Day: February 21, 2019

UK Auction House to Sell Off $430K in Crypto Confiscated by Belgian Police

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United Kingdom and Ireland-based auction house Wilsons Auctions will host its first Bitcoin (BTC) auction in late February as per a contract with the Belgian Federal Government. The news was announced in a blog post from the firm on Feb. 18. The auction is set to sell off a total amount of about $430,000 in cryptocurrencies, which had previously been seized by the Belgium’s police as a result of a drug trafficking case involving the use of Darknet. The 24-hour online auction starts on Feb. 28 at 12 p.m. GMT…

Digital Asset’s Europe Head Is Latest to Leave Enterprise Blockchain Startup

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The upheaval continues at enterprise blockchain company Digital Asset (DA), with the news that Gavin Wells will step down from his role as head of Europe next month. Oliver Hugh-Jones, head of business development for Europe, will assume all of Wells’ client-facing responsibilities, a spokeswoman for DA confirmed to CoinDesk Thursday. Wells’ departure was reported earlier by Risk, a financial industry publication.   “I joined Digital Asset to learn about the technology, but I stayed because of the people I met there,” Wells told the magazine. It is not clear where…

Ripple (XRP) Falter, Liquidation at 34 Cents

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Ripple prices under pressure at 34 cents Instimatch Global partner with R3 Corda Settler Transaction volumes high but could dip in coming days There is consolidation happening in the remittance space, and it is good news that Instimatch Global is partnering with R3 Corda Settler. Yoshitaka’s SBI Holdings is behind Ripple Inc and R3 and therefore, successful use will see XRP demand increase as prices finally break above 40 cents. Ripple Price Analysis Fundamentals Instimatch Global, a firm that says “enables a diverse community of institutional borrowers and lenders to…

Binance’s Charity Arm Rolls Out Blockchain-Powered School Lunch Campaign

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The charity arm of the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has launched its pilot blockchain-based lunch program in African schools, according to a blog post on Feb. 21. Binance Charity Foundation (BCF) has rolled out its charity campaign “Lunch for Children” in the capital of Uganda, Kampala. According to the program, the organization is set to provide two meals a day during the full year of 2019 to more than 200 students and school staff. The recently launched pilot in Uganda is a part of a larger campaign by Binance…

Research Warns ‘Familiar’ Monero Mining Malware Is Infecting Windows Systems

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A new hacking tool is propagating throughout the online community in an attempt to install cryptocurrency mining malware, researchers at security intelligence firm Trend Micro confirmed in a blog post on Feb. 20. Detected at the end of January, the tool is a combination of extant threats which previously targeted Microsoft Windows users: MIMIKATZ and RADMIN. “Between the last week of January to February, we noticed an increase in hack tool installation attempts that dropped seemingly random files into the Windows directory,” the blog post reads: “Initially appearing unrelated, analysis…

Bitcoin (BTC) Prices Cool Off, KYC and AML Defeat Purpose of Crypto

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Bitcoin prices cool off but up 8.7 percent in the last week KYC, AML and other rules imposed by centralized exchanges defeats crypto objectives Transaction volumes taper as prices consolidate Albeit the excitement around expanding prices and wave of adoption, KYC and AML rules that expose user identity but made mandatory by exchanges defeat the very purpose of crypto. Progress is visible and would organically pump Bitcoin (BTC) prices. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals After a decade of wonderful-and even jaw-dropping progress, it may be about that time when participants can…

Want to Kickstart the Next Bitcoin Bullrun? Stop Hodling and Start Spending

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As a crypto-community, we’re all guilty of trying to predict the next bitcoin bull-run. Just wait until the bitcoin ETF is approved! It’ll explode when Wall Street embraces crypto. Bitcoin will soar when pension funds start buying bitcoin. JP Morgan’s new cryptocurrency will send prices higher! (Just kidding). Instead of sitting around waiting for these institutional changes (which may or may not even happen), we can do something ourselves. Start spending bitcoin. One sure-fire way to increase bitcoin’s price is to increase demand for crypto payments. The more active bitcoin…

SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom to Build Blockchain Identity Platform

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South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, SK Telecom (SKT), is partnering with the world’s fifth largest telecoms firm, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, to develop a blockchain-based mobile identification solution. The news was reported in a press release from SKT on Feb. 21. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two firms is to be formalized during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019, which kicks off on Feb. 25 in Barcelona, Spain. The collaboration will see SKT and Deutsche Telekom’s R&D unit, T-Labs, develop a commercialized, blockchain-powered mobile identity solution that can be used…

Brazilian Bank Aims to Raise $15 Million Through Security Token Offering

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A Brazilian investment bank is planning to raise millions of dollars through the offering of a security token. In an announcement Thursday, Banco BTG Pactual said it will back its blockchain-based token with distressed Brazilian real estate assets, with the expectation of raising up to $15 million. It will also establish a secondary market following the sale in order to provide liquidity to the tokens. The offering will allow investors to invest in the Brazilian real estate market and, based on the performance of the tied assets, receive periodic profits. International investors will be…

Big Four Firm KPMG Partners With Blockchain Co. Guardtime to Develop Tools for Businesses

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Big Four auditor KPMG announced it had partnered with enterprise blockchain company Guardtime to offer blockchain-based services to clients in a press release on Feb. 20. KPMG, which has experimented with blockchain before, has entered into a strategic alliance with Guardtime and will work on various products and services using its platform. “Using KPMG’s blockchain enablement services, KPMG professionals will work with Guardtime to provide strategy, assessment, as well as design and implementation services,” the press release explains. Over the past three years, Guardtime’s technology has made its way into…