CFTC Technology Advisory Committee Discusses Crypto Regulation and DLT Adoption

The Technology Advisory Committee of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) discussed crypto regulation and distributed ledger technology (DLT) adoption during a meeting on Wednesday, March 27. The committee discussed various reports on cryptocurrencies and DLT. The first was presented by Peter Van Valkenburgh, Director of Research at Coin Center, who spoke on various consensus mechanisms. Referring to this topic, CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz said in his opening statement that Ethereum’s plan to shift from a proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus raises important regulatory questions, including the…

Bitcoin (BTC) Add $2.5 Billion in 36 Hours, Bitmain to Bolster Network

Bitcoin prices up three percent Bitmain plans boost the network’s hash rate Transaction volumes low but could surge once prices are above $4,200 Unexpectedly, Bitcoin (BTC) prices found support at Mar 5 highs as bulls flew back. This revival coincides with news of Bitmain plans of deploying 200,000 units as they plan to take advantage of low electricity cost during this summer. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals Well, after fears of a possible collapse were allayed in the Asian session when prices bounced off $3,900. With apprehensive bulls, Bitcoin had a…

Tagomi Holdings’ Subsidiary Gets BitLicense from New York DFS

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has granted a BitLicense to institutional-grade crypto trading platform Tagomi Trading, according to an official press release on March 27. Tagomi Trading, a subsidiary of Tagomi Holdings, is now legally authorized to trade virtual currency assets and to engage in money transmission. The company is allowed to offer trade routing and order execution services for non-security virtual currencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the statement notes. The firm’s parent company, Tagomi Holdings, was launched by…

How the Community United to Teach Jack Dorsey About Feeless, Rapid Off-Chain Transactions

Over the last few weeks, Bitcoin’s (BTC) second-layer scaling protocol, called the Lightning Network (LN), has gained a lot of traction, steadily proving to become a viable solution to BTC’s infamous scalability problem and even potential competitor to American payments giant Visa. Thanks to the community-driven Twitter experiment called “the Lightning Torch,” the LN has now been co-signed by Jack Dorsey, who says that integrating the protocol on Square’s popular Cash App is a question of “when, not if.” On top of raising awareness, the social media campaign has also…

Justin—Vitalik Feud Intensifies as Ethereum (ETH) Bulls Flow Back

Ethereum prices up four percent in the last day Justin—Vitalik rivalry continues Volumes low despite today’s revival In response to Vitalik previous comments, Justin Sun now says they shall build a monument when Tron succeeds. Meanwhile, Tron is up four percent in the last day, bouncing off $135. Ethereum Price Analysis Fundamentals Vitalik and Justin are without doubt blockchain poster boys. However, what‘s interesting is their public feuds. It often lights up space more so when prices are on a dip. However, what is concerning is their frequent loggerheads as…

Swiss Regulator FINMA Concludes That Mining Firm Envion’s ICO Was Unlawful

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has finished enforcement proceedings against crypto mining firm Envion AG, the authority announced on March 27. As a result of the investigation launched in July 2018, FINMA concluded that Envion’s initial coin offering (ICO), which closed in early January 2018, was unlawful. Envion, a blockchain firm that claims to provide decentralized, clean energy for mobile mining units, faced a liquidation order from the cantonal court of Zug in November 2018 for conducting an allegedly unauthorized ICO. According to FINMA, the ICO raised more…

Stellar Patched an Inflation Bug and Burned the Resulting 2.25 Billion XLM: Research

Cryptocurrency intelligence company Messari has claimed that Stellar (XLM) suffered an inflation bug in April 2017 that was exploited to create 2.25 billion XLM (worth about $10 million at the time), which were later burned. The news was revealed in a Messari report published on March 27. Per the report, the illicitly created XLM — which was equivalent to nearly a quarter of the circulating supply — was moved to exchanges and likely sold during the first half of 2017. An equivalent quantity of XLM was purportedly burned to preserve…

Huobi’s US Partner Hbus Forms New Group to Launch Institutional Products

The United States-based operator of crypto exchange Huobi, Hbus, has formed a new team to launch institutional products and services, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 27. The company’s new team will be led by Katelyn Mew, who previously worked at a global investment company BlackRock VP and is currently heading Hbus’ sales and marketing department. The other director is Oren Blonstein, Huobi’s vice president of technology, formerly of Tora Trading Services and Caspian. According to the announcement, Hbus is evaluating several potential services designed for…

BB Points at Ripple (XRP) Undervaluation as Transaction Volumes Pick Up

Ripple prices up 2.8 percent in the last day XRP has an A-grade when ranked in terms of technology and adoption Volumes low averaging 10 million after yesterday’s close. Prices may be down, but according to a recent Weiss Ratings report, adoption and technology development remains higher. Topping the list is Ripple (XRP), EOS as well as Bitcoin which appears to be inching higher and lifting XRP prices from 30 cents. Ripple Price Analysis Fundamentals While there is some correlation between asset price and platform development, Weiss Ratings has counter-evidence…

Why Trump’s Controversial Fed Pick is Massively Bullish for Bitcoin

Donald Trump might frequently complain about the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell, but until now no one cared. His latest move to recommend Stephen Moore for a seat on the Fed’s board is potentially explosive, with ripple effects that could hit the global monetary system hard. Puppet central banks and inflation go hand in hand, so over the long-term, this could be extremely bullish for Bitcoin. Trump’s Assault on Fed’s Independence Could be Great for Bitcoin The Federal Reserve has always been sacred. Presidents will appoint yes-men in every walk…