and tactics used by the North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group.

Cryptocurrency startup Blockchain.com is reportedly interviewing banks for an initial public offering (IPO) that could come as soon as this year. Blockchain.com recently reached a $14 billion valuation in a Series D round.

A recently launched Ethereum-based project called Moonbirds has taken the top spot when it comes to non-fungible token (NFT) sales after generating more than $290 million in volume in just four days.

Sponsored: The Invictus suite of funds offered commendable performance in a quarter marked by heightened volatility in the Bitcoin and broader cryptoasset market. All five of the Invictus funds registered positive returns for the quarter, with the vast majority outperforming their benchmarks. 

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• North Korean Actors are Targeting Crypto Companies, U.S. Gov Warns
• Blockchain.com Plans IPO as Early as This Year
• Moonbirds Take NFT Top Spot After $290 Million Sales in Four Days
• Chart of the Week: The Rise of AVAX Subnets
• Sponsored: Invictus Capital continues to deliver an uninterrupted path of growth across all its funds

North Korean Actors are Targeting Crypto Companies, U.S. Gov Warns

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Treasury Department have warned of the threat posed by cryptocurrency thefts and tactics used by the North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group.

The group, which is also often referred to as APT38, BlueNoroff, and Stardust Chollima, was recently linked by the Treasury Department to the $625 million theft of cryptocurrency from the Ronin bridge, linked to the popular play-to-earn game Axie Infinity.

According to the U.S. government, North Korean cyber actors are targeting a wide range of crypto and blockchain companies, including exchanges, decentralized finance protocols, play-to-earn games, venture capital funds, and individual holders.

The U.S. government’s organizations advised companies and individuals in the crypto space to guard against social engineering attempts by patching all systems, prioritizing patching known exploited vulnerabilities, and training users.

Blockchain.com Plans IPO as Early as This Year

Cryptocurrency startup Blockchain.com is reportedly interviewing banks for an initial public offering (IPO) that could come as soon as this year. Blockchain.com recently reached a $14 billion valuation in a Series D round.

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that the IPO may not happen until next year and the company’s plans may still change. The company, founded in 2011, competes with Coinbase and other exchanges by offering users cryptocurrency wallet and exchange services.

The company also recently acquired Altonomy’s over-the-counter trading desk, and closed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys to become the National Football League (NFL) team’s first crypto-related sponsor.

Earlier this month, Blockchain.com launched an asset management service aimed at institutional and high net worth investors.

Moonbirds Take NFT Top Spot After $290 Million Sales in Four Days

A recently launched Ethereum-based project called Moonbirds has taken the top spot when it comes to non-fungible token (NFT) sales after generating more than $290 million in volume in just four days.

The project consists of 10,000 computer-generated pixel owl NFT avatars, which were  sold on April 16 for a mint price of 2.5 ETH.  Their minimum average sale – their floor price – has since exploded on secondary markets, with OpenSea showing 18.45 ETH per Moonbird.

Available data shows the project’s sales figures have seen it surpass other top collections over the last 24 hours, including Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Beanz, and Azuki.

One of Moonbirds’ NFTs has fetched the ninth-largest sale of all NFT collections over the past week, changing hands for 135 ETH worth over $4,000,000.

Chart of the Week: The Rise of AVAX Subnets

Activity on the Avalanche network has surged over the last few months and led to the launch of its first subnet, DFK, leading to a further increase in activity.

On April 2, the number of combined transactions in AVAX C-Chain and DFK subnet surpassed the number of transactions in Ethereum for the first time in its history.

Invictus Capital continues to deliver an uninterrupted path of growth across all its funds

The Invictus suite of funds offered commendable performance in a quarter marked by heightened volatility in the Bitcoin and broader cryptoasset market. All five of the Invictus funds registered positive returns for the quarter, with the vast majority outperforming their benchmarks. The simple average return across our suite of funds was 10.7% for the quarter, which is equivalent to an annualized return of 50%.

• The Crypto10 Hedged (C10) fund offered the greatest returns over the quarter at 23.91%, far outstripping its benchmark of 1.66% and Bitcoin at 12.36%. 

• Crypto20, the flagship fund, had a stellar year registering a return of 334.98%, it significantly outperformed its Top 20 equally weighted benchmark, which rose 261.92%.

• The Invictus Bitcoin Alpha (IBA) fund  managed to outperform Bitcoin throughout the fourth quarter, marking a total return of 14.56%, accompanied by significantly less volatility.

• The Hyperion venture capital fund continued on its impressive run, appreciating a further 5.05% off the back of a Quantfury dividend and Syntropy revaluation. The large dividend received by Quantfury will allow for a healthy level of buy-and-burn activity on the IHF token over the coming months.

• Invictus Margin Lending (IML) Fund registered a 2.48% net return for the quarter against its 1.48% benchmark hurdle.

Invictus Capital is now on the cusp of a historic migration into a fully-regulated fund structure that will place us at the forefront of innovation within the asset management space. It should also bring our investors the peace of mind that comes with additional, 3rd-party oversight of our operations.

Disclaimer:

Cryptocurrency trading involves high risk, and is not suitable for all investors. Before deciding to trade cryptocurrencies, tokens or any other digital asset you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite.

Its content does not constitute financial advice. Please remember that the value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. If you are unsure of the suitability of your investment please seek advice.

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