Day: September 19, 2018

Bitcoin Remains Cybercriminals’ First Choice, But Privacy-Focused Alts Will Rise

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Europol’s new cybercrime report has found that Bitcoin (BTC) remains the most popular form of crypto for illicit uses, but predicts a rise in the popularity of anonymity-focused altcoins such as Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR). The report, the fifth edition of Europol’s Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) to date, was published yesterday, September 18. According to Europol, even as Bitcoin’s market share dropped as low as “35 percent in early 2017,” it remained the most “commonly encountered” crypto in cybercrime investigations across the European Union. Europol anticipates that…

Huobi Joins Russian Financial Services Platform to Share Notes on Crypto Regulation

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Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has joined Russia’s VEB Innovation Fund to share notes on crypto regulation, according to a fund’s press release published Wednesday, September 19. According to Crunchbase, the VEB Innovation Fund was created in 2011 to invest in Russian high-tech startups and to promote local innovations in the global market. The Center of Digital Transformation, where Huobi is now a resident, was created by VEB to promote blockchain and other crypto-related technologies, as its website states. One of the main goals of the partnership with world’s fourth largest crypto…

US Financial Giant PNC to Use Ripple Technology for International Payments

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PNC, which is ranked among the top ten U.S. banks, will use RippleNet to process international payments for its customers, Ripple announced Wednesday, September 19. As Reuters reports, a particular PNC unit — Treasury Management — will use Ripple’s blockchain solution xCurrent to speed up overseas transactions held by U.S. commercial clients. Ripple emphasises that xCurrent will allow PNC business clients to receive payments against their invoices instantly, changing their approach to managing both accounts and their working capital. Senior vice president for product management of Ripple, Asheesh Birla, thinks…

Crypto Markets Hold Supporting Levels With Small Fluctuations, BTC Trades Around $6,300

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Wednesday, September 19: crypto markets are holding recent gains and fluctuating around previous support levels. While 16 out of the top 20 altcoins by market cap are seeing some red today, total market cap still hovers around recent levels, according to CoinMarketCap. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) is slightly down 0.12 percent over the past 24 hours, still holding the supporting level of $6,300 after dropping below that price point last week. Bitcoin is trading at around $6,334 at press time, and up about 0.48 percent over the past…

Cryptocurrency Mining Malware Detections Up Almost 500 Percent in 2018: Report

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Leaked code targeting Microsoft Systems which hackers allegedly stole from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) sparked a fivefold increase in cryptocurrency mining malware infections, Bloomberg reports Wednesday, September 19, citing a new cryptojacking report. Eternal Blue, the tool which can exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft software, is behind the now-infamous global cyberattacks WannaCry and NotPetya, which continue to cause disruption since they first surfaced in 2017. Bloomberg notes that Eternal Blue was allegedly stolen from the NSA in 2017 by a hacking group called the Shadow Brokers. Hackers have since…

BTC/USD Stabilizes in 6200-6400 Area

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Bitcoin price on Wednesday consolidated sideways against the US Dollar, rangebound between two critical levels defined by $6,200 and $6,400. The BTC/USD kickstarted the day forming lows towards 6316-fiat. The early Asian trading session saw the pair attempting a moderate upside rebound towards 6400-fiat. However, a considerable selling pressure around 6384-fiat, September 11 peak, didn’t allow much upside extension. The pair, thus, reversed and retraced its focus towards 6250-fiat by mid-European session – only to find itself being bounced back. It would appear the price is stuck ahead of the…

Will Ethereum’s ERC-20 Pass the Governance to ERC-777?

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The end of summer is a great time to set personal goals, to soak in the final days of sunshine and to reminisce about the summer’s major events, like the promise made by Jordi Baylina, Jacques Dafflon and Thomas Shababi to introduce the ready-made ERC-777 token community standard, which is intended to replace the world’s most popular token standard, the ERC-20. The promise was made by Baylina on July 20 at the DappCon forum in Berlin, where important initiatives, tools and updates related to the Ethereum blockchain are traditionally discussed.…

Abu Dhabi Regulator Calls for International Cryptocurrency Regulation Effort

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The head of the financial regulator of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi wants “proper” international regulation of cryptocurrency, local news outlet The National reports Wednesday, September 19. Speaking during an interview at this week’s Fintech Abu Dhabi event, Richard Teng, head of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), claimed that loss and theft of cryptocurrency negatively impacts its image as an asset. “This space needs to be properly regulated, otherwise there is the risk of financial crime,” he said, noting: “Every…

Former Twitch Senior Vice President of Marketing Joins Crypto Startup Kin as CMO

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Former Twitch exec Matthew DiPietro has joined crypto startup Kin Ecosystem Foundation as chief marketing officer (CMO), PR Newswire reports September 18. After serving eight years as senior vice president at the popular live streaming platform Twitch, DiPietro will now be responsible for developing marketing and brand strategies for Kin, the cryptocurrency launched by Kik Interactive, as specified on the expert’s LinkedIn profile. According to PR Newswire, DiPietro drove brand development for Twitch, as well as led all marketing projects, including the launch of community convention TwitchCon that is devoted…

Crypto Future of E-Commerce Is in The Hands of Asian Players

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On Sept. 14, the blockchain investment arm of United States-based e-commerce Bitcoin pioneer Overstock announced that the retailer’s clients can now purchase the cryptocurrency directly from its website. It became possible after its subsidiary Bitsy began a beta launch of its cryptocurrency wallet and exchange, marking another step in Overstock’s rich relationship with Bitcoin. However, although Overstock first allowed its customers to pay with the cryptocurrency back in 2014, the e-commerce industry has yet to experience mass adoption. Meanwhile, Asian players are gathering to make an even greater push. First…