Xapo CEO, Wences Casares, described cryptocurrency as “an intellectual experiment” that might still fail, in a recent interview with Bloomberg. However, he further stated that the experiment was more likely to succeed, although the results are still several years away. Experimental Casares, the Argentinian entrepreneur known as ‘patient zero’ for his role in promoting bitcoin within Silicon Valley, says that the experiment may work or may not work. However, he points out that the experiment is happening right now, so it’s worthwhile paying attention. He certainly feels that the experiment is…
Read MoreMonth: October 2018
Coinbase Raises $300 Million, Reaching $8 Billion Valuation
The San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange and brokerage service Coinbase announced on Tuesday that it had raised $300 million in series E equity funding. This latest round confirms Coinbase’s status as the largest cryptocurrency organization of its kind, bringing its market valuation up to $8 billion. Also read: Bitstamp Confirms Acquisition by South Korean Company Coinbase Raises More Funds in Order to Expand Global Efforts Coinbase has raised more money this month after raising $100 million in August in a series D funding round. The company announced on Oct. 30 that the…
Read MoreRussia’s Financial Watchdog to Oversee the Cryptocurrency Industry
Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service has revealed that it will regulate cryptocurrency-related transactions in the country, with a senior official saying that the agency will also oversee the broader cryptocurrency industry, in accordance with recommendations issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Also read: Ukraine Plans to Fully Legalize Cryptocurrencies Within Three Years Rosfinmonitoring to License Exchanges and ICO Platforms Rosfinmonitoring, as the regulator is known in Russia, plans to register, license and monitor cryptocurrency exchanges, crowdfunding platforms and providers of wallet services for digital assets, Russian media outlets…
Read MoreJapan’s Financial Regulator Says Stablecoins Are Not Cryptocurrencies
The lack of uniformity in stablecoins has led Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) to conclude that stablecoins are not cryptocurrency. Not All Digital Assets Are Created Equal Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) recently announced that it does not believe stablecoins should be classified in the same category as cryptocurrencies. According to Japan’s Payment Services Act and the Fund Settlement Law, cryptocurrencies are considered a method of payment that users do not need to pay taxes for. Meanwhile, stablecoins do not meet these criteria as the majority of the current dollar…
Read MoreHow to Easily Give BCH as Gifts in Halloween Trick-or-Treat Packages
If you want to see cryptocurrency adopted by more people, one of the best ways to personally ensure that happens is to simply give away samples to anyone you can. And Halloween presents us with an excellent opportunity to spread the knowledge and passion to the next generation. Also Read: The Daily: Startup Raises $30M, Crypto Used to Fight Plastic Pollution Crypto Halloween There are a few ways to add a crypto gift alongside the candy you give away to trick or treaters, such as preloaded plastic gift cards or…
Read MoreBittrex Segregates US Traders With Launch Of International Exchange
US-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex confirmed it was relaunching its Bittrex Malta platform as a new exchange for non-US traders. US Traders To Stay On Bittrex.com In a press release and blog post, executives confirmed its new Bittrex International would host all its non-US users when it launched following a “brief evaluation process.” US residents will use a segregated Bittrex.com platform, which will not feature some new tokens available to International account holders. “All customers will continue to have access to all of the same tokens, trading pairs and wallets on…
Read MoreChina Seeks Public Feedback on Draft DLT Regulations
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has announced that it will accept public feedback through Nov. 2 on draft rules it recently published to regulate blockchain projects, but the proposed legislation has already drawn a mixed response from distributed ledger technology (DLT) analysts. Also Read: Bitstamp Confirms Acquisition by South Korean Company Strict Rules for DLT Users The CAC said it has designed the proposed rules to uphold national security and protect the interests of companies and the general public, while facilitating the development of the blockchain industry. The guidelines require real-name…
Read MoreThe Daily: Security Startup Raises $30M, Crypto Used to Fight Plastic Pollution
In today’s edition of The Daily, we focus on an Israeli crypto security startup that has raised $30 million in funding from a number of notable companies. We also look at how tokens are being used to clean up the environment, as well as efforts by major auditing firms to service clients in the cryptocurrency field. Also Read: Survey: 60% of US Voters Want Crypto Political Donations to Be Legal Israel Grows as Crypto Development Hub Starkware, an Israel-based startup developing zero-knowledge proof technology to improve the scalability and privacy…
Read More3.2 GB Block Sizes: Developers Bash Bitcoin Climate Change Study as ‘Fake News’
Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd joined the backlash against a “fake news” report about Bitcoin’s impact on global warming October 29. This occurred after multiple appearances in mainstream media publications. Nature‘s ‘Naive Assumptions’ Originally published by Nature, the brief report claims that Bitcoin (BTC) 00 mining could help increase temperatures by over 2 degrees Celsius within just “11 years” depending on Bitcoin’s rate of adoption. “Bitcoin is a power-hungry cryptocurrency that is increasingly used as an investment and payment system,” an excerpt of the paper reads. Here we show that…
Read MoreMalwarebytes Forum User Discovers a Crypto Tracker App That Secretly Installed Backdoors in Macs
An astute Malwarebytes forums user recently noticed that a crypto price tracker application, called CoinTicker, covertly installed backdoors in Mac computers. A recent blog post from Malwarebytes’ Thomas Reed, Director of Mac & Mobile, explains how a contributor on the Malwarebytes forum going by the name 1vladimir noticed an app called CoinTicker was secretly installing two different backdoors onto computers after download. Just spent my Sunday afternoon and evening analyzing some new Mac malware and working on a blog post. The life of a security researcher… (And, of course, I enjoyed…
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