Welcome, this is The Crypto Explorer, your crypto tour guide.

There is a lot going on in crypto land, but however strange, we're here to keep you updated.

Here’s what we got for you today:

• 🤔 Is SBF Behind BALD Liquidity Rug Pull?

• 🗣️ Uber CEO Reveals Cryptocurrency Plans!

• 🧱 Around The Block: Coinbase says SEC did not recommend delisting cryptocurrencies before the lawsuit.

🤔 Is SBF Behind BALD Liquidity Rug Pull?

Buckle up, folks. We have yet another “rug pull” on our hands!

And this time around, it involves the BALD token, which was part of the Base crypto project launched by Coinbase recently.

Just yesterday, traders rushed to buy new tokens running on the network using the decentralized exchange LeetSwap.

But now, it looks like there’s been a rug pull with one of the new tokens—BALD after an unknown developer withdrew all liquidity from the BALD meme coin on Ethereum's layer-2 network Base.

And who’s to blame for this?

Blockchain watchers speculate that the culprit behind this move may be former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, who is currently under house arrest and has limited internet access.

Here’s why:

• Cinneamhain Ventures partner Adam Cochran stated that the BALD developer is likely linked to SBF (Sam Bankman-Fried) or someone from Alameda Research, citing similarities in wallet addresses involved with SushiSwap in the past.

• A crowdsourced investigation on Reddit suggests that the BALD developer's wallet received deposits from FTX and Alameda over two years, with a balance of 12,331 ETH (approximately $22 million).

• Pseudonymous investor Hype notat specific phrases used by the BALD Twitter account that resemble Bankman-Fried's posts, and on-chain activity aligning with his court and bail dates. (See his analysis here).

• A Twitter user pointed out that an address that frequently made deposits into the BALD deployer's Binance wallet appears to be one of the wallets that triggered the catastrophic depeg of Terra USD back in May of last year.

It seems to be mostly circumstantial evidence at best, but if it’s true, would anyone really be surprised?😒

SBF is like a scam addict. He just can't stop doing it.🙄

He may very well continue rugging us even when he is behind bars!

But alas, not everyone thinks SBF is to blame for this rug pull.

Some believe that it couldn’t be SBF because his bail conditions don’t allow him access to a smartphone or laptop, while others agree that the culprit is someone from Alameda.

Read the full story here.

🗣️ Uber CEO Reveals Cryptocurrency Plans!

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently stated that they will be able to accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments in the future.

In his words:

He certainly had us all until he said, “when the time comes" 🙄

We wonder if it’s only PR or an actual meaningful statement because too many companies have been saying stuff without putting their money where their mouth is over the years.😡

In any case, we believe that everything will accept crypto as a payment method eventually; it's just a matter of time!

🧱 Around The Block: Coinbase says SEC did not recommend delisting cryptocurrencies before the lawsuit

• Coinbase says SEC did not recommend delisting cryptocurrencies before the lawsuit.

• Police Arrest Suspect in Crypto Millionaire’s Murder.

• BALD token developer denies rug pull as price falls 85% post-launch.

• Tether Holds $3.3 Billion In Excess Reserves: Q2 2023 Report.

That's all we've got for you today.

Please don't forget to rate today's email and let us know what you like about it.

In any case, see you tomorrow, or on Twitter, if you're there: @danielakpobare

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell assets or make financial decisions. Please be NEW”