The Novel Legal Strategy Bringing This ICO-Backed ‘Micro-Mobility’ Startup to Court

Lawyers have filed suit in a "highly unusual" case against flamboyant Italian e-scooter entrepreneur Salvator Palella, over a troubled ICO back in 2018.

DeFi’s ‘Agricultural Revolution’ Has Ethereum Users Turning to Decentralized Exchanges

Decentralized exchanges are seeing more action than ever thanks to a surge in decentralized finance activity.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 30, 2020

As Zimbabwe embarks on its fifth bout of hyperinflation in modern history, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back with another bitcoin news roundup.

Crypto VC Chiefs Talk COVID Recovery, Bitcoin Upside at Real Vision Conference

Pantera's Dan Morehead and 10T Holdings' Dan Tapiero can't agree on our economic future. Even so, they think it bodes well for bitcoin

Ethereum Developers Delay Berlin Hard Fork to Stem Client Centralization Concerns

79% of Ethereum nodes run on Geth. Core developers have pushed back July's Berlin hard fork so other clients can catch up.

Blockchain Bites: Digital Dollars, Ethereum’s Gas and ASX’s Blockchain ‘Lacks Clarity’

Thought leaders are decending on Washing to talk digital money while the Australian Securities Exchange may delay its blockchain settlement solution.

Dfinity Opens Platform to Outside Developers, Launches Decentralized TikTok Rival

Decentralized cloud computing startup Dfinity said its "Internet Computer" is now open to third-party developers.

Israeli Firm Develops Tech Allowing Crypto Users to Retrieve Funds Sent in Error

Israeli blockchain startup Kirobo says it solved the problem of funds being lost through errors in irreversible crypto transactions.

Augur’s Revamped Predictions Platform Launches Next Month With a New Token

The blockchain predictions platform is upgrading to version 2 in July, but users will have to migrate to a new token if they want to use it.

Why the Stock-to-Flow Bitcoin Valuation Model Is Wrong

The popular stock-to-flow bitcoin valuation model has the air of academic rigor. Unfortunately, it's just math-laden marketing.

Elliptic Follows Chainalysis in Adding Zcash to Monitoring Platform

Elliptic, the blockchain analysis company, has added privacy coins zcash and horizen to its monitoring platform.

Coinbase Ventures Invests in $5M Token Sale for Ethereum Data Firm ‘The Graph’

Blockchain data startup The Graph has raised $5 million in a token sale with Framework Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group and others.

US Soccer Players Can Be Collected, Traded in Tokenized Fantasy Game

MLS fans will now be able to collect and trade digital cards representing league players and use them to play fantasy soccer games run by the firm Sorare.

Swiss Equity Firm Makes First Crypto Investment With SPiCE VC Stake

Swiss private equity firm VIVA Investment Partners AG is leaning into crypto funding through a new stake in blockchain venture capital firm SPiCE VC.

Coin Metrics Offers More Rigorous Measure of Crypto Market Supply

Coin Metrics offers a standardized way of measuring the size and depth of digital asset markets with free float supply methodology.

BIS Plans New Central Banking Fintech Research Hubs in Europe, North America

The Bank for International Settlements is expanding its “Innovation Hub” with a handful of new locations in Canada and Europe.

First Mover: Bitwise Calls $50K Bitcoin Price When Market Calm Finally Breaks

Bitwise suggests Bitcoin could be looking at territory well north of the previous $20,000 all-time high.

Bitcoin Still Up 27% This Year Despite Dismal June Performance

Bitcoin is still outperforming the top traditional financial assets so far in 2020 – even after a dour performance this month.

BitMEX Owner HDR Appoints Former Bank of China Exec to Board

HDR Global Trading said David Wong – a former deputy CEO at Bank of China – will join its board as a non-executive chairman.

ASX Under Pressure to Further Delay Rollout of DLT Settlement System

The blockchain-based clearing and settlement system from Australia's biggest stock exchange faces further delays if unhappy firms get their way.

To His Own Surprise, Crypto Volume Pumper’s Business Is Still Thriving

Remember that college student who spoke candidly about inflating crypto trading volumes? He’s still at it – and COVID-19 has kept his business brisk.

Bitcoin Miner Hut 8 Closes Better-Than-Expected Equity Round at $8.3M

Hut 8 says its new funding is going towards increasing the bitcoin miner's total capacity by a fifth.

Witnesses Will Vouch for Stablecoins, Digital Dollars in US Senate Hearing Tuesday

Witnesses will discuss stablecoins and tokenized dollars during Tuesday's Senate Banking hearing on the digitization of money.

Digital Currency Guru of $568M Cyber Fraud Forum Pleads Guilty

Sergey Medvedev pleaded guilty to racketeering charges as part of a $568 million payment card fraud forum, which used Liberty Reserve and bitcoin to launder funds.

Humility Before a Fall: Your Crypto Startup Hasn’t Done Anything Yet

Scams and fraud won't break crypto. But hubris might.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Traders Expect Big Move as Volatility Plummets

Bitcoin volatility drops to historic lows as the cryptocurrency stays just above $9,000.

How the Fed Fans the Flame – The Best of The Breakdown June 2020

Guests from the crypto investor Ari Paul to Harvard prof Dr. Vikram Mansharamani discuss bitcoin, the economy and social unrest.

Bitcoin Facing Greater Price Volatility Than Ether in Q3, Options Market Data Suggests

Options market data suggests bitcoin could become more volatile than ether over the next three months.

Ethereum Developers Consider New Fee Model as Gas Costs Climb

With EIP 1559, Ethereum developers are proposing a dynamic pricing system to lower the blockchain network's current high gas fees.

Hacker Attempts to Disrupt Russia’s Blockchain Voting System

A hacker has attempted to disrupt a blockchain voting system currently being used to help decide constitutional changes in the Russian Federation.

Blockchain Bites: EY’s Auditing Slip and Bitcoin’s Long Line of Pseudonymous Developers

Balancer fell victim to a "flash loan" exploit while a shareholders association said EY should have caught Wirecard's multi-billion blackhole earlier.

Why Bitcoin Will Take a Long Time to Dethrone the Dollar

If history is a guide, the dollar's reserve currency status can withstand a lot of bad policymaking. Bitcoin may rise, but it could take a while.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 29, 2020

After a rough weekend, the price of BTC is back above $9,000 and Markets Daily from CoinDesk is here with another bitcoin news roundup.

Chinese Bitcoin Miner Producer Ebang Is Launching an Offshore Exchange

Ebang, one of the major manufacturers of bitcoin mining equipment, hopes an exchange could double total revenue by 2022.

Facebook, IoTeX, R3 Among New Members of Confidential Computing Consortium

The Confidential Computing Consortium aims to create systems that sequester sensitive data so it can't be exploited by nefarious actors.

Kyber Unveils Date of its Planned Katalyst Protocol Upgrade

The protocol upgrade includes changes to staking and governance.

Wirecard Fallout: Auditor EY Accused of Not Flagging $2.1B Black Hole Sooner

Following a sharp drop in the Wirecard stock price, the German shareholders' body holds EY responsible for not alerting the public sooner over the firm's accounting failures.

First Mover: The Return of the Bitcoin Retail Investor (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

It's been assumed for years that well-heeled financial institutions would become the main driving force and primary investor class in crypto. That narrative may underestimate the power of the retail investor.

Bitcoin Closes in the Green Sunday to End Longest Losing Run in 6 Months

Bitcoin chalked out minor price gains on Sunday, ending its longest run of daily losses for half a year and avoiding a break below the ongoing restricted trading range.

Hacker Drains $500K from DeFi Liquidity Provider Balancer

The sophisticated attack exploited a loophole that tricked the protocol into releasing $500,000-worth of tokens.

World’s Biggest Mining Firm Makes First Ore Trade on a Blockchain

BHP has completed its first trial trade transaction of iron ore with China's Baosteel using blockchain technology.

Many Bitcoin Developers Are Choosing to Use Pseudonyms – For Good Reason

Whether out of concern for personal security or a desire to preserve privacy, many Bitcoin developers are known to the world only by their pseudonyms.

South Korean Government Turns to Blockchain Tech to More Securely Store Clinical Diabetes Data

The government has asked startup Sendsquare to develop a proof-of-concept blockchain registry to help analyze, anonymize and store clinical diabetes data.

Crypto Long & Short: What Trends in Volatility Could Mean for Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s investment narrative is evolving as the role of volatility is changing in both crypto and traditional markets.

Matic Network Aims for 80% Token Lockup in New Staking Program

The first iteration of Matic Network's staking program is now live, and has already allocated 12% of its token supply to the project.

Is the Travel Rule Good or Bad for Crypto? Both

A new international rule requiring digital asset operators to report transactions could spilt the crypto industry in two, argue two researchers.

Welcome to the Groundhog Day Economy (PS, It Sucks)

As states shutter economic activity because of preventable COVID-19 outbreaks, it’s deja vu all over again.

Vanguard’s Blockchain Platform for Foreign Exchange Will Go Live in Q3 2020

Mutual fund giant Vanguard has completed another blockchain pilot that aims to change the risk profile of foreign exchange (FX) transactions.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Still Stuck in a Rut, Trading Below $10K

Traditional markets slide as coronavirus cases spike, and crypto follows because its correlation is still unbroken.

DeFi Platform Opyn Launches Put Options on Compound Token

Decentralized options marketplace Opyn has launched put options on COMP that will provide a safety net of sorts should COMP’s fortunes take a turn for the worse.

How Monopolies Sow the Seeds of Their Own Destruction, Feat. Tuur Demeester

The managing partner of Adamant Capital joins for a conversation about what the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution can teach us about bitcoin.

Mapping the Future of the SEC (There’s a Nonzero Chance Hester Peirce Takes Over)

The future of the U.S.’s federal securities regulator, and perhaps the direction of cryptocurrency policy, is up in the air. We game out the scenarios.

AML Bitcoin Founder Claims DC Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, US Government Are ‘Extorting’ Him

AML Bitcoin's Marcus Andrade claims he is being extorted by the U.S. government in a response to Thursday's charges by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Money Reimagined: Crypto’s Diversity Problem

Technology on its own doesn't ensure inclusion. People do. There’s nothing intrinsically fair about a blockchain.

Blockstream’s Liquid Network Sent $8M in BTC Unsafely, Says Bitcoin Developer

Bitcoins stored on the Liquid Network were temporarily able to be seized by network moderators Thursday night.

Blockchain Bites: Crypto.com Refunds, Sovrin’s Layoffs and AML Bitcoin’s AML Issues

New York officials have instituted a three-strike rule for crypto firms applying for the BitLicense, the Sovrin Foundation is now volunteer run and Aussies can now buy BTC at their post office.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 26, 2020

With new data from the Federal Reserve suggesting that the cryptocurrency might not be the answer to dire economic times, Markets Daily is back with your latest Bitcoin news roundup!

Coinbase Lists Compound’s COMP Token for Retail Crypto Traders

The Compound token almost fell back below $200 earlier this week, before Coinbase rode to the rescue. It listed the token for retail users, and gave COMP a nice price bump.

How the Crypto Community Helped Us Raise $110,000 for Charity

The campaign, by CoinDesk, Gitcoin, Ethereal and the Giving Block, raised money for COVID-19 relief using "quadratic funding" to make donations.

A Key Thesis for Bitcoin’s Long-Term Bull Market Just Got a Knock

The narrative that inflation arising from the massive coronavirus stimulus efforts would lead to a long-term rise in bitcoin's price is looking weak with new data from the Federal Reserve.

First Mover: In the Cryptocurrency Markets, No Two Exchanges Are Alike

Even in super liquid cryptocurrency markets, such as USD and bitcoin trading pairs, the size and spreads of exchange order books can vary markedly.

Crypto.com to Refund Clients As Wirecard’s Card Issuer Told to Cease Operations

Card issuer Crypto.com is refunding 100% of customer balances as the U.K. regulator orders Wirecard Card solutions to cease operations.

Australia Post Now Lets Customers Buy Bitcoin at Over 3,500 Outlets

The Australian postal service has confirmed that it's partnered with Bitcoin.com.au to let customers purchase cryptocurrencies at its stores across the country.

New York Regulator Adds 3-Strike Rule for BitLicense Applicants

The regulator hopes the new three-strike rule will encourage BitLicense applicants to ensure they've taken its feedback on board.

EU Creating a Regulatory Regime for Cryptocurrencies, Says Economic Chief

The planned regulatory regime could include stricter rules for projects deemed "global stablecoins," a subtle reference, possibly, to Libra.

Binance-Backed Blockchain Auditing Firm Partners With Hyundai Subsidiary to Track Internet of Things Devices

Auditing firm CertiK is working with Hyundai subsidiary Hdac to record Internet of Things devices on a blockchain.

Trio of Bitcoin Tokens Lures DeFi Yield Farmers to New Pastures

A pool of sBTC, renBTC and WBTC is helping Synthetix draw the attention of DeFi's growing horde of yield farmers.

Summer 2020 Is Funding Season for Open-Source Bitcoin Development

The maker of Wasabi Wallet becomes the latest firm to support crypto coders with a 1 BTC donation to the Human Rights Foundation's Bitcoin Development Fund.

Kadena Launches Blockchain App to Verify COVID-19 Tests

Hybrid blockchain maker Kadena wants to verify COVID-19 testing kits by recording their provenance on its network.

DOJ Indicts Founder of Anti-Money Laundering Bitcoin Project for Money Laundering

Rowland Marcus Andrade, the founder of AML Bitcoin, was indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges related in part to an initial coin offering conducted in 2017 and 2018.

Jack Dorsey Has Floated Decentralized Fact-Checking at Twitter. Here’s What That Could Look Like

Twitter's CEO has endorsed the idea of decentralized fact-checking. We looked at some prototypes to see what that might look like.

Some Numbers That Show Why Yield Farming COMP Is So Seductive

COMP has created a sudden craze for "yield farming." Here are three scenarios illustrating the risks and rewards of DeFi's latest trend.

Crypto.com’s Card Issuer Wirecard Files for Insolvency

Before Wirecard's insolvency filing, Crypto.com and TenX said customer funds were unaffected by their partner's accounting scandal.

Blockchain Bites: Rethinking Libra, Craig Wright and Something Smells Fishy in Blockchain

Craig Wright will go to trial, while IBM and a Norwegian association team up to track salmon on blockchain.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 25, 2020

Bitcoin options have a big day coming up, NYC born rapper Ja Rule teams up with Ethereum-based Roll and more in this edition of Markets Daily, from CoinDesk

The People of Decentraland Will Greet You Now

Buy land. Trick out your home. Watch a SpaceX launch. You can do a lot of almost-real things in Decentraland, a virtual world built on a blockchain.

Tezos-Based DAO Goes Live With Launch of STKR Token

Tezos-based "tokenized hedge fund" Stakerdao is now live after distributing its STKR governance token to funding round partners.

Telegram Agrees to Pay $18.5M Penalty in SEC Settlement Over Failed TON Offering

Telegram has settled its six-month court case with the SEC, agreeing to pay $18.5 million in penalties and to notify the agency if it plans to issue another digital asset in the next three years.

Base Layer Wars Heat Up With Another $12M Committed to AVA Labs’ Avalanche Blockchain

AVA Labs has closed a $12 million private token sale. The funding round – co-led by Galaxy Digital, Bitmain, Initialized and others – comes weeks before an anticipated mainnet launch.

Kraken Pledges $150K for Development of Open-Source BTCPay Server

Crypto exchange Kraken has donated $150,000 to the foundation managing BtcPay Server, an open-source tool for merchants accepting bitcoin payments.

First Mover: What’s Going On With Bitcoin Derivatives?

Surging open interest on bitcoin futures and options contracts might well be a sign that a breakout could be imminent.

CBDC Issuance Is ‘Not a Reaction’ to Libra, Says Central Bank Body

The Bank for International Settlements appeared to contradict its own prior statements in a new digital payments report.

Bitcoin Still On Track for Quarterly Gains After Drop Toward $9K

Bitcoin looks set to end its three-quarter losing run despite having dropped to $9,000 earlier on Thursday.

IBM Spawns Blockchain for Norwegian Salmon Fisheries

IBM is teaming with the Norwegian Seafood Association to create a blockchain-based track-and-trace system for Norway's sustainably farmed salmon.

Kleiman Bitcoin Case Heads to Trial as Motion for Sanctions Against Craig Wright Is Denied

A Florida judge threw out a motion for sanctions against Wright saying the lawsuit over 1.1 million BTC would be better decided by a jury.

Circle, Coinbase Bring USDC Stablecoin to Algorand’s Blockchain

The CENTRE consortium is teaming up with the Algorand Foundation to launch the USDC stablecoin on the Algorand network.

AMD-Backed Blockchain Project Amassing 20K GPUs But Won’t Say Why

Following a seed funding round, AMD and Consensys-backed W3BCLOUD is tripling its GPU capacity for a range of new blockchain functions they don't want to discuss – yet.

Ultra-Rich Monaco Wants to Fund Social Impact Projects With Security Tokens

Monaco’s Office of Digital Affairs has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Luxembourg-based blockchain startup Tokeny.

The COVID-19 E-Commerce Boom Hasn’t Trickled Down to Bitcoin, Despite Advantages

Although a variety of e-commerce platforms are booming during COVID-19 lockdowns, bitcoin payments remain exceedingly niche.

FC Barcelona’s Token Sale Hit $1.3M Cap in Under 2 Hours

The tokens will be earned by Barcelona fans who participate in club decisions, such as deciding on a new mural for the first team changing room.

How to Spot a Crypto Scam

Another scammer is impersonating the CoinDesk website and offering impossible investment returns. We did some digging.

Bitcoin Options Market Faces Record $1 Billion Expiry on Friday

The cryptocurrency’s options market is on its way to a record $1 billion monthly expiry this Friday.

Blockchain Bites: BitLicense at 5, Lawsky’s Fallacy and Hehmeyer’s Pivot

As the BitLicense turns five, the issuing watchdog looks to lure blockchain startups to New York, while a major brokerage firm is pivoting to crypto.

Bitcoin ATM Growth May Be a Boon for Money Launderers

Crypto analytics company CipherTrace found bitcoin ATMs are increasingly being used to send funds to "high-risk exchanges" suspected of facilitating illicit activity.

BitLicense at 5: For Startups Regulated Overseas, New York Isn’t So Tough

While some exchanges left New York in the wake of its implementing the BitLicense, others say the regulatory regime have helped build market share and revenue.

This Startup Is Forking Compound to Make Hiring More Efficient

Braintrust launched out of stealth mode Wednesday, backed by a $6 million seed round featuring True Ventures, Homebrew Ventures, Uprising Ventures, Galaxy Digital, IDEO CoLab, Kindred Ventures and Vy Capital.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 24, 2020

With miners transferring more bitcoin now compared to any point in the last year, police misconduct on Ethereum and a new inter-blockchain hub out of China, Markets Daily is back with another news roundup.

BitLicense at 5: Despite Architect Lawsky’s Hopes, Few States Copied NY Rules

Few states have developed their own cryptocurrency regulations – and none that did build a regulatory regime have followed the New York model.

FTX Is Building Lots of Sophisticated Markets Few Traders Use

FTX has launched eight unique index futures and volatility markets in less than 12 months. But few traders use these markets.

BitLicense at 5: A Timeline of New York’s Landmark Cryptocurrency Regulation

The BitLicense was first proposed in 2013, but wasn't implemented until mid-2015. CoinDesk outlines the major events in its history.

Forget Bitcoin’s Volatility, BoA Says Unstable UK Pound Like an Emerging Market Currency

Bitcoin is often criticized for its volatility – now analysts are saying that, and more, about the pound sterling.

Where the NY Fed ‘Bitcoin Is Not New’ Blog Goes Wrong

A recent post categorizing Bitcoin as just another fiat currency uses some strange definitions of money, our columnist writes.

New York Moves to Lure Crypto Startups as BitLicense Turns Five

Five years after erecting a wall around its market few crypto startups could scale – a wall known as the BitLicense – New York is handing down a ladder.

Security Firm Claims One Group Stole $200M in Numerous Exchange Hacks

One small group of hackers may have made off with $200 million by infiltrating numerous exchanges, security firm ClearSky claims.

BitLicense Recipients

A list of all New York Department of Financial Service BitLicense and limited purpose trust charter recipients.

First Mover: Bitcoin’s Recent Stability May Come from a Fleeting Correlation With Equities

Bitcoin is often likened to digital gold, but some analysts say the more compelling correlation is with the stock market.

Veteran Commodities Trader Chris Hehmeyer Goes All In on Crypto

Hehmeyer Trading is ditching its non-crypto businesses to focus solely on being a market maker in a space its founder, longtime trader Chris Hehmeyer, calls "liberating."

Miners Are Sending Bitcoins to Exchanges Again – and That May Be Bearish

A sudden spike in miner outflows of bitcoin to exchanges makes the cryptocurrency vulnerable to a price drop, according one analyst.

Argo Buys $500K-Worth of Zcash Miners as Bitcoin Revenue Shrivels

Doubling its mining capacity for privacy coin zcash could help Argo diversify after last month’s halving knocked its bitcoin revenue.

Swiss Tech Firm Metaco Taps Blockchain Think Tank to Bolster Services

Digital asset infrastructure provider METACO is partnering with the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center to bolster its service offerings using the think tank's research.

World’s Oldest Central Bank Reviews Possible Digital Currency With Mixed Results

Sweden's Riksbank has looked into the viability of central bank digital currencies for its local market.

FATF Meets Wednesday to Discuss ‘Travel Rule’ for Digital Assets

The Financial Action Task Force holds its summer plenary meeting Wednesday. Here's what to expect with the anti-money laundering watchdog discussing crypto.

US Homeland Security’s Tech Scouts Reissue Call for Blockchain Startups

The Silicon Valley Innovation Program challenged blockchain startups to build Social Security number alternatives, an essential worker license and supply chain solutions for DHS.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Trading Flat, Holding at $9.6K

Trading volume in the crypto market weakened Tuesday but bitcoin is still holding strong from a recent rally.

Spain’s Crypto Firms to Face New Registration Requirements Under EU-Driven Bill

Spain is finally getting around to amending its AML laws six months after the EU deadline for compliance. The public comment period on that amendment ends today.

‘Social Money’ Startup Inks Deal With Rapper Ja Rule, Releases Song With Lil B

Ja Rule has inked a deal with Roll, an Ethereum-based protocol that allows content creators to control their own platforms using personal crypto tokens.

Oil 101: How Easy Money Enabled the Shale Revolution, Feat. Tracy Shuchart

An oil and commodities expert breaks down how the shale revolution reshaped global energy power and why oil went below $0 earlier this year.

Status Keycard Now Works With Android Mobile Devices

Status, the Ethereum-based messaging company, has expanded the use case for its Keycard, a hardware wallet first announced in February 2019.

Blockchain Bites: PayPal’s Push, FATF’s Rules and ‘Overstated’ Libra Fears

Industry leaders reflect on PayPal's reported plan to offer direct access to crypto for its 325M users, while banks and crypto startups look for solutions to FATF's Travel Rule.

Brazilian Hedge Fund Still Down 56%, Despite 16 Months of Crypto Gains

BLP Asset Management’s returns are a reminder that cryptocurrency funds that took a hit in 2018 when prices of digital currencies crashed have a harder time getting back to sea level than those buoyed by 2017’s cresting market gains.

Following COMP’s Surge, DeFi Platform Balancer Begins Distribution of BAL Tokens

Balancer Labs, the maker of an automated portfolio management tool, has confirmed to CoinDesk it has begun distribution of its BAL token.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 23, 2020

As the price of bitcoin trades in an increasingly compressed range, sources tell CoinDesk that PayPal is planning something big, an uncensorable internet browser launches and the Fed now says Bitcoin IS money.

Alleged Shopin ICO Fraudster Pays $450K Fine in Ether

Eran Eyal, who raised $42 million in an allegedly fraudulent initial coin offering, settled charges with the SEC and paid a $450,000 fine in ether.

Microsoft, EU-Based Universities Say Blockchain Could Help Meet Paris Agreement Carbon Goals

A new paper from Microsoft and universities in Germany and Denmark sets out how blockchain technology could overcome issues with providing an international carbon credit market.

Activists Document Police Misconduct Using Decentralized Protocol

Built on the InterPlanetary File System and the Ethereum blockchain, the protocol lets anyo file police misconduct reports anonymously.

DeFi Protocols Should Be Fiduciaries, Not Structured Product Dealers

Open protocols can help reform the financial system, says our columnist. But they need to come with safeguards consumers understand.

How ChainLink and Cosmos Fit Into China’s Grand Blockchain Initiative

ChainLink will help the state-backed Blockchain-Based Service Network (BSN) with oracles, and Cosmos-powered Irisnet will assist with interoperability.

The Last Time Volatility Was This Low Bitcoin Went On to Rally By $2K

Bitcoin's price volatility has declined to levels last seen ahead of a major rally witnessed in October 2019. But will the pattern repeat this time?

First Mover: The Logic Behind Three Arrows’ $200 Million Grayscale Bet

Three Arrows has taken a large bet on GBTC but the halcyon days of the Grayscale premium flip may be numbered.

Identity Startup Notabene Launches Exchange Tool for FATF Travel Rule Compliance

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting this week is proving to be a popular time for industry players to launch compliance-minded tech solutions.

In Banking First, ING Develops FATF-Friendly Protocol for Tracking Crypto Transfers

ING Bank, Standard Chartered and others have developed a protocol to handle a new rule for crypto exchanges and firms dealing in digital assets.

Ripple Affiliate Coins.ph Joins New Remittance Network Reaching Unbanked Filipinos

The blockchain firm is part of an 11,000 strong network of cash-out counters launched by UnionBank of the Philippines.

Crypto Exchanges Must Stop Acting Like Casinos in Wake of Robinhood Suicide: bitFlyer COO

Crypto exchanges need to do more to protect customers and prevent tragic deaths in the wake of the Robinhood suicide, believes bitFlyer COO Joel Edgerton.

‘Big 4’ Auditor KPMG Launches Crypto Asset Management Tools

KPMG has built a suite of tools designed to make it easier to collate and query data from both traditional databases and blockchains, allowing for streamlined cryptoasset management.

Vanguard Ran Its Digital Asset-Backed Securities Pilot in 40 Minutes

Vanguard and a handful of high-profile players are piloting ways to record the entire lifecycle of an asset-backed security on a blockchain. Here's why.

Cred Taps Former NSA, Western Union Bosses for Leadership Team

Crypto lender Cred is bolstering its technical knowledge by bringing on an experienced CISO and CTO.

Handshake Goes Live With an Uncensorable Internet Browser

Handshake minimizes the role of centralized entities in the internet’s basic infrastructure. First, it was a new domain system. Now it's a browser.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Hits $9.6K as Bullish Crypto Sentiment Returns

Bitcoin is back in bullish territory but can the buying last?

Germany’s Neufund Shuts Down Security Token Platform, Saying BaFin Failed to Act

Citing regulatory concerns, Berlin-based security token startup Neufund has announced plans to freeze its fundraising campaigns and sideline future tokenized equity offerings.

Macro Investors Sound Off! Featuring Ari Paul, Spencer Bogart and David Nage

Some of the smartest investors in the crypto space share how they think the larger macro context is shaping interest in bitcoin and digital assets.

Liquidity on Bitcoin Perpetuals Exchange FTX Catches Up to Industry Leader BitMEX

On a relatively new exchange like the Antigua-based FTX, the order book depth, as represented by the number of buy and sell orders at each price, now matches the depth seen on industry leader BitMEX.

PayPal, Venmo to Roll Out Crypto Buying and Selling: Sources

Fintech giant PayPal plans to roll out direct sales of cryptocurrency to its 325 million users, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Blockchain Bites: Bitmain’s $4B Valuation, Cambodia’s CBDC and BTC-e’s Bust

Bitmain's ousted co-founder is offering to buy his rival out of the company at a $4B valuation, significantly less than at the company's height.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 22, 2020

With gold up and the price of bitcoin treading water, today we're talking academic piracy and Cambodia's blockchain plot to escape the dollar.

The Big Thing Holding Back India’s Crypto Boom

India's crypto industry shows potential, but it continues to be held back by a lack of regulatory clarity, particularly around exchange-banking relationships.

Fed Economists Call Fears of Original Libra Stablecoin ‘Overstated’

Economists at the Federal Reserve suggest that Libra – in its original, basket-backed stablecoin form – might not have had as severe an impact on financial stability as policymakers suggested last year.

DeFi Hedging Startup Opyn Raises $2.16M From Dragonfly Capital, 1kx

Opyn, a hedging instrument for decentralized finance (DeFi) has closed a $2.16 million funding round led by Dragonfly Capital.

BlackBerry and Intel Tackle Cryptojacking Malware With New Detection Tool

BlackBerry and Intel are hoping to halt cryptojacking attempts on Intel's commercial PCs with a new mining malware detection tool.

The Tokenization Revolution Starts With Gold

Gold is a traditional safe harbor in a crisis and the blockchain-based version is a good way to start taking advantage of tokenization.

First Mover: XRP Just Isn’t Exciting Crypto Traders This Year

It's been a second straight year of disappointment for the XRP token from Ripple, which has stagnated as other big cryptocurrencies have seen big rallies.

Crypto Trading Platform CrossTower Raises $6M in Seed Round

CrossTower has raised $6 million in seed funding, with entrepreneur Gerard Lopez leading the round.

Bitcoin Sees Small Gain as Gold Rallies to One-Month High

Bitcoin is reporting moderate gains on Monday as gold, a safe haven asset, rallies amid renewed coronavirus concerns.

UK Financial Watchdog Warns Crypto Firms to Register Before End of June

The Financial Conduct Authority wants six months to review and ask follow-up questions to crypto businesses applying to operate in the U.K.

New Zealand Police Seize $90M Linked to Alleged BTC-e Exchange Operator

The bank funds are said to be linked to Russian Alexander Vinnik, who allegedly ran the defunct crypto exchange BTC-e.

Bitmain Co-Founder Offers Share Buyback at $4B Valuation to End Power Struggle

The offer seems an apparent effort to bring about negotiations that could end the divisions that have been tearing the company apart.

Blackballed by PayPal, Scientific-Paper Pirate Takes Bitcoin Donations

Bitcoin has been used by outlaws of all sorts, but this time the outlaw is a young scientist from Kazakhstan breaking through the paywalls of academic journals.

Securitize’s Japan Subsidiary Becomes First International Firm to Join Self-Regulatory Group

Securitize Japan joined the Japan Security Token Offering Association, becoming the first international firm to do so.

Power Ledger’s Blockchain P2P Energy Trial ‘Technically Feasible,’ It Says in New Report

A solar energy trading trial run by blockchain startup Power Ledger has found its initiative to be "technically feasible."

Italian Banks Are Ready to Trial a Digital Euro

The Italian Banking Association announced last week that its banks were interested in piloting a digital euro.

Crypto Long & Short: What Changed My Mind About Bitcoin Narratives

Is bitcoin having a good year or not? As an industry, we need to work on honing our understanding of the many narratives, and how they can influence value.

Bitcoin Only Matters Because the Game Is Rigged

The reason Bitcoin is likely to be important to the future isn't about the technology, it's about the modern world where money is abused for the benefit of the few and to the detriment of the many.

Compound Tops MakerDAO, Now Has the Most Value Staked in DeFi

Compound has overthrown MakerDAO as the decentralized finance protocol with the most value staked, locking $484 million to Maker's $481 million on Saturday.

Thai Central Bank Taps Cement Company for First Digital Currency Payments

The Bank of Thailand is integrating a CBDC payments system into the financials of the country’s oldest cement company in an extension of its Inthanon project.

A Dozen+ Statistics Proving Millennials Are F%#$&D: The Breakdown Weekly Recap

An economic comparison of where boomers were at the same age as millennials leads to only one conclusion: Millennials are screwed.

How Public Key Infrastructure Will Revolutionize Custody and Fund Management

The widespread use of public / private key pairs will change how assets are held and funds are managed.

SEC Chair Clayton Nominated as US Attorney for New York

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has been nominated to become the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, replacing outgoing U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who will step down by July 3.

‘Satoshi Was a Black Woman’: Blockchain Entrepreneurs Talk Financial Inclusion on Juneteenth

At a virtual event Friday called "Crypto & Race," blockchain entrepreneurs explored how racial inequality affects the cryptocurrency sector.

Cambodia Plots a Dollar-Free Future With Blockchain-Based Payments: White Paper

Cambodia's central bankers are riding their hopes of de-dollarization on a national payments blockchain: Project Bakong.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Spot Volumes Are Weak While Options and DeFi Strengthen

Lower bitcoin spot volumes and flatter-than-usual price action doesn’t mean crypto traders have zero opportunities to capitalize.

New York Fed’s ‘Bitcoin Is Just Another Fiat’ Claim Sparks Controversy

Economists at the New York Federal Reserve think Bitcoin is a fiat currency. Nic Carter thinks the New York Fed is "insane."

DeFi Startups Built on Compound Weigh What to Do With $200 COMP Tokens

Startups built on Compound's decentralized lending protocol are now pondering the second-order effects of COMP's price surge.

Tether’s Supply on Compound Jumps to Over $224M in a Week

Tether's volume on decentralized lender Compound has quadrupled to over $224 million in just a few days, and is by far the dominant stablecoin on the platform.

Why Monetary Debasement Is Here to Stay, Feat. Dr. Vikram Mansharamani

From technology to aging demographics, some of the most important trends shaping the economy have been deflationary. What happens when that rapidly changes?

Ex-Kraken Trading Head Leads Crypto Quant Fund With $23M in Assets, $2.3B in Trades

A little-known virtual currency fund heavy on math and statistics is turning a steady profit under a lead trader who once oversaw a major cryptocurrency exchange.

The Queens Politician Who Wants to Give New Yorkers Their Own Crypto

Assemblyperson Ron Kim has proposed a decentralized contact tracing protocol and a blockchain-based public banking system for New Yorkers.

SEC Claims Brothers Lied About Digital Asset Fund Performance, Used Profits for Personal Use

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved on Friday to halt an allegedly-fraudulent digital asset investment fund run by two Pennsylvania brothers.

Money Reimagined: Ethereum’s Renaissance Creates an Opportunity – And a Major Test

With DeFi and ETH-backed stablecoins booming, and the ETH 2.0 scaling upgrade imminent, the Ethereum community is gaining near-unstoppable momentum.

Blockchain Bites: COMP x2, Reddit Scales and Factom Goes Bankrupt

The COMP governance token is seeing massive gains and potential listings on Coinbase Pro and CoinFlip, while Reddit looks to scale its Ethereum-based project.

Kin Community Approves Move From Stellar Fork to Solana’s Blockchain

Devs, node operators and the Kin Foundation board have approved its move from a fork of the Stellar blockchain to Solana's network.

OpenZeppelin Discloses ‘High Severity Vulnerability’ in DeFi Wallet Argent

A “high severity vulnerability” was found and patched in Ethereum wallet Argent, according to leading white-hat hackers OpenZeppelin.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 19, 2020

With BTC miners HODLing, Reddit dreaming big and a crypto card issuer missing billions of dollars and drawing comparisons to Enron, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back with another Bitcoin news roundup.

First Mover: Compound’s COMP Token More Than Doubles in Price Amid DeFi Mania

Compound's new COMP token is only five days old but its price is soaring. Observers tie the rally to speculation over the future growth of decentralized finance.

The Zcash Privacy Tech Underlying Ethereum’s Transition to Eth 2.0

Ethereum’s consensus algorithm is not the only thing changing with the launch of Eth 2.0. The underlying cryptography itself is getting an overhaul.

Outflow of Bitcoin From Miners at Lows Not Seen Since 2010

Miner outflows of bitcoin have dropped to decade lows, with analysts saying a hoarding mentality and a drop in issuance after the halving are responsible.

Blockchain Company Factom Inc. Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Factom Inc.'s board has presented a proposal for restructuring the business, which will now be assessed by the administrators.

Bitcoin SV President Hits Out at Binance as Former Critic Becomes Top Miner

An industry spat has kicked off after Binance's new pool became the biggest miner for BSV, despite the exchange delisting the token a year ago.

ParaFi Invests in Kyber Network as Buzz Grows Around DeFi Projects

ParaFi Capital, an investment firm focused on blockchain and DeFi, has invested in Kyber Network and will work with the project on adoption and governance.

Nomura-Backed Crypto Custody Venture Launches After 2 Years in the Works

CoinShares, Nomura Bank, and crypto security firm Ledger have formally launched a digital asset custody business targeting institutional investors.

6 Things Jobless Claims Tell Us About the State of the Real Economy

Persistent unemployment and fears of further layoffs are the real economic counterpoint to the financial market’s unbridled enthusiasm.

Crypto.com Tech Upgrade Paves Way for Derivatives Trading

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com has revamped its digital exchange, claiming a 10x increase in performance and throughput.

‘Snake Oil and Overpriced Junk’: Why Blockchain Doesn’t Fix Online Voting

More people are wiling to try online voting these days. But experts say it isn't safe, and - despite what you might have heard - blockchain doesn't help much. Not yet, at least.

Novogratz: Galaxy Digital Will ‘Suck’ if Bitcoin Fails to Become an Institutional Asset

Galaxy Digital is working on a project that may lead to institutions adopting crypto as an asset class. And the firm needs it, Mike Novogratz says.

A Coinbase Pro Listing and Other Eye-Opening Data Points on Compound’s Surge in Demand

It's hard to pick just one stunning fact about the market suddenly created by the issuance of Compound's COMP token.

Infosec Exec Urges US Lawmakers to Tighten Crypto Regs Over Pandemic-Driven Scams

Cryptocurrencies should be regulated more stringently, a VMWare security executive told U.S. lawmakers, citing a rise in cybercrime during the pandemic.

Blockchain Bites: Trump on Bitcoin, Powell on Digital Dollars and the Truth About Terrorist Financing

Who watches the watchdogs? President Trump reportedly told his Treasury Secretary to go after Bitcoin while the DEA failed to properly oversee crypto investigations.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 18, 2020

With an Austrian app that aims to track COVID-19 now including blockchain, CoinDesk's Markets Daily Bitcoin news roundup is back!

Crypto Card Issuer Wirecard Says It’s Missing $2.1B in ‘German Enron’ Scandal

Wirecard admitted the accounting hole was roughly a quarter of the company’s total balance sheet.

Tearing Down Monuments Isn’t Censorship – It’s Speech

Removing monuments to fit the values of the day is not censorship. It is an act of speech in and of itself, says our columnist.

The New York Times Proves Why Civil’s Vision Is Still Vital

News media incentivized to tell the truth in a non-sensational manner is essential for beating racism and other injustice, says our columnist.

Chess Federation Chooses Algorand Blockchain to Host Player Rankings

Algorand was selected to host the digital ratings and titles of World Chess players in a way that's free from fraud or manipulation.

Ethereum Foundation Makes Second Crypto Donation to UNICEF

Thanks to a second donation from the Ethereum Foundation, UNICEF will give cryptocurrency to several more startups in emerging markets.

Trump Told Treasury Secretary to ‘Go After’ Bitcoin, Bolton Book Reportedly Claims

Former national security advisor John Bolton is said to have revealed the conversation in his book, scheduled for publication next week.

First Mover: As US Stocks Defy Economic Gravity, Bitcoiners Shudder at March Memory

With the global economy in deep water amid the coronavirus crisis, some cryptocurrency analysts are starting to wonder if a correction in U.S. stocks might prompt another "Black Thursday" crash.

Polkadot Is Latest Blockchain to Explore Redeemable Bitcoin Tokens

It's only a proof-of-concept at this point, but there's now a model for locking BTC on the Bitcoin blockchain and minting PolkaBTC on Polkadot.

Bitcoin Still Undervalued After Q2 Rally, Price Metric Shows

Bitcoin's Mayer multiple indicates the cryptocurrency is undervalued despite having rallied by over 40% this quarter.

Bitcoin Miner Maker Ebang Estimates $2.5M Loss for Q1 in IPO Prospectus Update

The Chinese firm also revealed its anticipated share price in its updated filing with the U.S. SEC.

OKCoin, BitMEX Sponsor Bitcoin Core Developer Amiti Uttarwar

OKCoin and BitMEX just sponsored another Bitcoin Core developer, Amiti Uttarwar, who is focused on privacy tech and education.

Bitfinex Granted 2 of 3 Subpoenas in Hunt for Missing Millions

The U.S. District Court of Georgia has denied a subpoena request by the exchange's parent firm as it tries to track down a missing $850 million.

Russia’s Ministry of Justice Latest to Criticize Proposed Crypto Ban

Russia's Ministry of Justice is the latest government authority to oppose a proposed crypto ban, seeing inconsistencies in the bill's stipulations.

Binance Joins Indian Tech Association That Helped Overturn Crypto Banking Ban

Binance and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) say they'll work to implement industry best practices in the Indian crypto market.

South Korean Soccer League Tokenizes Players for Fantasy Football Game

A new licensing agreement between the South Korean soccer league and Sorare will bring on over 400 K League players on to the fantasy soccer platform.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Flat at $9.4K but Investors Are Holding On

There is little to no excitement in the markets today with bitcoin staying steady, which has been the case for its overall price performance the past six weeks.

US Fed Chair Says Private Entities Should Not Help Design Central Bank Digital Currencies

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said he believes central banks would have to design and implement CBDCs, not private entities.

What Satoshi Understood: Nobody Knows You’re a Dog on Social Media, Feat. The Crypto Dog

A conversation about pseudo-anonymity, global digital nomadism and the trader’s mindset

Austrian Government Funds Development of Blockchain-Based COVID-19 App

Austria's economic affairs ministry awarded a $67,600 grant to a project called QualiSig, which uses the Ardor blockchain to verify COVID-19 testing.

Singapore Ride-Sharing App Lets Customers Pay With Bitcoin

Singapore-based Ryde announced it will be the first ride-hailing service to incorporate bitcoin payments into its own app.

The Truth About Bitcoin and Hezbollah in Lebanon

Will Hezbollah in Lebanon use bitcoin? The data suggests terror activity is uncommon despite surging crypto popularity across the Middle East.

US Drug Agency Failed to Properly Oversee Crypto Investigations: DOJ Report

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration failed to adequately police its undercover agents’ handling of cryptocurrency, a Department of Justice Inspector General report found.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 17, 2020

With Ethereum logging it's busiest week on record and the number of bitcoin whales headed up, CoinDesk's Markets Daily Bitcoin news roundup is back!

Blockchain Code Can Fill In When Antitrust Law Fails

Technology and the law have traditionally been at odds, but with blockchain and antitrust policy there's potential for cooperation.

Blockchain Bites: River’s Rise, Canada’s CBDC and Bitcoin’s Whales Post-Halving

The number of Bitcoin whales is at its highest level since 2017, as the network adjusts its difficulty setting for the first time post-halving.

When Ferrari? Tokenized Supercar Gives European Investors Exposure to Asset Class

CurioInvest is selling tokenized shares of a limited-edition Ferrari worth over $1 million.

Coinbase Open Sources Technical Standard to Streamline Token Listings

Coinbase published an open-source technical standard designed to streamline its token listing process by making it easy for blockchains to share important data with the exchange's platform.

JD.com Subsidiary Rolling Out Privacy Tech From Blockchain Firm ARPA

JD Digits is teaming up with blockchain-based privacy platform ARPA protect the financial data of major clients.

In Fintech, Fiat and Crypto Worlds Are Converging

Crypto firms and banks are partnering at scale, part of the broader democratization of payments systems around the world.

Polychain Capital, Square Crypto’s Steve Lee Invest in Bitcoin Broker’s $5.7M Seed Round

Bitcoin broker River Financial has closed a $5.7 million seed round to secure additional U.S. money transmitter licenses.

Colombian Government and WEF Weigh Public Ethereum in Bid to Fight Corruption

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is working with the Colombian government to see if blockchain-based transparency can help prevent a hotspot for corruption.

Number of Bitcoin ‘Whales’ Has Risen By 2% Since Halving

Bitcoin's rally has stalled since the May halving, but that hasn't deterred large investors from accumulating coins, data shows.

First Mover: Compound Has Been a DeFi Darling. Its New Token Is Priced Accordingly

The frenzy around decentralized lender Compound's new governance token reveals growing excitement for the DeFi space overall.

Binance’s New UK Exchange to Provide Institutions with Regulated Access to Crypto

Binance U.K. will provide regulated crypto trading services for British and European institutional investors.

Thailand to Raise $6.4M With Sale of Blockchain-Based Bonds

The Thai Public Debt Management Office plans to sell the cheaply priced bonds through a state-owned bank’s blockchain e-wallet.

Stellar Proposes Changes Allowing Exchanges to Better Enforce Regulations

If approved, a new Stellar upgrade means exchanges can prevent investors purchasing more than they are legally allowed to.

Kraken Launches Crypto Exchange Service in Australia

One of the top U.S. exchanges, Kraken is extending its operations down under for crypto trading in AUD.

Mauritius Releases Guidance for Regulated Security Token Offerings

Mauritius' financial watchdog has developed a licensing framework for security token trading systems and issuers.

COMP’s Sudden Growth Has Swamped a DEX Dealing Only in Stablecoins

One of the newer entrants to the DeFi space, Curve, is riding the wave of demand for the freshly issued Compound governance token, COMP.

Market Wrap: Stocks Rally on Possible Stimulus but Bitcoin Is Flat at $9.5K

Equities are winning while bitcoin traders experience a dip in crypto volumes.

From Moral Hazard to Business as Usual, Feat. Jesse Felder

A leading independent financial analysis shares thoughts on the “Robinhood rally,” Fed policy and why Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is already here.

Ethereum Logged Its Busiest Week on Record

It’s costing more to use Ethereum and that may be because more users are flocking to the platform than ever before, according to one key on-chain metric.

Centra Tech Co-Founder Pleads Guilty to Fraud After $25M Token Sale

A co-founder of the celebrity-backed Centra Tech crypto scam has pleaded guilty to his role in the $25 million fraudulent ICO.

In the Wildcat Era of Stablecoins, Commercial Banks Have New Rails to Ride

Today's stablecoin market mirrors the “wildcat banking” era of the mid-1800s, when banks printed their own dollars. Like then, federal intervention is likely.

Canada’s Central Bank Is Serious About Designing a CBDC, Job Posting Reveals

The Bank of Canada is preparing to design its own central bank digital currency (CDBC), detailing its plans in a new job posting.

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Makes Biggest Jump in 29 Months

Miners now face the fourth-most difficult two-week mining period in Bitcoin's history, even though it's only been a little over a month since the halving.

Blockchain Bites: Canaan’s Plunge, Revolut’s Control and Lightning Nodes in Africa

Canaan Creative's stock is at the lowest price since going public while Revolut is simultaneously ceding ownership of and exerting control over client's crypto holdings.

Venezuela Is a Testing Ground for Digital Dollarization (and Zelle Doesn’t Like It)

With their economy crumbling from hyperinflation, Venezuelans are finding new workarounds to get hold of digital dollars.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 16, 2020

Stocks keep crypto down while Africa gets Lightning Nodes. It's CoinDesk's Markets Daily Podcast.

If Crypto Is Anything Like Fixed-Income, It’s Going to Need a Fatter Textbook

Expect digital assets investing to mirror fixed income investing and become more specialized and complex over time, says our columnist.

ConsenSys Spins Up Staking Service in Anticipation of Ethereum 2.0

Ethereum development house ConsenSys is being backed by heavy hitters like Binance and Huobi to test its new “staking-as-a-service” offering.

BlockFi Taps Defense Department, Microsoft Alum as Security Chief

BlockFi is adding a former Bakkt and Microsoft employee to their lineup to take charge of the firm's security.

Coda Protocol Sets Aside $2.1M in Tokens for Development Grants

The project plans to use $2.1 million worth of tokens to incentivize development on its lightweight blockchain.

Bitcoin Rises to $9.6K as Stocks Cheer Additional US Stimulus Plans

A fresh stimulus "bazooka" from the Fed Reserve and the U.S. government lifted prices for both stocks and bitcoin.

First Mover: Negative Rates or More Money Printing – Bitcoin May Benefit Either Way

Central bank stimulus – negative interest rates or asset purchases – are just two sides of the same coin that both strengthen the case for bitcoin.

Tokensoft Teams With Signature Bank to Launch Real Estate Security Token Platform

Tokensoft has partnered with New York-based Signature Bank in a bid to make security tokens click for real estate investors.

Fireblocks Adds Crypto-Tracing Tool to Guard Against Money Laundering

Fireblocks has teamed up with Chainalysis to help flag high-risk transactions passing through its platform.

BitPay Launches Prepaid Crypto Mastercard for US Customers

The new debit card enables U.S. customers to spend their crypto holdings as fiat currency.

One Man’s Mission to Deploy Solar-Powered Bitcoin Nodes Across Africa

A Nigerian entrepreneur has released a $500 kit for building solar-powered Lightning nodes in hopes of expanding bitcoin adoption across Africa.

Capital One Patents AI Fact-Checker to Make Crypto Trading Safer

Capital One believes its patented artificial intelligence system can better assess whether crypto-related news and data are more reliable than humans for tradings, according to its patent filing.

Bitcoin Miner Maker Canaan’s Stock Hits Record Low 1 Month After Halving

Shares of Canaan Creative, one of the few publicly traded crypto miner manufacturers, fell below $2 Monday, their lowest after going public last year.

US Supreme Court’s Computer Fraud Ruling Has Big Implications for Crypto

The case, which turns on how to interpret the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, could set precedents for crypto in the years ahead.

US Air Force Gives Blockchain Firm $1.5M to Build Supply Chain Network

SIMBA Chain, a blockchain-as-a-service company, has two years and $1.5 million to further build out its supply chain logistics platform for the United States Air Force.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Drops, Then Pops as Traders See Weaker Markets Coming

Roller-coaster daily trading for bitcoin Monday isn't convincing traders a larger crypto bull market is in the cards.

Sorry, Bloomberg: Here Are 6 Reasons Why 2020 Is a Great Year for Bitcoin

A Bloomberg senior editor today argued there were six reasons why 2020 was bad for bitcoin. Here’s the opposite case.

CME Bitcoin Options Market Grew 10x in the Past Month

CME Group’s bitcoin options market grew tenfold within a month and recorded six consecutive all-time highs for open interest so far this month.

Inactive Bitcoin Supply Reaches 4-Year High, Pointing to Bullish Sentiment

A majority of bitcoins haven’t moved in at least a year, according to on-chain data, signaling investor confidence amid macroeconomic uncertainty.

UK Fintech Bank Revolut Will Give Customers ‘Legal’ Ownership Over Cryptos – But With a Caveat

UK fintech bank Revolut will give its customers legal ownership over their cryptocurrencies next month, but will limit how they can spend those coins.

Business Is Booming for DeFi Insurer Nexus Mutual Ahead of Ethereum 2.0

Nexus Mutual, an alternative insurance provider for a variety of Ethereum-based DeFi protocols, has seen its risk pool double over the past 90 days to more than $4 million.

Blockchain Bites: JPMorgan on Bitcoin, South Korea on CBDCs and the Porn Industry on Crypto

JPMorgan bond analysts think bitcoin has passed its first stress test while South Korea's central bank is continuing to research CBDCs.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 15, 2020

With bitcoin and ether both down on the day, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back!

Mining Pool Distributes $2.4M Transaction Fee After Flood of Phoney Refund Claims

Mining pool Ethermine said it would never freeze transaction fees again.

OKEx Taps Paxful to Provide New Fiat-to-Crypto On-Ramps

OKEx is partnering with Paxful, adding more than 160 fiat currency onramps to its crypto exchange business.

Korea’s Central Bank Forms Legal Panel to Advise on Possible Digital Currency Launch

The Bank of Korea has set up a legal panel to advise on possible regulatory sticking points for a future CBDC issuance.

First Mover: Cardano’s No Ethereum Killer Yet, But It’s Winning in Crypto Markets

Cardano's ADA token is racking up impressive gains this year, possibly over speculation the network's early adoption of a proof-of-stake blockchain might help it win a growing share of the DeFi space.

Bitcoin Price Drop May Be a Bear Trap, Options Market Suggests

The put-call volume ratio of bitcoin options suggests Monday's price decline could be short-lived. However, the cryptocurrency remains vulnerable to a further sell-off in stocks.

Encrypted Messaging Site Privnote Cloned to Steal Bitcoin

The free web service, which lets users send encrypted messages that self-destruct once read, has been copied with the reported aim of redirecting users' bitcoin to criminals.

India’s Rumored Crypto Ban May Be Overblown, Say Industry Pros

Talk that India might be considering a new ban on crypto may be premature, exchange founders and startup CEOs working in the sector believe.

Just-Launched Ziglu Wants to Make It Stupid Easy to Buy Crypto

U.K.-based cryptocurrency platform Ziglu has launched, following a $6.6 million seed round.

JPMorgan Analysts: Bitcoin Is Likely to Survive (as a Speculative Asset)

Bitcoin proved itself a resilient asset, if not a stable or useful currency, during March's global market meltdown, JPMorgan analysts told investors.

Crypto Long & Short: Cryptocurrency Markets May Be Decentralized, but They’re Still Accountable

One overlooked aspect of crypto markets is that transparency and choice holds participants accountable in ways traditional markets have not experienced.

Bootstrapping Mobile Mesh Networks with Bitcoin Lightning

Richard Myers says the future of ad-hoc mesh networks for SMS messages and Bitcoin transactions on your smart phone is here, but it needs the Lightning network to succeed.

The Chad Index Versus Doomer Internet Money: The Breakdown Weekly Recap

This week, the wildest, most nonsensical, volatile part of the market wasn’t bitcoin, but the “Robinhood Rally” in equities.

How the Porn Industry Changed During Coronavirus, With Performers Wary of Bitcoin

CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and adult content creator Allie Awesome talk about payments and money in the sex industry, especially the trends impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

An Indonesian Chef and the Remittance Industry’s $554B Problem

When the coronavirus forced Chef Bagus to conduct his cooking classes online, he needed a good payment system. There wasn't one, but his customers helped find a workaround.

Asset Manager Wilshire Phoenix Files to Launch New Bitcoin Investment Trust

Wilshire Phoenix has filed to launch a bitcoin trust in hopes of making the cryptocurrency more accessible to investors.

How an Art Collective Is Using Blockchain to Protest Police Brutality

The DADA Art Collective is using blockchain to promote Black Lives Matter and calls for police reform. Here's how tokens can be a form of protest.

Bitcoin Is More Than an Inflation Hedge

While fears of a “great monetary inflation” have driven the recent bitcoin narrative, other aspects like censorship resistance and peaceful protest matter just as much.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Is Still Up 30% in 2020 After a Bumpy Week

The crypto market seems more closely tied to traditional markets now, but is handily beating stocks year-to-date.

Digital Dollar? Get Real, Financial Inclusion Advocates Tell Congress

Currently just a flashy idea, the digital dollar is competing with duller but proven methods for the job of getting stimulus funds to every U.S. resident.

Blockchain Bites: Designing Digital Dollars and Following the Quadriga Trail

The Ontario Securities Commission says QuadrigaCX, an infamous Canadian exchange, was a Ponzi scheme, while the National Science Foundation is issuing a grant to design a national digital currency.

Drug Dealer Just Sentenced to 25 Years Hoped to Build a Better Bitcoin Miner

Paul Calder LeRoux, an admitted drug dealer with a background in encryption, planned to build a bitcoin miner had he beaten the rap.

This Liechtenstein Bank Can Now Custody Crypto

Mason Privatbank Liechtenstein is aiming to cater to both crypto-focused investors and asset managers who are looking to diversify their portfolios.

Money Reimagined: The Fed, Hertz, a Bonkers Stock Market and why ICOs Still Matter

Illogical stock movements demonstrate the need for new ways to allocate capital. Yes, it's time to talk about token offerings once more.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 12, 2020

With the price of BTC dropping more than 6% overnight, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back with your bitcoin news roundup.

Russia’s Supreme Court Makes ‘Landmark’ Vote With Blockchain System from Kapersky Lab

The court for the first time used a blockchain-based system to record votes in a web-hosted plenary session Friday.

Japan’s High Court Rejects Former Mt Gox CEO’s Conviction Appeal

Mark Karpeles said he is reviewing the verdict with his legal team.

Tezos and Algorand Latest to Integrate Tech for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance

The integrations would allow the two blockchain projects to track transactions and identify senders, in line with the FATF's "Travel Rule."

Crypto Exchange Owner Admits Laundering $1.8M in Online Auctions Fraud

The owner of Romanian crypto exchange CoinFlux has admitted to laundering money in a fraudulent scheme involving fake eBay ads and a car wash.

First Mover: Bitcoin Recouples With Wall Street as Stocks Tumble, Fear Trade Returns

Fear has crept back into cryptocurrency and traditional financial markets, with bitcoin falling alongside U.S. stocks on Thursday.

Why Bitcoin Suddenly Dropped 6% on Thursday

The week-long calm in the bitcoin market ended with a sudden $800 price drop on Thursday. Here's three likely reasons why.

Xapo Suspends Credit Card Crypto Purchases, Shifts Operations to Gibraltar

Xapo is making changes as it transforms into a digital bank launching later this year.

National Science Foundation Funds Research Into Crypto Dollars

The National Science Foundation has given blockchain startup KRNC $225,000 to design cryptocurrency features for the U.S. dollar.

Why This Dev Built a ‘Centralized Ethereum’ on Top of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network

Ethereum showed the limits of decentralization, says the creator of an explicitly centralized version that pays contracts via Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.

Seed CX to Close Exchange, Focus on Settlements in Company Shift

Crypto derivatives platform Seed CX will be axing its exchange arm to focus solely on settlements, while also teasing additional funding from Bain Capital.

Market Wrap: Stocks’ Carnage Drags Bitcoin Down to $9K

A somber economic outlook ahead is causing markets to dip, and bitcoin is a part of that sentiment as well.

With Token Uptick and Israeli Election Work, It’s Been a Busy Year for Bancor’s Founders

Bancor, the decentralized exchange (DEX) protocol, has seen a number of interesting developments in the first half of 2020.

Why the Fed Keeps Denying Its Role in Increasing Inequality

The Federal Reserve expects low inflation, says rates will stay close to zero through 2022 and keeps lying about the role of central banks in increasing inequality.

Quadriga Was a Ponzi Scheme, Ontario Securities Regulator Says

NEW: The Ontario Securities Commission has published a scathing report calling now-defunct Canadian exchange QuadrigaCX a "Ponzi," and denouncing the practices of founder and CEO Gerald Cotten.

Blockchain Bites: CBDCs on Capitol Hill, Custody Battles and Smart Drugs

Lawmakers will convene today to discuss the possibility of using digital dollars to distribute coronavirus relief, while Filecoin releases its new testnet.

Bitmain’s Power Struggle Takes Toll on Customers as Co-Founder Halts Shipments

Like the employees forced to choose sides, Bitmain customers have been caught in the middle of the power struggle at the No.1 bitcoin miner manufacturer.

Mutual Fund Giant Vanguard Wraps Phase 1 of Digital Asset-Backed Securities Pilot

Vanguard worked with blockchain startup Symbiont, BNY Mellon, Citi, State Street and others to model the full lifecycle of digital ABS settlement.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 11, 2020

With BTC and global equity markets down more than 1% on the day, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back with your bitcoin news roundup.

Three Arrows Capital Now Holds More Than 6% of Grayscale’s $3.6B Bitcoin Trust

Three Arrows Capital now holds about 6.26% of the shares in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, or more than 20,000 bitcoins' worth.

Crypto Community Seeks an Edge With Mind-Bending Designer Drugs

Nootropics, or smart drugs, are popular in the tech and crypto scene among high-achievers looking to disrupt the world: beginning with themselves.

Unstoppable Domains Launches Censorship-Resistant Blogging Platform

Decentralized blogging is coming to a .crypto URL near you thanks to a partnership between Unstoppable Domains and Protocol Labs.

Grant Thornton Affiliate Taps CipherTrace to Better Track Cryptos Used in Cybercrimes

Catallaxy, an affiliate of Grant Thornton, is tapping CipherTrace to better track cryptocurrencies that might have been used for illicit purposes.

BTSE Exchange Offers Futures Contracts Tracking Tether Gold and Priced in Bitcoin

BTSE's new perpetual futures contract tracks the value of tether gold tokens priced in bitcoin.

Bitcoin Stuck Below $10K as Stocks Drop

With the Fed dashing hopes of a V-shaped recovery, it's uncertain whether bitcoin will become a store of value or begin to track stocks.

First Mover: Fed Sees No Inflation Through 2021, But Bitcoiners Are Betting on It Anyway

Bitcoin investors think "it's only a matter of time" before the U.S. experiences rocketing inflation.

Custody Provider Copper Joins Think Tank to Bridge Gap Between Traditional Finance and Crypto

Crypto custodian Copper is joining the Official Monetary and Financial Institution Forum's new think tank to discuss how central banks are evaluating digital currencies.

Custody Battle Pits Institutional Boomers Against Crypto Upstarts

Crypto custodians are in a race to build the next State Street or BNY Mellon.

With Arweave’s ‘Lazy’ Approach to Smart Contracts, Its Version of Web3 Does More

Arweave, a blockchain network meant for the permanent storage of data, has released a completely new approach to smart contracts.

Filecoin Prepares for Network Launch With Final Testing Phase

Decentralized storage network firm Filecoin announced the launch of its Incentivized Testnet, the network’s final phase of testing, on Wednesday

Cryptos on Coinbase’s New Exploratory List See Prices Jump 17% on Average

Most of the cryptocurrencies on Coinbase's new exploratory list saw their prices jump between 8 and 25% within a few hours.

Bitcoin IRA Is Ready to Take On Small Savers With Updated Retirement Savings Product

Bitcoin IRA, the retirement savings startup, now has a no-balance-minimum account that only requires a monthly deposit minimum of $100.

Coca-Cola Distributor Offers Bitcoin Payment Options for Aussie Vending Machines

More than 2,000 vending machines in Australia and New Zealand will let customers purchase Coke products using bitcoin.

WATCH: US Lawmakers Will Talk Digital Dollar, FedAccounts in Thursday Hearing

The “digital dollar” concept will take the spotlight Thursday as House Financial Services Committee members discuss how best to issue stimulus funds.

Coinbase Custody Deleted Tweet That Could Explain Surge in Tether Addresses

In a now-deleted tweet, Coinbase Custody International announced on Twitter it was adding support for withdrawals and deposits in the stablecoin tether.

‘Radical Indifference’: How Surveillance Capitalism Conquered Our Lives

"Disinformation is a routine consequence of surveillance capitalism," says Surveillance Capitalism author Shoshana Zuboff in a wide-ranging interview.

A Vision for Digital Property Rights, Feat. Nic Carter

Most people today look at social platforms like any other private company, but what if we saw them as alternative jurisdictions with a new set of property rights?

Fed Officials See Anemic Inflation Despite Trillion-Dollar Money Injections

Federal Reserve officials see U.S. inflation as likely to stay below 2% over the next three years, based on a new summary of economic predictions released Wednesday by the central bank.

Human Rights Foundation Funds Bitcoin Privacy Tools Despite ‘Coin Mixing’ Legal Stigma

The Human Rights Foundation took a strong stance on bitcoin privacy tech Wednesday by announcing its new Bitcoin Developer Fund.

Blockchain Bites: Libra’s Future, Elrond’s ‘Trial by Fire’ and LocalBitcoins’ Volume

An unknown wallet set a $2.6 million ETH transaction fee and Hacker Noon announced it will test out Web 3.0 micropayments.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 10, 2020

As Chinese students prepare for bitcoin questions on their university entrance exams, some analysts say BTC is near the start of a multi-month bull run.

Microsoft Releases Bitcoin-Based ID Tool as COVID-19 Tracing Draws Criticism

Microsoft’s Bitcoin-based decentralized identity tool, ION, just went live with a beta version on mainnet.

This Political Conversation With Vitalik Buterin Shows How Ethereum Could Change the World

Congressional candidate Jonathan Herzog hosted a live YouTube broadcast with Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin on Monday, along with author Glen Weyl.

Russia’s Economy Ministry Calls for ‘Controllable Market’ Rather Than Crypto Ban

The ministry argued the draft ban would be harmful for Russia's economy and citizens, and called for a softer stance.

Algorand and Blockstack Are Building a Multi-Chain Smart Contract Language

Clarity, a new open-source programming language, promises to deliver less buggy smart contracts.

Bakkt, Galaxy Digital to Offer Joint Bitcoin Custody Solution for Institutions

Bakkt and Galaxy Digital plan to offer a "white glove" trading and custody solution targeting institutions this year.

Sequoia-Backed Band Protocol Creeps Onto Chainlink’s Turf With Oracle Product

Band Protocol 2.0 launched Wednesday with its mainnet oracle solution, BandChain, leveraging the Cosmos SDK from Tendermint Labs.

Bitcoin Doesn’t Take Sides: Why Apolitical Solutions Are the Internet’s Future

Companies that take political stances are in a never-ending war with public opinion. Bitcoin doesn’t take sides and that's why it wins, says our columnist.

Hacker Noon Raises $1M From Former Ripple CTO for Content Micro-Tipping

Tech site Hacker Noon is adding micropayments following an integration with Coil that runs on the Interledger protocol.

The Crypto Community Needs to Stand Up and Fight Racism

While the CEOs of Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase show solidarity with Black Lives Matter, crypto's big names have often been silent.

First Mover: Bitcoin Bulls Might Get Negative Rates From Central Banks, Just Not the Fed

The Fed may remain intransigent about negative rates, but bitcoin may benefit from other central bankers who are keeping the option firmly on the table.

‘Whale’ Just Sent $130 in Cryptocurrency With a $2.6M Transaction Fee

The sender's identity isn't known, but their wallet still holds more than $11 million-worth of ether,

Another Data Point Suggests Bitcoin Close to Prolonged Bull Market

Bitcoin could be on the verge of breaking into a multi-month bull run, according to a lesser-known data metric.

Coinbase’s Ex-Lead Lawyer Sold $4.6M in Stock to Head US Banking Watchdog

Brian Brooks left Coinbase to lead the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last month.

Libra Is Ready for the Digital Money ‘Space Race’: Dante Disparte

Libra's most vexing challenge may be juggling inclusion and compliance. But policy chief Dante Disparte says the project is not giving up on reaching the unbanked.

Elrond Will Pay You $60,000 to Break Its Blockchain

Elrond is conducting a “trial-by-fire” exercise on its blockchain protocol, offering big bounties to white-hat hackers who can disrupt the network.

Crypto Payroll Startup Bitwage Lets Earners Sidestep Volatility With Stablecoin Payments

Offering the option to receive wages in the USDC stablecoin removes the volatility risk for earners.

New Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product to Be Listed on Deutsche Börse Exchange

A London-based investment firm is listing a centrally cleared bitcoin exchange-traded product on Deutsche Börse’s Xetra in Germany.

Market Wrap: DeFi Is Helping Ether Outpace Bitcoin This Year

Thanks to growing interest in DeFi, ether is outperforming bitcoin when the market is moving higher.

Moscow Said to Hire Kaspersky to Build Voting Blockchain With Bitfury Software

Moscow's government is giving voters the option of having their ballots recorded on a blockchain despite transparency concerns.

What the Stock Market’s ‘Robinhood Rally’ Means for Bitcoin

The largest 50-day rally in stock market history and even shares of bankrupt companies are up more than 100%. What is going on?

Alchemy Notify Wants to Simplify Blockchain UX With a Single Push

Alchemy has built a new push notification system for blockchain developers in a bid to move the needle on mainstream-friendly crypto UX.

LocalBitcoins’ Volume Holds Steady Despite Stricter Compliance Procedures

Banning cash transactions and requiring identity verification has not noticeably hurt bitcoin’s oldest operating peer-to-peer exchange, market data shows.

US Officials Allege Student Defrauded Apple as Part of SIM Swap Attack

A UC-San Diego student is accused of participating in a SIM-swapping scam that defrauded Apple and stole one victim’s crypto.

‘Inherently Borderless’: Acting OCC Chief Talks Crypto, State Licenses and DeFi

“My job here is not to protect incumbents,” says acting Comptroller of the Currency (and Coinbase veteran) Brian Brooks of his fintech-forward agenda.

Blockchain Bites: ‘Bitcoin Billionaires’ and Buying a Coke With Crypto

Is mass adoption back on the agenda with the announcement of a feature film based on the Winklevoss twins and new crypto payment option for vending machines "down under?"

Number of Institutions Buying Crypto Futures Doubled in 2020: Fidelity Report

More than 85 U.S. institutions bought crypto futures last year, more than double the number touching the space in 2018, according to a new survey by Fidelity.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 9, 2020

With the price of bitcoin again struggling to breach $10,000 and volatility falling to recent lows, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back with another bitcoin news roundup.

Coinbase Outlines Tech Plan to Help Avert Future Outages

After another traffic spike caused a temporary shut down of its exchange service and angered users, Coinbase said it's working on improvements.

Pentagon War Game Envisioned a Generation-Z Rebellion Funded by Bitcoin

The war game was designed in 2018 to prepare troops for future conflicts fought on computers rather than out on the field.

Bitcoin Remains on Hunt for $10K as Holding Sentiment Gains Strength

There are signs investors are increasingly holding bitcoin, confident that a long-term bull market lies ahead.

First Mover: As Bitcoiners Eye Inflation Boost, Wall Street Sees Barely Any for Five Years

Wall Street doesn't think rising inflation is likely right now – does that remove one of the reasons to invest in bitcoin?

CoinMarketCap Metric Overhaul Keeps Owner Binance at the Top

CoinMarketCap's new ranking system gives Binance a perfect score, even after it was criticized for favoring its new owner last month.

Illegal Miners in Russia Stole $6.6M-Worth of Electricity, Power Grid Firm Says

Electricity thieves built their own illicit power stations to connect hidden mining farms with the local energy grid, a state-owned provider says.

Chinese Police Freezing OTC Traders’ Bank Accounts Over ‘Tainted’ Crypto Transactions

Thousands of cryptocurrency over-the-counter merchants and their clients may have been affected as police in China freeze bank accounts over tainted crypto and fiat assets.

Securitize Debuts On-Chain Dividend Payouts for Lottery.com Security Token

Securitize, a registered transfer agent, has facilitated the payout of dividends from blockchain-based securities for the first time.

Crypto Long & Short: Bitcoin’s Quiet Progress Is Pointing Toward a Better Future

Noelle Acheson compares the soaring rhetoric of JP Barlow’s Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace with the quiet innovation of Satoshi’s bitcoin.

‘Be Your Own Bank’ and the ‘Luxury of Apathy’

The powerful idea and meme at the core of Bitcoin self-sovereignty is incredibly empowering but has an unspoken element that requires persistent competence and at least for some makes it more trouble than it's worth.

The Revolution Will Be Retweeted: The Breakdown Weekly Recap

A recap of one of the most significant weeks in recent American political history.

A Digital Art Project Might Have an Answer to the Woes of Staking Centralization

Drawing inspiration from Reddit's r/place, AstroCanvas is an experiment in boosting staking participation – without appealing to financial incentives.

Coinbase Offers US Feds New Crypto Surveillance Tools

Coinbase Analytics vaults the massive crypto exchange into a crowded field of blockchain tracing companies all vying for millions of federal dollars.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Flat as Stocks Swell on Positive Jobs Report

Bitcoin was dull in trading Friday as stock markets were having a big day. However, cryptocurrency stakeholders see it as a temporary market condition.

Money Reimagined: The Ongoing Crisis Is Stirring a Crypto Awakening in Developing Nations

Peer-to-peer bitcoin transactions are up in the developing world. This has everything to do with "QE Infinity" and could be an opening for stablecoins.

SEC Moves to Freeze Assets of Alleged $12M Crypto Investment Scam

The SEC is trying to freeze the assets of a cryptocurrency mining and multilevel marketing scheme that it claimed bilked investors of $12 million.

The Biggest Realignment in the US-China Relationship Since Nixon, Feat. Graham Webster

How one of the world’s most important geopolitical relationships came to be what it is in 2020.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 5, 2020

It's bulls on parade as analysts see upward momentum for bitcoin. Here's CoinDesk's Markets Daily Podcast.

Crypto Derivatives Exchange OKEx Launches Options on Ether

Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange OKEx rolled out option contracts on Ethereum’s ether (ETH) token on Thursday, ending the Panama-based Deribit’s virtual monopoly in the space.

How Bitcoin Fits Into Lebanon’s Banking Crisis

Lebanon's crisis has been raging for years, but the devaluation of the Lebanese pound and a global downturn has made stable financial services even more urgent.

Blockchain Bites: Why UN and Federal Reserve Experts Think CBDCs Could Kill Commercial Banking

U.N. and Federal Reserve experts think CBDCs can compete with commercial banks, New York and France enter a regulatory agreement while Europol has Wasabi Wallet concerns.

Digital Currencies Could Replace Low-Interest Bank Accounts, Says UN Expert

Low-interest rates have removed one of the few remaining incentives for holding a bank account, meaning digital currency could be a better alternative, argues a UN expert.

New York, French Finance Watchdogs Open Doors for Each Other’s Fintech Startups

The New York State Department of Financial Services and its French regulatory counterpart will work to "ease the entry" for fintech innovators into their respective markets.

First Mover: Bloomberg’s Pie-in-the-Sky Bitcoin Call Looks Directionally Defensible

The $20,000 in 2020 prediction may be overly optimistic, but analysts agree bitcoin is likely heading north.

Bullishness Building in Bitcoin Options Market, Data Suggests

Option traders look to be placing bets for a continued upward move in bitcoin.

Bitfinex Spin-Out Says Funds Are Lining Up for Its New Decentralized Exchange

DeversiFi says it has received interest in its DEX's privacy features from more 70 funds.

The Free Market Will Determine Cardano’s Fate: IOHK’s Charles Hoskinson

A high token price gives a project crucial staying power, Hoskinson tells CoinDesk.

Fed Paper: Central Bank Digital Currencies Could Replace Commercial Banks – But at a Cost

The research explores how "central banking for all" via digital currency could affect commercial banks.

Bitcoin Is a Way to Repair Economic Injustice: Author Isaiah Jackson

There are no easy technological solutions to racial tensions, police brutality or economic insecurity. Still, bitcoin could help black Americans, says author Isaiah Jackson.

EU’s Europol: Bitcoin Privacy Wallet ‘Not Looking Good’ For Law Enforcement

Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, has its eyes on the popular bitcoin privacy tool Wasabi Wallet, documents verified by CoinDesk show.

Lawsuit Accuses Xapo, Indodax of Negligently Holding Stolen Bitcoin

A crypto trader is trying to seize nearly 500 bitcoin from exchanges Xapo and Indodax through a new lawsuit that accuses the two crypto exchanges of harboring his stolen funds.

US Bank Regulator OCC Asks for Public Input on Cryptocurrency Use in Financial Sector

A federal banking regulator is seeking public input on how cryptocurrencies interact with the national banking system and financial institutions.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Closing in on $9,900 as Crypto Market Volatility Persists

Crypto derivatives volume had a record month in May - and volatility contributes to fueling that growth.

MakerDAO Weighs Accepting Real-World Assets as Crypto Loan Collateral

Decentralized finance (DeFi) may soon boast a real-world use case as MakerDao considers accepting freight invoices as collateral for DAI loans.

Crypto Derivative Volumes Hit Record $602B in May: Report

A flurry of activity around the bitcoin halving led to crypto derivatives volumes in May gaining key market share against spot volumes.

The Mirage of the Money Printer: Why the Fed Is More PR Than Policy, Feat. Jeffrey P. Snider

The meme is “money printer go brrr,” but according to this macro expert, central banks have almost no power to actually influence money itself.

Decentralization and What Section 230 Really Means for Freedom of Speech

With US President Donald Trump clashing with social media behemoth Twitter, what does the fight over 'Section 230' really mean and can decentralization offer a better solution?

Blockchain Bites: Bitmain’s Shakeup, Bitcoin’s Resilience and Ethereum’s Anonymity

Bitmain's ousted co-founder reportedly retook the company's office building while a protocol update made Bitcoin more resilient to state attacks.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 4, 2020

Bloomberg thinks BTC could hit $20K. It's CoinDesk's Markets Daily Podcast.

Bittrex, Poloniex Added to Lawsuit Claiming Tether Manipulated Bitcoin Market

An amended lawsuit alleging Tether and Bitfinex manipulated the bitcoin market is now claiming Poloniex and Bittrex were also involved.

Bitmain’s Feuding Co-Founders Are Fracturing the Firm and Staff Are Caught in the Middle

Staff at bitcoin miner manufacturer Bitmain are being forced to choose between its two co-founders as a long-running feud over control of the firm worsens.

Japan’s Biggest Banks Are Talking About Building a Digital Payments System

The banks will be joined by representatives from big business and the government to lay out how to create shared digital payments system.

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Drops 9% to January Levels

Bitcoin has just got easier to mine while major manufacturers have started shipping their latest machines ahead of China's rainy summer season.

Crypto-Friendly Arival Bank Is Launching Today for Those Willing to Disclose Their Bags

After two years of laying groundwork, crypto-friendly Arival Bank is launching in beta Thursday. But there’s a catch: clients must disclose all wallets.

Bloomberg Analysts Predict $20K Bitcoin This Year

Bloomberg analysts argue that historical patterns and macro factors mean prices are on a path back the the all-time high.

First Mover: Bitcoin Market, Like Wall Street, Shrugs Off Nationwide Protests

Protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis could have implications for inflation and trust in the financial system.

Ex-Yang Aide Is Running for Congress with Bitcoin and UBI on His Mind

A former Yang aide running for Congress sees Bitcoin as a liberator, New York’s BitLicense as a hindrance and universal basic income as an imperative.

The Neil Ferguson Affair Shows the Limits of Science During COVID-19

The depth of the outrage reveals how scandalized the public can become when trusted institutions are shown to be less reliable than expected.

‘Careless’ Users Are Ruining Ethereum’s Privacy: Paper

Ethereum's account-based model makes it more susceptible to surveillance than some other protocols and users aren't helping, a research paper argues.

Ethereum Has Become Bitcoin’s Top Off-Chain Destination

The most popular way to use bitcoin off-chain is on Ethereum, recent data indicates.

SEC ‘Crypto Mom’ Hester Peirce Tapped for Second Term at US Regulator: Report

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has reportedly been nominated to another five-year term at the agency.

Latest Bitcoin Core Code Release Protects Against Nation-State Attacks

Bitcoin Core released a new software update Wednesday. Notably, it includes experimental software to hedge against attacks from nation-states and ISPs.

Argo’s Mining Revenue Dips After Bitcoin’s Halving

London-based bitcoin miner Argo reported that a dip in revenue last month may have occurred due to the bitcoin halving.

Market Wrap: A Bitcoin Lull as Stocks Signal Economic Optimism

The bitcoin rollercoaster has turned into a bumper car as equities take the stage in hopes of a global economic rebound.

Nonprofit Energy Consortium Trials Blockchain Management for Wastewater Tracking

A U.S. oil and gas consortium says a blockchain-based automated platform tracking wastewater reduced transportation costs.

5 Numbers That Tell the Story of Markets Right Now

From the largest 50-day rally in history to the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, the story of markets in 5 key numbers

Miners Are Selling More of Their Bitcoin. That May Actually Be Bullish

The conventional wisdom could be challenged because miners mainly operate on cash, meaning they need to liquidate their holdings almost daily to fund the cost of mining.

Blockchain Bites: Avanti’s Angel Round, Civil’s Closure and a Data Breach

Ethereum Classic hardforked to become more compatible with Ethereum while a French energy firm is cleared to issue a new ICO.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 3, 2020

Not so good news for fans of $10K BTC. It's CoinDesk's Markets Daily Podcast.

Numerai Raises $3M in Another NMR Token Sale With Union Square Ventures, Placeholder

Numerai has sold an additional $3 million in NMR tokens to a slate of investors led by Union Square Ventures on the strength of its latest product, Erasure.

Binance Korea Deploys Anti-Money Laundering Tool from Regtech Company Coinfirm

Blockchain analytics provider Coinfirm will help Binance Korea better comply with anti-money laundering rules.

Coincheck Customers Fall Victim to Data Breach After Domain Account Error

Coincheck's .com domain had been "in a state where it could be acquired." No funds have been lost, the firm said.

Matic Launches Mainnet Aiming to Bring More ‘Firepower’ to Ethereum

Matic, a sidechain scaling solution for Ethereum, has deployed the first 10 nodes of its mainnet after several years in development.

First Mover: ECB Stimulus May Offer Market Hope After Bitcoin Fails (Again) to Break $10K

After another failure above the $10,000 mark, some bitcoin traders are now looking ahead to this week's European Central Bank meeting, where authorities could commit to an extra €500 billion in money injections – er, asset purchases.

Hard Fork Sets Stage for Ethereum Classic’s Second Major Departure From Ethereum

Ethereum Classic has largely followed Ethereum in lockstep. But as the larger chain goes toward Proof-of-Stake, ETC is sticking with Proof-of-Work.

French Renewable Energy Provider Wins Regulator’s Approval for €10M Token Sale

Renewables provider WPO has been granted an "ICO visa" from the French financial markets regulator.

Vodafone Enlists Blockchain Nonprofit for Tracking Renewable Energy Use in Europe

Vodafone and Energy Web are using SIM cards and blockchain to build more nimble renewable power grids.

Lightning Network Overhaul Could Strengthen Bitcoin Privacy – But Many ‘Ifs’ Remain

Bitcoin developers are exploring Point Timelock Contracts (PTLCs) to improve the privacy of payments on the Lightning Network.

Minnesota Official Alarms Privacy Advocates With Contact Tracing Comments

Comments from a Minnesota official comparing law enforcement to contact tracing alerted privacy activists to the dangers of misusing COVID-19 health data.

No, Marvin Ammori, CoinDesk Is Not Trying to Extort You

Marvin Ammori, Head of Policy at Protocol Labs, says his crypto hero is Hal Finney, recalls his trip to Iceland and thinks crypto should disrupt banks next.

Iranian Lawmaker Says Bitcoin Should Be Central Bank’s Turf

An Iranian lawmaker wants his country’s central bank to take bitcoin seriously.

Caitlin Long’s Avanti Raises $5M, Submits Wyoming Banking Charter Application Draft

Crypto bank Avanti has raised an angel round from the University of Wyoming Foundation, Anthony Pompliano’s Morgan Creek Digital and other investors.

Market Wrap: Traders ‘Whack the Beehive’ as Bitcoin Surges Then Plunges

Bitcoin’s jump up and right back down is at least partially due to the crypto derivatives markets.

The Decentralized Web Has Plans, if Not Solutions, for the Misinformation Nightmare

Donald Trump's recent spat with Twitter over the limits of free speech poses a question: Could decentralized media do better? It hasn't yet, as Civil and TruStory show, but Jack Dorsey wants to test some ideas.

Media Startup Civil Shuts Down, Team Absorbed Into Decentralized ID Efforts at ConsenSys

Blockchain media startup Civil is shutting down after three years, with its team pivoting to building decentralized identity tools at parent firm ConsenSys.

Cellphones, Bitcoin and the Citizen Tools of Anti-Authoritarianism, Feat. Alex Gladstein

As protests mount in the U.S., we sit down with an outspoken pro-bitcoin, anti-surveillance human-rights advocate.

Blockchain Firms Flocked to Hong Kong in 2019: Report

Blockchain firms led the charge of fintech companies that relocated to Hong Kong in 2019.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 2, 2020

With the price of bitcoin briefly breaking above $10,000, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back!

Bitcoin’s Price Drops by $800 in Less Than 5 Minutes

Bitcoin's price fell more than $800 in under five minutes on Tuesday, pushing the broader cryptocurrency market into the red.

Blockchain Bites: Poolin Lending, Square Crypto’s Grant and a Senate Candidate Who Holds Bitcoin

Square Crypto supports Bitcoin's lightning network development, crypto mining pool Poolin expands lending and ICE is going after the petro dollar's creator.

US Offers $5M Bounty for Arrest of Venezuela’s Crypto Chief

The head of Venezuela's state-backed petro cryptocurrency has been added to the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Most Wanted list.

Open Interest in Ether Options Hits Record High on Deribit

Derivative contracts on ether are more popular than ever, as evidenced by record open positions in options listed on the Panama-based derivatives exchange Deribit.

How a Fatal Weakness Forced Libra to Capitulate

While Bitcoin created an alternative financial system independent of government, Libra’s architecture depends on the existing fiat currency system – and on the whims of the governments that control it.

Crypto Criminals Have Already Stolen $1.4B in 2020, Says CipherTrace

The figure puts 2020 on track to become the second-costliest year in the history of crypto.

First Mover: BSV Doubles in 2020 as Bitcoin Offshoot Wins Devotees

The controversial cryptocurrency is winning in the crypto markets this year as developers and investors see its blockchain's technical differences as a good thing.

BitMEX Sees Biggest Short Squeeze in 8 Months After Bitcoin Surge

A big short squeeze has taken bitcoin passed a major psychological hurdle – some think its the start of a breakout.

Tech Mahindra Inks Education Deal to Develop India’s Blockchain Talent

Indian firms Tech Mahindra and Idealabs will offer curated professional certification courses on blockchain.

Bitcoin Mining Pool Poolin Partners With BlockFi to Expand Crypto Lending Service

Poolin, the second biggest bitcoin mining pool by total network power, is expanding its crypto lending and financial services businesses.

Bitcoiners Sprint to Improve Lightning Network in 2-Day Virtual Hackathon

Unable to meet in person, developers around the world collaborated by videoconference for a 48-hour stretch to refine Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.

‘Financial Surveillance’ or ‘Blockchain Analysis’? Human Rights Foundation Debates Elliptic

Blockchain analysis is "a euphemism" for surveillance, HRF Director Alex Gladstein told Elliptic's Tom Robinson during a debate on crypto tracing Monday.

Bitcoin Rises Above $10K for First Time in 25 Days as Protests Roil US Cities

Bitcoin has risen above $10,000 for the first time in almost a month as protests in U.S. cities continue to intensify.

‘Sell in May’ Wall Street Adage Doesn’t Apply to Bitcoin, Data Suggests

Investors who sold bitcoin in May missed out on positive returns during 8 of the past 10 years, according to market data.

Chinese Chip Maker With a Hand in Crypto Mining Plans $2.8B IPO

Hong Kong-listed SMIC plans to raise $2.8 billion via an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in hopes of advancing its chip making practices. The company is working with Canaan Creative to build a new crypto miner.

Market Wrap: As Bitcoin Steadies, Oil’s Turmoil Continues

The bitcoin market has nothing on oil’s volatility in 2020.

Meet the US Senate Candidate Who’s Invested in Bitcoin Since 2013

Wyoming U.S. Senate candidate Cynthia Lummis says bitcoin's store-of-value appeal has never been stronger. So she continues to HODL.

On the ‘Bitcoin Fixes This’ Meme

As the U.S. experiences the most sustained civil disobedience in more than a generation, an exploration of what role bitcoin has to play in building a better system.

Private Swiss Bank Rolls Out New Premium Crypto Trading Service

Private Swiss bank Maerki Baumann is offering a new trading and custody service for a handful of cryptos.

Bitcoin News Roundup for June 1, 2020

With bitcoin and ether both headed up, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back with your bitcoin news roundup.

Blockchain Bites: Chase Class Action, 30 Words for Censorship and a Bitcoin Bug

Chase Bank settled a class action brought by crypto purchasers while a new report shows a flaw in time-locked bitcoin transactions.

Bitcoin Is a Big Opportunity for Investors in the Debt-Fueled Roaring Twenties

With interest rates for government debt near zero, or negative, the fixed income asset class has disappeared. The investment case for Bitcoin just gets stronger.

Alibaba Claims Patented Cross-Chain System Is Better Than Cosmos

The e-commerce firm says its new patent would improve upon current systems used by blockchains to communicate with one another.

Maker of Coldcard Bitcoin Wallet Rolls Out an Extra-Strength ‘USB Condom’

CoinKite, maker of the Coldcard hardware wallet, has introduced two accessories that underscore the near-paranoia required to safely hold bitcoin.

Ether Leads Bitcoin on Price as Investors Prepare for Staking Arrival

Bitcoin has put in a positive June performance in six out of the last eight years. But Ethereum is drawing new investors with the start of staking due this year.

First Mover: 0x’s ZRX Token Surged 67% in May to Become Month’s Top Performer

0x's ZRX token was May’s best performing crypto asset, beating bitcoin by a big margin.

Crypto Influencers Are Following the Beauty Playbook – Even if They Don’t Know It

Here's how influencer marketing drives the crypto industry – especially for product sales like hardware wallets and debit cards.

Chase Bank to Refund 95% of $2.5M It Allegedly Overcharged Crypto Buyers

The JPMorgan subsidiary has agreed to repay most of $2.5 million it took in credit card fees for cryptocurrency purchases.

Bug in ‘Timelocked’ Bitcoin Contracts Could Spur Miners to Steal From Each Other

A widespread bug has compromised a special type of bitcoin transaction that is supposed to discourage miners from cheating, new research shows.

Crypto Long & Short: The Emergence of Prime Brokers Adds Resilience but Also Risk

Coinbase, BitGo and Genesis all have strong growth trajectories and balance sheets. But with that stability comes a certain degree of centralization.