Major Coins Show Poor Performance, With Ethereum Dipping Below $100

Thursday, Dec. 6: Cryptocurrency markets have continued yesterday’s losses, with just two of the top twenty coins seeing any gains, according to Coin360. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) is down 3.13 percent the day, seeing a high of $3,887 and low of $3,587. At press time, the major cryptocurrency is trading around $3,656. On its weekly chart, BTC is at its lowest price point over the past seven days, down 14.4 percent, while the coin’s monthly statistics show grim 43 percent losses. Bitcoin monthly price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap The…

Royal Flush in Bitcoin | CCG

The coolest deck of playing cards is all about cryptocurrencies. It features custom art by amazing artists from all over the world and can be obtained online. In Switzerland, a project was recently launched, with the goal of helping cryptocurrencies adoption : it’s a deck of playing cards, but not any deck. Instead of playing poker or blackjack with spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs, you’re now playing with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and NEO. Every suit has different dominant colours and each character was specifically designed to proudly represent its cryptocurrency.…

SEC Delays Decision on Bitcoin ETF, Sets Deadline for Late February

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has again postponed its decision on the first ever Bitcoin (BTC) Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), according to an official document published Thursday, Dec. 6. The SEC set the new deadline for Feb. 27, 2019 in order to further review the rule change proposals to list a Bitcoin ETF by investment firm VanEck and blockchain company SolidX on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE): “The Commission finds it appropriate to designate a longer period within which to issue an order approving or disapproving the…

Bitcoin Fund Bets $1M That Crypto Will Outperform S&P 500

Morgan Creek Bullish On Crypto, Issues $1M “Buffett Bet 2.0” Morgan Creek Capital, a juggernaut in investment management, recently saw its crypto-centric subsidiary make an extremely bullish bet on Bitcoin (BTC) and its altcoin brethren. More specifically, according to a report from CNBC, Morgan Creek Digital, headed by Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano, has called for a single investor to take on a hefty bet. The wager, which has been colloquially dubbed “Buffet Bet 2.0,” sees Morgan Creek tout that its in-house cryptocurrency index fund, which includes all prominent crypto assets, save for…

SEC Commissioner Warns Investors Against Putting Too Much Hope into Bitcoin ETF

The current state of the cryptocurrency markets is leading investors to place a significant amount of their hope into future products and events, including the potential approval of the VanEck/SolidX Bitcoin ETF that is currently awaiting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) approval. Despite this, one SEC commissioner who is notably bullish on cryptocurrencies, warned investors against placing too much importance on this event, saying that it could be a long time before a Bitcoin ETF is approved. Hester Peirce, one of five SEC commissioners, made the comments while speaking…

Crypto Exchanges vs. State Banks

On Monday, Dec. 4, the Chilean Supreme Court welcomed the decision of state-owned Banco del Estado to close the accounts of local cryptocurrency exchange Orionx. The new phase in the legal battle between the banks and several crypto exchanges — including Buda.com and CryptoMarket (CryptoMKT), which had appealed against the denial of services — may look somewhat sinister from the outside. But the main players of the Chilean crypto market assured Cointelegraph that the recent decision could not prevent them from operating in the country. Exchanges vs. banks — a…

Four International Banks Complete Commercial Paper Transaction on R3’s Corda Platform

A group of international banks in partnership with enterprise blockchain software firm R3 have completed a live commercial paper transaction based on blockchain platform Corda, Finextra reported Dec. 6. The transaction was implemented on the Corda-based Euro Debt Solution application developed by R3, with German banking and financial services company Commerzbank, French corporate and investment bank Natixis, and Dutch financial services firm Rabobank as the participant. In the course of transaction, Natixis reportedly issued 100,000 euro ($113,722) notional, while Rabobank acted as the incestor and ING as both dealer and…

Canadian Crypto Exchange Coinsquare Acquires Stellar Wallet BlockEQ

Coinsquare, the crypto exchange that has been nicknamed the “Coinbase of Canada,” has acquired Stellar wallet BlockEQ as it seeks to expand its offerings beyond cryptocurrency trading. The Toronto-based Coinsquare announced the deal on Thursday, revealing that it had paid $12 million CAD (~$9 million USD) to acquire BlockEQ, a non-custodial wallet that allows crypto users to store XLM and other tokens that run on the Stellar network. Coinsquare currently ranks as the second-largest crypto exchange that offers CAD trading pairs, trailing closely behind LakeBTC. Among all exchanges, Coinsquare ranks…

Swiss Bank Gazprombank to Launch Crypto Services Next Year

Swiss bank Gazprombank recently partnered with fintech startup Avaloq and crypto firm Metaco to offer clients crypto services, an Avaloq press release reports Dec. 6. Fintech company Avaloq and crypto custody solution specialist Metaco are reportedly collaborating with Gazprombank –– which as CHF 3.1 billion ($3.12 billion) in total assets under management ––“to implement their integrated crypto asset solution” aimed at banks and wealth managers. The system is meant “for the management of client portfolios across all asset classes, including cryptocurrencies.” The press release reports that this is the latest…

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blockchain Consideration Grows

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blockchain Consideration Grows December 6, 2018 by Akshay Makadiya The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) research and development unit, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), has launched a Preventing Forgery and Counterfeiting of Certificates and Licenses program. The initiative will focus on the potential of blockchain in curbing forgeries and fraud in the government sector. Also see: As Binance DEX Nears, Changpeng Zhao Says ‘Instant Transactions’ Nigh Subscribe to the Bitsonline YouTube channel for great videos featuring industry insiders & experts Homeland Security Blockchain Consideration Rising The solicitation,…