**Top Stories of the Week**
1. **Musk’s Twitter Deal**
Elon Musk is moving forward with his plan to buy Twitter for $44 billion after initially expressing concerns about the platform’s financial transparency and prevalence of fake accounts.
2. **EU Bans Cross-Border Payments from Russian Crypto Accounts**
As tensions rise in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the European Union has imposed a ban on crypto transactions between its members and Russia, regardless of the transaction size.
3. **SWIFT’s Breakthrough with CBDC Experiments**
SWIFT has successfully tested interoperability between central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), allowing global connectivity for these digital assets.
4. **Fastest-Growing Crypto Markets in the MENA Region**
The Middle East and North Africa region experienced significant crypto growth, with transaction volumes reaching $566 billion, marking a 48% increase from the previous year.
5. **FTX and Visa Partner for Crypto Payments**
Crypto exchange FTX has collaborated with Visa to introduce a feeless debit card, fulfilling a long-term goal of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, available in 40 countries.
**Winners and Losers**
Bitcoin is priced at $19,604, Ether at $1,336, and XRP at $0.49. Casper (CSPR) led as the top gainer, while UNUS SED LEO (LEO) experienced the most significant loss.
**Memorable Quotations**
Various industry leaders reflect on topics like bankruptcy, NFTs, digital art ownership, financial goods on blockchain, and understanding the impact of Bitcoin and Ethereum in the future.
**Prediction of the Week**
Potential shifts in the stock market could present opportunities for profitable outcomes for Bitcoin traders amidst ongoing price fluctuations and market uncertainties.
**FUD of the Week**
Kim Kardashian faces penalties from the SEC for promoting EthereumMax without disclosing sponsorship, while BNB Chain was briefly suspended due to a cross-chain exploit.
**South Korean Terra Incident**
A judge in South Korea dismissed an arrest warrant for an individual linked to the Terra project collapse, amid ongoing regulatory investigations.
**Best Cointelegraph Features**
Insights from experts on the crypto market’s resilience, the evolving NFT space, and upcoming regulatory decisions impacting Ethereum globally.
