Month: March 2019

Coinbase Custody Begins Staking Services With Tezos, Maker to Follow

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The institutional asset custody arm of United States cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has launched staking for Tezos (XTZ), the company announced in a blog post on March 29. Coinbase Custody, which provides storage facilities for institutional investors, is seeking to expand its suite of services to include staking — a means by which Proof-of-Stake (PoS) cryptocurrency networks incentivize activity. Through its offline storage service, investors will be able to participate in networks such as Tezos using Coinbase as a regulated intermediary. “The launch of Tezos staking through Coinbase Custody serves an…

Bitcoin Price Hits 5-Week High With Chart Echoing 2015 Pre-Rally Pattern

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View Bitcoin jumped to a five-week high of $4,100 earlier today, reinforcing the bullish view put forward by the recent bounce from the crucial 30-day moving average support. That, coupled with the flag breakout on the 4-hour chart, indicates scope for a re-test of $4,190 (February high). The short-term bullish case would weaken if prices fail to close today above $4,055 (March 21 high). On the downside, a bearish reversal would be confirmed if and when prices find acceptance below the 30-day moving average, currently at $3,900. Additionally, bitcoin’s 200-candle…

Cybersecurity Firm WISeKey Launches Blockchain-Powered ID Solution for IoT Devices

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Switzerland-based blockchain and cybersecurity firm WISeKey has launched a new blockchain-powered digital identity solution to protect Internet of Things (IoT) devices and their data. The news was announced in a WISeKey press release on March 29. WISeKey focuses on secure authentication and identification solutions for people and smart objects by implementing a cryptographic tool called Root of Trust (RoT). WISeKey IoT claims to have an install base of over 1.5 billion secure microchips across “virtually all IoT sectors” — from connected carts and smart cities to drones and crypto tokens.…

Android Malware Targets Users of 32 Crypto Apps, Including Coinbase, BitPay

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A new strain of Trojan malware for Android phones is targeting global users of top crypto apps such as Coinbase, BitPay and Bitcoin Wallet, as well as banks including JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. The news was reported by technology news outlet The Next Web on March 28. Based on research from prominent cybercrime analytics firm Group-IB, this is reportedly the first time the Trojan — now named “Gustuff” — has been reported or analyzed. The malware is described as being designed for mass infection and is spread…

Russia’s Richest Man Set to Develop a Palladium-backed Cryptocurrency

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While Russia has been struggling to introduce crypto regulations, the country’s richest man has come forward with a new proposal. Vladimir Potanin, the Russian billionaire has proposed to launch new crypto tokens pegged to the precious metal of palladium. The concept of stablecoins i.e. a crypto token backed by fiat currencies is getting more popular these days. Thus a digital currency backed by a precious commodity can likely be a good consideration. Also, the tokenization of commodities would make it easy to trade them globally. As reported by Bloomberg, Potanin…

Russia’s Richest Man Set to Develop a Palladium-backed Cryptocurrency

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons While Russia has been struggling to introduce crypto regulations, the country’s richest man has come forward with a new proposal. Vladimir Potanin, the Russian billionaire has proposed to launch new crypto tokens pegged to the precious metal of palladium. The concept of stablecoins i.e. a crypto token backed by fiat currencies is getting more popular these days. Thus a digital currency backed by a precious commodity can likely be a good consideration. Also, the tokenization of commodities would make it easy to trade them globally. As reported…

SBI Holdings: Ripple-Powered MoneyTap Receives Investing from 13 Leading Banks

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Ripple is receiving investments from 13 banks into its MoneyTap App, which handles money transfers between banks as well as between individuals via smartphones. The app does not use XRP, but employs xCurrent for powering payments. It seems that the crypto community is no longer surprised by Ripple‘s efforts to promote its products, in particular XRP-powered xRapid and xCurrent. Products backed by Ripple’s blockchain technology also enjoy popularity, and the recent announcement from Japanese SBI Holdings, known as Ripple’s supporter, testifies that. According to SBI Holdings, MoneyTap, the remittance mobile…

Bitmain’s Jihan Wu: ASICs Are Making Ethereum Mining More Decentralized

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Jihan Wu, co-founder of crypto mining giant Bitmain, has argued that ASIC miners make blockchain networks more decentralized – the opposite of what is often argued by members of the crypto community. Speaking at a keynote to discuss proof-of-work and decentralization during a blockchain event in Chongqing, China, on Wednesday, Wu told a mix of newbie and experienced participants in the industry that he believes ASIC miners – powerful processors designed for crunching specific algorithms – are less of a centralizing force than more general purpose graphics processing units (GPUs)…

Top US Energy Provider Ameren Eyes Blockchain Promise in Clean Energy Boost

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Major United States energy firm Ameren and Canadian software engineering and solutions company Opus One Solutions will explore the potential use of blockchain technology. The participants announced the news in a press release on March 28. Ameren, which currently services around 2.4 million electric and 900,000 gas consumers, will examine blockchain as one of a range of options in its clean energy initiative. As of May 2018, Ameren was listed among the top 20 U.S. gas and electric utility firms, based on market value. Blockchain is set to feature in…

ICO opens Sandbox beta phase to enhance data protection and support innovation

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The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has opened the beta phase of its Sandbox, a new service designed to support organisations using personal data to develop products and services that are innovative and have demonstrable public benefit. The beta phase of the Sandbox, which is now open to applications, will enable participants to work through how they use personal data in their projects with the ICO’s specialist staff to help ensure they comply with data protection rules. The Sandbox will also provide some comfort from enforcement action and, where feasible, increased…