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May 13
4

Crypto Market Recoveries

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? Bakkt Ready To Test Bitcoin Futures This July

MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019

Bakkt, the crypto initiative by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) which was first announced August 2018 is ready to launch testing for bitcoin futures trading July 2019. In their Medium post, Bakkt announced they will be working closely with ICE Futures U.S. Exchange, ICE Clear U.S. clearinghouse to ensure a successful launch as well as the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission to be complaint with federal regulations. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

?Binance To Reopen Deposits & Withdrawals On Tuesday

MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, will resume deposit and withdrawal services this Tuesday. The platform suffered a major hack on May 7, resulting in the theft of 7,070 bitcoins (worth $40 million) from the exchange’s hot wallets. In their official announcement, CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), shared the team has been working on adding a number of advanced security features with more details to be provided shortly. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Blockchain Watch

MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Apr 15
4

Crypto Cheers & Controversies

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⚖ FinCEN Penalizes Its First P2P Currency Exchanger

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

For the first time, the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has penalized a peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency exchanger for breaking anti-money laundering (AML) rules. FinCEN announced that the individual, Eric Powers, operated an unregistered money services business, did not have any written policies and procedures for compliance to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and failed to report and suspicious transactions. 

SOURCE: THEBLOCKCRYPTO

?? Coinnest Shuts Down

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

Coinnest, South Korea’s third largest cryptocurrency exchange, announced it will be officially closing down. The decision comes as a result of the exchange struggling to cope with changes in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. They advised users will need to withdraw any funds on its platform by April 30. 

A few controversies the exchange experienced dealt with in the past year may be cause for its shut down. This January, the exchange reportedly lost $5 million worth in bitcoin and other digital assets, due to a mistaken airdrop. Last year, a top-level executive from Coinnest were arrested by Korean law enforcement agents and later convicted for fraud. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Creator Sues Podcaster for Libel

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed creator of bitcoin, has sued podcaster Peter McCormack, of What Bitcoin Did, for libel. Wright accuses McCormack of denying he is Satoshi Nakamoto and is seeking nearly $130,000 in damages.

SOURCE: CCN

? Bakkt Eyes New York Licence For Crypto Custody

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) –  the owner of the New York Stock Exchange – is reportedly eyeing a New York license for its long-delayed crypto exchange Bakkt. The launch of Bakkt has been delayed by over five months due to scepticism from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over concerns of how clients’ tokens, linked to bitcoin futures, will safely be stored.

SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

⛓ Binance Chain Launches

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

Binance has officially launched its mainnet Binance Chain. The cryptocurrency exchange announced it will activate its native token, BNB, on the new network on April 23, allowing token holders to migrate their balances. In order to maintain a constant supply on both networks, old ethereum-based tokens will be destroyed as new BNB tokens are created on Binance Chain.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

⚖ Winklevoss Brothers Settle $26M Bitcoin Lawsuit

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have finally settled their lawsuit with Charlie Shrem, a bitcoin supporter and entrepreneur. Shrem claimed the Winklevoss twins owed him $26 million dollars worth of bitcoin. The U.S. District Court for the Sourthern District of New York announced a settlement has been reached by both parties. Both parties will have the right to reopen the case and proceed the trial within 30 days. 

SOURCE: BITCOINEXCHANGEGUIDE

? Coinbase Expands Crypto-to-Crypto Services to 11 Countries

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, introduced its Coinbase Pro trading platform to 11 more countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia including: Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Zealand.  The company announced that crypto-to-crypto trading is now available to users in 53 countries. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

?? Rakuten Opens Crypto Wallet Registration

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

Japanese e-commerce giant, Rakuten, has started accepting account registrations for its upcoming cryptocurrency wallet, Rakuten Wallet. The company announced that users who have an account with Rakuten Bank or who already have a Rakuten member ID can sign-up prior to the official trading launch this June. 

SOURCE: COINGEEK

❌ Kraken Delists Bitcoin SV Following Community Poll

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

Kraken, the U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, set up a Twitter poll yesterday, asking its users whether it should delist bitcoin SV. Voters took to the polls and it was a 71% majority in favour of delisting the asset. Kraken’s decision follows in the footsteps of Binance, who dropped the coin earlier this week due to its founder’s “antiethical behaviour.”

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? USDT Launches on Tron Network

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

Tether has begun issuing its USD-pegged stablecoin, USDT, on the Tron‘s TRC-20 protocol. The development is an upgrade from the OMNI protocol-based USDT. Existing users of USDT can directly convert their tokens to USDT-Tron by contacting Tether or through exchanges. The network intends to allow zero fee transactions for the new coin.

SOURCE: COINGAPE

❌ Binance Delists Bitcoin SV (BSV)

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has announced it is delisting bitcoin SV (BSV) starting April 22. The decision was made due to controversy around BSV’s founder, Craig Wright, who’s proclaimed he is the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. Wright has been unrelenting on Twitter, attacking users who refute his claim. CZ earlier warned Wright that he would delist the altcoin if he did not change his behaviour; Wright did not heed his threats.  

SOURCE: COINDESK

?  Blockchain Watch: Oh Whale

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Apr 08
4

Official Crypto Beginnings & Ends

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? Binance Labs Grants $45K To Three Blockchain Projects

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019

Binance Labs, a venture arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, granted $15,000 to each of its first 3 open-source Fellowship projects:

  • Ironbelly: a mobile crypto wallet from Grin blockchain,
  • HOPR: a privacy-preserving messaging protocol, and
  • Kitsune Wallet: an upgradeable on-chain wallet.

Binance Labs Fellowship helps fund and support open-source development projects that contribute and have infrastructure value to the blockchain ecosystem.

SOURCE: CRYPTONINJAS

? WikiLeaks Receives BTC Donation Worth $20,000

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019

WikiLeaks leader, Julian Assange, was arrested by United Kingdom police for extradition to the United States. Assange has sought asylum since 2012 at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, but Ecuador recently withdrew this status. 

Since Assange’s arrest, WikiLeaks has plead for donations from the public to contribute to its official defence fund. The fund has received $20,000 worth of bitcoin at the time of this writing. 

SOURCE: DAILYHODL

? Coinbase Vice President Leaves After 5 Years

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019

Coinbase, the U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, will say goodbye to executive and vice president, Dan Romero, at the end of this month. Romero has been with the company since 2014 when there was only 20 employees; they now have over 700.

The announcement was officially made through Coinbase’s Medium account, but does not share any specific reason for his departure. A total of nine senior and mid-level employees have left Coinbase since its fundraiser October of 2018. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Bakkt Hires Former Paypal & Google Exec For New Chief Product Officer

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019

Bitcoin futures exchange, Bakkt, has introduced their new Chief Product Officer (CPO), Mike Blandina, a former Paypal and Google senior engineer executive. Bakkt CEO, Kelly Loeffler, announced that Mike will lead efforts to “converge a trusted ecosystem for digital assets with payment use cases.”

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? 5th MakerDAO Poll To Increase in Stability Fee

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019

Users of MakerDAO‘s stablecoin, DAI, are taking to the polls for the fifth vote this year to further increase the stability fee another 4%; a total increase of 11.5% per year if approved. The polls end today at 5 PM UTC and the majority so far is in favour of the increase. DAI is an ERC-20-based stablecoin pegged 1:1 with the USD via issuance of Maker-administered collateralized debt positions. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

?? China To Proposes New Policy on Crypto Mining

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has published a draft proposal looking to restrict and/or eliminate virtual currency mining. It does not outright specify that mining should be banned, but says it’s necessary to control as the current industry heavily relies on fossil fuel energy which leads to increased environmental pollution. 

Half of all existing bitcoin mining operations occur in China. If the proposal were to become policy, it will not only alter environmental impacts of bitcoin mining, but also decentralised mining efforts: wider hash rate distribution, stronger network, and new mining locations using renewable energy.  

SOURCE: NEWSBTC

? Coinbase Card Launches in the U.K.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has launched Coinbase Card to allow users in the United Kingdom to spend cryptocurrencies in-stores or any online website. The card itself is a Visa card that works with any merchants on the Visa network.

Coinbase has also released a Coinbase Card mobile app to manage crypto balances. Users can directly access cryptocurrencies from their account, without needing to transfer assets from the main to card app. The card costs $6.50 and every transaction costs 2.49% in fees (1.49% conversion fee plus 1% transaction fee. 

SOURCE: TECHCRUNCH

❌New York Rejects BitLicense Application by Bittrex

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019

Seattle-based cryptocurrency exchange, Bittrex, was rejected by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) on their application for a  BitLicense. The NYDFS published a formal letter outlining all of the factors and deficiencies that contributed to their decision. This included Bittrex’s: inadequate BSA/AML/OFAC compliance program, inadequate coin/token due diligence, inadequate capital, and more. 

Bittrex has released their official statement in response to the NYDFS’ decision. The company has stated that at this time, they are unsure if they will reapply for the BitLicense. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Mt. Gox Creditors Leader Leaves Post

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

Founder and coordinator of Mt. Gox Legal, Andy Pag, has stepped down from the organized creditor group. Pag spearheaded the group 18 months ago with the intention of advocating for the reimbursement of creditors of the now defunct cryptocurrency exchange, Mt. Gox. Fast forward to today, Pag has shared in an interview that he believes ongoing legal issues – especially with former startup partner Coinlab – may hold up the civil rehabilitation process for up to two more years. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Western Union Partners With Digital Wallet

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

Money transfer giant, Western Union, has partnered with digital wallet provider, Coins.ph, to expand cross-border transfers to the users in the Philippines. Users can receive and hold international money transfers from Western Union’s digital and retail networks in more than 60 and 200 countries respectively. 

SOURCE: COINSPEAKER

✂ Bitfinex Removes Minimum $10K Balance Requirement

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Bitfinex, has removed its $10,000 minimum equity trading requirement. On their official blog, they advised the update is in response to increasing level of requests for access to trade on the exchange from a wide variety of traders. To support their new wave of customers, the company has redesigned their support centre, created a new KYC portal, and will start offering sentiment analysis for supported coins/tokens.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

⚖ QuadrigaCX Officially Declares Bankruptcy

MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019

On Monday, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that the Canadian-based cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX, will be entering bankruptcy. Since the end-of-January, QuadrigaCX has been operating under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) to get assistance reclaiming access to funds located in cold wallets. Currently, the company owes 115,000 users more than $195 million worth in both cryptocurrency and fiat.

SOURCE: COINDESK

?  Blockchain Watch: Oh Whale

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019
SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Mar 25
3

Crypto Exchanges: Make It Or Break It

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? Ripple Partners with $19 Billion Bank

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

Ripple Inc., has partnered with India-based commercial bank, Federal Bank to offer blockchain solutions for cross-border remittances. At the moment, it’s unclear whether cryptocurrency will be directly related as fiat to crypto trading is illegal in India. Federal Bank is estimated to be worth $19 billion dollars with access to 8 million customers. 

SOURCE: ETHEREUMWORLDNEWS

? FINMA Affirms Envion AG’s ICO Was Unlawful

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019

Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), has found Envion AG‘s ICO launch last July 2018 to be illegal. In their official report, it was discovered that the company accepted funds – in the form of bitcoin, ethereum, and USD – from over 37,000 investors and amounted to over 90 million francs.  

Envion was pitched as decentralized, clean energy for mobile mining units. EVN tokens were issued on cryptocurrency exchanges to its investors. The company has since been taken over by the Swiss Cantonal Court of Zug Switzerland, dissolved and ordered to be liquidated.

SOURCE: BITCOINIST

? CEDEX Secures $50M Worth of Diamonds for ETF

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

CEDEX, a blockchain-based trading platform, has secured over 6,000 diamonds, worth $50 million dollars, for the launch of its diamond exchange-traded fund (ETF). The platform uses blockchain technology and a proprietary algorithm that allows diamonds to become a tradable asset class like gold, overcoming challenges such as lack of transparency, liquidity and fungibility.

SOURCE: COINDESK

⚡ Zebpay Launches Bitcoin Lightning Network Integration

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

Zebpay, a Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange, will be the first platform to enable Lightning Network payments for its bitcoin users. Customers worldwide can use their BTC wallet balances through web, iOS, and Android apps to make Lightning transactions. 

SOURCE: DAILYHODL

? Kraken Enforces 2FA and Launches Security Lab

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019

U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, Kraken, ramps up its security by making two-factor authentication (2FA) mandatory for users. Currently, the two supported options for 2FA are Google Authenticator and YubiKey.

In their official blog post, Chief Security Officer, Nick Percoco, also announced the formation of Kraken Security Labs. The team will be dedicated to enhancing security of their environments and products. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Trustology Launches iPhone Crypto Wallet

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019

TrustVault, by Trustology, is now available for download from the Apple UK app store. The new iPhone cryptocurrency vault currently only supports ether but bitcoin and ERC-20 tokens will be added soon.

Unlike current typical cold wallets, it boasts a combination of hardware security modules (HSMs) with verification processes distributed among individuals at secure data centres. Users will be able to access funds within a matter of seconds. 

Trustology was founded by a team of technologists that previously worked at financial institutions including BNY Mellon, RBS, and Barclays. The company closed a seed round of $8 million last year. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

⚡ Huobi’s US Arm To Launch Lending, OTC Trading & Stablecoin

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019

Huobi Global’s U.S branch, HBUS, is organizing a new team headed by Katelyn Mew to develop solutions for its institutional investors. They will be focusing their time and resources creating services such as token lending, over-the-counter trading, and potential issuance of a Huobi stablecoin. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? DragonEx Crypto Exchange Has Been Hacked

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

Singapore cryptocurrency exchange, DragonEx, notified its users via Telegram that it suffered a hack. The cyberattack took place on Sunday, March 24 and resulted in theft from users and platform crypto assets. The crypto exchange administrator provided an update identifying 20 wallet addresses to where the stolen assets were transferred to: here. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Rakuten Granted License for New Crypto Exchange

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

Japanese e-commerce giant, Rakuten, has received licenses for its relaunched cryptocurrency exchange, Rakuten Wallet. The license was issued by the country’s Financial Service Agency (FSA), registering it as a virtual currency exchange service provider. Users can sign up for the new service on March 30, 2019. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

?? Yahoo!-Backed Crypto Exchange to Launch May

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, Taotao – formerly known as BitARG – is set to launch this May. Taotao is currently 40% owned by a subsidiary of Yahoo! Japan. Taotao will launch two cryptocurrencies on its platform: bitcoin and ethereum. Users will be able to leverage margin positions for ripple, bitcoin cash and litecoin. 

SOURCE: CRYPTOGLOBE

⛓ OKEx Launches New Blockchain Platform & DEX

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, OKEx, announced its latest projects including its new blockchain, OKChain, and decentralized platform, OKDEx.

OKChain is currently in its final stages of development and the testnet is set to launch June 2019. OKEx’s OKB token will start on the ERC-20 blockchain and migrate to the mainnet once it becomes ready. 700 million OKB tokens will be delayed for release between 2020 to 2022.

SOURCE: BITCOINEXCHANGE

? Seed CX Partners with Hydra X To Expand To Asia

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

United States cryptocurrency exchange, Seed CX, has partnered with Hydra X, a Singapore-based FinTech firm, to offer its services in Asia. The integration of Seed CX’s exchange platform with Hydra X’s trading platform, Sigma, will allow users to view prices, trade and monitor their portfolio, as well as gain access to a fiat-cryptocurrency gateway. 

SOURCE: BLOCKTRIBUNE

? eToro Lists Tron

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

eToro, the United Kingdom social trading platform, announced its listing for  Tron (TRX). This announcement comes after the company revealed it is offering its trading service in the United States. The platform currently lists 13 cryptocurrency assets including bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), ripple (XRP), litecoin (LTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), and stellar (XLM).

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

?  Blockchain Watch: Whale, Hello There

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Mar 17
4

Ready, Set, Crypto

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⚖ Mt. Gox Close to Settling Creditors’ Accounts

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019

Appointed trustee, Nobuaki Kobayashi, of the now defunct cryptocurrency exchange, Mt. Gox, issued a statement advising that those affected by the crash may see a decision very soon on their reimbursement plan. The expected settlement will be available in cryptocurrency or cash. Kobayashi has approved claims for 802,521 BTC (worth $3,233,256,500), 792,296 BCH ($124,953,000), $38,165,664 in USD and other fiat currencies as stipulated in this document.

SOURCE: CRYPTOVEST

✂  BlockFi Cuts Interest Rates Paid to 2% For Its Large Accounts

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019

A few weeks after launching, BlockFi, the cryptocurrency lending startup, has just changed the terms of their interest-bearing deposit account. The company stated in their official blog post that starting April 1, 2019 any accounts with more than 25 BTC or 500 ETH, they will only pay 2% on the amount deposited instead of the originally advertised 6%. Zac Prince, CEO and founder, advised the change is due an unexpected and overwhelmingly large demand from institution clients to deposit more than one million dollars worth of cryptocurrency. BlockFi raised $25 million in the last two weeks alone.

SOURCE: COINDESK

?Bayer Crop Science Partners With ConsenSys’ BlockApps

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019

Pharmaceutical giant, Bayer, and its German-based agricultural division, Bayer CropScience, have teamed up with startup BlockApps, backed by ConsenSys. The partnership was said to have begun early 2018 and they’ve been working on a number of blockchain initiatives to improve operation and the industry. Bayer CropScience was formerly known as Monsanto, the highly controversial agricultural company, before its acquisition.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

⚡ Huobi Global & OKEx Supports Tron-based USDT

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

Major cryptocurrency exchanges, Huobi Global and OKEx, have separately announced that they will be supporting the TRC20-based USDT stablecoin, USDT-TRON,launched by TRON and Tether. The new token will be operable with all Tron-based protocols and decentralized applications, improving liquidity in the ecosystem.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Square Hiring Crypto Engineers

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

CEO of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey, announced Square Crypto is seeking to hire three to four cryptocurrency engineers and one designer to build its upcoming crypto ecosystem. Dorsey has become a strong public proponent of bitcoin and cryptocurrency in the recent months. This initiative brings further optimism to the cryptocurrency community and the blockchain industry.

SOURCE: CCN

⛔ CBOE Discontinues Bitcoin Futures

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the first exchange to list bitcoin futures, has decided to stop listing the very same product. CBOE stated that it has not fully closed the door on cryptocurrency, but does not intend to list additional bitcoin futures for trading at the moment due to decreased demand.

SOURCE: FORBES

? Coinmarketcap Launches Crypto Indices on Nasdaq, Bloomberg and More

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019

CoinMarketCap, announced it will launching two cryptocurrency benchmark indices on Nasdaq Global Index Data Service (GIDS), Bloomberg Terminal, Thomson Reuters Eikon (Refinitiv), Germany’s Börse Stuttgart, and its own platform. The indices cover the top 200 by market capitalization. The first index, CMC Crypto 200 Index (CMC200), includes bitcoin and covers more than 90% of the cryptocurrency market. The second index, CMC Crypto 200 ex BTC Index (CMC200EX) does not include bitcoin, in order to track market performance without its influence. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

⚡ Huobi Launches Token Sale Platform

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019

Singapore cryptocurrency exchange, Huobi Global, announced on its blog that Huobi Prime, a dedicated token sale platform. The new platform is geared towards both large and small investors and allows individuals access to new altcoin tokens before they appear on major exchanges. The first project to launch is TOP and will take place on March 26, 2019. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Cryptopia’s Trading Service Resumes After Hack

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019

New Zealand cryptocurrency exchange, Cryptopia, announced it is resuming its trading service after its hack mid-January. An estimated of 9.4% of the exchange’s total holdings were stolen. Currently, 40 trade pairs have been evaluated as secure and this list will continue to grow as Cryptopia clears more coins. See the full list: here. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

?? Purchase Bitcoin Down Under With Binance Lite

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has expanded its Binance Lite fiat gateway to Australia. 1,300 newsagent stores will be ready and allow customers to buy cryptocurrency with regular fiat money. In order to use this service, customers will need to pass account verification, including Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures.

SOURCE: THENEXTWEB

?? Switzerland’s Largest Online Retailer Accepts Bitcoin

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

Digitec-Galaxus, Switzerland’s “Amazon”, is now accepting bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies as payment. Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Oliver Herren, says the company’s move to accept this form of payment method is to target a more tech-savvy audience and position itself as a forward-thinking company. The large online retailer has partnered with Coinify to process all cryptocurrency transactions. 

SOURCE: BITCOINIST

? Fortune 500 Company Accepts Crypto Payments

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

Fortune 500 company Avnet, one of the largest electronic components distributors worldwide, announced it will now accept bitcoin (BTC) or bitcoin (BCH) as payments for its products and services. Avnet partnered with payment platform, BitPay, who will aid with verifying funds, processing orders, and completing transactions.

SOURCE: ETHNEW

? IBM Signs 6 Banks Ready To Issue Stablecoin

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019

IBM officially launches its real-time global payments network, Blockchain World Wire (BWW), in collaboration with Stellar (XLM) is now live. IBM and Stellar announced that six international banks have signed up to issue their own stablecoins on the blockchain-powered payments network. BWW currently supports more than 47 currencies for payments across 72 countries.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

✋ Bitcoin Futures On the Bakkt Burner

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019

The highly anticipated bitcoin futures market, Bakkt, by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has yet to receive regulatory approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). ICE originally intended to launch the platform in mid-December, but has since delayed the project indefinitely.

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Blockchain Watch: Whale Hello There

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Mar 11
5

Crypto Launches & Previews

By | News | No Comments

? Bittrex Cancels Its First Initial Exchange Offering

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019

Crypto trading platform, Bittrex International, has cancelled its first public Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) for RAID tokens intended to take place today.  The decision came after Bittrex learned startup RAID ended its vital partnership with e-gaming data analytics company, OP.GG. In a swift move to protect its users, the IEO to raise $6 million dollars was cancelled hours before its launch. It still remains unclear the true relationship between RAID and OP.GG as statements from both parties conflict one another. 

SOURCES: CCN, BITTREX

⚖ Mt. Gox CEO Receives Suspended Jail Term

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019

The Tokyo District Court found Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of the now dissolved cryptocurrency exchange, Mt. Gox, guilty of tampering financial records, but innocent of embezzlement and breach of trust. Karpeles was given a suspended sentence of two and a half years, and will not have to serve jail time provided he does not commit another violation within 4 years. 

SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

? SEC Not Likely to Approve Bitcoin ETF Any Time Soon

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019

During CoinDesk’s Consensus: Invest event yesterday, Jay Clayton, the chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) highlighted key stances U.S. regulators currently have on the cryptocurrency space. Major takeaways from Clayton’s panel discussion include:

  1. bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETF) not likely to be approved soon
  2. regulated exchanges are needed to prevent price manipulation
  3. crypto trading requires anti-money laundering protections
  4. ICO-funded startups should go see the SEC, and
  5. courts may see ICO’s differently than regulators.

SOURCE: COINDESK

? USDT Not Entirely Backed By Fiat

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

Tether has quietly updated their website terms stating that the dollar-peggedstablecoin, USDT, is backed 100% by “reserves”, not only fiat. These reserves collectively consist of traditional currency, cash equivalents, and other assets and receivables from loans made by Tether to third parties. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Nasdaq Licences Framework to Cryptocurrency Ecosystem Developer

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

Nasdaq, has licensed its Nasdaq Financial Framework to Bcause, a cryptocurrency trading platform. Bcause will leverage Nasdaq’s technology for its spot trading activities such as clearing and “market surveillance.” Bcause’s spot market is set to launch during H1 2019.

SOURCE: BITCOIN.COM

? Thai Stock Exchange To Launch Digital Asset Platform in 2020

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) confirmed it is building a digital assets platform that is set to launch in 2020. President of SET, Pakorn Peetathawatchai, advised the platform is part of their 3-year strategic plan between 2019-2021, focusing on developing infrastructure and a “one stop” digital capital market. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Coinbase Pro Lists Stellar Lumens

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

Coinbase Pro has added support for Stellar Lumens (XLM), the eight largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. XLM trading will go through three stages – “transfer-only,” “post-only,” and “limit-only.” – before the fourth “full trading” stage commences. More details can be found on their official blog post. 

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

➡️ Coinbase Completes First OTC Trade From Cold Storage

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

Coinbase Custody has successfully conducted its first over-the-counter trade (OTC) directly from cold storage. On their blog, the cryptocurrency exchange stated that Custody is now directly integration with the OTC desk at Coinbase Pro and allowed for the completion of the OTC trade. Coinbase’s OTC desk launched quietly last year and its services are offered to accredited investors in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

SOURCE: BITCOINEXCHANGEGUIDE

⚖ QuadrigaCX’s CEO Used Personal Funds During 2018 Litigations

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

Gerald Cotten’s widow, Jennifer Robertson, revealed that the CEO of the Canadian crypto exchange, QuadrigaCX, had put personal funds into the exchange during its legal battle with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) in 2018. The major bank froze five accounts holding a total of $21.6 million and as such Cotten needed a way to fund customer withdrawals. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Binance’s Trust Wallet Now Supports XRP & Credit Card Payments

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

Trust Wallet, the official wallet of cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, now supports Ripple’s XRP token and credit card purchases. The wallet also currently supports bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), litecoin (LTC), bitcoin cash (BTC) as well as ethereum-based tokens such as ERC20, ERC223 and ERC 721. Users can now buy crypto directly with their credit cards, with payment being processed by Simplex. More details to be revealed on which major credit and debit cards will be accepted and if there are any fees associated.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Bittrex To Conduct Its First Initial Exchange Offering

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

Crypto trading platform, Bittrex International, will be launching its first public Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) through its platform on Friday, March 15. Bittrex users will be able to use bitcoin (BTC) to purchase RAID (XRD) tokens. There will be a hard cap of 17 billion XRD, worth $6 million dollars. RAID is a South Korean startup that is developing a blockchain-powered game data ecosystem. Full details of the IEO can be found here. 

SOURCES: CHEPICAP, BITTREX

? SEC Agrees With Analysis: Ether Is Not A Security

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

U.S. Security and Exchange Commisison (SEC) chairman, Jay Clayton, confirms staff analysis that ethereum and similar decentralized digital assets are not securities. In a letter to U.S. House representative, Tedd Budd, Clayton did not directly reference any specific cryptocurrencies, but rather stated he agreed with William Hinman, the SEC Director of Division of Corporate Finance, and his securities classification of crypto assets from June 2018.

SOURCE: CCN

?Ledger Reports On Trezor Wallets Vulnerabilities

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Ledger, the French hardware wallet manufacturer, released a report on the vulnerabilities of wallets from its direct competitor, Trezor. The report investigates the weaknesses of wallets Trezor One and Trezor T and highlights features that them susceptible to cyberattacks. The five vulnerabilities analyzed are: 

  1. Genuineness of the device
  2. Secure PIN protection
  3. Confidentiality of data inside the Trezor One
  4. Confidentiality of data inside the Trezor T
  5. Analysis of the cryptographic stack

SOURCES: COINTELEGRAPH, LEDGER

? Kakao’s Blockchain Unit Raises $90M

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Ground X, the blockchain unit of South Korean messaging giant, Kakao Corp ,raised $90 million dollars through a private coin offering. Ground X has partnered with 26 companies – including game developer Wemade, video-streaming service Watcha, and unit of travel agency Zanadu – to run applications on their platform. The platform is set to launch in June. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

? ‘Facebook Coin’ Could Generate $19B Revenue

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Barclays’ analyst, Ross Sandler, says the launch of Facebook’s digital currency, Facebook Coin, could add $19 billion dollars in revenue by 2021.  Sandler asserts that this will be a huge opportunity for the company to grow especially with the inclusion of a payment method for its premium content. Facebook currently has 3 million users, but the crypto community remains divided by the social media giant’s potential launch into the crypto space.

SOURCE: NEWSBTC

⚡Blockchain ETF Live on London Stock Exchange

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Invesco, partnered with London-based investment firm, Elwood Asset Management, to launch a blockchain exchange traded fund (ETF) on the London Stock Exchange. The new product, “Invesco Elwood Global Blockchain UCIT ETF,” targets companies with potential to generate real earnings from blockchain technology. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

Image courtesy of Wealth Management

?Samsung Galaxy S10 Wallet Supports ETH, ERC20 Tokens, dApps, But Not BTC

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

 The Samsung Blockchain Wallet on the upcoming Galaxy S10 phone will not support bitcoin (BTC), despite pre-released images. Currently, the native wallet is only compatible with ethereum (ETH) and other ethereum-based ERC20 tokens. At launch, the wallet will also support 4 decentralized apps: Enjin, Cosmee, CryptoKitties, and CoinDuck. 

SOURCE: COINDESK

?  SIX May Soon List Ripple (XRP) ETP

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Swiss stock exchange, SIX, may soon introduce ripple (XRP) exchange-traded product (ETP) following the now live bitcoin ETP and ethereum ETP tickers, ABTC and AETH, respectively. Amun AG, the crypto firm responsible for the existing crypto ETP listings on SIX, say they’re optimistic XRP ETP will be launched within the next two months under the ticker AXRP.

SOURCE: CHEPICAP

? Blockchain Watch: Well, Well, Whale

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

Over 27.9M XRP moved worth $8.8 million dollars

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019
MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Mar 03
3

Cryptocurrency Triumphs & Troubles

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? U.S. Authorities Charge Leaders of ‘OneCoin’

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

United States prosecutors announced criminal charges against leaders behind OneCoin, a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency pyramid scheme. Konstantin Ignatov, Ruja Ignatova, and Mark Scott were charged by the Southern District of New York for wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. An estimated $1.2 billion of investor money was laundered to at least 21 countries. 

SOURCE: NASDAQ

⏸  Fidelity May Delay Support for Ethereum

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

Fidelity Digital Assets (FDAS) advises support for ethereum (ETH) may be delayed due to the latest hard fork upgrades. FDAS quietly launched this quarter and is a new company created by investing giant, Fidelity Investments. FDAS president, Tom Jessop, says they want ether and other cryptocurrencies to be available but the process it’s easy. Bitcoin (BTC) is currently the only digital asset supported on the platform.

SOURCE: COINDESK

?? South Korea Establishes Task Force To Fight Crypto Fraud

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

South Korean’s Supreme Prosecutors’ Office(SPO) has created a new task force to protect consumers from fraud, crimes, money laundering, and other suspicious activities related to digital currencies. Cryptocurrency related crimes in the country have risen from 53 in 2016 to 4,500 in 2018. 

SOURCE: COINGEEK

⚙️ OKEx Lists Tron On C2C Market

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, OKEx, adds Tron (TRX) to its customer-to-customer (C2C) trading platform. The decentralized C2C platform allows users to trade assets directly with one another. In addition, users can place orders with self-selected exchange rates and pay using cryptocurrency or support fiat currencies.

SOURCE: COINGAPE

? eToro Launches Trading Platform & Wallet in the U.S.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

eToro, the social investing and trading platform, officially announces the launch of  its fiat-to-crypto platform in the United States. The platform is already available in 140 countries worldwide and will now operate in 30 states and 2 territories in the US. Users will be able to use popular like CopyTrader to follow trading habits of individuals with a proven track record. eToro’s multi-signature wallet provide multi-coin support such as BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, XRP and XLM. 

SOURCE: NEWSBTC

? SIX Teams Up With R3 Corda For New Digital Asset Exchange

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

The Swiss stock exchange, SIX, selects R3 Corda to provide its ucoming blockchain-based platform. It will use R3’s Corda Enterprise to power the Six Digital Exchange (SDX) platform to allow the issuing and trading digital assets, as well as tokenization of securities and non-bankable assets. 

SOURCE: FINEXTRA

? Coinbase Clarifies It Never Shared “Personally Identifiable” Customer Data

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

Coinbase is still in the hot seat since its acquisition of blockchain analytics firm, Neutrino. Tensions raised last Friday when Christine Sandler stated that the exchange’s previous analytics provider was “selling client data to outside sources” in her interview with Cheddar. A spokesperson from Coinbase has now advised Sandler misspoke and clarified the exchange never shared “personally identifiable information with any third-party blockchain analysis vendors.”

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Ripple Launches On Huobi’s OTC Platform

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Huobi, now supports Ripple (XRP) on to its over-the-counter (OTC) platform which currently lists assets such as bitcoin, ethereum, tether, EOS, and Huobi Token. Huobi OTC aims to bridge the gap between fiat and digital assets, serving as an escrow for its users.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Swiss Stock Exchange Launches Ethereum ETP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

Swiss’ SIX stock exchange launches its first ethereum-based exchange traded product (ETP) under the ticker AETH. Ethereum ETP, backed by startup Amun AG, is the second cryptocurrency-based ETP to be made available, with bitcoin ETP being the first. SIX plans to list a total of five crypto-based ETP’s which will also include ripple, bitcoin cash and litecoin. These collectively make up the Amun Crypto Basket Index  (HODL5).

SOURCES: BITCOIN.COM

? MakerDAO Holds Vote on Fee Hike for DAI

UPDATE: FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

Votes are in! Users and holders of DAI in favour of increasing the DAI stability fee from 1.5% and 3.5%.

SOURCE: CRYPTOGLOBE

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

MakerDAO is asking token holders of ethereum-backed stablecoin, DAI, to vote on whether to go forth with the proposed increase in stability fees from 1.5% to 3.5%. MakerDAO’s founder, Rune Christensen, states the rationale behind the fee hike is because DAI’s dollar-peg is “almost at a breaking point”. Token holders can cast their votes here.

SOURCE: COINDESK

⚖️ Quadriga Gets 45-Day Extension from Court

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

The Canadian court has granted troubled crypto exchange, QuadrigaCX, a 45-day extension to allow for the continued search of $140 million worth of missing cryptocurrency. In addition, the court has appointed Peter Wedlake, a retired partner and senior vice president of audit firm Grant Thorton, to be the chief restructuring officer (CRO). The court has also ordered Amazon Web Services to overturn any data on the Quadriga platform originally created by Gerald Cotten, the former CEO.

SOURCE: COINDESK

☑️ Tron (TRX) Partners With Tether (USDT)

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2019

Tron Foundation officially announces their newest partnership with Tether. The partnership will bring Tether’s USDT coin onto the TRON network by the end of Q2 2019, and allow the issuance of a TRC20-based USDT. This marks the first major cryptocurrency crossover and will allow TRX and Tether users to transact on the TRON network with access to a price-stable asset.

SOURCE: ETHEREUMWORLDNEWS

? Blockchain Watch: Hello Goodbye

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

Bitcoin whales moved a total of 9820 BTC, worth $38.4 million dollars.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019
MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2019

Bitcoin (BTC) and Stellar whales start off the week strong.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019

Ethereum whales are on the go, moving a total of 174, 450 ETH, worth $22.1 million dollars.

SOURCE: TWITTER

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Feb 26
3

⚡️ Cryptocurrencies Go Live!

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?Bitcoin Finally in the Green After 6-Month Losses

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019

Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap, ends its 6-month losing streak; finally out of the red. It closed at $3,900 at the end of February. Even in this crypto winter, BTC’s bullish momentum show signs of recovery.

SOURCES: NEWSBTC, CHEPICAP

? Ethereum Hard Forks Now Activated

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Ethereum (ETH), the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, successfully implements system upgrades Constantinople and St. Petersburg. Originally planned for January, the Constantinople fork was delayed due to concerns about potential security vulnerabilities. Both forks officially took place at block number 7,280,000. The upgrades are intended to increase the network’s efficiency and will reduce miner block rewards from 3 to 2 ETH.

SOURCE: ETHEREUM WORLD NEWS

?Facebook & Telegram To Rollout Their Own Digital Currency

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Internet messaging giants like Facebook, Telegram and Signal, will be rolling out their own cryptocurrencies in next year. Their intent is to allow users to transfer money directly from their message platforms with the use of blockchain. The projects have been highly secretive and the question still remains whether the tech companies will fully control their cryptocurrency or if it there will be some form of decentralization.

SOURCE: NYTIMES

? Kraken Offers $100K Reward For Info On Quadriga’s Missing Funds

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchange, Kraken, announced they are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who can provide the best lead on the discovery of missing coins from recently collapsed Canadian crypto exchange, Quadrigacx. It is estimated that a total of $190 million USD of Quadriga’s client funds remain inaccessible.  Kraken’s official blog highlights what is known to-date and any new tips can be submitted: here.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

? Blockchain Watch: Ripple & Stellar On The Move

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019
  • Ripple: 50 separate transactions of 10M XRP each moved from Bittrex to Upbit. The total value of the transactions is equivalent to $159 million USD
  • Stellar: 22 separate transaction of  10M XLM each moved from Bittrex to an unknown wallet. The total value of the transactions is equivalent to $19 million USD. 

SOURCE: DAILYHODL

☑️ Ripple Now Listed on Coinbase Pro

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Users on crypto exchange, Coinbase Pro, can now buy and sell ripple (XRP) – the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Despite regulatory concerns, Coinbase stands its ground and makes XRP available to its users in the US (except New York), Canada, UK, supported EU nations, Singapore and Australia, with more jurisdictions to be added in the near future. Further developments can be found on Coinbase’s official blog post.

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Bitcoin & Ethereum Indices Now Live on Nasdaq

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Nasdaq’s integration of Brave New Coin‘s bitcoin liquid index (BLX) and ethereum liquid index (ELX) is now live. The real-time indices are available for clients using Nasdaq’s Global Index Data Service SM (GIDS). This move affirms Nasdaq’s optimism towards cryptocurrency with Adena Friedman, president and CEO, previously expressing it is a “tremendous demonstration of genius and creativity.”

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH

⚖️ US Government Retrieves & Returns Bitcoin to Bitfinex

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

The United States government has retrieved and returned 27.66270285 BTC (worth $104,000) to cryptocurrency exchange, Bitfinex. A total of 119,756 BTC were stolen during the hack of August 2016; the return represents only 0.023 % of this total.

SOURCE: COINDESK

Feb 21
4

All Eyes on Crypto Past, Present & Future

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? Samsung Galaxy S10 Features Blockchain Wallet

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

Samsung officially unveiled the latest specs of its new Galaxy S10 phone on Wednesday, subtly hinting that it features the ability to store cryptocurrency private keys. In-store previews now confirm the built-in cryptocurrency wallet through its “Blockchain Keystore” app.

SOURCES: COINDESK

⏱ Korea Waits For Bitcoin ETF Decision By SEC

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

An anonymous official from Korean Exchange (KRX) is reportedly waiting on the United States SEC’s decision on bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). As South Korea’s blockchain industry continues to grow, the US’s decision will heavily influence decision to launch ETFs its own country.

SOURCES: COINTELEGRAPH

? FBI Seeks BitConnect Victims For Its Investigation

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

The FBI continues its investigation into the now obsolete crypto exchange, BitConnect (BCC) which collapsed January 2018. They released a quick questionnaire seeking help from potential victims of the Ponzi scheme from January 2018.

SOURCES: ETHNEWS

? Blockchain Movements: 47,200,000 XRP Transferred & Multiple Large BTC Transactions Overnight

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

47,200,000 ripple (XRP), worth $15.7M, were transferred from a known OTC distribution wallet to an unknown wallet. This is the largest XRP movement seen to-date.

Multiple significant bitcoin transactions were processed last night, with the below totalling over 18,000 BTC, worth $70M.

? Bitcoin Futures Reach Highest Volumes of the Year

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Bitcoin futures contracts see surge in trading volumes reaching its current high of the year. CBOE Bitcoin futures contract had its first day above $2,000 indicating new interest in the crypto market. Bitcoin continues to rally in this bear market, currently trading around $4,000 but has yet to break beyond this price.

SOURCE: CNBC

? Ethereum Mining Pool Freezes Unusual 2,100 Block Reward 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

On Tuesday, Sparkpool, an ethereum (ETH) mining pool, received a payout of 2,100 ETH (worth $300,000) for mining block number: 7238290. This is 600 times the standard block reward, normally around 3 ETH. Today, Sparkpool temporarily freezes the 2,100 ETH as they reach out to the sender to determine a solution.

SOURCES: CRYPTOGLOBE, ETHERSCAN

Feb 14
2

New Beginnings for Cryptocurrency

By | News | No Comments

⏱ Countdown to Bitcoin ETF Approval Begins

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

An SEC commissioner stated earlier this week that bitcoin ETF would be approved “eventually“. In the wake of this announcement, NYSE Arca and Bitwise Asset Management filed a bitcoin ETF rule change proposal for review. Today, the SEC has published the filing in the Federal Register and the countdown begins.

SOURCE: COINDESK

? Ordering Delivery? Use Bitcoin

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Pizza: the great people equalizer. Domino’s US customers can now easily order pizza using the Lightning Network. This week, over 150 people have already placed orders through the web-based portal set up by cryptocurrency payment startup, Fold.

SOURCE: THE DAILY HODL

? JP Morgan introduces “JPM Coin”: 1st US bank-backed cryptocurrency

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

JP Morgan created big buzz in both the financial and crypto markets by announcing the “JPM Coin”. Despite CEO, Jamie Dimon’s past public criticisms towards bitcoin, JP Morgan will be launching the first major US bank-backed cryptocurrency to settle payments for its clients in the wholesale payments sector.

SOURCE: CNBC

? Nasdaq Adds Bitcoin & Ethereum to Indices

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

NASDAQ announced it will be adding bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) indices effective Monday, February 25, 2019: details here. BTC index will be calculated back to 2010 while ETH back to 2014.

SOURCE: NASDAQ

?? Quadriga Loses Another 103 BTC, By Mistake

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Vancouver cryptocurrency exchange, Quadriga, inadvertently transferred 103 BTC, valued at $354,300 USD, to an inaccessible cold wallets. Ernst & Young, the appointed monitor, reported that this transfer took place February 6, 2019.

SOURCE: COINTELEGRAPH