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Austria's Erste Bank Awards Ethereum Projects in Startup Contest

Two ethereum projects won plaudits at a recent startup contest sponsored by Austria-based Erste Bank.

Updated Dec 12, 2022, 12:43 p.m. Published Dec 6, 2016, 5:21 p.m.
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Austrian bank Erste Bank sponsored a blockchain startup contest, awarding the teams behind two ethereum-focused projects.

The two winning projects were Etherisc, an automated insurance tool, and Status, a mobile-based browser that combines support for payments and decentralized applications. Each team received €5,000, paid in ether.

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Three additional submissions, out of dozens submitted from 29 countries worldwide, received prizes in bitcoin worth €1,670. These were Bernstein (anonymous documentation tool), Minebox (decentralized cloud support) and Helperbit (decentralized insurance and donation platform). A total of 20 finalists were initially selected, the bank said in a 30th November announcementhttps://www.erstegroup.com/en/news-media/presseaussendungen/2016/11/30/winners-blockchain-startup-contest.

In statements, Erste Bank suggested that it was sponsoring the contest in support of its current investigation of blockchain, which the institution indicated could ultimately lead to new kinds of client-facing services.

Petia Niederländer, the bank’s head of retail and corporate operations, said of the contest:

“As one of the sponsors of the Blockchain Startup Contest, Erste Group is particularly pleased at the fact that all of the many interesting submissions for this competition have a similarly strong focus on the customer.”

Other firms involved in the organization of the contest include Austrian energy firm Energie Steiermark, eCounting, Kapa Ventures and BlockchainHub Granz.

Image Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com

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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

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  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

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Bitcoin pushes above $90,000 as traders eye change in pattern

A Wall Street banks's take on crypto. (Midjourney/Modified by CoinDesk)

Particularly hard-hit in 2025's final sessions, crypto-related stocks are bouncing in this year's first trading day.

Bilinmesi gerekenler:

  • Bitcoin rose above $90,000 during U.S. trading hours on Friday.
  • It's a notable change in trend, as crypto prices late in 2025 were typically on the defensive while American stocks traded.
  • Strategy, Coinbase, Hut 8 and Galaxy Digital were among the crypto-related stocks seeing strong gains.