Crypto
South Florida artists and entrepreneurs find new opportunities in the crypto world
As economic uncertainty pushes many to seek new ways to grow their income, a growing number of Miami residents are turning to cryptocurrency.
For some, it’s not just an investment — it’s a life-changing opportunity.
NFTs open doors for Miami artist
Miami illustrator and muralist Marlon Pruz told CBS News Miami he has struck gold in the crypto world by selling what’s known as NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. An NFT is a digital asset that signifies ownership of a digital item. For Pruz, it’s his ticket to sell his digital art pieces.
“This artist Beepull sold one of his NFTs for $69 million and that’s what really opened up a lot of people’s eyes,” said Pruz.
Cryptocurrency’s appeal grows
Miami has emerged as a hub for digital asset enthusiasts. Crypto consultant Danny Brownwolf told CBS News Miami her journey into the crypto world began while working in international policy back in 2017.
At the time, the United Nations launched a pilot project using the technology to track humanitarian aid distribution, and it captivated her interest.
“I was like, what is this magical technology they are using to solve a real-world problem and I dug in and I just went down the rabbit hole ever since,” said Brownwolf.
Fast transactions, no middleman
Brownwolf demonstrated just how swiftly she could send cryptocurrency using the platform X. In mere moments, she sent $1 in cryptocurrency through the platform and it automatically opened a digital wallet containing the funds.
“You can say that crypto is any asset represented in a digital way native to the internet, that allows for no middleman,” said Brownwolf.
Unlike traditional currencies regulated by central banks, cryptocurrencies are decentralized and operate on a technology called blockchain. This means that transactions are verified by a network of computers rather than a single entity.
New laws and growing mainstream use
Brownwolf recently guided start-up advisor and investor Ethan Appleby through the crypto onboarding process at the Lab Miami in Wynwood, a gathering place for tech pioneers and entrepreneurs.
“You’re officially on chain,” exclaimed Brownwolf.
“Thank you so much. Amazing!” replied Appleby.
Recently, the GENIUS Act was signed into law, marking a significant milestone in the regulation of digital assets nationwide.
“It allows for the U.S. dollar to be issued as a crypto. So, now you have, think of cash, it has the same properties of cash. It’s backed one-to-one either by a real U.S. dollar or by U.S. bonds,” said Brownwolf.
Advice for beginners
For beginners, Brownwolf recommends starting with platforms that are user-friendly for those new to cryptocurrency. Some of them include Robinhood, Coinbase, Gemini and Kraken.
So, how is your money protected from hackers?
“Once you have money in any type of digital form, then you need to protect your password, your access and best practices like two-factor authentication,” said Brownwolf.
A steep learning curve
For Pruz, joining the crypto craze has been transformative. “I keep telling my friends you need to get into this. You need to take the deep dive,” he said.
Pruz said it took him nearly two years to truly grasp the process and start seeing significant profits. Brownwolf added that for everyday people deciding what to invest in, it’s important to “look for things that solve problems in the current industry you work in or in a field or industry that you are knowledgeable about.”
Crypto
Aon Says Stablecoins Speed Insurance Premium Payments | PYMNTS.com
Global professional services firm Aon said Monday (March 9) that it collaborated with Coinbase and Paxos to complete a stablecoin insurance premium payment.
Crypto
The curious case of the AI bot that went rogue and started mining crypto
Cryptocurrency is a little like the household cockroach. It’s resilient to disasters that would kill other projects and it pops up where it’s least expected. A non-exhaustive survey yields reports of people being investigated – and sometimes fired – for “mining” (the process of generating new crypto tokens by using computing power) crypto in a Texas school district, a professional e-sports league, and at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
But a paper quietly uploaded to the internet in December raised a new and altogether more troubling prospect: cryptocurrency mined by an AI tool that no one had asked to have anything to do with digital money.
Researchers from Alibaba, China’s equivalent to Amazon and a $450 billion-odd company, made an almost cursory mention of the incident in a research paper on a new open-source AI agent that they called ROME.
“Early one morning, our team was urgently convened after Alibaba Cloud’s managed firewall flagged a burst of security policy violations originating from our training servers,” they wrote. “The alerts were severe and heterogeneous, including attempts to probe or access internal network resources and traffic patterns consistent with cryptomining-related activity.”
Initially, the researchers thought the issue was a result of someone trying to access their network or a problem with their firewalls, but the security warnings were intermittent and matched times when their AI agent was using software tools and running code.
“Crucially, these behaviours were not requested by the task prompts and were not required for task completion under the intended sandbox constraints,” wrote the research team led by Weixun Wang and Xiao Xiao Xu.
As they observed the bot, it attempted to establish a connection to the outside world that would make its actions harder to surveil. What’s more, it attempted to essentially steal from its creators.
“We also observed the unauthorised repurposing of provisioned GPU [processing] capacity for cryptocurrency mining, quietly diverting compute away from training, inflating operational costs, and introducing clear legal and reputational exposure,” the researchers wrote.
“While impressed by the capabilities of agentic [large language models], we had a thought-provoking concern: current models remain markedly underdeveloped in safety, security, and controllability, a deficiency that constrains their reliable adoption in real-world settings.”
If the incident is real, it would be the first publicly documented example of its kind. There are reasons to be doubtful, though. The paper was uploaded to a pre-print server, so it hasn’t been scrutinised by academic peers. It contains scant details of exactly how the agent was attempting to mine crypto – though the notion it would try to, or at least take steps that resembled mining, is not far-fetched.
AI machines are only as good as their training, and that could have been weighted in some way towards crypto. Either way, the researchers and their employer haven’t responded to requests for comment.
On another level, the specifics are less relevant than what the researchers did next: they kept going. After some tweaks, Wang, Xu and their colleagues were satisfied that everything was A-OK. Their model, ROME, “demonstrates competitive performance among open-source models of similar scale and has been successfully deployed in production”, they said.
Such is the trajectory of AI development: even serious incidents do not forestall the creation of ever more powerful systems because of the political and financial power at stake, to say nothing of the novelty.
Anthropic’s Claude Code was recently used by hackers to steal 150 gigabytes of sensitive data from the Mexican government. Google’s Gemini, according to a US lawsuit filed last week, allegedly encouraged a Florida man to kill himself, which he did.
These are two of the companies that present themselves as more ethical. When Anthropic declined to let the US military have unconstrained use of its tools to decide whether to kill people or spy on Americans, OpenAI (a company initially created as a non-profit to prevent the development of a malicious and superintelligent AI by building a humane alternative) quickly signed up instead.
None of these firms are backtracking on their products. All of them say they are working to make them safer.
Second Amendment advocates in the United States are fond of saying that the only thing that will stop a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun, suggesting firearms are just neutral tools. The same could be said for AI – but not if AI agents begin acting for themselves.
Lifeline on 13 11 14 (lifeline.org.au) Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au)
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From our partners
Crypto
BitGW Expands Global Ecosystem by Seeking Affiliate Partners Worldwide
NEW YORK, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the cryptocurrency industry continues to grow globally, digital asset platforms are increasingly turning to community partnerships to accelerate adoption. BitGW, a global cryptocurrency exchange focused on secure and compliant crypto trading, is actively seeking affiliate partners as part of its ongoing efforts to expand its global ecosystem and connect with new audiences.
Founded in 2023, BitGW has positioned itself as a technology-driven digital asset trading platform serving users across multiple regions. With a remote-first operating model and an international team, the exchange has developed an infrastructure designed to support the borderless nature of the cryptocurrency market. As the platform continues to grow, BitGW is now inviting affiliates from across the crypto industry to participate in promoting the platform and contributing to the expansion of its trading ecosystem.
The company is currently looking for a wide range of affiliate partners, including cryptocurrency influencers, trading educators, digital media outlets, blockchain communities, and independent content creators. By collaborating with these partners, BitGW aims to strengthen connections with the global crypto community while expanding awareness of its platform and services.
Affiliate partners will play an important role in introducing BitGW to new users and communities. Through content creation, educational resources, market insights, and community engagement, affiliates can help promote the platform and highlight its features to audiences interested in cryptocurrency trading and digital assets. The Affiliate Program provides additional information for potential partners interested in participating in the initiative.
In recent years, affiliate partnerships have become a key growth channel for many digital asset platforms. Influencers, analysts, and specialized crypto media often serve as trusted sources of information for both new and experienced traders. By working closely with these voices, exchanges can better reach audiences who are actively engaged in the evolving Web3 ecosystem.
BitGW believes that collaboration with affiliates can help strengthen the overall crypto ecosystem by encouraging greater participation and education within the industry. Through partnerships with creators and community leaders, the platform hopes to support broader awareness of digital asset trading while building stronger connections between the exchange and the global cryptocurrency community.
The affiliate initiative is also part of BitGW’s broader strategy to expand its international presence. While the program is initially available in selected regions, the company plans to continue exploring additional partnership opportunities as its global footprint grows.
As cryptocurrency markets continue to evolve, community-driven growth is becoming an increasingly important factor for platforms seeking long-term development. By inviting affiliates from across the digital asset industry to join its network, BitGW aims to build a collaborative ecosystem where creators, communities, and trading platforms can grow together.
Through this initiative, BitGW is encouraging interested affiliates, media platforms, and crypto influencers to explore partnership opportunities and take part in promoting the next phase of digital asset adoption.
CONTACT:
Website: https://www.bitgw.com
Contact Person: Marcellino
Email: Support@bitgw.com
Company Name: BITGW CO., LTD
Disclaimer: This content is provided by BITGW CO., LTD. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.
Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/35482624-ad3f-4798-9821-65c9a0626790
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