This is Europe’s Most Crypto-Curious Country

 Dua Crypto determined that the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Switzerland are the most crypto-curious nations in Europe.

According to Dua Crypto’s research, The Netherlands rank as the most interested European nation in cryptocurrencies. Russia (where the local central bank is predominantly negative on the asset class) is at the bottom of the list.

Bitcoin (BTC) is the most popular digital currency in most countries, while Dogecoin (DOGE) is second.

Swift’s phase two CBDC pilot program takes flight

 Swift’s phase two CBDC pilot program is set to revolutionize cross-border payments by exploring the potential benefits and challenges of integrating digital currencies with Swift’s platform.

Swift, the long-standing financial messaging network, has announced plans to begin its phase two pilot program following the positive results from the first phase. The pilot is aiming to test the potential use cases for the central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in Swift’s platform.

Mixed Signals for Crypto in Thailand Despite Tax Breaks

 The government of Thailand is preparing a series of tax breaks and incentives for crypto companies that issue digital tokens.

On Feb. 7, Reuters reported that the Thai Finance Ministry will waive corporate income tax and value-added tax for firms that conduct initial coin offerings (ICOs) for investment.

According to government spokespeople, companies will have access to alternative methods of raising capital through token issuance in addition to traditional methods.

Chainlink Whale moves $79.7m LINK in 11 minutes

 Crypto market intelligence platform Santiment on Mar. 3 detected three large whale transactions totaling $79.7m on the Chainlink (LINK) platform.

Transactions valued at $79.7 million

263 Days Later: Some Celsius Customers Can Withdraw Their Funds

 Whitelisted accounts will be able withdraw 94% of their original funds.

The bankrupt cryptocurrency lending firm Celsius announced the reopening of Distributable Assets in certain Custody Accounts.

Following the update, some customers took to social media to reveal being able to withdraw funds for the first time since the lender halted its services last June.

The development comes a month after the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York authorized Celsius to reopen withdrawals for certain customers with assets held in Custody Accounts.

The Sandbox Suffers Security Breach: Users Targetted via Phishing Email

No further impacts have been identified so far.

Blockchain-based metaverse company – The Sandbox – has warned its users about a security breach through a malware application.

According to the official blog post, an unauthorized third party managed to gain access to the computer of one of its employees and used the information it found to send an email falsely claiming to be from The Sandbox. Its statement read:

“We have blocked the employee’s accounts and access to The Sandbox, reformatted the employee’s laptop, and reset all related passwords including requiring two-factor authentication. We have not identified any further impacts.”

Investigator claims Bitbns said $7.5m hack was system maintenance

 Twitter crypto sleuth ZachXBT has alleged that Indian crypto exchange Bitbns suffered a $7.5 million hack last month but covered it up by performing “system maintenance.”

According to the investigator, the hack occurred on Feb. 1, and the attacker made off with customer assets worth $7.5 million.

Bitbns CEO admits hacking occurred