Game tokens seize spotlight

Game tokens are not playing around.

Axie Infinity (AXS), the governance token for the Pokémon-like Axie Infinity blockchain game, has risen 31% over the past 24 hours as of Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. (EST). The 95th-largest crypto in terms of market capitalization is at the forefront of the burgeoning "play to earn" trend. AXS has gained nearly 200% over the past week. At last check, AXS had passed Go, collected what it was owed and was trading near $13.50.

Also rallying is 83rd-largest crypto, Decentraland (MANA), which shot up 17.5% on Wednesday. MANA is trading at roughly $0.72. That's 55% off its all-time high reached in May. Decentraland is a decentralized virtual reality world, powered by Ethereum, and where token holders buy land and develop it, and generally immerse themselves into applications and content built not by game developers but by other users.

Not left out of the fun: Enjin Coin (ENJ), a token associated with blockchain-based gaming platform Enjin. It rose 11% to $1.31.

Yesterday’s spotlight on DeFi cryptos seems to have naturally veered toward gaming-related tokens, Decrypt said.

Amidst all of Tuesday's rocking and rolling in the DeFi corner of the cryptosphere, it was hard not to notice Polkadot (DOT) struggle to remain merely flat, even as the likes of Aave (AAVE) and Compound (COMP) were killing.

As of Wednesday, AAVE fell 2.5% over 24 hours; COMP fell 5%.

DOT, meanwhile, has risen 9% compared to this time yesterday. From laggard to leader, DOT is closing in on $17.

In mid-May, DOT got to nearly $50; it has since shed 66%.

By now we've grown accustomed to Bitcoin moving sideways, going nowhere, a bored, frustrated figure skater practicing half of a figure eight by way of a sparse patch of ice on the front lawn, and yet ... look, there, beyond the short-term symmetrical triangle pattern – might that be a massive upside move in the making?

Failing to surpass $35,600–$36,000 in recent weeks, BTC settled lower (in the vicinity of $33,500) but then rebounded, coiling inside the triangle pattern. Early today, about 8:45 a.m. (EST), BTC was just shy of $35K.

Look for the apex of the triangle to draw near, and trading volume to decrease, a confluence of activity that typically takes place before a massive move (CryptoPotato).

Binance has a new director of compliance. Jonathan Farnell joins from eToro where he held senior compliance roles.

Expect more such hires.

The global crypto exchange operator finds itself firmly in the crosshairs of regulatory authorities around the globe.

In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) put Binance on its “don’t conduct any activities” list. Taking a cue, Barclays said it was blocking customers from making payments to Binance.

Regulators in Singapore, Malta, the Cayman Islands and Thailand all are closing in.

“Compliance is a journey,” said Binance’s CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, adding that he welcomes more regulation as a sign of crypto coming into its own.

The company is now seeking to hire a former UK regulator or government official in order to garner some compliance clout (CoinDesk).

Residents living near the largest of Western New York’s Finger Lakes are giving Bitcoin mining the middle finger.

Their ire is being directed at a gas-fired power plant, Greenidge Generation, and its private equity enabler, Atlas Holdings.

Looking to maximize its investment in the facility, Atlas has turned Greenidge into a BTC mining operation, with computers running nonstop, creating a surge in electrical output.

Greenidge has a permit to dump 135 million gallons of water per day into the Keuka Lake Outlet which can get as hot as 108 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the summer, according to the New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. That water eventually makes its way to Seneca Lake, a 12,000-year-old sparkling glacial wonder teeming with rainbow trout.

The power plant's CEO Jeff Kirt has said that "the environmental impact of the plant has never been better."

No, lake temperatures are soaring, cry residents who recently staged a protest.

Abi Buddington, who lives in the area, told NBC News the “lake is so warm you feel like you’re in a hot tub.”