Month: March 2019

JP Morgan Beats Ethereum Studio ConsenSys with Most Blockchain Jobs

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According to data made available to CCN from Indeed.com, one of the companies doing the most hiring in the blockchain sector is none other than JP Morgan. Others who topped the list are Deloitte and IBM (unsurprisingly). The rest of the top 10 companies with blockchain jobs (or jobs in the cryptocurrency sector) is as follows: • KPMG• EY• Accenture• Cisco• Microsoft• Conduent• ConsenSys For the most part, these companies are not surprising. What is surprising is that ConsenSys, the most significant player in the Ethereum space by a long…

13 Banks Invest in SBI’s Ripple-Powered Blockchain Payment App

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Blockchain payment app MoneyTap, co-developed by Ripple and Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings, has received investments from 13 local banks, according to an SBI press release published on March 28. In the announcement, SBI Holdings informs that Kiraboshi Bank, Shinsei Bank and Hokuriku Bank, along with ten other local financial institutions, have joined their project as shareholders. MoneyTap, which was designed to quickly transfer money via a mobile app using Ripple’s blockchain solution xCurrent, will reportedly receive investments from other Japanese financial institutions later this year. According to SBI…

Facebook Announces New Blockchain Jobs at Its California HQ

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Facebook’s HQ in Menlo Park, California, has opened five new positions in its blockchain department, according to listings posted today, March 29. The new jobs were posted in the company’s LinkedIn account. According to the announcements, the company is now seeking a growth product manager, product manager, data scientist, software engineer and business operations manager to join its blockchain team. The description of the positions also hints at the possible areas in which the firm may implement the technology: “The blockchain team is a startup within Facebook and we’re exploring…

Bitmain Eyes 2020 Bitcoin Block Halving as Pivotal Moment for Mining Fortunes

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Embattled cryptocurrency mining giant Bitmain has allegedly hinted the release of its new mining hardware could hinge on the 2020 Bitcoin (BTC) block reward halving. The news was reported by English-language Asia news outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) on March 27. Bitmain, which has seen a testing six months as market volatility triggered redundancies and a failed public flotation, reportedly said next year’s event could reverse its fortunes. SCMP cited a “a company source with knowledge of the plan.” Block reward halvings reduce the amount of BTC awarded to…

Where’s the Justice? Mt. Gox CEO Escapes Embezzlement Verdict to Appeal Manipulation Charge

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The former chief executive of shuttered bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is going for the trifecta now that his trial is over. Mark Karpeles got off scot-free on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. While he was charged with manipulating electronic data on the trading platform, he plans to appeal the conviction, the Associated Press reports. In a blow to victims of what once was once the most heavily traded bitcoin exchange, prosecutors have now decided not to fight the Tokyo District Court’s March 15 embezzlement ruling that cleared Karpeles…

Indian Street Protests for Cryptocurrency

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The fourth and largest of a series of blockchain supporter rallies is set for Bangalore on March 30, and is anticipated to have a huge public impact because of the planned participation of numerous developers — the key to India’s blockchain growth. Previous rallies this month in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad saw thousands of crypto and blockchain enthusiasts and professional stakeholders take to the streets. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ordered financial institutions to stop dealing with cryptocurrency businesses last year, with a ban coming into effect on July…

Tezos (XTZ) Earns $43 Million Following Coinbase Announcement, Can It Rally?

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Tezos proof-of-stake project’s market capitalization was up 8% since the session’s open this Friday. As of 1109 UTC, the Tezos blockchain attracted $43 million via the sale of its native token XTZ. The coin’s valuation against the US dollar surged from 0.781 to 0.848, its best since November 20 last year. The market volume, in the past 24 hours, was above $6.78 million, with BitMax and Gate.io hosting the maximum trades. Tezos Price Chart | Source: CMC According to CoinMarketCap volume indicator, XTZ’s upside benefited from bitcoin’s overlong stability near the…

Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles to Appeal Data Conviction

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Mark Karpeles, former CEO of the long-defunct bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, is to appeal his conviction on data manipulation charges earlier this month. According to a report from The Associated Press on Friday, Karpeles said he had decided to appeal because the Tokyo District Court did not fully look at the defense arguments. Karpeles said: “During the opening of my trial in 2017, I swore to God that I am innocent of all charges. I believe appealing to the judgment is appropriate so that I can be judged again in…

Hong Kong’s Securities Regulator Issues Detailed Guidance for Security Token Offerings

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Hong Kong’s securities regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued official guidance on security token offerings (STOs), in a statement published on March 28. The guidance aims to clarify the legal and regulatory requirements for parties engaging in STO-related activities. The document opens with a proposed working definition of a security token and sale, noting that: “STOs typically refer to specific offerings which are structured to have features of traditional securities offerings, and involve Security Tokens which are digital representations of ownership of assets (eg, gold or real…

Will It Spark Institutional Adoption?

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With recent exchange imbroglios, like QuadrigaCX’s nine-figure mishap and DragonEx’s recent loss of purported millions worth of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets, big-name onlookers are likely shying away from the space. Related Reading: DragonEx Crypto Exchange Hack Highlights the Importance of Using Reputable Platforms More likely than not, they see investing in this embryonic asset class as entirely risky, and thus nonsensical. A recent scathing Bitcoin-centric feature from mainstream business news outlet The Economist would confirm this. The article’s author mentioned the QuadrigaCX fracas a number of times to…