Month: January 2019

Wikipedia Now Accepts Bitcoin Cash Donations via Bitpay

boss

Services Users from all over the world can now support the widely popular free encyclopedia Wikipedia with bitcoin cash donations via Bitpay. The non-profit model and global nature of the organization means it has to find a universal and cost-effective payment solution, and cryptocurrencies are an obvious choice.    Also Read: Blockchain.com Launches New Educational Resource With BCH Report Accepting Bitcoin Cash Is a Natural Step The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and similar free knowledge projects, has partnered with Bitpay, the popular cryptocurrency payment processor, to accept…

Japanese Finance Giant SBI Holdings, Blockchain Firm R3 Officially Announce Joint Venture

boss

Japanese financial services company SBI Holdings has officially announced a joint agreement with the United States blockchain consortium R3 to work in Japan, according to a press release published on Jan. 29. Back in December, SBI Holdings had already revealed its plans — according to an interview with R3’s CEO — to partner with software enterprise R3 to develop local use of its Corda blockchain platform, Cointelegraph reported on Dec. 6. Yesterday’s press release was an official announcement of the partnership. SBI Holdings and R3’s joint agreement aims to promote…

Research Reveals $1.7 Billion Obtained via Crypto Thefts and Scams in 2018

boss

About $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency had been obtained via illicit means in 2018, according to research published by crypto analytics company CipherTrace on Jan. 29. Of that $1.7 billion, over $950 million was stolen from crypto exchanges, representing a 3.6 times increase over 2017. On the other hand, at least $725 million was lost in 2018 to scams such as ponzi schemes, exit schemes and fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs). CipherTrace also listed what the company believes to be the top ten cryptocurrency threats: the highest is SIM swapping, which…

Russia’s Ministry of Education Introduces System for Tracking Diamonds via Blockchain

boss

Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science (Minobrnauki) has introduced a blockchain-enabled platform for tracking natural diamonds, government-backed news agency TASS reports today, Jan. 30. The new Russian diamond tracking technology claims to fully guarantee the authenticity of diamond products across all the supply chain, from extraction and polishing to the final owner. Based on emerging IT technologies and blockchain, the new system intends to prevent market participants from losing their financial assets since the diamond market has both natural and synthetic diamonds, as well as fake stones, TASS reports. According…

Iran Reportedly in Talks With 8 Countries to Use Crypto Transactions

boss

Iran is reportedly negotiating with eight countries to carry out financial transactions in cryptocurrency, local daily newspaper Tehran Times reports on Monday, Jan. 28. According to the article, Iran has already entered negotiations with Switzerland, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Germany and Bosnia, and the countries have reportedly visited Iran to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the news concerns the national cryptocurrency that Iran is allegedly set to launch vin the near future. However, the article notes that the talks on crypto transactions…

Iran Pitches Crypto Rial to 8 Countries for Transactions, Avoiding US-Dollar Led Global Commerce Altogether

boss

Sanction-hit Iran is negotiating the use of its state-backed cryptocurrency with eight foreign countries, according to a Tehran Times report. The Middle Eastern nation had its representatives met with their counterparts from Switzerland, South Africa, France, England, Russia, Austria, Germany, and Bosnia. According to Mohammad-Reza Modoudi, the acting head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, the meeting took place in hopes to lure foreign investors into the country. At the same time, the representatives also discussed how Iran would settle its global trades while hit by an international banking sanction. Digital…

Bitcoin Eyes Minor Price Bounce But Bear Trend Intact

boss

View Bitcoin’s minor recovery rally from six-week lows could be extended further to levels above $3,500 as back-to-back long-tailed daily candles are indicating a lack of conviction among sellers, despite Monday’s high-volume range breakdown. A break above the downward sloping 10-day MA of $3,511 would expose the crucial resistance of $3,658 (the high of Saturday’s gravestone doji and last week’s classic doji candle). The outlook would turn bullish if BTC secures a convincing UTC close above $3,658. Rejection at the 10-day MA would reinforce the primary bearish trend and could…

SWIFT CEO Reveals Plans to Launch PoC Gateway With Blockchain Consortium R3 Tech

boss

This article has been updated to reflect the breaking news events. Major global banking payments network SWIFT has revealed it plans to launch a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) of a gateway — dubbed GPI Link — that will allow enterprise blockchain software firm R3 to link to GPI (Global Payments Innovation) payments from their platform. Speaking at the Paris Fintech Forum on Jan. 30, CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt said SWIFT would be formally announcing its plans for a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) with R3 later today. Leibbrandt was speaking for the first time in a joint…

Japanese IT Giant Fujitsu Completes Test of Blockchain Electricity Sharing Project

boss

Japanese IT firm Fujitsu has successfully trialed a blockchain-based solution to address inefficiencies in electricity surplus management, the company confirmed in a press release on Jan. 29. Fujitsu, which partnered with local power distribution company ENERES, used blockchain to increase the success rates of power sharing, which is administered through a process known as Demand Response (DR). An agreement between utilities companies and consumers, DR aims to anticipate periods of peak demand by ensuring surplus power is available to those who need it. The current technology involved makes DR an…

Know When to Fold Them DApps–Ethereum Cedes Ground to EOS, TRON Due to Gambler Migration

boss

Know When to Fold Them DApps–Ethereum Cedes Ground to EOS, TRON Due to Gambler Migration January 30, 2019 by Paul de Havilland DApps, or decentralized apps, have witnessed a seismic shift in usage patterns. They have also seen a movement away from Ethereum toward the TRON and EOS platforms. But are the figures misleading? Also read: Kik Expects SEC to Come Knocking Over Kin ICO Subscribe to the Bitsonline YouTube channel for great videos featuring industry insiders & experts TRON and EOS Surpass Ethereum There was in excess of $7.5 billion USD worth…